Chapter 33 Adopted Brother [VIP]

The body in front of him was still somewhat thin due to his developmental stage, but his broad shoulders and back, with their undulating muscle lines, already hinted at the beginnings of a mature man.

He lay with his back to Qingran, his short, stubble-black hair revealing prominent neck bones, like a lithe beast that had sheathed its sharp teeth and claws, appearing unusually docile.

Qingran leaned over and jumped onto the boy's back. Pei Xuhui bent his knees and stood up steadily. He turned to Fang Qi and said, "We're leaving first."

"I'm coming too!" Fang Qi replied, quickly taking off his shoes, rolling up his trousers, and following the two.

The moment he stepped into the icy, dirty water, and then looked up to see Yu Qingran, who was clean and being carried on his back with her feet not touching the ground, he was immediately filled with indescribable envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Damn it, why are other people's older brothers so considerate, while his only ones are framing him and fighting with him!

The rain hadn't stopped, and outside the classroom, students were moving slowly, some barefoot and some wearing shoes, like a swarm of ants moving house.

The students are all first-year high school students.

Because school leaders believed that students playing and making noise upstairs during breaks would affect learning downstairs, classrooms for higher grades were located on higher floors, and the same applied to dormitory accommodations.

Qingran, perched on Pei Xuhui's back, asked him, "Why did you get down?"

All I could see were students moving upstairs; I didn't see any other students coming down, which meant the teachers hadn't dismissed the get out of class.

Pei Xuhui drawled, "There's no other way, I have to pick up my spoiled, pampered younger brother."

As she spoke, she pinched the back of the leg she was holding, indicating that the delicate girl was right there.

Qingran returned the favor by pinching the tip of his ear: "Speak properly."

"Hiss." His earlobe went numb instantly, as if he'd been electrocuted. Pei Xu reflexively turned his head.

Her fair and delicate face was so close to her neck, her skin so smooth that not a single hair or pore could be seen.

He glanced at him lazily and said, "No manners."

He then explained, "I already told the teacher about the self-study period."

"...You've ruined my reputation again." Qingran said threateningly, her eyes half-closed.

He didn't think he was spoiled; at least half of his reputation for being pampered was created by the person in front of him.

For example, at this moment, he could have easily gone upstairs by himself, but Pei Xuhui took the initiative to carry him.

Pei Xuhui knew him well enough to know better. Upon hearing this, he said, "Aren't you enjoying it quite a bit?"

If she really cared about her reputation, she would have already started a fight with him, instead of obediently clinging to his back.

Sometimes he felt that raising his younger brother was like raising a spoiled cat; he couldn't hit him, he couldn't scold him, he couldn't get close to him, and he couldn't keep his distance.

Qingran... Qingran had nothing to say, because it was the truth.

He withdrew his hand and used his mouth to nibble on the tip of the ear in front of him.

Pei Xu almost missed a step while going up the stairs, which startled him so much that his heart pounded. He hissed, "Don't mess around!"

Feeling the change in her heartbeat, Qingran calmed down and hugged the boy's neck obediently, saying, "I know, brother."

Pei Xu replied: "..."

He strode upstairs, muttering resentfully to himself.

"Do you have to mess with my mindset at this time?"

"Do you know the difference between you and a cat? Cats use their claws to push things, you use your mouth to bite people."

"You usually won't call me when I ask you to, but you're very proactive now."

Qingran gently blew into his ear: "If you think I'm being cheeky, then punish me." She blocked his mouth, preventing him from speaking or biting.

The boy who had been muttering to himself suddenly fell silent.

Then I heard a voice in my ear say, "Cover my mouth with your hand, then I won't be able to do anything silly?"

Pei Xuhui's ears felt hot, but his slightly tense mood relaxed.

He was unaware of this subtle emotional shift deep within himself, only feeling that Qingran was provoking him again.

"You know my hands are full, yet you still tell me to use my hands? Who am I to make my hands full?"

