Chapter 41: Caught!

Su Nuannuan obediently set down her bowl and chopsticks, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

“Sis, I’m done eating. I’m going back to my room first,” she whispered, secretly relieved. Seeing Lin Wei looking a bit tired, she thought there probably wouldn’t be any tutoring tonight.

“Hm… get some rest early,” Lin Wei nodded, but her gaze unconsciously followed that lively figure.

After dealing with company crises all day, watching Su Nuannuan carefree like this actually made her feel a little relaxed.

Once she got permission, Su Nuannuan immediately brightened up and happily bounced upstairs.

Lin Wei kept her eyes on Su Nuannuan’s back until she disappeared around the staircase corner, then slowly withdrew her gaze.

Chen Li silently tidied up the tableware nearby, unable to help but roll her eyes.

This Lin Wei—she’s clearly head over heels for the young miss, yet she still pretends to be so aloof.

Back in her room, Su Nuannuan first rolled around on the soft bed before getting up to take a shower.

Wrapped in a towel, she came out just as her phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message in the group chat of the four of them.

Zhou Qianqian: “Anyone logging in? New event tonight!”

Wu Duola replied bluntly: “Played enough, resting well tonight.”

Su Nuannuan looked at the messages thoughtfully. If she played the game… would Lin Wei be upset if she found out? She recalled Lin Wei’s serious expression, hesitated for a moment, then decided to refuse: “Qianqian… I’m not coming either, gotta rest early.”

Seeing both refusals, Zhou Qianqian didn’t give up and tagged Lin Wei: “Wanna team up for ranked?”

At that moment, Lin Wei was in the study reading reports.

Starshine Media’s problems weren’t small—besides scandals with their artists, even the upcoming drama’s investors had pulled out. Playing games was too much of a waste of time.

After seeing the message, she replied briefly: “Busy.”

Frustrated by the rejections, Zhou Qianqian privately messaged Su Nuannuan angrily: “Nuannuan! Just play a little, the new skins are really pretty!”

Biting her lip, Su Nuannuan typed out a reluctant reply: “Qianqian… I’m not very good at it either, plus sis says she’ll scold me if I stay up late at night…”

“Just sneak in some games, it’s fine, I’ll carry you,” Zhou Qianqian coaxed. “Don’t you want to see the new mount? It’s a glowing unicorn!”

Su Nuannuan recalled the cool mounts and outfits in the game and felt a little tempted.

She thought for a moment, Lin Wei probably wouldn’t notice…

“Okay… just one game then…” she gave in, and to be safe, locked the door behind her.

Zhou Qianqian happily kissed her phone: “Nuannuan, love you the most! Knew you were the best!”

After logging into the game, Zhou Qianqian told Su Nuannuan to turn on voice chat, and the duo started playing together.

Though clumsy with the controls, Su Nuannuan was earnest, while Zhou Qianqian shouted excitedly through the mic.

“Nuannuan, heal quickly!”

“Nice! That heal was awesome!”

“Follow me, let’s go fight the dungeon boss!”

After one round, Su Nuannuan glanced at the time; it was already past nine: “Qianqian, I have to get off.”

“This round went by too fast… I’m not satisfied yet… One more!” Zhou Qianqian insisted. “We almost cleared it just now!”

“Maybe another day…” Su Nuannuan hesitated, remembering her mom said kids should sleep early.

Zhou Qianqian started to whine: “No, no, Nuannuan loves me the most… Just one last game, I promise!”

Unable to refuse well, Su Nuannuan agreed to play one last round.

To be safe, she even turned off the room light and wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, leaving only the phone screen exposed.

But one game led to another, coaxed to continue playing with no way to stop.

The game’s dazzling effects and Zhou Qianqian’s excited screams made her completely lose track of time.

In the study, Lin Wei rubbed her sore neck and checked her phone. It was already eleven o’clock.

She packed up her files, feeling stiff shoulders as she stood. Passing by Su Nuannuan’s room, she hesitated.

Should she check if the little one was sleeping well? But the thought was quickly suppressed.

You’re her sister! Why do you keep having these strange thoughts?

Just as she was about to leave, strange sound effects and muffled voices came from inside the room.

Inside the bedroom, Su Nuannuan was immersed in the game, unaware of the footsteps outside.

Lin Wei pressed her ear against the door, suspicious. The sounds were definitely coming from Su Nuannuan’s room.

She gently turned the doorknob, only to find it locked from the inside, which made her even more suspicious.

“Nuannuan?” she knocked. The sounds instantly stopped.

After waiting a moment with no reply, Lin Wei pulled out a spare key. As the head of the household, she naturally had keys to all rooms.

With a click, the bedroom light suddenly flicked on.

Startled, Su Nuannuan hurriedly stuffed her phone under the pillow, tightly closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep, her heart pounding wildly.

