7: Chapters 7 onwards are called Ningning.

It was already past 3 PM when the two of them left the house.

Watching his younger sister walking side-by-side with him, Jiang Che felt a bit emotional.

This girl was an expert at making him angry, but when they were out, she immediately transformed into a gentle, delicate girl-next-door. The main point was, after changing into a nice outfit, she was genuinely... quite pretty.

Her long, jet-black hair hung down naturally. She wore a thin pink down jacket, a white tote bag slung across her body, and white wide-leg pants paired with fuzzy shoes. With that cute and pretty face, she turned heads wherever she went.

Jiang Che's place was two blocks away from the school—not too far, not too close—but the surrounding area was very lively, located near a downtown business district.

Inside the residential complex, Jiang Ning walked a few steps ahead of him;

Once they left the complex, she started walking side-by-side with him;

By the time they reached the crowded main street, Jiang Ning had fallen back to walking about a step behind Jiang Che.

Jiang Che was left speechless. He couldn't understand it; she was all claws and teeth at home, but the moment they stepped outside, she turned into a social recluse, becoming more timid the more people there were. The point was, she had been like this since they were little.

"Can you stop following me around like a victim, holding onto my clothes?" Jiang Che said helplessly, noticing the strange looks people around them were casting.

Jiang Ning lifted her head, glared at him slightly, and then lowered her head again, clutching the corner of his shirt.

"Little stubborn donkey," Jiang Che said softly, then had no choice but to continue leading his sister toward the supermarket ahead.

Ten seconds later, a low voice came from behind: "Hmph, you're the donkey."

"This is the biggest supermarket nearby. It's a ten-minute walk. In the future, if you can't find something at school, you can come here. The first floor is mainly food, with lots of snacks and drinks. The second floor is for daily necessities."

Jiang Che introduced the place to his sister while finding a shopping cart.

"Here, you push it."

Jiang Ning glanced at him and gave a simple "Oh."

Jiang Che took her to the first floor to buy some vegetables and a couple of types of fruit, though not in large quantities.

After that, Jiang Che led Jiang Ning to the snack aisle. Looking at the dazzling array of shelves, Jiang Ning didn't seem very interested, but Jiang Che stopped in front of one shelf and squatted down.

"They actually have this here? You were probably still in elementary school the last time you saw this, right?"

Jiang Che picked up a box of candy and shook it in front of Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning, who was just about to say that candy was only for little kids, glanced at the packaging, and her expression shifted slightly.

"This is the kind you used to love. Want a box?"

Jiang Ning's face turned slightly red. She turned her head away and whispered: "What college student still eats candy..."

"Never mind then." Hearing this, Jiang Che went to put the candy back, but the next second, Jiang Ning suddenly reached out and took the candy.

Jiang Che looked at his sister helplessly. "Do you want it or not?"

Jiang Ning didn't speak, but she hugged the candy to her chest, blushing, and wouldn't let go.

Well, she wanted it, but she was thin-skinned and cared about her image.

Just as he was about to speak, a female voice suddenly came from the side.

"Jiang Che?"

The siblings turned their heads at the same time. Beside them, a sweet girl with two dimples was looking at Jiang Che with a smile, though her eyes held a hint of confusion when she looked at Jiang Ning next to him.

"Luo Yao? What a coincidence."

The girl Jiang Che called Luo Yao walked over, glanced at Jiang Ning, and hesitated for a moment before saying: "And this is..."

Jiang Ning's social anxiety kicked in again. Seeing the girl staring at her, she instinctively moved half a step closer to Jiang Che.

"My sister, Jiang Ning."

"Sister?" Luo Yao paused, and a hint of playfulness and a smile flashed in her eyes. "What kind of sister?"

Jiang Che was stunned for a moment, then laughed helplessly after realizing what she meant. "My sister from home."

The two were siblings, but they had no blood relationship; however, usually when they were out, Jiang Che wouldn't explain these things.

This ambiguous answer still led the girl to mistakenly believe that the two were biological siblings. She smiled at Jiang Ning. "Hello, little sister. I'm your brother's colleague, Luo Yao."

Jiang Ning was silent for two seconds, then said softly: "Luo Yao... hello."

Luo Yao looked slightly surprised, but soon heard Jiang Che explain: "Don't misunderstand, this girl... has some social anxiety."

Luo Yao realized, but then, looking at Jiang Ning's face, a hint of admiration and envy appeared in her eyes. "Your sister is really pretty."

"Is she? Then you two are the same, both beauties." Jiang Che said modestly, but as soon as he turned his head, he saw this Stinky Girl glaring at him indignantly.

Luo Yao smiled and then looked at Jiang Che. "Are you free tonight? You helped me out last week, and I haven't had a chance to thank you yet."

Jiang Che hadn't even spoken yet when he inexplicably felt a chill on the back of his neck, but when he turned his head, the Stinky Girl wasn't looking at him.

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke up: "Maybe next time. My sister just arrived these past few days, and there's a lot to do at home."

Hearing this, Luo Yao smiled sweetly. "That's fine, or another day after work works too. It's up to you."

Jiang Che smiled and said sure.

Luo Yao noticed that Jiang Che's sister had been secretly looking at her, but every time she looked back at her, she would look away.

"Then... I'll be going now. My roommate is still waiting for me at the supermarket entrance." Luo Yao said.

After Luo Yao left, Jiang Che turned his head and realized his sister was still staring at the other girl's back.

"Think she's pretty?" Jiang Che teased.

Jiang Ning gave a light huff, then turned her head away, pouting slightly while clutching her can of candy, ignoring the shopping cart entirely.

Thinking his sister was having a bout of social anxiety again because of Luo Yao's greeting, Jiang Che shook his head helplessly, then pushed the cart and followed her.

The two went up to the second floor together. After a full five minutes, Jiang Ning suddenly turned her head back.

"Are you two very close?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Che, who had been distracted looking at what to buy, turned back. "Who are you talking about?"

"The one just now, Luo Yao."

"She's alright. A new colleague, only been at the company for a few months. She's quite polite."

"And quite pretty too?"

Jiang Che hesitated for two seconds, then nodded. "She's alright."

Jiang Ning looked at her brother, looking as if she had something to say. After a long pause, she finally couldn't help but ask: "Isn't her name Luo Yao?"

"Yeah, Luo as in Luo Yang, Yao as in Yao Guang."

After hearing this, Jiang Ning turned her head away, reached out to a separate shelf, picked up a box, and whispered: "Then why do you call her Yao Yao?"

"The company atmosphere is pretty good, a lot of people call her that. It seems more friendly."

"Friendly... Then, can you change one for me too in the future?" Jiang Ning suddenly said, her face blushing, turning her head away.

If Jiang Che hadn't been standing so close, he almost wouldn't have heard it. However, seeing his sister's flushed little face, he asked curiously: "Change one? Change to what? Jiangjiang?"

Jiang Ning didn't respond.

"Ningning?"

This time, Jiang Ning's face turned red. She turned back to meet Jiang Che's eyes, then immediately looked away.

Afterward, almost imperceptibly, she gave a soft "Mm."