Chapter 78 A biased and love-struck older brother!
In the afternoon, both girls stayed in the office. When they got sleepy, they simply lay down on the sofa, one on each side so as not to disturb each other.
When Tan Zhaojing noticed the two of them, they had already closed their eyes. He stopped what he was doing, moved to the inner room, and took out two blankets.
My gaze lingered briefly on the right. This girl's sleeping posture was really not good. She had just covered herself with the blanket and then quickly curled up in her arms, pressing her cheek against her arm, the soft flesh on her face squeezing out a rounded curve.
It's actually quite funny and cute.
He chuckled softly, bent down slightly, and placed a very light kiss on her lips, leaving without a trace.
As luck would have it, Tan Jiani noticed this. With a blanket covering her, she groggily opened her eyes and was surprised to see this scene.
It was a dream.
It must be a dream. When I wake up, my brother and Lin Zaoyi have nothing to do with each other.
***
As the sky faded from light to dusk, the twilight reflected on the curtains, filling the room with a rosy glow.
Both girls took a nap in the office to varying degrees. Lin Zaoyi woke up earlier and finished two sets of case analyses. Tan Jiani woke up and her first words were, "Lin Zaoyi, I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that you were with my brother."
Lin Zaoyi: "..."
She played along: "I also had a dream. I dreamt that you insisted on pairing me with your brother, and even threatened me with your life. I had no choice but to comply and agree."
Tan Jiani's lips twitched. "You're overthinking it."
She crossed her arms over her chest, instantly adopting the air of a spoiled young lady, and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll tell on you?"
Lin Zaoyi: "You won't."
A tone of extreme certainty.
Tan Jiani felt like she was being manipulated, and she curled her lip in a mocking smile, "You don't actually think we're friends, do you?"
Lin Zaoyi's expression remained unchanged. "I don't make friends that casually."
As expected, Tan Jiani got excited and jumped to her feet. However, what she said surprised her a bit. Tan Jiani said, "What do you mean? Am I not good enough to be your friend?!"
Hmm... that's not a good question to answer.
The noise was a bit loud, reaching the office area. Tan Zhaojing closed his pen cap and set it aside, then got up and walked over. "What's all the noise about?"
Tan Jiani doesn't like to talk, and even if she did, her brother would side with Lin Zaoyi, saying, "Go home!"
The three of them were in one car.
Feeling bored, Lin Zaoyi found an animated film. Just as the opening theme started playing, Tan Jiani turned her head and said, "You really have no sense of lawlessness when it comes to dating."
Lin Zaoyi didn't know what was wrong with her again, so she temporarily kept a good temper and asked, "What did I do this time?"
"Stop pretending to be innocent."
Tan Jiani gave her a wink, "Don't tell me you still don't know my brother hates noise."
Lin Zaoyi: ?
Your brother is afraid of noise.
After a brief eye contact, Tan Jiani saw genuine surprise on his face, and she was extremely annoyed. "So, you often watch videos in my brother's car?"
"It's alright..."
Tan Jiani is jealous; her good brother is such a hypocrite!
Lin Zaoyi's gaze froze for a moment, then turned to a subtle complexity after the initial shock.
This relationship may have started earlier than she thought.
Suddenly, Tan Jiani's soft voice came from beside him, "Brother, so you really didn't treat Lin Zaoyi as your sister."
Tan Zhaojing was driving and casually replied, "Now you believe I forced Zaoyi?"
Tan Jiani was speechless, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.
I might as well shut up, lest I die of jealousy.
By the time we arrived at Xiyuan Garden, the last rays of sunlight had faded away.
Tan's father was slightly surprised that the three of them had returned together. "Zhaojing, those two girls didn't fight on the way, did they?"
Lin Zaoyi: "..."
Tan Jiani: "..."
Tan Zhaojing smiled slightly. "They're all quite well-behaved."
