The moment I learned my domineering older brother, Daniel, was acting like a "simp" for the leading lady, I curled up at the villain's door, clutching my little blanket. When he intended to send me back, his gaze fell upon the faint marks on my wrist. "Did your brother abuse you?!" I nodded, my eyes still heavy with sleep. It wasn't until Daniel was dumped by the leading lady yet again that he suddenly remembered the little "ancestor" he had neglected back home. By then, the villain had already attended my kindergarten parent-teacher conference in his stead. Daniel's vision instantly went black. "I was only gone for a month! I wasn't dead! Why won't you acknowledge me anymore?" The villain, meanwhile, offered me a lollipop. "Good girl~ How about a new brother, huh?" 1 When I was three, I had a dream. In it, I learned my brother was just one of the leading lady's many "simps." He'd endlessly debase himself for her—running errands, obsessing, getting beaten to a pulp for her. And in the end, he'd willingly give her his entire family fortune as a wedding gift. He and I, left with nothing, would be crammed into a cramped, thirty-square-foot apartment, listening to the bitter, daily arguments of the couple next door. To change this outcome, I used my limited childlike cunning to try a series of efforts: for instance, when the leading lady called late at night saying she was scared, I'd deliberately wail loudly to try and keep him home; when the leading lady had her period and complained of stomach cramps, I'd feign spitting up to make him change my clothes; during the leading lady's graduation performance, I hummed "Brother is the Best in the World" to try and awaken his conscience… But I overlooked a crucial fact: our house had a nanny, while the leading lady was a helpless orphan. My brother always left me with the nanny and ran off to comfort the leading lady. Seeing him descend further into "love-struck idiocy," I made a solemn decision: I needed a new brother. Ultimately, I chose a boy from the neighboring villa complex—he was the villain, and also my brother's sworn enemy, notorious for tripping up the leading lady's "simp squad." He was gloomy and cunning, a true dog trainer in human form! And he indeed owned a Border Collie. One time, my brother went to buy fruit for the leading lady and forgot me at the fruit stand. The villain happened to be there too. I reached for an apple on the shelf and offered it to his Border Collie. In return, he had his dog "fetch" me back home. I wanted him to "discipline" my brother. Yesterday was my third birthday. The nanny specially dressed me in a princess dress, waiting for my brother to come home. But he was off watching a movie with the leading lady. The nanny tried to soothe me, "Once Clara becomes your sister-in-law, two people will love you, sweetie." But I knew she wouldn't become my sister-in-law—the leading lady was destined for the male protagonist! So, I decided to "run away" and put some pressure on my "simp" brother. Late at night, I successfully dodged the nanny, who was busy gossiping on the phone in the bathroom, and squeezed through the dog hole in the fence. I hugged my little blanket and, barefoot, walked towards the neighboring villa complex. Twenty minutes later, I stood at Alex's doorstep. This villa was even grander than mine, but its dim lights gave off a cold, aloof aura. I took a deep breath, spread my little blanket on the doorstep, and curled up, lying down. Just as I was drifting to sleep, I heard dog barks and footsteps from inside. The door creaked open, and a slipper almost landed on my face. "What in the world?!" Alex's voice abruptly stopped. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, meeting a pair of eyes wide with surprise. In the moonlight, his tall figure loomed over me. He wore a bathrobe, slightly open at the collar, revealing his sculpted collarbone. "What are you doing here?" Alex asked, a frown on his face. Before he finished speaking, a black and white blur shot from beside his legs, enthusiastically pouncing on me—it was Snowball, its wet nose rubbing against my face, its tail wagging like a tiny motor. "Snowball!" Alex snapped, "She's not a kitten! You can't keep her!" Snowball whimpered indignantly but stubbornly rested its front paws on my shoulders, "washing" my face with its tongue. I giggled, seizing the opportunity to climb up and hug Alex's leg. "Big Brother, hug!" He stiffened, as if a pause button had been pressed. Snowball, seizing its chance, clamped its teeth on the back of my collar and began dragging me inside. "Hey! Stupid dog! Let go!" Alex tried to stop it, but Snowball had already dragged me into the foyer. I immediately let go of my collar and scrambled onto him, using both hands and feet. "Get down," he commanded in a cold voice. I shook my head, burying my face in his neck. "Nanny is cold…" 2 Alex’s body tensed even further, but he didn't forcefully pull me off. Snowball excitedly circled us, occasionally nudging my feet with its head, as if asking for praise. "Does Daniel know you're here?" he asked. I pouted, and tears instantly welled up. "Brother doesn't want Nanny anymore…" As I spoke, my sleeve slipped, revealing a bruise on my wrist. Alex’s eyes immediately changed. He grabbed my wrist. "How did this happen?" I cowered, shrinking my neck. "Nanny hurts… Brother is mean…" In truth, I had gotten it by hitting my arm on the table leg while reaching for a ball. My brother had indeed been angry when he came back, blaming the nanny for not watching me—she was busy scrolling through social media then. Alex's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink. "Did Daniel hit you?" I didn't answer, just lowered my head, playing the part of a wronged child perfectly. Alex took a deep breath, as if forcing down his anger. Just then, Snowball trotted over, carrying its food bowl, and placed it in front of me, then looked at Alex with expectant eyes. Alex looked at his dog in exasperation. "It's two in the morning." Snowball stubbornly stood still. I rubbed my tummy. "Nanny's hungry." Snowball immediately picked up a piece of kibble, dropped it by our feet, and wagged its tail even more excitedly. Alex rubbed his temples. "I'll go warm up some milk for you." He pointed a warning finger at Snowball. "Don't hide her in your dog bed." Snowball tilted its head, a