Chapter 152: Scarlett’s Birthday Coming Soon

"Teacher, eat slowly. There's no rush."

"I know. Just put the bun in my mouth first."

"..."

Andrew brought the custard bun over, and Scarlett swallowed it in one bite. She chewed a few times before washing it down with a large gulp of soy milk.

After finishing everything, she licked her lips and looked at Andrew.

"I'm done eating. Now it's your turn to let me eat."

"Uh... Teacher, how about you wait until I finish breakfast?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"Me eating you and you eating breakfast don't interfere with each other."

"???"

Does that sentence even make sense?

Andrew was utterly stunned, but he forced himself to stay calm.

Scarlett isn't feeling well. It's normal for her to say strange things. I need to stay patient and reasonable.

"Um... Teacher, you're still tucked in bed. Even if I let you hug me and nibble on me, I'd have to get under the covers too, so I wouldn't be able to eat breakfast."

"That's fine. I can get up. I'll eat you on the sofa while we watch TV."

"..."

Andrew took two deep breaths, silently repeating Scarlett's words in his head as his brain struggled to process them.

"Alright, then."

He first carried breakfast into the living room.

A moment later, Scarlett came out wearing her thick polar bear pajamas and sat down on the sofa.

When Andrew sat beside her, Scarlett wrapped her arms around him and gently nuzzled his neck like a toothless little baby.

Meanwhile, Andrew calmly ate his breakfast with one hand while using the other to hold the TV remote, switching the television to Jackie Chan Adventures.

After spending nearly the entire previous night being hugged and affectionately nuzzled by Scarlett, he had already gotten used to it.

Before long, the bedroom door opened, and Catherine walked out while yawning sleepily.

"Andrew, did you make breakfast?"

"It's on the table. Help yourself."

"Oh."

Catherine rubbed her eyes and walked toward the dining table.

But when she glanced at the living room sofa, she froze.

Scarlett was hugging Andrew and gently nuzzling his neck, while Andrew calmly continued eating his breakfast as if nothing unusual was happening.

"...I don't think I'm fully awake yet."

"I should go back to bed for a little longer."

Muttering to herself, Catherine turned around and walked back into her room.

Quite some time later, she cautiously poked her head back out to check again.

Andrew and Scarlett were still in the same position, except Andrew had already finished breakfast and was quietly letting Scarlett hold him.

"Teacher, why don't you let go of me now?"

"Mm-mm."

Scarlett mumbled in refusal.

Truthfully, she didn't know why she liked staying so close to Andrew.

She simply couldn't resist the urge.

If she had been her usual energetic self, she probably would've wanted to stay cuddled up against him all day.

Everyone had their own little quirks, and perhaps this was hers.

After another while, Scarlett finally relaxed her embrace.

Feeling a little sleepy, she rested her head on Andrew's shoulder and remained perfectly still.

"Usually you're always teasing me and trying to get close to me," Scarlett suddenly asked in a soft voice.

"So why is it that today, after I've been clinging to you for so long, you haven't reacted at all?"

Because she was speaking right beside his ear, Andrew heard every word clearly.

He turned toward her and replied gently,

"Because you're not feeling well today, Teacher. I can't tease you at a time like this."

"Then I want to kiss you. What should we do?"

"How about waiting a couple of days? You should get some proper rest first."

"It's just a kiss."

"Then... just one kiss?"

"Mm."

Scarlett nodded softly.

Andrew turned slightly and wrapped both arms around Scarlett's slender waist.

Unlike before, neither of them hesitated or shyly leaned in little by little.

Instead, they naturally closed the distance and shared a gentle kiss.

Perhaps this was what a young couple's life was meant to be—simple, warm, filled with tenderness and quiet happiness.

Not far away, Catherine quietly turned off her phone's shutter sound and flash before secretly snapping a photo of the sweet moment.

"Hehe. If my little brother wants this picture, he won't get it without buying me ten Crazy Thursday meals."

Satisfied with her masterpiece, Catherine quietly grabbed her breakfast and returned to her room without making another sound.

