I loved wearing short white skirts, my wardrobe was perpetually a soft mix of pink and white, and everyone always said I was sweet and obedient. He dyed his hair red, was rebellious, and had a terrible temper. He was my older brother's best friend. Every time we met, I would hide behind my brother to greet him. Distant and reserved. No one knew I liked him. 1 During the summer break of my sophomore year in college, my parents went traveling, so I had no choice but to stay at my brother's apartment. At this hour, my brother was at work, but I knew his apartment passcode. Rolling my suitcase, I opened the door, only to hear someone inside speaking with a cold sneer. "Why don't you let your unborn sibling play instead?" "What I mean is, you might as well go back into the oven and be remade." A familiar voice. I stopped in my tracks. I recognized it. It was him. Arthur was my brother's best friend. They had hung out since middle school, and I knew they had always been close. But I didn't expect him to be living in my brother's apartment. Arthur started playing esports in high school, and after retiring, he became a gaming streamer. That voice just now—he was definitely cursing out his teammates on stream. I understood immediately because I watched his streams every day. I was his top donator. No one knew. I softened my movements and went to the room my brother had prepared for me. It was still a cozy room in pink and white hues, filled with plushies. I didn't plan to go over and bother him, but before I could finish unpacking, someone knocked on the door. Turning around, I saw Arthur leaning lazily against the open doorway, his narrow eyes glancing my way. "Didn't you say you were arriving tonight?" Obviously, my brother had given him a heads-up but hadn't told me. I didn't know why, but facing him always made me feel a bit guilty. Maybe it was because I liked him. "My roommates all left early, so I changed my ticket." I have mild social anxiety, but I also like being around people. Arthur pulled out his phone and glanced at it. Three o'clock. He raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?" He had always treated me like a younger sister, taking care of me just like my actual brother did. I nodded. "I'll order takeout in a bit." He let out a scoff. "Your Brother Arthur is standing right here, and you're going to order takeout?" "You actually know how to cook?" I looked at him with bright eyes, a bit pleasantly surprised. I always thought he was lazy and had no interests other than gaming. Arthur lifted his chin. "Wait here." 2 To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for Arthur's culinary skills until I saw a fragrant bowl of scallion oil noodles on the dining table. "You actually cooked." I sat down reservedly, feeling a bit embarrassed yet surprised. He gave a short laugh. "Eat up. I'm going to go rank up." I ate the noodles he cooked, watching him take long strides and cross the room in two or three steps. For the past six months, while I was at school, I could only watch him in his stream. Other female fans could brazenly call him "Hubby." But even typing those two words made my face turn red. I felt like a hopeless case. He was streaming upstairs, and I was downstairs, eating noodles while secretly opening his stream. He had just restarted his broadcast, and fans in the chat were asking where he went. Unlike his usual cold and arrogant demeanor, he raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "I was afraid the silly cat at my friend's house would starve to death." He deliberately lowered his voice, so I hadn't heard it at all downstairs. The chat was curious about how cute the kitten must be for him to be in such a good mood after feeding it. He lowered his eyes, clicked to start a game, and gave an ambiguous smile. "It's pretty cute." His voice came through the phone, making my heart pound wildly. Where was there a cat? It was just me. 3 My brother came back that evening, looking exhausted and apologetic as he said to me, "I have to fly to the US tomorrow for a business trip. I'll hang out with you when I get back." Then he turned to Arthur, telling him to take good care of me. I saw him casually say "Hmm," his back to us as he continued cooking. My brother was still telling me to stay up late less, but I couldn't hear a word of it. The thought of being alone with him for half a month made me lower my head, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "Arthur, take good care of my sister, or I'll kick you out when I get back." "I'll starve her," he retorted to my brother in a mean voice. My brother laughed out of exasperation, walked over, and pretended to hit him. The two of them bantered for a bit. I sat at the dining table, watching them laugh. I felt a bit envious of my brother. I didn't think I could act so naturally around him. When I woke up the next day, my brother had already left. Looking at the worried messages he left on my phone, I washed up and went downstairs to make some instant noodles. Halfway through eating, Arthur came downstairs. My brother had mentioned before that he had terrible morning sickness. Seeing him looking