Yang Ying reacted quickly and said at once,
“This is Shiqing’s older brother. He works as a truck driver at a state-owned factory.”
Wen Shiqing’s gaze met his for a moment, then drifted lightly away. She said nothing.
Xie Yucheng raised an eyebrow. Was she mad?
He knew that what he’d said last night had indeed been a bit harsh—his mouth had been faster than his brain. No helping that.
“Come, Yucheng, sit down,” Xie Guoli said. “This is Aunt Zhang, and this is Uncle Zhou and his family. Their son, Zhou Chen, is in the same class as your sister. What a coincidence—this is what you call fate.”
In front of outsiders, Xie Yucheng still gave his old man some face. He set down what he was holding, hooked a stool over with the tip of his foot, sat down, and sized up the boy across from him.
Zhou Chen called out, “Brother,” and Father Zhou took out a cigarette case, handing out cigarettes to all the men present.
Xie Yucheng didn’t smoke. He merely held one between his fingers, turning it idly as his dark, gleaming eyes stared straight at Zhou Chen, making him uneasy under the gaze.
Instinctively, Zhou Chen edged closer to Wen Shiqing. The gesture was rather intimate, as if the two of them were the closest pair in the room.
Matchmaker Aunt Zhang laughed. “Look at these two kids—don’t they look so well-matched sitting together?”
Zhou Chen rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. To be honest, he’d almost not come today, but thankfully he had.
At first, he hadn’t known that the blind-date partner would be Wen Shiqing. He’d only planned to come and go through the motions, just to keep his parents from nagging. It wasn’t until the two of them met and called out each other’s names in surprise that everyone realized they were classmates.
After exchanging a glance with Wen Shiqing and understanding that she, too, was just putting on a show, he felt secretly pleased—yet also quietly disappointed.
The adults chatted about this and that.
Zhou Chen leaned close to Wen Shiqing’s ear and said softly, “Your brother is pretty handsome.”
Wen Shiqing lifted her beautiful eyes and glanced at the man opposite them. He was slouched there in a careless, roguish way, wearing a sour expression—yet that face was flawless, the very definition of handsome and rakish.
“He’s okay,” she said lightly. “You don’t look bad either.”
She said it casually, but the boy beside her took it to heart, his heartbeat quickening with excitement.
Watching the two of them whispering so intimately, Xie Yucheng pressed his tongue against his molars and let out a faint, cold snort.
No one else noticed the subtle expression, but Wen Shiqing caught it. She subconsciously felt that he was mocking her. Her delicate brows knitted slightly, and she chatted even more enthusiastically with Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen had already settled the time and place for their class reunion with others and took the opportunity to tell her today.
“I’ll come pick you up early the day after tomorrow. I’ll drive my dad’s car.”
“Huh? Do you even have a driver’s license?”
“I got it ages ago. Passed the test in the summer of my sophomore year.”
“That’s impressive.”
The corners of the boy’s mouth lifted slightly, his cheeks flushed red.
Aunt Zhang was smooth and worldly. Seeing that Xie Yucheng hadn’t said much, she turned to him. “Yucheng, you need to hurry too. Who knows—your sister might get married before you.”
Xie Yucheng crossed his hands behind his head and smiled lazily, a mocking curve to his lips.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Aunt Zhang to worry about me. I want someone pretty, with a big chest, slim waist, and round hips—looks like she’d be good for bearing children. Not those skinny, fragile types.”
The moment those words fell, everyone present froze, then—boom—as if dry firewood had been lit, faces all around flushed red at once.
Xie Guoli felt so embarrassed his face burned; he wished he could smack him with the sole of a shoe.
Aunt Zhang, however, had seen every kind of situation. There was no topic she couldn’t handle.
“Of course, of course. Your dad and I have been neighbors for so many years—naturally I’ll help take care of it. Ah, how time flies. In the blink of an eye, you kids have all grown up.”
Not forgetting that today was Shiqing’s main event, Aunt Zhang shifted the topic to her.