At the dinner table, no one made a point of mentioning birthdays; they treated it as just another ordinary occasion.
Halfway through the meal, Tan's father looked at his son and said, "Your grandfather called me."
Tan Zhaojing spoke calmly and unhurriedly, "You've taken responsibility?"
"No, I'm holding it together for you for now. You should find some time to bring that girl back, otherwise I can't stop your grandfather from doing anything."
Tan Jiani thought to herself, "Bringing you back would scare you to death."
“No need to stop him,” Tan Zhaojing said calmly. “I don’t want to, and he can’t force me.”
The father felt he was being alluded to, even though his son didn't mean it that way. "And the girl still doesn't want to reveal anything?"
Tan Zhaojing said gently, "I'm mainly worried that you'll frighten her. Let's wait a while."
Tan Jiani: ?
Does it seem like my brother is planning to grow old with Lin Zaoyi?
He's probably really gone mad.
He interjected, "Bro, can't you just have a normal relationship?"
Her brother didn't turn his head, but glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, not too hard, and asked, "What do you mean by 'normal'?"
She chuckled and pulled Lin Zaoyi, who was sitting opposite her focused on her meal, aside, "Do you think my brother's current relationship is normal?"
Lin Zaoyi didn't want to provoke him, so she said, "Ask your brother."
Tan Jiani was dissatisfied, saying, "Your opinion is more important."
Mingxian seemed to have figured something out, and she hissed, "Have you two met Zhaojing's girlfriend?"
Lin Zaoyi immediately shut her mouth.
Tan Jiani wants to say that she has seen more than just one person.
Under his brother's oppressive gaze, he rambled on, "I've only seen her from behind. She's quite pretty. But being too pretty is abnormal. I reasonably suspect that my brother found someone who's had plastic surgery, which might affect the genes of the next generation."
Mingxian listened with skepticism, "Can you tell if someone is pretty or not just from their back view?"
Tan Jiani decided to pass the buck to her brother, "Aunt Ming, you should ask the person involved."
Mingxian smiled, "Never mind, we'll talk about it when Zhaojing wants to."
Lin Zaoyi's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down.
...
Autumn brings early darkness; by a little past seven o'clock, it was already completely dark, and the city's neon lights twinkled brilliantly.
After dinner, Tan Zhaojing played two games of chess with his father. It was almost eight o'clock when they finished, and it was time for him to go home.
"Zaoyi, let's go."
Tan Jiani was curled up on the sofa playing games when she heard this. She abandoned her teammates who were fighting a boss and said, "Brother, the driver is at home. You should go and do your work."
She's doing her best to break things up now, however little she can. She seems despicable, but they'll thank her later.
The father interjected, "What's there to be busy with so late at night? It's just something your brother is doing on his way."
She immediately retorted, "My brother isn't a driver, so why does he always drive Lin Zaoyi around?"
Father Tan turned to look at the little devil, "It's been so long since you argued with Zao Yi, are you still holding a grudge?"
Tan Jiani really wanted to roll her eyes.
Fine, she's stingy. Just wait until you find out your eldest son and stepdaughter are together, then see if you can still be so relaxed!
***
The car drove steadily on the asphalt road. Lin Zaoyi sat in the passenger seat, with the window half-lowered. The evening breeze caressed her face, and the city lights shone through the windows.
The car stopped in front of the pharmacy. Tan Zhaojing unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'm going to buy something."
"oh."
A short while later, the car door opened, and she turned her head to see his hands empty. "Where's the stuff?"
"In my pocket."
She looked over and saw that the pocket was bulging and had square corners, making it look like a box.
"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Tan Zhaojing turned his gaze, his eyes slightly darkening. "No."
As long as you don't feel uncomfortable, it's fine.
Lin Zaoyi didn't ask any more questions and continued to gaze at the dazzling lights outside the window.
Tan Zhaojing chuckled softly, noting that he was not only heartless but also a bit dim-witted.
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