Chapter 18. [Third Update] He wanted her to know that his...
Wu Yuejiang's flight was at 4:30 pm, and he received a delay text message before the car even arrived at the airport.
If he hadn't said that nonsense about being his sister's lackey, He Yan might have stayed with him at the airport. But that was no longer possible. As soon as they arrived at the terminal, He Yan urged Wu Yuejiang to grab his suitcase and get out of the car.
Wu Yuejiang yawned lazily and casually took the coffee that He Yan had only taken a sip of.
The two brothers have been friends for over twenty years, so neither of them should look down on the other.
He pushed his suitcase with one hand and carried a coffee in the other as he walked inside, quickly disappearing from He Yan's sight. The airport was packed with people on the eve of the Spring Festival. Cars behind him honked their horns, and He Yan stepped on the gas and drove away. Before getting onto the airport expressway, he found a place to park and smoke to refresh himself.
I had only taken a couple of puffs when I thought of Wen Xue.
He shrugged, his emotions a jumbled mess, and stubbed out his cigarette, tossing it into the trash. He checked his phone; he checked on her every day to make sure she took her medication. After a moment's thought, he opened their chat and sent a message: "[Take your medicine.]"
When Wen Xue received the message, she was cleaning. She put down the broom, washed her hands, and was about to tear open the bag of Chinese medicine and force herself to drink it while suppressing her nausea when a sudden idea struck her. She took a picture of the bag of Chinese medicine and sent it to the sender.
Then, pinching his nose, he drank it down in one gulp.
She didn't know why she had to pinch her nose when drinking Chinese medicine; it was just how it was shown on TV, so there must be some truth to it.
She felt quite proud of herself; after finishing the drink, instead of immediately drinking water or eating candy, she took a picture with her phone and sent it again: "[Image] Finished drinking."
He Yan sat in the car, not in a hurry to start the engine. His arm was on the steering wheel as he looked at the photos she had sent. There was a five-minute interval between the two pictures. He knew how bitter the medicine was and that he had put her through a lot. That's why he hoped that she could get better as soon as possible and live a life like other people her age, so that she wouldn't have to taste that bitterness anymore.
He smiled and replied: 【Awesome.】
I sent the message, put my phone away, fastened my seatbelt, and focused on driving onto the highway. Even without traffic, it takes over an hour to get from here to the old town.
Wen Xue washed the rag and wiped the windows. Seeing the dusty glass become clear and clean, she was even more motivated and pleased with her work. But she always felt that something was missing, so she stood in the corridor and pondered.
I've finally figured it out.
A few minutes later, she carried a bucket and a rag downstairs to He Yan's room on the second floor. The door was closed. She knew his spare key was under the flowerpot; she had seen it once before, but she couldn't take it. She only intended to clean the window for him, hoping it would bring him good luck for the whole year.
…
This is what He Yan saw when he returned.
A few meters away, Wen Xue, wearing a plaid coat, stood on a small stool, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her slender white arms, and tried her best to wipe the window on tiptoe. When she was focused on doing something, she habitually blocked out all the sounds around her.
She didn't even notice He Yan coming up behind her. Worried that he might startle her if he made a sound, he raised his foot to brace against the bench leg and asked, "What are you doing?"
Wen Xue was startled; the bright glass had become a mirror, reflecting her broad and tall figure behind her.
She turned around, and standing on the small stool, she was taller than He Yan.
"Wash the windows."
"Get down."
After making sure she wouldn't fall off the bench, He Yan took a few steps to the side and glanced at the window glass, which still had wet stains. His brows furrowed even more. It's good that she's hardworking and loves cleaning windows, but why is she cleaning them for Wu Yuejiang?
"Did Old Wu order you around?" he asked.
Wen Xue was taken aback by his question and shook her head. "No."
Upon seeing his cold and stern face, she quickly explained, "I was cleaning, and since I was just wiping the windows anyway, I figured I might as well wipe them for Brother Yuejiang too."
By the way?
He Yan was slightly taken aback, turned his head to look at the window of his room, and found it to be clean. His brows relaxed, but he still said slowly, "We can ask Aunt Zhang to do this."
"Aunt Zhang went home for the New Year." Wen Xue knew who Aunt Zhang was. She was a very friendly and cheerful aunt. Every time she met her, she would remind her to air out the quilts. Aunt Zhang worked as a part-time cleaner and was also hired by He Yan to clean the room regularly.
He Yan stopped dwelling on the topic. If Wu Yuejiang hadn't reminded him to buy Wen Xue new clothes for the New Year, he wouldn't have paid any attention to her attire. Now, after taking a closer look, he noticed that she didn't have many winter clothes, and they were all very simple: a white down jacket, a blue thick cotton coat, and a plaid overcoat.
"Finished cleaning?"
"almost."
"Go upstairs and wash your hands. I'll wait for you downstairs. We'll eat dinner out."
