Chapter 15 She threw herself into his arms.
Peng Chengyi paused, looking at him slowly with an incredulous expression. A few seconds of silence followed.
Chen Yubai's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he pondered how to smooth over his rather odd remark from earlier.
Peng Chengyi suddenly snorted coldly: "I think you just don't want to share your snacks with me, so you're deliberately trying to disgust me."
"..." Chen Yubai was slightly taken aback, then sneered, "You were the one who disgusted me first, weren't you? I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
Peng Chengyi took two seconds to react, then scolded him speechlessly, "That was just a metaphor! Isn't there a meme on WeChat that says 'kiss a dog's head'? It didn't mean I really wanted to kiss you... How come your reading comprehension is so bad? No wonder your Chinese grades are always so low."
Chen Yubai chuckled and said, "If you're going to explain, then explain. Why resort to personal attacks?"
Peng Chengyi puffed out her cheeks: "Because you deserve to be scolded."
"..."
Chen Yubai was silent for a moment, then put down the snack bag: "Orion, want some more?"
Peng Chengyi held her breath for a few more seconds before coldly extending her hand: "I want it."
Chen Yubai chuckled almost inaudibly and placed the Orion in her hand.
After enjoying some pleasant snacks, Peng Chengyi quickly put the matter behind her.
The two often argued like this, and even in kindergarten, they would fight over all sorts of trivial matters.
Therefore, compared to the past, the relationship between the two is now much more harmonious.
After eating with her head down for a while, Peng Chengyi felt that there were some subtle gazes around her, so she couldn't help but quietly raise her eyes.
It turned out that those gazes were not directed at her, but at Chen Yubai beside her.
No, what's so great about him?! It made her feel really uncomfortable standing next to him.
Peng Chengyi squeezed the Orion in her hand and suddenly remembered the moment she saw him walk out of the convenience store.
Although she didn't admit it at the time, she was indeed a little stunned.
So she glanced at him sideways and said casually, "Could you put on your camouflage uniform?"
Chen Yubai paused, then slowly turned his face: "Why?"
Peng Chengyi: "That would damage the image of the People's Liberation Army."
Chen Yubai: "...?"
Peng Chengyi: "Although our military training has ended, as long as we are still wearing this uniform, we must be mindful of it at all times."
Chen Yubai couldn't help but chuckle and asked, "Are you the country's disciplinary committee member?"
"...Stop talking nonsense and get dressed!"
"It's too hot, I'm not wearing it."
"The sun has already set, what's the point of being hot? I think you're just trying to look cool on purpose."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yubai's lips curled slightly: "So, you think I look more handsome like this?"
Peng Chengyi was taken aback and quickly denied it: "I didn't think so! It's just that there are too many blind people around. They keep staring at you, and it makes me feel pressured... Can you please understand how socially anxious I am?"
"Okay." Chen Yubai shrugged and finally cooperated by unfastening the camouflage jacket around his waist and putting it back on.
I don't know if it was because of the evening rush hour, but it was particularly difficult to catch the next No. 33 bus.
More and more students gathered in front of the platform, crowding the two of them closer and closer until Peng Chengyi could barely lift her elbows to open the potato chips.
She couldn't help but turn her head and look at Chen Yubai beside her: "Could you please stand to the side?"
Chen Yubai lowered his eyes slightly: "There's someone next to me."
“You’re clearly several tens of centimeters away from the person next to you,” Peng Chengyi said with dissatisfaction.
"I'll move it a little, and it'll stick there."
"You're right here next to me, I can't even lift my arm."
Why are you raising your arm?
"Unpacking."
"You've already finished a box of Orion chocolates, are you still going to eat dinner if you open another one?"
Peng Chengyi pouted: "Why do you talk like my dad?"
Chen Yubai: "Oh, call me Dad."
"..."
This dog not only wants to be her brother, but now she's even eyeing her father's position!
Not wanting to argue with him any longer, Peng Chengyi simply tore open the potato chips in her hand and gave him an elbow strike as a result.