“I still remember when Shiqing was only about ten. She followed after you all day long. You climbed trees to steal bird eggs, went into the river to catch soft-shell turtles, climbed over walls into our courtyard to pull vegetables…”
She laughed as she spoke, her hearty laughter filling the room.
“No matter what you did, she was always right there guarding you. You two were so close—closer than most siblings.”
Aunt Zhang went on without pause.
“And there was that one time your sister cried her eyes out over something, and no one could comfort her. You went to that shop outside the alley and bought her a few honey buns, and she stopped crying right away. Her mouth was all greasy when she ate them—so adorable…”
Everyone listened with great interest. Hearing Aunt Zhang talk about the children’s childhood, Zhou Chen’s parents also chimed in with a few stories from when Zhou Chen was young, occasionally adding how similar Wen Shiqing and Zhou Chen were.
The adults chatted away happily, while the three younger ones were so awkward their toes could practically dig into the floor.
In the end, both sets of parents sized up Zhou Chen and Wen Shiqing, exchanged smiles, and were very satisfied with the day.
Before leaving, Wen Shiqing walked the guests to the door with the adults, watching them get into the car and drive off.
Yang Ying noticed Zhou Chen’s lingering, reluctant gaze fixed on Wen Shiqing. After the car had gone far, she leaned in and said quietly to her daughter,
“Their family background is solid. Both parents are high-ranking officials. If you marry into that family, you won’t have to worry about anything.”
“Mom, Zhou Chen and I—” Wen Shiqing was about to speak, but when she saw Xie Yucheng come out of the house, she swallowed her words.
She and Zhou Chen were good friends—nothing more. There was no way she could be with him. What’s more, her heart was already full.
The main hall was littered with cigarette butts, melon seed shells, and candy wrappers. Xie Guoli called for Yang Ying to come clean up, and she went inside.
Xie Yucheng walked toward the courtyard gate. Wen Shiqing felt miserable. With her head lowered, she passed by him. He lightly hooked out a foot, and she almost tripped. In a panic, she grabbed onto him to steady herself.
Their eyes met. She looked at him with a wounded, resentful gaze.
His eyes were dark and deep like a pool. Tugging lightly at the corner of his lips, he spoke in a teasing tone,
“I helped you screen him. He’s not suitable for you.”
“Why not?”
“He’s young, timid—a little coward. The two of you together would just be two cowards. Do you think that’s suitable?”
“What right do you have to talk about him like that?” Her tone was protective.
“You like him?” He ground his molars, half-narrowed his eyes, and leaned in close. His warm breath brushed her face, ticklish, throwing her heartbeat into chaos.
“Who I like has nothing to do with you, Brother. I’ll do as you wish—find a good man and marry early. Zhou Chen is my classmate. He’s decent-looking and handsome, responsible in class, with good grades. His family is well-off; marrying him means no worries about food or clothing. He really is an excellent choice.”
He let out a short, cold laugh, gritting his teeth.
“Good. Very good. Just like your worthless mother.”
Tears instantly welled up in Wen Shiqing’s eyes.
“Of course—I was born by my mom. What right do you have to talk about her? She washes clothes and cooks at home every day, serving Uncle Xie. Which chore has she done less of? I know you hate my mom, but at least show her some respect. She doesn’t owe you anything, and she has no obligation to endure your cold violence and mockery.”
The veins on Xie Yucheng’s forehead bulged violently. His chest heaved as if he were struggling to restrain something. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into the wall behind Wen Shiqing.
She let out a soft cry, covering her mouth, her eyes panicked like a little deer startled by a hunter’s gunshot.
After the shock, she instinctively looked at his hand. Against such a hard brick wall—he’d actually punched it.
His knuckles were red over a large area, with faint blood seeping from several spots.
Wen Shiqing grabbed his hand, torn between heartache and anger. Her tears fell even harder, her voice choking.
“Brother, your hand…”
Xie Yucheng pulled his hand out of her grasp. The veins on his forehead still stood out, his breathing heavy. He stared at her for a few seconds. That tear-streaked little face only made the turmoil in his chest worse. He turned around, strode quickly to the tree, mounted his motorcycle, and rode away.