Chapter 61 Research Meeting 14 "Then I'll have to trouble you today, Brother Xinrong..."

As Chu Xingjin walked out with the "Five Elements Sword Dao" manual, he was still seen off all the way.

He was somewhat taken aback, because he did not leave immediately after borrowing the books, but instead wandered around the library and borrowed all the books that interested him before leaving.

It wasn't that he didn't want others to know he had borrowed things; he just needed to read more books.

Chu Xingjin turned around to look at the others, meeting their gazes.

Good heavens, an extra huge stone slab has appeared in front of the library at some point, densely covered with the names of the various books provided by Xie Jiaoyue, as well as the remaining quantity of the basic spiritual materials provided.

That's not all; each book even has the name of the current borrower listed at the back.

Doesn't that mean that everyone knew about him the moment he borrowed the book "The Five Elements Sword Dao"?

He didn't understand why everyone around them was praising their love. If they really loved him, couldn't they give it to him in private?

bother.

He squeezed through the crowd with a long face, which puzzled many people.

For example, Xin Rong, who came to help.

As the senior disciple, Xin Rong was not as cautious as his peers, who dared not offend Chu Xingjin.

He fulfilled his role as the senior disciple and caught Chu Xingjin outside the crowd.

Despite his arrogance, Chu Xingjin, mindful of societal norms, eventually learned the importance of respecting his teacher and showed Xin Rong a somewhat informal bow.

He remembered that this person seemed to admire Xie Jiaoyue, and asked rather unenthusiastically, "Senior Brother Xinrong, what brings you here?"

Xin Rong asked the question she had always wanted to ask: "Chu Xingjin, why do you always act like Xie Jiaoyue owes you something when you're with her?"

For Xin Rong, this was an answer that didn't need an answer. Before he even got a reply, he continued to teach: "You're still young, so you may not understand. It's not as easy as you imagine to meet someone you truly love and who reciprocates your feelings. You should cherish it and repay them with a sincere heart, instead of using the resources Xie Jiaoyue provides while always finding fault with her. If you do that, you'll ruin your relationship sooner or later."

He was a talkative and lively person, much like Xie Jiaoyue's cousin Xie Xinghui. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop and offered a long speech of advice.

Chu Xingjin had no patience to listen carefully and simply replied, "We have a marriage contract as witness, how could our fate be broken? Besides, Senior Brother Xinrong, how Xie Jiaoyue and I get along is none of your business."

Xin Rong pursed his lips. How could they be unrelated? He and Xie Jiaoyue...

Oh right, he's Xie Jiaoyue's teammate's older brother. It's only natural for a teammate to care about his younger sister. Providing her with a good research environment and ensuring that Xie Jiaoyue's mindset isn't affected is his responsibility.

“I am your senior brother. My sister and Jiaoyue are close, so it is only natural for me to treat Xie Jiaoyue as my sister and care about her.”

If they're siblings, then they're siblings; if they're not, then they're not. What does "being a younger sister" even mean?

I know exactly what I'm thinking.

For the first time, Chu Xingjin looked up and faced Xin Rong directly.

He had always been arrogant, especially towards men who couldn't be his underlings. He hadn't really observed Xin Rong before, but now, after a closer look, he realized she was far inferior to him.

This person is not as tall as him, probably about two centimeters shorter. As a fellow sword cultivator, his talent is not as good as his, and his muscles do not look as solid. Apart from his family background, he can be said to have no merits.

What does family background matter? Although the Chu family has declined, he may well be the one to revive it.

He is far more capable than those who rely on the protection of their families.

"Senior brother, it's not a good habit to use the guise of brother and sister to covet other people's fiancées."

Xin Rong's eyebrows furrowed inwards. When did he ever covet someone else's fiancée? Does his admiration for Xie Jiaoyue and his concern for his junior sister necessarily mean romantic love?

What's wrong with this person? Does seeing a man make them think he's their competitor?

And what's with that confident attitude of 'You can pursue her however you want, Xie Jiaoyue will never be moved'? He clearly performed so poorly, so who gave Chu Xingjin that confidence?

However, he doesn't seem to need to deny it.

Xin Rong's eyes darted around, and she immediately accepted Chu Xingjin's guess: "You two are just engaged, not married. Since you are so indifferent and heartless towards Xie Jiaoyue, why can't you try for others?"

He mimicked Chu Xingjin's condescending tone: "Chu Xingjin, you don't really think you have the upper hand between you and Xie Jiaoyue, do you? Think about it carefully, if it weren't for Xie Jiaoyue, how could you have achieved everything you have now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he mentally gave himself a thumbs up. His expression and tone were absolutely perfect.

With just a few simple words, Chu Xingjin's expression changed. He really is a capable senior brother.

I believe that after Chu Xingjin understands what he said, he will definitely treat Xie Jiaoyue better in the future.

After Chu Xingjin left, Xin Rong happily continued to help out at the library. He cleverly slipped in through the back door, avoiding the crowd, and quickly reached Commander Guo's side. He took the jade slip from Commander Guo's hand and began to help with the disciples' borrowing matters.

He was multitasking: "Commander Guo, where is Junior Sister Jiaoyue?"

