Tall metasequoia trees stood in two rows along the roadside, their trunks straight and their crowns lush and green. Under the warm sunlight, their shadows dappled the ground, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
In the distance, a Jiefang 141 truck slowly approached. Wang Changlin had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Wen Shiqing sitting in the passenger seat.
“Hey, A-Cheng, isn’t that your sister?”
Xie Yucheng stared straight ahead.
A young man and woman were walking side by side, both looking fresh-faced and youthful. The boy was tall and well-built, while the girl was slender and graceful. Their silhouettes looked beautiful together, almost like a perfect match.
Had she really taken a liking to that guy?
They had only just gone on a blind date, and now she was already eagerly meeting him for a date somewhere this remote.
The fingers gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.
His gaze locked firmly onto the two figures, his eyes dark and gloomy like the sky before a storm.
Wang Changlin was always happy to watch the drama unfold.
“They’re already dating. See? I told you. Your sister is so pure and pretty—if you don’t keep an eye on her, someone will make a move. That kid’s pretty handsome too. Looks more proper than you, actually. I didn’t expect your sister to like this type—gentle and refined…”
Xie Yucheng’s brows pressed heavily over his eyes.
He coldly looked away, shifted gears, and was about to drive off when Wang Changlin hurriedly said,
“Wait, wait! I’m going to say hi to your sister.”
“Shut up!”
Seeing that he wasn’t slowing down, Wang Changlin hurriedly rolled down the window, stuck half his body out, and called toward Wen Shiqing.
“Hey, Shiqing! What a coincidence!”
Wen Shiqing had noticed the truck earlier, but she hadn’t expected it to be Wang Changlin.
She smiled and waved.
“Brother Changlin, what are you doing here?”
Xie Yucheng suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Wang Changlin’s head unexpectedly smacked against the window frame. He muttered a curse under his breath.
“You sneaky bastard. No wonder your sister doesn’t like you.”
Wen Shiqing belatedly looked toward the driver’s seat, and her heart jolted.
The truck door opened.
Wang Changlin jumped down with a playful grin.
“Are you out here on a date?”
The question immediately made Zhou Chen beside her blush with embarrassment.
Shiqing hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no! We’re here for a class reunion. Everyone’s over here today.”
The silver watch on her wrist caught Wang Changlin’s eye.
A Shanghai-brand watch?
He chuckled inwardly.
No wonder he’d seen a watch box in the dormitory the other day. So it had been a gift for his little sister?
Someone really was stubbornly refusing to admit what he felt.
Wang Changlin’s eyes thoughtfully moved between Shiqing and Zhou Chen.
Xie Yucheng got out of the truck, irritably lit a cigarette, and leaned against the door as he watched them.
Through the drifting white smoke, the girl’s face appeared clear and soft.
Fine rays of sunlight filtered through the branches and fell across her dark hair. Her strands were soft and delicate, making her fair face look even more obedient and sweet.
The watch fit perfectly around her slender, fair wrist. It was delicate and beautiful, complementing her already graceful appearance.
At least the money had been well spent.
Standing beside that boy, she smiled brightly, her watery eyes seemingly filled with stars.
The smoke entered his lungs, bitter and spicy.
His eyelashes trembled slightly as he looked away.
“Brother Changlin, whose truck is this?”
Wang Changlin nodded toward Xie Yucheng and grinned.
“This is the truck your brother bought. A Jiefang 141. How is it? Your brother’s already an independent little business owner now. You’d better cling tightly to his leg. Once he makes money, he can buy you candy.”
Wen Shiqing turned her head and studied the man standing not far away.
He stood quietly with his head slightly lowered. His short black hair fell over his forehead. His side profile was sharply defined, with a straight nose and a strong jaw. His entire figure seemed distant and aloof.
“Why don’t you introduce us?” Wang Changlin prompted.
“Oh.” Wen Shiqing came back to herself. “His name is Zhou Chen. He’s my high school classmate. Zhou Chen, this is Brother Changlin. And the one over there is Brother Yucheng. You’ve met him before.”
Zhou Chen politely greeted both men.
Wen Shiqing asked Wang Changlin,
“He… isn’t he still driving for the factory?”
“He quit his job at the factory. Your brother’s a private business owner now. He can take whatever jobs he wants. It’s much freer than working at the factory.”
He quit?
