Chapter 21
The sun hadn't risen yet when Su Yu opened her eyes, her head still throbbing. Before she was fully conscious, a sharp slap landed on her face, seemingly trying to wake her, but clearly using the wrong method.
Nothing happened after that; with his eyes half-closed, he seemed to get out of bed.
When he returned, he had a face mask on, and his bangs were all tied back with a headband.
"Wake up."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Just as I was about to open my eyes, he pulled the blanket over my entire body.
I told him I'd get up after he finished washing up. When I heard him put on his slippers and head to the bathroom, I took off the blanket, changed my clothes, and quietly followed him.
The door was ajar, revealing only half of Su Yu's body. He was bending over to wash his face. I pushed the door open and went in, standing behind him.
I thought my movements were completely silent, but Su Yu took advantage of my inattention and slapped me from behind.
"No, no, no! Let go, let go, brother!"
I called out "brother" twice, just the word "brother".
He let go, and I hugged him from behind. Su Yu saw me dressed smartly in the mirror and became unhappy, rolling her eyes at me.
I buried my head in the crook of his neck and rubbed against him so hard that he couldn't stand it anymore, and he turned my face and kissed me.
I held him in my arms! I followed him step by step until he had changed his clothes. We checked out together and headed home.
We dared to be so unrestrained because our parents said they were going back to our hometown for a banquet.
As soon as we got home and the door closed, Su Yu couldn't resist wrapping her arms around my neck and wrestling with me.
We didn't separate the entryway, sofa, and living room; summer is great because the clothes are thin.
I only reluctantly parted from him for a second when he said he needed to catch his breath; I liked his initiative.
In my heart, he is still my older brother who is three years older than me. It's like a belief. Su Yu will always be number one in my heart.
...
Su Yu lay down beside me.
"It would be nice to have a cigarette."
Su Yu's eyes were glazed over; she hadn't recovered yet and was muttering to herself.
I took it seriously and tried to get out of bed to get him the cigarettes he had confiscated. When he saw me get up, he pressed me down and asked me where I was going.
"Get the things."
"What is that?"
"What you want."
"All I want is you, okay?"
I'm truly impressed by him.
He was still lying in bed, but his upper body was hanging around my waist. I could only reach for things in the cabinet with difficulty, afraid of dropping him.
I tossed him two packs of cigarettes, and in that moment I saw the usual seriousness in his eyes. He hit me first, then picked out a pack of cigarettes.
It was also a thin cigarette, the same one Xiaoxing smoked that day.
He opened it, held it in his mouth and twirled it around. I lit it for him, and then he instructed me to open the window to ventilate the room.
I lay back down next to him, and Su Yu beckoned me to come closer. As soon as I moved closer, he took the cigarette away and blew a puff of smoke at me.
The air was thick with a mixture of ambiguity and lust, and I traced his silhouette through the mist.
I can't hold back anymore!
...
As evening approached, Su Yu said he wanted to go out for dinner, but he said it while he was sound asleep with his eyes closed, so I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not.
But I still tidied up the room and folded his clothes neatly next to him. When he woke up, he saw that the room was as clean as if no one had been there, and as a reward, he gave me another big kiss.
He didn't spoil the mood; he put on the clothes I had chosen for him, gracefully got up, and walked with me to the living room.
Aren't you feeling unwell?
I'm not doubting my abilities.
"Hmm? I'm alright."
He then took my hand and put it on his butt, saying it hurt a little.
I've decided that I'm going to work out after the college entrance exam.
It wasn't so stuffy when we went out, and the cool evening breeze made us feel refreshed.
Su Yu opened his arms to the wind, and I remembered him saying that morning that he was swollen and wouldn't let me see him. But he didn't know that in my eyes, his very existence was the greatest blessing God could bestow upon me.
I have never strolled along this street, which we have walked eight hundred times, so earnestly before, whether it was in winter or in summer like now.
Su Yu and I bought a big bag of food. I insisted on carrying it, but he shook his head and said he wanted to go with me.
On the way home, walking on a deserted path, he earnestly told me that after the college entrance exam, when he went to university and started working part-time, we would rent a place together.
When that time comes, we will be free.
When I turned the key and the living room lights came on, this old house that had sheltered us from the wind and rain since we were little really gave me the feeling of living with Su Yu.
My mom called us in the middle of the night.
"Look at you, look at you! I knew you two wouldn't sleep when we weren't home! What time is it? Staying up all night every day, are you tired of it?"
It seems I shouldn't accept it...
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Su Yu is about to take over the important task, so I will temporarily avoid the limelight.
"Hey, your Uncle Wang, the one who treated our family to dinner when we were kids, his daughter is the same age as you. I see you two want to go to the same university, do you want to exchange ideas?"
When my mother said these things, I was lying on Su Yu's lap, my face covered by the hem of his clothes.
"What? How old am I? What are you trying to do?"
I couldn't hear what she said after that, but in short, Su Yu was refusing my mother while touching my face with her fingertips.
After hanging up the phone, we fell asleep in each other's arms again.
"Your brother looks much better! How did you take care of him?"
"I got my psychologist certification."
"A problem."
Qiu Jiajia affirmed my treatment.
Su Yu did look healthier, but when I thought back on it later, I didn't feel like I had done anything extraordinary.
There's something else I don't understand: Su Yu and Chen Tianmo aren't as inseparable as they used to be. It's more like she doesn't want to talk to him anymore.
