An Adoptive Older Sister Cannot Become a Wife - Chapter 5

Wrapped in her bath towel, Nianshu scrolled aimlessly through her phone, her ears pricked for any sound from outside.

Before long, a soft knock came at the door. Nianshu’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over. Outside, Qi Shu heard the movement just before a damp head popped out through the gap in the door, hair dripping, eyelashes still beaded with tiny droplets. A cloud of steam, thick with the scent of shower gel, billowed out from the bathroom toward her.

“Sister!” Nianshu beamed, her face flushed a deep rose from the heat.

She looks like a peach just pulled from the water, Qi Shu thought.

She held out a pile of clothes. “Your pyjamas aren’t dry yet, so I’ve brought you a set of mine. Will they do?”

Nianshu nodded like a bobblehead. “Yes, definitely!”

Her eyes landed on the beige underwear sitting right on top, and her face instantly flared a hotter shade of red. She snatched the pile away and bolted back into the bathroom before she could even manage a “thank you.”

The set was white cotton, soft and cool to the touch. Nianshu held them for a moment, unable to resist burying her face in the fabric to take a sniff. It smelled of sunshine and Qi Shu. It made her heart feel sweet.

She changed quickly and wiped the fog from the bathroom mirror, revealing her blushing reflection. Qi Shu had inherited the tall genes of their foster parents, standing at 176cm, while Nianshu was only about 165cm. Consequently, Qi Shu’s pyjamas were quite baggy on her. The sleeves were too long, so she had to roll them up, exposing her slender wrists.

The neckline was also a bit wide, offering a glimpse of her collarbone and the hint of an underwear strap. She instinctively pulled the collar closer together. Rubbing her flushed cheeks, she opened the door, only to be hit by the sudden chill of the air conditioning.

In the living room, Qi Shu was holding a hairdryer. Hearing her come out, she glanced at Nianshu’s loose collar and said in her usual tone, “Come here. Let’s dry your hair.”

Nianshu tucked her chin in and hurried over to the sofa, sitting down obediently. “Oh, right. Okay.”

Qi Shu stepped behind her and gestured for her to sit up straight, her fingers gently lifting the heavy, damp locks of hair. Warm air mixed with damp mist blew against Nianshu’s face. Qi Shu’s fingers moved through the strands with a light, rhythmic touch, careful not to let the heat linger too long on her scalp.

Nianshu’s body went rigid. She could feel the warmth of Qi Shu’s palm through her hair, and when a fingertip occasionally brushed against her neck, a shiver ran down her spine.

Noticing the reaction, Qi Shu stopped. “Too hot?”

Nianshu shook her head. “No.” She couldn’t help but shift closer, resting her head lightly against Qi Shu’s forearm. “Sister, the wind feels a bit strong,” she said softly.

Qi Shu looked down at the girl’s reddened earlobes and clicked the setting down. “Better?”

Nianshu nodded. “Much.”

As the dampness evaporated, Nianshu’s hair became fluffy and soft. She gave her head a little shake and turned to give Qi Shu a radiant smile. “Thanks, Sister.”

Qi Shu put the hairdryer aside and reached for a glass on the table. She handed it to Nianshu, who was currently busy sniffing a lock of her own hair to see if the scent had stuck. The amber liquid inside the glass caught the light, shimmering as it moved.

“What’s this?” Nianshu asked, a sense of dread rising in her chest.

Qi Shu’s voice remained level. “Isn’t your period due soon?”

Nianshu finally realised where that faint scent of ginger in the air was coming from. Her health had always been fragile; she caught every bug going, and her monthly cycle was an absolute ordeal that left her half-dead. Ever since the first time she’d turned ghost-pale with pain in front of Qi Shu, her sister had made sure she drank ginger tea every month.

After all these years, she still hadn’t adjusted to the complex, spicy-sweet taste of it.

“Do I really have to?” she asked, looking up with the most pathetic, pleading expression she could muster.

Qi Shu looked back at her, expressionless. Her tone left no room for negotiation. “What do you think?”

She knew exactly how much Nianshu suffered—the way she’d curl up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, unable to eat a single bite. During that first time, Nianshu had nearly fainted from the pain. Qi Shu, who was athletic and rarely ill, had never seen someone in such a state. Back then, Nianshu had clung to her, crying and asking, “Sister, am I going to die?”

It had been heartbreaking.

Nianshu knew that while she could usually charm her way out of things, she couldn’t win when it came to “matters of principle.” The ginger tea was steaming but not scalding, warmed to the perfect temperature, clearly timed by Qi Shu.

“Alright, fine! Even if Sister gave me poison, I’d drink it!” Nianshu took a deep breath, put on a look of heroic sacrifice, and downed the contents of the glass in one go.

Though she hated the taste, the warmth began to spread through her stomach, easing the dull ache that had been bothering her lower abdomen for the last two days. She felt a pleasant glow throughout her body. She held the empty glass up like a cat showing off a clean bowl. “All gone.”

The corner of Qi Shu’s mouth twitched upward. She reached out and ruffled Nianshu’s hair. “Good girl.”

