Chapter 44 (End of Main Text) - The Matchmaker Saw Us
Zhou Ke stayed in Jiangcheng for five days before returning home. During this time apart, the frequency of their conversations increased rapidly. Like most young couples in love, they had endless things to talk about every day, sharing everything from class schedules to lunch menus, and every little thing in life with each other.
They met again during the National Day holiday. Lin Yu had gone back to Tongcheng a day early to avoid the holiday rush, carrying her suitcase.
Zhou Ke drove to the station to pick her up.
They hadn't even had time to unpack when they got home, and they couldn't wait to hug and kiss.
Dinner was delayed by almost an hour. When Lin Yu came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, she saw Zhou Ke sitting on the sofa, twirling a small champagne-colored box in his hand.
She walked over, her wet hair draped messily over her shoulders, the still-damp ends making her white T-shirt appear transparent.
Zhou Ke looked up at her and said, "Why didn't you dry your hair first?"
Lin Yu put the towel in her hand aside, her gaze falling on his palm, and asked with interest, "What's this?"
Zhou Ke gestured for her to sit down: "This is a gift I bought for you."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's eyes flickered, and she became even more curious. She guessed, "A necklace?"
"No." Zhou Ke smiled and shook his head, then handed over the box. "Open it and see if it suits your taste."
To be honest, this was the first time her brother had given her a gift since they got together, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't excited. Lin Yu held the small box, and for some reason, her heart was racing. She slowly opened the lid, but when she saw what was inside, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she froze, forgetting to react. She turned around in surprise and looked at Zhou Ke: "This... a ring?"
A simple silver ring with a honeycomb pattern was prominently displayed on the white cloth stand, shimmering under the light.
Lin Yu was stunned, clearly not expecting that the gift Zhou Ke mentioned would be a ring.
Seeing her dazed expression, Zhou Ke smiled and asked, "Are you stunned?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and took off the ring. He then held her left hand in his left hand and, as he slipped the ring onto her finger, he raised an eyebrow and his smile faded, replaced by a more serious question: "Would you like to wear it?"
Lin Yu blinked, her heart pounding wildly. She asked, bewildered, "Is this a marriage proposal?"
After saying that, Zhou Ke paused for a moment, then tapped her brow lightly with his finger and smiled helplessly: "Of course not."
Lin Yu whispered an "Ah," then said, "Then this..."
"Wear this. Next time someone confesses their feelings to you, just tell them you have a fiancé and you'll get married after graduation." As he spoke, Zhou Ke put the ring on her finger.
The cool metal ring slowly slipped onto her finger, and soon, it warmed with her body heat. Lin Yu stared blankly at the delicate patterns on the ring for a long time before finally realizing what was happening.
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her brother's waist, resting her chin on his chest, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "So you're still jealous? It's been almost half a month, how come the jealousy hasn't dissipated yet?"
Zhou Ke reached out and put his arm around her waist, letting her wet hair fall down onto his clothes. He gave her a meaningful look: "I only caught one, but who knows if there are others in private?"
Lin Yu lowered her eyes and subconsciously looked at the ring in her hand: "So you want to use a ring to cut off all my romantic prospects."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke raised his arm, pinched her chin with his fingertips, narrowed his eyes, and repeated the word "peach blossom" as if he were arguing over words, "Why do I feel like I heard a hint of regret in your tone?"
"Really? You must have misheard." After denying it, Lin Yu tilted her head back and kissed his chin, saying, "So be it. I only need this one peach blossom from you, brother."
He had only said that to tease her, but after hearing Lin Yu's words, Zhou Ke's heart was stirred. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. He reached out and stroked her hair, but only felt his hand covered in moisture. So he patted her shoulder and said, "Sit here, I'll go get a hairdryer to dry your hair."
"Okay." Lin Yu released her arms from his embrace.
The buzzing of the hairdryer echoed in her ears, and warm air sprayed out. Long, slender fingers ran through her hair, carefully brushing aside her dark strands. Lin Yu sat cross-legged on the sofa, quietly enjoying this blissful moment.