full of hostility and annoyance, I swallowed my greeting and silently buried my head in my noodles, not daring to make a sound. "Little Chloe, you're not very polite." I blanked for a moment, looking up under his dissatisfied gaze with an embarrassed smile. "Morning." He leaned in, gave it a look of disgust. "No nutrition. Wake me up tomorrow to cook." It was as if he specifically came down just to say that to me, and as soon as he finished, he went back upstairs. I looked at his tall, lean back in confusion. Did he specifically come down just to snap at me? But Arthur always had a bad temper, so I didn't think much of it. At noon, Arthur came downstairs with messy hair to cook. Hearing the noise in the living room, I spoke up apologetically, "Sorry, Arthur, for troubling you." He scoffed, not even turning his head as he snorted coldly, "Not even calling me Brother. Watch out, I might starve you." I chuckled quietly from behind. Arthur was fierce, but his bark was worse than his bite. "You wouldn't." His back seemed to stiffen for a moment. Then he brought the dishes over and said in a fierce tone, "Get your ass over here and eat." 4 He was fierce, but his cooking was delicious. Coming down to eat on time every day was the only interaction I had with him these past few days. Even though I hadn't said many words to him, I was incredibly happy. I got to see him every day. When he cooked wearing an apron, I would prop my chin up and watch from behind, secretly raising my phone to take a picture of his back. I didn't have any photos with him, only some large group photos from my brother's gatherings. I kept all of them, along with the occasional sneaky photos from over the years. My finger tapped lightly, the screen flashed, paused, and the flash went off. I was terrified, frantically turning my phone around as he looked back. "What are you doing?" He held a spatula in his hand, his handsome face looking very grumpy. I stammered, raising my phone slightly. "S-selfie." I didn't know if he believed it, but he frowned at me for a good while before turning back to continue cooking. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned off the flash on my phone. Damn it, when did I turn the flash on? I was still feeling frustrated and guilty, not daring to look up. So I also didn't see him send a message to my brother. "Is your sister complaining about me?" A reply came instantly. "Chloe is very well-behaved; she wouldn't complain." He snorted and retorted, "Not well-behaved at all." She sweetly called everyone else "Brother," except for him. The other side seemed exasperated, pausing for a moment before replying. "Is it really true what they say, that you hate Chloe?" "Everyone likes her and says she's sweet. You're the only one who thinks she isn't." The food was ready. He plated it and placed it on the table. The girl, looking very soft in her pink and white pajamas, obediently served herself rice under his gaze, then blinked at him. As if asking if she could start eating. He chuckled and spat out one word. "Eat." I smiled at him, picked up a piece of cola chicken wings, and praised him enthusiastically. "Arthur, the cola chicken wings you make are really delicious." I deliberately softened my voice, which somehow sounded a bit like acting cute. A bit embarrassing. We weren't close enough for me to act cute with him. The corners of his lips seemed to tilt up, but his tone was still fierce: "If it's delicious, then hurry up and eat. Why all the nonsense." Like a cat with its fur standing on end. I was surprised to find that Arthur actually really liked being praised. 5 Just when I thought Arthur and I were getting along a bit better because of my compliments, I saw him coming downstairs impatiently in the evening. Seeing me actually downstairs, the hostility between his eyebrows seemed to dissipate a bit. "Going out for a bit. I'll bring you dinner back tonight." He twirled the car keys in his hand and explained to me. His hands were long and handsome. My gaze lingered for a second, and I nodded obediently. Arthur glanced at me, seemingly very satisfied with my obedience, his steps even becoming a bit lighter. When he came back that night, he brought me a rice bowl dish. He hurriedly went upstairs to stream, his expression still looking a bit poor. I was a bit curious, but didn't dare ask, so I opened his stream. I heard him turn on his camera with a dark face. He stayed silent for a moment before telling the chat, "Company request. Playing duos today." He was very skilled and always streamed solo, carrying the team single-handedly. Occasionally, he would play duos with former teammates or male streamers he was close with. Before the fans and I could react, an account with a cute pink avatar suddenly invited him to team up. He accepted without batting an eye, but his expression was still very poor. The female streamer on the other end turned on her mic, her voice sweet and sugary. Fans in the chat explained that she was also a streamer in the gaming section. I didn't watch other gaming streamers besides him, so it was normal that I didn't know her. But he was playing duos with another