That silly boy Chen Tianmo is still clinging to Su Yu; I feel a little sorry for him. Just kidding, I wish Su Yu only had me by her side.
Time flies, and there are less than 30 days left until the college entrance examination.
I admit what my teacher said when I was in my senior year of high school: that senior year seems to go by slowly, but it will be over in the blink of an eye.
Su Yu's grades have stabilized, and I can't fall behind. Even though I can't get into the university he wants, I can try the schools around his school.
At worst, he's just one subway stop away.
On the eve of graduation, we took graduation photos.
The class was busily preparing to take out their phones, and the girls were discussing getting up early to put on makeup.
So I got up early in my excitement, only to find myself lying in bed, not knowing what to do.
So I went to check on Su Yu and saw that his blanket had a small bulge, so it seemed that someone was hiding inside.
I climbed onto his bed, intending to scare him, but instead met his bright eyes.
"You've come," he said softly.
Su Yu warmly invited me to share a bed with her, and I gladly accepted.
He was looking at flower delivery ads on his phone, saying he wanted to send them to some teachers, and that he could prepare something if I wanted.
I'm so stressed from classes every day that I don't really feel grateful to them.
I politely declined Su Yu's suggestion. It was almost time, so we got up and went to our classrooms. The girls were all getting ready. Su Yu sighed at the beauty of youth, and then we parted ways to our respective classrooms.
"Holy crap, who are you?"
My deskmate had suddenly become a girl I didn't recognize.
"Your father."
This big-eyed girl with pigtails is Qiu Jiajia? I'm so unbelievable!
It's rare that the teachers allowed us to continue having fun during the morning reading session; I guess they didn't want to ruin the atmosphere.
When it was our class's turn, everyone on the playground was already having fun, taking pictures with their phones without even pretending.
Su Yu's class finished taking pictures in front of our class. He passed behind the photographer, and I happened to be looking at him when the shutter clicked.
As soon as I finished filming, I couldn't wait to find him. I sprinted towards him at 180 yards and fell flat on my face on the green field.
We faced the sun and laughed uncontrollably, then awkwardly got up to take group photos with our classmates and teachers.
Su Yu is really popular; people keep coming to take pictures with him, you can run into one every few steps. I followed him around, kind of like his follower.
Qiu Jiajia also came to see him. To my surprise, Su Yu later asked me who that girl was. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember her.
After I told him who they were, he laughed happily and praised them for being so amazing. He said that if he were a girl, he would also want to have them do his makeup.
It must be arranged!
The flowers Su Yu ordered arrived, and we went to the school gate to pick them up. We happened to run into the Chinese teacher picking up her takeout, and Su Yu took out a rose and gave it to her.
"Oh, thank you so much, darling! But how did you get it ordered by your school? Hmm?" The two smiled knowingly, then walked inside together.
Almost all the female teachers had tidied themselves up, completely masking their seriousness in the classroom over the past three years; some of them even gave me the creeps.
Su Yu finished delivering the last one.
He led me to a secluded corner, surrounded by withered branches, fallen leaves, and plastic waste that no one seemed to care about, with old trees blocking our view.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling our bodies; it was quiet, and a little warm.
High walls and thick tiles blocked the crowd, and only faint laughter could be heard from time to time.
After picking the last flower, its pink color in full bloom, Su Yu carefully tore off the wrapping paper and wrapped it around the stem.
"Su Yu, thank you for being my younger brother."
"I love you, no matter what our relationship is."
That was the first time I ever received flowers!
My brother gave it to me!!
It was given to me by Su Yu!!!
Words fail me, I'm about to cry. My lips are so pouty you could hang an oil bottle on them. I'll accept Su Yu's flower.
"What kind of flower is this?" I asked, twirling a petal and leaning coquettishly against my brother.
"Lisianthus..."
"Ah... lisianthus..."
"If you don't get up, I'm going to be crushed to death..."
"What? It's not like I haven't beaten you before~"
"..."
My crown hurts a little.
Chen Tianmo walked towards us, or rather towards Su Yu. I was still immersed in the sweetness and fragrance of the flowers and did not notice him at all.
"Su...Su Yu, I want to take a picture with you."
"Oh, come on."
"It's not you, it's your brother."
Su Yu tried to push me away but then held my hand and took a photo with Chen Tianmo. His smile looked fake, but no one else could tell.
I like taking graduation photos, I like not having classes, and I like Su Yu.
I tried every means to settle the flowers with Qiu Jiajia. If her desk is in peacetime, then my desk is in constant warfare and is definitely not suitable for the flowers that Su Yu gave me to survive.
This bellflower has become more and more beautiful under my care. I named it Su Xiaoyu, and it is the little baby that Su Yu and I share.
I only told Qiu Jiajia about this. She looked at me with a blank stare, as if I were completely head over heels in love, and hesitated to speak.
"Not that I'm being a spoilsport... but how are you going to tell your parents?"
"I have no idea."
I'm not pretending to be stupid; I genuinely don't know.
Wait until you go to university, things will be better then.
A few days later, our homeroom teacher told us that we would be having a graduation ceremony and that our parents could come.
Amidst the clamor of gongs and drums, Mom arrived, wearing her newly bought high heels, carrying a small bag, and sporting her bright red lipstick.
There was also a portly "gentleman" beside him.
That day, I didn't understand why they kept subtly bringing up topics about love with my brother and me. Was it a bit...too early to pressure them into marriage?
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