Chapter 10
Yu Li injured her hand, which made her movements a bit slower when playing games.
Seeing this, Yan Sui said that they were done playing and told Yu Li to go back to her room to rest early.
Yu Li put down the controller, walked to the door of the game room, and heard Yan Sui say something else:
"Little Fish, if you're not happy living here, remember to tell me."
Yu Li was taken aback and turned to look at Yan Sui.
The other person frowned, a hint of worry in their sincere eyes.
Yu Li smiled and nodded: "Okay, I know."
Back in her room, Yu Li thought back and guessed that Yan Sui must have overheard him addressing Yan Shiting at the kitchen door.
Even without hearing that unfamiliar address, his awkward behavior in front of Yan Shiting spoke volumes.
The reason for this was that he was afraid of Yan Shiting.
He was afraid of Yan Shiting for two reasons: first, because of his warning, and second, because of what happened that night.
Yu Li sighed softly and pulled the blanket over her face.
It seems he needs to muster the courage to solve this problem.
＊
The next day was Saturday.
After Yan Sui left, Yu Li slipped into the kitchen and made a fruit platter.
He injured his index finger, so he was extra careful when peeling and cutting the platter, and it took quite a while to finish making one platter.
After finishing, he carried the fruit platter and tiptoed into the garden.
A parasol was set up by the small lake in the garden, and under the parasol, a fishing rod was placed on the side. Yan Shiting was sitting in a recliner reading a book.
Yu Li walked over to him and saw that the book cover had the word "computer" in English.
He glanced at it, then looked away and placed the fruit platter on the table.
Yan Shiting paused in his reading.
Without looking up, he asked coldly, "Didn't you go out with Yan Sui?"
Yu Li was so nervous that she forgot her prepared opening line and could only answer dryly, "He went out on a date with Miss Xu."
Yan Shiting hummed in agreement, put down the book, and turned his gaze to the fruit platter.
Just like the last time I brought him food, several kinds of fruit were carved into the shapes of flowers and small animals.
Yan Shiting glanced at it, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Yu Li was somewhat uneasy.
The day after the meal was delivered, Butler He told him that Yan Shiting had finished the fruit platter and the cookies.
It seems he doesn't dislike it, so he chose to make a fruit platter again this time.
But Yan Shiting's current behavior left Yu Li somewhat bewildered.
He was hesitating about how to state his purpose when he heard Yan Shiting speak: "You've gone to the trouble of doing this with your injured hand, is there something you want to say?"
Yu Li paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
Last time I made a fruit platter and served it as a thank you, this time it's just so I can talk to Yan Shiting more naturally.
Yu Li looked around and then moved two stones together to use as a stool.
He sat down, looked at the rippling lake, and said, "Yesterday Yan Sui said that if I'm unhappy living here, I must tell him."
Yan Shiting looked at him and asked, "Then aren't you happy?"
Yu Li shook her head: "No, but I'm a little worried."
He paused, his hands nervously clasped together. "Yan Sui told me that you asked him to screen his friends. I've always wanted to ask, in your heart, am I one of the friends he's screened out?"
Yu Li had her own reasons for choosing to ask this question.
Yan Shiting said these words to Yan Sui after the party that night.
If Yan Shiting still remembers what happened that night, he should react when he hears him mention this.
However, he did have this question. He had once developed feelings for Yan Sui that he shouldn't have, and he wondered if Yan Shiting would think he was no longer suitable to be Yan Sui's friend.
After Yu Li finished speaking, she turned to look at Yan Shiting's expression.
Yan Shiting was staring at the lake. Upon hearing his words, he simply said in a deep voice, "Yu Li."
“You have helped Yan Sui with his studies many times, and you have not led him astray or hurt him. In these respects alone, no one among his friends is better than you.”
"Besides, you saved his life."
Yu Li knew which matter Yan Shiting was referring to.
Two years ago, during a spring outing, Yan Sui accidentally fell down a hillside. It was raining heavily at the time, and Yu Li was worried about a landslide, so she risked her life to slide down the hillside and bring Yan Sui back up.
Not long after he brought Yan Sui up there, a landslide occurred on the hillside. If the rescue of Yan Sui had been delayed any longer, Yan Sui would have been buried underneath.
I didn't expect Yan Shiting to still remember this.
Yu Li turned to look at her hands. "So, I'm not someone who should be eliminated."
Yan Shiting: "Mm."
Yu Li breathed a long sigh of relief.
The moment he received Yan Shiting's affirmation, his nose tingled with emotion, but he felt relieved and happy.
"There's something else I want to tell you." Yu Li took a deep breath and said, "Although I liked Yan Sui, I never thought about being with him. My thought has always been that it's good to be friends with him."
"Now that he has someone he really likes, I will put aside my feelings and just be his friend, just like before."
Yan Shiting silently turned his head to look at him.
As Yu Li spoke, a relieved smile appeared on her lips, her tone devoid of any resentment or sadness.
It turned out that Yu Li had always been aware of this without his reminder.
He had been worrying too much before.
Yan Shiting slowly curled up his hand on his lap.
He reached out and poured a cup of tea, placing it near Yu Li.
Yu Li smiled, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Among the people he knew, only Yan Shiting knew that he liked Yan Sui.
So now, the only person who can listen to him talk about these things is Yan Shiting, who has "warned" him several times.
Yu Li turned her head and looked at the cup of tea in front of her.
The tea soup was thick and steaming slightly.
Yu Li took a sip of water, ate some fruit, and pushed the fruit platter towards Yan Shiting, saying, "Brother Yan, have some fruit."
