Chapter 10
A week has passed since the "perky butt incident," and on the seventh day, my brother and I completely stopped talking to each other.
I admit that at first I was partly being stubborn, feeling that he shouldn't have looked at my phone, shouldn't have been lying on my bed looking at my phone, and shouldn't have been lying on my bed looking at my phone in that position.
So I began a small act of resistance.
I don't contact him as often anymore. In the past, Qiu Jiajia would always force herself to get out of the way for me after each class, even though she was sleepy. She's been doing the same thing these past few days, but now that she sees me nod and then doesn't move, she thinks I'm playing a trick on her.
What do you mean?
"What are you doing?"
"Aren't you clinging to your brother anymore?"
"What are you saying? Did I say that?"
"..."
"OK."
After that, Qiu Jiajia never gave me a chance again.
To be honest, I'm not used to it, but I can always hold back and calm down when the bone in my buttocks leaves the bench.
See? Even if I don't go looking for him, Su Yu will come looking for me.
On the third day, he stood at the door of our classroom. I crouched down and saw him peek in, as if he was looking for someone. Was there even a question?
"This is for your class's Chinese language representative."
He turned and left.
I told you, you had to come to me.
"Do you know who that is?" It was the Chinese class representative, a boy, a year older than me, named Chen Tianmo.
"My brother."
"So beautiful!"
"As I see fit."
Brother Mo punched me in the chest, but I didn't realize anything was wrong at the time.
It was a clear morning. I woke up early and had nothing to do, so I decided to brave the chilly wind and go to class to study. I put the Chinese homework that I hadn't handed in during the evening self-study session the day before on the Chinese teacher's desk.
The hoodie was so tight and small that it made me look ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous was that I saw the light on in the Chinese teacher's office.
I hadn't even wiped the grease off my lips when I pushed open the door and saw my brother and Chen Tianmo together...
They chatted and laughed as they tidied up the Chinese teacher's desk, their school uniform jackets hanging on the benches, and their thick, neat sweatshirts.
I am like a beggar.
The laughter stopped abruptly, and Chen Tianmo gave me a wink. I thought he had sleepy eyes.
Su Yu glanced at me and continued tidying up the papers in the box.
"Give it to me."
"Don't put it on top, stuff it in the middle."
"Bao's brother."
I saw my brother's lips twitch; it was so cold his lips were practically frozen.
The fat penguin returned to the classroom and turned on the remaining half of the lights.
I'm not eating lunch with my brother; that's my stance.
Actually, seeing my brother waiting for me outside their classroom made me feel a little...tsk...but oh well, I had plans. Cowen shot an airball, almost hitting my brother on the head.
I caught a glimpse of my brother's expression—how to describe it? Surprised? Something like that—before he went back to class.
"I need to pee." I dismissed the basketball players, led by Cowen, who were also reserve athletes.
"Lazy people go out..."
When I came out of the restroom, there were far fewer people. My sons were still waiting for me at the door. I was touched.
But I had my own purpose, so I stepped on my right foot with my left to untie my shoelaces, then gracefully turned around, squatted down, and tied them again. My brother wasn't in class anymore, so he must have gone out to eat.
The "Su Yu Desensitization Plan" was a great success; I ate two big duck legs for lunch.
I returned to the dormitory smelling of freshly cooked food. As soon as I opened the door, a wonderful aroma hit the top of my head.
"Holy crap!" Exclamations rose and fell. These men had never smelled anything like it.
A boy wrapped in a bath towel and with a towel around his head came out. He walked towards us step by step with his back to us, and he was probably carrying something in his hand.
"A woman is coming, I'm going."
"Neuropathy."
Then the beautiful woman turned around.
My brother.
When did you change your shower gel? Didn't you tell me?
The "sports students" stopped talking. Their manners improved after hanging out with me for a while, which made me very happy.
I didn't say a word, just lay on the bed with my head tilted back. My hand was outstretched, seemingly reaching for something. The others chatted casually for a bit, then went home.
Only the two of us were left in the room.
Thinking to myself that it was about time, I sat up abruptly, the screen went black for three seconds, and then I opened my eyes with a handsome face on it.
There was no one in front of me, no one around me, no one in any direction.
...
More and more people arrived, and it was almost lunchtime when my brother finally came back with a basin of clothes, still shivering. In the past, I would have gotten up and snatched the basin from him, saying, "I'll wash all the clothes at once when I've collected enough."
It was as if I had anticipated my words and actions, so I didn't move. I thought my brother would be puzzled, but he wasn't.
It's like I never did that, even though we always aired out our clothes while chatting all year round.
He hadn't returned by lunch break time, but it was my turn to go.
It means I would take my phone to the balcony, draw the curtains, and squat in a corner to play on my phone.
I got up and opened the balcony door; it was a completely subconscious action.
My brother saw me slam his big basin down on the ground with a "thud," and then he saw me sitting still without saying a word. Could it be because I didn't talk to him first?
I don't know.
After hanging up the last two items, Su Yu closed the door and went back to her dormitory.
"Clatter".
I'm doomed.
Never mind that for now. Xiaoxing sent me pictures of their school cafeteria today, and it's huge and so cheap! I wish I could eat so much good food at school. Plus, it has sofas and chairs, just like a restaurant, so Suyu and I can sit and eat together.
Stop! He's the one who locked me out!
Xiao Xing's winter clothes look even better; he has so many scarves to match different coats and sweaters. University life is so free; I wish I could take as many photos with my brother.
...
I give up.
We chatted for about ten minutes, then I got up and sat down again.
Everyone was asleep; it's rare to see everyone sleeping so neatly at noon. I had no choice but to message the students in the next dorm who had their phones with them, asking them to send someone over to rescue me.
