Elder brother Yuan Ao was accompanying Yuan Luoyi watching television. After hearing his sister's well-intentioned lie, miraculously, his head didn't hurt as much anymore, replaced instead by a rising weariness.
Capturing, torturing, and ultimately taking a life and disposing of the body was quite tiring. Yuan Ao hadn't rested for three days, keeping his nerves constantly on edge. Today, he had just executed the man who had harmed his sister.
But Yuan Ao was afraid that when he woke up, Yuan Luoyi would be gone, so he forced himself to stay awake.
Yuan Luoyi noticed her brother's inner turmoil and patted his shoulder: "It's okay, you can sleep. I'll stay right here and won't run away. If you don't sleep, your head will only hurt more, and you'll lose control again, which will definitely scare me."
Yuan Ao said, "You just left earlier, how can I believe you?"
Yuan Luoyi said firmly, "Earlier, I really just got out of the car because I was bored. But this time there's a TV, so I'll stay here watching it."
That was true; watching the news could gather a lot of useful information.
Yuan Ao said, "Okay, I'll trust you one more time."
Leaning against the sofa, Yuan Ao began to doze off, and soon fell asleep after closing his eyes.
Yuan Luoyi went over and observed her brother up close. There were faint old scars on his face too – on this path of revenge, he must have faced many life-or-death moments.
Putting on an apron, Yuan Luoyi washed and put away the dishes. Surveying the kitchen, it felt very clean, but lacking the aroma of cooking – her brother probably rarely ate.
Indeed, earlier he had only made her a seafood fried noodle dish, eating nothing himself. No wonder he had grown so thin.
A good idea appeared in Yuan Luoyi's mind. She could make something for her brother to eat!
No brother could refuse food made by his sister!
Without hesitation, Yuan Luoyi opened the fridge, examined the ingredients, and pondered what to make.
[Ding! System Prompt: Time backtracking is about to expire, please prepare]
Yuan Luoyi said, "Ah? Now? At least let me finish cooking first! If brother wakes up and I'm gone, he'll never trust me again!"
[Countdown begins]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Backtracking terminated]
After a dizzying whirl, Yuan Luoyi was pulled back to her original timeline, struggling out from under the covers and gazing at the dimly lit sky outside. This backtracking had taken an entire night.
"Ring ring!"
It was 6 o'clock, and the alarm rang. Yuan Luoyi impatiently smashed it to shut it up.
Ordinarily, Yuan Luoyi would laze in bed for another hour until 7 before getting up. But now she wasn't sleepy at all, her mind in disarray.
Mainly, she was angry. She had just told her brother she wouldn't leave, but then he fell asleep and she backtracked in time, leaving him behind.
Her brother must be very disappointed, feeling that his sister had lied to him...
Ah...
If she raised her Influence level by 30 more, would she be able to see him again?
Hmm... not necessarily. Each backtrack sent her to a different place. She could only hope to meet him again. Her poor brother really needed company.
After a simple wash-up, Yuan Luoyi put on her backpack and went downstairs to school. Today she had an exceptionally important mission: to meet the true Golden Lady!
Listen to her voice, and she would know whether she was the victim or the perpetrator.
Upon reaching the lobby, Yuan Luoyi was surprised to find her brother Yuan Ao there, sitting on the sofa intently swiping through a tablet, probably watching some futures market again.
In this timeline, her brother was not broken. He was neatly dressed, elegant and intelligent, his eyes black like ink – profound yet mysterious. Though occasionally a chilling glint would flash through them, he always showed a gentle warmth when looking at Yuan Luoyi.
This stark contrast made Yuan Luoyi even sadder.
In that other world, pain, regret, and hatred had destroyed her brother. He firmly believed it was his own wrongdoings that led to his sister's death, banishing himself to hell, like a desperate caged beast repeatedly falling into despair and gradually losing control.
If those tragic events had not occurred, her brother truly would have been a perfect man.
Yuan Luoyi ran over to Yuan Ao: "Brother, does your head hurt?"
Yuan Ao looked up: "No, it doesn't."
Yuan Luoyi smiled: "That's great! Are you taking me to school today?"
"Yes, work is a bit slower recently, so I want to spend more time with you."
"Yay!"
"You seem exceptionally happy today."
"Yes, I'm always happy when brother is around!"
Yuan Luoyi followed Yuan Ao into the small car. In this brand new timeline, she would find the true culprit and prevent the tragedy from repeating itself.
