Chapter 73 (Second Update)

Luo Hong is currently in a very conflicted state of mind.

He knew, of course, that it would be better to distance his younger sister from his older sister, but it was really difficult to do it naturally, so he could only say, "You also have to see if all three parties are willing."

That's true. Zhou Weifang also has to open his shop, and he only has a limited amount of time each day. Luo Yan didn't want to bring up her classmates' disparaging remarks about the continuing education class in front of him. She stroked her chin and came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea: "Why don't you make a bet with him?"

Luo Hong: "I'm not going."

Luo Yan used her old trick again, looking at her brother with a half-crying expression.

Luo Hong conceded defeat: "You'll regret this."

When she finds out, she'll probably be too busy hiding to even think about it.

Luo Yan reiterated, "As long as he wants to learn, I won't regret it."

They were not on the same page at all. Luo Hong had nothing to say to her and said irritably, "Go back to your room and read."

Luo Yan also asked him, "Where should we eat tomorrow?"

Luo Hong: "The birthday celebrant said he wanted to eat Lao Mo."

Tomorrow is Mom's birthday, Luo Yan said in a low voice, "You're treating everyone to dinner, and I bought Mom a gift."

In previous years, our family of four didn't really celebrate birthdays; at most, we'd just fry two eggs.

Luo Hong mentioned it only on a whim that day, and now he's saying, "How much do you buy? I'll reimburse you."

Luo Yan: "I gave it to them, and I paid for it myself."

Luo Hong: "Okay, anyway, you're the richest in the family."

Luo Yan punched her brother and said, "Then we should celebrate Dad's birthday this year too."

As children, we should treat all our children equally.

Luo Hong nodded, then remembered something else: "I'll celebrate it for you too, and for everyone else as well."

Luo Yan specifically requested, "Then I want to eat at Donglaishun."

Then I remembered something else: "Remember to take a break during Qingming Festival."

Every year, the family of four would go to offer incense to their grandparents. How could Luo Hong forget? He could only sigh, "Another year has passed."

Time flies so fast. Luo Yan suddenly felt that time was passing quickly and said, "Time is money. I have to go back to school."

Luo Hong didn't want to talk to her at all and rolled his eyes.

Considering that she needed his help temporarily, Luo Yan pretended not to have seen it and said, "I remember about the bet."

Luo Hongcai didn't need to make things so complicated. The next day, he passed by the car dealership and said, "Remember to get first place when you finish your course."

"You make it sound so easy," Zhou Weifang said lightly. "Do you think I can just remember it?"

Luo Hong: "Yan Yan said you can do it, and she will definitely feel a great sense of accomplishment if you do well on the test."

He had always doted on his younger sister, so Zhou Weifang didn't suspect anything. Or rather, he was only thinking about his image in Luo Yan's eyes, and said, "I'll try my best."

Luo Hong: "I will tell her that you really want to be number one, but don't let it slip."

Zhou Weifang made a gesture to reassure him, but it also put a little pressure on him, since his foundation was really poor.

Luo Yan was unaware that her brother's solution was so simple, and was browsing books at the city library.

Zhou Xiuhe was reserving a spot when he saw her bring back a pile of books. He glanced at them briefly and asked, "Is this what you've been reading?"

Luo Yan: "It's for Zhou Weifang."

That was the first time she called Zhou Xiuhe "Third Brother"; afterwards, she always addressed him by his full name.

The only boy she mentioned, besides her own brother, was Zhou Weifang. Therefore, Zhou Xiuhe inquired about him both openly and secretly, and after learning about his situation, he didn't think much of it.

Because he felt that he was the type of person Luo Yan liked, he didn't feel threatened by Zhou Weifang to some extent, or rather, he looked down on him.

Luo Yan was unaware of this and hastily found a few books that were more suitable for Zhou Weifang's current level, without even having time to do her own homework.

Zhou Xiuhe reminded us, "We're going to see a play this afternoon."

Speaking of this, Luo Yan whispered, "Where did you buy the ticket? My brother said it's really expensive now."