look of innocent confusion on its face, as if to say, "I don't understand what you're talking about." Ten minutes later, Alex returned to the living room with two bowls of milk. Snowball immediately perked up its ears, its tail thumping a cheerful rhythm on the floor. "Sit," he commanded. Snowball instantly sat ramrod straight, front paws together, like a disciplined soldier. I blinked, then mimicked Snowball's expectant expression and, with a little "Woof," sat up straight. Alex's hand froze mid-air, the milk almost spilling. "What are you doing?" "Table manners!" I tilted my head, imitating Snowball's excited look. "At home, Nanny Sarah taught me this." Alex's eyebrows knitted together. "She made you bark like a dog?" I nodded, recalling. "She said it was noble etiquette. Once, when I didn't bark, she complained to my brother, saying I ate with my hands." At this point, I suddenly grew sad. My brother was so angry that day. During dinner, he deliberately put down his chopsticks and picked up a chicken drumstick to feed me. He squeezed my cheek with his greasy hand. "My Nanny can eat however she wants." My brother was good to me, but he never had time to get me a new nanny. Only because Clara said I was attached to this nanny, and that if he replaced her, I would feel abandoned. And later, he got busier and busier, never eating with me again. Alex placed the milk bowls in front of Snowball and me, his face terribly grim. "That nanny is still working for you?" "Yes." I took a small sip of milk. "Auntie Sarah also taught me how to drink like a little horse. Do you want to see, Big Brother?" His thumb gently traced the bruise on my wrist, his voice almost inaudible. "Daniel, that scoundrel…" I finished my milk, then hesitantly looked up. "Big Brother, my brother doesn't want me anymore. Can you take me in? I don't eat much." In my dream, Alex also had a younger sister, but she was born with a congenital heart defect and died young due to negligence. He never got to spoil her. After that, his parents divorced. Coincidentally, my parents also divorced. Theirs was a business marriage. After the divorce, neither wanted children and went their separate ways to find true love. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been left with my brother. 3 Alex’s brows furrowed. He looked down at me, clinging tightly to his leg, then at Snowball, excitedly circling. A vein pulsed faintly on his temple. "I'm very busy," he rubbed his brow. "I don't have time to look after a child." I immediately held up three tiny fingers. "Nanny will be super good! I can eat by myself, sleep by myself, and play by myself!" Snowball seemed to understand our conversation. It suddenly rushed into the living room, grunting as it dragged its giant dog bed to my feet, then proudly let out a "Woof!" its tail wagging like a propeller. Alex looked at it expressionlessly. "She's not a kitten. She can't sleep with you. You'll crush her." Snowball whimpered indignantly, nudging my hand with its wet nose, as if to say, "No way, I wouldn't." Finally, he let out a long sigh. "…If you don't cause trouble, I can reluctantly keep you for a few days." "Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, Snowball~" I hugged Snowball and gave it a big kiss. Snowball was even more excited than me, snatching my little blanket and running all over the house, until Alex’s stern gaze froze it in place. "Sleep," Alex said, picking me up by the back of my collar, like carrying a kitten, and carrying me into the guest room. I obediently crawled into bed, watching him turn off the light and leave. The moment the door closed, the room plunged into darkness. The wall clock ticked. Outside, tree branches swayed, casting grotesque shadows on the wall. I clutched my blanket tightly, finally unable to resist climbing out of bed. At the end of the hallway, a sliver of light peeked from under Alex's bedroom door. I gently pushed the door open, seeing Alex leaning against the headboard, reading documents, the bedside lamp casting a warm shadow on his chiseled profile. Snowball immediately noticed me, wagging its tail happily as it ran over. "Now what?" he asked without looking up. I fidgeted with the corner of my blanket, quietly saying, "…Nanny's afraid of the dark." Alex finally looked up, seeing me trembling at the doorway. His expression softened slightly in the lamplight, but his tone remained firm. "Three years old and still afraid of the dark?" "Auntie Sarah said if I don't sleep, monsters will come and snatch me away at night!" I exclaimed in terror. Alex stared at me for a full ten seconds, then defeatedly closed his file. "Come here." My eyes lit up, and I scurried over with my blanket. Snowball was even faster than me, already jumping onto the bed and claiming the best spot. "Not here," Alex pointed to the long sofa in the corner. "You sleep over there." I obediently climbed onto the sofa, wrapping myself into a cocoon with my blanket. Snowball whimpered in protest but jumped off the bed, lying down on the rug beside me to guard me. Alex turned off the main lights, leaving only a small night light. I wanted to put some pressure on my brother, hoping he'd start caring about me again. But I never imagined that after a day of being "away from home," he still hadn't noticed I was gone! He had gone on a business trip with Clara. Alex had sent someone to check, and when the nanny realized I was missing, her first reaction wasn't to tell my brother. Instead, afraid of being held responsible, she fled! "Excellent," he sneered. He looked exactly like a cartoon villain when he did that. "Is Sterling Corp currently negotiating the East River project?" James, his assistant, pushed up his glasses. "Signing tomorrow." "Before midnight tonight, I want that project to belong to Sterling," Alex said, tossing his broken pen into the trash. "I'll pay double the penalty." I was just counting on my fingers how much double the penalty would be, when he suddenly picked me up and placed me on his desk. 4 He braced his hands on either side of me, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Little one, does your brother always treat you like this?" Snowball urgently pawed at the desk edge, barking. I seized the opportunity to use its paws as a railing. "Big Brother is just… busy?"
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