younger brother
On Friday, the bell for the last class rang, and the university campus instantly woke up. The noisy voices replaced the tranquility. Shen Yu followed the crowd out of the School of Economics and Management building and rubbed his swollen solar plexus. After a day of classes, his brain cells had been exhausted.
He walked toward the west gate as usual. The car that had been waiting for him was already parked quietly in its usual spot, but it wasn't the familiar black Mercedes-Benz. Old Zhao was still standing by the car. Seeing him, his smile seemed even warmer than usual. He quickly stepped forward and opened the back door of the Maybach for him.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhao." Shen Yu thanked him habitually, bent down and prepared to sit in, but the moment he saw the situation inside the car clearly, he froze at the door of the car.
The back seat was not as empty as usual.
Lin Qingyue was leaning against the car window on the other side.
She looked like she'd just gotten off a long flight, still wearing a dusty, travel-worn air. A well-tailored camel cashmere coat was casually draped around her, and a pair of rimless glasses, unusual for her, perched on her nose. She was looking down at a tablet computer filled with dense data, the light from the screen illuminating her slightly weary yet focused profile.
Is she back from a business trip?
Shen Yu's heart beat wildly, hitting his ribs and making a drum-like sound. The huge surprise was like a tide, instantly drowning all his fatigue. He had never expected her to come back today, let alone that she would appear in the car that came to pick him up.
"...Sister?" He called out subconsciously, with disbelief and surprise in his voice.
Lin Qingyue seemed to be disturbed by his movement and raised her head from the screen. Seeing Shen Yu standing at the door of the car, her brown eyes behind the lenses moved slightly.
"Yeah." She simply said a calm hello, her gaze returning to her tablet, her fingertips sliding across the screen. Her tone was calm, as if this was just an ordinary scene. "Aren't you tired of standing? Get in the car."
"Oh, okay, okay!" Shen Yu woke up from her dream and hurriedly got into the car. She sat down next to her carefully, trying not to disturb her as much as possible. The car door was gently closed by Lao Zhao, isolating the noise outside.
A complex scent permeated the interior of the car—her signature cool cedar scent, mixed with cabin air and a hint of a very light caffeinated energy drink—a sure sign that she had just returned from a long journey.
"Mr. Lin just got off the plane and was on the way back to the apartment. I said it was almost time for you to get out of school, so Mr. Lin asked me to take a detour and take you back." Old Zhao said to Shen Yu with a smile.
"Thank you." Shen Yu's heartbeat accelerated a lot. He sat down properly, put his hands on his knees, and even breathed softly unconsciously. The corner of his eyes greedily captured every detail of her. She looked a little tired, and the skin under her eyes could see a hint of light blue, but the lines of her profile were still calm and neat.
The car merged smoothly into the evening rush hour traffic. Aside from the low hum of the engine and the gentle whirring of the air conditioner, the cabin was completely silent. Lin Qingyue stared intently at her tablet, seemingly completely absorbed in her work.
Shen Yu sat quietly with him, and the initial ecstasy slowly settled into a full, slightly sweet satisfaction. He even secretly hoped that this journey home could be a little longer.
He noticed her brow furrow slightly, as if she'd seen some data that didn't sit well with her. He could almost imagine her mind racing, analyzing, judging, and deciding. This was the world he admired.
Just when he thought she would remain silent all the way to the apartment, Lin Qingyue suddenly spoke, her eyes still on the screen, and asked casually, "It's the end of the semester, are you stressed out by homework?"
Her voice was a little hoarse than usual because of fatigue, knocking on Shen Yu's heart.
"Not bad." Shen Yu quickly sat up straighter and answered honestly, "I'm just reviewing the macroscopic world. There are a few models that I don't understand thoroughly enough."
"Which ones?" she asked, her tone as natural as if she was asking about the weather today.
Shen Yu announced the names of the two models. After listening, Lin Qingyue tapped her fingertips twice on the edge of the tablet, as if quickly accessing her memory bank. A few seconds later, she succinctly pointed out the core differences in the two models' assumptions and the most common fallacies in their practical applications, hitting the nail on the head.