He clicked his tongue: "Just wait and see if I don't teach you a lesson when I go upstairs."

The senior high school classrooms are on the fifth floor, and some students stop on the second or third floor.

Pei Xuhui carried the person directly to the classroom of Class 1, Grade 12 on the fifth floor.

He put the person off his back, turned around, crossed his arms, and raised his chin: "Come on, say thank you, brother."

Qingran tilted her head, blinked, then straightened her wrinkled clothes and walked to the fence to watch the rain.

This is a perfect example of how actions can convey the message: I don't understand what you're saying.

Pei Xuhui's brow twitched slightly at Qing Ran's stubbornness, and he reached out to grab the back of Qing Ran's neck, pulling her closer and laughing as he scolded, "You brat."

What's the difference between this stubbornness and a cat?

He pretends not to understand when you tease him, but if you really ignore him, he slowly sticks out the tip of his tail to provoke you again.

Qingran replied slowly, "Don't you know best whether I stink or not?"

Pei Xuhui was speechless.

Gradually, other students also came up from the fifth floor, sparsely filling the corridor.

The math teacher called to Pei Xuhui from the doorway, "Hurry up and come in. Your little brother won't get lost in a short while. Don't crowd the hallway."

Pei Xu then withdrew his hand and said to Qing Ran, "Then I'll go into the classroom first. Call me if you need anything. I'll be sitting by the window."

Seeing Qingran nod, the boy returned to his seat in the classroom and frowned uncomfortably as he felt his wet trousers and shoes.

Suddenly remembering something, he reached out and touched his bitten earlobe, bringing it to his nose, and then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

It really does smell like jasmine.

*

It started raining around 2 p.m. and didn't completely stop until after 5 p.m.

At this point, the water level on the ground had risen to above an adult's knees.

Considering the safety of day students traveling to and from school, and the fact that the classrooms on the first floor cannot be used for a short period of time.

The school has decided that there will be no classes for the rest of today. Students who have parents to pick them up can leave school and go home, while boarding students who do not have parents to pick them up should go back to their dormitories.

As soon as the arrangements were announced, all the students in the school transformed into monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain, letting out incomprehensible "ooh ooh ooh" roars.

Full of energy, jumping around, he was nothing like the listless, lifeless person he was in class.

Pei Xuhui and Qing Ran are boarding students.

Although their home is in Qing City, their parents are either too busy with work to take care of them or too old to do so. Rather than wasting time on the road by driving them to and from school, the two of them prefer to live at school.

The water level on the ground is much deeper now than when I went upstairs.

Upon hearing the news, the person who had been pretending not to see it seemed to have finally regained their sight and stood in front of them with an innocent expression.

Pei Xu shook his head and chuckled, turning his back and saying, "You always pretend to be well-behaved in front of me."

He Anzhou, who was also a boarding student, saw this scene and remained silent for a moment, puzzled: "Wait, the water didn't reach the fifth floor, did it? Why don't you two go downstairs and carry it again?"

Pei Xu paused for a moment, then said, "The stairwell isn't that wide. If it gets blocked, it will be inconvenient for people to go downstairs."

He Anzhou thought about it and agreed, convincing himself to accept the reason.

The three of them blended into the crowd coming downstairs.

At this moment, Qingran leaned close to Pei Xuhui's ear and whispered, "You're such a hypocrite." He clearly forgot.

As soon as he finished speaking, his buttocks were pinched in embarrassment and annoyance.

He scoffed, "Does it feel good?"

The boy gave her a low, menacing warning: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you off the fifth floor!"

"What are you two whispering about? Is there anything my esteemed deskmate can't hear?" He Anzhou said casually as he walked downstairs, looking at the floodwaters outside: "For my own selfish reasons, I hope the floodwaters will hold out until at least the day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow is Saturday, and the day after Saturday is Sunday, so they can have several days off.

