Chapter 44 Adopted Brother [VIP]
...
The autumn wind rustled, ruffling the handsome young man's hair.
A taxi pulled up and stopped on the side of the street. Qingran opened the car door and got in: "To the airport."
Not long after, Pei's mother called.
"Ranran, it's time to go out and pick up your brother, don't forget."
"I haven't forgotten, I'm on my way to the airport."
"That's good. Your father and I are also setting off. Let's meet at the airport."
After the brief conversation ended, Qingran put away her phone and stared blankly at the street scene flashing past the window.
Meeting my official partner, Lin Xi, was an accident.
After finishing his college entrance exam, he filled out his application for Tsinghua University as planned. During his freshman year, Ningning from the next major kept pestering him for her social media account during military training.
His classmates teased him about being approached and pursued by girls, but Qingran could tell that wasn't the case.
He could see the look in Pei Xuhui's eyes perfectly when he saw what it looked like when someone liked him; Ningning was only attracted to his face.
Later, when he got annoyed by her constant pestering and had nothing else to do besides reading, he finally gave her his contact information.
Then the girl introduced herself with great joy, saying that her name was Ning Yu, and that people who knew her called her Ning Ning.
The system was shocked.
[Host, this person is Lin Xi's good friend! In the original storyline, he often stood up for Lin Xi and helped her out!]
Wow, I don't know whether to call it a coincidence or not.
Qingran was a little surprised, but she didn't do anything about it and continued to interact with Ningning naturally.
Then, as expected, he met Lin Xi when they went out to play an escape room game together.
Lin Xi and Ning Ning were high school classmates, and Lin Xi was a cheerful and generous person, just as described in the story.
Qingran got along well with the two of them and kept in touch until graduation, occasionally meeting up on weekends to chat and go out together.
As for the fact that Lin Xi and Pei Xu were the official couple in the original storyline, he didn't care at all.
"We've arrived at the airport. 12 yuan."
The driver's voice brought him back to his senses.
Qingran paid the fare with her phone and got off the bus, then went into the terminal to meet up with Pei's parents, who had arrived earlier.
The couple are now in their fifties, successful in their careers and full of energy, looking like they are still in their early forties and in their prime.
"Ranran, this!" Mother Pei waved to Qingran.
Qingran stepped forward: "I'm not late, am I?"
Pei's mother: "No, no, it's no big deal if it's a couple of minutes late."
When Pei's father saw a yellowed leaf hidden in his hair, he smiled and reached out to pick it off: "Oh, you even brought a gift for Xu Hui?"
Qingran glanced at it; the leaves were long and narrow, about the size of a fingernail, and she couldn't tell what variety they were.
It might have been blown here by the wind while I was waiting for the bus.
"Then my brother probably won't like my shabby gift."
Pei's mother thought of something: "Not necessarily, how about we make a bet?"
Pei's father responded enthusiastically: "What should we bet on?"
Pei's mother smiled maliciously, "Just say that Ranran brought these leaves for him specially, and see how Xu Hui reacts. The loser will settle the bill after we all have dinner tomorrow."
Pei's father: "I think it's a good idea. I bet you'll keep it carefully when you return!"
Pei's mother glared at him: "I want to bet on this, you can change it."
Pei's father laughed loudly: "Alright, alright, I bet Xu Hui won't even bother with it."
The two discussed the bet and punishment on their own, while Qingran, one of the parties involved, couldn't get a word in edgewise.
His scene involved Pei's father turning to him and instructing him, "Don't let anything slip later."
Qingran: "...I'll try my best."
Would Pei Xuhui be so foolish as to believe that a leaf is a souvenir?
The flight was on time, and the arrival information was announced promptly at 10:00 AM.
Soon after, a stream of people slowly emerged from the arrival gate, and one unfamiliar face after another passed before my eyes.
Pei Xuhui, with his tall and handsome figure, stood out from the crowd.
The man was very tall, nearly 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders and long legs. His long black trench coat softened the imposing presence of his height, adding a touch of composure and casualness.
The man's face was expressionless as he walked forward, searching for something among the crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers.
Upon spotting a figure, his indifferent face instantly came to life, as if warm spring water had been poured into it.
"Preface!"
Outside the barrier, Pei's mother, arm in arm with Pei's father, waved high in the air.
Qingran stood behind the two men, looking at the man across the crowd. After a long while, she calmly looked away without any reaction.
Pei Xuhui's heart sank.
After walking out of the passage, he hugged his parents and chatted with them for a while, then looked at the person who remained a few steps away.
The distance is neither close nor far.
The spotless floor, mopped clean by the cleaner, reflected a bright light, as if drawing a silver river between him and Qingran.
Two opposing emotions, one of loss and regain, and the other of gain and loss, surged into my heart at the same time.
Pei Xuhui's emotions were in turmoil, and he suddenly felt melancholy at this moment when he should have been happy to be reunited.
Before leaving, Pei Xu asked himself how long the feelings of being eighteen could last, and now he knows.
It has been ten years.
All my emotions and thoughts, all I can say is four simple words.
"I'm back."
Qingran smiled and said, "Long time no see."
That's all.
Pei's parents probably didn't think much of it, because this had been their way of getting along for years.
There was no arguing or fighting; they greeted each other politely when they met. Isn't that normal? What's the problem?
Pei Xuhui knew clearly, however, that it was different.
Things changed after Qingran and Mingming had a cold war for several months after he went abroad, and then she came to see him with her parents at the end of the year.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Ranran gave you a gift to mark our meeting." Reminded by his mother, Pei's father took the leaf out of his bag.
