That won't work.

Two inexplicable messages from Bai Yixia startled Nie Jiayuan, who was far away in Yancheng, and she called him repeatedly via voice and video.

Of course, she couldn't discuss this with Nie Jiayuan in front of her crush, so she quickly sent him a few "I'm fine" messages to dissuade him from the idea.

Zhou Qingchi was unusually focused on driving and didn't like chatting with people, but Bai Yixia still slightly turned her body to make sure he couldn't see her phone screen before she felt comfortable sending messages to Nie Jiayuan.

- Kiss: Little Zhou is picking me up from school today!

-Add one more Yuan: Yes, you go back to your home, and he goes back to his home.

Bai Yixia could imagine Nie Jiayuan rolling her eyes in disgust as she read this message. She smiled and waited for Nie Jiayuan's second message.

-Add one more Yuan: No?

-Add one more thing: He'll pick you up and take you home? Are you already daydreaming? He's not going to class?

- Kiss: He said he came back to see Xiao Yan, afraid he would starve to death.

Nie Jiayuan, who already felt miserable because of having to attend evening classes, felt as if she had been struck by a bitter pill when she saw this message. She swayed in a daze, and her roommate quickly steadied her. "What's wrong, Jiayuan? Are you feeling unwell?"

Nie Jiayuan waved her hand weakly, scrolled through Bai Yixia's message again, and said blankly, "Yes, I feel a little unwell, like I'm dying."

roommate:"?"

Bai Yixia, are you an idiot? He was afraid his brother would starve to death, so he didn't go to pick him up, but went to pick you up instead? Nie Jiayuan deleted this sentence and sent another sentence with a sigh.

-Add one more Yuan: Xiao Yan is lucky to have met a good brother.

Bai Yixia thought about it and realized it was true. Aunt Jiang and Uncle Zhou divorced when Zhou Qingchi was five years old, and Zhou Qingyan was only two. Jiang Yinghua was busy with the divorce proceedings and her own business, so Zhou Qingyan was practically raised by Zhou Qingchi alone.

Thinking about this, Bai Yixia was even more puzzled. Judging from this, Zhou Qingchi's character was definitely not a problem. How could he become a scumbag after going to university?

Bai Yixia sincerely sent this question to Nie Jiayuan, who remained silent for a while before slowly sending a message.

-Add one more Yuan: Xiaxia, sometimes it's not always the guy who breaks up with you; girls can do it too.

-Add one more Yuan: Logically speaking, Zhou's looks and physique are undeniable. As for his character, I'll tentatively consider him a dog, not a human—scum.

-Add one more Yuan: So, there's one more possible reason...

-Add another Yuan: He's no good.

When Bai Yixia caught a glimpse of those three words, she thought there was something wrong with her eyes. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, and when she looked again, Nie Jiayuan had sent a new message, this time with five words.

He's not good at that.

Where is that?

Bai Yixia understood in a second, then abruptly slammed her phone down, her ears turning bright red.

After a few seconds, Bai Yixia glanced at Zhou Qingchi. He didn't know what Bai Yixia was thinking, as he was focused on the road conditions while holding the steering wheel.

Bai Yixia's gaze involuntarily fell on his chest, and she noticed that Zhou Qingchi's shirt had a little bear embroidered on the chest, the bear hugging a honey pot and smiling with its eyes squinted—this was the shirt Bai Yixia had chosen for him when they went out to play together during the summer vacation.

Zhou Qingchi usually dresses in a very simple style. His clothes are usually solid colors or have only a few letters or simple geometric patterns. It is rare to see him wear clothes with cartoon patterns.

He wore the clothes I picked out for him.

This realization made Bai Yixia feel hot all over. She frantically tried to look away, but the more flustered she became, the more inexplicable her actions became. Suddenly, the five words Nie Jiayuan had sent her popped into her mind. Bai Yixia did look away, but her gaze landed on the hem of her shirt.

I don't know if it's the hem of the dress or something else that creates the curve, but it doesn't look small.

Bai Yixia's face turned completely red.

She abruptly looked up as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.

Zhou Qingchi finally noticed her unusual behavior. Taking advantage of the moment the light turned red, he reached out and touched Bai Yixia's face. "Xia, what's wrong? Your face is so hot."

