Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"And then... I noticed that Zixiao seemed a bit unhappy..."

After saying that, Xiao Lizhi felt that she hadn't done anything wrong this time, and showed a happy and bright smile.

"what?!"

But Mrs. Ouyang's face turned ashen in an instant, and then she raised her iron hand.

"You unlucky kid!"

Snapped! !

"what!!"

"I'm so angry! You didn't have dinner! I'll beat your head off!"

12. Zixiao's unwillingness to accept defeat?

When Zixiao returned home, she found the apartment very quiet.

The golden light of dusk enveloped the living room, and the breakfast dishes on the table had not yet been cleared away. In the past, Yu Zhe would wash and set them out after Zi Xiao went to school.

Is my brother sleeping...?

Looks like you're really tired today.

So Zixiao put down her schoolbag at the door, tidied up the shoes on the shoe rack, changed into pink plush bunny slippers, and neatly cleaned up all the tableware on the table.

Then she felt a pang of guilt.

It's past six in the afternoon, and my brother still hasn't woken up.

Although the intention was to encourage my brother to experience school life, I wonder if my actions were a bit willful. Not only did I wake him up very early in the morning, but I also created the physics workbook without consulting or getting his consent.

It must be because of my willfulness that he had a harder time.

Knowing that her brother hated running around... Zixiao suddenly felt a little regretful.

With this in mind, she moved quietly.

He pushed open the door to Yu Zhe's room.

Then I saw Yu Zhe lying on his side on the bed, completely unprepared.

She didn't even change any of the clothes underneath the trench coat.

Her disheveled silver hair lay loosely on the bed, her stunningly beautiful face buried in her hair.

His even breathing and the slight rise and fall of his chest showed that he was indeed fast asleep.

Zixiao's breath almost stopped for a moment. In order to fully appreciate this beautiful scenery, even though she could see it every day, no matter how many times she saw it, she would be immersed in a world that only had her brother and could not extricate herself.

After standing at the door for quite some time, she finally made a move.

Zixiao tried her best not to make a sound and slowly walked to Yuzhe's bedside and squatted down.

She felt her heart beating very fast, and looking at her brother's sleeping face, Zixiao's breathing became more rapid.

They were only a few centimeters apart, and Zixiao's face was close to Yuzhe's. In order not to wake Yuzhe, she used her right hand to tuck her soft black hair that fell in front of her chest behind her ear.

Then... I gently kissed his cheek and quickly moved away, blushing deeply.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Hmm... just a light kiss shouldn't be too much, right?... Luckily, my brother hasn't woken up yet.

However, this did not alleviate Zixiao's continued rapid heartbeat at all; on the contrary, it made it even worse.

A thin layer of sweat even appeared on her delicate face, and her frequent breathing caused her small chest to rise and fall.

Her dazed eyes seemed unsatisfied; she didn't want to wake her brother, yet she also hoped he would wake up at this moment.

Then you can respond to yourself...

Unfortunately, Yu Zhe slept very soundly.

Struggling to suppress the dazed look in her eyes, Zixiao moved her head away from Yuzhe's face with difficulty.

But his gaze lingered on Yu Zhe for a long time, unable to look away.

After a long while, she remained crouched in front of Yu Zhe and spoke softly.

“Zixiao doesn’t deserve more yet. Just like you said before, brother—'If you want to be recognized, then work hard and let me acknowledge your worth.'”

"so..."

Zixiao seemed to be talking to herself, but there was a look of expectation in her eyes.

"Even though I know I'm still far from perfect, I still occasionally hope to receive a little praise from my older brother..."

The girl stood up, gently brushed the silver hair from the corner of Yu Zhe's mouth, and slowly left the room.

..............................

After a long while, and only after confirming that the footsteps had left the room, Su Yuzhe cautiously opened his eyes.

He woke up when Zixiao suddenly started talking to herself; as for what she did when she came in before that, that's another story.

He didn't know either; he probably just wanted to see if he was up or not.

However, he heard very clearly what Zixiao had just said.

"Who has the time to work hard for ten years? Although I asked her to prove herself, Zixiao has really gone too far."

With a sigh in his heart, Yu Zhe rolled out of bed.