Knowing that she had returned to Tongcheng, Jiayi called her on the first day of the National Day holiday and asked her to meet up. The two had lunch at a barbecue restaurant and then went shopping for a while. Finally, Jiayi suddenly decided that she wanted to get her nails done again, so Lin Yu was dragged by her to a newly opened nail salon.
Jiayi opted for a pink cat-eye color, while Linyu chose a clear nude color.
Sitting in the nail salon, Jiayi began to inquire about her relationship with Zhou Ke. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the ring on her finger and exclaimed in surprise, "Have you two already reached this point?"
Lin Yu smiled helplessly and had no choice but to tell her about the video and the boy.
After listening, Jiayi clicked her tongue and commented, "It's time to have a sense of crisis."
The manicure took a while, so the two chatted casually. Finally, Jiayi pinched Lin Yu's cheek with her freshly manicured hand and suddenly exclaimed, "You know what? You've really changed a lot."
"Really?" Lin Yu didn't think so.
But Jiayi nodded heavily, "Really, haven't you noticed? You've become more and more cheerful, and you even joke around with people. These are all changes that have happened since you got together with Brother Zhou Ke. And when I look at you now, I feel that you are radiating happiness. So, seeing you like this, I am really happy for you."
Jiayi wasn't the first person to say that she had changed. Lin Yu hadn't thought about it seriously before, but now she belatedly realized the influence of Zhou Ke on her.
On the second day of the holiday, Jiang Zi and Cen Yu found a Anhui cuisine restaurant near the bar, saying that they wanted to treat her to dinner. Cen Yu felt very sorry for the trouble that the video had caused Lin Yu, even though Lin Yu had said it was okay, Cen Yu still felt bad.
After the dinner, Yan Yadong drove over to pick up Jiang Zi and take her home.
Lin Yu bumped into him on the street and took the initiative to go up and greet him.
This was the first time Yan Yadong had seen Lin Yu since she and Zhou Ke got together.
The affair between the two of them had truly shocked him. During that time, he didn't even know how to feel about Zhou Ke. Now that they met, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Lin Yu. This pity stemmed from his belief that Zhou Ke was the one who broke the ice between them, and that he had fallen in love with his sister first.
In the distance, skyscrapers stood side by side, their pink and blue neon lights constantly changing colors. The night wind carried a chill, rushing in from all directions and striking people, causing them to shiver.
Yan Yadong stood opposite Lin Yu, looking at her earnestly: "Little sister, do you really like Zhou Ke? I mean, romantic love. I admit that Zhou Ke is really good to you, but you mustn't confuse family affection with romantic love and mistake your feelings for Zhou Ke for romantic love. It's not the same thing. You are six years younger than Zhou Ke, and in my heart, I also consider you my little sister. There are some things I can't say to Zhou Ke, but I still hope you can think it through. Young girls sometimes get hurt in love, but you and Zhou Ke are different. You are family who have been together since childhood. If one day you realize this fact and want to get out of love, you might not even be able to be family anymore."
Having known Yan Yadong for so long, this was the first time Lin Yu had seen him speak to her in such a serious manner. She knew that Yan Yadong was doing this for her own good, and that he must have thought it through carefully before saying such a thing.
"Thank you for telling me all this. I understand what you mean. I've been thinking about whether my feelings for Zhou Ke are sibling-like dependence or romantic love. I've been pondering this question for over a thousand days. I understand."
Lin Yu smiled and calmly told the truth: "Dong-ge, I was the one who liked Zhou Ke first." She paused and said slowly, "A long, long time ago."
Yan Yadong was completely stunned and couldn't say anything.
Ever since Zhou Ke told him that he was with Lin Yu, he had felt like it was all unreal.
He had known Zhou Ke for over a decade and knew how much he valued this younger sister. He truly didn't want to see Zhou Ke and Lin Yu have a falling out one day.
