Chapter 2. This is how this older brother is.
Gu Shiyue placed the paper bag he was carrying on the table. Inside was a cosplay outfit: "Qi Xueying asked me to give this to her."
"Thank you," Jiang Luo said politely. "Thank you for your trouble."
Gu Shiyue followed the procedure and said briefly, "She wants me to take some photos of you."
Qi Xueying had already told Jiang Luo about this beforehand, and he nodded, saying, "Okay, sure."
Qi Xueying said that a full-body photo would be best. There were other customers in the store, and considering that taking the photo here might make them feel awkward, Gu Shiyue glanced around and asked, "Should we take it here, or somewhere else?"
Jiang Luo suggested, "There's a small courtyard in the back, let's take pictures there?"
Gu Shiyue nodded, and the two went to the backyard together. Xiang Qin witnessed the whole thing and was completely baffled. He called Gu Shiyue: "Where are you going? Why are you following someone? Is the person you're meeting that handsome silver-haired guy?"
"Take a picture, five minutes." Gu Shiyue didn't want to waste any time, so he hung up the phone before Xiang Qin could say anything.
There was a large patch of wisteria in the courtyard, very beautiful and atmospheric, making it a perfect backdrop for photos. Gu Shiyue looked around, found the best spot for taking pictures, pointed it out, and gestured for Jiang Luo to go over there.
Jiang Luo thought the other party would just take a couple of pictures and be done with it, but she didn't expect them to be so responsible.
"You're so professional," Jiang Luo said with a smile.
Gu Shiyue has a habit of carrying a camera when hiking. He took out a small camera from his backpack and was adjusting the camera settings when he heard this, so he looked up at Jiang Luo.
"Here?" Jiang Luo obediently stood there.
Gu Shiyue nodded.
Jiang Luo wore a white short-sleeved shirt, with the top two buttons undone, revealing a light purple inner layer. He wore slim-fitting black straight-leg trousers, paired with white high-top canvas shoes. The shirt was tucked into the trousers, and a dark brown canvas belt accentuated his slender waist.
This outfit really shows off his figure, especially his long, straight legs.
"I'm ready," Jiang Luo reported.
Gu Shiyue adjusted the parameters and pointed the camera at him.
Jiang Luo's casual demeanor made the photo-taking process very relaxed. Most people would feel a little awkward when a stranger points a camera at them, but he didn't. He adjusted his posture and looked at the camera confidently.
Jiang Luo frequently takes cosplay photos, and she is adept at posing and adjusting the character's temperament, demonstrating strong on-camera presence.
Gu Shiyue looked at the boy in the camera lens and noticed that his eyes changed the moment the shutter was pressed, and even his temperament changed. His red pupils revealed a faint smile as he gazed at the camera with a peaceful yet meaningful look, his gaze gentle and profound.
Jiang Luo blinked slowly, subtly adjusting his angle and expression as he looked at the camera. His entire demeanor was dynamic and fluid, full of narrative, not like a staged photo. Gu Shiyue took a few photos and switched to video mode.
They looked at each other through the camera lens, and a few seconds passed quietly.
For a moment, Gu Shiyue felt as if he had been drawn into an unfamiliar story, and he couldn't quite describe the feeling.
Laughter came from the doorway, and two girls walked into the courtyard hand in hand, glancing at them curiously.
Gu Shiyue pressed the button to turn off the recording mode. He nodded to Jiang Luo, indicating that it was okay.
After taking the photos, the two didn't communicate anymore. Gu Shiyue said five minutes and it was five minutes, without wasting a second. Xiang Qin soon saw the two return.
Gu Shiyue walked in front, with Jiang Luo following behind him. The two handsome men walked out of the courtyard one after the other, a rather pleasing sight. Xiang Qin leaned lazily against the counter, sipping his coffee and glancing over.
Gu Shiyue walked towards the store entrance, while Xiang Qin's gaze remained fixed on Jiang Luo's direction: "Is that the person your cousin invited?"
Gu Shiyue nodded.
Xiang Qin was a little curious: "Did she specifically hire this cosplayer?"
Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement, pushed open the door, and walked out: "I'm leaving."
Xiang Qin took a sip of coffee and smiled, "That's interesting, you know how to have fun."
When Jiang Luo left the dessert shop with her things, Gu Shiyue and Xiang Qin had already entered the subway station. The three of them were going in the same direction and on the same line, and Jiang Luo ran into them inside the station.