The residents of this building who were supposed to go home have all left, and the usually bustling building is unusually quiet today. If Wen Xue hadn't stayed, given He Yan's habits from his previous life, he would probably be lying in a hotel room. Since she's here, he should let her have a proper Spring Festival.
"good."
Wen Xue carried the bucket and walked briskly up to the third floor. He Yan opened the door to change his car keys, closed the door and went downstairs. When he passed Wu Yuejiang's door, he stopped and, with a very subtle feeling of showing off, took out his phone and took a picture and sent it over.
Wu Yuejiang, still waiting at the airport, was completely bewildered: [?]
As He Yan walked downstairs, he replied, "Didn't you notice any changes?"
Wu Yuejiang: [Missing me?]
He Yan: [Are you blind?]
…
It was just before six o'clock in the evening, and the sky was getting dark. Wen Xue put on her scarf and went downstairs, covering almost half of her face, only revealing a pair of smiling eyes. The headlights of the jeep illuminated the road she had come from. She had just gotten into the car and hadn't even settled in when she heard He Yan's voice in her ear. He said, "There are a lot of cars and people outside now. I'll let you drive when we get back."
Because of those words, Wen Xue stopped spacing out and focused intently on his driving, hoping to learn some tips from the experienced driver.
She didn't come to her senses until the car entered the mall's underground parking garage, looking around in surprise. He Yan always took her out to eat, but mostly to street-side restaurants; this was the first time he had brought her to a mall.
He parked the car and said calmly, "I'm not familiar with this area, so you can decide what to eat today."
"Huh?" Wen Xue was taken aback. Suddenly entrusted with such an important task, she was momentarily at a loss. She immediately pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Wait a minute, let me do my homework first."
He Yan didn't understand what she meant at first. One minute passed, five minutes passed, ten minutes passed, and she was still curled up in the passenger seat scrolling through her phone... He was really puzzled, so he leaned closer to her and casually glanced at her screen. She was studying other people's comments word by word.
"..."
He wanted to tell her not to waste her time, and the words were already on the tip of his tongue when his gaze swept over her profile and fixed on her fair face. The white light from the screen illuminated her delicate features, and she was extremely focused, clearly treating it as something very important.
So he shut up, stopped urging her, and patiently waited for her to finish her homework.
Wen Xue looked through all the restaurants in the mall, sorting them by reputation and popularity from highest to lowest. After much deliberation, she carefully chose a Sichuan restaurant. It had the fewest negative reviews, and He Yan loved Sichuan cuisine.
This is the one. I hope netizens aren't lying to her...
She looked relieved, her expression as relaxed as if she had solved a difficult problem. He Yan chuckled to himself, and also decided that if she chose a restaurant with strange flavors, he would pretend to be eating a delicacy.
The two got out of the car. The shopping mall was very large and divided into several sections. It took them more than ten minutes to get to the restaurant entrance.
They were lucky; there was only one table left for two people. They ordered a few signature dishes, and under Wen Xue's expectant gaze, He Yan picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and said with a faint smile, "It tastes good."
She looked delighted: "Really?"
To prove he wasn't lying, He Yan ate three bowls of rice in a row.
Seeing him eat so heartily, Wenxue was immediately satisfied.
Her super good mood came to an abrupt end when she paid the bill and left the restaurant, and He Yan led her to the women's clothing store on the second floor. Sensing his intention, she stopped and refused to go any further. "I have clothes, I don't need to buy anything."
“You probably haven’t tried this method yet.” He had anticipated her reaction: “Go shopping when you’re upset.”
Wen Xue hesitated, "How can I try it? Buying things costs money."
No one had ever taught her to spend money to make herself happy when she was unhappy. Besides, she didn't have much money; it would be gone as soon as it was spent.
"Go."
"But……"
After spending some time with her, He Yan had come to understand Wen Xue quite well. She was the kind of person whose thoughts were always on her face. Not to mention spending other people's money, she didn't even want to cause the slightest trouble to the people around her.
But he wanted her to know, and more importantly, he wanted her to get used to, that he was not "someone else".
She can spend his money however she wants, and she can cause him any trouble at any time.
"Okay." He seemed to have given in, but before Wen Xue could even breathe a sigh of relief, he said something and walked straight to the nearest store, "If you can't decide, I'll pick one for you."
His unconventional behavior made Wen Xue's eyes widen. "Hey, you!"
But he had already strode into the store, where a sales assistant greeted him warmly, "Sir, what would you like to buy? We have all the latest styles here!"
Wen Xue was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Seeing that he didn't come out for a long time, she quickly chased after him and took a closer look. He was frowning and examining a lace-trimmed coat, as if imagining how it would look on her. He nodded with satisfaction and said to the sales assistant beside him, "I want this one too."
Wen Xue stared blankly at the clothes the cheerful saleswoman was holding, and almost fainted.
How did he manage to pick out all the ugly clothes in the mall?
stop!
She cried out urgently, "No!"
He Yan glanced at her sideways. She took a deep breath, her face flushed with anxiety, and said breathlessly, "...I'll choose for myself."
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