Since Yan Shiting didn't react to what happened that night, it means he doesn't remember it.
That way, he can be more natural when facing him.
Upon hearing Yu Li's address, Yan Shiting paused, his hand still holding the teacup.
He looked at Yu Li and saw her little face wrinkled from the sourness of the kiwi.
Yan Shiting silently looked away and ate a rabbit-shaped apple.
He asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"
Yu Li looked at her bandaged index finger. "It doesn't hurt."
He turned to look at the scenery by the lake and suddenly noticed that the buoy in the center of the lake seemed to move and then sink.
Yu Li's eyes lit up: "Fish! Has the fish taken the bait?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the float gently rose again.
Yu Li said with some regret, "They ran away?"
He paused for a moment after saying that.
Is it a bit cruel to say this to a fisherman?
Yu Li looked at Yan Shiting, who hadn't moved an inch, and asked hesitantly, "Did I scare him away?"
Yan Shiting put down his teacup: "No."
He said calmly, "Just wait for the next one."
Yu Li nodded, took the fish food and ran to the side to bait the spot, hoping to help Yan Shiting catch fish.
However, by lunchtime, Yan Shiting still hadn't caught a single fish.
But in fact, the float moved several times during this period, but Yan Shiting had no intention of lifting the rod at all, and continued to sit there drinking tea and reading books.
Finally, Yu Li understood.
Yan Shiting didn't come to fish; he came to feed the fish.
...
In mid-August, Grandma Yan's 80th birthday arrived.
Yan Sui took Xu Changke and Yu Li to celebrate his grandmother's birthday.
Grandma Yan lives in an ancient town in Y City, in a house with a courtyard. According to Yan Sui, it was the ancestral home of Grandpa Yan. Originally, it wasn't very big, but later, as the Yan family prospered, they bought the houses of the two neighboring houses and expanded it, making the ancestral home much larger.
The old man's 80th birthday is an important day, and those who have a good relationship with the Yan family have all received invitations.
Even those who have no connection with me will still send congratulatory gifts.
Therefore, there were many vehicles on the way to the ancestral home, and Yu Li and the others were stuck in traffic for quite a while before they arrived.
As soon as the car stopped in front of the ancestral home, Grandma Yan's eyes crinkled with laughter as she walked out, leaning on her cane, "Oh my, my precious grandson is here."
There were already quite a few guests in the courtyard, and they all looked towards the entrance upon hearing this.
Upon seeing that it was Yan Sui who got off the car, many people withdrew their gaze with little interest.
"Grandma!" Yan Sui waved and ran quickly to his grandmother.
Happy birthday, Grandma! May you live a long and healthy life, and enjoy boundless happiness...
Yan Sui rattled off dozens of congratulatory remarks in one breath, making Grandma Yan laugh non-stop.
"Alright, alright, I know you prepared diligently."
Her gaze fell on Yu Li and Xu Changke behind her, and she asked, "Whose children are these?"
Yan Sui turned around and introduced, "Grandma, this is my good friend, Yu Li."
Yu Li stepped forward and handed over the gift she had prepared, saying, "Happy birthday, Grandma! I wish you good health, a long and prosperous life."
Yan Sui looked at Xu Changke again, blushed, and said, "Grandma, this, this is my girlfriend, Xu Changke."
Xu Changke blushed as she presented the gift and offered her congratulations.
Grandma Yan looked at it, and her smile deepened: "Good, good, not bad."
Although it wasn't a formal meeting with the parents today, seeing Grandma Yan's reaction, Yan Sui and Xu Changke couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Yu Li watched the two of them move in unison, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
Xu Changke also had things to do at home today, so after delivering the gifts and talking to Grandma Yan for a while, he left.
Yu Li followed Yan Sui and Grandma Yan into the house.
Grandma Yan held Yan Sui's hand and said earnestly, "Sui, you'll be twenty-two after your birthday this year. Have you thought about doing something at the company?"
Yan Sui touched the tip of his nose. "Grandma, you know I don't like managing a company."
Grandma Yan clicked her tongue, clearly dissatisfied: "Your brother joined the company at eighteen, how could you lose to him?"
Yan Sui remained silent and did not express his opinion.
Grandma Yan continued, "If you don't join the company, then the Yan family business will be entirely controlled by your brother, won't it?"
Yu Li felt increasingly uneasy as she listened.
Why should brothers talk about who lost to whom?
Grandma Yan's words sounded like she was trying to sow discord.
Yan Sui smiled awkwardly, took an orange, and squeezed it in his hand.
"Grandma, my brother is in charge, which means he's capable. Once he expands the company, I can just sit back and collect dividends. Wouldn't that be great?"
He peeled the orange, handed it to Grandma Yan, and said, "Grandma, let's not talk about this. I really don't want to go to work. I want to relax for a few more years."
Grandma Yan sighed and poked Yan Sui's forehead with a look of exasperation, "You, you, every time I talk to you, you're like this."
Yan Sui chuckled foolishly.
Just then, Grandma Yan's friend arrived.
While she was busy entertaining her old friends, Yan Sui pulled Yu Li aside and invited a few acquaintances of similar age to play mahjong.
No sooner had he sat down than someone in the courtyard shouted, "President Yan is here!"
Yu Li turned her head and saw that the guests were walking towards the door with great enthusiasm.
He turned his gaze and found Grandma Yan sitting in the living room, her face cold and motionless.
He was a completely different person from the one I had just seen Yan Sui.
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