Tell him
Zhuang Jing was nervous the whole day, and was finally called into the CEO's office just before getting off work.
Being looked up and down by her brother with a disappointed and regretful look, she was afraid that he would scold her harshly again, but unexpectedly he lowered his eyelashes and said softly:
"Do you know how worried I am about you... I've been waiting for you from last night until this morning. Peter Pan and I didn't sleep much all night. We were all waiting for you to come home."
Thinking of the scene described by his brother, Zhuang Jinghao suddenly felt a lump in his throat, his eyes were sore, and he almost cried.
The brother continued to confide: "I have been blaming myself: If I had been able to communicate with you calmly at the time and not get angry with you... What if you were angry with me and got into trouble outside? What if you were extremely disappointed in me and no longer wanted me as a brother..."
He raised his eyes, his dark eyes seemed to be filled with sadness, and he said fragilely and earnestly: "Jinghao, can you forgive me?"
Tears welled up in Zhuang Jinghao's eyes, and she threw herself into her brother's arms, crying: "I'm also wrong... Wuwu... I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have run away from home without saying goodbye, I shouldn't have made you worry..."
Zhuang Yu'an took a deep breath, patted her back, and coaxed her softly like a child: "It's okay, it will be fine once you talk it out... From now on, I will work hard to adjust my communication methods and strive to be a gentle and patient brother. You have to believe me, okay?"
Zhuang Jinghao was sobbing uncontrollably, her tears soaking through the fabric on her brother's left chest. Feeling the dampness was uncomfortable, she shifted her head in his arms, finding a dry spot to continue wiping away her tears. After a while, her nose accidentally started running. Feeling a little embarrassed, she quickly raised her head to find a tissue.
Her brother handed her a tissue at the right time. Seeing that her nose, eyes and face were red after she blew her nose, he felt both distressed and amused, and quickly took two tissues to wipe her tears.
Zhuang Jinghao stopped crying, her eyes stinging from the tears, her throat sore. After a long pause, she said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, I promise I won't run away from home again... Can you also promise not to fire Zuo Xiao?"
Zhuang Yu'an was stunned, instantly realizing that his sister's concession wasn't entirely due to his emotional appeal, but rather her determination to negotiate terms with him. From the moment she decided to run away from home, a game of tactical warfare had begun between the siblings.
My sister has really grown up and knows how to control him... he thought helplessly.
Ever since Zuo Xiao showed up, his sister seemed to have been brainwashed, becoming increasingly deviant and exceeding his expectations. This was the second time he had lost control of his emotions in front of his sister, damaging their relationship.
Last time, he'd preemptively approached Zuo Xiao to negotiate, demanding she stay away from his sister. This had caused his sister to have a meltdown, accusing him of numerous crimes and acting like a control freak. He'd realized he couldn't continue to forcefully prevent his sister from dating Zuo Xiao, as that would only push her further away. He'd adjusted his strategy since then, turning a blind eye and only resorting to subtle tactics at opportune moments to prevent her from developing too deep or too quickly.
He originally thought that everything was under control, but reality shattered his fantasy again and again.
In less than a month, Zuo Xiao quietly became her sister's closest and most trusted person, dominating her thoughts and emotions. Not only did she provide her sister with psychotropic drugs, she also used sex toys to lure her into depravity. She exploited her sister's innocence and kindness to gain workplace privileges, using her superior treatment to bully the company and disrupt the company's work ethic. She even captured Luffy, making him and her sister willingly become her protective umbrellas... This girl was so powerful and terrifying, like a giant winged monster spreading its wings in the sky, obscuring the sun like a dark cloud, casting a huge shadow over their world.
Under her shadow, he once again lost control of himself and used the most brutal and foolish way to try to correct and protect his sister, but in return, his sister fiercely resisted and ran away in anger. He was simply repeating the same mistakes and falling into the same river over and over again.
Last night, he suddenly realized this and decided to adjust his tactics again. He could use a tough attitude towards Zuo Xiao, even resorting to brutal threats. But with his sister, he had to use gentle means, using softness to overcome hardness.
Zhuang Yu'an grabbed his sister's hand and held it in his palm. "I admit that I shouldn't have acted so impulsively towards Zuo Xiao. I promise that I will treat her fairly in the future and will not deliberately drive her away. However, if she makes a mistake or is proven to be unable to meet the company's recruitment requirements, as a manager, I will not be partial. Do you understand this?"
Zhuang Jinghao looked at his brother's solemn and sincere expression, felt the warmth coming from his palm, and nodded carefully.
