Chapter 24 Sister Liuwan, I'm 17 and my temper is at its peak.
A moment later, he came out carrying a medicine box. Xu Zhiyu coldly turned her face away and ignored him.
Xu Zhiyu's anger subsided only after Xingmian knelt on the ground and carefully treated the wound on her knee, just as she had bandaged him that day.
It wasn't because he admitted his mistake sincerely, but because when she looked down, she saw a bruise on his forehead among his wispy hair.
He knelt down on one knee, gently blew on the wound, and carefully applied iodine.
Xu Zhiyu kept frowning, unable to understand why Xingmian had acted that way just now.
The boy's left cheek was noticeably red. After the wound was treated, she coldly distanced herself from him, her voice devoid of warmth:
“I'll pretend nothing happened tonight, and don't tell anyone. I've always been so good to you, and you did this to me. I don't know what you were thinking, and I don't want to know. You're pitiful, so I won't kick you out. I'll still cook for you, but Ah Qing and I are really in love right now, and I don't want him or anyone else to misunderstand. I only see you as a regular customer. Please focus on your studies now, and please be mindful of your boundaries in the future!”
Lin Xingmian didn't believe her. He always thought his sister was soft-hearted and biased towards him; he couldn't believe she would truly be cold towards him for someone else. He didn't realize he had really angered her this time. He put down the medicine bottle.
“Sister, Xingmian knows she was wrong… You said you can’t kiss other people, so I’ll try to help you. Do you remember him? If that person isn’t Shen Siqing, then who is it?”
His question startled Xu Zhiyu, but she pretended to be calm and turned her head away indifferently.
"It's none of your business."
"elder sister……"
"It's so late. Thank you for helping me chase that bad guy away tonight. After your friends come back and take care of things, you should go home quickly so your parents won't worry. I'm tired and I need to go home and rest too."
Lin Xingmian wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by A Yu. Seeing his sister's resolute and indifferent expression, he had no choice but to remain silent.
He put down his medicine kit and stood at the supermarket entrance, watching. Shang Qi sent a message saying they would be back soon.
A short while later, Shang Qi and his classmate returned, panting. They said they had chased the man all the way to the alley entrance and were about to catch him when a black sedan stopped across the street. Suddenly, three men got out of the car. They dared not continue the chase and had no choice but to let the three men take the man in black away.
Ah Yu felt a chill run down her spine as she listened. "There's a gang, and they seem to be repeat offenders. They must be thieves, right? They wanted to steal my bag... Luckily, I didn't lose anything."
Shang Qi: "Should we call the police?"
Lin Xingmian: "There are no surveillance cameras or evidence nearby, and no property has been stolen, so calling the police would probably be useless. If it's a thief, then the one who should be afraid is the thief; if it's not a thief, then it's dangerous."
He frowned and said to his sister, "You must never walk this road alone at night again. Sister, give me your phone, I'll enter my number. If this happens again tonight, call me immediately."
Xu Zhiyu glanced at him and thought it would be better to avoid him as much as possible.
"No need. I'll try not to come back this late in the future. Even if I do, Aqing will bring me back. Tonight is just a special case."
Anger flared in the boy's eyes: "What special circumstance is more important than your safety? You trust him so much but not me?"
"Trust you? Haven't I ever trusted you? Do I have to tell you what you did yourself?"
Ah Yu was also angry. She crossed her arms and turned away angrily.
Shang Qi was startled by the sudden argument between the two. He gave his brother a meaningful look and wondered, "Doesn't Xingmian like Boss Xu a lot?"
What did he do to make her so angry?
"Alright, alright, thankfully we arrived in time tonight. It's Friday, and the three of us had planned to play soccer together, but we accidentally saw Boss Xu..." followed a man away. Xingmian was worried, so the three of us played King of Glory in front of the supermarket until you came back...
Shang Qi was stopped by Lin Xingmian's gaze and didn't dare to continue.
Hearing her good friend's explanation, Ah Yu, not being an ungrateful person, turned around and said, "In any case, thank you for helping me tonight. It was really dangerous just now, and I was a little scared. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to me tonight. I don't know how to thank you. You can just pick out some good food at the supermarket and take it home. If you need my help in the future, just let me know."
Shang Qi scratched the back of his head: "Not at all, we are all Xingmian's good brothers. His business is our business. He was always worried about you and went back and forth several times. Otherwise, he wouldn't have found out so quickly. He likes to buy bread from Boss Xu's shop, and we often share it. We all know that Boss Xu is good to Xingmian."
Ignoring his brother's utterly resentful expression, he insisted on saying all these things. Lin Xingmian's gaze towards Shang Qi was so intense it was as if she wanted to skin him alive!
After Shang Qi finished speaking, Xu Zhiyu's heart softened considerably.
She wondered if she had been too harsh on him, or perhaps she had simply thought too badly of him.
Xingmian also said that he had never been in a relationship. Perhaps he didn't understand the relationship between men and women, and he didn't know how to avoid suspicion and maintain boundaries with her. Concern can lead to confusion. Maybe it's true, as he said, that he just wanted to help her understand why she couldn't kiss Aqing.
But how could she tell Xingmian that the person she was thinking of was him?
That's why she had such a strong reaction when Xingmian kissed her.
Xingmian is still a child, how can this be?
That's ridiculous.
He's still young, he can be immature, but Ayu can't.
"I understand." She finally spared him a glance. "Does it hurt?"
Xingmian was stunned.
I don't know if she was asking about my face or my head, but those don't hurt. The most painful place is my heart.
