An Adoptive Older Sister Cannot Become a Wife - Chapter 31

At the sports meet the following day, Qi Nianshu was practically vibrating with the urge to show off Qi Shu’s medal to anyone with a pulse.

Lin Xiao walked over, hauling a crate of energy drinks. “Want some water?” she asked.

Nianshu immediately hoisted the medal into the air. “Huh? Water? Oh my god, how did you know? I was just thinking this Women’s 3000m Gold Medal looked a bit dusty and needed a quick rinse.”

Lin Xiao pulled her hand back, expressionless. She’d officially reached her limit with this girl.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ruomeng was cradling her phone, the prize she’d “ransomed” back by suffering through a two-kilometer run. “Old Chen is a man of his word. He actually gave it back.”

Nianshu’s eyes lit up. She whipped the medal out of her pocket, where she’d been clutching it like a lucky charm. “Perfect timing! I was just thinking the lighting at this angle makes the Women’s 3000m Gold Medal look even more stunning. Lend me your phone so I can snap a pic.”

Zhang Ruomeng:

Lin Xiao reached out and snagged Nianshu by the collar just as she was about to go pester Xi Muyao. “Alright, that’s enough. We all know your sister gave you her medal. You don’t need to hold a parade for it.”

Nianshu corrected her with deadpan seriousness. “Accuracy matters, Lin Xiao. It’s called the Women’s 3000m Championship Gold Medal.”

Zhang Ruomeng’s face contorted. “Oh, you’re really testing my temper today.”

She reached into her bag and started slamming her own collection of medals down in front of Nianshu. “Look! Look right here! The 100m, the 4×400 relay, the 2000m, the high jump… You think you’re the only one with hardware?”

Nianshu nodded solemnly. “Mhm, you’re very impressive. But mine is the Women’s 3000m Championship Gold Medal.”

Zhang Ruomeng nearly choked. “I earned mine with my own blood and sweat! I don’t accept charity!”

Nianshu shook her head slowly. “Nay, nay. My sister said it herself: what’s hers is mine. Since it’s my own property, how can you call it charity?”

Just as Ruomeng was about to launch into a full-blown debate, Lin Xiao held her back. She gave a knowing look. “Let it go. She’s clearly lost her mind. Just humor her.”

Nianshu spent the rest of the morning flitting around the field like a social butterfly with her prize, until “Old Chen,” the teacher, finally got fed up and dragged her away to act as the official class photographer.

For the rest of the day, Nianshu balanced her duties—running across the field to snap photos, with her true mission: popping up in front of Qi Shu every chance she got.

By the time the two-day sports meet drew to a close, the results were in. Nianshu’s class (Class 2-3) took first place for the sophomore year, and Qi Shu’s class, unsurprisingly, took the top spot for theirs.

On the way home, Nianshu leaned against Qi Shu, her back aching after a day of chasing athletes. She began flipping through the photos she’d taken over the past two days.

Qi Shu massaged Nianshu’s shoulder with just the right amount of pressure, her gaze dropping to the camera screen.

The digital album was almost entirely comprised of Qi Shu. Qi Shu drinking water; Qi Shu mid-race; Qi Shu chatting with classmates…

As Nianshu scrolled, a small, involuntary smile tugged at her lips.

The scrolling stopped on a photo of the moment Nianshu had lunged into Qi Shu’s arms. Nianshu looked up instinctively and crashed right into Qi Shu’s gaze.

Those eyes were calm, like a still lake, reflecting nothing but Nianshu’s own face.

In that heartbeat, the reality finally sank in: she was leaning against the person she loved, looking at “stalker” photos she’d secretly taken of her.

Panicked, Nianshu sat bolt upright and clicked the camera off. “Oh! Sister, when are we going to that mountain villa?” she blurted out, the change of subject about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Qi Shu didn’t call her out. She simply replied, “Once you finish your homework.”

Nianshu slumped back into the car seat. “But the teachers assigned so much…”

“Finish it first,” Qi Shu said, unmoved.

Nianshu knew arguing was futile. She was just venting. She leaned against the window, watching the city streets blur past, when something caught her eye.