Chen Yubai clicked his tongue lightly: "Is this how you treat your father?"
Peng Chengyi: "If you're so capable, come to my house for dinner later and talk to my dad. If he's willing to give up his seat, I have no objection."
Chen Yubai: "..."
Just then, the long-awaited No. 33 bus finally came into view.
Peng Chengyi hurriedly stuffed a handful of potato chips into her mouth, threw the rest into the plastic bag in Chen Yubai's hand, and then tried to push forward.
"Don't grab it, wait until the car stops." Chen Yubai reached out and grabbed her backpack strap, firmly holding her in place.
Peng Chengyi twisted her body unhappily, trying to break free from his grasp: "If I don't fight for it, I won't be able to get a seat. I don't want to stand the whole way."
"Fine, don't come crying to me if you mess it up." Chen Yubai sneered.
"Can you please stop cursing me?" Peng Chengyi turned her head away speechlessly.
“I’m just reminding you.” He shrugged innocently.
"Then I should thank you?" she said, amused.
"You're welcome," he said casually.
Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly: "...I wasn't really thanking you!"
Chen Yubai smiled and said, "I'm not really being polite with you."
Peng Chengyi: "..."
In the midst of their bickering, the bus that had pulled into the station opened its doors.
The surrounding students swarmed forward, and Peng Chengyi, who had already missed the chance to get a seat, couldn't help but glare at him irritably: "It's all your fault, there won't be any seats left."
"There weren't any seats to begin with." Chen Yubai finally loosened her backpack strap and gestured for her to look into the car window.
Peng Chengyi looked up and realized it was true.
I thought that since No. 1 Middle School is only two stops away from the starting station, there would be a few empty seats.
It turned out she was overthinking things.
Thankfully, I didn't try to grab a seat. Otherwise, if I had worked so hard to squeeze in only to find there were no seats left, I would have been even more upset than I am now.
-
Once on the bus, the carriage was even more crowded than the platform.
Seeing that there wasn't a single handle to hold onto and the overhead rings were too high, Peng Chengyi could only grab onto Chen Yubai's clothes.
"Stand firm, I'm counting on you," she told him.
Chen Yubai, who was holding onto the overhead handrail, glanced down at her and lazily replied, "Okay, little dwarf."
"...Don't call me a dwarf, it's the design of these rings that's flawed."
Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally and then reminded her, "If you keep holding onto my clothes like this, you won't be able to stand up if I brake suddenly, and you'll just tear my coat off."
Peng Chengyi thought about it and realized it made sense: "Then where should I arrest you?"
Chen Yubai: "My arm."
Peng Chengyi hesitated for a moment, glancing at his arm hanging by his side. In the past, she would have grabbed it long ago.
But now, Chen Yubai is considered a celebrity in this carriage full of students from No. 1 Middle School.
Therefore, she didn't want any seemingly ambiguous physical contact between them to be discussed on the forum.
"Never mind, I don't feel good about it." Peng Chengyi looked away.
Chen Yubai raised an eyebrow: "What's not quite right?"
Peng Chengyi pursed his lips and said from a perspective he thought he could understand: "It feels like we're doing something gay, which would damage our pure brotherhood."
"..."
After a complex expression shifted for two seconds, Chen Yubai scoffed and said, "Don't you think that if the bus braked suddenly and you ripped my clothes off, it would look more like we're having a gay encounter?"
Peng Chengyi was taken aback and unconsciously imagined the scene.
It's quite an eyesore.
She couldn't help but immediately let go of his clothes.
As soon as she let go, the bus made a turn, and Peng Chengyi, who had lost her balance, swayed and bumped into Chen Yubai's arms.
Chen Yubai reached out and touched her shoulder, a slight smile playing on his lips, and whispered in her ear, "Of course, it looks more like it now."
"..."
Peng Chengyi froze, feeling an urge to strangle him under the gazes of those around him.
But since things had come to this, Peng Chengyi, who had straightened up, could only grab his arm in desperation.
