22. Brother?!

Ring, ring, ring—

Ruan Li kept her eyes closed, merely extending one hand from beneath the quilt to grope around on the nightstand.

"Hello?" she murmured, her voice soft and sweet like fluffy cotton candy.

The man on the other end of the line raised his wrist, suddenly falling silent.

"Ruan Li, you’re still not up?" The man’s voice was gentle, yet carried an imperceptible chill.

"Mmm... I’ve already had breakfast, I'll be heading out soon..."

In her daze, she believed she was still on the call, responding fluently.

"I’ll be downstairs in ten minutes. Come home with me; Mom and Dad miss you." Lu Muyu pinched the bridge of his nose, his cold, thin eyes fixed on the second floor.

The curtains were drawn, obstructing his view. He sat with his legs crossed in the pilot's seat of his aircraft, then retracted his gaze to the screen projected by his smart device.

His foolish, troublesome sister... had activated the video feed.

And so, having received no further response, the man watched Ruan Li’s sleeping face in silence for a long time.

When the ten-minute timer ended, Lu Muyu stepped out of the aircraft and walked straight through the front door.

Xu Mo, sitting on the sofa, lifted his eyelids. Seeing the man, he withdrew his gaze, lost in thought.

Bai He stood at the foot of the stairs, nodding in acknowledgment to Lu Muyu.

Lu Muyu’s eyes held a faint smile, but his tone was enough to make one sit up straight. "At this hour, you’re still letting her sleep?"

Bai He paused, explaining, "She had something to attend to last night and returned quite late."

"Something to attend to at a nightclub?"

The man's skeptical tone left Bai He tight-lipped and unable to explain. Neither Bai He nor Xu Mo knew the specifics of what had happened the night before. However, it was clear that as the older brother of their female master, it was only natural for him to confront Bai He.

Lu Muyu’s video call remained connected, allowing him to see his "foolish sister" sleeping blissfully, even muttering, "Wake up... so delicious..."

Lu Muyu stood at the bedroom door and knocked three times. There was no response. With a few simple operations on the smart lock, he opened the door.

In her dream, Ruan Li was in a chocolate cotton candy factory, eating and playing, when suddenly, a cold snake flicked its tongue, staring directly at her with its frigid, ink-black eyes.

Ruan Li woke up with a start. Still shaken, she saw a strange man standing by her bedside.

"You!"

She swallowed the greeting that had almost slipped out. She recognized him—this was the "brother" from Ruan Li’s foster family!

"Brother, why are you here?" Her voice was weak, like a rabbit with its tail tucked between its legs.

"If I didn't come, how would I know what my foolish sister did last night?" Lu Muyu’s lips curled into a smile, but his eyes remained cold, causing Ruan Li to wrap the quilt tighter and shrink back.

"Me?" Ruan Li recalled her exploits from the previous night and thought, *I’m doomed.* Although Lu Muyu wasn't her biological brother and usually didn't interfere with her affairs, if she crossed his line, he would certainly lecture her severely. For a female, going to a nightclub was an extremely dangerous act, and it was strictly forbidden by Lu Muyu.

"Brother, I can explain," Ruan Li said, giving him a rough summary of the night before.

"If there hadn't been a reason, you wouldn't be in bed right now," Lu Muyu said, his lips curving as his gold-rimmed glasses caught the light. "Get up now. I’m taking you home. You haven't been back in half a year; Mom and Dad miss you."

"Oh, okay, I’ll get up now." Ruan Li reluctantly crawled out of the covers and ran into the bathroom with a head of messy hair.

Lu Muyu narrowed his eyes, feeling that his sister seemed different somehow. She seemed... even more foolish.

After Ruan Li finished washing up, she found Lu Muyu sitting in a chair, intently handling business. Her brother was a businessman; she recalled he ran a department store. Ruan Li was still in her pajamas. Seeing Lu Muyu sitting motionlessly, and intimidated by the stereotypical memory of his stern nature, she dared only to stand silently by the wall.

Lu Muyu had finished his paperwork and had long since noticed Ruan Li standing against the wall like she was being punished, head bowed, staring at the floor.

They hadn't seen each other for half a year, and they had grown quite distant. Lu Muyu actually found this sister of his to be a headache. She didn't like to talk and her emotions were prone to collapse, though he understood that females were generally delicate. Yet, she had quarreled with their parents without any regard for her words. Half a year ago, Ruan Li had insisted on moving out to live alone, leading to an argument that left their parents heartbroken—a fact Lu Muyu had only learned later over the phone.

He had rarely been home since he started working, and his impression of Ruan Li remained that of a quiet girl in a light floral dress, though he knew she liked to bully others in private. He had looked into her life after marriage, and it was exactly as he had expected.

However, looking at her now, his sister seemed to have become "foolishly kind." Of course, the nightclub incident wasn't over yet.

Lu Muyu closed his smart device. "Ruan Li, come home with me first. I won't tell Mom and Dad about the nightclub, but you need to reflect on it properly."

Ruan Li opened her eyes wide to argue, but under his cold gaze, she shut her mouth. *Forget it,* she thought. *The more I say, the more I mess up. If he discovers I'm not the original Ruan Li, that’ll be trouble.*

Ruan Li nodded obediently. Lu Muyu’s eyes flashed with surprise. *So obedient?*

He said nothing, walked out the door, and left behind one sentence: "Change your clothes and be in my aircraft within five minutes."

Seeing him leave, Ruan Li immediately grabbed a dress she had bought at the mall a few days prior, tidied up, and ran out with her small bag.

"Ruan Ruan, slow down!" Shi Jue, seeing his little female run so fast for the first time, couldn't help but call out.

"I know! I'm going home with my brother, don't wait for me for dinner," Ruan Li instructed.

"Do you need someone to accompany you?" Tuo Ye stood by the door frame, arms crossed.

"Hmm..." Ruan Li thought for a few seconds. "Better not." She was mainly afraid of a conflict; Lu Muyu was an imposing figure, and she didn't want her little beast-husbands to suffer.

"Alright, be safe. Contact us on the smart device if anything happens," Tuo Ye nodded.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the sleek, all-black aircraft—it looked understated, luxurious, and refined.

"Four minutes and eleven seconds. Considerably punctual," came Lu Muyu’s cold voice. He was sitting on the sofa, holding a paper document.

Ruan Li gave a sheepish smile, then sat at the far end of the sofa, keeping as much distance as possible. Lu Muyu was well aware of her movements.

"How has your health been lately?"

Ruan Li hesitated for a few seconds in the stagnant air before barely answering, "It's fine."

"Good. This is a new serum developed by the Research Institute. It is said to enhance a female’s healing abilities," Lu Muyu said, handing Ruan Li a small blue vial.