She decided to leave the living room to the happy couple enjoying the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

Under Andrew's attentive care, Scarlett quickly got through her uncomfortable period.

However, before the two of them could relax, Catherine ended up suffering instead, crying nonstop from the pain.

Andrew had no choice but to resume his role as a nanny. After all, she was his older sister.

Scarlett also helped take care of her.

"Sigh... I really don't get it. Eating ice cream in the middle of winter? I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours."

Andrew brought over a cup of brown sugar ginger tea as he spoke to Catherine, who was lying in bed with red, teary eyes.

"Wuu..."

Catherine whimpered, trying to say something, but another sharp cramp in her stomach cut her off.

Seeing this, Scarlett said to Andrew,

"Alright, your sister has suffered enough. Stop lecturing her."

"She's the kind of person who never learns, no matter how many painful lessons she gets."

Andrew looked at Catherine and recalled how, last year, when she had been in agony, she swore she'd never eat cold food again.

Yet the very next day after recovering, she happily hugged a chilled watermelon and started eating it.

She truly was someone who forgot the pain as soon as the wound healed.

"Alright, stop talking. Go prepare a hot water bottle and let her hold it against her stomach. It'll help a lot."

Scarlett knew people were especially vulnerable when they weren't feeling well, so she sent Andrew away.

"Okay."

Andrew returned to the kitchen to fill the kettle.

After thinking about it carefully, Andrew realized that Catherine and Scarlett actually had very similar personalities.

Both loved teasing people, both were food lovers, and both had a mischievous side.

The only difference was that Scarlett was much better at hiding it.

She usually concealed her true personality behind her calm, aloof demeanor.

If he hadn't stopped her, Scarlett definitely wouldn't have been able to resist buying an ice cream if she saw one.

Thinking about it, Andrew couldn't help smiling.

Scarlett actually listens to me. That's much better than my older sister.

What if, when Scarlett is all groggy, I tell her to do certain things? Would she absentmindedly agree?

Then maybe I could...

Just as Andrew's imagination began running wild, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.

"Tsk!"

Andrew frowned and answered the call irritably.

"Hello? Who's this?!"

"It's me. Your mother."

Andrew nearly jumped out of his skin.

His phone instantly felt like a burning hot potato and almost slipped into the kettle.

Fortunately, he caught it just in time.

His tone immediately changed into a cheerful one.

"Hehe... Mom, why are you calling at this hour?"

"Am I not allowed to call my own son?"

"Of course you are! If you called while I was on Mars, I'd build a cell tower just to answer."

Realizing his earlier attitude had been terrible, Andrew immediately began joking around to appease his mother.

After all, if his mother, Alexa, ever became truly angry, even Godzilla would step aside.

"Always so smooth-tongued. Have you been behaving yourself these past few days?"

"Of course! Didn't you give us the highest order before you left? Everything has to follow Scarlett's instructions. My sister and I wouldn't dare disobey. Your word is law!"

"Alright, stop fooling around. Don't think I don't know you. All you have to do is act cute in front of Scarlett, and she'll spoil you."

Andrew's eyes widened in shock.

"Holy crap! You even know that?"

"Heh. You think you can hide your little schemes from me?"

"Mom, you didn't call just to lecture me, did you?"

Andrew asked while putting the kettle on to boil.

Alexa continued,

"That's part of the reason. But there's something even more important."

"What is it?"

Hearing his mother's tone become more serious, Andrew listened attentively.

"Is Scarlett with you?" Alexa asked softly.

"No. She's taking care of my older sister. She ate ice cream a few days ago, and now her stomach hurts so badly that she looks like she's about to give birth."

"Ugh... Then she brought it on herself. Who told her not to control her cravings?"

Alexa grumbled about Catherine for a moment before returning to the main topic.

"I just wanted to remind you that Scarlett's birthday is coming up."

"Ah? Scarlett's birthday is coming up?"

Andrew was completely caught off guard.

Scarlett had never mentioned her birthday to him.

"Scarlett's birthday is on New Year's Eve."

Andrew glanced at the calendar on his phone and realized there were only three days left.

"Then it's coming up very soon."