All relationships are subject to change; couples may break up, and even those who get married may divorce.
But they are different. If one day they really reach the point where they never speak to each other again, how embarrassing would that be?
Therefore, he hopes that both of them will think it through.
Zhou Ke is a very independent person. Once he makes up his mind about something, he won't change it. Yan Yadong had mentioned this to him in a roundabout way before, but what did Zhou Ke say at that time? He said that he and Lin Yu would never go to that point, never.
Yan Yadong knew he couldn't persuade him, so when he saw Lin Yu today, he couldn't help but bring it up again.
But it seems he's overcomplicated things.
Their relationship seemed to be far stronger than he had imagined.
On the third day of the holiday, Tongcheng suddenly turned to autumn, experiencing a significant drop in temperature. Opening the window, one could see dew on the leaves of the old locust trees.
Lin Yu opened the wardrobe, rummaged through it and found some thick autumn clothes, then changed into a warm sweatshirt and jeans.
Last night before going to bed, Zhou Ke said he wanted to visit Lin Xiangyun and Lin Ye's cemetery. The last time he visited them was during the Qingming Festival, and now, almost half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.
After breakfast, Zhou Ke drove Lin Yu to the cemetery.
The car drove onto a winding mountain road, with no other cars in sight. When they arrived at their destination, Lin Yu and Zhou Ke each got out of the car holding a bouquet of flowers.
The weather wasn't great today; the sky was so pale it was almost gray. When the wind blew, the leaves fluttered down, rolled twice on the ground, and crunched as people walked on them.
The cemetery was quiet and desolate. Lin Yu held a bunch of daisies and, after climbing four or five steps, turned her pace to the left until she stopped in front of the fourth tombstone.
Compared to Lin Ye, Lin Yu had no impression of Lin Xiangyun at all. There were also few photos of her left in the world. The only three were: one was a photo of her and Lin Ye when they were young, an old photo like a black and white TV from the last century, without color. Over the years, only a facial feature could be vaguely seen; the second was her wedding photo with Jiang Guohua. She was wearing a festive red coat and a plaid skirt, smiling brightly as she welcomed her married life.
A square, gray-white photograph; the woman's lips are slightly upturned, and her eyes exude gentleness.
It had been a long time since I'd visited, and the tombstone was covered in a thick layer of dust, with a few withered yellow leaves lying listlessly on it.
Lin Yu half-squatted down, reached out to brush away the withered leaves, and gently placed the daisies in her hand on top.
The cemetery was empty, and the leaves of the trees in the distance rustled in the wind, adding to the desolation. Lin Yu stood in front of the tombstone and talked with Lin Xiangyun for a while. After the memorial service, Zhou Ke looked at Lin Yu and said in a low voice, "Wait for me for a while, okay? I have something I want to say to my mother."
Lin Yu glanced at Zhou Ke, then nodded and obediently walked a little further away.
Zhou Ke usually talked to Lin Xiangyun, but he always said those words in front of Lin Yu. Only this time, he was all alone in front of the tombstone.
"Mother."
Dressed in all black, he knelt on one knee in front of the tombstone. He hadn't used that title in a long time, and now, saying it again had a strange flavor to it.
Zhou Ke lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the inscription on the tombstone. After a long while, he spoke softly, "I came here today because there's something I want to tell you." His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as a flood of emotions overwhelmed him, causing him to pause for a long time before continuing:
“I am with Xiaoyu now. I know that doing this may be unfair to you for raising me with such care, and I do feel a little guilty about it. But I still can’t bear to be separated from her. I am very grateful to you for adopting me. In my dull and uneventful life, I briefly felt the warmth of a family and the care of a mother.”
For me, Lin Yu is everything in my life, even more than myself. Rest assured, I will love her, protect her, and accompany her through this life. Except in death, we will never be apart.
If you don't approve of us being together, please don't blame her. I'm willing to bear all the punishment for our relationship. Blame me if you must; I'll accept whatever comes after death, whether it's hell or boiling oil.
