Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

“Durandal,” Bronya suddenly spoke, “when are you planning to take down that blonde, strongest Valkyrie?”

Shen Liang was taken aback, and somewhat awkwardly raised his head to look at Bronya's delicate chin.

—How did this child grow so tall? When she was in my arms, her head was still touching my nose.

"what?"

“When you and Rita went to Crete for vacation in June, Durandal didn’t seem to go, but I checked her mission flight. She probably met with you and Rita there during the mission.” Bronya stroked Shen Liang’s cheek. “For three whole days, the three of you stayed in the Casa Del Fino Hotel without going out, let alone seeing the sea.”

Shen Liang's face flushed red. He wanted to say something in his defense, but he knew that his younger sister was a world-class hacker. If she said it, it meant that she must have found out. She might have seen all the photos that Rita had taken and uploaded to the cloud server!

"Brother Liang is such a womanizer." Bai Xier mustered her courage, glanced at Shen Liang cautiously, and still cursed him.

"How did you notice these things..." Shen Liang felt guilty, but was still puzzled.

“Because Durandal has been on missions at Schicksal since she was a child and rarely takes leave, how could people not notice that she applied for two more days off after returning to Schicksal three days later?” Bronya said with a smile, pinching his cheek. “I think the only thing in this world that can overwhelm even the most powerful Valkyrie is your brother who has been aroused.”

“But Durandal’s physical strength test was much more intense than my brother’s. This result is most likely because of Durandal…” Black Seele looked at Shen Liang with a bit of a huff, but also with a hint of envy, “Too innocent, isn’t she?”

Shen Liang simply couldn't bear the stares of the two Xi'er's.

"Speaking of Rosalia and Lilia, what about them?" Shen Liang quickly changed the subject. If he didn't, he felt like he was completely exposed in front of his sisters, like a frog specimen that had been gutted and cleaned by a surgeon.

Bronya knew, of course, that Shen Liang was too embarrassed to continue on this topic, but she didn't point it out directly. While kneading her brother, she said calmly, "Those two have already booked rooms. The brothers this afternoon are ours, and it's their turn tonight."

Shen Liang's face was ashen, as if he had just eaten that frog specimen.

"Are you scared?" Bronya said calmly. "I know the Arlene sisters have grown up, but their personalities haven't changed. They won't show you any mercy like we do. Their feelings for you are the most direct, even more direct than Bronya's and Seele's. Guess what, if I just throw you into their room like this, then that feeling you've always wanted to carefully protect... will be completely corrupted."

Shen Liang silently lowered his head and looked at the teacup, so Bai Xier across from him picked up the teacup and gave him some more tea.

Rosalia and Lilia haven't grown up yet; aside from their bodies, they're still little girls who constantly call Shen Liang "brother." But as time has passed, the now beautiful Vodka sisters are no longer innocent little girls, or perhaps they weren't innocent to begin with.

It wasn't until Shen Liang realized that their attachment had exceeded a certain level that it seemed too late to change the educational approach.

“Brother said it himself, there’s nothing wrong with Arlene and her sister depending on you. At worst, you can support them for the rest of their lives, you can afford it anyway,” Bronya said casually. “So you think there’s nothing wrong with happy education. Bronya said that they should be taught to be sensible and take care of themselves in everything… Now they are sensible and only know that they can only survive by relying on their brother, that’s your own problem.”

"They've only grown up physically, but their personalities haven't matured at all. Bronya, I can't see them yet," Shen Liang quickly pleaded. "You can't hand me over to them, or we'll never be able to go back!"

“Brother, why are you saying such things now?” Bronya sighed softly, lowered her head, lifted his chin, and looked directly into Shen Liangcheng’s red eyes.

"The girls from our orphanage can never go back."

"Well……"

The two Seeles stared wide-eyed!

"Bronya ran away!" came a cute voice pouting anxiously.

"I told you we can't let Liang-gege taste the sweetness so quickly! We should interrogate him first! Bronya, why are you always so impatient!" It was a voice full of exasperation.

When Shen Liang looked as if he had just barely returned from the underworld, Bronya wiped the corner of his mouth clean and smiled, "Brother can keep up this fake 'brotherly affection' with Sister Arlene for now. Bronya can temporarily keep you out of their care, but you have to answer a few questions for me first."

"Actually, I've always wanted to ask you this: why do you sometimes call yourself Bronya and sometimes you call yourself mine?"

“It’s probably because in front of my brother, I always subconsciously see myself as that little girl you held on your lap in the little house watching Yugoslavian movies,” Bronya laughed. “At least a brother will always be a brother, no matter his height or age, in Bronya’s eyes.”

