Chapter 39: The Scheme

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Lin Xiaoxi lay quietly on her bed, clutching a pink plush mythical creature pillow that was at least two-thirds her size. The black over-ear headphones she wore added a touch of realism and depth to her appearance.

Inside the headphones, the rhythmic notes danced like stars twinkling in the night sky, illuminating her thoughts.

The room was dark, but the warm afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft and tranquil glow across the hardwood floor.

The girl’s hair was scattered loosely around the pillow, trembling slightly with her breathing. Her fair complexion looked remarkably rosy in the sunlight.

Her naturally long eyelashes fluttered occasionally—perhaps she was lost in a beautiful dream?

Her sleeping posture was incredibly relaxed. She was completely immersed in a safe, soft little space of her own, constructed by the music and the moonlight.

In this quiet sanctuary, the screen of the phone on her nightstand suddenly lit up. The sound of a WeChat notification shattered the serenity of the space.

Lin Xiaoxi’s brows furrowed slightly as she shifted in her sleep. Being disturbed while sleeping soundly was naturally frustrating, and the main issue was that she had simply forgotten to turn on the noise-canceling mode on her headphones today.

Immediately following that short notification sound came another:

"Alipay received... five thousand... yuan."

The girl on the bed let out a petulant whine and sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Judging by her expression, her irritation was about to reach the heavens.

She was determined to see who had dared to disturb her beauty nap. She lay back down, her left hand flailing blindly across the nightstand until she finally managed to grab her phone.

When she saw what was on the screen, her annoyance seemed to vanish in an instant, and a slightly disdainful smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Oh, so it was a message from her idiot brother. Only a fool like him would do something as silly as waking a beautiful girl from her beauty nap. Well... she would forgive him this time.

The girl’s glass-like eyes curved into crescents. She was about to reply, "Thanks, idiot brother!"

But then, perhaps struck by another thought, she tossed the phone onto her pillow. It bounced, sliding innocently into the quilt beside the pillow.

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The smile on the girl’s face vanished in an instant. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the pink mythical creature pillow she had been holding just moments ago.

She unleashed a flurry of "beautiful girl punches," beating the pink creature until it seemed to be cowering in fear; if it could speak, it would surely have begged for mercy.

"That jerk of a brother! Who wants to listen to him? I’m going to do the exact opposite—I’m not going to get my driver’s license!" After acting out for a while, Lin Xiaoxi seemed tired, or perhaps she felt the pillow had been punished enough.

She hugged it and lay back down, retrieved her phone from beside the pillow, and stared at the chat box she had nicknamed "Jerk Brother," remaining silent for a long time.

A few days ago, during dinner, her father had mentioned that he had already discussed it with her brother: once she started university in her brother’s city, she could stay with him during her breaks.

Lin Xiaoxi had been ecstatic when she heard the news, but on the surface, she had argued with her father, insisting she wouldn't do it—she wasn't going to look for that irresponsible jerk, Lin Ye.

Of course, this charade lasted only until she secretly observed her father’s face and realized he had actually taken her seriously and was considering calling Lin Ye to say his sister wouldn't be coming.

Lin Xiaoxi suddenly deflated and said she would reluctantly accept her father’s arrangement.

Her parents were at their wits' end with their daughter, though she was usually well-behaved and sensible, requiring no extra worry from them.

"Got it."

Lin Xiaoxi tapped a few words into the screen and sent the short message to Lin Ye. At the same time, a brilliant idea took root in her mind.

Learning to drive wasn't so bad, was it? As long as her jerk brother didn't complain about how slow she was, she would be fine.

Without even putting on her slippers, she ran barefoot across the floor, thumping toward her parents' bedroom.

"Dad! Mom! Your sweet daughter has something to discuss with you!"

"..."

Lin Ye looked at the message from his sister in the chat box and felt a sense of relief, a smile touching his lips. That was pretty good—at least she replied.

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In his worst-case scenario, Lin Ye had expected no response at all. Seeing this, he felt better; his sister was growing up and perhaps becoming more sensible than before.

The fact that she had replied improved his already decent mood. Even the various PowerPoint presentations that usually made him drowsy seemed to have a bit of substance to them this afternoon.

Of course, this pleasant mood lasted only until... his phone made the sound of another incoming message.

Lin Ye looked at the phone he had left face-down on the desk and swallowed instinctively. His sixth sense told him that this message might exceed his imagination.

He flipped the phone over. As the screen lit up, his eyes first fell on the sender: it was from his father.

Lin Ye exhaled a subconscious sigh of relief. He was definitely overthinking it. His father was such a steady man—what kind of outrageous news could he possibly send?

He opened the chat box. The first thing he saw was an image. After a split-second of loading, a high-speed rail ticket from Shanhai City, where his parents lived, to Luzhou City, where he was, appeared before his eyes.

Lin Ye was slightly stunned, feeling a bit strange. Were his parents planning to visit him? But did they have the time?

The second message, a voice note, shattered his theory against the wall.

"Xiao Ye, why did you buy your sister's ticket so early? You didn't even tell us in advance."

"If Xiaoxi hadn't run over and told us you had sent her money, and that you knew someone over there who could look after her while she learned to drive, your mother and I would still be in the dark."

In an instant, Lin Ye felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't process what his father was saying. He understood every word, but combined into a sentence, he was utterly bewildered.

There was still time. Judging by his father’s tone, he didn't want her to come over so soon. If he just said the ticket could be refunded or changed, it would be fine!