On the way back, the two remained silent. Lin Yu sat quietly in the passenger seat, glancing at him occasionally out of the corner of her eye. Noticing Lin Yu's subtle movements, Zhou Ke knew she had something to say. "What do you want to ask?"
Sure enough, as soon as her brother spoke, Lin Yu turned to the side and asked impatiently, "You lingered at Mom's grave for a long time. What did you say to her?"
Zhou Ke gripped the steering wheel, looked ahead, and smiled slightly: "Thank you for giving birth to such a lovely and beautiful daughter."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's face fell. So all that long-winded explanation had been condensed into just this one sentence? Who would believe that? But since Zhou Ke was unwilling to talk about it, Lin Yu didn't press him. Even the closest lovers always have one or two secrets they can't tell each other.
She squinted slightly and flattered him in return, saying, "So, should I also thank her for adopting such a handsome, outstanding, and caring older brother?"
Zhou Ke glanced at her and chuckled, "I should thank you. Next time you come, I'll wait for you here?"
Lin Yu thought for a moment, "No need."
Zhou Ke: "Hmm?"
Lin Yu replied with a smile, "Because I am grateful to her every moment."
They had been calling the same woman "mother" for twenty years.
They are our destined family.
Whether they are referred to as brother and sister or as husband and wife.
Fate's gift has bound them together for life.
After returning from the cemetery, Zhou Ke stayed at home with Lin Yu for two days.
That day, after having dinner at home, Zhou Ke suddenly said he wanted to drive Lin Yu somewhere. Lin Yu asked her where they were going, but Zhou Ke refused to say and only told her two words: "surprise."
Once outside the residential compound, Zhou Ke focused on driving, and Lin Yu couldn't help but ask again, "Where are you taking me?"
Zhou Ke turned to look at her, raised his hand and pinched her cheek, "You'll find out soon enough."
Zhou Ke said "a while," but they actually arrived at their destination half an hour later. Zhou Ke drove the car into the parking lot of the residential complex. Lin Yu looked at the surrounding environment and became more and more confused: "Are you taking me to see someone?"
Zhou Ke shook his head, and the seller, keeping it a secret, said, "No."
The vehicle made its way through the underground parking garage, turning left and right, before finally stopping in the designated area for the building.
After getting out of the car, Zhou Ke led her towards the elevator. When he looked down and met Lin Yu's confused eyes, Zhou Ke remained mysterious: "You'll find out soon enough."
A few seconds later, the elevator arrived at the designated floor.
The two stepped out of the elevator one after the other. Lin Yu looked around. The apartment was one unit per floor, and the space outside the elevator was quite large. Before she could understand why Zhou Ke had brought her here, she was already standing in front of a smoky gray door.
Zhou Ke turned to her and pointed to the combination lock above, saying, "The password is 012714, try it."
At this point, Lin Yu's eyelashes trembled, and an unbelievable thought suddenly popped into her mind. She slowly raised her finger and, under Zhou Ke's gaze, pressed the six numbers in the password area.
After entering the last 4, the password door suddenly chimed, and the entryway door automatically opened a crack. Lin Yu stood frozen in place, staring at everything in disbelief: "This—"
Seeing her shock, Zhou Ke raised an eyebrow and gestured to her, "Let's go in and take a look."
As Lin Yu stepped into the foyer, the living room lights automatically turned on. She looked up and carefully examined the house. It had a modern design and simple decor, with beige as the main color. One side of the living room had a large floor-to-ceiling window, and thanks to the floor's advantage, she could see the huge Ferris wheel outside, which was currently flashing pale purple neon lights.
She vaguely sensed something, yet looked at Zhou Ke incredulously: "Why did you bring me here?"
After saying that, Zhou Ke turned around, looked at Lin Yu intently, and said, word by word, "This is our home from now on. Of course, to be precise, it's yours. The property certificate is in your name alone. Whether you plan to stay in Jiangcheng or go back to Tongcheng, this is your last refuge. You are the only one who can dispose of it."