At the same time, she pinched him to vent her resentment.
Chen Yubai hissed softly and gave her a cold, brooding look: "...Tit for tat?"
Unable to find a rebuttal, Peng Chengyi remained silent for a while, then suddenly had an idea and said, "Then put the snacks you're holding into my backpack, it's too much trouble to carry them around."
"That's more like it." Chen Yubai smiled with satisfaction, unzipped her backpack, and put the snacks inside.
Peng Chengyi suppressed the upward curve of her lips and took the backpack off her shoulder: "Okay, since your things are already in the backpack, you should share the load with me and carry it for half the journey."
"..." Chen Yubai's expression froze.
After staring into her cunning eyes for a moment, he silently took it and slung it across his back.
The Chopper toy hanging on the backpack swayed.
Peng Chengyi's terrible mood eased considerably at once.
-
Half an hour later, many people got off the bus.
Peng Chengyi glanced at an empty single seat nearby, but before she could react, Chen Yubai had already taken a long stride and sat down.
"..."
He tried to cut her off before she could stop the car, but he was quite eager to do so himself.
Peng Chengyi silently tugged at the corner of her lips and moved in front of him.
"Don't you think you should have offered me a seat before sitting down?"
Chen Yubai, holding her schoolbag, chuckled and lifted his eyelids: "Why?"
Peng Chengyi: "Because humility is a virtue."
Chen Yubai: "Sorry, I have very few morals."
"..."
So you knew you were being immoral!
Peng Cheng paused for a moment, then changed his approach: "Didn't you say you would take care of me, your little brother?"
She blinked pitifully, "My legs are so sore from standing, I need some help."
Chen Yubai glanced at her but didn't move.
Peng Chengyi could only continue to say, "Brother, you are the best, kindest, and most compassionate brother in the whole world."
Seeing that he remained unmoved, she tentatively added, "The key point is, he's also incredibly handsome!"
"It wasn't easy, but my eyes are healed again." Chen Yubai chuckled lazily and finally stood up.
"..."
Sure enough, this dog just wanted to hear people praise his good looks.
Superficial, so incredibly superficial!
Suppressing his inner complaints, Peng Chengyi quickly sat down in the empty seat that Peng had given up.
"We're halfway there, you can carry your own bag." Chen Yubai tossed the bag into her arms.
“No problem, brother.” Peng Chengyi nodded obediently.
She already had a seat, so it didn't matter that she carried her own bag.
Moreover, she glanced at the bus stop sign outside.
We've actually covered more than half the journey.
-
By the time I got home, it was completely dark.
As soon as Peng Chengyi got off the train, she saw Peng Weiguo waiting in front of the platform.
But he didn't seem to see her, and was still asking Chen Yubai, who was following behind her, "Xiaoyu, didn't Chengcheng come back with you?"
"Dad, I'm here. What are you asking?" Peng Chengyi tugged at Peng Weiguo's sleeve speechlessly.
Peng Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then turned around and laughed with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, "Oh dear, Chengcheng, how did you get so tanned? Plus, the light is so dim, I really didn't see you!"
"..." Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, and said incredulously, "Have I gotten that dark?"
Peng Weiguo looked her over carefully: "Anyway, she's gotten a lot darker than when she first left home, and she seems to have gained some weight too."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi became even angrier and said, "I'm so tired from military training every day, how could I possibly have gained weight!"
Chen Yubai explained casually from the side, "Maybe it's because you've been eating more? You used to only eat half a bowl of rice at home, but you can eat a whole bowl in the military training canteen."
Peng Chengyi paused for two seconds, refusing to accept this reality, and said, "I don't believe it. I look in the mirror every day, and I don't feel like I've gotten darker or fatter."
Peng Weiguo was still chuckling as he said, "It's because you take pictures every day that I can't tell. I'll let your mom see when we get back. Give me the schoolbag."