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Side Story - The Shaniat Family's New Year's Eve

"So... Bronya, now that your brother is tied up and brought here, you can do whatever you want with him. Sister Lia has also agreed that I won't go home today. Just tell me what you want, I can take it all." Shen Liang sighed helplessly. "I knew this year wouldn't be easy for me, and I've been hiding from you every day until now. How could you possibly let me go?"

Shen Liang has been avoiding his sisters for too long these past few years. He lives in Japan and doesn't return to Siberia, and he usually goes out with the sisters from the Shaniat family. In addition, he has to return to Teyvat from time to time to handle important matters between the two worlds, so most of the time Bronya is turned away when she comes to see him.

But this was Shen Liang's intention, and the reasons for it... need not be explained.

Bronya and Seele, who grew up together, are in some ways different from girls like Kiana and Anna—very different indeed.

Just like now, facing Bai Xier's sorrowful yet expectant eyes, Shen Liang felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse, overwhelming all other feelings. But even Shen Liang himself knew that delaying would only be self-deception.

"Actually, you were happy to be kidnapped by us, weren't you? Your eyes lit up when you saw Bronya and Seele. You didn't resist when Bronya hugged you. If you really resisted, Bronya wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But you seem to really enjoy being in Bronya's arms, not at all like you want to escape." Bronya whispered in his ear, "We can't go back to the days when we were brothers and sisters. Why do you keep deceiving yourself, brother?"

Shen Liang was furious but dared not speak out.

"You're not refuting because you've hit the nail on the head? Bronya knows your brother too well. She knows every movement and every physical habit because you've developed them together since you were little." Bronya didn't answer Shen Liang's initial question. Instead, she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Can you feel it, brother? You habitually rest your head against the middle of my chest because it's softer there. You deliberately sit sideways so it's easier for me to hold your waist with my left hand. The reason you sit to the left instead of the right is so you can support your body with your hand and not fall over. Sitting to the left requires you to support yourself with Bronya's left leg, which allows me to touch Bronya's thigh without making a sound from the beginning until now."

Bronya smiled gently, "And today Bronya is wearing a single-leg stocking, a velvet lace-up style. My brother has always loved the way Bronya looks in white stockings since we were little, and he's still so devoted to her now. I have to say that makes me very happy."

Shen Liang, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the directness of her feelings, snapped angrily, "So what! Our relationship anyway..."

"Anyway what?"

Shen Liang couldn't possibly say, "Anyway, our relationship doesn't care about this kind of thing." Saying that would make it seem like he knew his resistance was pointless, which would only embolden those bratty girls!

He could only glare angrily at Bronya.

Seeing the little boy, who was just over 1.5 meters tall, so angry that he lost his temper, Seele was still a little worried and whispered, "Sister Bronya, what if Brother Liang gets really angry if you keep toying with him like this?"

"What can Brother Liang do?" Hei Xi'er rolled her eyes at her. "Are you scared?"

“Seele…Seele isn’t afraid.” Bai Seele seemed to have thought of something, and her face turned slightly red. “Even if Brother Liang does the same things to Seele as he did to Sister Kiana, Sister Anna, Sister Durandal, and Sister Sirin…Seele isn’t afraid.”

Shen Liang was so angry that she almost collapsed!

Seele! White Seele! You are your brother's most beloved little sister, the most obedient and adorable one! Back then, I used to hold you and sleep every night! How could you say something like that!

“Yeah, what’s there to be afraid of? Even if brother gets angry, Bronya is right here.” Bronya said calmly and leisurely, turning Shen Liang’s direction to face her and smiling slightly. “Anyway, over the years, brother has been so angry that he’s wanted to pin us to the ground and make us cry countless times, but in the end, he always held back.”

Yes, coward.

Shen Liang was furious, but his remaining rationality told him that the disappearance of his true sense of reason was exactly what these girls wanted. Being a coward wasn't a big deal; it was better than actually going astray. Over the years, every time he met these quirky younger sisters, Shen Liang had to fly into a rage. He had to scold them for their irresponsibility and delusions as younger sisters, while desperately suppressing his anger and reminding himself that as an older brother, he must never continue down this path of cruelty.

Honestly, based on the records in the Destiny database of Pandora's harem exploits as the "Son of the White Flower"... the fact that he can calmly accompany Bronya and the others, who have grown into such beautiful young girls, to eat tea and snacks instead of eating neatly stacked three-layered cream puffs already demonstrates his top-notch tolerance and maturity towards his sister.

