She looked at Qiao Xiuyu, and Qiao Xiuyu looked at her.
In the ensuing silence, an awkwardness crept in.
Shang Shaoyan calmly thought—she could probably dig a Forbidden City out of her toes. That's right, it could house quite a few people. Tonight, she would write, "If only I could have thousands of mansions, I could shelter all the poor scholars of the world and make them all happy."
Qiao Xiuyu was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You and my brother..."
Shang Shaoyan felt like she was suffocating. She took a deep breath and said, "It's not what you think."
Qiao Xiuyu said "Oh," neither confirming nor denying her belief, but looking at Shang Shaoyan with an indescribable gaze.
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
She wiped her face and resignedly began, "It's like this... My brother and I don't belong to this world. In our original world, he carried bricks to buy me a pair of shoes, and later he even went behind my back to paint—that is, to stain the walls."
Qiao Xiuyu was somewhat puzzled, clearly not understanding why she would have to move bricks just to buy a pair of shoes, nor why she would have to paint the walls.
Shang Shaoyan gave an awkward smile, then sighed: "You don't understand... We were very poor back then. Our whole house wasn't even as big as this room. There was only one bed, so we had to squeeze together to sleep."
Qiao Xiuyu was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand."
Seeing this, Shang Shaoyan knew he still didn't understand: "No, you don't understand."
Qiao Xiuyu didn't know what to say, so she looked at Shang Shaoyan with a complicated expression, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "So you and your brother..."
Shang Shaoyan: "Don't think about things that won't pass censorship, will be censored, or will get you scolded by our CP fans."
Qiao Xiuyu: "...?"
What kind of talk is this?
Shang Shaoyan sighed and said, "In short, my brother and I are just like siblings, the kind who hurt each other, you understand?"
Shang Shaoyan then talked to him about many things in the 21st century, laying his past clearly in front of Qiao Xiuyu, and finally said: "That's the situation. If that's what you think, then there's nothing I can do."
Qiao Xiuyu: "..."
Something feels off.
However, Qiao Xiuyu has one particularly good quality: she always trusts Shang Shaoyan unconditionally. Seeing her say that, she stopped pressing the issue, nodded obediently, picked up the soup from the bedside, and smiled gently: "An'an, drink your soup."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
What's the meaning behind your tone that sounds like "Brother, it's time to take your medicine"?
If this world didn't lack "Water Margin" and "Golden Plum Blossom," she would really suspect that Qiao Xiuyu had poisoned her.
She glanced at Qiao Xiuyu suspiciously, took the soup, drank it all in one gulp, and then casually asked, "Do you know what an airplane is?"
Qiao Xiuyu looked at her blankly: "What's an airplane? A kind of chicken?"
Shang Shaoyan stared at him for a moment, then fell silent.
After a long while, she tugged at Qiao Xiuyu's sleeve and smiled brightly, "Seventh Brother, shall we lie down together for a while?" Qiao Xiuyu chuckled and rubbed his forehead, "An'an hasn't had enough sleep yet?"
He paused, then smiled and gently flicked Shang Shaoyan's head: "Never mind, you're exhausted too... Did you get hurt this time?"
Shang Shaoyan lay obediently in the blanket, only his face showing. He blinked when he heard this: "...Guess?"
Seeing this, Qiao Xiuyu understood everything. He glanced helplessly at Shang Shaoyan and said, "Come on, let me apply the medicine for you."
Afraid that Qiao Xiuyu would be angry if she saw the wound, Shang Shaoyan rolled her eyes, then sat up halfway and gently bit Qiao Xiuyu's lip. While Qiao Xiuyu was stunned, she said, "No need to apply medicine. A kiss from Qilang will make me feel better."
Qiao Xiuyu wasn't buying it, looking at Shang Shaoyan with an unyielding gaze: "Sweetie, scars don't look good on a young lady..."
Shang Shaoyan's eyes widened: "If I have scars, you won't like me anymore? Is that what you mean?"
Qiao Xiuyu: "..."
He looked at Shang Shaoyan with amusement: "How could I not like you? I'm just afraid you'll regret it. I once saw a girl with many wounds on her hands. She didn't feel anything when she was injured, and she didn't feel anything when the wounds healed—because she was injured for her lover. But later she regretted it because she felt it wasn't worth it."
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow: "I don't think it's not worth it—these are scars I left for this land, they are honors, they are achievements. However... for the sake of feel, I can apply medicine."
Qiao Xiuyu was stunned for a moment, and it took her a long time to realize what "for the feel" meant.
His cheeks flushed instantly. He pursed his lips and gave Shang Shaoyan a reproachful look: "An'an just loves teasing me."
Seeing Qiao Xiuyu blush, Shang Shaoyan found him quite adorable and immediately burst out laughing. He poked Qiao Xiuyu's cheek and stroked his lips, saying, "If I don't tease you, who else can I tease?"
She paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'm going to apply the medicine now—you can go out now."
Qiao Xiuyu kissed Shang Shaoyan on the forehead, then patted the top of her head: "Okay. Next time... you still need to be more careful, some wounds can leave lasting scars."
Shang Shaoyan smiled and gave him a reproachful look: "I know!"
...
Qiao Xiuyu had just stepped out of Shang Shaoyan's room when she ran into Shang Yunlan.
Shang Yunlan has been getting along quite well with Qiao Xiuyu lately—mainly because he discovered that Qiao Xiuyu is indeed very virtuous and genuinely loves Shang Shaoyan, so he had no choice but to accept their relationship.
Shang Yunlan had just finalized another business deal and was in a good mood. She even greeted Qiao Xiuyu with a rare pleasant expression, asking, "Qiao Zhuo, have you eaten?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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