"Bing'er, thanks for all your hard work!" Ning Xiaochun turned around and gave Shui Bing'er a big smile. "If you hadn't helped, this thing would've taken several more days at least!"
Shui Bing'er shook her head gently, her cool voice carrying a faint, barely perceptible softness. "It was no trouble. Your design... is very interesting."
To receive a compliment like "very interesting" from the cool and haughty Shui Bing'er made Ning Xiaochun feel sweeter than if he'd swallowed a spoonful of honey.
He was about to keep the conversation going and chat with Bing'er a little longer, hoping to grow closer to her, when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. His vision dimmed, and he swayed.
"Xiaochun!" Shui Bing'er's expression changed. She was quick to catch him. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Ning Xiaochun shook his head, trying to clear it. "I'm probably just too tired. I used up a lot of mental energy... I'll be fine after some rest..."
He really had pushed himself too hard today. He'd been immersed in research since getting up that morning, and had only hurriedly eaten a few bites at lunch. Spending the whole day fully focused on engraving intricate magic arrays had taken a real toll on him.
Shui Bing'er saw his pale complexion and the exhaustion he could barely hide between his brows. A trace of concern flickered in her eyes.
She helped him to the rest area nearby and sat him down in a reclining chair covered with soft animal hide.
"Lie down and rest," Shui Bing'er said, her voice carrying a hint of unquestionable authority.
Ning Xiaochun obediently lay back, though his head still felt heavy and hazy.
He shifted unconsciously, and his head tilted to one side, landing right on Shui Bing'er's thighs, pressed together beneath him and radiating a faint, cool sensation.
So soft... So cool... And there was a faint, fresh fragrance, like snow melting...
Ning Xiaochun's brain instantly shut down.
Shui Bing'er stiffened too! She could clearly feel the warmth and weight of the boy's head, along with the warm breath that brushed against her skirt as he breathed.
Two flushes instantly bloomed on her cheeks. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and even her breathing stumbled for a moment.
She instinctively started to push him away, but when she looked down and saw Ning Xiaochun's small, pale face, worn out from fatigue yet peaceful and content, she lowered her raised hand again.
You little scamp...
She sighed inwardly. Neither refusing nor saying a word, she simply sat still and let him use her lap as a pillow. She even unconsciously adjusted her posture to make him more comfortable.
As for Ning Xiaochun, when he felt the comforting coolness and the faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, fatigue swept over him like a tide, and he really did sink into a deep sleep.
Time seemed to stand still. The other craftsmen and Soul Masters in the workshop tactfully quieted their movements, not daring to disturb this rare moment of peace.
However, that peace did not last long.
"Broooother!"
A clear, loud voice, thick with indignation and grievance, exploded at the entrance to the research institute like a bolt from the blue!
A little girl with twin buns, wearing a pink princess dress and looking about four or five years old, stood at the entrance, as pretty as a little doll.
She stood there with her hands on her hips, puffing with anger. Her big, grape-black eyes were fixed on Ning Xiaochun, lying on Shui Bing'er's lap, and her little mouth was pursed so tightly it could hold an oil bottle.
She was Ning Xiaochun's own little sister, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—Ning Rongrong!
The sudden shout jolted Ning Xiaochun awake. He sat bolt upright and nearly rolled right out of the reclining chair.
He saw the familiar little figure at the entrance and froze for a moment. Then a complicated expression, mixing delight and guilt, appeared on his face.
"Rongrong?! What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Ning Rongrong ran over on her short legs, thump-thump-thump, her little face full of displeasure.
"Brother! You haven't played with me in ages! I asked Dad to bring me to see you, but he said you were busy here! I've come several times, and they always say you're busy! Do you not like Rongrong anymore?"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.
Ning Xiaochun suddenly felt a headache coming on.
His little sister was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's genuine Little Demoness, clever and mischievous, doted on by everyone in the sect, and especially clingy with him. He had indeed been neglecting her while busy researching Soul Tools lately.
"Of course I do! You're the person your brother loves most, Rongrong!" Ning Xiaochun hurriedly crouched down and reached to hug her.
"Your brother's just busy with important things, that's all. Once I'm done with this work, I'll make sure to play with you properly, all right?"
But Ning Rongrong dodged his embrace, her gaze settling on Shui Bing'er, who stood quietly nearby.
She looked the cool, stunningly beautiful blue-haired older sister up and down, as if she had stepped straight out of a painting. Her eyes filled with wariness and hostility.
"Who is she? Why are you with her, brother? And... and sleeping on her lap!"
Little girls were especially sensitive. Instinctively, she felt that this pretty older sister had stolen her brother's attention and time.
Looking at Ning Rongrong's "interrogating a criminal" expression, Ning Xiaochun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He scratched his head and decided to introduce them bluntly.
"Rongrong, this is your big sister Shui Bing'er. She's... um, your future sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law?!" Ning Rongrong's eyes grew even rounder, and her mouth formed an O. Then she burst into tears!
"Waaah! Sister-in-law! Brother, you have a sister-in-law now! Does that mean you won't want Rongrong anymore? Everyone says that once you have a sister-in-law, you forget your little sister! Waaah..."
Ning Rongrong cried as if her heart were breaking, as though the sky itself had fallen.
Ning Xiaochun was instantly at a loss. He scrambled to comfort her. "Rongrong, don't cry! Of course I still want you! You'll always be your brother's dearest little sister!"
Shui Bing'er was also a little embarrassed by this sudden turn of events. She stood where she was, unsure whether to leave or stay.
She looked at Ning Rongrong sobbing uncontrollably, then at Ning Xiaochun rushing around in a panic. Suddenly, she found it a little funny—and felt an inexplicable tenderness.
After a moment's hesitation, she took a handkerchief woven from Ice Silkworm Silk and embroidered with a delicate snowflake pattern from her Storage Soul Tool. She crouched down and gently offered it to Ning Rongrong, her voice carrying a hint of awkward tenderness. "Don't cry... Your brother... he won't abandon you."
Ning Rongrong's crying stopped abruptly. She lifted her tear-blurred eyes to look at the pretty blue-haired older sister, then at the lovely handkerchief she was offering. Sniffling, she asked, "R-really?"
Shui Bing'er nodded. Though her expression remained cool, her eyes had softened considerably. "Mm. If he dares to abandon you, I'll help you... freeze him into an ice statue."
Before you continue