After hearing this, Lin Yu was completely stunned. She had no idea that Zhou Ke had secretly bought her a house, so much so that she couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time. "You mean... this house... is mine?"
Zhou Ke stepped forward, placed his palm on the back of her neck, and repeated, "Yes, it's yours."
Tears welled up in Lin Yu's eyes. She sniffed and asked in a daze, "When did you buy it?"
Zhou Ke: "Back during summer vacation?"
Lin Yu pressed on, "Why?"
Zhou Ke held her fingers and said calmly, "I've had this plan for a long time."
"Then..." Lin Yu looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, "Why...why give it to me?"
At this point, Zhou Ke's eyes dimmed, and he lowered his eyelashes to meet her gaze: "Back then, I was thinking that if you ever got married in the future, this house would be your dowry."
dowry.
Hearing those two words, Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. Her chest felt as if a bottle of sour lemon juice had been spilled, bitter and astringent. She remembered that her brother had said the house was bought during the summer vacation, but at that time, she had not yet confessed to him about her relationship with Cong Yi. So what was his mindset when he bought the house?
She lowered her head, letting tears slide from the corners of her eyes, and sobbed, "And now?"
Zhou Ke raised his hand and wiped away the hot tears on her cheeks with his fingertips. "Now this is also part of your dowry."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu could no longer hold back. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhou Ke's waist and abdomen, burying her face in his chest. "Brother... how can you be so good to me?"
Zhou Ke lowered his eyelashes, feeling his sister's tears slowly soaking his clothes. He held her trembling shoulders and pulled her out of his arms, chuckling softly, "I didn't bring you here to make you cry." He gently wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips and sighed, "You're my only sister. If I don't treat you well, who else should I treat well? Okay, stop crying."
Although Tongcheng is not a first-tier city, as the provincial capital, the housing prices are naturally not low. In addition, given the location, it is easy to imagine that it must be expensive. Lin Yu stopped crying and asked him with her red eyes, "Brother, did you use all your money to buy this house?"
Zhou Ke flicked his finger and hooked her chin with his knuckle, teasing her in a casual tone: "Yes, our lives and fortunes are all in this room. From now on, we can only eat simple meals."
Just as she had expected, Lin Yu took a deep breath, blinked, and tilted her head back, saying nonchalantly, "It's okay, I have money, I have a lot of savings."
Zhou Ke was taken aback: "Where did you get the money?"
Lin Yu: "It's money I earned, plus what you've given me over the years. If you really think about it, it's quite a sum of money."
Zhou Ke stared at her, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why aren't you spending what I gave you?"
“Back then…” Lin Yu buried her head in his neck and said softly, “I didn’t really want to keep spending your money.”
Zhou Ke held her waist: "Why?"
From the moment she realized she had fallen for her brother, Lin Yu could no longer enjoy Zhou Ke's kindness to her with the same peace of mind as before. To her, all this kindness was pushing her step by step into a swamp of sin. She was too afraid, afraid that one day this feeling would be put on the table, and then she would not even be able to be family with him anymore. Her brother had already sacrificed enough for her. When the day came to sever ties, she thought she would probably repay all the kindness she had received in the past, one by one.
Zhou Ke hugged her. This was the first time he had heard Lin Yu reveal her truest thoughts. He hugged her tenderly, "How could you be so silly? How could your brother bear to become a stranger to you?"
A long, long time ago, he said that he only had his younger sister left.
Lin Yu was held in his arms, feeling his body temperature gradually transfer to her. She tilted her head back, rested her chin on his shoulder, and said in a muffled voice, "Now I know."
"Brother," she whispered in his ear.
"Um."
Only after hearing a response did she continue, saying, for the present and for every night in the past when she couldn't speak, "I love you."
