Chapter 15 "You seem to enjoy going around claiming younger brothers."...
Yu Xin raised his head slightly, his jawline becoming even sharper, his eyes filled with dark red blood vessels, exuding a sense of brokenness.
He suppressed the itch in his throat, looked directly at Shen Mengqing, and said, "You wish."
"Is that so?"
Shen Mengqing chuckled softly, moved one hand aside, and lifted her rather stiff long skirt. She raised her leg, placed her knee on the sofa, and slid down into the seat. The skirt swayed with her, like a beautiful serpent flicking its tongue as it explored forbidden territory.
Yu Xin lazily reached out and placed his hand on her knee, applying slight pressure to stop her dangerous movement.
With her legs blocked by the access control, Shen Mengqing grumbled in dissatisfaction and had no choice but to change her approach. She leaned forward, and just as their lips were about to touch, she noticed Yu Xin's chin lift slightly to meet hers, so she immediately stood up.
She seemed to be in control of the situation, looking down at Yu Xin and saying, "You should focus on recovering first."
Her abrupt and effortless stop placed Yu Xin on a high vantage point, making it difficult for him to return the way he came and stand up for himself in the face of danger.
His complexion was even worse, and his gaze seemed capable of piercing a hole through Shen Mengqing.
The kettle made a sound, indicating that the water was boiled. It was bubbling and steaming, and the steam rising from the spout into the air diluted the atmosphere from before.
Shen Mengqing poured Yu Xin a cup of hot water, placed it on the table to cool, and asked, "When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow then." Yu Xin pulled his leg back, staring at her with a dark look in his eyes. "Are you busy?"
Shen Mengqing kicked the carpet back and forth with her foot and said, "Do you want to stay until the day after tomorrow and come with me?"
Yu Xin coughed again, clenching his fist and placing it in front of his mouth as if he wanted to cough up his lungs. Clearly, he hadn't fully recovered from his illness and had been running around aimlessly.
After calming down a bit, he replied in a low voice, "Okay."
Shen Mengqing picked up her bag, straightened her shawl in front of the mirror by the door, and touched up her cherry-colored lipstick.
"You should get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
After saying that, she pressed the doorknob and went out.
After the door closed, the room fell silent instantly.
Yu Xin is actually not feeling that bad anymore. The recovery period for a cough is long. She looks haggard right now because she didn't sleep well last night and traveled all day. She's been too tired.
He went into the restroom and saw his own listless appearance, a stark contrast to the radiant Shen Mengqing.
Shen Mengqing's makeup and outfit today were quite different from before. He couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed, but he felt that her features were exceptionally beautiful. A white dress accentuated her graceful figure, and the scarf she wore made her even more elegant and refined.
She's been doing quite well lately.
Yu Xin turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face.
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The next day, Shen Mengqing stayed at home until almost noon before she could leave. Her mother and aunts kept asking her about Li Qinghe, which gave her a real headache.
She brought several zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) from home, not knowing which flavor Yu Xin liked, so she brought both savory and sweet ones.
The weather was nice, and Shen Mengqing was thinking about taking Yu Xin out to bask in the sun and have a meal by the river so that he could recover faster.
She knocked once, and the door opened from the inside. Yu Xin was washing up. He looked much better than yesterday, probably because he had rested well, but he was still thinner than before. Shen Mengqing decided to give him more meat when they ate later.
"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I brought you some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Let's eat them and then head out."
While waiting for Yu Xin, Shen Mengqing browsed Dianping (a Chinese review platform) and chose a riverside private kitchen that served local cuisine. She leisurely walked there from the hotel, which took exactly ten minutes.
Yu Xin didn't bring a suitcase. In the morning, he randomly went into a nearby store and bought a black long-sleeved shirt. He didn't even take off the tag. Shen Mengqing took off the tag for him, and the two left the hotel.
The riverbank is right across from us, and there's a large lawn that's been developed in recent years. On holidays, more than half the city's residents come here to pitch tents and camp. The aroma of barbecue wafts over in waves, and there's an old man leading a group of kids in a noisy kite-flying game.
As they passed by, a little boy's kite failed to fly and happened to fall right in front of them.
Shen Mengqing picked it up and handed it to the boy, saying, "Little brother, you have to jog slowly against the wind, don't be too impatient."
The little boy said "oh" and ran off to play.
Yu Xin stood silently to the side, watching, then suddenly opened his mouth and said, "You seem to really like to claim younger brothers everywhere."
"?"
Shen Mengqing was speechless for a moment. Why was he being sarcastic again?
