After another period of time, Xia Yao finally reviewed the knowledge she had learned before her awakening and felt both refreshed and happy to return to the peak of IQ. But the strange thing during that time was that Ji Huai didn't seem to particularly hate her as he had in the novel; he would wait for her every day to finish her charity activities to go home together and would even buy her fried chicken and fries.

On the other hand, what Xu Shizhou had said had been pointless. As soon as class started, he would fall asleep and run away first once the bell rang. Xia Yao would occasionally explain a few points to him, but as he didn't seem to understand anything, she felt she was just talking nonsense.

Time passed day by day and the awaited piano competition finally arrived.

Xia Yao didn't want to go; watching Xia Yuan perform was not as important as studying in her opinion. Moreover, the relationship between her brother and her had deteriorated even further, especially after he had found Ji Huai and her eating fried chicken together.

[Please appear backstage at the Cosmopolitan Theatre before 9:00 and be sure to complete the plot of "The sweetheart of the three big bosses".]

Xia Yao remembered the plot. Pseudo incest was pseudo-incest and Xia Yuan would tease Xia Xi behind the scenes and make her blush and swoon. They would happen to be seen by her, which would intensify the contradiction between Xia Yao and Xia Xi.

Xia Yao could understand the vicious character's feelings. After all, she had seen her own brother flirt with the girl she hated the most and her family collapse on the spot, it was no wonder she had gone insane.

Xia Yao excused herself and went to the bathroom, temporarily separating from Xu Yinuan who was sitting in the audience like a devoted fan.

"I won't go with you. I don't want to miss Xia Yuan's turn!" Xu Yinuan looked at Xia Yao, "Remember to come back soon, your brother is about to play."

Xia Yao hummed and turned left and right before bypassing the restrooms and heading directly backstage. In the novel, Xia Yao had wanted to surprise her brother before his performance and had not expected she would end up being the one shocked.

Headlines: The young pianist is actually seducing his fake sister behind the scene!

Xia Yao squatted and hid behind a makeup table where she would not be found.

"I will go on stage soon, I want you to be the first one to cheer for me." Xia Yuan smiled and looked at the girl who was a head shorter than him, before rubbing her hair.

Xia Yao: Tsk, tsk, one second after hearing his name, he is still sprinkling dog food with his fake sister.

Today, Xia Xi had tied her hair in cute pigtails and was wearing a light floral skirt which complimented her fair skin and pink cheeks. She frowned with embarrassment and said: "There are so many people cheering for you already, I must not be the first one anymore."

"That..." Xia Yuan hesitated and the corner of his lips suddenly rose, "Why don't you give me a kiss? This is something no one has done."

Xia Yao: I want to vomit, it's disgusting.

She would have blackened too if she cared about this brother of hers!

Xia Xi's face flushed and she instinctively covered her red cheeks with her hands. In a soft voice, she asked: "This... Do I have to?"

Xia Yao: No you don't.

"Since you don't want to, then..." Xia Yuan smiled even more, before he bent down and leaned over.

Xia Xi looked a little lost and couldn't help breaking in a cold sweat. She liked her brother a little, but she had never been quite sure if she only thought of him as a brother or more. What about Ji Huai? He was also very good! And Xu Shizhou was very handsome too!

As she was standing in a daze, Xia Yuan had already gotten closer and whispered in her left ear: "Since you don't want to, then I will do it instead."

Xia Yao could not wait to gouge her eyes out and puke. She turned her head; this picture was so beautiful she dared not look directly at it!

Xia Yuan kissed Xia Xi's left cheek gently and cautiously, and rubbed her hair casually. Even if they weren't blood-related, this move didn't seem reasonable. It really was ambiguous, wasn't it? Xia Xi's face became even redder and she stood stupidly next to Xia Yuan. Her mind was blank and she didn't really know what to say, but she had faintly noticed her brother thought of her differently.

Then again, she was so much better than his stupid biological sister, it was only natural for him to like her.

Xia Yuan touched her nose again when she was daydreaming and felt that his adopted sister had become even cuter.

"I should go now, remember to cheer for me."

The girl suddenly seemed to go back to her body. She blushed and shouted at Xia Yuan's back: "You're shameless!"

The young man didn't look back but he smiled happily, just like a cat who had just stolen a fish.

As Xia Xi was gradually coming out of her trance, Xia Yao got ready to leave the scene quickly. Yet as soon as she walked out of the backstage door, she ran into someone.

"Ji Huai?" She raised her head and saw the boy who was standing there.

Ji Huai nodded and lightly said: "Xia Xi and Xia Yuan have a very good relationship, not as simple as ordinary siblings."