“Dad, stop the car!”

Qi Shu arched an eyebrow as Nianshu grabbed her bag and hopped out. “I’m going to go develop some photos! Sister, just wait for me in the car!”

Through the glass, Qi Shu watched Nianshu jog into a photo printing shop. She saw her gesturing to the clerk with her camera before disappearing into the back workroom.

As the shop door closed, the smile in Qi Shu’s eyes slowly faded. The car fell silent again, devoid of Nianshu’s constant chatter.

Feeling a bit restless, Qi Shu closed her eyes to rest.

After a while, there was a tap-tap on the glass.

Qi Shu opened her eyes to see Nianshu leaning down toward the window. Her eyes were crinkled with a smile, and she mimed the motion for Qi Shu to roll the window down.

Why can’t she just come back inside?

But Qi Shu complied. As the window slid down, the evening breeze rushed in, bringing with it the noisy hum of the street and the sheer, irrepressible joy radiating from Nianshu.

Nianshu held her hands behind her back, looking mysterious. “Sister, I’m going to show you a magic trick.”

Qi Shu smirked. “A magic trick?”

“Close your eyes first,” Nianshu laughed.

Looking into those bright, sparkling eyes, Qi Shu gave in and shut hers.

“Three”

“Two…”

“One”

“Okay, you can look!”

Nianshu’s voice carried on the wind, light and trembling with excitement.

Qi Shu opened her eyes to find Nianshu cupping a tiny creature in her hands.

It was a kitten small, frail, and barely newborn. A calico no bigger than a palm, huddled into a ball. Its eyes were closed as it let out a thin, soft mew.

Nianshu held it with extreme care, her voice hushed so as not to startle the little thing. “Look, Sister.”

Qi Shu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Where did she come from?”

“I just finished the photos and found her in a flower bed by the road. A bigger cat was bullying her, so I… well, I chased the big one away.” Nianshu moved the kitten a bit closer to the window. “Sister… can I bring her home?”

Nianshu gave her hands a tiny, gentle shake. The kitten blinked open its eyes, revealing the hazy blue film of a newborn. As if sensing who held the power over its fate, the kitten turned toward Qi Shu and let out a tiny, velvety “meow.”

Qi Shu looked at the kitten, remaining silent for a moment.

Nianshu grew anxious, watching Qi Shu with pleading eyes. “She’s so small, and the temperature is dropping. If no one takes her in, she won’t survive.”

The wind ruffled Nianshu’s hair and brushed against the kitten’s ears. The little thing gave a sensitive shiver, looking utterly pathetic and precious.

Qi Shu sighed inwardly. She looked at Nianshu. “Bring her in for now.”

Nianshu’s face transformed with joy. She cradled the kitten and scrambled into the car through the other door.

Up front, Qi Yanyuan had just finished a business call. Hearing the meowing, he turned around in surprise. “Where did the cat come from?”

Before Nianshu could speak, Qi Shu answered, “We saw her by the road. I told Nianshu to bring her along.”

Nianshu blinked, stunned. Then, realizing what Qi Shu was doing, she offered the kitten toward the front seat. “Isn’t she cute? Can we keep her?”

Qi Yanyuan didn’t give an immediate yes. “We’ll have to see what your mother says. A kitten this small is a lot of work. If you decide to raise her, you have to take full responsibility.”

Nianshu nodded vigorously. “I know, I will!”

Qi Shu looked at her. “Let’s stop at a pet store first to get some supplies.”

“Yes! Please!”

Nianshu settled the kitten gently on her lap, her fingertips stroking the soft fur. Her happiness was impossible to hide. The kitten responded by licking her finger with a tiny, rough tongue, making Nianshu giggle.

Watching her, the corners of Qi Shu’s mouth lifted. She reached out and ruffled Nianshu’s hair.

Nianshu remembered something then. She pulled the newly developed photos from her bag and picked out a few to hand over.

Qi Shu took them. They were all photos of herself.

The last one was the photo Qi Shu had seen earlier, the one where Nianshu was hugging her waist, eyes shining as she looked up.

