Chapter 3

After Serena left, Tiffany deliberately pouted at Julian. “What? Did I say something wrong? Is she upset? Was it my tone?”

Julian took the napkin in his hand and tapped her on the head—not too hard, just playfully. He smiled. “Serena’s very understanding. She barely even raises her voice. There’s no way she’s mad at you.”

Tiffany tilted her head and spoke with a sarcastic edge. “Oh, so you’re defending her now? I’m your sister too, you know. Why don’t you ever defend me?”

Julian moved closer, gently playing with her long hair. His voice was soft. “You’re not just my sister. You’re my girlfriend. Of course I defend you. I’ve always had your back, ever since we were kids.”

Mentioning their childhood bond put Tiffany at ease. Even if their parents no longer doted on her alone, at least she still had Julian’s affection. That was something Serena could never have.

The two flirted with each other. When Serena returned from the restroom, she overheard their sweet talk outside the private room and felt uncomfortable.

They tried to hide their intimacy in front of her, but it was already an open secret. Mrs. Lin and Mr. Lin seemed happy about it—after all, they knew Tiffany well and approved of her as a future daughter-in-law.

Even someone as calm as Serena felt uncomfortable and repulsed.

During the meal, Julian tried to include Serena in their conversation. But the things they talked about were too far from her world—like something from outer space. Serena couldn’t join in, so she clumsily cut her steak, tasting nothing.

The scraping sound of her utensils made Tiffany smirk. Seeing this, Julian exchanged his own neatly cut steak for Serena’s plate.

Serena’s face turned crimson.

After dinner, back at home, Mrs. Lin sat with the three of them. Julian naturally held Tiffany’s hand, and the two sat side by side on the sofa, chatting and laughing with Mrs. Lin. Serena, like a mute, kept her head down and said little.

Mrs. Lin felt sorry for her and asked gently, “Did you have a good time with your brother and sister tonight? Is there anything else you want to eat? Mom’s staying home tomorrow. Do you want to go out with me?”

“Mom, I haven’t gone out with you in forever. How about the three of us go to the beach tomorrow?” Tiffany cut in, smiling sweetly.

Serena declined softly. “Mom, I was thinking of previewing my college courses. School starts soon, and I don’t want to fall behind. So I’ll pass on the trip. You and Tiffany go ahead.”

Mrs. Lin tucked a strand of hair behind Serena’s ear and said gently, “Alright, my little scholar. I won’t bother you then. I’ll stay home tomorrow and cook you something good.”

Mrs. Lin focused entirely on Serena, not noticing the disappointment in Tiffany’s eyes.

Julian, sitting nearby, patted Tiffany’s shoulder comfortingly. Then he looked up and saw Serena gazing quietly at him, her cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes pure and captivating.

He felt both pity and affection for his newly found sister. Meeting her gaze, he smiled faintly.

Serena’s face grew warmer. She lowered her head, told Mrs. Lin she was going to take a shower, and left.

The Lins’ family empire was vast. Mr. and Mrs. Lin each had their own careers, and Julian—needless to say—was the designated heir. Even Tiffany had her own chic café to run.

Only Serena, the soon-to-be college freshman, was busy preparing for her upcoming university life.

Move-in day was approaching. Serena was packing in her bedroom when Mrs. Lin sat on the edge of the bed and couldn’t help but say, “Do you really have to live on campus? You could commute. We could have the driver take you every day. You’d come home and we could all have dinner together. What’s so great about a dorm?”

“Everyone lives on campus. It’s part of the college experience. I’m actually looking forward to it—meeting new people in my dorm.” Serena spoke softly.

Mrs. Lin sighed. Her daughter had just returned, so she didn’t want to reject her ideas outright. “Fine. But at least come home for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.”

“Okay. I’ll come back when I can.” Serena smiled.

Julian knocked on the door. Serena invited him in. He saw the girl kneeling on the floor, bending over to neatly fold her clothes into the suitcase. She wore a loose T-shirt, and from his angle, he could see down her collar. Only then did he realize she wasn’t wearing a bra at home.

Serena’s skin was pale—almost unreal, like snow or moonlight. At the tip, a small cherry, perky and budding.

Julian abruptly turned his face away. A wave of heat rose in his lower abdomen. He felt like an animal.

“Julian? Did you need something?” Unlike Tiffany’s intimate one-letter “J,” Serena always called his full name—crisp, sweet, and trusting.

Julian handed her a beautifully wrapped gift box. “A college gift. A new phone.” Her old phone was slow and took forever to boot up.