"Is the air conditioning set too high?" Zhou Qingchi withdrew his hand to adjust the car's air conditioning.

Bai Yixia closed her eyes, forced herself to think about the few courses she least wanted to take this semester, and suppressed all the filth in her mind.

Seeing Zhou Qingchi's still slightly worried expression, Bai Yixia replied dryly, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that I got so angry last night when I was playing ranked matches."

"Who's so bad at this that they made you so angry?"

With her mind still a bit blank, Bai Yixia thought for a long time before blurting out a name: "Xiao Yan".

Zhou Qingchi was silent for two seconds, then said in an icy tone, "Well done, Zhou Qingyan, you're already thinking about his game right after the start of the semester. I'll confiscate his phone when we get back."

Bai Yixia apologized to Zhou Qingyan frantically in her heart.

But thanks to Zhou Qingyan, the junk in Bai Yixia's mind was finally cleared away.

When Zhou Qingchi focused on the driveway again, Bai Yixia opened her phone, about to condemn Nie Jiayuan's innocent act of spreading rumors, but saw that she had sent several more messages.

-Add one more Yuan: I was just kidding.

-Add one more Yuan: Where is everyone?

-Add one more Yuan: My Xia, don't tell me you actually went and broke someone's leg...

-Add one more Yuan: Xia Xia?

Bai Yixia took a deep breath and coldly returned her an expression.

- Kiss: [smiling face emoji]

--

Bai Yixia's home is almost two hours away from the school. The two of them happened to encounter the evening rush hour when they left. By the time they got home, it was almost eight o'clock. They were starving, so they couldn't wait to walk home as soon as they parked the car.

Bai Yixia, Zhou Qingchi, and Nie Jiayuan's parents were junior high school classmates, and the group had an exceptionally good relationship. Later, they all got married and bought houses in close proximity. The apartment building had two units per floor; Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingchi lived across from each other, while Nie Jiayuan lived upstairs.

"Mom! I'm home!" As soon as she opened the door, Bai Yixia rushed into her mother's arms and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

Zhou Qingchi chuckled and closed the door, teasingly saying, "Aunt Lin, be careful. Xia said on the way that she was so hungry she wanted to eat people. I'm afraid she'll start eating you in a little while."

Lin Shuyang chuckled and ruffled Bai Yixia's hair, then joked with Zhou Qingchi, "Oh, my sweet baby, it's okay if you take a bite."

The aunt peeked out from the kitchen and laughed, "What are you eating? The food will be heated up soon. Xiaxia and Xiaochi, go wash your hands."

Zhou Qingchi went into the restroom first, while Bai Yixia clung to Lin Shuyang's arm affectionately, saying, "Mommy, Mommy, I missed you so much."

Lin Shuyang smiled and said, "Didn't you just go home last week?"

"I miss you too~" Bai Yixia said sweetly as always.

Lin Shuyang pinched her cheek. "Okay, go wash your hands and eat. Didn't you say you were starving?"

Bai Yixia had originally planned to arrive home on time and have dinner with her family, but unexpectedly, Lu Xi ran into trouble. The dishes at home were reserved for the two of them, and the rising steam brought out the aroma of the food, making their mouths water.

Bai Yixia had only eaten a quick lunch, and by the afternoon, the little food she had eaten was long gone. Zhou Qingchi went straight to the high-speed rail station after his last class, without even having lunch. The two of them were truly starving, and for a moment, the only sound on the table was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Shuyang sat down next to Bai Yixia with a glass of water and asked, "Xiaxia, you texted me this afternoon saying you would be home for dinner on time. What happened that made you late?"

Zhou Qingchi, who was sitting opposite Bai Yixia, stopped eating ribs when he heard this and looked up at her.

Bai Yixia waved her chopsticks near her mouth and said "Oh". "Actually, it's nothing. One of my roommates didn't have her key, so I went back to open the door. Then we chatted for a bit longer," she chuckled, "and we forgot about the time."

Lin Shuyang raised her hand and tapped the tip of her nose from a distance, laughing and scolding, "How old are you?"

Zhou Qingchi remained silent. He and Bai Yixia had grown up together since childhood, spending almost more time together at school than their parents. He could tell at a glance that she wasn't telling the truth. But Bai Yixia, holding her bowl in front of her face, only revealed her round eyes as she looked at him, her brows furrowed in a pleading manner, looking pitiful.

