Lin Wenbin didn't answer her question. Instead, he stared at her enormous belly with a mix of anger and frustration. "Look at you. How could you get pregnant? Do you plan to stay here forever? Never go back?"

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes reddened. "Why are you yelling at me? Of course I want to go back, but how?"

"That's no excuse to get pregnant!" he fired back. "Weren't you the one who said you'd never marry? The committed single? And now you've married some country bumpkin? Have you lost your mind?"

He reached out to poke her forehead, but she swatted his hand away. "Don't call him that. How can you look down on farmers? The clothes you wear, the food you eat—it's all grown by 'country bumpkins.' If you're so proud, stop eating."

Lin Wenbin stared in disbelief at his sister, who was glaring back with undiminished spirit. Some things never changed.

"Xiaoxiao, this isn't how this is supposed to go," he said, his tone shifting. "When you see your brother in another world, you're supposed to hug me and cry. We're reunited across realities—aren't you moved? We should be weeping with joy, not arguing over some random man."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't know why either. She had imagined this moment many times—holding her brother, crying her eyes out, or laughing like a fool with happiness.

She never expected it to go like this: falling right back into their old bickering rhythm as if no time had passed.

Still, she felt the need to correct him. "He's not some 'random man.' His name is Zhou Huai'an.

He's a very, very good person. Don't hurt him."

Lin Wenbin snorted. "I asked around in the provincial capital. He's impressive, I'll give him that.

His background is tough, and he's worked hard for everything he has. But so what? You're not really planning to stay in this world for him, are you?"

"What choice do I have?" she retorted, annoyed. "I don't know how to get back. You want me to ram my head against a wall and see if that works? I had to survive. And then... I accidentally fell in love. And accidentally got pregnant."

Her brother let out another dismissive sound. "'Accidentally?' You're a doctor—you know how contraception works. Look at that belly. You've got what, two or three in there? Once those kids are running around calling you Mom, how do you plan to go back then?"

Lin Xiaoxiao turned away, refusing to answer. But despite her irritation, the corners of her mouth lifted. Her brother was really here.

Zhou Huai'an had been waiting for what felt like an eternity. What kind of interview took nearly two hours? Growing worried, he finally went up and knocked.

Lin Wenbin opened the door. To Zhou Huai'an's surprise, he was the only one from the admissions team in the room. Lin Xiaoxiao was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes bright and slightly swollen from crying, but her expression was full of joy.

His heart sank. He went over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Should we go home?"

Lin Wenbin watched Zhou Huai'an with a critical eye, finding fault with everything from his hair to his shoes. His voice was cold. "My colleague had stomach trouble and went to the hospital.

I've finished speaking with Comrade Xiaoxiao. She is clearly an outstanding candidate. I tested her with several questions—her responses were quick and accurate. There's no possibility she cheated."

Lin Xiaoxiao was impressed; her brother was a surprisingly good actor. She nodded. "Professor Lin was just saying I should go home and wait for the acceptance letter. Isn't it funny—he and I even share the same surname."

Zhou Huai'an felt that something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint what. After all, Lin Wenbin and Lin Xiaoxiao should have no connection.

Meanwhile, Lin Wenbin smirked inwardly. His sister was as shrewd as ever—already maneuvering him into promising her a spot at Peking University. If she didn't get that acceptance letter, she'd probably disown him.

Lin Xiaoxiao took Zhou Huai'an's arm and stood up. "Professor Lin has been so helpful. Why don't we invite him to dinner at home?"

She wanted more time with her brother, but without a good reason, a man and a woman alone together would raise eyebrows. Bringing him home for a meal was the perfect solution.

Before Zhou Huai'an could agree, Lin Wenbin accepted without hesitation. "I wouldn't want to impose... but since you insist, I'd be happy to join you. Consider it a home visit."

Lin Xiaoxiao shot him a discreet glare. Did he have to sound so eager? As if he hadn't eaten in days.

On the way back, Lin Wenbin walked behind them, watching his sister waddle awkwardly beside Zhou Huai'an. Her belly was so large she moved like a little penguin.

He felt both happy and sad. Happy that she had found happiness here and didn't seem to have suffered. Sad because, in his eyes, she was still a child. How had she suddenly gotten married and become a mother?

And if that was the case... would she ever really be able to go back?

When Li Yunlan saw Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Huai'an returning with a professor from Peking University, she immediately went to dig some meat out of the snow storage in the yard—this was an important guest, after all.

Lin Wenbin was taken aback by how small and worn their home was: just two rooms, each around twenty square meters, tidy but undeniably poor.

Yet his sister seemed to live here with optimism and joy. It couldn't have been easy.

Since Zhou Huai'an wasn't much of a talker, Zhou Zhennan kept the conversation going with Lin Wenbin.

As it happened, Lin Wenbin's cover identity was an overseas Chinese who had grown up abroad and knew nothing about domestic affairs. Zhou Zhennan, who had never been abroad, knew nothing about life overseas.

So the two found plenty to discuss, each curious about the other's world. The atmosphere remained warm and engaging.

Li Yunlan served braised pork with dried beans and cellophane noodles, a stir-fried bean sprout dish, and scrambled eggs with scallions—a generous meal by any standard.

Lin Wenbin knew how difficult things could be during this period. His own cover came with privileges—overseas Chinese certificates and U.S. dollars left by the man he'd replaced—so he'd never wanted for anything.

Watching Lin Xiaoxiao eagerly devour the braised pork over rice, he felt a pang of sadness. His sister never used to eat fatty meat. She must have been really hungry for it.

Li Yunlan kindly placed several pieces of pork in his bowl. "Eat more. Look how thin you are—you need to build up your strength."

Lin Wenbin glanced at the kind-faced Li Yunlan, the steady and reserved Zhou Zhennan, and the quiet Zhou Huai'an, who kept serving his sister food without saying much.

Maybe he was beginning to understand why Xiaoxiao had grown so attached to this place.