Jiang Mu watched the figure downstairs, her palms damp with a thin layer of sweat. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a flutter of excitement. Turning around, she pulled a loose, oversized drop-shoulder T-shirt from the wardrobe she had tidied during the day and slipped it on. Then, she quietly opened her bedroom door. The living room was pitch dark. She tiptoed to the front door, opened it gently, and closed it with equal care.
The moment the door shut, a long-lost thrill surged in Jiang Mu’s heart, quickening her steps until she was nearly running down the stairs. It reminded her of when her brother had secretly taken her to a distant model shop to race remote-controlled cars against others—how exhilarating it had felt back then.
Before Jiang Mu even came into view, Jin Chao, standing at the building’s entrance, heard her light, rapid footsteps. As the sound neared the first floor, he stubbed out his cigarette.
Yet Jiang Mu paused at the second-floor landing, feigning nonchalance as she smoothed her hair before appearing before Jin Chao. His sharp, bright eyes gleamed with intensity in the dark stairwell, lingering on her face for a second—where she tried to suppress her panting—before he turned away, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
Following behind him, Jiang Mu asked, “Where are we going?”
“Weren’t you hungry?”
“Hmm, are we getting a midnight snack?”
“What else? Hunting ghosts?”
“…”
Jiang Mu trailed a step behind him, noticing he had changed into all black—a black T-shirt and black trousers. His tall frame cut through the night like a mob boss. She shadowed him closely, staying within the cover of his shadow. If he moved left, she followed left, as if being enveloped by his silhouette granted her an inexplicable sense of security.
It wasn’t until they left the residential complex that Jin Chao suddenly stopped and turned back. “What are you hopping around for behind me?”
Jiang Mu halted abruptly and looked up at him. Only then did she realize how tall Jin Chao had become—she barely reached his chest. If she didn’t know they weren’t related by blood, she might have wondered if her own genes had gone awry.
She blurted out a random excuse, “Aren’t we getting a midnight snack? Moving around will help me eat more later.”
Jin Chao’s lips quirked as he turned back around. The expression was unfamiliar to Jiang Mu. If it were anyone else, that roguish smirk might have frightened her, but she had to admit—it looked inexplicably handsome on Jin Chao.
Just as he turned, Jiang Mu caught the scent of alcohol on him. Jin Chao strode across the street; his long legs covering ground swiftly. Jiang Mu hurried after him and asked, “Have you been drinking?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you drink often?”
No sooner had she spoken than headlights swept toward them. A powerful force yanked Jiang Mu forward by the arm. Stunned, she stared at the speeding car that had just passed behind her, hearing Jin Chao’s low voice chide, “You’re grown up now. Don’t you know to watch for cars when crossing the street?”
His palm was rough, gripping her elbow with a firm, almost searing presence. The scent of alcohol on him grew sharper, mingling with a raw masculinity. Though Jin Chao had held her hand from her toddling years through kindergarten and elementary school, his grasp now felt entirely unfamiliar. The physical contact made Jiang Mu jerk her elbow back abruptly.
Her reaction was so sharp that even Jin Chao paused in surprise.Ever since her mother told Jiang Mu about the past, her mindset had subtly changed when facing Jin Chao again. She could no longer completely see him as the brother she had grown up with. A faint sense of unfamiliarity constantly reminded her that they did not share the same blood.
To cover up her overreaction, Jiang Mu strode ahead quickly, her shoulder-length hair flying in the wind. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she sensed something was wrong. When she turned around, she found Jin Chao still standing by the roadside, hands in his pockets, calmly watching her. The moment she turned, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. "Do you know him?"
"No."
"If you don’t know him, why are you leading the way? It’s this way."
With that, Jin Chao headed in another direction, and Jiang Mu had to turn around and follow him, feeling rather embarrassed.
Jin Chao led her for about ten minutes until they reached a lively street lined with stalls. He stopped and asked, "Hotpot?"
Jiang Mu shook her head.
Jin Chao asked again, "Barbecue?"
Jiang Mu still shook her head.
Jin Chao pointed to a row of shops across the street. "Pick one yourself."
Jiang Mu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Any one?"
Jin Chao tilted his chin indifferently.
"Then the one with the best business."
Jin Chao took her straight to the seafood restaurant at the end of the street. The inside was packed, so they barely managed to find a table outside.
The restaurant had a wide variety of seafood, displayed in glass tanks for easy viewing.
Jin Chao tossed the menu to her. After carefully reading it twice, Jiang Mu looked up and said, "I’ll have a bowl of seafood fried rice."
"..." Jin Chao raised his eyelids and gave her a silent glance. He took the menu back, checked off a few signature dishes, and handed it to the server.
While waiting for the food, Jin Chao sat across from Jiang Mu, scrolling through his phone. Jiang Mu’s eyes drifted to his face several times, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, she couldn’t hold back and asked, "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"
Jin Chao kept his head down, his eyes still fixed on his phone. "Like what?"
"For example, how I’m doing now, or about my life. Aren’t you curious?"
At this, Jin Chao slowly put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and stared at her with his dark eyes for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, he asked, "How’s your stepfather?"
"..." Jiang Mu hadn’t expected him to bring up the topic she least wanted to discuss.
She replied coldly, "Not great."
Jin Chao said in a flat tone, "So 'not great' is your excuse for giving up on yourself?"
Jiang Mu’s pupils trembled. His blunt remark left her speechless. After a few seconds of silence, she replied, "I’m not giving up on myself. That’s just my level."
