"Hmph, you little brat, pretending to be all pure and abstinent every day—got caught by your sister, huh?"
Seeing Jing Yuan stare in shock, Jing Hanshuang thought he had guessed his secret, and immediately broke into a smug grin.
"Not bad, my little brother—good taste. This girl's looks are almost catching up to her big sister's."
Jing Hanshuang moved next to Gu Xiao's video setup and struck a fighting pose, but her aura was completely different from Gu Xiao's.
Gu Xiao's face is relatively soft, like the energetic, youthful heroines you see in anime, exuding a vibe of boundless vitality.
In contrast, Jing Hanshuang's features are more rugged, giving off a cool, aloof impression.
In fact, Jing Hanshuang is truly icy when she's out, known in her circles as the "Ice‑Mountain Goddess," but at home she can act a bit childish.
Hmm, sometimes she even seems a little "silly," at least from Jing Yuan's point of view.
"She's not my girlfriend."
Jing Yuan felt he needed to explain, since he planned to have both families meet before he headed to Xinghai Academy.
He thought it better to clear things up now to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings later.
"Eh~"
As soon as Jing Yuan finished speaking, he felt his older sister's disdainful stare.
"Little Yuan, even though I want you to go out and hang with friends more, there are some bad habits—don't follow those."
Hearing Jing Yuan's outright denial, Jing Hanshuang already saw him as a scumbag whose secret relationship had been uncovered by the family and then abandoned.
"Big sis, it's really not like that, listen to me."
He had planned to lay it all out in a few days, but since his sister already knows, there's no harm in speaking up now.
"Explain what? I've already looked into it. Ever since the Awakening Day for professionals, you've been sending her batches of cultivation resources every so often, yet you claim there's nothing between you."
Jing Hanshuang looked incredulous; the reason she'd been watching Gu Xiao was because she noticed Jing Yuan periodically sending a shipment of cultivation supplies over there.
For the more common items, Jing Yuan would simply transfer some credit points, letting Gu Xiao purchase them herself.
The younger brother, who's never been keen on spending, actually splurged that many credit points on a girl and still says there's nothing between you two.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid, sis? So easy to fool?"
However, one thing puzzled Jing Hanshuang: after learning Jing Yuan had this "girlfriend" out there, she suddenly became interested in Gu Xiao.
It's a rare chance to get a bite of Jing Yuan's "melon," and she wouldn't let it slip away.
But no matter how she dug, she couldn't find any clue about how Jing Yuan and Gu Xiao met.
Jing Hanshuang couldn't even locate a single instance of them meeting, as if they'd never crossed paths, yet she somehow knew each other's contact IDs and became friends.
"Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Even online romances have a beginning, right?"
Yet one day they just added each other, and Jing Yuan kept sending over cultivation supplies or credit points at intervals.
At first she wondered if her own brother had been set up, scammed perhaps.
But then she thought, given Jing Yuan's shrewdness, he's not the type to be fooled; who could deceive him?
"Sigh~ maybe it really is like that."
Trying to buy a girl's innocence with money—just the first three tiers of cultivation resources—might be pricey for an ordinary family, but for them it's just a drop in the bucket.
Could it be that Little Yuan got corrupted by those playboys? When did it happen? Could it be that kid from the Yan family?
Little Yuan has very few friends; only a handful truly count, and among them, the one who could influence him is Yan Lin from the Yan family.
Moreover, that kid always acts nonchalant, so it's not impossible.
"Sis, just hear me out first."
Seeing his sister's far‑off, dreamy expression, Jing Yuan knew she was already conjuring up some outlandish idea.
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening; don't even think you can pull a fast one on me again."
Jing Hanshuang covered her ears with both hands, shaking her head like a rattle, her long hair swaying with each motion.
She looked like a petulant child, nowhere near the ice‑queen persona she shows outside.
"Jing Hanshuang."
He sighed, then said each word deliberately.
"Alright."
Hearing Jing Yuan call her full name, Jing Hanshuang instinctively sat up straight.
"Sit down."
Jing Yuan went to the stone table in the courtyard, sat down, and patted the seat next to him.
"Okay."
Jing Hanshuang approached the stone table and obediently sat beside Jing Yuan.
But as soon as she sat, it felt as if her bottom had been burned, and she sprang up from the bench.
"Hold on, I'm the sister here, Little Yuan— is this how you talk to your sister?"
Jing Yuan wore a helpless expression, pulling a box of pastries from his storage ring— the Cloud Flake Pavilion treats that Jing Hanshuang loves most.
A centuries‑old brand with a daily limited supply.
"Sister, have some pastries."
Jing Yuan placed the pastry box on the table, lifted the lid, and a tempting aroma wafted out.
Inside, the pastries varied in shape, each adorned with intricate designs—truly a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
"Hehe, now that's more like it."
Seeing the Cloud Flake Pavilion pastries, Jing Hanshuang sat back down, picking up a mille‑feuille rose cake—its pale pink‑white layers dusted with specks of blue‑purple sugar, golden threads of dough spiraling around the outside.
She took a small bite; the sweet fragrance filled her mouth and nose, crumbs fell from the corner of her mouth, and she quickly used her other hand to catch them. After finishing a piece, she even scooped the crumbs from her palm back into her mouth and then licked her fingers.
One could say she showed none of the poise expected of a Jing family heiress.
But Jing Hanshuang only behaves like this in front of Jing Yuan; with her own brother she has no restraints.
"Alright, go ahead."
Jing Hanshuang didn't finish the pastries; she lifted the lid, closed it again, and slipped the box back into her storage ring unnoticed.
Jing Yuan didn't mind her little trick and began to explain his relationship with Gu Xiao.
He then told Jing Hanshuang about his connection with Gu Xiao.
Jing Hanshuang's face went blank, her mouth slightly open, for a moment she didn't know what expression to make.
Jing Hanshuang raised her hands, one covering Jing Yuan's head, the other pressing against her own forehead.
After a moment, she lowered her hands.
"Hold on, you don't even have a fever—why are you spouting nonsense now?"