Chapter 16: Gu Xiyue is the Only Sister

Gu Chengcheng looked at Gu Cheng'an with teary eyes. "Brother, can you please..."

"No." Gu Cheng'an's face, which was already dark, looked even darker.

Seeing his expression, Gu Chengcheng could only pout and continue counting the candies with a look of grievance.

Gu Zhiqi naturally noticed Gu Cheng'an's dislike for her, but she didn't take it to heart; instead, she stepped out of the living room.

Gu Cheng'an's gaze fell on Gu Chengcheng, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on Gu Zhiqi.

Seeing Gu Zhiqi leave, Gu Cheng'an threw out a final remark: "Count them properly. If you don't count them right, I won't buy you candies next time." Then, he walked out the door.

"Oh." Gu Chengcheng gave a pitiful "oh," then rested her chin on her arms and began counting the candies slowly.

**

The sun was setting.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon in brilliant, dazzling colors.

By the flowerbed in the courtyard, the young girl stood with her eyes slightly lowered, her back to the sunset, staring intently at the flowerbed.

She stood quietly, as if surrounded by a layer of ethereal and misty aura. That aura seemed to forcibly separate her from the surroundings; the orange light fell upon her back, enveloping her completely, yet it could not penetrate her world.

Seeing this scene, Gu Cheng'an froze for a moment. Immediately after, a trace of displeasure and hostility colored his brow. "What are you doing?"

The boy was in his voice-changing stage; his voice was somewhat raspy and unrefined—not exactly unpleasant, but not exactly pleasant either.

Hearing Gu Cheng'an's unfriendly tone, Gu Zhiqi turned her head slightly and gave him a lazy, sidelong glance.

"Something on your mind?"

"These are all my sister's things. You'd better not touch them," Gu Cheng'an said, looking at Gu Zhiqi with a warning expression.

"I didn't touch them, I'm just looking," Gu Zhiqi said with a shrug, her tone nonchalant.

"You'd better mean what you say. If you actually touch them, my sister will definitely break your hands," Gu Cheng'an continued to warn her. His tone was harsh, and his hostility toward her only increased.

Gu Zhiqi ignored him and turned back to continue staring at the flowerbed.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Gu Cheng'an felt a slight tightness in his chest. He continued to call her name with hostility, "Gu Zhiqi."

This time, Gu Zhiqi didn't even turn her head. Her gaze remained fixed on the ice-white flower in the center of the flowerbed as she replied flatly, "If you have something to say, say it."

"I won't acknowledge you. I only have one sister, Gu Xiyue. Don't expect me to call you sister."

"That's fine," Gu Zhiqi replied perfunctorily.

Sensing her dismissiveness, Gu Cheng'an felt even more stifled. He said sarcastically, "No one in my family welcomes you. If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to show up."

"Oh." Perfunctoriness +1.

Seeing her attitude, Gu Cheng'an felt as if he had punched a bag of cotton. A surge of frustration caught in his throat, neither rising nor falling. He gritted his teeth and continued in a heavy voice, "Gu Zhiqi, can you not understand human language? I don't like you, and you aren't welcome. If you had any self-awareness at all, you should get lost immediately."

Gu Zhiqi finally turned her head to look at Gu Cheng'an.

Within the girl's deep, misty, and beautiful eyes, there seemed to be swirling smoke. As Gu Cheng'an met her gaze, for a fleeting moment, he had the illusion of being trapped in a labyrinthine dream.

But the feeling vanished quickly. Gu Cheng'an regained his senses, yet that sense of disorientation from the illusion caused him to instinctively take two steps back.

Realizing his movement, a flash of annoyance crossed his eyes. He then feigned composure by puffing out his chest to appear more imposing, staring at Gu Zhiqi with wide eyes.

"You don't like me?" The corners of Gu Zhiqi's mouth curled slightly. The ethereal aura around her faded, and she smiled with a hint of playful indifference.

(End of Chapter)