Gu Shiyue and Xiang Qin are both quite tall, especially Gu Shiyue, who stands out in the crowd. Both of them were carrying hiking backpacks, so Jiang Luo spotted them immediately.
Of course, Jiang Luo was even more conspicuous than the two of them. He stood at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the other two. Xiang Qin finished his coffee before the car arrived and saw Jiang Luo when he turned around to find a trash can to throw away the cup.
"What a coincidence." He smiled slightly and spoke to Jiang Luo naturally. Perhaps feeling that such a greeting was a bit abrupt, he gave a thumbs-up and pointed to Gu Shiyue behind him. "I was with him. We were just in that shop too. Hello."
Jiang Luo smiled in a friendly manner: "Hello."
Hearing Xiang Qin speak, Gu Shiyue turned around and saw a familiar figure in his line of sight. His gaze fell on Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo looked back at him and smiled politely.
The train arrived, and perhaps because this stop was near the shopping mall, the station was unusually crowded. As soon as the doors opened, a group of people rushed in. Gu Shiyue and Xiang Qin didn't join the crowd; they waited until a group of people had boarded before leisurely walking in themselves. Jiang Luo was already standing towards the back, and by the time she got in, there were no seats left.
Gu Shiyue and Xiang Qin stood not far from Jiang Luo, diagonally in front of him, about two people apart. Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue were facing each other, and their eyes inevitably met.
A few stops later, a plump old woman with a child approached Jiang Luo. The child, a boy who looked about four or five years old, started crying and demanding to be held after standing for a short while, so the plump old woman picked him up. Everyone around knew how annoying the child was, so no one offered him a seat.
Jiang Luo was in for a rude awakening; the kid was right next to him, his striking silver hair drawing attention. The brat stared at his hair with wide curiosity, then suddenly raised his arm and reached out to grab it—
Jiang Luo suddenly dodged to the side, nearly bumping into someone.
He cherishes his wig, and besides, good quality wigs aren't cheap, so how can they withstand such abuse?
Jiang Luo frowned and moved to the side. The carriage was crowded, and he couldn't go anywhere else, so he could only try to keep his distance from the unruly child.
The mischievous child wouldn't stop, stretching out his arm to tug at her. The plump old lady watched but didn't stop him, her gaze towards Jiang Luo filled with scrutiny and inquiry. Jiang Luo knew that reasoning with this kind of parent was useless; she had to address the root of the problem.
He looked at the plump old lady and spoke up, "These wigs of mine are made of glue, and the formaldehyde content is very high. Aren't you worried about your child getting poisoned by touching them like that?"
Upon hearing "formaldehyde" and "poisoning," the plump old woman quickly moved the child to the other side, subtly shifting her position and glancing sideways at Jiang Luo. However, the child's attention wasn't so easily diverted. Unable to grab Jiang Luo's hair, he burst into a loud wail, not a real cry, just a dry wail.
"Oh, don't cry, don't cry..." The fat old lady tried to coax the child for a long time but it was no use, so she had to take the child back to Jiang Luo. At this moment, Jiang Luo was like a pacifier for the child. The child would calm down as soon as he got close to him, and then he would reach out and ruffle his hair.
Jiang Luo closed his eyes and took a deep breath; his patience had reached its limit. He turned his head, but before he could speak, he suddenly saw Gu Shiyue, who was standing not far away, grab the handrail and take two steps towards him, standing directly between him and the child.
He carried a hiking backpack on one shoulder, his tall figure completely blocking Jiang Luo's path and separating him from the child.
Gu Shiyue was much taller and had broader shoulders than Jiang Luo. When he stood to the side, he could completely block Jiang Luo's view.
With his intervention, Jiang Luo's hair was safe, and the child couldn't touch him at all.
Gu Shiyue had his back to Jiang Luo, and Jiang Luo looked up at his back in a daze.
Gu Shiyue simply walked over to help Jiang Luo block the brat; he stood there doing nothing but staring down at the child. His features were sharp, and when his face was expressionless, his eyes were cold and intimidating, making him look terrifyingly fierce to the child.
A silent gaze can move mountains with a light touch; the child stared blankly at Gu Shiyue, completely stunned.
A moment later, Jiang Luo heard a loud "waaaah"—this time the child was really crying, scared by Gu Shiyue.