Do I sometimes crave praise? ...Indeed, I rarely take the initiative to praise my two younger sisters.

Stepping into the kitchen, Zixiao was cooking while wearing her pink apron.

He hummed a little tune, and the tuft of hair on his head twitched along with it.

Yu Zhe leaned against the door frame, admiring Zi Xiao's adorable cooking.

It wasn't until Zixiao turned around to get the seasonings that she saw Yuzhe standing at the door, grinning at her.

"Whoa! Brother, what are you doing there! You startled me!"

"It's nothing, I was just admiring my cute little sister cooking. And I also want to say, my Zixiao is so capable! I agreed to cook dinner tonight, but you quietly finished everything again."

Looking at Yu Zhe's stunning smile, Zi Xiao was initially at a loss for words.

She blushed for a moment because of Yu Zhe's praise.

Then it suddenly dawned on me, something's not right!

"Oh brother, you were awake just now, weren't you!"

As she spoke, her face suddenly turned even redder, and her tone became somewhat agitated.

"When did you wake up? Where did you start hearing it?!"

"Forehead..."

Seeing Zixiao's flustered state, Yuzhe had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Starting with the idea of ​​working harder... I think you've already worked hard enough."

"Oh...I see. So that means there wasn't any before...I'm relieved."

But I also feel inexplicably disappointed...

"What? Did you do something else earlier?"

"No! There's nothing there!"

Zixiao suddenly turned back to cooking absentmindedly, and Yuzhe suddenly became curious.

"Speaking of which, my lovely little sister, why do you keep saying you need to work harder? I remember the request I made of you back then, and you've already fulfilled it, haven't you?"

After a pause, Yu Zhe added, "Besides, no matter what it was like ten years ago, we are now a real family. There's absolutely no need for me to acknowledge you anymore. I've already accepted you as my sister."

"Um... thank you, brother, I know."

"Then why..."

"This time, I didn't work hard because I wanted to be recognized back then... there were other reasons."

"Other reasons?" Yu Zhe really had no clue this time, so he asked as well.

"Hmm...I just feel like saying it..."

I was a little unwilling, but since my brother had already asked...

Zixiao gripped the hem of her apron tightly with both hands, looking genuinely unwilling to give up.

"Brother, you see... I'm not as pretty and cute as Yu Che, nor am I as talented and smart as her, learning everything so quickly. So I just hope... I can get you to pay more attention to me, even if it's just a little bit..."

Yu Che is indeed incredibly handsome and intelligent, but you are just as good!

Seeing Zixiao's aggrieved expression, Yuzhe could only say helplessly, "Silly child, although I don't know why you doubt your own abilities, why do you want to compare yourself to Yuche?"

“Because we’re all younger sisters…” Zixiao answered without hesitation. “Although you act like you treat everyone the same, I know that you actually care about Yuche much more than I do. I don’t expect to be like Yuche, but I just hope you can pay more attention to me! I will try to do it myself!”

"I didn't???"

No, Yu Zhe really feels wronged. He has always thought that his two younger sisters are the cutest in the world. He never thought that he would exclude Zi Xiao just because Yu Che is his biological sister. Where did you get that idea?

Before Zixiao could reply, Yuzhe's phone rang.

It was a message sent by Yu Che, which was what the two of them were discussing.

There is only one sentence above.

"Brother! I'll be there very early tomorrow morning. Don't set an alarm, I'll wake you up this time. Also, tell Zixiao to keep at least ten meters away from your bedroom tomorrow morning!"

13. Sleep together? (Bonus chapter of 4 words)

During dinner, Zixiao felt a little unwell.

One reason I wanted to ask my brother what he thought about going to school was, but I was too embarrassed to ask because I had lied to him about not bringing my homework today.

Another thing is that although her brother smiled at her the whole time as usual, Zixiao felt that he had something on his mind during the entire dinner. She couldn't explain why, but she could just feel it, even though Yuzhe acted normally.

So the two could only discuss Yu Che, who was coming tomorrow, and Xiao Lizhi, whom they met today.

Ugh... I feel so frustrated...

Otherwise, I'll ask my brother about these issues tomorrow.