Chapter 107
In the afternoon, Lin Ting stayed in her room, while Chen Zhiyi and Qin Wei played with Lego in the living room, and their laughter occasionally reached Lin Ting's ears.
Chen Zhiyi is indeed talented in winning people over. Whenever he wants, he can accurately grasp the other person's interests and hobbies and then hit the mark. Back then, I was also gradually moved by him.
These past four years have been filled with busy work, and it's rare to have such a long time to rest at home. Once people relax, they easily become sleepy, and when Lin Ting woke up, it was already evening.
She had made up her mind. She could cook the meal, but there was no need for them to eat together. She would bring the food into the room, and they could eat together.
Lin Ting opened the door, and a fragrant aroma of food wafted in.
Chen Zhiyi came out of the kitchen carrying a meal. "I was just about to call you out for dinner."
Qin Wei turned around in his chair and waved to Lin Ting, "Sister, come and eat, Brother Chen's cooking is so delicious."
Lin Ting walked in, and there was a standard four-dish-and-one-soup meal on the table: boiled sliced pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, boiled shrimp, celery and dried tofu, and tofu soup.
Qin Wei picked up the bowl in his hand and said, "Brother Chen knows you love red beans, so he specially cooked red bean rice. It's soft, sticky, and smells so good."
Chen Zhiyi handed chopsticks to Lin Ting, "Sit down and eat with me. It's been four years. I wonder if my cooking skills have deteriorated, and if they suit your taste?"
Lin Ting took the chopsticks but didn't sit down. She was considering whether to wait until they finished eating before cooking something herself, since she wasn't picky about food.
Chen Zhiyi joked, "Why do you have to avoid me even when we eat? Or is it that you still have feelings for me and are afraid to sit face-to-face with me?"
Lin Ting stared wide-eyed at Chen Zhiyi, then pulled out a chair and sat down.
Chen Zhiyi smiled slightly. She was still the same; she found reverse psychology more effective than playing the victim.
Qin Wei placed a piece of boiled pork slices into Lin Ting's bowl, saying, "Sister, it's spicy, do you like it?"
"Thank you!" Lin Ting put it in her mouth; it tasted even better than before.
Three years ago, when the two lived together, Chen Zhiyi would always cook whenever he had time. Knowing that he preferred spicy food, he would learn to make some spicy dishes. Boiled pork slices were one of the dishes he made most often, and he also loved to eat them.
Chen Zhiyi: "The taste hasn't changed, has it? Now my taste is the same as yours, I can't live without spicy food, and I basically cook for myself." Even if you're not here, my life is full of your traces.
Lin didn't say anything, just kept eating the rice in her bowl.
Qin Wei ate a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It was sweet and satisfying. He immediately gave Chen Zhiyi a thumbs-up and said, "Brother Chen, it's delicious."
Chen Zhiyi put a piece in Qin Wei's bowl, saying, "Eat more if you like it."
"Uh-huh."
Lin Ting interjected, ruining the atmosphere of brotherly affection, "It tastes better than mine?"
Qin Wei was stunned, and he didn't even dare to swallow the food in his mouth. A question of death was on his mind, and it was too difficult for him to answer.
Chen Zhiyi ladled a bowl of tofu soup and placed it next to Lin Ting, clicking his tongue, "Can't you just let the child eat a proper meal?" Then he ladled another bowl for Qin Wei, "You're growing, eat more."
Lin Ting: "..."
Are you sure you want to be Qin Wei's older brother, not his father?
That evening, Lin Ting brought a thick mattress and a quilt and stood at the door of Qin Wei's bedroom. Chen Zhiyi reached out to take them, but Lin Ting put them down at the door and turned to go back to her own room.
Qin Wei went over to help pick up the quilt, saying, "My sister is just stubborn but soft-hearted."
Chen Zhiyi patted Qin Wei on the back of the head. "Smart."
Although Qin Wei has a slight intellectual disability, he is polite and considerate. He offered his bed to Chen Zhiyi and slept on the floor himself, but Chen Zhiyi refused.
Late at night, the two of them were on the bed and on the floor, respectively. The soft moonlight shone through the window and into the room, making the windowsill seem to be plated with a layer of white gold.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of each other's breathing. Qin Wei tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The sudden presence of another person in the room, even though it was someone he liked and trusted, disrupted his orderly life and made it difficult for him to adapt.
Chen Zhiyi asked, "Xiaowei, can't you sleep?"
Qin Wei poked his head out from under the covers. "I'm sorry, Brother Chen, I can't sleep. Did I disturb you?"
Chen Zhiyi chuckled, "I can't sleep either."
Qin Wei asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
What's wrong? How can I sleep when the woman I've been longing for is sleeping next door?
Qin Wei: "Brother, since neither of us can sleep, let's chat." Qin Wei felt their relationship was strange. Anyone could see his sister disliked him, but Qin Wei knew that if she truly disliked him, she wouldn't have let him stay at their house, much less look at him or say a word to him. He'd seen his sister reject others' kindness before. And she even brought him a blanket and a mattress—that showed she cared. So why was she pretending to be angry and dislike him?