Peng Chengyi took off her schoolbag, followed Peng Weiguo for a while with a sullen expression, and then turned to Chen Yubai beside her and asked, "Do you think I've gotten darker and fatter?"
"I see you every day, but I don't feel anything," Chen Yubai shrugged.
"Then think back to me ten days ago, and take a closer look."
Chen Yubai glanced at her annoyed face and said indifferently, "I think it's fine."
"Then why didn't my dad recognize me at first glance?"
Chen Yubai lowered his voice: "Maybe it's because your family has a lineage of poor eyesight."
"..." Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly.
It felt like I was both comforted and scolded.
As soon as she entered the house, Peng Chengyi rushed to the kitchen and called out to Zhou Lifen, who was cooking, "Mom! Look, have I changed?"
Zhou Lifen paused in her tossing of the wok, turned her head, and opened her mouth in surprise.
Seeing this, without waiting for her reply, Peng Chengyi broke down and ran to the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.
The more I looked at her, the more I realized that she had indeed gotten darker and her face was rounder.
In particular, the contrast is striking when you put your face next to your legs that don't get sun.
Oh my god, how long will it take to get my fair skin back?
Although she didn't care that much about appearance, she still felt a little annoyed at the thought that Chen Yubai could get so much attention at school just because of his decent-looking face.
When Mingming was little, more people praised her for being cute.
Just as he was feeling secretly sad, Chen Yubai followed him in.
Peng Chengyi immediately unrolled his trousers and stared at his still pale face.
"Why are you looking at me?" Chen Yubai turned on the tap and started washing his hands.
Peng Chengyi glanced at his hands with their distinct knuckles again, almost subconsciously.
Upon seeing that it was also in a cool white tone, she completely broke down.
"Did you secretly apply some sunscreen or whitening cream?!" she questioned him.
Chen Yubai turned off the tap and glanced at her with amusement: "What are you talking about? You know I'm too lazy to even use Dabao (a popular Chinese skincare brand) normally."
"Then how come you didn't get a tan at all!" Peng Chengyi exclaimed in disbelief.
“I got a tan,” Chen Yubai said, bending down and pulling up his trouser leg. “Look.”
Peng Chengyi lowered her head and glanced at his exposed calves, then looked up at his face. There really was a contrast in skin tone.
It's just that he's naturally very fair-skinned, so even though he's tanned a bit, he still looks like he has a cool, fair complexion.
Damn it, she really can't compete with the advantages of these genes.
Unable to find a way to regain her fair complexion for the time being, Peng Chengyi could only focus her attention on losing weight.
She only ate two bites of rice before putting down her chopsticks and saying, "I'm done eating."
Zhou Lifen paused with her chopsticks, glancing at the leftover rice in her bowl: "You still have so much rice left, how come you're done eating?"
Peng Chengyi: "I want to lose weight."
Zhou Lifen: "You're at the age where you're growing, why are you trying to lose weight?"
Peng Chengyi: "My face has gotten rounder during these 10 days of military training. Even my dad said I've gained weight."
Zhou Lifen: "What do you mean by fat? Don't listen to his nonsense. A round face is a sign of good fortune for a girl."
Peng Weiguo: "I was just stating an objective fact, and I didn't mean to say that being a little chubby is bad."
Peng Chengyi muttered unhappily, "But I don't want a round face! It looks so childish."
Zhou Lifen: "At your age, do you want to look more mature? You look just right now. Hurry up and eat your rice."
Peng Chengyi: "I don't want to eat."
Zhou Lifen frowned slightly: "If you don't eat it, there will be leftovers. I steamed rice according to the needs of the four of us."
Peng Chengyi: "If there's leftovers, so be it. We can eat them tomorrow."
Zhou Lifen: "Eating leftovers is unhealthy. You'd better stop being so crazy about dieting."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi became even more unhappy and said, "Am I crazy?! I've gotten so fat that my dad didn't even recognize me when I got off the bus!"
"It was mainly because the light was too dim, plus you got a tan, it has nothing to do with your weight..." Peng Weiguo said awkwardly.