Their parents had given her a computer, so he thought she needed a phone.

Serena accepted it and thanked him sincerely. Mrs. Lin told her to try it out. Just then, a work email came in for Mrs. Lin, so she asked Julian to help Serena pack and went to her study.

Only Julian and Serena remained in the room. Serena fiddled with the new phone and smiled at Julian. “Julian, have a seat. Can you show me how to use this?”

Julian sat on the edge of the bed. She sat next to him, still shy as usual, but her eyes were bright and gentle as autumn waters.

An unnoticed ripple stirred in Julian’s heart—like a breeze across a clear lake.

He taught her the basic functions. They were both young, and she learned quickly.

“Besides the basics, you can download games and apps. What do you usually play?”

Serena smiled shyly. “Just the basics. Snake. Tetris.” She had played those on Leo’s phone. He had a better phone than hers and would often let her use it when their parents weren’t home.

“Leo’s really good at gaming. I think he’s even won some awards.” Serena transferred her SIM card from the old phone to the new one. Julian heard her praise Leo and scoffed:

“How good could he possibly be?”

Serena didn’t know how to answer—she didn’t know much about gaming competitions.

Julian pressed his tongue against his back teeth, then changed the subject. “Are you missing anything else?”

“I don’t think so.” Serena looked up at him, her eyes curved like a crescent moon in water. “Mom, Dad, Julian, and Tiffany have already given me so much.” Then she held up the phone and said softly, “And thank you for teaching me how to use it.” She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and quickly kissed Julian on the cheek. Her face was bright red, and her voice trembled slightly. “Julian… thank you. Really.”

Julian was startled. The girl’s lips were incredibly soft. It was just a brief kiss. Her eyes were clear. But his heartbeat suddenly quickened. He closed his eyes and tried to convince himself that this was just sisterly affection. Steadying himself, he looked away. “You’re my sister. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Serena smiled softly. Then she remembered the small crafts she had made and got up to get them. But Julian moved his legs, and she tripped over them.

Julian instinctively caught her upper body with both hands. Serena yelped, then fell across his lap, her chest pressing right into his palms.

Even through her clothes, Julian knew exactly what he was touching.

He had glimpsed it earlier when he first opened the door.

Soft, adorable little bunnies—not voluptuously seductive, but the fresh, tender breasts of a young girl. They bounced with her movement, and now they rested in his hands. Male instinct took over. He unconsciously squeezed.

Serena didn’t notice. She quickly got up. Julian withdrew his hands. Meeting her clear gaze, he silently cursed himself.

“That was clumsy of me. Sorry.” Serena apologized out of habit. Then she brought over the small crafts. One was a fluffy little kitten doll. She gave it to Julian. “You’ve given me so many gifts, but I don’t have anything nice to give you. I made this myself. If you’re not too embarrassed to use it, it could be a keychain.”

Julian didn’t dare look at her. He fidgeted with the doll and said awkwardly, “It’s great. You should get some rest. Text me if you need anything.”

Serena nodded eagerly. Just as Julian was about to leave, her phone rang.

She saw the caller ID and, without thinking, answered on speaker while folding her sheets. Leo’s voice—with its adolescent rasp—came through. “Serena, are you going to college registration tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Don’t you have evening study hall?”

“I’ve got a cold. I came home early.” He asked eagerly, “Do you have a lot of luggage? I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. I can carry your bags.” His voice was full of anticipation.

“Serena, Mom, Dad, and I are driving you tomorrow.” Julian spoke abruptly, smiling at Serena. He enunciated clearly, obviously for Leo’s benefit.

“Aren’t you going to the office tomorrow?” Serena asked, confused.

Julian said, “It can wait. After registration, I’ll go.”

Leo gritted his teeth but kept his voice gentle for Serena. “I’ll wait for you at the school gate, okay? I bought those peaches you like. They’ll go bad if I don’t give them to you soon.”

Serena agreed.

After hanging up, Julian frowned slightly. “Serena, maybe it’s better not to stay in touch with that family.”

Serena was silent for a moment, then just nodded.

Julian studied her expression and spoke earnestly. “Some people aren’t suitable for the Lins to associate with. You’re too naive. If you keep this up, it could cause problems down the line. The Lins have a reputation in Seattle—it’s not something we can afford to stain or gamble with.” The words were harsh. Serena’s face burned with shame. Though she didn’t understand what she had done wrong, under Julian’s serious gaze, she could only nod, her eyes reddening with委屈. “I understand,” she said quietly.