Nianshu instinctively leaned into the palm before it could pull away. “Do I get a reward?”

Qi Shu reached out, her thumb brushing a stray drop of tea from Nianshu’s lip. A moment later, Nianshu felt something hard pressed against her mouth. She opened up instinctively to take it.

The sharp, fresh scent of lemon exploded on her tongue, wrapped in a perfect layer of sweetness that instantly cut through the lingering spice of the ginger. Nianshu’s cheeks puffed out around the sweet, and her eyes sparkled as if they held stars.

“A lemon drop!” she mumbled happily, her voice thick with delight.

Qi Shu stood up and took the empty glass. “Remember to brush your teeth when you’re done. I’m going to have a shower.”

Nianshu nodded frantically. “I’ll wait for you. We can go to sleep together.”

“If you don’t fall asleep first,” Qi Shu replied non-committally.

“I won’t,” Nianshu insisted. Just the thought of sharing a bed was enough to keep her wide awake with excitement.

Qi Shu nodded and headed into the bathroom.

Once the lemon drop had dissolved, Nianshu brushed her teeth and scurried into Qi Shu’s room with her rabbit plushie. Her sister’s room was nothing like her own. The walls were a clean, pale grey; the desk was positioned by the window, stacked with neatly organized books and papers. Even the pens in the holder were sorted by colour.

She dove into the neatly made bed. The scent of sun-dried laundry mixed with that faint gardenia fragrance—Qi Shu’s signature scent—made her relax instantly. She rolled around under the duvet with her rabbit, squinting happily as she soaked in the smell.

After a while, she sat up and perched on the chair Qi Shu had occupied earlier, idly looking at the items on the desk. Qi Shu wasn’t someone who cared much for material things; there were very few ornaments. The most prominent feature was the top shelf, lined with foreign classics.

But in the corner of the desk, pressed against the wall, sat a hideously ugly little bear eyes askew, mouth crooked, and made of the coarsest fabric. It didn’t fit the room’s aesthetic at all.

That was from the first time they’d ever played a claw machine together. Qi Shu usually had no interest in such things, but Nianshu had used a “birthday wish” to make her play. Qi Shu was brilliant and won several prizes quickly, but Nianshu had spent ages just to get this one mangy bear.

She later learned those machines were all about probability, but she’d been too impatient to stay on one machine for long. In the end, she’d traded her ugly bear for the mountain of plushies Qi Shu had won. Those “good” toys were still on Nianshu’s headboard, but this ugly little thing had stayed in Qi Shu’s room for all these years.

Nianshu reached out and poked the bear’s nose. “I’m so jealous of you,” she whispered.

“Jealous of what?”

Qi Shu’s voice startled her. She looked up to see her sister standing in the doorway, fresh from the shower, a damp towel in her hand. Her long hair was tied back loosely, and the droplets on her neck made her skin look even paler. The steam of the bath had softened her features.

Nianshu jumped up and ran to her, looking up with a beaming smile. “Jealous that it gets to stay in your room all the time.”

Qi Shu draped the towel over the chair. “What’s there to be jealous about?”

Nianshu stuck her tongue out but didn’t answer. Instead, she eagerly pulled back the duvet and looked at Qi Shu expectantly. “Let’s get into bed!”

Qi Shu paused, giving her a strange, unreadable look.

Nianshu had already scrambled to the inner side of the bed, patting the empty space beside her. Qi Shu watched her for a moment, then pulled a book from the shelf and slid in beside her. The mattress dipped slightly under her weight.

The moment she sat down, Nianshu was there like a heat-seeking kitten, burrowing into her side and pressing close. Qi Shu remained still, simply turning to her bookmark and lowering her eyes to the page.

The air conditioning kept the room cool, making the silk duvet feel perfectly cozy. Nianshu, however, was far too excited to sleep; her face was flushed pink.

“Sister, what are you reading?” Nianshu asked, propping herself up on the pillow to peer at the book.

Qi Shu turned a page. “The Red Book.”

Nianshu leaned in to read a snippet: “If he possesses his own desire, and his desire does not possess him, he will be able to touch his own soul…”

She looked away almost instantly, her head spinning. “I’ve heard of this. Our teacher mentioned it—it’s supposed to be incredibly dense and obscure. I can’t believe you actually understand it.”

To her surprise, Qi Shu shook her head. “I don’t,” she said flatly.

“Eh? Then why are you reading it?”

Qi Shu turned another page, her tone as calm as ever. “It helps me sleep.”

Nianshu blinked. “Will having me here keep you awake?”

Qi Shu finally shifted her gaze from the page to the girl pressed against her. Nianshu’s eyes were large, with slightly downturned corners that gave her a perpetually innocent, puppy-like look, she seemed completely unaware of just how close she was.

Her loose white pyjamas were thin, and the wide neckline had slipped further during her squirming, exposing a large expanse of pale skin. From Qi Shu’s vantage point, she could even see the soft curves outlined by the bra underneath, her skin tinged pink from the earlier heat. With every gentle breath, the soft curve rose and fell slightly.

Nianshu, oblivious to it all, simply waited with clear, wide eyes for her answer.

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