She didn't even use any sophisticated terminology, but simply broke it down with the most essential language, which gave Shen Yu more enlightenment than the long discussions in the textbooks.
"So this is the key point!" Shen Yu couldn't help but exclaimed, his eyes sparkling because of the sudden enlightenment, "I have been entangled in the details before, but ignored the most basic logic."
Lin Qingyue finally raised her head from the tablet screen and glanced sideways at him. Seeing the sudden excitement and undisguised admiration on his face, her gaze behind her glasses seemed to soften for a moment, and a very faint, almost imperceptible arc flashed across the corner of her lips.
"Basic logic is always more important than complex deductions," she commented, casually taking off her glasses and rubbing her brow. "The financial market has many fancy tools, but the core remains the same."
"Yeah! I remember!" Shen Yu nodded vigorously, feeling that the sky in her heart, which was slightly gloomy because of her studies, was instantly illuminated by her words.
The car stopped at a red light. Lin Qingyue locked her tablet and put it aside, completely finished her work. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and rested. The neon lights outside the car window streamed across her fair face, flickering.
Shen Yu stopped talking, fearing to disturb her rest. He just looked at her rare relaxed posture quietly and greedily, feeling that at this moment, she had lost all her usual sharpness and sense of distance, and had a fragile beauty that made his heart beat faster and felt pity.
He noticed her hand at her side, its slender fingers and rounded nails. A strong urge came over him again, wanting to hold that hand, to give her some warmth and support. But he didn't dare, and could only hold the throbbing sensation tightly in his palm.
The car drove into the underground garage and stopped.
Lin Qingyue opened her eyes, and her eyes quickly returned to their usual clarity, as if the fatigue just now was just Shen Yu's illusion. She picked up her coat and tablet and prepared to get off the car.
"Sister," Shen Yu finally mustered up the courage before she opened the car door. Her voice was soft but sincere. "Thank you for your hard work on the business trip."
Lin Qingyue paused as she pushed the door open, then tilted her head to look at him. In the dim light of the garage, her expression wasn't clear. She simply hummed a soft "hmm" in response.
But when she got off the car, she did not go to the elevator immediately, but stood there, as if waiting for him.
Shen Yu was flattered and quickly got out of the car and followed her.
The two walked side by side towards the elevator hall, their footsteps echoing in the empty garage. Shen Yu's heart was still filled with that huge, unexpected surprise, and he was jumping for joy.
…
The rain outside the window hits the glass, making a rapid and dull sound.
Shen Yu sat on the carpet near the French window in the living room, with a thick economics textbook spread out on his knees. He was wearing soft cotton home clothes, his hair was softly draped over his forehead, his long eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow under his eyelids, his expression focused and serious.
Lin Qingyue sat on a sofa not far away, working on her laptop. Occasionally, her eyes would glance over the rain outside the window, their gaze always lingering on the boy immersed in his studies. This silent companionship had become an unspoken norm between them.
Suddenly, the sudden ring of the doorbell broke the silence in the room.
Lin Qingyue frowned slightly, clearly displeased by the sudden interruption. She closed her computer, stood up, and walked over to the smart access control panel. The screen showed a young face, etched with frustration and disarray, its hair soaked by the rain.
It was her younger brother, Lin Jinxuan.
Lin Qingyue's finger paused for a moment on the door button. Her relationship with her brother was complex and subtle.
As a child, she truly loved the little one who followed her around and softly called her "Sister." But as they grew older, her father's increasingly pronounced favoritism toward her younger brother inevitably shifted her resentment toward him. She resented her father's behavior, and with it, a sense of unspoken distance grew from her younger brother, who, despite having no ambitions and simply wanting a comfortable life, was being forced forward by their father.
She pressed the door open button.
The door opened, and a damp, cold air, mixed with the fishy smell of rain, rushed in. Lin Jinxuan dragged his wet body in, his voice nasal and somewhat pitiful: "Sister... I have nowhere to go."
He turned around and saw that there was another person standing in the living room, an extremely handsome young man, looking over here quietly.
"Did you quarrel with Dad again?" Lin Qingyue turned around, got a clean towel and handed it to Lin Jinxuan.
