Chapter 19 Let's talk about how we absolutely cannot let even a sibling relationship fall apart...
"Are you leaving?"
Lin Yu gave a soft "hmm," and said, "My brother said he's coming to pick me up."
Jiayi saw that she looked normal, and even though she knew that she might already have a sister-in-law, she didn't make a fuss. Suddenly, she felt a little admiration for her. But then she thought that people who could walk the path of orthopedics probably had stronger mental fortitude than others.
She pursed her lips, then beckoned to Lin Yu to come over. Once she was closer, she couldn't wait to ask, "So what are you planning to do next?"
"I don't know." Lin Yu glanced sideways, her gaze sweeping over Jia Yi's curious eyes, and said without any emotion, "Let's find a place where no one knows us and enjoy our retirement."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiayi exclaimed, "Ah! You're kidding me, right?"
"Maybe." She wasn't sure herself. Lin Yu stood up and didn't linger any longer: "I'm leaving now."
"......"
Jiayi blinked, and by the time she realized what was happening, Lin Yu was already about to leave. She jumped up and rushed over, then said to her earnestly, "Is that so? Although I admit that Brother Zhou Ke is very outstanding and treats you very well, and you've been together for over ten years with a great relationship, now that you have a 'sister-in-law,' you have to be more open-minded. There are plenty of good men in this world, and countless handsome guys. Don't just be hung up on one. If all else fails, I'll introduce you to my cousin."
Lin Yu looked at Jia Yi's hands, which were tightly gripping her wrists, with amusement. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Jiayi frowned, solemnly squeezed her hand, and comforted her, "Try to think positively."
...
Zhou Ke arrived faster than Lin Yu expected. She received a message from him as soon as she stepped out of Jia Yi's house, saying that he had arrived.
A light drizzle was falling, and Lin Yu looked up and saw Zhou Ke standing downstairs in the residential area, holding a black umbrella.
Lin Yu's steps slowed to a halt, and she stood still, staring intently at the figure.
Raindrops fell on the umbrella, flowing down the ribs and eventually turning into water droplets, falling intermittently to form a soft curtain of water. His brother stood in the center of that curtain of water, wearing the same black shirt as yesterday, with the top two buttons of his shirt loosely undone, revealing a patch of pale skin and a faintly visible collarbone.
Lin Yuqi's cold gaze fell on him, her eyes gradually darkening as she realized what was happening.
She received a call from her brother at 3:23 p.m., asking why she had changed the locks.
Therefore, he did not return home that night.
The two stood at a distance, looking at each other. Zhou Ke frowned, puzzled, as he looked at his sister's cold face. He stepped forward and stood in front of her, his expression softening unconsciously. "What's wrong? You look unhappy. Did you have a fight with Jiayi?"
As they drew closer, a faint smell of alcohol filled the air. Lin Yu's heart sank, and she looked up at Zhou Ke with a complicated expression.
Their eyes met. Lin Yu, her arms hanging limply, clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her aching emotions. Zhou Ke glanced down at his sister, whose expression was off, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No." Lin Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she replied in a hoarse voice. She calmed herself down for a moment, then said in a deliberately calm tone, "Let's go."
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. The black umbrella had limited coverage and could not completely cover the two of them. From downstairs to the entrance of the community, Zhou Ke held the umbrella the whole time, tilting it slightly towards Lin Yu. Rain fell on his shoulders and soaked his body.
Because of the clothes, even if it gets wet in the rain, it's not very noticeable unless you observe them at close range, close enough that their shoulders are touching.
Lin Yu quickly looked away, her bitterness deepening.
Many times, she wished her brother wouldn't be so good to her.
Let's cut off her hopes. Wouldn't it be better to be a sharp blade and mercilessly sever her delusions?
Lin Yu closed her eyes briefly and let out a heavy sigh.
It's hard to distinguish between close and distant relatives in the world. Her maternal grandmother was one of the few remaining relatives in the world, but she would only blame her for all the sins after her uncle died. Those cold and crazy words were like bullets, piercing her chest one by one. Zhou Ke was the person she had the least blood relation with in the world.
But for her, her brother was more important than anyone else.
Above blood ties, above everything else.
Many times, she felt that she was going against ethics by developing such feelings for her brother.
Outside the window, the rain and mist were heavy, the asphalt road was wet, and camphor tree leaves were scattered all over the ground. Lin Yu sat quietly in the passenger seat, and through the mottled car window, she saw the scenery outside the window as a hazy oil painting.
The carriage was quiet and silent, with only the soft music playing softly from the train.
The road conditions were loose due to the rain. A red light was on for 120 seconds at the intersection ahead. Zhou Ke lightly applied the brakes, and the car slowly came to a stop on the zebra crossing. He glanced slightly at the passenger seat, but only saw a round back of a head. He frowned slightly. His sister's silence made him vaguely realize that something had happened, but she was unwilling to say what it was. This realization made Zhou Ke feel inexplicably suffocated.
Zhou Ke felt that he and his sister were growing further and further apart. She was unconsciously becoming distant, and she never called twice a week on time. Even when he went to Jiangcheng to see her, he could sense Lin Yu's unease under her shock. She would use the excuse of not going home during the holidays. Looking at his sister's cold face, Zhou Ke's hands on the steering wheel tightened. In silence, he began to think back to when things had started to get to this point.
