Chapter Fifteen

Su Xiaobai staggered back a few steps. When she clearly saw the person in front of her, her eyelids twitched, and her heart raced violently. One hand instinctively pressed against her chest. The surprise in her eyes quickly shifted to a fox-like cunning.

Although Su Xiaobai had never directly interacted with her younger brother Su Miao, they were both born of the same mother, sharing the closest blood ties. After their mother passed away, Su Bai had become even more protective and loving towards Su Miao than before. For Su Miao, Su Bai was both an elder sister and a mother figure.

No matter how it was, Su Miao was still her younger brother. While she didn't dote on him like Su Bai did, the blood connection between them still evoked a subtle feeling of care for him.

Su Xiaobai hadn't expected Su Miao to suddenly show up. It seemed he had been waiting for a while, probably already knowing she had taken the sports car out. Regardless of who had tipped him off, the fact that he had rushed back so urgently showed that he was concerned. After all, the old Su Bai would never have taken one of her multi-million-dollar cars out for fun without a reason.

In a flash, Su Xiaobai calmed her thoughts. She no longer appeared flustered but instead quietly observed Su Miao across from her, a natural smile curving on her lips. "Miao Miao, what are you doing here? You startled me by suddenly appearing," she said, then turned her gaze to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming had been close to Su Bai since high school and was a regular at the Su family home. Su Xiaobai recognized him, but their relationship wasn't particularly close. She gave him a polite smile.

Su Miao, suppressing his suspicions, narrowed his eyes, which resembled Su Xiaobai's, and smiled. "Just playing a little prank on my sister. We haven't seen each other since your wedding. I was just picking up some things at home and happened to see you driving by, so I thought I'd have some fun." He lied effortlessly, as usual.

Su Xiaobai didn't pay much attention to the lie. Instead, she tried to act as if she were still the charming older sister Su Bai had always been, with a slightly helpless yet affectionate smile.

"The Fang family's matters have been quite demanding lately, and even when you're home, you're never around. Ever since you got so busy with your business, you've barely been home more than once a month. After Dad retired, he's been living alone, even though he has a healthcare doctor and housekeepers taking care of him. But he's getting older; you should come visit more often," Su Xiaobai said with a reproachful glance at her brother. In truth, both Su Xiaobai and Su Bai felt the same way about their father, Su Lingfeng. These words came from the heart.

Su Miao felt a little awkward at his sister's direct "lecture" and could only nod sheepishly. "I know, I'll come back once a week, no, twice a week. That should be good enough, right?"

Su Xiaobai finally smiled. "Am I making demands on you now? Isn't that just part of a child's duty?"

"You two siblings are so close, I'm envious. I wish I had an older sister to take care of me. Unfortunately, my parents didn't try hard enough; they struggled for ages and only had me. Sometimes I feel quite lonely at home," Qin Ming joked, easing the slightly tense atmosphere.

"By the way, sis, when did you become interested in driving sports cars? You used to think they were too flashy and wouldn't take them out," Su Miao teased with a smile, but his gaze lingered on Su Xiaobai. Her outfit today was much more eye-catching than her usual professional attire. Especially the short dress, which only reached ten centimeters above her thighs—a style Su Bai would never have worn before.

But there was no denying it, his sister looked stunning today. Even he found it hard to look away, and he could imagine that many men must have looked at her with the same admiration.

Su Xiaobai knew that if she didn't say something, she would certainly raise suspicions. Since Su Miao had figured out that she had taken the car out today, it was highly likely he also knew about her street racing. There was no need to hide it anymore, so she slightly reined in her smile and said, as if she had already come to terms with everything, "Fang Cheng left the meeting files at home. My car has a few minor issues lately, so I borrowed yours for the time being."

"You took it to Fang Cheng's office?" Su Miao asked, surprised, but a very interested smile appeared on his face.

Su Xiaobai didn't follow his line of questioning. Instead, she continued on her own, "I've never driven a sports car before. I always thought it was too flashy, but after driving it today, I have to admit, it was quite enjoyable. I couldn't resist driving around for a few extra laps." Those extra laps, of course, were spent racing on the mountain roads.

"Hey, if you like it, feel free to pick any car from our garage. Take whichever one you want," Su Miao offered.

This time, Su Xiaobai didn't respond. She just smiled and looked at her brother. If she didn't speak, her presence still gave off a vibe very similar to Su Bai's.

Su Miao found himself momentarily unsure of his sister. Though they shared the same face, there were moments of unfamiliarity, as though he had never met her before.

Qin Ming, watching the sibling interaction, didn't know Su Bai as well as Su Miao did, and thus he didn't understand Su Xiaobai as much either. He couldn't help but jokingly say, "Hey, Su Miao, you're quite the brother, huh? You kept making excuses when I asked to borrow your car, but here you are, eagerly offering it to your sister even before she asks. You're something else."

"Pfft, mind your business. You should see who you're talking to. My sister's not like you guys. She's my real sister," Su Miao shot back.

Qin Ming laughed in disbelief. "Right, we're not your real siblings." He turned to Su Xiaobai and continued, "Su Bai, see this? This is your brother. He treats his friends like this. It's really not easy working with him in business."

"Qin Ming, have you eaten too much garlic today? Your mouth's as foul as ever. And all those messes you've gotten yourself into, don't forget, I've cleaned up for you before," Su Miao retorted.

"Alright, stop bickering. Let's go inside. Aunt Huang's prepared some nice dishes. Let's eat at home," Su Xiaobai said with a smile, looking at the two of them, who were acting like children.

"What about Fang Cheng?" Su Miao asked intentionally.

"He's been coming home around 8 PM lately. We can just have Aunt Huang prepare dinner a little earlier. Let's go," Su Xiaobai replied, signaling for them to enter the house.

Su Miao exchanged a glance with Qin Ming before heading into the house.

It was rare for the two siblings to be home, and with Qin Ming as a guest, the Su family had prepared a bit more for dinner. Usually, it was just three dishes and a soup, even with the old man living alone.

"Sis, here's your favorite braised chicken with chestnuts. You should have more," Su Miao said, placing a piece of chicken in her bowl.

Su Xiaobai playfully glared at him. "How old are you? And still acting like this in front of guests?"

"Qin Ming? He's barely even a guest. He's probably more familiar with the Su family than I am," Su Miao replied nonchalantly, sipping his pork rib soup.

Qin Ming just smiled and didn't comment. Su Miao was right—back in high school, he was practically a regular at the Su family table.

Normally, there was little conversation at the Su family dinner table, as the old man preferred to eat in silence. But since the family was reunited tonight, he didn't seem displeased.

Suddenly, Su Miao smiled and said to the old man, "Dad, do you remember that time I almost got expelled from school? You almost beat me to death."

No one knew why Su Miao brought this up, but perhaps the old man was in a good mood, as he frowned and lightly scolded him, "How dare you bring that up. If it weren't for your sister stopping me back then, I would've already beaten you senseless."

"That's right, you were really ruthless back then. I still have a big scar on my back from it. Right, sis?" Su Miao said, grinning mischievously as he looked at Su Xiaobai.

Su Xiaobai knew exactly what he was up to. She realized that Su Miao was testing her, trying to gauge her reaction. She knew her actions today had been quite out of the ordinary. Someone as clever as Su Miao probably suspected something from the moment she took the car out.