So Zhou Qingchi lowered his eyes and continued gnawing on the ribs, listening to Bai Yixia and Lin Shuyang chat.

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock on Bai Yixia's door. The person knocking was impatient and knocked several times without stopping.

Zhou Qingchi stopped Lin Shuyang, who was about to get up and open the door. He walked to the door, and as soon as the latch was released, the door was pulled open forcefully by the other person. The boy's clear voice burst in, "Sister Xiaxia! I'm out of school. Let's fight this week—brother, brother, brother!"

As soon as Zhou Qingyan opened the door, he saw his older brother standing there, his expression not exactly unpleasant, but rather with a hint of a smile. He silently swallowed and cautiously asked, "Brother, why are you back?"

Zhou Qingchi looked at him thoughtfully, which gave him goosebumps. He then slowly said, "If I don't come back, my brother will turn into an old hen."

After saying that, he turned his head to look at Bai Yixia inside the room and asked, "Xia, does our alma mater offer an animal language course?"

Bai Yixia, who was waiting to see the show, almost choked on her rice when he asked her that question. She took a big gulp of water and then burst into laughter.

Zhou Qingyan rolled his eyes at his brother at the door, speechless, and then worriedly thought: My brother's mouth is so sharp that he could be poisoned if he licked it. Can he really help me find a sister-in-law?

Bai Yixia quickly finished the last few bites of her meal, then waved to Zhou Qingyan, "Xiaoyan, I can't play with you this week."

Zhou Qingyan paused for a moment, then glanced at Zhou Qingchi, and nodded in sudden realization. "It's okay, Sister Xiaxia. My brother is back, so you're going to play with him. I won't bother you." He raised his hand and touched the tip of his nose. "Hehe, just lend me your game console."

His words stunned the two of them. Bai Yixia froze instantly, her eyes not daring to look at Zhou Qingchi even slightly, for fear that Zhou Qingchi would notice something.

Lin Shuyang and her aunt were discussing tomorrow's lunch in the kitchen, and the three of them in the living room suddenly fell silent.

Zhou Qingyan scratched his head in confusion, looked at Bai Yixia's flushed ears, and said, "Is the air conditioning too high? Sister Xiaxia, you look a little hot."

Bai Yixia was at her wit's end. She tugged at Zhou Qingchi's clothes and complained, "Brother Zhou, please take Xiao Yan away! I get angry just thinking about how he made me lose a rank!"

Zhou Qingyan, who hadn't touched a game for a week, slowly typed a few question marks above his head. Before he could even defend himself, Zhou Qingchi's glare sent him back to his original position. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, finally resignedly accepting the blame, "My fault, but I—"

Bai Yixia suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes full of pleading. Zhou Qingyan stammered, "But I think I'm very capable."

Zhou Qingchi replied coolly, "When you were a kid, you also thought you were great at cooking, and then I experienced for the first time the flow of people in the emergency room at three in the morning."

Zhou Qingyan awkwardly shut up and took two steps back. "Never mind, I'm going home now. Brother, will you be back later?"

"I won't reply."

Zhou Qingyan asked in surprise, "So where are you sleeping tonight? Have you booked a hotel?"

Zhou Qingchi couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to look at his younger brother's expression and, upon confirming that he was genuinely confused, his expression went blank. He pointed to the coffee table in front of him and said, "I'll sleep here tonight."

"ah?"

Bai Yixia buried her face in the sofa cushions, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. The redness on her ears had finally faded, but now it was back at the corners of her eyes. She wiped away the tears of laughter, amused, and said to Zhou Qingyan, "Your brother's home, so you don't need to close the door yet."

Zhou Qingyan then realized what a stupid question he had asked, and he refused to say another word, quickly running back to the opposite door.

Zhou Qingchi shook his head helplessly.

"Brother Zhou," Bai Yixia called out.

Zhou Qingchi turned around and saw Bai Yixia sitting cross-legged on the sofa, hugging a plush toy, her cheek rubbing against it, leaving a pinkish tinge. She smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling, and said, "Want to go on a date with me tomorrow?"