Wen Shiqing’s eyes widened in surprise.
That state-owned factory job was something Xie Guoli had always been proud of. In their eyes, it was stable and respectable.
If Xie Guoli found out that he’d quit, who knew what kind of storm would erupt at home?
Xie Yucheng tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.
With his brows furrowed, he called toward Wang Changlin,
“Are you coming or not?”
Wang Changlin flashed a mischievous smile.
“Have fun, little sis. We’re leaving first.”
“Okay.”
Just as Wang Changlin reached the truck, Xie Yucheng suddenly remembered something.
He strode over to Wen Shiqing, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her aside.
He bent down and whispered threateningly into her ear,
“Keep your mouth shut. I don’t want the family finding out about this. Otherwise, you know what’ll happen.”
“I won’t tell them.”
Wen Shiqing answered solemnly.
The man glanced sideways at Zhou Chen before adding sarcastically,
“And another thing. Dating is one thing, but don’t you dare get pregnant before you’re married. Otherwise, everyone will point fingers at our family and shame us.”
His words were far too brazen.
Wen Shiqing’s face instantly turned red, and her back trembled with embarrassment and indignation.
She forced herself to remain calm and slightly turned her head.
Her lips accidentally brushed against the man’s cheek.
Both of them froze.
That soft, cool touch lightly skimmed across Xie Yucheng’s skin.
His heartbeat suddenly skipped.
Wen Shiqing remembered how Xie Yucheng had dated someone back when he was in high school.
At the time, she had still been in sixth grade.
She had seen him several times with a beautiful older girl. That girl would take the initiative to hold his hand and cling to his arm coquettishly.
One evening, Wen Shiqing had asked him,
“Brother, are you and that sister going to get married?”
Xie Yucheng had replied,
“Adults’ business isn’t something a child should worry about.”
Later, after Xie Yucheng started working, matchmakers often came to their house to introduce women to him.
This girl or that girl, each one prettier than the last.
The adults would urge him to take the girls out for a walk.
Wen Shiqing would quietly follow behind them.
She remembered seeing her brother buy soda for one of those women, then sit with her beside the river and watch the sunset.
She still remembered how beautiful that sunset had been.
The afterglow had spread across the sky, painting the clouds orange-red.
That same red had quietly crept onto the woman’s cheeks.
Xie Yucheng was always mysterious.
He never wanted his family to know about his personal affairs. Whoever he dated or wherever he went, he never took the initiative to tell anyone at home.
But once, Wen Shiqing overheard Xie Guoli telling him,
“Dating is fine, but don’t get some woman pregnant before you’re married. You’ll be the one embarrassing your old man.”
Wen Shiqing had concluded that her brother must have had quite a colorful romantic history.
He was probably a carefree, womanizing playboy.
Whenever she thought about those things, a sour ache spread through her heart.
It was like peeling an orange and having the juice spray into her eyes, making them sting with the urge to cry.
At that moment, she tightly clenched the hem of her clothes, forcing herself to control her emotions.
Her red lips parted, and her soft voice sounded like a thunderclap in Xie Yucheng’s ears.
“We’re just dating normally. All we do is kiss a little and hold hands. You should worry about yourself, Brother. What if you get some woman pregnant one day and she comes knocking on our door demanding that you take responsibility? Then we’d all have to suffer the shame too.”
Xie Yucheng froze for a long moment.
He let out a cold scoff.
His expression was as chilling as a winter mountain, sending shivers down the spine.
He stared at her for several seconds before turning around, getting into the truck, and driving away.
The Jiefang 141 sped off, kicking up clouds of dust from the dirt road.
Zhou Chen instinctively drew Wen Shiqing closer and used his shirt to shield her from the dust.
Inside the truck, both men’s gazes shifted away from the rearview mirror.
Wang Changlin let out a sigh.
“Looks like your little sister is serious this time. You can cry now.”
Xie Yucheng pressed his thin lips tightly together, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
His mind kept replaying those words:
All we do is kiss a little and hold hands…
Damn it.
The truck sped wildly down the road, flying past the rows of metasequoia trees.
Wang Changlin suddenly grabbed the handle above his head and cursed.
“Damn you! We’re testing the truck’s performance, but you don’t have to drive this fast! I haven’t even gotten married yet! I don’t want to die! You got dumped, so don’t drag me into a suicide mission with you!”