At that moment, Zhou Ke felt his heartbeat freeze for a second, and his dark eyes gradually became filled with a strong desire. He nodded, his forehead pressed against hers, his Adam's apple bobbed silently, and he replied in a hoarse voice, "I love you too."
After saying that, Lin Yu suddenly raised her hand, hooked her arm around his neck, stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips hard. Their lips pressed tightly together, eager to penetrate deeper, their noses touching, and their hot breaths melted like cream between them.
It was another uneasy night, with two hearts pounding wildly in unison.
Zhou Ke held the back of her head, his lips and tongue tracing her soft lips, savoring the rich sweetness in her mouth. The air became hot and humid, the sound of the water being stirred drowning out the throbbing of her pulse.
The floor-to-ceiling curtains in the living room stood quietly, while neon lights poured in.
After kissing for a while, they were both a little out of breath, their warm breaths mingling around their nostrils. Lin Yu's cheeks were flushed, and her full lips parted slightly.
Zhou Ke lowered his eyes, his dark gaze fixed on her full, moist lips.
They had barely separated when they fell on top of each other again, and a soft moan escaped their lips.
The emptiness that arose from the kiss suddenly became somewhat uncontrollable at that moment.
Everything unfolded so naturally, with such perfect understanding that no further words were needed. The curtains slowly moved closer to the center, obscuring the dazzling night.
The young body looked like jade and silk under the light, with a slender neck, thin shoulders, and flushed cheeks all clearly visible.
Their eyes met. Zhou Ke looked into her eyes, which were moistened by water droplets. They were like glass beads just pulled from the water, clear and transparent. When she gazed at him, her light-colored pupils were filled with his reflection.
Lin Yu bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks to her temples, and hummed softly in a trembling voice.
Seeing his sister's tears, he should have stopped, but he still relentlessly plundered her, his wet lips and tongue wiping away her tears, sucking on the soft flesh of her earlobe, licking her slender neck, and feeling the pulse of her heartbeat with his lips.
Lin Yu was so dizzy from the kiss that she felt something strange. The distinctly clear pulse and warmth instantly brought her back to her senses. "Brother...you..."
Knowing what Lin Yu wanted to say, Zhou Ke hugged her and kissed her forehead, her eyebrows and eyes, inch by inch down until he stopped at the corner of her mouth. "After I came back from Jiangcheng, I had surgery."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu was immediately startled. She reached out and grabbed Zhou Ke's arm, asking nervously, "What... surgery?"
Zhou Ke said calmly, "Traumatic sterilization."
After she finished speaking, Lin Yu felt a buzzing in her head, and it took her a while to react. "Why...don't you want children in the future?"
"Hmm—I don't want to." Zhou Ke looked at her, speaking each word with particular certainty, "I will not allow anything with a risk factor to happen to you, even if it is only a one in ten thousand chance, I have to take precautions in advance."
Childbirth, as the greatest catastrophe for women in the 21st century, still causes them harm even with today's advanced medical environment.
Lin Xiangyun died in childbirth, something Zhou Ke personally experienced.
He doesn't think he absolutely needs a child in this life; he just wants a younger sister.
Lin Yu's eyes welled up, and tears fell unexpectedly.
Zhou Ke lowered his head and wiped away the tears on her face. "You're still young, it's too early to talk about this. If you really like children in the future, we can adopt one."
"Okay," Lin Yu replied, her voice choked with emotion.
The night was so long that time seemed to fade away for a moment. No one said to stop, from the living room to the bathroom.
We haven't even moved into the house yet, and we've already gotten muddy.
The day before returning to school, Lin Yu took Zhou Ke to Hongfa Temple.
As it happened, a Buddhist ceremony was being held at the temple, attracting many worshippers. Upon entering, one's body was immediately enveloped in the fragrance of sandalwood.
Lin Yu led Zhou Ke to the Guanyin Hall with ease. As they climbed the steps, Lin Yu glanced at Zhou Ke and said, "Back then, did you think I came to Hongfa Temple to ask for eternal happiness with Cong Yi?"
