Kissing Her Archrival for Three Minutes in Front of Her Own Brother

"I know this sounds unbelievable, but it really did happen in my previous life." Lu Xiaoxiao raised her eyes to Meng Yuan and explained earnestly.

Meng Yuan gripped her hand tightly. Instead of asking about herself first, she asked anxiously, "Who did it to you? What happened?"

To think her dear friend from years past had really been framed and killed, only to be reborn under such bizarre circumstances. It was truly mystifying.

"I don't know who the killer was, and I can't figure out why they killed me, either."

Meng Yuan thought for a moment before asking hesitantly, "If everything you said is true, could it have been He Xinyi?"

Her words brought Lu Xiaoxiao to her senses. Two suspects immediately sprang to mind: Sheng Yao and He Xinyi.

Sheng Yao had disliked her before and had later grown close to He Xinyi. Could the two of them have joined forces?

She called the system in her heart to check. 037, I suspect Sheng Yao and He Xinyi conspired together. They were both responsible for my death.

037: [Incorrect answer. You may only select one suspect as your answer.]

With only one chance left to check, Lu Xiaoxiao weighed her options over and over before choosing the person she suspected most. I choose Sheng Yao.

[Confirm submission? This is your final opportunity to verify a clue about the killer.]

Confirm.

A thin layer of sweat formed on Lu Xiaoxiao's palm as she held her breath and waited for the system's reply.

[Incorrect answer. Sheng Yao is not the killer. Remaining verification attempts: 0.]

Her heart sank. Then it must be He Xinyi.

037 prompted helplessly: [Please do not guess blindly. Use the clues to make a rational judgment. Given your strong enthusiasm for completing missions, the system offers a key hint: the killer is male.]

What? Lu Xiaoxiao froze.

She had few male friends to begin with. Who could it be?

Could it be He Jiran?

Had he failed to win her over, and had his love turned to hate?

Overwhelming fear engulfed her. She no longer dared speculate at random. She had finally gotten her life back after being reborn, and she really couldn't bear to die again.

"Xiaoxiao? Xiaoxiao?"

Meng Yuan called her name twice before bringing the distracted Lu Xiaoxiao back to reality.

Lu Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes and gripped Meng Yuan's hand in return. "He Xinyi wasn't the one who killed me," she said softly. "I only got one clue: the killer is male."

"Could it be Shao Enci?" Meng Yuan murmured. "When we were eating just now, I saw the way he looked at you. It didn't seem like it."

"It couldn't be him." Lu Xiaoxiao released her hand, walked over to the sink and turned on the tap. She splashed cold water on her cheeks, trying to calm her jumbled thoughts.

Water droplets ran down her chin as she stared at herself in the mirror, asking herself again and again, Han Siyu, was it you?

You were the one who stood me up, and you were the one who suddenly disappeared.

Were you the one who killed me or not?

The more she thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts became. She raised a hand and knocked on her forehead.

Seeing this, Meng Yuan hurried over and stopped her. "Xiaoxiao, don't scare me."

"I'm fine." Lu Xiaoxiao braced herself against the sink and took a moment before speaking. "Yuanyuan, I might not be able to look after you lately. You need to be careful. If you really want to be with He Xi, you have to watch out for He Xinyi. Don't give her any chance to get close to him."

Meng Yuan patted her back gently to comfort her. She had long since composed herself and saw things clearly. "If something is fated to happen in my junior year... then I'll accept it. It's enough that we were happy along the way. It doesn't have to lead anywhere."

"But what if it only leaves you covered in wounds in the end?"

"Love was never smooth sailing in the first place."

That evening, Lu Xiaoxiao returned home.

Ms. Wen had just finished a video call with her son, who was abroad. She carried a plate of cut fruit over to the desk and gently laid a hand on Lu Xiaoxiao's shoulder. "Did you have fun out with Yuanyuan today?"

Lu Xiaoxiao had been distracted ever since she came home, her mind full of thoughts about the killer.

"It was all right..." She picked up a fork to eat some fruit, but her hand stopped.

She began recalling what food she had touched and whom she had come into contact with on the day she was poisoned in her previous life.

Images of her lab teammates flashed through her mind. She thought carefully about each of them, but none seemed likely.

She had eaten lunch in the cafeteria, and all the food had been served fresh, so it was unlikely to have been the problem.

A little after two in the afternoon, she had ordered a milk tea for delivery...

Had it been that milk tea?

She couldn't take in anything Ms. Wen said after that, until a clear sentence reached her ears and abruptly brought her back to herself.

"Your brother is flying home early tomorrow morning. Do you want to come to the airport with us to pick him up?"

Lu Xiaoxiao snapped back to attention. "My brother's coming back?!"

The next second, 037's notification suddenly sounded.

[Mission 14: Deep-kiss your archrival for three minutes in front of your own brother. Countdown: 12 hours, 59 minutes.]

Lu Xiaoxiao recoiled in fright. Her stool tipped, and she slid to the floor.

Ms. Wen hurried forward to help her up, suppressing a laugh as she teased, "Silly girl, it's not as though your brother's going to beat you up. Is there any need to be so scared?"

"I'd rather he beat me up..." Lu Xiaoxiao wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Your brother's mainly coming back this time to talk you out of dating so young. Just agree with him a little when the time comes, and it'll blow over."

Lu Xiaoxiao sat back down and looked up at her mother. "What time does my brother land tomorrow?"

"He'll arrive at the airport around seven in the morning."

"Mommy, you and Dad don't need to pick him up tomorrow. I can go by myself."

Ms. Wen was slightly taken aback. "It won't be convenient for you to go alone. It would be more reliable for your father to drive you there and back."

"It's fine. My friend has a car and can give me a ride on the way."

Ms. Wen paused, then smiled. "Your little boyfriend?"

Lu Xiaoxiao said nothing, only pressing her lips together.

"That could work. Take that boy along to meet your brother, and maybe he'll soften his stance."

Lu Xiaoxiao smiled bitterly to herself. If Lu Jiayan saw what happened tomorrow, he would probably just fly into a rage on the spot.

After Ms. Wen left the study, she picked up her phone and sent Shao Enci a message.

[Could you come with me to the airport to pick someone up tomorrow?]

Several minutes passed before a reply came: [No. I'm busy.]

Lu Xiaoxiao stared at the two words, took a deep breath, swallowed her pride, and sent another message: [Please? (pitiful.jpg)]

A reply came quickly: [What time?]