A small hand tugged at Song Qi's clothes, successfully stopping his impulse to stand up.
"Brother, you're lying!"
"You say men and women should keep their distance, but you secretly climbed into my bed last night and held me so tight I couldn't push you away. Brother, do you like sleeping while holding me?"
The innocent voice uttered words that made Song Qi wish he could disappear. Shen Jianxi's question made him doubt if it was true.
He stammered, "You, you, you... don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just used to sleeping in a bed, so I probably subconsciously climbed into it."
Yes, that was it.
He was just not used to things, not that he liked sleeping while holding her, as this little brat claimed.
"Oh~ Brother is used to climbing into beds! That's okay, my bed is for you to climb into!"
77: "Beep! Affection +5, current Song Qi affection level is 42."
The psychological defense he had just built crumbled.
"I, I, I... I'm going to wash up! You, you, you... you should get up early!"
Song Qi, blushing, brushed away the hand holding his clothes and fled.
Watching his flustered back, Shen Jianxi couldn't help but laugh.
Little brat, still want to contend with me.
* * *
The dining room.
Xia Shu sat opposite Shen Jianxi, eating his meal, appearing very serious, but the stolen glances betrayed his inner turmoil.
Xia Shu finally couldn't hold back, organized his thoughts, and hesitantly said, "Uh... are you really our captain's sister? Are you sure you're not, like, his girlfriend?"
After speaking, he quickly glanced at Song Qi. Seeing no reaction, he let out a relieved sigh.
"Of course, I'm such a cute sister, not everyone can have one," Shen Jianxi said with a proud expression.
Hearing her say this, Song Qi, who was beside her, showed no outward reaction, though his earlobes subtly turned red.
Not everyone can have one, but he did.
Mm, that's great!
As soon as Xia Shu heard Shen Jianxi's confirmation, he became as excited as if he'd been injected with chicken blood. "Little cutie, do you have a boyfriend? What do you think of me?"
Xia Shu thought he was brilliant, taking the initiative, and also getting closer to the captain.
After he finished speaking, everyone at the dining table fell silent, looking at him as if he were a warrior.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
Nan Jia wanted to slap this simpleton awake. Proposing to date someone's sister in front of her brother, not beating him to death would be an act of kindness from the captain.
Everyone looked at Song Qi, wanting to gauge his reaction. His expression was calm, and he continued eating as if nothing had happened.
They didn't know, but Shen Jianxi did. From the moment Xia Shu spoke, her ears hadn't been quiet.
77: "Beep! Affection -1, current Song Qi affection level is 41."
"Beep! Affection -1, current Song Qi affection level is 40."
"Beep! Affection -2, current Song Qi affection level is 38."
...
The affection level continued to drop, and showing no signs of stopping at 35, Shen Jianxi quickly spoke, stating firmly, "No! I'm not looking for a boyfriend, I want to stay with my brother forever."
After she said this, the affection level finally stopped decreasing.
77: "Beep! Affection +3, current Song Qi affection level is 38."
Shen Jianxi felt like crying. All her hard work was almost undone by Xia Shu's single sentence.
Song Qi put down his chopsticks. His voice wasn't loud, but the silence at the table made it exceptionally noticeable.
This gentle sound seemed to strike everyone's heart. They held their breath, silently mourning for Xia Shu.
Song Qi picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. Without looking at them, he turned to Shen Jianxi and said gently, "Are you full, little one?"
His reaction also confused Shen Jianxi, who could only nod blankly.
"Then let's go." With that, Song Qi stood up and pulled Shen Jianxi to leave the dining room.
Only after Song Qi's figure had completely disappeared from the dining room did Nan Jia and the others relax, their bodies breaking out in a cold sweat.
They looked at Xia Shu and teased, "Brother, you're something else!"
"Truly a brave warrior, Xia Shu."
"Here's a toast to you! May we be brothers again in the next life."
...
Patting Xia Shu on the shoulder, Nan Jia looked at him with sympathy. "Brother, I wish you good luck."
"Don't abandon me, brother, save me." Xia Shu's expression was bitter, and he pleaded with Nan Jia. He finally understood now, but he truly didn't want to leave this beautiful world!
To Xia Shu's plea, Nan Jia turned a blind eye and quickly gathered his things to leave.
Are you kidding? He wasn't tired of living yet.
* * *
The bedroom.
As soon as Song Qi entered the room, he closed the door and sat on the bed, looking at her sternly.
"What's wrong, brother?" Shen Jianxi pretended not to know what he meant.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen, brother."
"Seventeen, not yet an adult, you can't date, you know."
"Mm-hmm, I know, brother. I'm not planning to date." She nodded obediently.
She thought to herself, my journey is to the stars and the sea, okay?
Seeing her so obedient, Song Qi's expression softened considerably. "It's not that I don't want you to date, but there are many scammers in this world, and you're still young. I'm afraid you'll be deceived."
He felt like he was giving heartfelt advice, and raising a sister was quite a lot to worry about.
"I don't have any women's clothes here, and you can't keep wearing mine. I'll take you to the mall this afternoon to buy some clothes."
"A young lady should have more clothes."
...
No matter what Song Qi said, Shen Jianxi nodded obediently and agreed.
Her appearance was too naive. Song Qi sighed, stopped talking, and decided that if it came to it, he would just keep a closer eye on her.