Zhou Ke nodded without hiding anything and said, "But now, I think what you're seeking isn't He Congyi."
"Of course." After walking up fifty-six long steps and standing in front of the Guanyin Hall, Lin Yu said with a smile, "Want to know what I prayed for back then? Come with me."
After passing the Guanyin Hall, continue walking forward, and you will reach the old man's house covered with marriage plaques.
Zhou Ke looked up and saw the red ribbons fluttering in the air.
Unlike last time, due to the religious ceremony, there were many people standing under the tree this time, most of them holding marriage plaques with their names written on them, waiting to be hung up. The volunteers' table was also surrounded by layers of people.
Lin Yu told him, "This is the marriage tree in the temple. It is said that if you write your name on the marriage plaque and hang it up, you will have a chance to be seen by the Old Man Under the Moon and be tied together by a red thread."
Zhou Ke tilted his head and asked with almost certainty, "Did you also die back then?"
Lin Yu nodded.
Zhou Ke slowly withdrew his gaze, recalling that day when he saw a photo of his sister and Cong Yi on her phone. To this day, he still remembers how he felt at that time: shocked, bewildered, and heartbroken.
When the truth came out, the two successfully confessed their feelings and returned to the same place. Zhou Ke looked at her with a gloomy gaze and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Was it written about me?"
Lin Yu turned around, met Zhou Ke's eyes, and said, "Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Ke's heart softened. He suddenly wanted to ask her, "Lin Yu, were you drunk the night before you went to A University?"
That was the real beginning of their relationship, and he desperately wanted to know if he was the only one suppressing his feelings until dawn that night.
A gentle breeze carried her voice, which, though light and airy, carried a weight that pierced the heart. She spoke firmly, saying, "No."
She only dared to be brave once, and after that, she boarded the train to Jiangcheng.
Lin Yu looked at him and said to herself, "Brother, do you know when feelings are strongest?"
"When you're in love, you're as solid as a rock. But time is the only thing that can break that. Many people can't withstand the test, so they slowly fall apart. But some relationships can become stronger and stronger over the years."
“Brother, we are the latter.” Lin Yu lifted her eyelids, her long eyelashes fluttering, and the corners of her lips curved up: “I am very fortunate that even after so many years, apart from loving each other more, nothing else has changed.”
Deep, majestic chanting echoed from the Mahavira Hall in the distance. Incense wafted through the temple, and a breeze carried the rich scent of sandalwood. The red strings tied to the marriage tokens fluttered in the wind, causing the tokens to sway and clink together with a crisp, clear sound.
Birds flew over from afar and landed on the branches of this tree. Lin Yu looked up at the branches covered with red ribbons, then her gaze shifted to her brother's profile. She remembered that hot summer when she stood alone under this tree, watching the marriage plaque with their names written on it hanging on the branches.
She said she begged the God of Marriage to look at her and grant her a red thread, tying the other end to her brother's wrist, so that they could grow old together.
Lin Yu looked at the large tree in front of her, while Zhou Ke turned his head and looked down at her, watching her carefree smile and her straight long hair fluttering in the air.
Lin Yu turned around and looked into Zhou Ke's eyes, her eyes and brows full of smiles.
"elder brother."
"Um."
The bells on the eaves of the long corridor jingled crisply in the wind, while in the distance, the deep tolling of a bell resounded, echoing for a long time.
Her soft voice, carried by the wind, entered his ear, saying:
"The God of Love has seen us."
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Author's Note: This concludes the main text. Thank you for liking this story. This was the most difficult and painful story I ever wrote. I was stuck on the story for almost a month in the early stages, and the later stages were also quite bumpy. I still haven't been able to get it to the paid version.
Seeing your comments after each post makes me feel like someone is reading this story, and I'm not writing it alone. So thank you all! [kissing emoji]
There won't be many side stories, probably only three or four chapters, a very short "what if" scenario where the older brother turns the tables and pursues the younger sister. [Go for it!]
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