Zhuang Yu'an smiled slightly and continued, "From now on, I won't stop you from dating, but please understand that a brother will always be overly cautious about his sister's safety, and will always fear that his protection is not thorough enough... So I hope that you can inform me of your itinerary as much as possible in the future. At the same time, you also allow me to participate in your activities to a certain extent, know what you are doing, and provide help when you need it. Is that okay?"
Zhuang Jinghao couldn't even say no at this moment. She even began to reflect on whether she was too overbearing and her brother too humble. From childhood to adulthood, her brother had carried the burden for her, sacrificed so much for her, and never once complained. In the face of his love and tolerance as deep and broad as the ocean, she gave him too little and owed him too much...
As soon as she thought of this, tears began to well up in her eyes again. She sniffed, suppressing the bitterness in her chest, and said, "I promise you. Moreover, I will also adjust the way I do things. But I also hope that you can really put aside your prejudice and get to know Zuo Xiao again. She is my friend, and I also hope that brother can treat her as a friend."
"Okay, I understand." Zhuang Yu'an replied gently.
Zhuang Jinghao paused, then continued, "Zuo Xiao is really very good... Although she seems very self-centered, she actually cares about others. She silently takes care of me and helps me a lot. I feel very happy with her, and I have learned a lot..."
Seeing her brother's questioning expression, she thought for a moment and then said, "One night, she told me: If you want something, you must exchange it for something else. You can't have everything. The key is to see clearly what you really want. It was then that I suddenly realized that I seemed to have unconsciously taken your kindness for granted. I not only want you to give me 100% love and care, but I also don't allow you to put any constraints on me. I want 100% freedom. But in fact, there is a conflict between the two! I am too greedy and too willful..."
Zhuang Yu'an looked at his sister in surprise, never having imagined he would one day hear such self-reflection from her. In his mind, his sister was innocent, kind, and warm, but also willful, childish, and immature. He never asked her to understand his efforts and give back in kind. He only wanted her to be happy and to stay with him for as long as possible.
Zhuang Jinghao blushed with shame, and after a moment's pause, she continued, "Then I began to think again: What do I really want? Is there anything that I am willing to pay a huge price for? As a result, I found that I had no idea what kind of life I wanted, and I could even say that I had never thought about it at all... What should I pursue in this life? What kind of person do I want to be? I seem to have been living in a bubble..." She laughed at herself.
Zhuang Yu'an was deeply shocked. This sister was unlike anything he had ever known. He realized she was on a path of self-awakening, actively examining her life and considering its direction. This path would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties, and she would encounter pain, entanglement, and confusion.
He really wanted to comfort and enlighten her, but he didn't know where to start. He could only raise his hand and gently rub her thin shoulders.
However, his sister was more optimistic than he thought.
"But it doesn't matter." She smiled and said, "I'm still young and have time to think about it slowly. But what I want to tell you is..." She showed a shy look in her eyes, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, "Although I usually complain that my brother controls me too much and interferes with my freedom, but that night I suddenly realized: Actually, if it can make my brother happy, I am willing to sacrifice a little freedom and let my brother control me. I am also willing to do my best to do something else for you, because..."
She bit her lower lip and said excitedly, "Because I really love my brother very much! I hope my brother is happy!" After saying that, she felt extremely embarrassed and threw herself into her brother's arms.
After his sister left, Zhuang Yu'an was unable to recover from the immense impact of their heartfelt conversation. He was deeply surprised, moved, comforted, and amazed by his sister's sincerity, courage, and self-reflection. His heart trembled slightly, and his body felt like it was immersed in a hot spring.
He felt as if the connection between brother and sister had become even closer. This was a deep spiritual connection, different from the care and concern or casual conversation in daily life. It made him experience the immense happiness of a soul resonance and heart-to-heart connection with the one he loved most.
As for Zhuang Jinghao, when she left her brother's office, her mood was completely different from when she came in.
She had never confided her innermost confusion to her brother like this, nor had she ever expressed her love so deeply and unreservedly. The process of telling her story was both a release and a way of sorting out, helping her further clarify her thoughts and emotions.
Although she used to say things like "I like my brother", "My brother is the best", "I love my brother" from time to time, she did so like a dragonfly skimming the water, and had no idea what love really was behind those few sweet words, and what responsibilities and obligations were associated with true love.
But now, she seemed to understand a little bit.
She admitted she didn't understand enough, but at least she understood more than before. And after confessing her thoughts and feelings to her brother, while inevitably embarrassed, she also felt a surge of happiness: no matter how many small conflicts arose between them, she and her beloved brother remained close at heart.
She once again confirmed how lucky she was:
Zhuang Jinghao, you are the happiest person in the world!
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