The play received rave reviews, and it is said that even several leaders specifically requested to see it. As a result, long queues formed at the ticket windows every day, leading to a chain of buying and selling tickets.

Zhou Xiu and himself obviously didn't have time to queue, saying, "There are people at our school who specialize in dumping these."

Luo Yan was startled: "This violates school rules, doesn't it?"

School rules aren't applicable to everyone, Zhou Xiuhe said: "They can make money, though."

Money means different things to different people. Luo Yan herself wouldn't take the risk, but she understands that some people really need it.

She asked curiously, "How much does one copy earn?"

Zhou Xiuhe suddenly felt guilty, looking at her from afar and up close but avoiding her gaze: "I'll say it, but you can't give me money."

Luo Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then it's better if you don't tell me. I'll pretend I don't know."

He even covered his ears while speaking.

"Self-deception and burying one's head in the sand are also cute, aren't they?" Zhou Xiuhe: "Okay, I'm not going to say anything more, I'm going to do my homework."

Luo Yan picked up her pen and started writing, only stopping when it was almost lunchtime, and went to the management office to fill out a book borrowing form.

With so many old books, it wouldn't be appropriate to leave them in the bicycle basket while watching a play, so Luo Yan had no choice but to bring them into the theater.

Zhou Xiuhe, of course, wouldn't let her do the work, saying, "I'll take it."

Luo Yan was a little embarrassed: "It's quite heavy."

Zhou Xiuhe: "It's precisely because it's heavy that I should receive it even more."

Luo Yan didn't refuse anymore, because her brother said that she couldn't accept a man who couldn't take good care of her.

Zhou Xiuhe never imagined that if he hadn't been more perceptive, he would have become an unwanted man.

He was carrying the book and it was a bit inconvenient, so he said, "Yanyan, the ticket is in a hidden compartment in my backpack."

Luo Yan opened his bag and took out the contents from the inner compartment, examining them in his palm because he wasn't sure which one was which.

Zhou Xiuhe had quite a few tickets in his mezzanine; after all, money alone isn't enough when you're traveling.

There was also a family photo mixed in, which didn't look like it was taken recently.

Luo Yan politely asked, "May I see it?"

Zhou Xiuhe: "Of course."

Luo Yan held up the photo and compared it with him repeatedly, asking, "What year is this?"

Zhou Xiuhe: "When I graduated from junior high school."

The family of three had been living apart for many years, and he brought this with him specifically before he came to Beijing to enroll in school.

Luo Yan calculated that it was about five or six years ago, and said, "It's similar to now, but it also seems a bit different."

Zhou Xiuhe: "I was quite short back then."

More striking than his height are his eyes.

Luo Yan gestured in the air: "Your eyes used to be flatter at the corners."

Zhou Xiuhe didn't pay much attention and said affectionately, "You're very observant."

This made Luo Yan blush, and she handed the photo back to him, saying, "I'm going to be late."

They arrived quite early, but the queue to enter was so long that they had to find a seat. In addition, many extra chairs were added for this event, so it took them quite a while to find a good spot to sit down.

Luo Yan was originally sitting on the left, but just before the show was about to start, a middle-aged man came to his right. Before the man even sat down, the smell of smoke wafted over.

She leaned closer and whispered, "Xiuhe, can we switch?"

They were so close, it was as if they were talking right next to Zhou Xiuhe's ear.

He turned his head, and Luo Yan's features came into view in his pupils.

She had curved eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose, and red lips.

In the dim light, Zhou Xiu was distracted.

Luo Yan realized she was too close and poked his arm: "Is it okay?"

Zhou Xiuhe stood up: "Okay."

He forgot he had a book on his lap, and with the slightest movement, it all fell to the floor.

Luo Yan quickly picked them up, checking each one for damage.

Zhou Xiuhe stood by, trying to comfort Luo Yan, who said, "It's okay, nothing's broken."

After the two switched seats, Zhou Xiuhe asked, "Why did you switch?"