Touched on another sore spot, Peng Chengyi stood up abruptly: "Stop emphasizing that I'm dark-skinned! I'm not eating this meal!"
After saying that, she strode back to her room and slammed the door shut.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Lifen helplessly turned her attention to Peng Weiguo: "This girl is going through a sensitive period during puberty. Why are you saying she's gotten darker and fatter?"
"She never acted like a girl at home before! How was I supposed to know she cared so much..."
"Besides, no matter how dark the light is, it's really unreasonable that you can't even recognize your own daughter."
Peng Weiguo wiped the sweat from his brow and awkwardly defended himself: "A group of students came down from the back door at the time, and she's not tall, so it's normal that I didn't see her immediately..."
Zhou Lifen rolled her eyes at him: "What do you mean 'normal'? Go apologize to Chengcheng later, and you can clean up and eat the rice she left over."
"She left so much food, I can't eat it all..."
Hearing this, Zhou Lifen frowned, becoming even angrier, but before she could say anything, Chen Yubai, who had been silent all along, reached out and grabbed Peng Chengyi's rice bowl: "It's okay, Aunt Zhou, I can still eat."
Zhou Lifen was taken aback, almost forgetting that there was someone else at the table. She quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Xiaoyu, you don't need to eat. It's fine if there's leftovers."
Chen Yubai: "I was very active today, and I'm still not full."
"Okay... then Auntie will remove the layer of rice that Chengcheng left over for you."
"It's alright, I'm not picky," Chen Yubai said, scooping the leftover rice into his own bowl and starting to eat.
Seeing this, Zhou Lifen and Peng Weiguo exchanged a glance and had no choice but to give up.
Worried that he might not have enough to eat, Zhou Lifen asked again, "Is this enough to fill you up? If not, there are some small steamed buns in the refrigerator, I'll heat up a couple more for you."
Chen Yubai smiled faintly: "No need, this is enough."
-
After sulking in her room for a while, Peng Chengyi quietly opened the door a crack and peeked out.
It turned out that the dinner table was filled with joy, and it seemed that nothing had changed because of her departure.
Zhou Lifen was even serving Chen Yubai her favorite stir-fried shrimp.
He slammed the door shut in anger.
She always felt that her parents seemed to like Chen Yubai a little more than she did.
For example, if she plays games during her rest time, Zhou Lifen will criticize her for not being ambitious.
But if it were Chen Yubai, Zhou Lifen would say that a balance between work and rest is a good thing.
For example, if Chen Yubai left his food uneaten today and said he didn't want to eat it, Zhou Lifen definitely wouldn't force him.
What right do they have to do this?!
Unable to vent her emotions, Peng Chengyi picked up a pen and angrily poked at the eraser on the table.
Until there was two knocks on the door.
Peng Chengyi paused for a moment before tossing the pen and eraser into the drawer, opening the door with a cold expression: "What is it?"
Chen Yubai: "Your dad wants to apologize to you, but he's embarrassed, so he sent me to convey his message."
Peng Chengyi: "..."
Knowing her father's personality, he wouldn't even admit his mistakes openly when he argued with her mother.
After a moment of silence, she unsurprisingly invited Chen Yubai into her room.
"Speak."
Peng Chengyi sat down in the chair in front of the desk, and her mood improved slightly because someone still cared about her situation.
Chen Yubai cleared his throat slightly: "Dad was wrong. It's because Dad was blind that he didn't see you right away. It's not because you've changed much. Dad thinks..."
"Wait, wait!" Peng Chengyi, who was getting more and more uncomfortable listening to him, couldn't help but interrupt him. "Can you change the subject? I feel like you're taking advantage of me by pretending to be my father."
"Alright then." Chen Yubai shrugged and changed his mind, continuing, "I think you look pretty much the same as before military training, neither dark-skinned nor fat."
He paused slightly, his gaze shifting subtly, and added, "Still very cute."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Comments will receive a red envelope! There's another chapter coming up! [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]
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