"However, for the sake of the public good, it's best to step down sooner rather than later."

The dormitory building and the teaching building are separated by a playground and a canteen.

The group, some holding umbrellas and others wearing school uniform jackets to shield themselves from the rain, finally made it to the dormitory building, only to find that the ground floor of the dormitory was also flooded.

Not much, just about a fist's height above the steps.

The dormitories for first-year high school students are on the first and second floors. Unfortunately, Qingran is on the first floor.

Upon seeing this, Pei Xu carried the person back to his dormitory, put him down and said, "Stay in my dormitory for now, and go back when the water recedes."

This wasn't Qingran's first time visiting Pei Xuhui's dormitory; she had even become familiar with his roommates, such as He Anzhou.

In the small four-person room, the neatest and cleanest bed was Pei Xuhui's, with a thin blanket folded on the pillow and the sheets neatly folded.

Nodding familiarly, she sat down on the bed and saw the boy walk towards the balcony.

Qingran: "Where are you going?"

Pei Xu replied with two words: "Fetch water."

I poured out all the remaining hot water from the thermos into a plastic basin and carried the empty thermos back indoors.

"There's hot water in the basin, take a bath first. Your clothes are in the closet, take whichever one you want to wear."

After giving my instructions, I left the dormitory with my roommates.

His roommates winked and teased him, "Class monitor, you're the only one who spoils his little wife like this."

Pei Xuhui smiled and raised his eyebrows, full of confidence: "What, are you envious of our deep brotherhood?"

He and Qingran are closer than brothers, so what's wrong with them having a good relationship?

Because of the increased demand for bathing, there were many more people fetching water today, and Pei Xuhui and his group waited in line for one or two hours before it was their turn.

After finishing his work and carrying the kettle back to the dormitory, Qingran, who had already showered, was standing in front of the table looking at his notes.

The boy was slender and thin. The clothes that fit him well looked loose on him, making him look like he had stolen an adult's clothes, which made him look pitiful.

The other person immediately noticed the commotion, turned around, and smiled slightly.

Her skin, saturated with moisture, was as white and smooth as porcelain. Her delicate eyebrows, bright eyes, nose, and lips were outlined on the porcelain surface with fine brushstrokes. The color scheme was clearly like that of a traditional Chinese ink painting, yet it gave people a breathtaking beauty that was as rich and vibrant as ink.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qingran looked down at herself with a puzzled expression.

Pei Xuhui's Adam's apple bobbed as he turned his gaze away: "I'm going out again."

He went to the balcony to put down the kettle and then left without looking back.

Qingran asked his roommates, "What's he doing out there?"

He Anzhou thought for a moment and said, "The water downstairs has receded a bit. I saw that people on the first floor are cleaning. They're probably helping you with your big clean-up?"

Having seen similar trivial matters so many times, my roommates were used to it and didn't even bother to look up.

They argued fiercely about who should be the first to go into the bathroom to shower!

Qingran thanked He Anzhou and left.

When we got down to the first floor, we saw that the water had indeed receded to the bottom of the steps, and many students were busy cleaning up their accommodations for the night.

Qingran walked straight to the end of her dormitory and, as expected, saw Pei Xuhui mopping the floor behind the door.

Upon seeing him, the boy and the others said something, put down their mops, and came outside, looking more like the owners of the dormitory than he did.

"What's wrong?" Pei Xu asked, thinking something was wrong.

It was getting dark as seven o'clock approached, and the dormitory building was shrouded in darkness before the power was turned on.

A banner hung from the second floor overhead, and on the outside was a tall billboard for filling out power supply schedules and duty rosters.

With both sides blocking the view, the already cramped space appears even darker and more confined.

The two of them squeezed into this small area that seemed isolated from the world.

A note from the author:

Thanks for watering! *kissing*

Reader "Puppy eats in a bowl", watered with nutrient solution +5

Reader "25878745" irrigated with nutrient solution +4