girl. Even knowing it was his job, I was still a bit unhappy. The game started, and I listened to them talk while eating. Actually, it was just the female streamer talking the whole time; he completely ignored her. The female streamer had quite a few fans. Seeing his terrible attitude, they started cursing him in the chat. "Our Frosty is so sweet. Why is this straight guy giving her attitude?" "Feeling bad for Frosty." "Taking my Frosty away, stay away, you grumpy guy." The chat was a complete mess. The female streamer didn't seem affected. She was still acting cute, asking him to let her have the blue buff, and her character had even run over to him. But he took the blue buff without a change in expression and went to the side lane to help gank without looking back. The chat rolled even faster. He glanced at the screen and said sparingly: "You having the blue buff is useless." His own fans were all laughing, typing "hahaha" and calling him a straight guy, while the female streamer's fans were going crazy with anger. Many of Arthur's old fans knew that he had a sharp tongue and did whatever he pleased, so they weren't surprised that he didn't give up the blue buff. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do. The chat was cursing so viciously. I couldn't stand it and threw a bunch of special effect gifts. The chat started saying things like "Long time no see, top donator sister." He glanced at it twice and said coldly, "Thanks for the gifts." I kept my head down, eating the food he brought back, and smiled, my eyes curving, when I heard his "thanks." One game ended quickly. I don't know if the female streamer noticed his overly cold attitude, but she made an excuse and said she was done playing. His expression slowly softened after the female streamer left. Anyone with eyes could see how much he disliked her. The chat was full of "hahaha," asking if he didn't like soft girls. Arthur usually wouldn't respond to these, but today he looked at the chat and paused for a second. "I like them." The chat paused for a moment, then started scrolling even more vigorously. "Like what!" "So you do like soft girls?!" "Then why were you so mean to Frosty." He scoffed. "Does that even count as a soft girl?" He thought of the girl downstairs. She ate slowly, much like the videos of rabbits or hamsters eating that he scrolled past online. Very well-behaved. None of them ate as well as he did. It was just that she was occasionally disobedient, afraid of him, and wouldn't call him "Brother." So he likes soft girls. My mind was a mess, thinking of countless possibilities that made the corners of my lips curl up. But if he liked me, how could he be so indifferent? A couple of days ago, my brother even sent me a message, worried that our relationship wasn't good, telling me to hang around him less. I sighed and threw the empty takeout box into the trash can. 6 A couple of days later, he made breakfast and was about to go out again. He said the same thing, that he would bring lunch back for me. I wanted to say that I could actually just order takeout, but he didn't even give me a chance to speak. He just left after saying that. I had some snacks for lunch. Later, feeling a bit bored while waiting, I wanted to play a game for a while. As soon as I logged on, I received many team invitations. I accepted my roommate's. I didn't expect that after I joined, she pulled a senior from our club in as well. The senior was a nice guy and took good care of us, but I could tell he was interested in me. I usually avoided him, rejecting him both explicitly and implicitly. I didn't expect to run into him again today. "I haven't played a game with Chloe yet." The senior smiled and turned his mic on first, and my roommate immediately clicked start. The senior's gaming skills were good. After he got a triple kill, my roommate and I smiled and praised him. "Triple kill! You're awesome, Senior." The apartment door clicked open. Just as I finished speaking, I locked eyes with Arthur, who was walking in carrying takeout boxes. From the phone, the senior was still modestly saying it was nothing special, and then a clear voice came through: "Chloe, come get the blue buff." I saw Arthur's face visibly darken. He raised an eyebrow and placed the takeout boxes in front of me. I said "No need" into the mic and quickly turned it off. "You're back." He gave a cold laugh. "Obviously." I smiled awkwardly. He suddenly leaned in and asked, "Little Chloe, are you dating someone?" It was out of nowhere, but I felt his words were dangerous. I hastily shook my head, not wanting him to misunderstand. "I'm playing with my roommate and a senior. We're all friends." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, reached out and messed up my hair, warning me fiercely: "Better not be. If you are, watch out, I'll tell your brother." My heart was beating very fast. After he went upstairs, the senior and my roommate asked me on my phone why I stopped talking. I inexplicably looked down and smiled, turned on the mic, and told them I wasn't playing anymore. I felt like he cared about me a little bit. 7 That evening, after dinner, Arthur suddenly asked me if I wanted to play a game together. I was stunned. Besides the times when my brother was around and dragged us both to play, I hadn't played alone with him before. Plus, he usually streamed after dinner. "Aren't you streaming?" He leisurely poured a glass of water. "I am. Do you mind?" Didn't his fans all say he had no taste, that he didn't even like soft girls like Frosty? He was going to show them who really had no taste. I was very nervous, but the opportunity was rare. "I don't mind." He went upstairs, and I followed him with my phone. My heart was thumping. It was my first time in his room. Clean and tidy. He set up his equipment in a moment, then told me he started the stream. I hid in a spot the camera couldn't see and softly said "Hmm." I felt an inexplicable sense of shyness. Like we were dating behind the fans' backs. Even though we weren't yet. His mic picked up sound very well. The fans must have heard and asked if there was someone else with him. "Yeah, carrying my friend's sister today." I didn't know what the chat was saying, but I heard him chuckle. I really wanted to click into his stream and take a peek, but I didn't dare. The game started. His rank was very high. Afraid of being cursed at by my teammates, I picked a support hero. This entire game, I experienced both tension and a magical feeling. Listening to his clear voice talking to me for the whole game. "Follow me." "Take the blue buff." "I'll come pick you up." "Don't be afraid, wait for me." Was it because I was sitting next to him? I actually felt that the person who was usually cold in the stream was exceptionally gentle. When the game ended, he took a moment to look at the chat, seemingly in a very good mood. The sister is way sweeter than that female streamer! "You guys are right." Is it really a friend's sister? It's not a girlfriend? "Yeah, friend's sister." Friend's sister. I gripped my phone tightly, and the little bit of secret joy I couldn't hold back just now instantly vanished. 8 Before heading back to my room after playing, I composed myself and told him he didn't need to get up specially to make breakfast for me tomorrow morning. Arthur had just turned off his equipment. He looked back and gave me a deep look. "Why?" I didn't dare look at him. I grabbed my phone and ran out. "No reason, just felt it was too much trouble for you." Everything was fine while we were playing the game just now. Arthur watched the girl's retreating figure and frowned imperceptibly. When I went downstairs the next day, as expected, I didn't see anyone. That tiny bit of hope in my heart instantly plummeted to the core. He had always been rebellious. I had never seen Arthur be so obedient. I lowered my eyes, feeling a bit disappointed. "What are you dawdling for? Eat." Just as I was slowly walking to the kitchen door, he pushed the door open, his bony, handsome hands steadily holding a bowl of noodles. I couldn't help but show some joy. "Why did you..." Before I could finish, he reached out and pressed me down into a seat at the dining table. "How much do you hate me, Chloe?" His tone was very bad, as if he was suppressing anger. I turned to look at him. "I don't." How could I possibly hate him. He fiercely messed up my hair and placed the bowl of noodles in front of me with a thud. The sound wasn't loud, but the action was scary. He did it on purpose. "Do you know how expensive my hands are? Cooking for you every day and you're still complaining." He was acting fierce. I softened my voice, feeling wronged: "I wasn't complaining..." "If you weren't complaining, why did you say that last night?" They had finally gotten a little bit closer, and she was knocking him back to square one again. Arthur was not one to admit defeat. When playing games, making a comeback against the wind was what excited him the most. The same went for her. He had always preferred to finish things quickly. But with her, he was slow and cautious, terrified that if he showed even a little bit, she would run away. "You're tired from streaming, and you have to get up to cook for me instead of catching up on sleep." "It's exhausting, Arthur." Besides a bit of pique last night, I really did feel it was hard on him, and there was no need for him to get up so early just to cook for me. Hearing this, he let out a scoff, leaned down, and pinched my cheek fiercely. "I want to." He was always like this, looking fierce but actually not using any force at all. I covered my face and dodged, pursing my lips with a bit of distaste. "Learning bad habits instead of good ones." My brother had loved pinching my cheeks since we were kids, making me cry several times but never tiring of it. He got better as we grew up, but occasionally he would still pinch my cheeks to tease me. He had always just watched the two of us siblings mess around from the side. I didn't expect him to pick this up too. Arthur smiled and went upstairs. "See you at noon, Chloe." I hummed an acknowledgment and buried my head in the noodles. I also hid the corners of my lips that were curving up. I liked him even more.
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