In the evening, after the family had finished dinner, Yang Haoran returned to his room.
Under the soft glow of the lamplight, Yang Haoran sat down in his computer chair and instinctively turned on his computer, planning to play a few games as usual before going to sleep.
His gaze inadvertently fell upon the black notebook beside the keyboard. His eyes immediately stalled, and after a moment of hesitation, he resolutely turned off the computer.
He opened that black notebook and began to leaf through it.
His eyes met row upon row of delicate, elegant handwriting. The writing was a reflection of the personโgraceful, soft, and beautiful, much like his younger sister’s serene and lovely countenance.
Inside the notebook, detailed explanations of various subjects were neatly listed,ๅบๆฌไธ้ฝๆฏ่ๅธไธ่ฏพ่ฎฒๅฐ็็ฅ่ฏใHis sister had also annotated her own understanding.
Although he recognized the individual characters, the various professional terms formed by combining these characters were completely incomprehensible to him, a perennial poor student.
“How am I supposed to learn this? I can’t understand any of itโฆ”
The motivation to study, which Yang Haoran had mustered with great difficulty, was crushed by this setback. He slumped dejectedly into his computer chair.
“Knock, knockโฆ”
A knocking sound came from the door, followed by the door opening on its own. A figure he knew all too well walked in.
Liu Ruoxi entered and, with a single sweeping glance, took in the sight of her son lounging lazily in the computer chair. Her brows furrowed, and her tone turned cold. “Yang Haoran, what did you promise me today? Do you remember?”
“I remember, I remember, Mom. I was just about to start looking at it.”
Noticing his mother’s arrival, Yang Haoran hurriedly straightened his posture and offered an awkward smile. As he spoke, he picked up the notebook again, adopting a pose ready for studying.
“The book is upside down.”
Liu Ruoxi gently placed the cup she was holding on the desk and stated flatly.
“Uhโฆ”
Yang Haoran was extremely embarrassed, a look of็ช่ฟซ on his face. “I want to learn, too, but when I open the notebook, I completely don’t understand it. You can’t blame me for this, your highness, Mother.”
Having no other recourse, he could only lay his cards on the table and defend himself.
“Heh heh.” Liu Ruoxi let out a cold laugh. “Not understanding is your own problem. When the time comes for me to test you, if you don’t know it, that will be your fault.”
“Also, are you a pig-brained idiot?! If you don’t understand, can’t you ask your little sister?”
“Oh right, there’s still little Yaoyao.”
Hearing this, Yang Haoran’s eyes lit up as if he had been suddenly enlightened. He smacked his own forehead.
Liu Ruoxi looked at her “foolish” son and sighed inwardly. “Drink this cup of water,” she said.
Inside was the Dragon’s Continuum Elixir she had exchanged for 50็งฏๅ. The potion was colorless, odorless, and a transparent liquid. She had simply mixed it into a cup of water and brought it over for her son.
Yang Haoran, not giving it much thought, picked up the cup and gulped it down in one go.
After he finished drinking, Liu Ruoxi looked at her son’s unchanged expression, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. “Do you feel anything?” she asked.
“Feel? Feel what?”
Yang Haoran looked at his mother with some confusion. Her coldly beautiful, stunning face was now slightly wrinkled in a frown, reminiscent of a celestial fairy touched by worry, invoking a desire to cherish and protect her.
After he spoke, he felt as if a surge of warmth emerged in his lower body, a slightๅ็ญ. However, he didn’t pay it any mind, assuming it was a normal reaction from seeing his mother.
“Little Ba, why is there no effect?”
Seeing that her son didn’t seem to be pretending, Liu Ruoxi focused her mind and inquired of the intelligent life form, Barbarossa, within her consciousness.
“The effects of the Dragon’s Continuum Elixir are gentle. It will slowly repair the damage to your son’s penis, a process that will likely last two or three days. Also, do not call me ‘Little Ba.’ Please address me as Lord Barbarossa.”
Barbarossa’s slightly displeased voice echoed in her mind.
It had originally intended to mention that after using the Dragon’s Continuum Elixir, the user might experience a surge in libido for several days, making it difficult to control oneself. But currently, it had no interest in bringing that up.
Liu Ruoxi ignored the other party’s protest. Having received her answer, she set her mind at ease, issued a couple of threats to her lazy son, and left the room.
Not long after his mother left, Yang Haoran walked out of his room. He crossed the tiled floor, walked down the hallway, and stopped at his sister’s door to knock.
“Knock, knock, knockโฆ” The knocking sound arrived as expected.
A few seconds later, with a “click,” the door opened. What greeted Yang Haoran’s eyes was a face of pure sweetness and beautyโskin likeๅๅบ็่็ (jade), delicate and finely arched eyebrows, a small and exquisite nose, and cherry-like lips. She was wearing light yellow pajamas, seemingly ready for bed, and looked at him with slightly puzzled eyes.
“Ahem, ahemโฆ” Looking at his sister, Yang Haoran found himself momentarily at a loss for words, unsure where to begin.
Countless times in the past, his sister hadไธปๅจ offered to tutor him, but he had always impatiently refused.
Now the tables had turned. Today, he had toไธปๅจ ask his sister for help explaining the notes. The thought of it made even his thick-skinned self feel a slight warmth of embarrassment.
“Soโฆ little Yaoyao.” Yang Haoran, lookingๅฐดๅฐฌ, forced a tone of calm and said, “There are some parts of your notes your big brother doesn’t understand. Do you have time to explain them to me?”
Yang Mengyao looked at her brother in astonishment, doubting her own ears. Was her brotherไธปๅจ asking her to tutor him?
Years of disappointment couldn’t be resolved with a single sentence. She cautiously tested the waters, “Brother, really?”
Her voice was like the light chirping of an oriole, carrying the unique softness of a young girl’s vocal cords.
He had said it, but his sister was instead asking him if it was true?
Her pure, unblemished pupils shimmered with hopeful color. Faced with his sister’s question, Yang Haoran suddenly felt a pang of discomfortโa complex emotion he couldn’t express in words. He silently nodded.
Memories from their childhood came flooding back, every little detail appearing in his mind. He still remembered how, as a child, his sister had liked him very much, had relied on him, her big brother. But he had found her annoying because she followed him around like a shadow, never leaving his side, her eyes sparkling as if just being with him was enough to make her happy.
When she irritated him, he would occasionally join forces with his friends to tease and mock her.
At times like these, Shi Wenๅ่ acted like an older brother, standing up to protect the girl who was actually his sister.
Back then, he found it ridiculous, and a strange emotion surged in his chestโa feeling his younger, ignorant self couldn’t describe at the time, only that it felt very, very uncomfortable.
To vent this emotion, he had turned his attacks on Shi Wen, asking him in a mocking tone if he liked his sister, if he liked a little tag-along.
As he grew older, he understood things a bit better and came to comprehend what shame and dereliction of duty meant!
He drew a line between himself and those so-called friends who had joined in mocking his sister, maintaining a friendship only with Shi Wen, because back then, Shi Wen had fulfilled the responsibilities that should have been his as an older brother.
The overly harsh actions he had taken against his sister in their childhood haunted him like a nightmare, and during that period, he often had bad dreams.
But hindered by his pathetic older brother’s pride, he had delayed apologizing to his sister until today.
Scene after scene from the past replayed itself, coalescing in his mind.
“I’m sorry!”
After a long silence, Yang Haoran gazed into his sister’s bright, clear eyes and, with a heavy expression, uttered this long-overdue apology.
After saying these words, he suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if a stone that had been pressing on his heart for years had shattered, and his breathing became a little easier.