"Well..." Lin Jinxuan took the towel, raised his hand and wiped his hair randomly, and slid his left sleeve down, revealing the thorn bird tattoo on his forearm. He couldn't help but glance at Shen Yu, "He insisted that I join the company to learn from you, and said that I was not motivated... I ran away because I couldn't argue. " His tone was full of boredom and powerlessness. He had no interest in inheriting the family business.
Lin Qingyue sighed almost inaudibly. This kind of drama had been played out too many times. She turned sideways and introduced in a flat tone: "Shen Yu. Live here temporarily."
Lin Jinxuan slowed down the action of wiping his hair. He looked at Shen Yu's delicate face, then at his sister who looked normal, with an expression of sudden enlightenment on his face. He moved closer to Lin Qingyue, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of mischief in his tone: "Are you hiding a beautiful girl in a golden house?"
He subtly hit upon a certain truth.
Lin Qingyue glanced at him calmly, neither admitting nor denying. She simply said as a warning, "Watch your mouth. You sleep in the guest room tonight and go back early tomorrow morning."
Lin Jinxuan said "Oh" and obediently walked towards the guest room.
Only Lin Qingyue and Shen Yu were left in the living room.
Lin Qingyue turned around and her eyes fell on Shen Yu again. She raised her hand and gently brushed the soft hair on his forehead with her fingertips. This action carried a sense of ownership and imperceptible warmth.
"Scared?" she asked, her voice lower than usual.
Shen Yu shook his head gently, raised his eyes to look at her, his eyes were clear and reflected her appearance: "No. It's just a little unexpected." He paused, and his voice became lighter, "Your brother... seems to be different from what I thought."
"He's a spoiled brat. He doesn't have any bad intentions, so you don't need to bother dealing with him." Lin Qingyue commented lightly, ending the topic about Lin Jinxuan. "Just continue reading your book."
"Okay." Shen Yu nodded obediently, sat back on the carpet, picked up the book, but did not turn the page for a long time. Lin Jinxuan's words "a beautiful woman hidden in a golden house" were like a tiny thorn, gently piercing him, making him more clearly aware of his position.
Lin Qingyue sat back on the sofa. She looked at Shen Yu's slightly drooping, graceful neck, and the irritation in her heart caused by her brother's sudden intrusion gradually subsided.
She did "hide" this beautiful jade and gained great satisfaction and a sense of control from it.
The night deepened, the rain continued to fall, and the apartment returned to silence.
…
The next morning, the morning light shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows onto the mirror-like floor.
Shen Yu prepared breakfast, which was light and delicious, and even added Daolin Jinxuan's favorite cakes. The atmosphere at the dinner table was quite harmonious.
After the meal, Lin Qingyue put down her chopsticks, wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and looked at Lin Jinxuan with a tone that left no room for negotiation: "Okay, enough of the fuss, I'll take you home. Dad called me last night."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Lin Jinxuan's face immediately fell: "I won't go back! If I go back, he will nag me again and force me to go to the company! Sister, just let me stay for two more days!"
"No." Lin Qingyue refused decisively, "This is not your refuge."
"Why?! You can keep him here, why can't you keep me? Do I annoy you so much? You won't even help me!"
Lin Qingyue's face darkened: "Lin Jinxuan, watch your attitude!"
Lin Jinxuan knew that he had said the wrong thing and hummed sullenly. He knew that his sister was angry, so he didn't dare to talk back and quietly went out with his sister.
Lin Qingyue personally drove Lin Jinxuan home. Seeing him walk in, she suddenly remembered how, when she was sixteen, Lin Jinxuan had painstakingly made her a beautiful bracelet as a birthday present. That day, after school, she immediately returned home and buried herself in a sea of homework. Lin Jinxuan stood timidly outside her door, holding the small gift box.
"Happy birthday, sis."
She was fretting over a math problem she couldn't solve, and without even looking up, she said, "Just leave it there."
Lin Jinxuan stood awkwardly for a while, gently placed the box on the corner of the table, and quietly retreated.
Before going to bed, she opened the beautifully packaged little box and found a small moon pendant on the bracelet.
There was a note in the box: To the best sister in the world
She put the bracelet in the deepest part of her drawer and never wore it.
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