Chapter 38 The older sister loves her little brother

She paused and asked again, "Oh, that's right, what would you like to drink?"

"There's juice, cola, and beer in the fridge."

Lin Chen took the chopsticks, his tone still polite: "I'm easy. I'll follow your lead; whatever you're having, I'll have."

He still felt a bit reserved inside; after all, this was his first time eating alone at Li Sisi's house, and in such an ambiguous atmosphere.

Li Sisi smiled and stood up, walking towards the fridge: "Then let's just have some ice-cold beer. It's a bit hot, and it goes well with the food; it cuts through the greasiness."

As she spoke, she took two bottles of chilled beer from the fridge, pulled the tabs, and handed one to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen reached out and took it. The cold bottle pressed against his palm, slightly suppressing the heat in his heart, and he nodded: "Okay."

The bubbles in the ice-cold beer sizzled, mingling with the aroma of the food on the table, creating a unique sense of ambiguity in the small dining room.

The light on the dining table was warm and soft, reflecting off Li Sisi's profile, making her look exceptionally gentle.

A plate of brightly colored stir-fried meat was still steaming, its aroma drifting straight into Lin Chen's nose.

Her slender fingers held the chopsticks, gently picking up the most tender piece of lean meat, precisely placing it into the white porcelain bowl in front of Lin Chen. Her voice was as soft as if it had been soaked in warm water: "Is it good?"

Lin Chen's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked down at the glistening stir-fried meat in his bowl, then quickly glanced across the table.

Li Sisi's neckline slipped slightly, revealing a hint of her cleavage, making his heart jump.

He quickly withdrew his gaze, picked up his chopsticks, took a large mouthful of rice, and shoved the meat into his mouth. He deliberately slowed down his chewing to hide the restlessness in his heart, but his tone was sincere: "It's good, thank you, Big Sister."

As soon as those words fell, Li Sisi wrinkled her nose slightly, reached out, and tapped the edge of his bowl. Her tone carried a touch of coquettishness and a hint of imperceptible concern: "Don't call me Big Sister; you're making me sound old."

She leaned forward slightly, the light falling on her eyelashes and casting shallow shadows. She looked at Lin Chen with bright eyes and repeated: "Call me Sisi."

Lin Chen's heartbeat quickened, his fingertips tensed, and he nodded quickly. His voice was lower than before but sounded more docile: "Okay, Sisi."

"Eat slowly. No one is competing with you for food; what's the rush?"

Watching him wolf down his food, Li Sisi's eyes filled with a faint smile, her voice so soft it could melt. The intentional teasing from before was gone, replaced by a more genuine tenderness: "The way you eat is really interesting, like a hungry little tiger."

As she spoke, she also picked up some green vegetables with her chopsticks and put them into her mouth. While chewing, her eyes remained on Lin Chen, full of playfulness and a hint of imperceptible dependence.

"Look at me while you eat. Why do you keep your head down all the time?"

Li Sisi gently scolded him, her tone devoid of any malice and instead full of intimacy.

Lin Chen's hand holding the chopsticks paused, and he struggled inwardly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to look; it was that he didn't dare to look too much.

Every extra glance increased the restlessness in his heart, and he was even more afraid that his undisguised gaze would be seen through by Li Sisi.

But he didn't dare to disobey her, so he could only slowly raise his head. His gaze fell on her face, watching her eat in small bites, her lips slightly pursed, her brows and eyes soft. He found himself mesmerized.

His mouth was chewing delicious food, but his head was full of the woman across from him. That feeling of his heart itching and his whole body feeling comfortable was more satisfying than eating any delicacy.

Neither of them spoke again, only the slight sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking remained. The air was filled with the aroma of food and a hint of elusive ambiguity, quiet but not awkward.

After about a few minutes of silence, Li Sisi was the first to break the stillness.

She put down her chopsticks, her fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the bowl, her tone gradually deepening with a hint of undisguised loneliness: "I have a quiet personality and don't usually have many friends. I live alone when I get home,"

"Besides watching TV, scrolling through videos, or reading novels, there's not even anyone to talk to."

As she spoke, her shoulders slumped slightly, the light in her eyes dimming. Her voice was wrapped in a trace of grievance and a touch of helplessness soaked in loneliness: "Sometimes it's terrifyingly quiet, especially on rainy and thundery nights. Outside the window, it's rumbling, but there's not a sound in the house,"

"That feeling is really hard to bear."

Lin Chen's hand holding the chopsticks paused abruptly, his heart inexplicably softening.

He looked up at Li Sisi and saw her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes drooping. She looked like a mistreated kitten, a completely different person from the woman who had been gently teasing him just moments ago.

He subconsciously put down his chopsticks, his tone carrying a bit of clumsy comfort: "Sisi, when you have time, you can go to parties or take walks with friends. Don't just mope at home alone."

Hearing this, Li Sisi shook her head gently, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. When she looked up, her eyes were already tinged with helplessness: "I'm a stranger here. I've been here for so long, and apart from colleagues at work, I don't have any other acquaintances."

"Those colleagues are either married with children, talking only about daily necessities and trivial matters regarding their kids. I, being unmarried, have absolutely no common topics with them."

"Work at the office is usually busy, and I'm running around all day,"

"After work, everyone has their own things to do, either rushing home to be with their kids or eating with their families. There's just no one to talk to."

She paused, her fingertips clenching slightly. Her tone carried a bit of relief mixed with more loneliness, "So, it's actually more comfortable to stay alone. At least I don't have to force myself to find topics or pretend to be having fun."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Lin Chen, and a gentle smile gradually spread in her eyes. The smile carried warmth and a hint of imperceptible infatuation, and her voice softened: "Actually, after meeting you that day, I felt you were quite a good person."

"That day, I was so disheveled, and everyone else just hurried past. Only you took the initiative to stop and comfort me."

She tilted her head slightly, the smile on her lips deepening, and a faint flush appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes held a touch of shyness, and her tone added a bit of ambiguity: "And you have such a sweet tongue; you coaxed me, and I wasn't sad anymore."

"And... and the day you kissed me, it really made my heart race."

As soon as these words were out, Li Sisi's face turned even redder, like a ripe apple. She quickly lowered her head, her fingertips gently scratching the edge of the bowl, and even her earlobes were dyed pink, looking very embarrassed.

Lin Chen looked at her shy appearance, and his heart skipped a beat again. The restlessness in his heart surfaced once more, and even his breathing became slightly disordered.

Neither of them said much more, and they quickly finished their meal.

Li Sisi got up to clear the bowls and chopsticks, moving efficiently. Before long, she came over carrying a cup of warm tea and a plate of cut watermelon, which looked fresh and sweet.

She placed the tea and watermelon on the table and sat down beside Lin Chen, her tone carrying a touch of doting coquettishness: "Big Sister just likes a shy little brother like you."

"You don't know, many men nowadays are glib and full of lies,"

"They say flowery things, but behind your back, not a single word is true."

She reached out and gently touched Lin Chen's arm, her eyes full of sincerity, "A good, honest man like you is more reassuring. I feel very at ease being with you."

Lin Chen heard this, and a wave of complex emotions instantly flooded his heart, leaving him extremely conflicted.

He subconsciously clenched his palms and muttered to himself: "It's over, it's over. I'm clearly just a scumbag here to complete a system task and earn that 500,000,"

"How did I end up becoming a 'good man' to her?"