Xia Yao was taken aback and blinked: "You saw? They're not real siblings."

He had just witnessed the abnormal relationship between them, it was different from the original novel. Then again, perhaps because Ji Huai had found out Xia Xi was pursued by other men, he might think she was excellent. Only a girl like her would be worthy of him! He could then choose to either silently guard her or boldly chase after his love.

Ji Huai nodded. During the days he had stayed with the Xia family, he had always felt that the way Xia Xi and Xia Yuan were getting along was a bit weird, just like they were both the hosts of the house and Xia Yao was like him, just a guest. At first, he had even thought Xia Xi was the biological sister.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl in front of him who was pretending to be strong. He had heard that she had been studying very hard lately and her homework had improved a lot.

"Since I don't have to explain, I will leave first." Xia Yao waved her hand.

"Wait for me, I will go back with you." Ji Huai walked to her in two steps and added, "Should I help you make up lessons?"

He suddenly came up with this idea.

"No need." Xia Yao casually refused.

***

When she returned to the audience, Xia Yuan's performance had already started. Xu Yinuan pushed Xia Yao with her elbow and said: "You have been to the bathroom for so long, I even thought for a second you were having a private concert."

She glanced at the girl sitting in the front row and whispered: "By the way, I just watched your sister rush back in a hurry with red cheeks. I don't know what happened but she looked like a monkey's butt."

"She did something shameless, that's what happened." Xia Yao also looked at the floral dress in front of her and snorted.

Xu Yinuan laughed happily but didn't ask more. She really didn't like this girl who looked so weak like a fragile white flower. She always spoke in a low voice like everybody was going to eat her.

The sound of the piano flowed like clouds and water to the audience. Xia Yao didn't have much knowledge of this instrument but as a vicious female character who knew about the novel, she was aware it was an original piece. She casually scanned this biological brother of hers playing on stage. He had a flawless profile and was shining under the lights; they looked similar.

She remembered that a year ago, she had just walked out of the flood. Her face had been full of mud and her hair had been short, just like a tomboy. This had been the time Xia Yuan had come to bring her back.

In the temporary shelter, she had seen him for the first time. At that time, due to days of disaster, the already frail grandmother's condition had worsened. Xia Yao had been a girl with nothing but strength and at this time of loss, Xia Yuan had appeared like a savior; she had thought he had been an angel giving her warmth and hope.

She hadn't known how to describe him back then; a ray of spring light in the dim winter? The warmest man? The only light in the darkness? But she remembered him lifting her up from the corner and smiling before saying: "I'm here to take you home."

She had lived in a remote village for ten years; she had never seen the world. She had been surrounded by tanned villagers and was seeing a boy that fair for the first time.

She still remembered her answer: "My family has no money." She had thought he was here to extort her. But she had no possessions, who would waste time with her?

She had then been taken to City T and her grandmother had recovered before being taken to a nursing home, while she had reunited with the Xia family.

At first, her family had treated her well. She had believed she had found her home and the love of her parents and brother. Until one day, the emotional Xia Xi had run away from the mansion.

The mother, the father, and the elder brother left her with a fever, turned City T upside down overnight, and found Xia Xi in the orphanage in the next province. This had been the place where they had adopted her ten years prior, and for a while, they had felt guilty and had blamed themselves. Finding Xia Yao had made them ignore Xia Xi a little.

That night, Xia Yao had been fighting a high fever in the hospital alone and had thought her brain was burning. But no one had cared about her and it hadn't been until a few days later her biological family had remembered she still existed.

Gradually, the unfair treatment in the family had been exposed. In Xia Yao's eyes, it had looked like everyone was revolving around the little princess Xia Xi. As a result, she had started to become jealous and had made some trouble; she had just wanted her parents and brother to pay some attention to her.

In the end, the parents hadn't been able to stand her and had desired some quietness; they had gone abroad in desperation. The truth had been that they also loved her but they hadn't known how to handle the relationship between the two daughters correctly and had chosen the coward's way out: escape.

Once her journey to memory lane was over, Xia Yao felt that this whole year was but a dream and the flood who had pushed her to this new house had not happened to her.

The competition continued but Xia Yuan was done. An unknown player was on stage playing an unknown song and Xu Yinuan said impatiently: "It's so ugly, far worse than Xia Yuan!"

A moment later, the girls around started screaming and Xia Yao frowned unhappily. The yelling became louder, Xu Yinuan held her hand and exclaimed with excitement: "It's Xia Yuan! He is coming towards us!"

Little theater:

Xia Yuan: Xiao Xi, kiss me.

Xia Xi: Brother, you can't!

Xia Yao: Pass me the bleach.

Ji Huai: Should I sprinkle salt?