He shook his head and remained silent, hoping that his sister would coax him like before, promising to cook him something delicious tomorrow.
Unfortunately, when she saw him shake his head, she stopped caring about him.
"Where do the three of you live? It's so late, shall I call a taxi for you and take you home? I won't be going home tonight, I'll just sleep at the supermarket for the night."
Shang Qi and his other brother Han Huaisang put their arms around each other's shoulders and said cheerfully, "No need, Sister Xu. Huaisang and I are used to being wild outside. We're not going home tonight. We finally have a holiday, so we're going to go to the internet cafe and play games all night!"
"Huh?" She originally wanted to ask, "Won't your parents call if you stay out all night?" But then she thought that maybe boys and girls are different, and this was their own business. She decided not to meddle and nag others.
"Is that internet cafe far? You two be careful when you go there."
"Okay, okay, sis, we'll be going now. Xingmian, Huaisang and I will go first!"
Shang Qi greeted her quickly, but Xing Mian only gave a faint reply.
He had just made eye contact with Huai Sang and felt that Huai Sang seemed to have something to say to him. It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to ask him.
Shang and Han left with their backpacks, leaving only the two of them in the supermarket.
"Where do you live? I'll call you a taxi."
"I live far away, and I'm not going back tonight."
"Then where will you sleep?"
"I sleep in the supermarket."
"?" She was speechless. "The supermarket only has one bed in the warehouse. If you sleep in the supermarket, where am I supposed to sleep?"
"You sleep in the warehouse, I'll sleep on the sofa on the second floor."
“No, absolutely not.” She stood up. “I’ve already said I want to be with A-Qing. Even though you’re young, we’re still a single man and woman, and we absolutely cannot spend the night together.”
"Then I'll take you home, and I'll sleep in the supermarket. I'm worried about you being alone here."
That's acceptable, she finally relented: "Alright then."
.
Ah Yu gave him the strawberry-shaped blanket she had left at the supermarket last time.
Xingmian ultimately didn't sleep in the warehouse, but instead slept on the sofa on the second floor.
The second-floor balcony offers good ventilation and a wide view.
Before she left, she left a warm yellow light on the second floor for him and told him to keep it on.
He looked at the flowers and plants on the balcony, pulled his sister's quilt over his head, and lingered on the scent of her on the cool quilt, his eyes gradually becoming moist.
Sister... Sister...
I never knew liking someone could be such a difficult thing.
The next day, before dawn, he dared not sleep in. He got up early and collected all the wads of toilet paper scattered on the ground the night before. Instead of throwing them in the supermarket's trash can, he deliberately threw them in a trash can far away from the supermarket after the store opened at daybreak.
.
After that day, Xu Zhiyu treated Xingmian like a completely different person.
Distancing and indifferent.
She would still cook an extra meal and would still open the shop early on weekdays.
She would never speak to him again, never care about him again, and never nag him.
Xingmian was a meticulous and sensitive person, so how could he not notice such an obvious change in his sister?
...
"Young Master, I've come to bring you breakfast." A knock sounded on the door as he finished dressing.
"Please come in."
After Chen Ma came in, Lin Xingmian closed the bedroom door.
"Aunt Chen, you still say the same thing to my dad, right?"
Aunt Chen: "Of course, if he knew you hadn't eaten breakfast or dinner every day, he would have come to Mushui City to pick you up long ago."
"Thank you, Aunt Chen. But you should still clean up the food in ten minutes. My dad will definitely check the hallway security camera footage, so you should be careful."
"Young Master, are you still not going to eat today? Tell Chen Ma the truth: did you eat outside or not? I can keep it from the Master, but if you didn't eat, your body definitely won't be able to handle it. I can't indulge you like this."
Lin Xingmian opened the photo album on her phone for Chen Ma to see.
"Look, Aunt Chen, this is what I've been eating for breakfast and dinner lately. I eat at the supermarket near our school gate. It's very healthy, I won't lie to you."
Seeing the various adorable vegetables in the photo album, Chen's mother felt a little relieved.
Xingmian was someone she watched grow up. His father was strict and extremely controlling. Except for the toilet and the young master's bedroom, there were surveillance cameras everywhere in the house to prevent him from making bad friends or having early romances that would affect his grades.
Because the master is usually busy with social engagements and spends most of his time in Shanghai and Beijing, he doesn't have time to take care of Xingmian personally. The housekeeper and nanny take care of him at home.
Xingmian was originally from Shanghai, but because his mother liked Mushui City and lived here for a long time, she brought Xingmian with her, so he has been studying here ever since.
His parents later divorced, and his mother left heartbroken and her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
His father wanted to bring him back to Shanghai, but Xingmian was unwilling. In addition, his grades here were excellent and stable, and his father was worried that the change would affect his studies. So he bought him several places to live and hired more nannies to take care of him.
He himself would visit his son in Mushui City every now and then when he wasn't busy.
The reason why the "Yesterday's Lover" chain coffee shop opened in Mushui City is because Lin's father is the largest shareholder behind it.
And the waiter, A Yao, is Chen Ma's son.
"Aunt Chen, it's been about ten minutes, I'll go to school now." He slung his backpack over his shoulder.
Remembering what A-Yao had said, Chen Ma felt uneasy and called out to him, "Young Master, please don't blame me for nagging, but there are some things you absolutely shouldn't do. You know the Master's temper."
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Author's Note: I'm busy writing and won't be able to reply to comments immediately. I'll probably reply after about five chapters.
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