Jiaoyue is his most favored junior sister; just looking at her makes him feel better.

Commander Guo glanced back and said, "She's over there. I'm known for being considerate, how can I let her get involved? She should focus her attention on the research conference."

Xin Rong nudged Commander Guo with her elbow resentfully: "Just because Junior Sister Jiaoyue is delicate doesn't mean I can use her however I want, right?"

"Don't complain. Didn't I help you when you participated in the academic conference back then?"

Xin Rong grinned and tried to play the victim with Commander Guo, but her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Xie Jiaoyue.

Junior Sister Xie Jiaoyue is good in every way, except that she got engaged at a young age. Otherwise, she would have become the dream goddess of countless young men.

He might have been moved, but unfortunately, he understood Xie Jiaoyue too late.

Xin Rong and Commander Guo were busy until evening before they finally finished dealing with all the disciples.

After that, he only needed to come for half an hour each day to handle the work. Xin Rong and the other disciples shared the workload, so the intensity and pressure were not too great.

He rubbed his neck, then his gaze fell on Xie Jiaoyue, who was still there, holding a book and standing gracefully.

Xin Rong, with droopy eyes like a pitiful big dog, approached Xie Jiaoyue and said, "Junior Sister Jiaoyue, I didn't expect there to be so many disciples. You must be exhausted today."

He rubbed his neck and arms as he spoke, and occasionally stretched his legs, fully demonstrating his exhaustion through his physical actions.

Xie Jiaoyue had a good impression of Xin Rong, who was the older brother of her precious teammate. Although the relationship between the two siblings was quite delicate, they seemed to be a loving pair of siblings, and she was willing to give her friend's brother a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Senior Brother Xinrong."

Xin Rong said with a grin, "Calling me 'Senior Brother' is too formal."

Xie Jiaoyue smiled and said, "Doesn't Senior Brother Xinrong also call me Junior Sister?"

"Alright, from now on I'll just call you Jiaoyue, and you can just call me Brother Xinrong or Brother Rong, okay?"

This man is Xin Xiuying's brother. Xie Jiaoyue thought about it and realized that it wouldn't be a problem for her to address him the same way Xin Xiuying addressed him.

"Brother Xinrong".

Xin Rong was overjoyed by this call. Although he had a younger sister, she was always finding fault with him and rarely called him "brother." Today, he finally experienced the joy of being called "brother" by a little girl.

That feels so good.

Xie Jiaoyue called out again, "Brother Xinrong, you've worked really hard today, why don't you go back and rest early?"

Xin Rong countered, "And what about you? Aren't you going back?"

Xie Jiaoyue said, "There are some things I want to buy, and I plan to go to Jinling City for a stroll."

Although Xin Rong was tired, he wasn't that tired. He didn't want to go back so early, so he thought he might as well go shopping with his newly adopted sister: "How about I go with you? You rarely go shopping in the city, so you're probably not that familiar with it. I'm different. I love to stroll around and I'm very familiar with Jinling City. Taking me along will definitely make things much easier."

Xie Jiaoyue hesitated. She wasn't someone who would panic because of other people's good intentions, but she had already troubled Xin Rong Ge a lot today.

Xin Rong was very understanding: "I've been standing there all day, and my limbs are numb. If I don't move around a bit, I'm afraid I'll become a stiff corpse tomorrow and won't be able to be your lively senior brother anymore. So let me help you stretch your muscles and bones so that I can be your senior brother for a couple more years."

With things said to this extent, how could Xie Jiaoyue possibly refuse?

This brother and sister are really interesting. The sister has a serious and dignified manner when she speaks, as if she doesn't know how to talk much, while the brother's mouth is like a trumpet flower, he talks non-stop every day, but somehow it doesn't make people feel annoyed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you today, Brother Xinrong."

Xin Rong patted her chest and said, "Leave it to me, shall we go?"

Jinling City remains unchanged. No matter who comes or what achievements that person may make in the future, it remains the same, dignified and peaceful. People stroll along the streets in groups or in twos and threes, enjoying the gentle light of the setting sun.

The sun, not yet set, hung in the sky. It seemed to have rained during the day, as many clouds still lingered in the sky. Sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, refracting a blush like that of a young girl's cheeks.

The light filtering through the clouds shone on Xie Jiaoyue beside Xin Rong. Xin Rong turned her head to look, and the evening light seemed to have a faint golden hue, gilding Xie Jiaoyue's not-so-soft hair with a golden glow.

He looked closely at Xie Jiaoyue's hair for the first time. Her long hair was thick, and perhaps because of this, it was not obedient and refused to fall down smoothly. Instead, it formed big waves on its own, winding and trailing behind Xie Jiaoyue. Under the sunlight, it looked like a golden wave as Xie Jiaoyue moved.

Wave after wave, ripple after ripple, stirring the hearts of others.

Xin Rong quickly steadied herself and gave Xie Jiaoyue a thumbs up: "As expected of the junior sister whom both I and Commander Guo have our eye on, even her hair is so outstanding."

The playful tone seemed to dispel the subtle ambiguity in the air.

Author's Note: Xin Rong: A fan of Xie Jiaoyue.