Seeing Qi Shu linger on that specific photo, Nianshu felt a prickle of guilt. “Do you… not like that one?”

It was her favorite.

Seeing the hope in Nianshu’s face, Qi Shu smiled warmly. “No. I like it very much.”

Nianshu beamed. She launched into a long-winded explanation about the composition and the lighting, trying her best to rationalize her obvious favoritism with technical jargon.

Qi Shu didn’t interrupt. She just listened to the girl ramble on, clearly trying to cover her tracks.

At the pet store, the owner recommended the right formula and supplies. Qi Shu reached for her phone to pay, but Nianshu stopped her, looking very serious. “I’m the one who wanted to bring her home, so I should be the one paying for her living expenses.”

Qi Shu didn’t argue. She simply picked up two cans of high-end kitten food and said, “Then consider these a ‘nice to meet you’ gift from me.”

Qi Shu really is the gentlest sister in the world, Nianshu thought.

Once they got home, Nianshu was a whirlwind of energy. She cleared a spot on the balcony, laid down the litter, and even sacrificed some of her old clothes to line the new cat bed.

She carefully prepared the formula exactly as the shopkeeper had instructed and held the bottle to the kitten’s mouth. The hungry little thing began to suckle greedily.

Qi Shu crouched nearby, watching the scene in silence.

Looking at the kitten, Nianshu whispered, “Sister… why would the mother cat have babies if she couldn’t take care of them?”

Qi Shu paused before answering. “Perhaps she simply didn’t have the means to keep her alive.”

Nianshu kept her head down. “If you don’t have the means, you shouldn’t have them in the first place.”

Qi Shu wasn’t sure how to respond to that. After a moment, she said, “Cats don’t have that kind of self-awareness. They don’t get a choice in the matter. But this one is lucky she found you.”

The kitten soon finished its meal and wobbled its way into the litter box, tiny face scrunched up in concentration as it began to dig.

Nianshu burst out laughing at the sight. She turned to Qi Shu. “Thank you, Sister. For speaking up for me and helping me keep her.”

Nianshu had gone to Qi Shu first because she knew that in this house, if Qi Shu agreed to something, the battle was already half-won. Xu Zhiyu and Qi Yanyuan still felt a profound sense of guilt over Qi Shu being lost for those years; they rarely refused her anything within reason.

Nianshu knew she had used that influence to her advantage. She just hadn’t expected Qi Shu to take the “blame” for the cat herself.

Qi Shu didn’t miss the flicker of guilt in Nianshu’s eyes. She reached out and stroked the younger girl’s hair, her voice calm but tender. “Even without me, you would have been able to keep her.”

Because the way Nianshu had looked at her while holding that kitten, so full of yearning and hope was something no one could possibly say no to. No one would have the heart to make her sad.

“So,” Qi Shu continued, “you don’t have to be so cautious around me. Whatever it is you want, I will be right there with you.”

The look in Qi Shu’s eyes was so indulgent it made Nianshu feel like she could ask for the impossible and receive it.

Nianshu couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. “Anything? You’d say yes to anything?”

Qi Shu smiled. “Well, that depends on what it is.”

The kitten, finished with its business, staggered back to its bed, curled into a ball, and fell fast asleep.

Nianshu toyed with the kitten’s tail, her voice suddenly soft. “What if I wanted the moon from the sky?”

Qi Shu chuckled. “Starting with the hard stuff, I see?”

Nianshu thought to herself: What I want is much harder than catching the moon.

She stubbornly pressed for an answer. “Would you give it to me or not?”

Even if it’s a lie, give me the answer I want. Give me the courage to keep loving you.

Qi Shu looked her in the eye. “As long as it is within the bounds of law and morality, if you want it, and I have it, it’s yours.”

She wasn’t being dismissive. Her expression was solemn, her words carrying the weight of a true promise.

Impulse flared in Nianshu’s mind. “Then, what if I”

What if what I want is you?

Creak.

The door swung open. Xu Zhiyu walked in holding a bouquet of flowers. “Your dad said Nianshu brought home a cat? Where is it? Let me see!”

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