Jin Chao chuckled softly and said nothing more. But his laugh made Jiang Mu feel even more uneasy. Even Jiang Yinghan believed her poor performance was due to her physical condition, yet Jin Chao seemed to see right through her inner thoughts. This shocked Jiang Mu, but since Jin Chao didn’t press further, she pretended not to understand.
Just then, a taxi that had already passed by suddenly made a U-turn and pulled up beside them.
Three men immediately got out and headed straight for them. The leader, Jin Fengzi, shouted loudly, "Well, well, I thought you had something urgent to do, but here you are, singing midnight songs."As the three men approached their table, they pulled over stools and sat down without ceremony. The folding table was already small, and with three burly men taking up each side, Jin Fengzi squeezed right next to Jiang Mu. Before he could even settle, Jin Chao reached out and grabbed the back of Jiang Mu’s stool, dragging both her and the stool over to his side.
Jiang Mu’s slender frame was swallowed by her oversized T-shirt as Jin Chao pulled her over like a human doll, settling her beside him. She stared in surprise at these three comrades who clearly didn’t look like the friendly type.
Jin Chao didn’t seem inclined to introduce them. The man on his left, wearing a large jade pendant, eyed Jiang Mu and teased, "So You Jiu Ge likes them young? Never seen you bring her out before—keeping her well hidden, huh?"
The guy across from him chimed in, "No wonder you dragged us to a third round after the second. We almost thought we were seeing things in the car earlier—good thing Jin Zi’s got sharp eyes."
Jin Chao’s voice was cold. "Cut the crap. I don’t have that kind of taste."
Jin Fengzi leaned in closer, recognizing Jiang Mu, and let out an "Ah!" "Isn’t this the little girlfriend from your car yesterday?"
The teasing left Jiang Mu flustered. She shot a glance at Jin Chao, but he didn’t meet her eyes, instead lowering his lashes and stating, "My sister."
Just then, the server brought over a can of cola. Jin Chao popped it open with one hand and slid it toward Jiang Mu. She quickly grabbed it and took a sip. The cola was ice-cold, but her heart warmed at his words, "My sister."
Unexpectedly, the man across from them blurted out, "Didn’t your sister just start elementary school? Where’d this grown ‘Lin Mei Mei’ come from? Biological or sworn? The kind you grew up bare-assed together?"
Jin Chao waved a hand dismissively. "Annoying much? Population census?" Then he ordered a few more bottles of beer from the server.
Jiang Mu kept her head down, sipping her cola. Truth be told, she wasn’t his biological sister, nor was she a sworn one. But as for growing up bare-assed together—that part, he’d hit the nail on the head.
When she was little, she’d clung to Jin Chao. After baths, she’d often climb onto his bed to play, falling asleep as soon as she got tired. But before she turned three, she’d occasionally wet the bed. Sometimes, Jin Chao would frantically haul her up in the middle of the night, and the whole family would scramble to find her clothes and a basin for a bath. Even after she started elementary school, her family still brought it up as a joke.
Her memories before three were hazy, but she could recall bathing with Jin Chao during kindergarten. Most of those early years were a blur, yet for some reason, she vividly remembered that Jin Chao’s body was different from hers. Back then, she’d apparently said in her childish voice, "Brother, you have a stick on you."
It was an age when she shouldn’t have remembered much, but that moment stuck with her—she vaguely recalled Jin Chao turning away in a panic, and it seemed that after that, he never bathed with her again.
At the thought, she couldn’t help stealing a glance at the person beside her. Even in loose clothes now, she could sense his solid build. Remembering how he’d stripped her naked and tossed her into a basin after her bed-wetting incidents, Jiang Mu’s face burned with an indescribable embarrassment.
Jin Chao seemed to sense her unease and shot her a sidelong glance. Jiang Mu quickly turned her head away, looking thoroughly awkward.Jin Chao slid the freshly served spicy crab toward her. Since the others had already eaten two rounds and were now just drinking, Jin Chao had specifically ordered quite a few dishes—fresh sea urchin, small abalone, large conch, and mantis shrimp.
So, essentially, a table full of men was accompanying Jiang Mu as she ate. She was truly famished, and once her appetite kicked in, she ate heartily. Especially the spicy crab Jin Chao had pushed her way—she rarely ate it before because it seemed troublesome, but after trying one, she found it surprisingly delicious, with plump and tender meat. Once she started, she couldn’t stop.
She focused on her meal while they chatted among themselves. Amid the conversation, Jin Fengzi suddenly blurted out, "You Jiu, listen to me. You’d better find a place to practice. I heard Old Feng’s new recruits aren’t pushovers. When the time comes…"
Jin Chao abruptly set his glass down on the table and raised his index finger, making a slight gesture. Jin Fengzi immediately fell silent. Being seasoned veterans, the group swiftly changed the subject.
Jin Chao glanced at Jiang Mu again. She was eating intently, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. He checked the time, then pulled the seafood fried rice—which she hadn’t yet touched—over to himself and picked up a clean pair of chopsticks.
Although Jiang Mu hadn’t stopped eating, she had caught every word. However, she only heard half of it and had no idea what Jin Chao needed to practice. Was it related to that life-risking matter?
Her ears were perked up, but the group suddenly shifted topics, discussing things like three-way catalysts and combustion chamber carbon deposits—completely outside her knowledge base and utterly incomprehensible.
When Jin Chao took the fried rice, Jiang Mu assumed he was going to eat it. She wiped her hands clean with a few tissues, but then he set down his chopsticks and pushed the plate of fried rice back in front of her. Only then did she notice he hadn’t taken a single bite—instead, he had picked out all the scallions, ginger, and garlic from the rice and set them aside on his plate.
Noticing her gaze, he said flatly, "Aren’t you going to sleep? Eat faster."
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