Chapter 55: Little Sister Wants to Protect Me

With my playful younger sister in the car, I couldn't find a moment of peace. She chattered away about this and that, constantly pulling at my hands like a little child. She was practically climbing onto my head.

However, instead of feeling the slightest bit annoyed, I found it immensely heartwarming. Come to think of it, she was virtually my only close blood relative left. Whenever that thought crossed my mind, a deep sense of affection welled up inside me, making me spoil her even more.

Before long, we arrived at the digital mall we had visited previously and headed straight for the computer specialty store.

I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about computers, so I simply asked the store owner to recommend a mainstream configuration. Chu Mengchu, however, placed a great deal of importance on aesthetics, and we wandered through several shops before finally purchasing a brand-name laptop.

After making the purchase, we placed the computer in the car's trunk and looked for a nearby restaurant to have dinner.

Chu Mengchu affectionately linked her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder with an expression of pure joy and excitement.

As we walked along, an elderly man dressed in a long black robe suddenly appeared from the opposite direction, his eyes fixed intently on me as they scanned my body up and down.

His robe was bizarre, resembling a mixture of ancient traditional attire and a long cape. He was extremely thin and frail, walking with a trembling gait. His face was so emaciated that hardly any flesh could be seen, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his gaze was lifeless, and a wisp of half-white beard adorned his chin.

I gave him a curious look, but not paying it much mind, I walked right past him.

Just as we brushed shoulders, he stopped in his tracks, stared at my back, and sighed in a low voice, "What a pity."

I couldn't help halting, turning around to look at him, and asking, "Old grandfather, are you talking about me?"

Chu Mengchu asked curiously, "What did you mean by 'what a pity'?"

The old man stared at me with lifeless eyes, his expression somewhat vacant. He looked almost like he was suffering from senile dementia as he muttered, "What a pity, you don't have long to live."

Chu Mengchu instantly flew into a rage and scolded, "Old man, stop spouting nonsense!"

I frowned, looking him over once more, and asked, "Are you a fortune-teller?"

The old man replied, "I don't tell fortunes."

"If you don't tell fortunes, how can you say I don't have long to live?"

The old man's eyes widened slightly, and he said, "Give me ten million, and I'll tell you."

"Ten million!" Chu Mengchu shrieked indignantly, "That's no way to swindle people out of money! Who would ever give a big liar like you ten million! Brother, let's go!"

With that, Chu Mengchu grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

I felt a brief flash of hesitation, but propelled by Chu Mengchu's tug, I let her pull me along. After taking two steps, I glanced back and saw that the old man was still standing in the same spot, watching me. "When you've scraped together the money, come find me at Gaojing Village."

I froze for a split second. Gaojing Village? Wasn't that Qin Ruohua's hometown!

Chu Mengchu gave me a hard yank and said angrily, "Don't pay him any attention. He's definitely a lunatic, daring to open his mouth and demand ten million. If he wanted a few bucks or ten, we might have spared him some change."

"Mm," I replied indifferently, and let the matter drop.

Actually, I had never really believed in fortune-telling or things of that sort. It was just that the old man's eccentric appearance had momentarily aroused my curiosity, but I would surely forget about it soon enough.

Chu Mengchu was still huffing and puffing with anger. "That old man is so hateful, daring to curse you like that. If it weren't for his advanced age, I would have beaten him up."

I couldn't help laughing. "Alright, Mengmeng, be a good girl. Stop being angry, and don't go around wanting to punch people all the time."

Before long, we found a restaurant with a fairly decent interior. I ordered two meat dishes, while Chu Mengchu chose a vegetable dish and a soup.

Once the food was served, seeing that I was only eating the meat, Chu Mengchu picked up some greens and placed them in my bowl. "Brother, why are you only eating meat and no vegetables?"

"I eat vegetables too!" I picked up the greens she had given me, popped them into my mouth, and mumbled indistinctly.

Chu Mengchu glared at me with mock dissatisfaction, picked up a few more pieces of green vegetables, held them directly in front of my lips, and commanded with a hint of authority, "Eat!"

I chuckled. "Mengmeng, are you the younger sister or the older sister?"

"Never you mind, just eat!"

With no other choice, I carefully bit the vegetables into my mouth.

Seeing me swallow them, Chu Mengchu's expression instantly shifted into a beaming smile as she coaxed me sweetly, "Brother, is it good?"

"Mm, delicious."

"Then eat some more." Chu Mengchu brought another piece of vegetable to my mouth.