The child wouldn't stop crying, and no amount of coaxing from the plump old woman could soothe him. She glared at Gu Shiyue and accused him, "What's wrong with you? You've scared the child half to death, can you take responsibility for that?!"
Jiang Luo frowned and immediately spoke up to defend him: "What did he do that he should be held responsible for?"
Jiang Luo was blocked by Gu Shiyue and couldn't face the fat old lady head-on. He tugged at the hem of Gu Shiyue's coat, and Gu Shiyue turned around to look at him.
Jiang Luo smiled at him: "You stand behind me, I'll scold her."
Gu Shiyue looked at him without saying anything, while Jiang Luo said with a serious expression, "Really, this kind of person needs to be scolded. I've already prepared my plan."
As they were talking, the subway arrived at the station and braked suddenly. Jiang Luo lost her balance and stumbled, her face almost hitting Gu Shiyue's shoulder.
The child kept crying, and a righteous passerby couldn't stand it anymore: "Hey, can't you do something about this child? He's disturbing the peace. He's been crying for so long. If you can't take care of a child, don't raise one!"
"that is."
"They think they're right to be so noisy on the subway."
"Do something about this, it's never going to stop crying."
...
The voices of accusation rose and fell. No matter how powerful the fat old woman was, she could not withstand the power of the crowd. She grumbled and pushed her way through the crowd, pulling the child to another carriage.
After arriving at the station, a group of people got off, and the carriage became much emptier with seats available. Jiang Luo took a seat and, seeing Gu Shiyue still standing there, called out, "Brother." He didn't know Gu Shiyue's name, only that he was Qi Xueying's older brother, older than himself.
Gu Shiyue turned his head and glanced at him.
Jiang Luo patted the seat next to her: "There's a seat here."
Gu Shiyue sat down, and Xiang Qin, who had been watching the gossip, also came over with his bag. He sat down next to Gu Shiyue, stared at Gu Shiyue's face for a while, and teased with a smile, "What an intimidating face, it scared the kid to tears. He'll probably dream about you tonight."
Jiang Luo chuckled and turned to thank Gu Shiyue, "Thank you, brother."
Xiang Qin thought to himself that this handsome young man had a sweet tongue, calling him "brother" all the time. Seeing that Gu Shiyue didn't react, he raised his elbow and nudged him: "He's thanking you, brother. Say something, brother."
Being called "brother" by him was truly torturous, so Gu Shiyue finally spoke up: "Can you shut up?"
“See?” Xiang Qin said to Jiang Luo, “This is what this brother is like.”
The implication is that he's cold and ruthless to everyone, so don't take it to heart if he doesn't respond to you.
Jiang Luo smiled and nodded: "I saw it."
Xiang Qin may seem outgoing, but he actually has a good sense of boundaries. He chatted with Jiang Luo for a couple of minutes and then stopped talking to him. The three of them sat quietly in a row. Gu Shiyue closed his eyes to rest, while Jiang Luo and Xiang Qin each scrolled through their phones.
It wasn't until the subway announcement that they were about to arrive at the station that Jiang Luo and Xiang Qin stood up together, and Jiang Luo realized that they even had the same destination.
"You're getting off here too?" Xiang Qin asked him.
Jiang Luo nodded.
Jiang Luo looked to be about the same age as them, with a student-like appearance. Xiang Qin asked her and found out that Jiang Luo went to the same school as them.
"What a coincidence." Xiang Qin glanced at Gu Shiyue. "So you're a junior."
Gu Shiyue looked up at Jiang Luo, who was also a little surprised, as Qi Xueying hadn't mentioned this to him.
The subway doors opened, and Xiang Qin said with a smile, "Let's go together, junior."
Jiang Luo nodded and said "Oh," then glanced at Gu Shiyue. Gu Shiyue remained seated, showing no sign of getting up.
Seeing this, Xiang Qin said, "This brother doesn't live on campus; he'll get off at the next stop."
"Oh, oh." Jiang Luo turned back and waved to Gu Shiyue before getting out of the car. "Goodbye, senior."
Gu Shiyue looked at him, nodded, and said "Goodbye".
Xiang Qin waved back: "Goodbye, senior."
Gu Shiyue gave him a cold look.
A note from the author:
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Thank you so much for the landmines and nutrient solutions, everyone! [pat on the head][heart emoji]
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