Chapter 17 The Secret: "Can I keep liking him?"...

Qiao Yunzheng recalled the first time she met Wen Hong. He was wearing a denim jacket adorned with jingling ornaments. He had dyed his hair chestnut brown, wore metal earrings that shone with a cold white light, and stood under the spotlight with a guitar in his arms. He was the kind of "restless young man" that the elders in the small town talked about at that time.

Yet, it was precisely this kind of person who easily caught Qiao Yunzheng's eye.

As Qiao Yunzheng thought this, she glanced at his earlobe. There was only a very small ear piercing left, almost unnoticeable if you weren't paying attention.

She felt a strange sense of regret, as if a rare treasure had its brilliance hidden.

Wen Hong also noticed her gaze and raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"

Qiao Yunzheng gently turned her gaze away: "I just think that Miaomiao looks pretty like this. You were like that back then too."

Encouraged, Wen Miao immediately perked up, nodding at Wen Hong and saying, "Beautiful!"

Wen Hong chuckled softly: "Beautiful?"

It's unclear whether the question was directed at Wen Miao or Qiao Yunzheng.

It was already 3 a.m., with only a few hours left until dawn.

Because Wen Hong suddenly returned, Qiao Yunzheng hesitated for a long time before deciding to make do with Wen Miao in the second bedroom. When she made this suggestion, Wen Hong didn't say much, but just gave Wen Miao a meaningful glance.

Perhaps because of Wen Miao's sudden visit, Qiao Yunzheng felt that the relationship between Wen Hong and her had eased a lot in the past few days, unlike before when Wen Hong would always haughtily criticize her at inappropriate times.

Qiao Yunzheng was very content, so one afternoon she chatted with Wen Miao: "Your brother treats you very well!"

Wen Miao looked up in alarm as if she had heard a ghost story: "Sister-in-law, are you not getting enough rest? Otherwise, why would you be having such hallucinations?"

Qiao Yunzheng was surprised by her answer, but the truth was that Wen Hong had become much gentler after Wen Miao arrived. She simply took it as their way of bickering as a way of getting along, and shook her head with a smile.

Wen Miao blinked her bright, sparkling eyes and looked at her expectantly: "My brother has been nice to me these past few days! Maybe it's because he can't lash out in front of you, sister-in-law." As she spoke, she leaned closer and whispered, "You have no idea how arrogant he usually is!"

Qiao Yunzheng's eyes crinkled with laughter. Receiving official confirmation from her younger sister gave her a sense of belonging, like finding an organization.

“However, my brother is a really good person,” Wen Miao began to defend her brother again, “Although he often scolds me and sometimes doesn’t like to talk to people, the red envelopes he gives me are incredibly generous, more than what my mom gives me. And when I need something, he’s always the first one to arrive…”

This is how many siblings get along, Qiao Yunzheng chimed in: "That's pretty good."

Qiao Yunzheng listened attentively with a smile in her eyes. She really enjoyed these heartwarming little things that were full of everyday life.

Unexpectedly, as I listened, my eyes widened involuntarily.

Wen Miao said, "Yeah! That's why I love my brother so much. Even though we weren't born to the same mother, he's still my biological brother."

"Not...the same mother?" Qiao Yunzheng knew roughly what Wen Hong's family background was based on what was reported in the newspapers, and this was the first time she had learned of this secret.

Wen Miao: "Yes! Sister-in-law, don't you know? My mother was my father's second wife, and my brother's mother passed away when he was very young... So... he actually didn't like me at first."

Seeing Wen Miao lower her head, Qiao Yunzheng felt a little sorry for her. She patted the top of her head and comforted the little girl, "This is an adult matter, it has nothing to do with Miao Miao."

Wen Miao shook her head: "It's related. I heard my mother say that when my father married her, my brother's mother had only passed away a few months earlier, so my brother doesn't like my father, nor does he like my mother or me."

"So...that's how it is..." Qiao Yunzheng lowered her eyelashes, her heart aching because of this unknown story.

Wen Miao sat up a little straighter and comforted Qiao Yunzheng instead: "But sister-in-law, you don't need to worry. Although my brother is pitiful, he still has me as his sister! My brother doesn't like me, so I cling to him every day and he can't get rid of me. So when I was very young, whenever my brother came back to Kuncheng, I would stick to him all the time," Wen Miao's eyes shone brightly, "and later, I won him over!"