Pei's mother chimed in, "That's right. Although it was just something I brought along casually, it's a token of my affection."
The man looked in surprise at the leaf lying in Pei's father's palm.
He wasn't surprised by the gift itself, but rather by the fact that Qingran would bring him something.
He looked at Qingran to confirm.
Qingran avoided eye contact and nodded: "It was indeed brought by me." She placed it on her head.
"A very unique gift."
Pei Xu replied, reached out and took the leaf, examined it, and then put it in his bag.
"Haha, I won!" Pei's mother, who had been watching his reaction closely, happily gave Pei's father a high five.
"What's the stake?" Pei Xu asked casually.
With their expressions so obvious, it was hard for him not to notice the trickery behind the so-called gift; they were just going along with it because Qingran had admitted it.
Mr. Pei smiled broadly: "The loser will be responsible for paying for tomorrow's meal."
Pei Xu replied, "Boring."
"Ha, what do you know, you single dog who's never been in a relationship?" Pei's mother retorted mercilessly. Who cares if it's boring or not, as long as they're having fun.
But since he's still my own son, I should still show some concern after stabbing him in the back.
The group followed the flow of people out.
Pei's mother asked, "Are you hungry? If you are, let's eat something before we go back."
Pei Xu replied, "Sure, Qingran has a habit of eating late-night snacks."
Qingran, whose name was mentioned, looked up and said, "I just finished eating with my friends and I'm not hungry. You can take care of yourself."
The man smiled slightly, but there was no real smile in his eyes: "I'm not hungry either. I ate the airplane food."
Pei's mother and father didn't have the habit of eating before bed, and they had difficulty digesting food due to their age. Upon hearing this, they said, "Okay, then let's go straight home."
After leaving the terminal, the couple went to their car to get in, while Qingran and Pei Xu stayed behind to wait.
As night fell, the airport lights illuminated the space as brightly as day.
The two figures stood in the cold light, their black shadows on the ground stretched long by the light, like two parallel lines that never intersect.
"Which friend? Fang Qi?" This was the only one Qingran was close to in high school.
The magnetic voice unique to mature men is like the sound of a resonant piano, echoing in the empty night wind.
Qingran tilted her head back, letting the gentle breeze caress her cheeks.
"No, we met in college, you don't know him."
Pei Xuhui suddenly fell silent.
He had been absent from Qingran's life for so long that the two of them no longer talked about anything or were as close as before. He was so absent that unless Qingran brought it up, he didn't even know which new friends she had made.
"Aren't you going to lose it?"
The man snapped out of his daze: "What?"
Qingran turned to look at him: "That leaf."
Pei Xu replied, "Why throw it away? It's good to keep it as a souvenir."
Qingran: "In memory of your return to China?"
Pei Xu replied, "Almost." This also commemorates the long-awaited reunion.
"There's no need."
The young man was taller than before, and his appearance had matured, making him even more handsome and eye-catching.
He stepped forward and reached into the man's left pocket.
The night wind whipped the hem of the trench coat around the young man's thigh, then quickly dispersed as he stepped back.
Qingran casually tossed the thing she had taken out into the air.
"Things that have no value should be discarded."
It seems to be talking about leaves, but it also seems to be using leaves to represent something else.
Pei Xuhui's gaze was somber.
The slender leaves, light as feathers, were swirled in the air by the wind before falling to the ground and being run over by oncoming wheels, leaving no trace.
The car, having crushed the leaves, stopped in front of the two, and Pei's mother rolled down the window.
"Put your luggage in the car."
As they were talking, the trunk door opened automatically, and Pei Xu carried his suitcase over to store it.
Qingran didn't wait for him or help him. She opened the back door and sat down. Not long after, Pei Xuhui put away his luggage and got in the car, sitting next to him.
The man was tall and muscular, exuding a strong presence in the cramped space, and even without speaking, he possessed an obvious aggression.
Once everyone was seated, Mr. Pei started the engine and drove home, discussing the dinner location with Mrs. Pei as they drove, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
In contrast, the atmosphere in the back seat of the same space was quiet and still.
Especially as the car drove away from the bright airport, the light in the back seat became increasingly dim, as if it were a small, isolated island cut off from the world.
A delicate fragrance of jasmine and lime gradually seeped into the air of the car air freshener.
The man looked away.
The man sitting on the left noticed this and closed his eyes. His profile was exquisite, and his refusal to communicate was quite obvious.
The man lowered his eyes, and after a moment, he opened his phone and did something.
"Ding-dong."
A message notification sounded from the left.
The man opened his eyes, took out his phone, and after seeing who the sender was, immediately turned it off without even checking it.
The man sent another message.
The man continued to rest with his eyes closed.
The man sent a third, a fourth...
"Ranran, your phone keeps ringing. Is someone calling you urgently?"
Hearing the commotion, Pei's mother looked in the rearview mirror and asked a question.
Qingran opened her eyes: "Ah, I'll look now."
When Pei's mother looked away and continued her discussion with Pei's father, he turned away unhappily.
The man being glared at looked in his direction, but his face, backlit and deep-set, was half-lit and half-shadowed, making it impossible to discern his expression.
Pretending not to see anything, Qingran lowered her head in frustration and opened the message.
On his chat page with Pei Xuhui, there was a series of transfer records at the beginning, which were obviously originally intended to attract his attention.
The last two sentences are the main point:
【sorry. 】
What will it take for you to forgive me?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com