"He's my cousin."
During our chat this morning, my aunt mentioned that her younger brother, who is in his first year of high school, was playing by the river. I didn't expect to actually run into him. Chucheng really is a small city.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Yu Xin glanced at Shen Mengqing with a hint of disbelief, crossed his arms, and strode forward.
The river water ripples, and the sunlight shines slanted across the surging surface like scattered gold. If you keep your eyes focused on the river and watch the ripples sway gently, you will feel that the passage of time slows down.
Shen Mengqing came to her senses and realized that she was already far behind Yu Xin, so she quickly chased after the tall, dark figure in front of her.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, the two were led to their seats in the lobby by a waiter. Most of the other diners were locals, chatting loudly in their local accents. Shen Mengqing ordered two specialty dishes, both meat-based, while Yu Xin chose a vegetarian dish she wanted.
Before eating, she declared, "You've come from afar, so this meal is on me."
Yu Xin casually picked a green vegetable, put the menu down, and indicated that he had no objections.
After ordering, Shen Mengqing looked out the window at the river view. The bridge across the river seemed to have been renovated again, and it was newer and taller than before. Since going to university in Beicheng, she had only returned to Chucheng two or three times a year, and felt very unfamiliar with her hometown, which was now developing rapidly.
She shifted her gaze to Yu Xin and asked him, "Did you also go to university in Beicheng?"
“No, it’s abroad,” Yu Xin said.
He idly twirled his water glass, his long, slender fingers making circles. His eyes were so beautiful that even the way he looked down at the glass seemed incredibly affectionate, making it hard to look away. Several women at nearby tables were already staring at him intently.
Shen Mengqing couldn't stand it anymore, so she moved her chair closer to Yu Xin, directly meeting their gazes.
Most people were stunned by her aura and awkwardly turned their heads away. Only two people were still staring intently. The more Shen Mengqing looked at these two people, the more familiar they seemed.
She immediately realized that the man and woman were her high school classmates, the two most gossipy people in the class. Some time ago, she heard that they had ended their long-term relationship and entered the hall of marriage. Her high school friends even complained to her that they were like two sparrows with a flock of birds, and how much gossip they must have said behind her back.
During high school, Shen Mengqing was the subject of much gossip and rumors because of her good looks.
Clearly, the other person recognized her and walked over with a warm smile.
The female sparrow spoke first, saying, "Shen Mengqing! It really is you! We haven't seen each other for so long. Do you go to the beauty salon every day in Beicheng? You're still so young and beautiful, like you just graduated from university."
"What a coincidence! You're quite pretty too, you haven't changed much."
Shen Mengqing's smile was even more fake than the plastic flowers on the table.
The female sparrow took the male sparrow's arm, putting on an affectionate expression, and said shyly, "My husband's business has been doing well these past few years, and he uses all the money he earns for my beauty and skincare, so I look younger than my peers."
As soon as she finished speaking, her husband casually pulled up his sleeve, revealing a gold watch and a gold ring. The ring tightened around his thick, fleshy fingers, splitting the flesh in two.
"Hey, I was in contact with Lin Xiangyang a few months ago, talking to him about some securities companies his company is involved in." The male sparrow glanced at Yu Xin's face and said loudly with an exaggerated expression, "You two broke up?"
Shen Mengqing pursed her lips, her face turning slightly pale, and nodded.
The female sparrow sized up Yu Xin for a while. She saw that he was good-looking, but his clothes looked like cheap knock-offs, worth very little. She guessed that Shen Mengqing was attracted to his face and that he was probably a gigolo who didn't work and lived off her.
She leaned down and whispered in Shen Mengqing's ear, her voice barely lower: "You're not young anymore, you need to find someone you can settle down with, don't go looking for just anyone unreliable. Lin Xiangyang is a good guy, you should hold on to him."
Shen Mengqing was about to lose her temper when Yu Xin's hand slipped from playing with the cup, spilling all the tea on the ground in front of the two chattering people. The tea soaked their shoes and trouser legs, making them sticky and uncomfortable.
"Damn it! Are you out of your mind?!" the man cursed.
Yu Xin leaned back loosely in the chair, his right hand limply raised as if it had no bones, his expression smug.
"Oh, I accidentally dropped it, sorry."
The man was angered by his indifferent attitude and took a few steps forward, intending to argue.
Yu Xin pretended to stand up, and the man then realized that she was much taller than him, so he had no choice but to pretend to let her go and was pulled away by the woman.
A note from the author:
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He's so jealous he's even targeting his real younger brother.
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