As she spoke, Wen Miao seemed to realize that she had said a lot of things that were not very favorable to Wen Hong. She secretly glanced at Qiao Yunzheng and said, "Sister-in-law, although my brother has a bad temper, he is a really good person." She bit her lower lip, her voice unusually cautious. "So, sister-in-law, can you not abandon him? Can you continue to like him?"

Qiao Yunzheng couldn't directly tell this naive girl about her agreement with Wen Hong, so she could only subtly hint at it: "How can you be so sure that I'll be the one who loses him, and not the other way around?"

Wen Miao shook her head firmly: "No, brother won't."

Qiao Yunzheng took it as a child's simple stubbornness and went along with her, saying, "Okay, then I promise you, as long as he... I promise you I won't lose him before he loses me, is that alright?"

In any case, after the contract ends, the first person to leave will definitely be Wen Hong.

Wen Miao didn't stay in Shencheng for more than a few days. Before the short holiday was over, Wen Hong put her on the high-speed train back to school.

Qiao Yunzheng was a little reluctant to part with this innocent and carefree girl. She watched her pass through the turnstile with many turns back before reluctantly turning her gaze away.

Wen Hong glanced at her a few times and teased her, "Anyone who didn't know better would think that was your sister!"

Qiao Yunzheng sighed softly: "Why didn't you let Miaomiao stay a few more days?"

Wen Hong took her wrist and led her away against the flow of people: "Why waste so much time on her? We have very important things to do."

Qiao Yunzheng asked suspiciously, "What?"

Wen Hong gently tapped her head: "Go to Jiangcheng."

Qiao Yunzheng suddenly realized that their engagement day was approaching. But then she wondered, "Shouldn't we keep Miaomiao at the engagement banquet?"

Wen Hong shook her head: "There's no need."

When the day came, Qiao Yunzheng finally understood what Wen Hong meant by "unnecessary".

When she and Wen Hong landed in Jiangcheng, they had nothing but a suitcase with them, no one else, and nothing else.

Qiao Yunzheng stared in disbelief, pointing at Wen Hong, then at herself, her face filled with disbelief: "Just the two of us?"

"Otherwise what?" Wen Hong shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact. "We're engaged, not some stranger."

Qiao Yunzheng silently rolled her eyes: "Then why don't you send out invitations in a big way?"

Wen Hong said with a proud expression, "Announcing it to the world."

Therefore, this "please" is not the "please" in the sense of inviting someone to a meal, but the "please" in the sense of "please be aware".

Qiao Yunzheng once again redefined Wen Hong's level of shamelessness in her mind.

Spring is passing and summer has not yet arrived.

The paulownia flowers have faded, but a faint, sweet scent lingers in the air.

Qiao Yunzheng has not been here since her father passed away.

In five years, Qiao Yunzheng shed her former spoiled nature and became the one who sheltered the Qiao family, while Wen Hong also shed her youthful arrogance and started wearing proper shirts and suits.

But Luyao Town doesn't seem to have changed much.

Time seems to have paused here, preserving the clear night, the sweet breeze, and the youthful memories intact, scattering them into the time five years later.

The paulownia tree in that small courtyard is still lush and green, and the area in front of the door is still kept clean.

Qiao Yunzheng glanced at the Qiao family's small villa, her gaze lingering for a moment on the locked gate, before Wen Hong led her into the courtyard with the paulownia trees.

A rattan chair was set up under the tree, and an old woman with a full head of white hair sat under the tree. An open book covered her face, so Qiao Yunzheng could not see her face.

Wen Hong held her hand the whole time and tiptoed to the wicker chair.

I carefully picked up the book.

Only on this old man's face could Qiao Yunzheng see the marks of time.

The old man sensed the movement and slowly opened his eyes.

His cloudy eyes brightened when they fixed their gaze on Wen Hong's face: "Goodness!"

Wen Hong smiled obediently and pulled Qiao Yunzheng forward a little: "Grandma, Azheng and I have come back to see you."

Author's note: Thanks to "National Mental Hospital" Baozi for the landmine!

Thank you to "Sunshine", "Xiaochen, C", and "National Mental Hospital" for the nutrient solution! Glug glug~burp~ Love you all!

My sleep schedule is getting increasingly chaotic, and I feel a deep sense of powerlessness.