"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" Chen Zhiyi asked him.
How long have you known your sister?
Chen Zhiyi thought for a moment, "How should I put it? If we don't count our childhood experiences, I've known her for almost ten years. Back then, I was probably not even as old as you are now."
Qin Wei was surprised, "Ten years?"
"Yes, she was my teacher back then."
"Ah, then my sister must be the gentlest and most beautiful teacher."
"Yes, he has always been beautiful and gentle."
"Brother Chen, do you really, really like my sister?"
"Yes, I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. The first time planted a seed in my heart, and when we met again after growing up, the seed slowly sprouted and took root. Now it's a towering tree that can't fall down no matter what."
Qin Wei said shyly, "I don't understand what you're saying, but neither do I. If it weren't for my sister taking me in, I wouldn't have a home. She's the best person in the world to me."
Chen Zhiyi remembered something, and he hesitated whether to ask, but he still asked, "Xiaowei, do you know where your parents went?"
Qin Wei: "My sister told me that they went to a very, very far place and won't be back for a long time."
Do you miss them? Have you ever thought about going to find them?
Qin Wei shook his head, somewhat resistant. "I don't want to. They don't love me. They all think I'm stupid. They've kept me locked up at home since I was little, not letting me go out or playing with me. Only my sister takes me out and accompanies me to class. She told me that I'm not stupid, I just don't grow up as fast as others. She said that I'll catch up with others eventually, and that I'm willing to grow up slower than others so that I can live a long time and stay by my sister's side forever."
"Did your sister tell you about your true relationship? You should have other relatives, so why is she the only one willing to take care of you?"
"Brother Chen, your question is so strange. I am a sister, why doesn't anyone else take care of me? It's because they don't like me."
It seems that Lin Ting never told him about their true blood relationship. She didn't hold grudges against the younger generation for the grievances of the previous generation. She hated Xie Yuling, yet she took care of her son without holding a grudge and even wove lies to keep Qin Wei from knowing the evil deeds they had done. She truly had a kind and pure heart.
Chen Zhiyi's eyes welled up with tears.
Qin Wei: "Brother Chen, Grandpa Hu and the others at the shop keep saying that my sister won't live with me anymore after she gets married. Is that true? I'm very scared."
Chen Zhiyi comforted him, "Don't worry, it won't happen. You will still live with us. Your sister and I will take care of you. Don't be afraid."
Qin Wei felt something was off. "Brother Chen, you're marrying my sister?"
The declarative sentence was phrased as a rhetorical question, accompanied by sarcasm, what a waste of all that high-end Lego.
Chen Zhiyi feigned displeasure, "Is that not allowed? Why hasn't my ranking risen to number one yet?"
Qin Wei burrowed his head back under the covers, his voice muffled, "Brother Han is still number one."
The wonderful atmosphere for a bedtime chat suddenly plummeted; no wonder they're siblings, both are conversation killers.
Qin Wei realized he had said the wrong thing. He could lie to others, but he couldn't lie to himself.
"I'm sorry, Brother Chen, you're a very good person, but Brother Han is also a very, very good person. I'm so clumsy, I always fail to take good care of my sister. When my sister is sick, it's always Brother Han who takes care of her. Last year, my sister got drunk and suffered a perforated stomach, even vomiting blood. I was so scared I didn't know what to do. It was Brother Han who rushed over overnight and took my sister to the hospital. He stayed with her in the hospital for as long as she was there." So he really is a very good person, I can't lie to him.
Chen Zhiyi felt as if a large hand had gripped his heart, and a dull pain came over him.
Han Ming is right to criticize her. He did nothing wrong. He wasn't there when she was most vulnerable and needed someone to be with her. What Han Ming did in two years is equivalent to what they did in ten years.
Guilt? Regret and bitterness welled up in his heart. He closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
Qin Wei turned to look at Chen Zhiyi, "Brother Chen, don't be discouraged, you still have a chance, and I support you."
Chen Zhiyi covered his eyes with the back of his hand, unsure whether to cry or laugh, and muttered softly, "Did the doctor misdiagnose me?" He was quick with words of comfort.
Qin Wei didn't hear clearly, "What?"
"I said I understand. The most important thing right now is to win the number one spot in your heart."
Qin Wei burst into laughter.
"Brother Chen, what do you like about my sister? Every time she does a live stream, so many people praise her for being outstanding and beautiful. The grandpas and grandmas in the shop say she's smart and capable. Brother Han says she's very warm. It's so strange, my sister isn't a blanket, how can she be warm?"
In Qin Wei's mind, Lin Ting was the most perfect person. He liked it when others praised her, and he was happier when they praised him than when they praised him.
He heard the words "outstanding, beautiful, smart, and capable" most often.
However, Chen Zhiyi uttered an unexpected word: "Foolish."
"..." Isn't this an insult? Qin Wei thought to himself.
But then Chen Zhiyi said, "So foolish it's heartbreaking, so endearing. I just want to be good to her, to give her the best of everything."
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