Song Yan’s tone and gaze were icy cold, piercing Si Yuan’s heart with pain.
When hurt to the extreme, one instinctively wants to fight back.
Why was Song Yan reacting so strongly? Why was he interrogating her like this?
Didn’t he know she had a boyfriend?
As these thoughts crossed Si Yuan’s mind, a rebellious streak suddenly emerged within her.
She had her own life too—why should she be subjected to such questioning?
Slowly lowering her hand, Si Yuan raised her head to meet Song Yan’s gaze, her eyes unusually calm. “Brother, this is my personal matter.”
“Personal matter?” Song Yan sounded as if he’d heard a joke, his voice suddenly dropping low. “You’re part of the Song Family, you’re my sister. Nothing about you is just a personal matter!”
Si Yuan didn’t understand.
Why after five years, the usually aloof and indifferent Song Yan would have such intense emotional fluctuations.
And it was always directed at her.
Did he really dislike her that much?
In his eyes, even Lin Shuangyu—widely known as a bully—would always remain bright and captivating, someone to be pitied.
While she, if she did anything beyond his expectations, would never be tolerated.
Song Yan continued to press her with his gaze.
But she didn’t answer.
Didn’t Song Yan already know the answer?
She had a “boyfriend” now!
The atmosphere froze instantly, as if an invisible wall was slowly forming between them.
After a long moment, surprisingly, it was Song Yan who first looked away.
The intimidating chill faded along with his gaze, leaving only heavy exhaustion behind.
Song Yan didn’t quite understand.
His Xiao Yuan, his sister—even after what happened in high school, he only wanted her to face reality and let go of those inappropriate feelings.
He had never considered abandoning her.
Or letting their sibling relationship grow distant.
Song Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his tone unusually soft with an unconscious earnestness. “Xiao Yuan, you’ve really changed so much. Is there somewhere I haven’t been good enough to you?”
The words struck Si Yuan’s tense heart unexpectedly.
The anger she had been holding onto instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.
The Song Yan from before was always cold and distant—even when he was good to her, it came with restrained detachment.
But the confusion in his eyes now left her feeling at a loss.
The defenses she had raised were meant to protect herself; she never meant to hurt him.
Si Yuan’s lips parted slightly, her long eyelashes trembling. “I’m sorry, brother. I was wrong.”
Song Yan didn’t respond.
He looked up at her, his throat tight.
The confusion he had buried for days finally surfaced: “That day when you came home, why did you throw away all the things related to me?Si Yuan froze abruptly, her blood seeming to solidify in that moment.
She met his gaze, her eyes filled with shock—how did he know?
The diary and photos she threw away that day were evidence of her wretched secret crush that Song’s Father and Song’s Mother had discovered and confiscated—contraband—which was why she discarded them.
How did he find them?
And why… would he care about these things?
“I…”
Si Yuan felt as if her throat had been rubbed raw with sand, unable to form complete words.
Song Yan was looking at her with sorrowful eyes.
Actually, Song Yan hadn’t done anything wrong.
Aside from the affection she longed for but couldn’t obtain, aside from that time in high school when he looked right through her in the rain, he had always been an impeccable older brother.
They had known each other before becoming siblings.
Back then, there was no sibling relationship between them.
And Si Yuan had already liked this neighbor-brother very much.
After her parents passed away, all the warmth in Si Yuan’s childhood came from Song Yan.
When she would curl up in the corner of the Song Family’s guest room, homesick, he would crouch down and whisper, “Xiao Yuan, this is your home too.”
That was why she desperately wanted to hold onto that warmth forever.
That was why she secretly fell for him.
In the end, Si Yuan’s heart softened; she didn’t want to see Song Yan unhappy because of her.
She gave in.
“I’m sorry, brother. I’ll listen to you from now on.”
Song Yan was taken aback, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
Seeing the girl with downcast eyes, obediently admitting her mistake, the earlier restlessness and unease that had been churning inside him seemed to dissolve in warm water.
“Xiao Yuan, it’s not that I want to interfere in your private life,” he said, his voice growing even softer, carrying the tone of an elder brother’s admonishment. “But you’re not married yet, and I haven’t even met this man. I’m afraid that, with your limited experience, you might be deceived and get hurt.”
Si Yuan curled her fingers slightly but didn’t argue back as she had before.
She knew there was no malice in Song Yan’s words; it was enough to just listen quietly.
Thinking she had taken his words to heart, Song Yan continued, “Matters of the heart shouldn’t be rushed. You can’t just like anyone casually. What if… what if the other person is someone like Jiang Wang?”
The name “Jiang Wang” struck Si Yuan’s heart like a sudden pebble, and she slowly lifted her head to look at him.
Song Yan was reluctant to gossip about his friend’s private affairs—it felt like idle chatter—but he needed to rein Si Yuan in.
He could only hint vaguely, “Jiang Wang and I were university classmates. Everyone in our circle knows about his private life. Off-campus, he was… constantly surrounded by rumors, never serious about anything. And now the person you’re seeing is his friend. How could I not worry?”
Listening to Song Yan, Si Yuan felt little turmoil inside—she had known all this long ago.
Back in high school, Jiang Wang had said that Si Yuan was the most boring person he’d ever slept with.
But in truth, she wasn’t entirely innocent or blameless either; it wasn’t as if Jiang Wang had forced her.
In those years, the oppression of being bullied and her unspoken crush on Song Yan had driven her to seek an escape, a way to breathe.
Jiang Wang’s recklessness and boldness were like a potent drug; even if it came with thorns, it allowed her to temporarily forget the pain.
Now, Song Yan’s concerned words, to her ears, became a reassuring signal.
This was better—the worse Jiang Wang’s reputation, the less likely he would take her seriously, and she could continue using him as a “cure” without guilt, without fearing deeper entanglements.
If her brother knew that the person she’d been involved with was Jiang Wang, wouldn’t he be even more surprised?
And last night, it was she who had provoked him first.
Si Yuan looked up, a faint smile on her lips, her tone obedient. “Okay, I understand, brother.”
After selecting the ring, the two left the jewelry store and prepared to head back.
As soon as they got in the car, Song Yan seemed to remember something and said, “Your birthday is coming up soon. This time, I’ll plan a proper celebration for you—consider it a welcome-back party. You must dress up for the occasion.”
Si Yuan was taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse. “There’s no need for all that trouble. A simple celebration is fine.”
She had never liked crowds and felt it would be a bother to Song Yan.
But Song Yan was firm.
“It’s a must. You haven’t properly celebrated your birthday these past few years away. Now that you’re back for the first time, we can’t skip it.”
His tone was serious, leaving no room for Si Yuan to decline.
Looking at his resolute expression, Si Yuan swallowed back the words that had reached her lips.
She couldn’t bring herself to coldly refuse him.
A warm feeling blossomed in Si Yuan’s heart: “Alright, I understand. I’ll prepare properly when the time comes.”
When Si Yuan returned to her apartment, she carefully stored away the pearl necklace Song Yan had given her.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth before the mirror, a faint smile shimmering in her eyes.
Since Si Yuan had said she would prepare properly, she truly intended to put her heart into it.
Because ultimately, she was still happy.
Song Yan cared about her, and this care was like a piece of candy, making her temporarily forget the grievances and estrangement of those past years.
She couldn’t help but wonder – if she just continued being his well-behaved little sister, never crossing boundaries or acting willful, perhaps this warmth could last forever.
But she never expected that on that day, when she had already prepared everything perfectly…
The person who had promised to properly celebrate her birthday would once again abandon her, leaving her isolated and helpless.