“You know better than I do what your younger brother is like. If my sister ends up with you and your brother targets her, causing her any harm, our entire family will never let you off!!”
So mad, so mad!!
How did he end up with such a shameless and hopelessly infatuated sister!
She actually had the nerve to ask a man if she could kiss him, and even had the gall to openly set her computer wallpaper to “I want to sleep with Xie Guanlan”!!
“My sister is adorable, and it’s hard for anyone to refuse her, but are you just anyone?” Yin Shujun still felt that Xie Guanlan bore a great deal of responsibility.
“I am.”
“You’re not! You’re not!” Yin Shujun was so angry he lost all composure.
His brows furrowed deeply. “She even asked me today if she could rent a place outside. Did you know about this?”
“No.” Xie Guanlan truly had no idea. “If you’re worried about that, I can talk to her.”
“Don’t talk to her, just block her!”
Xie Guanlan’s dark eyes grew somber. He didn’t want to block the adorable Yangyang.
Perhaps before last night, if Yin Shujun had made such a request, he would have agreed.
But after last night, after he kissed Yangyang, he only wanted to kiss her from now on.
“Xie Guanlan, you—” Yin Shujun’s heart trembled. He took a deep breath. “You don’t have a sister, so you don’t understand how I feel. Since she was little, she’s rarely even gotten a scrape or a bump. If she fell from a height, I’d run to catch her—she could even fall on me. My sister, whom I treasure so much—I want her to marry into a simple family in the future, one without mother-in-law conflicts, without potential dangers, where no one would hurt her, and everyone would love her.”
“Xie Guanlan, you can’t do that. You can’t guarantee her safety; you can’t even guarantee your own. I can’t let her live with you in an environment where you could be ambushed at any moment.”
A ripple passed through Xie Guanlan’s cool gaze, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly. He couldn’t deny that Yin Shujun’s words made sense.
If it were his own sister, he would stop her too.
“I’ll make her give up on this idea. You’ve only met a few times—how deep can your feelings be?” After delivering this harsh ultimatum, Yin Shujun left.
He was still fuming as he walked away.
That evening, when Yin Shuyang returned home, she heard her brother and mother discussing going somewhere else to escape the heat.
“I don’t want to go…” Yin Shuyang lowered her head slightly.
She had finally made some progress with Xie Guanlan, and now, at this critical moment, her brother wanted her to leave Li City. What if some other woman took advantage of the situation?
“Come keep Mom company and escape the heat for a few days.” Yin Shujun’s attitude was firm.
“Mom~”
Mother Yin looked at her with a troubled expression, her heart aching for her daughter. But earlier that day, Yin Shujun had already told her about the identity of the person Yin Shuyang liked.
She had been persuaded by Yin Shujun.
She was afraid that something might happen to her precious daughter if she married into the Xie family in the future.
“Sweetheart, don’t you want to keep Mom company?” Mother Yin’s gentle tone carried a hint of disappointment.
Her expression was textbook-perfect, good enough to be a drama teacher.
Yin Shuyang had been a delicate, well-behaved girl since childhood, with a close and loving relationship with her family. Hearing her mother say this, of course she was willing to accompany her.
The next day, the servants packed their luggage, and Yin Shujun even personally saw them off.
After a flight of over two hours, as soon as they landed, Yin Shuyang felt the air was indeed much cooler.
She and her mother rode in one car, while Yin Shujun took a separate one.
She looked at the message she had sent to Xie Guanlan in the morning—it still hadn’t been answered.
She had told him she was going north to escape the heat and might not return for a month.
How could a kiss not count as a deepening of feelings?
Was this newly kindled affection about to be plunged into an icy abyss?
“Sweetie.”
Mother Yin gently smoothed her stray strands of hair. “Try to enjoy yourself while we’re out. Seeing you unhappy makes Mom feel so sad too.”
Yin Shuyang pouted pitifully. “Actually, I understand… Brother did it on purpose…”
“Your brother is thinking of you too. If anything were to happen to you, what would your parents and your brother do?” Mother Yin hugged her tenderly. “My dear~”
Yin Shuyang’s eyes grew misty. So, had Xie Guanlan not replied to her message because her brother had warned him in advance?
Why did they all think she was just acting on a whim, instead of genuinely, deeply liking Xie Guanlan?
Why did they believe that being apart for a while and not seeing each other would make her forget about Xie Guanlan?
When they arrived at the mountain resort, Yin Shuyang’s eyes were still red as she got out of the car.
Her brother was ahead, greeting the person who had come to meet them. The man wore a simple white T-shirt and black trousers, looking as refreshing and pure as a clear breeze after rain.
“Bo Tang, this is my younger sister, Yin Shuyang.” Yin Shujun noticed her reddened eyes. “She got sleepy in the car.”
That’s not true!
But Yin Shuyang didn’t refute his words.
“Everything has been arranged. Welcome, all three of you.” Bo Tang walked beside Yin Shuyang, introducing things to her as they went.
Yin Shuyang couldn’t focus on what he was saying.
During the meal, Bo Tang sat next to her.
At this point, Yin Shuyang still didn’t sense anything amiss. The airplane food hadn’t suited her taste, so she hadn’t eaten, and now she was hungry. All her energy was focused on filling her stomach and going back to sleep.
It wasn’t until she woke up groggily and her mother told her to go for a walk with Bo Tang that she realized something was off.
“He’s already waiting for you downstairs.”
Yin Shuyang was completely dazed, her head heavy and muddled. She had just dreamed of Xie Guanlan, and upon waking, not only was Xie Guanlan not there, but she was also being exiled to the frontier.
Mother Yin picked out two dresses. “Which one, sweetie?”
“My baby has such fair skin and lovely looks—she’d look beautiful in either!”
“I can see it now… Brother is trying to set me up with that Bo Tang guy…” Yin Shuyang scratched her head irritably.
How could he do this?
Even if he wanted her to forget Xie Guanlan and set her up with someone else, couldn’t he at least find someone with a similar temperament and appearance to Xie Guanlan?
Could she suddenly switch from liking the cold, aloof, and restrained type to preferring the fresh and handsome type?
He’s not even trying!
Yin Shuyang flopped onto the bed. “I don’t want to go. Just say I’m still asleep.”
Mother Yin sat by the bed. “Sweetie, if you really don’t want to go, Mom will help you decline.”
“Mhm…”
Yin Shuyang replied softly, hugging the blanket and wanting to cry.
Mother Yin put the dresses down and left.
Leaving her alone, hugging the blanket and sniffling as she cried.
The sun was setting, casting an orange-red glow.
Yin Shujun knocked on the door and walked in.
Yin Shuyang’s cheeks were flushed from sleep, and she was hugging the blanket with no regard for posture, her eyes slightly swollen and red.
Crying like this over a man—how infuriating!
“Yangyang~”
“Little sister~”
Hearing her brother’s exaggeratedly sweet tone, Yin Shuyang sat up immediately. “What do you want?”
“Not hungry? Let’s have dinner.”
“And then, have Bo Tang take me for a walk after dinner?” Yin Shuyang scratched his hair. “He’s not my type, you can’t match us up.”