Bai Shinan ignored Mu Yuwei’s wave and kept his eyes fixed on the stream of passing buses. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket—it was a call from Mu Yuwei. Bai Shinan answered, his tone cold, as if speaking to a stranger, “What is it?”
“Shinan, come over quickly. I asked Uncle Fu to give you a ride home,” Mu Yuwei’s tone was cheerful, like a child proudly showing off a good deed.
Bai Shinan immediately hung up. That kind of childish trick could only fool the naïve fool he used to be. Seeing this, Li Pengfei asked, “Mu Yuwei? Why is she calling you?”
“Said she’d give me a ride,” Bai Shinan replied casually.
“The sun must be rising in the west. So why are you still standing here?” Li Pengfei looked shocked.
“I stood her up last night. She’s probably trying to trick me into getting in the car so she can drop me off in some random deserted place,” Bai Shinan had already seen through Mu Yuwei’s little scheme.
“Uh… surely she wouldn’t go that far? I mean, just maybe—just maybe—what if she wants to get back with you?” Li Pengfei offered a cautious but bold guess.
“Even if that’s not a zero percent chance, let’s say you’re right—do you think just because she wants me back, I should stoop down and feed her the grass myself like I used to?” Bai Shinan’s gaze was calm, his tone emotionless.
“You’re right. It’s just that… you gave her three years of sincere feelings and ended up with nothing,” Li Pengfei said, feeling that even if Mu Yuwei wasn’t worth much, he still thought it was unfair to his brother.
Bai Shinan looked into the distance. He used to think the same way—so he gave her one three-year period after another, until eventually, even his life was given.
“Have you ever had a buffet? When you start eating just to get your money’s worth, you’ve already lost the point,” Bai Shinan said with a trace of emotion.
…
On the other end, after being hung up on, Mu Yuwei puffed up her cheeks in anger. Her delicate nose let out a small humph of dissatisfaction. This was the first time she had invited a guy into her car, and he didn’t appreciate it.
“Miss, we have to go. The other buses are urging us,” the driver, Uncle Fu, reminded her. School buses had a designated one-way lane, and with him stopped like this, the other cars couldn’t move.
“Well… fine. Oh, and Uncle Fu, keep this a secret, okay?” Mu Yuwei held a finger to her lips. If her parents found out their precious daughter tried to send a boy home, they’d probably explode with rage. Read the latest chapters at novelping(.)com.
“I will,” Uncle Fu replied helplessly. After all, he was paid by her parents—how could he possibly keep a secret from them?
…
Bai Shinan got off the bus. Even though he had stood the whole bumpy ride, he still looked full of energy. He walked through the streets he had traversed countless times from memory and found the entrance to his neighborhood.
He stood at the door for a long time without knocking. In his previous life, his family had always objected to him dating Mu Yuwei, but he never listened. Eventually, they gave up.
What he regretted most was that during the six years he dated Mu Yuwei, she never once met his parents. Only after he had persistently begged did she reluctantly agree to come.
That day, his entire family had been overjoyed. His father had gone out specifically to buy new clothes for everyone. The tablecloths and carpets in the house were all replaced, and his mother had gotten up before dawn to prepare all of Mu Yuwei’s favorite dishes. Even his sister had taken leave from out of town and flown back just for the occasion.
From noon until late into the night, the food on the table had been reheated again and again. The expressions on his parents’ faces went from nervous excitement to utter disappointment.
Mu Yuwei never showed up. She had run into a college roommate who happened to be visiting Jinling for work. Since Bai Shinan’s family lived in Jinling, she figured she could visit another time. But the college roommate—who knew if they’d ever see each other again?
That night, his parents went back to their rooms without eating. His sister got into a huge fight with him. After that, Bai Shinan never mentioned bringing Mu Yuwei to the house again, and Mu Yuwei acted like she had forgotten all about it.
…
“Brother, what are you doing standing at the door?” A familiar voice rang out behind him.
Bai Shinan turned his head and saw a graceful young girl looking at him with confusion. She was wearing a school uniform. Her round face still carried a bit of baby fat. Though not fully matured, it was obvious she’d grow into a beauty.
Bai Yuejing—his younger sister, currently a second-year high school student. Unlike him, their parents couldn’t bear to let a girl live in the dorms, so they enrolled her in a local day school.
Wait, hold on—what is Bai Shinan trying to do…
“Let go, Bai Shinan! I’m your sister!”
Bai Yuejing was suddenly pulled into a hug. His warm body pressed against her fair skin, and his broad chest wrapped around her entirely. The strong scent of his hormones made her feel like she couldn’t breathe—her brain felt like it was overheating.
“Tsk tsk, when you were little, you begged me every day to hold you. Now your wings have grown and you’re starting to despise me?”
Bai Shinan let her go. Mostly because the little brat had just elbowed him hard—his waist probably had a bruise now. Not bad. If she was that ruthless even to her own brother, he didn’t have to worry about her being tricked by any guys.
“You hugged me out of nowhere! And anyway, childhood is totally different from now!” Bai Yuejing was still catching her breath, her cheeks tinged red.
“Fine, fine, now you’re all grown up, Bai Yuejing. You’re so noble, so impressive,” Bai Shinan said sarcastically, giving her a dramatic thumbs-up.
“I just wasn’t prepared, okay? Next time, at least give me a warning…” Bai Yuejing muttered, a bit guilty. She’d hit him without holding back.
“You said it yourself. Then three seconds from now, I’m hugging you again. Three, two…” Bai Shinan smirked as he started counting down.
“Wait—hold on a second!” Bai Yuejing panicked, finally giving in and closing her eyes.
But the expected hug never came. Instead, she felt someone gently holding her hand. She opened her eyes and saw Bai Shinan looking at her with a nostalgic expression. With his other hand, he pushed open the door.
“Yuejing, we’re going home.”