Later, my brother opened the door, and I gave the guy across the street a thumbs up.
Actually, I didn't see his face; only one hand opened the door. I stood up and caught my breath before turning around. But that slender hand, still red, was definitely my brother's.
The wind is keeping me awake. I'm lying on the bed with my eyes wide open, facing the front door.
Then I heard the door open, and I looked up warily. It was the person I had messaged. He saw me, stopped what he was doing, gave me the middle finger, and left.
I can't sleep, so I close my eyes and wriggle around like a caterpillar. It feels like there's something under my pillow. I'm not sure, so I wriggle around some more.
Five hand warmers, and not just any ordinary ones, but the kind with floral patterns, a lovely pink color with a unique charm.
The huge surprise made me quickly take a picture and post it on my WeChat Moments: A fairy godmother has come to my dorm.
When I woke up in the afternoon, I put on two stickers and casually showed them to the group of men.
I still haven't contacted my brother. We've remained silent like this until today, the day we have to go home.
Usually, we buy lunch, go back to the dorm to unpack, and then eat on our beds. The dorm supervisors are more lenient during holidays. But now, we don't talk.
I didn't do anything, but deep down I was actually waiting to see what my brother would do.
At lunchtime, I deliberately walked a few steps faster and then slowed down to stop at the door of my brother's classroom, but kept walking.
Nobody's here? How come my brother walked faster than me?! I bought the food and went back to the dorm to find my brother already sitting on his bed eating.
There were two bags next to my bed, one open and one zipped up.
It was obvious; it was my brother's bag that was zipped up, and mine was completely empty. So I stopped in front of the bag to let him know.
Sigh... Su Yu used to be able to tell me what to bring and what not to bring, but I just brought whatever I wanted. If I felt like it, I might even stuff in a couple more books, saying it was for studying.
I managed to stuff my bag full, and as I sat on the bed eating, swallowing bite after bite of food, a scene flashed through my mind:
Su Yu first had to put the rice in a bowl, then stretch out her arm and carefully place the bowl against the bed, and then fumble around to put the chopsticks and spoon in place as well.
You have to be careful not to knock over the bowl when you climb up.
I'm so tired...
There was no more movement upstairs, so it seems my brother has finished his meal.
We're off this afternoon!
This time, my brother and I each carried our own bags, but I was a step slower than him, and he took his bag.
My dad, with his massive frame, was ready to help my brother and me; he walked away, one in each arm.
There were also some delicious treats they bought for us on the bus.
Su leaned over to grab it, and I saw the skin peeking out from under his hoodie.
His waist is incredibly thin! It might just appear thinner due to the contrast of his clothes, and there's even a deep groove around his waist that looks like it could hold water.
He sat back down and shared his food with me. During his earlier movement, his clothes had slipped down, revealing a collarbone that looked like a seagull spreading its wings.
It seems like they're connected by the shoulder.
So sexy...
Holy crap.
He looks so good even when he's eating a pig's trotter...
His hands looked good even stained orange yellow...
Perhaps because my gaze was too intense, Su Yu kept her head down while eating, but gradually frowned, and finally glared at me fiercely, her mouth bulging as she ate chicken feet.
Can Yu Guang be so blunt? That's not how it's written in the poem.
Su Yu handed me another wet wipe, and I pretended not to see it before taking it without saying anything.
"Say thank you, it's a brotherly gesture." How come someone who was passionately singing along to the car's music suddenly switched to social etiquette?
I mumbled something I didn't know, and nobody heard me anyway.
When we got home, we were told that the light in my brother's room was broken and hadn't been fixed yet.
What does that mean?
It means my brother can only stay in my room.
He spent the whole afternoon in the living room, playing on his phone, watching TV, and eating snacks. He didn't come to my room, and I didn't even notice he was thinking of visiting.
What's wrong? You're really ignoring me?
After washing up in the evening, I made an excuse to go for a run. My mom said I was crazy, as if I was afraid of not getting cold. Actually, I was just giving my brother a chance to get used to my room. People with high emotional intelligence are often misunderstood like this, there's nothing I can do about it…
I finished off a super deluxe oden meal at the convenience store and went home feeling warm and cozy.
Sure enough, my brother was already lying on my bed, leaning against the side with the nightlight, reading a book.
So I took out my English book and lay down on the bed.
Seeing that I was still holding a book, Su wanted to turn on the headlights. The sudden brightness caught us both off guard, and it took us a while to adjust.
"I've been reincarnated here." I was talking to myself, and I was sure of it.
But I think I heard a faint "hmm".
Looking at the vocabulary list, I was overcome with sleepiness, and my eyelids started drooping uncontrollably. My brother was engrossed in reading, completely unaware that someone next to him was practically falling asleep.
I couldn't help it, so I forced a yawn.
It sounds awful...
It worked. My brother turned off the main light, leaving only the small one on. He's still watching, completely absorbed.
I'd been asleep for a while, and he was still watching. Why was I still hearing sobbing?
I rolled over to him with my eyes closed, then groggily opened them again before closing them once more.
I didn't see it clearly, I only saw that it was a thin book. Curiosity drove me to explore it further, but my body told me that I should go to sleep.
The next day, I woke up needing to pee. Let's all thank the oden soup. My brother was still asleep, his eyes swollen. After I got out of bed to pee, I wanted to see what he was looking at.
It's a book called "When Breath Becomes Air". I haven't read it, but the cover design is very nice. If it were in a bookstore, I would take it down and admire it.
I lay back down; the heat had subsided, but the spot near my brother was still warm. I snuggled closer and drifted back into a sweet sleep.
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