Xin Mao's cooking was indeed as delicious as he said. After finishing the meal, Ye Jiu exclaimed, "I'm so lucky to be able to eat this every day from now on!"

Xin Mao smiled shyly, "I'm glad you like it, sister. I can cook for you every day, or I can deliver meals to you at your company. Anyway, I haven't found a job yet, so I have nothing to do."

Ye Jiu was tempted, torn between troubling someone and indulging in delicious food for a long time. She frowned and asked, "Won't it be too much trouble for you?"

Xin Mao chuckled and smoothed Ye Jiu's brow. "Of course it's no trouble. It's my honor to be able to help you, sister."

After finishing her meal, Ye Jiu was about to video call Shen Que when she suddenly remembered that there was someone else at home. She asked Xin Mao, "Can I tell Shen Que that you're here?"

Xin Mao's smile froze. "Sister, let's not talk about it for now. I remember Brother is in closed training, so let's not bother him with my news... Besides, Brother doesn't like me..."

Ye Jiu knew that Shen Que wasn't that clever and generally didn't hold grudges, so she asked curiously, "Why doesn't Shen Que like you?"

Xin Mao seemed to have been touched on a sore spot. He paused in wiping the table, and after a long while, he spoke, "Actually, I don't know why my brother hates me. I only remember that when I was little, my brother locked me alone in the basement for a long time, I think it was three days..."

“I begged him to let me go, but he ignored me completely. It was only after a long time that someone finally noticed I was missing and rescued me.”

"From then on, I became very afraid of the dark, but I really don't know what I did wrong to upset him..."

Ye Jiu was stunned. This...this...this really is her little dog? Could he really do something like this?

Xin Mao wiped away non-existent tears. "I really like my brother. I don't know why he hates me so much... And once, he left me alone on a mountain. I walked in the mountains for a very long time before I came back."

Xin Mao added in his mind that being locked in the basement was equivalent to being sealed underground, and being thrown into the mountains was equivalent to being ambushed during their last meeting. He was absolutely right. In fact, Shen Que had sealed him underground for more than ten years, and it was really too good for him to say that he had only been locked up for 3 days.

After wiping the table, Xin Mao spoke again, sniffing, "I'm sorry, sister, I misspoke. Please don't take my words to heart. Brother is still a very good person."

Ye Jiu was completely bewildered. She never imagined that Shen Que was so wicked when he was a child. Seeing Xin Mao's pitiful look, she mentally made a few marks on Shen Que and would have a good talk with him after his closed training ended. He had gone too far!

Seeing Ye Jiu's expression, Xin Mao knew that his words had worked. He sat down next to Ye Jiu and changed the subject, "What would you like to eat tomorrow, sister? I'll bring it to your company."

Xin Mao: Deep brotherhood × sowing discord?

——

Since Xin Mao came, Ye Jiu's happiness index has skyrocketed. She doesn't have to cook, her clothes are washed, her room is cleaned, and she can eat as soon as she gets home from get off work—it couldn't be better.

There was even a moment when Ye Jiu impulsively had the idea of ​​keeping Xin Mao as a mistress, but then she thought of Shen Que and suppressed her restless heart. No, no, she thought, "I'm just pushing Xin Mao into a fire pit. He's a young, innocent lad, I shouldn't ruin him."

Poor Xin Mao, he tried to seduce her for half a month without any success.

He could only sneak into bed late at night to seek some benefits for himself.

Lush green vines covered Ye Jiu's entire room. Xin Mao lay down next to Ye Jiu, took a deep breath, and gently kissed her hair. Everything about her fascinated him. Shen Que even dared to mark his sister, forcing him to conceal his presence to avoid being noticed.

But it should be soon. In a few days, this mark will be covered by him, and then he won't have to keep his tail between his legs anymore.

The vines seemed to have a life of their own, surging towards the bed, vying to get closer to Ye Jiu. Xin Mao, annoyed by this, simply pulled all the vines back, and the room returned to its tidy state.

Now, the older sister belongs to him alone, and the vines can't get a share.

——

The problem of marking couldn't be solved in the short term, but Xin Mao didn't want to be completely unaware of Ye Jiu's movements.

So he gave Ye Jiu a bracelet.

“Sister, I noticed you weren’t wearing any accessories on your wrist, so I made you a bracelet. I hope you like it.” Xin Mao took out the bracelet and handed it to her.

The bracelet is green and vine-shaped, with silver flower decorations on the clasp. It looks very delicate and doesn't look like it's handmade at all.

Ye Jiu took it and exclaimed, "Wow, it's so beautifully made!"

To show her appreciation, she put it on her left wrist right in front of everyone, saying, "Thank you, I really like it."

"I'm glad you like it, sister! And I've put a spell on this bracelet. Whenever you encounter trouble, just call my name into the bracelet and I'll come to your side to save you."

Ye Jiu chuckled, "You actually read those stories too."

Xin Mao wasn't annoyed by the teasing. "If you're really in danger, sister, why not give it a try? I'll definitely come to your rescue."

Seeing his insistence, Ye Jiu nodded, "Yes, I believe you. But I'm not that fragile, and most people can't do anything to me. The probability of me encountering a danger that I can't handle is very, very small, so I might not need this bracelet."

"It's best if you don't need it. May my sister always be safe and sound!"

——

After a month of working at the newspaper and writing clickbait articles, Ye Jiu had become indifferent. Every day, she waited for Xin Mao to bring her food and for her to get off work. She desperately needed something interesting to break the stagnant state of her work life.

I didn't expect this opportunity to come so quickly.

"Xiao Jiu, I remember you told me you wanted to go and see those urban legends in person. There's a new one out recently, and my boss asked me to find someone to write the article. Do you still want to go?" Han Ran handed Ye Jiu a document. Ye Jiu opened it and saw that it was a research report.

"It is said that this place is in a tenement building on Shengli Road. It is said that a woman died in that building before, and then several people committed suicide inexplicably. The remaining people quickly moved out of the building, and it became a place where no one could leave. Everyone who went in disappeared. The families of the missing people went to inquire with the people in the surrounding area, but they said that no one had ever been in that building."

"This strange tale mainly addresses two issues: First, did the people who entered this tenement building really disappear, or did no one go in at all, as the neighbors say? Who is lying? Second, if people really disappeared, where did they go? Why did the neighbors lie? If no one really went in, why are the family members' memories inaccurate?"

After Han Ran finished speaking, she pushed up her glasses and said, "It sounds suspicious no matter which side has a problem. You don't need to really investigate. Just go in, take a few photos, and make up a story to fool the boss. Whether the story is bizarre or mundane, just give him an explanation."

Ye Jiu nodded in agreement. She was best at making up stories! This was 30,000 yuan!!! She guaranteed that her story would be absolutely unique, with twists and turns to keep the boss entertained!