She had locked the door—how did Lin Wei get in?

The bedroom wasn’t safe!

Ugh… I’m doomed… this time, I’m really dead…

Frowning, Lin Wei approached and looked at the little one lying still with tightly shut eyes. The trembling lashes almost made her laugh.

“Su Nuannuan, aren’t you asleep?” she deliberately asked as she sat down by the bed.

Absolutely no response, or she’d be doomed! If you’re pretending to sleep, you have to do it well!

Seeing no reaction, Lin Wei continued acting: “Hmm? No response? Could it be that she’s really asleep?”

“I heard that if a sleeping child’s hand is raised, it won’t drop…”

“If it drops, it means she’s not asleep yet. Let me try…”

Saying that, she lifted Su Nuannuan’s arm and held it suspended in midair.

The small arm stiffly stayed in place, trembling slightly.

I’m asleep… I’m asleep… I mustn’t let it drop… Su Nuannuan silently repeated in her mind, feeling her arm starting to go numb.

Watching that trembling arm hanging in midair, Lin Wei struggled to suppress a smile. What a silly girl…

“Su Nuannuan, if you keep pretending, I’ll have to deal with you…” she warned in a low voice.

Knowing she couldn’t hide any longer, Su Nuannuan slowly opened her eyes and sat up, lowering her head to avoid looking at her. “Sorry, sis…”

Just then, Zhou Qianqian’s anxious voice came from the phone: “Nuannuan! What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly log off? The boss is about to be defeated!”

Lin Wei reached under the pillow and found the still-warm phone.

The game screen was on, the character standing still in place. She picked up the phone and said coldly toward the mic, “Zhou Qianqian! So it was you? If you dare to call Su Nuannuan to game in the middle of the night again, I’ll make you regret it!”

Hearing Lin Wei’s voice, Zhou Qianqian was so scared she almost dropped her phone as she instantly logged out.

Oh no, Nuannuan got caught by Lin Wei… Nuannuan, you’re on your own now.

She silently prayed for Su Nuannuan.

Looking at Su Nuannuan lowering her head before her, Lin Wei sighed.

After dealing with the company mess all day, she still had to catch the kid staying up late playing games. She suddenly felt very tired.

What do you do when the child won’t listen?

“Su Nuannuan, do you know what time it is?” she tried to sound stern.

“I-I know… sis, sorry,” Su Nuannuan’s voice grew softer and softer, fearfully awaiting Lin Wei’s judgment, fingers nervously twisting her pajama’s hem.

“Will you dare to do it again next time?”

“No, I won’t,” Su Nuannuan promised quietly, sneaking a glance at Lin Wei.

Lin Wei thought for a moment, feeling she needed to guide her properly. She softened her tone: “Okay, I’ll let this slide since it’s the first time, but if it happens again…”

She paused, feeling reluctant to punish her seriously: “I’ll have to spank you! Got it?”

Su Nuannuan sniffled, obediently nodding, relieved it wasn’t something worse.

Lin Wei sat down by the bed patiently: “You can play games, but you have to manage your time. You can play a bit after finishing homework during the day. At night is for rest; it’s bad for your eyes and affects your growth.”

She gently stroked Su Nuannuan’s hair, her tone involuntarily becoming tender: “You’re growing now, so sleep is very important.”

Su Nuannuan blinked her big eyes and looked up at Lin Wei.

Under the lamplight, Lin Wei’s concerned expression and gentle words somehow reminded her of Su Mama…

Feeling a bit uneasy under that gaze, she said, “You…”

Suddenly, she threw herself into Lin Wei’s arms, hugging her tightly. “Sis, I’m sorry. I made you worry…”

The unexpected hug left Lin Wei frozen in place, a rare blush spreading across her face.

The body in her arms was soft and warm, carrying the fresh scent after a bath.

This, this… she didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

After hesitating, she gently hugged Su Nuannuan back, feeling the warmth of the small body.

At that moment, everything else was forgotten.

She just quietly held her little sister, her heart incredibly soft.

“All right, time to sleep now.”

After a long while, Lin Wei softly spoke, tucking the blanket around Su Nuannuan: “You have school tomorrow.”

Su Nuannuan obediently lay down, eyes still fixed on Lin Wei.

Under those clear eyes watching her, Lin Wei felt her heart flutter uncontrollably.

“Good night, sis,” Su Nuannuan said softly.

“Good night.” Lin Wei turned off the light and gently closed the door.

After Lin Wei left, Su Nuannuan blushed and buried herself in her pillow, wondering what she had been thinking to hug Lin Wei like that.

Lin Wei stood outside the door for a long moment before calming her racing heartbeat.

This girl… isn’t that dumb after all… she even knows how to act spoiled.

How can I possibly resist this…