Was it before Lin Yu went to university?
It started when she kissed herself while drunk?
Some ideas, once they emerge, sprout like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, growing at an astonishing pace, taking root firmly in the damp soil with an irresistible force.
Zhou Ke lowered his eyes, his lips pressed into a tight line as he gazed into the distance.
Vehicles on both sides stopped one after another, the red light turned green, and they continued to proceed.
Silence was the only atmosphere left in the car. The brother and sister were lost in their own thoughts, and neither of them took the initiative to speak. It wasn't until the car stopped downstairs in the residential area that Lin Yu suddenly came to her senses. The windshield wipers were still swaying back and forth. She turned her head to look at her brother, who was still sitting in the driver's seat and made no move to get out of the car. She blinked suspiciously.
Noticing her gaze, Zhou Ke pursed his lips, silently locked the car door, turned to look at her, his dark eyes as unfathomable as ever: "Want to talk?"
Lin Yu suddenly met his gaze. When she met her brother's solemn eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Although she didn't know what Zhou Ke was going to say, his current state seemed too stern, reminding her of many years ago when she was called to the school. Zhou Ke had looked at her in the same way. He had shed his gentle exterior and revealed a solemnity that Lin Yu had never seen before. Last time, it was because of a mistake. What was it this time?
Lin Yu asked hesitantly, "What...are we talking about?"
Zhou Ke kept his gaze fixed on her, not looking away for a moment, and asked seriously, "Why are you unhappy?"
After he finished speaking, Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, her long, thick eyelashes blinking very lightly. Could it be that he wanted to talk about her feelings?
She was stunned for a while before finally emerging from the topic, pondering how to answer. She couldn't very well say that she was so heartbroken because she found out her brother was in a relationship—that wouldn't make sense. Or should she say that she was holding a memorial service for her unspoken love?
How should I put it? No matter how I put it, it seems like a sin.
Lin Yu twitched her eyelids and slowly forced a relieved smile: "I'm not unhappy, brother, you're overthinking it."
"Lin Yu." Zhou Ke stared intently at her, his gaze deep, and said, word by word, "Did I ever say that you should never lie to your brother, no matter what?"
After she finished speaking, Lin Yu's back suddenly stiffened, and her fingertips curled up little by little. Her brother's burning gaze seemed to see right through her. She took a deep breath and finally asked, "Brother, am I going to have a sister-in-law soon?"
Lin Yu looked up at him without any emotion. Her temperament was naturally aloof, and she exuded a sense of pressure when she wasn't smiling. Especially when she stared at someone like this, it looked just like an interrogation.
Zhou Ke frowned, his face darkening, and blurted out, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Lin Yu remained calm and recounted the story: "I saw it. Yesterday outside the bar, a girl was hugging you."
Hearing his sister's words, Zhou Ke was stunned for a moment, but soon he realized that the person Lin Yu was talking about was Jiang Zi. He sighed and said, "That's Yan Yadong's girlfriend. She was drunk and mistook me for him. There's no sister-in-law here."
Upon receiving the explanation, Lin Yu paused for a moment, the weight that had been pressing on her heart suddenly vanished, and her chest felt suddenly light. Her emotions fluctuated wildly, like riding a rollercoaster, leaving her speechless for a long time.
Faced with Lin Yu's silence, Zhou Ke pursed his lips and stared intently at her. A barely perceptible ripple appeared in his dark eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Is it because of this?"
"What?" Lin Yu stammered, stunned.
Zhou Ke lowered his head, his sharp gaze landing on Lin Yu's face, and asked, "Is this why you're in a bad mood?"
Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Lin Yu's mind. She abruptly raised her head and vehemently denied it: "Of course not, it's just that... I happen to be on my period these past few days, and I'm feeling a bit unwell, so my emotions are a little abnormal."
The pent-up frustration in her heart suddenly dissipated. She blinked her clear, moist eyes and apologized for her misunderstanding: "I misunderstood you, brother. I'm sorry."
The rain was still pattering outside the window, and the air conditioning inside the car slapped against her exposed skin, causing Lin Yu to shiver involuntarily, her cool palms rubbing her forearms.
Seeing this, Zhou Ke's question, which he was about to utter, suddenly turned into a sarcastic remark, and he couldn't say anything at all.
He sighed helplessly. Oh well, as the older brother, it's only right that I tolerate everything about my younger sister, including her nonsensical emotions.
The little girl's emotions came and went quickly; once she got home, she was back to being the brother and sister who had no barriers between them.
Back in the room, Lin Yu told Jia Yi everything that had happened, explaining that she had misunderstood Zhou Ke.
It wasn't that she wanted to pour cold water on things, but from an outsider's perspective, she saw things more clearly than Lin Yu, and she was genuinely worried: "Honey, your brother is not young anymore, he's successful in his career, and with his outstanding looks, even if you misunderstood this time, there's no guarantee he won't really give it to your sister-in-law later."
Lin Yu lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on Jia Yi's words, and remained lost in thought for a long time.
She had thought about this too, but the deeper the feelings, the less room there was for even the slightest mistake. Once that line was crossed, would they still be able to remain siblings?
She couldn't do anything to ruin their relationship. They could be siblings for life, or even, to be bolder, lovers, but they couldn't even break up their sibling relationship.
Therefore, over the years, she could only silently suppress this feeling deep in her heart.
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