"elder brother."

"Ok?"

"You must be very anxious."

"..."

Bronya is not anxious.

"Nonsense, of course you're not anxious. It's me who's avoiding you, not you who's avoiding me."

“Brother has a clear conscience, so why should he hide from us?”

"..."

Shen Liang's inner吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical) spirit flared up again, and he really wanted to add, "What if I have a guilty conscience?"

But he didn't dare to respond, in case Bronya pretended not to understand the joke and then took advantage of it.

"Have you ever watched 'The Living Buddha Ji Gong'?" Bronya suddenly asked.

Goodness, I was still thinking about "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

"We watched it together when we were kids, it was starring Grandpa You?"

“There’s a line I don’t know if you remember, brother. Bronya can use it.” The beautiful girl with light gray curly hair gazed into the boy’s eyes. “Bronya has a clear conscience and won’t be afraid or anxious about breaking this relationship. Brother wants to break it, but he says he doesn’t. So, you’re just a little bit away from realizing your mistake.”

Shen Liang listened silently as Bronya recounted this Zen debate, a subject she had known since childhood for its logic, while outside the window, the crowds bustled about. Some say Buddhism is a form of sophistry, but that's a prejudice. It's actually about questioning the heart, a question unrelated to morality, ethics, or even good, evil, joy, or sorrow; it simply asks whether you have attained enlightenment within your heart.

It asks for your choice. If you have a strong attachment, it will either force you to accept it or force you to give it up. Whether you accept it or give it up, your attachment will be gone.

This is what is meant by "breaking through delusion".

Most of life's troubles stem from clinging to unwavering beliefs while being unable to choose a path. Asking one's conscience is a way of laying everything bare before one's eyes. Faced with this questioning, you have only two choices: give up or accept. But if you refuse to give up, the answer is already clear.

So, are you... unwilling to give up?

The moment a coin is tossed, a person knows whether it will land heads or tails.

“Give me some time, Bronya, I just need some time,” Shen Liang said softly. “You’re right, I made my choice from the beginning… I just thought I wouldn’t lose you even if I didn’t do it, but I ignored your feelings. I’m such an idiot.”

"Brother Liang, no."

"Brother Liang, that's you!" Hei Xier said maliciously, but then turned her head away arrogantly. "But who told me to follow Xier? At least you're right about one thing: no matter what you choose, Xier will never give up on you. Even if you, you idiot, really decide to treat Xier as your sister, I'll break your bones and throw you onto Xier's bed!"

Bai Xier's face flushed slightly. She tugged at Hei Xier's sleeve. Hei Xier turned to look at her and sneered, "What? You don't think so? Don't worry, Brother Liang has a bunch of self-healing buffs. He can even revive after dying. He won't feel any pain even if he breaks a few bones!"

"No..." Bai Xier whispered, "It's not about throwing me onto Xier's bed, it's about us, our bed. Hmm, another me, you're coming too."

Hei Xi was speechless. "You really take care of me, but there's no need to say such discouraging things."

"If you treat me well, Seele has to treat you well too."

Finally, Shen Liang was untied.

However, being untied didn't mean Shen Liang was entitled to sit alone; he had simply moved to a different spot. The quick-witted Bronya knew she couldn't monopolize Shen Liang indefinitely, so she naturally handed him over to Seele.

However, given that there were two Seeles, Shen Liang could only squeeze between the two Seeles, Black Seele and White Seele. Both Seeles were petite and adorable, unlike Bronya who was a striking Siberian beauty, so they could barely fit. After being kicked by Black Seele's velvet-stockinged little feet all game, Shen Liang finally ended up in her hands. Black Seele grabbed his face and sculpted it into the shapes of a fox and a pig for White Seele to see.

“But I’m here on business this time.” Bronya picked up a cup of tea.

Shen Liang breathed a sigh of relief, instinctively wrapping his arms around Xi'er's waists, then he paused, stunned.

Unfortunately, now that Xi'er has grown up, she is no longer someone Shen Liang, who struggles to even hold two little girls, can "take care of." Hei Xi snorted disdainfully, then she and Bai Xi'er shrank back together, allowing Shen Liang to barely relive the "older brother feeling" of "holding one on each side" from his childhood.

Bronya watched this scene with satisfaction, then said, "When are we going back to Siberia? Cocolia, and Mom, we miss you so much."

Shen Liang was taken aback.

Shen Liang subconsciously looked up at Bronya and, seeing that she didn't react, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Having done too many bad things, Shen Liang gets easily alarmed by even the casual remarks of others.