A young couple at the neighboring table kept glancing over at us. Whether they only saw the actions without hearing the conversation, or heard the conversation and simply assumed it was lovers' playful banter, they had clearly mistaken Chu Mengchu and me for a couple.

I heard the woman say to the man, "Look at how affectionate those two are. I've never seen you pick food for me."

The man rolled his eyes, buried his head in his bowl, and stuffed his face as he replied, "You should also look at who is picking food for whom."

"You!" The woman glared fiercely at the man. "You're infuriating!"

I couldn't help laughing out loud at the exchange and said, "Mengmeng, stop feeding me, or you're going to ruin other people's relationships."

"What do I care!" Chu Mengchu tossed her head dismissively, though a distinct trace of delight flickered across her features as she continued to feed me.

In truth, my sister and I had been exceptionally close since childhood, so neither of us found anything unusual about feeding each other.

After we finished eating, it was only a little past seven o'clock, so we strolled around a nearby square for a while.

Chu Mengchu took out her new phone, rested her head on my shoulder, and prepared to take a selfie. "Brother, smile!" she said, pouting her lips to look cute.

Ugh, I rarely took photos and had no idea how to pose or what expression to make. I simply maintained a faint smile and looked at Chu Mengchu in the camera lens.

*Click.*

Chu Mengchu cycled through several expressions, snapping a flurry of photos before looking at the screen and bursting into laughter. "Brother, you're so silly! Why is your expression the same in every single one?"

I smiled softly. "I don't know how to take pictures."

"This doesn't look good. Let's retake them. Give me a piggyback ride." Disregarding the surrounding crowd, Chu Mengchu leaped up and threw her arms around my neck. I had no choice but to reach back and support her legs.

Holding the phone in one hand, she used her other hand to pinch my cheeks, distorting my face into a funny shape. Then she rested her head against mine or pressed her chin onto the top of my head, giggling as she clicked away and took a whole series of pictures.

Seeing her horseplay, I felt only a warm glow. I didn't care whether the photos looked good or not; I just let her do as she pleased.

After taking pictures together for a while, she darted around, found a background she liked, and demanded that I take photos of her. When the results didn't turn out to her liking, she relentlessly blamed me for being clumsy.

After wandering around a bit longer, we figured it was about time and started driving back.

On the way home, Chu Mengchu finally remembered the incident with the delinquent students, and a look of worry crept back onto her face. "Brother, how come I didn't see you make any phone calls to summon people?"

I smiled. "Aren't I 'people' right here?"

Chu Mengchu froze for a second, then whirled around in a huff, pressing her face against the car window and grumbling, "I'm not talking to you anymore!"

I chuckled, too lazy to offer any further explanation. She would find out soon enough when the time came.

A moment later, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Chu Mengchu was still turned away, but her hand had slipped into her shoulder bag. Since it was now pitch black outside, the car windows offered a faint reflective surface, and I suddenly caught the flash of a white glint.

Realization dawned on me instantly, and I asked in a deep voice, "What's in your bag?"

"Huh?" Chu Mengchu started, hastily pulling her hand back with a panicked look on her face. "N-nothing!"

I put on a stern expression. "Why did you bring a knife?"

That bag had been with her ever since I went to pick her up, which meant the weapon had been prepared long in advance.

"I..." Chu Mengchu glanced at me warily. Realizing she couldn't hide it any longer, she confessed, "I just wanted to protect myself, that's all. I'm not doing anything bad."

Hearing this, my mindset abruptly shifted. My sister had clearly turned over a new leaf and would never actively bully anyone, but after all, she was just a fragile young woman. Having a knife by her side wasn't a bad idea. As for any trouble that might arise from it—so what? As long as she could protect herself, even if it cost human lives, I could suppress the fallout for her! Her safety was paramount above all else!

However, since her temper with others wasn't the best, I neither encouraged her action nor opposed it any further. "Alright, I understand. When you reached into your bag just now, were you planning to use that?"

Chu Mengchu let out a subtle sigh of relief. Lowering her head slightly, she pouted with a wronged expression. "You refused to call anyone for backup. If they tried to beat you up, I would have had no choice but to fight them to the death."

I was momentarily stunned, a wave of deep emotion washing over me. Reaching out, I patted her head and said gently, "Alright, I know. You don't have to worry about me. Didn't I tell you to trust me earlier? I'm an adult; I won't do anything reckless."

"Mm," Chu Mengchu murmured, keeping her head down as she gave a soft nod.