When Gu Xi opened his eyes, the room was dark, save for the soft glow of the streetlamp outside his window. His head still throbbed faintly, and the scratchy warmth of his bedsheets clung to him like the remnants of a dream. The clock on his desk read 8:43 PM. He must've been out for hours.
Beside him, seated in his creaky desk chair, was his older sister, Gu Lin.
She was fast asleep, arms crossed, head tilted to the side. Her black hair was still slightly damp, probably from a shower after basketball, and her long legs were folded casually under her—strong, relaxed, a posture only someone athletic could make look that comfortable.
So she'd been watching over him all this time.
Gu Xi slowly pushed himself up. His muscles ached, but not unbearably so. The real sting came when he caught his reflection in the mirror across the room. There, bold and angry across the side of his neck, were red-purple marks in the shape of a forearm. From the base of his jaw to just above his collarbone.
He remembered it instantly—the chokehold, the way he couldn't breathe, the rising panic.
He clenched his jaw and opened his status screen.
[Physique: 40]
Evaluation: "Beginning of athletic foundation. Lean build with toned muscle definition."
Forty. That was supposed to be impressive for a male in this world. He exercised daily. He ran every morning. He wasn't weak.
And yet… he couldn't do anything.
Those two women, Liu Huanhuan and Shen Ziyi, didn't look like bodybuilders. They weren't athletes. One of them had literal acrylic nails that looked like they hadn't done a single push-up in years. But they had pinned him down like it was nothing. His struggles didn't even make them break a sweat.
So what if he got to 50? 60? Even 100?
Would it ever be enough?
What about a woman who actually trained? A boxer, a wrestler, a soldier? Would he always be this helpless?
His hands had begun to tremble.
He stared at them, pale and slim. He didn't recognize them.
Who was he, really?
Gu Xi from Earth was 6'0, worked out four times a week, had broad shoulders, and even got compliments on his biceps.
But Gu Xi from this world was petite, soft-featured, and dangerously easy to pin down. And he was starting to think… maybe that's all he'd ever be.
The identity crisis hit like a slow-moving truck.
Just as his thoughts began to spiral, Gu Lin stirred.
She rubbed her eyes, looked over, and immediately stood up to check on him. Her long fingers touched his forehead lightly, then brushed over his cheeks and down to his neck. When her gaze landed on the bruises, her eyes darkened.
"You're awake," she said, voice unusually gentle.
Gu Xi didn't respond. He was still reeling.
She pulled the desk chair closer and sat again, this time leaning in.
"You passed out on the sidewalk," she began. "I'd just finished basketball practice and ran into Chang An outside. She was waiting at the school gate."
"…Chang An?" he echoed numbly.
Gu Lin nodded. "We're… rivals. And friends, I guess. She was asking about you."
"Me?" he frowned.
"She saw you in the library the other day. Said you were strange. Different. But in a good way. She also didn't know that you were my brother until I told her just then."
That made him blink.
"She didn't mean it in a bad way," Gu Lin added, sensing his thoughts. "Anyway, we were chatting when we heard a commotion at the intersection. She saw you first."
Gu Xi remained quiet, so she continued.
"We saw you being held by that woman. Her arm was around your neck. Your face was red. You were choking."
Gu Lin's hands curled slightly on her lap.
"I knocked the bitch out," she said flatly.
"…And Daji?"
"Chang An got him out. She punched the other girl straight in the gut. That one didn't get back up either."
Gu Xi blinked.
He remembered how helpless he'd felt. That overwhelming panic when he realized he couldn't move, couldn't breathe. And then warmth. The sound of someone calling his name.
So it had been her.
His sister.
She noticed the way he was staring at the floor.
"Chang An was the one who called the cab. She was… furious when she saw your neck. Said she was going to take care of it."
"Take care of it?" he echoed.
Gu Lin gave him a look.
"She made a call in the cab. Told someone to 'deal with these scum and their families plaguing this city.' I don't know what exactly she did, but… well, with her background, those two won't be walking around like that again."
Gu Xi's brows furrowed.
He didn't know what a call like that meant in this world, but if Chang An was as influential as she looked, then he had a feeling Liu Huanhuan and Shen Ziyi were probably rethinking their entire lives by now—if they still had one.
He glanced up.
"…Where's Daji?"
Gu Lin exhaled. "He's fine. My friend dropped him off at his house. I texted him using your phone and told him you were safe."
"…Thanks."
"You can call him later."
Their eyes met for a moment.
Gu Xi hesitated. Then said quietly, "I was scared."
Gu Lin said nothing.
"I was really scared," he repeated, eyes still on hers. "I couldn't do anything."
She turned her face away, her voice barely above a murmur. "I know."
Then she stood, brushing her shorts off with one hand.
"I cooked. Eat, then sleep. And stop coming home so late," she muttered, turning away.
Gu Xi stared at her back.
She was taller than him. Wider shoulders. More muscular. She was everything he'd once associated with men. In this world, she was normal.
But she'd protected him.
"…Thank you," he said softly.
She didn't turn around.
So, instead, he got up and walked forward—then wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Her back was firm. Warm.
He rested his head lightly between her shoulder blades and whispered again, "Thank you, really."
She froze.
For a long second, she didn't move.
Then she gave a small nod and stepped away, walking out of the room with what suspiciously looked like a blush creeping up her neck.
Gu Xi chuckled, rubbing his eyes.
He looked at the mirror again.
Still dainty.
Still weak.
And, it probably won't change anymore.
His stomach growled.
"Guess it's time to eat."
He picked up his phone, thumb hovering over Su Daji's name.
He hit call.
Outside, Gu Lin stood in the hallway, back pressed to the wall, face covered with one hand.
She wasn't thinking about the meal she cooked.
She wasn't thinking about Chang An or the two women she knocked out.
She was thinking about how soft her little brother's body felt when he hugged her.
And wondering why her heart had skipped a beat.