Afraid of being overheard by the person involved, Luo Yan pulled him towards her and said, "There's a smell of smoke."

There were too many smokers in the boys' dormitory, so Zhou Weifang wasn't that sensitive about it.

He twitched his nose: "It seems a little."

Luo Yan: "There are a lot."

Zhou Xiuhe thought to himself that he was lucky he didn't smoke, and asked, "Can you still smell it now?"

Luo Yan pouted: "It still exists, but there's nothing we can do about it."

They're not smoking here; they're just absorbing the flavor of tobacco.

Zhou Xiuhe didn't know what to say, so he fanned her with his hand and asked, "How about this?"

If we were to describe what he's doing now, the most appropriate words would be "like a mantis trying to stop a chariot" or "a drop in the ocean."

However, Luo Yan cooperated readily, smiling, "I can't smell it anymore."

Zhou Xiuhe laughed, but then remembered something and pulled a sachet out of his bag: "Smell this."

Luo Yan smelled the fragrance of dried flowers and said, "This doesn't seem like something a boy would carry around."

Zhou Xiuhe: "My mom gave it to me, saying it would keep mosquitoes away, but I still get bitten."

Luo Yan looked at his left cheek, then at his right cheek: "I didn't see any bites."

Zhou Xiuhe: "It was given to me when school started last year, and I've kept it in my bag ever since."

His bag contained all sorts of odds and ends, even his draft paper from last semester.

Luo Yan: "It might only get rid of mosquitoes in Guangzhou. My mom buys mosquito coils every year, they're very effective. I'll bring you some next time."

Zhou Xiuhe had never thought of it from this perspective before, and said, "The mosquitoes in Beijing do seem to really like eating our out-of-town mosquitoes."

The description was a bit funny, and Luo Yan couldn't help but cover her mouth, only revealing her bright, sparkling eyes.

Zhou Xiuhe couldn't resist gently touching her forehead.

Luo Yan's eyes flickered, embarrassed to look at him, so she simply sat up straight and said seriously, "It's about to start."

This play truly lived up to its reputation as a sensation throughout the city. It was so captivating that Luo Yan couldn't focus on anything else, laughing and crying throughout the entire performance.

As soon as her tears fell, Zhou Xiuhe handed her a tissue.

Luo Yan was engrossed in watching, and after taking it, she clutched it tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Zhou Xiuhe had no choice but to do it himself, gently pressing a tissue against her face.

Luo Yan didn't react for a moment, and after a while she turned her face away and looked at him with teary eyes.

Poor thing, why are you crying like this? Zhou Xiuhe was both amused and exasperated: "Wipe it yourself, I'm afraid I'll poke your eyes."

Luo Yan wiped her face haphazardly, then belatedly realized she was a little embarrassed: "It was just too moving."

Yes, yes, yes, Zhou Xiuhe was already close, and now he was practically next to him, saying, "If I wasn't looking at you, I definitely would have cried too."

With so many people around, Luo Yan felt like someone was overhearing her, and her ears turned red. She glanced at him sideways.

If she looked in the mirror, she would know how beautiful she looked with her face flushed and eyes red.

Zhou Xiuhe coughed and quietly took her hand.

Luo Yan was startled. She looked around first, then stared straight ahead, her back stiff, but she didn't pull her hand away.

Zhou Xiuhe's heart was also beating very fast, and he used his bag to block the two people's hands.

For the last ten minutes or so, Luo Yan watched absentmindedly, only moving her fingers when the actors came up to take their bows.

Zhou Xiuhe understood what he meant and let go of his hand.

The two walked out of the theater without saying a word, too embarrassed to look at each other, their eyes wandering away whenever they met.

Zhou Xiuhe spoke first: "Can I take you to Lao Mo?"

Since the whole family knows him anyway, Luo Yan nodded and jumped down the steps in a few steps.

Zhou Xiu looked down and thought that his clothes were decent enough for him, so he followed behind her.

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Author's note: Goodnight~