Chapter 62
—Just like I think of you as a younger sister.
Chu Xinrou’s expression was calm as she said this, her gaze even passing over Qiao Xiaoxiao to the photo wall, looking at the various photos of her and Xiaoxiao, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
Time really flies.
In the blink of an eye, the little girl who always kept her head down had grown up, and had become neither servile nor overbearing, but considerate and sensible.
“Is that so?”
A stiff curve appeared on Qiao Xiaoxiao’s lips. It was as if something in her chest had shattered, and the fragments were piercing her internal organs, making them bleed. She stared at the ends of Chu Xinrou’s hair, which were plated in a golden light by the sun, and suddenly felt that the light was so harsh it made her want to cry.
Younger sister?
Who wants to be your younger sister?!
A sour emotion surged in her throat. Qiao Xiaoxiao heard her own voice, tinged with a sting. “Jiejie has so many younger brothers and sisters.”
Chu Xinrou frowned slightly, her turned face hazy against the light. “What do you mean?”
“Literally,” Qiao Xiaoxiao turned her head and stared at the photo of the two of them snuggled together on the photo wall. “A ‘younger brother’ who grew up with you is indeed very special.”
The air suddenly froze.
Chu Xinrou’s tightly pressed lips trembled slightly in the light and shadow. “Xiaoxiao, we agreed to be direct with each other.”
Her voice was very soft, but it was like a heavy hammer, smashing into Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart.
A secret crush is a silent torture.
Qiao Xiaoxiao felt as if a million words were rolling on the tip of her tongue, but in the end, they turned into a hot, hard lump in her throat, so hot that her eyes turned red.
Chu Xinrou looked at her, her tone still gentle. “Are you tired from studying recently?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao looked at Chu Xinrou’s confused eyes. The concern in them was like salt being sprinkled on her bleeding wound.
That’s right.
In Chu Xinrou’s eyes, she would always be that child who only thought about studying and making money all day.
Nothing else.
“It’s not about studying,” Qiao Xiaoxiao interrupted her sister bluntly. She suddenly had a reckless impulse to pour out all the thoughts that had been keeping her up at night.
But she couldn’t.
She knew… once she did, she would very likely lose her sister forever.
“Then what is it because of?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Chu Xinrou was stunned and stared at Xiaoxiao.
After all this time, Xiaoxiao had never used such a “vicious” attitude towards her.
What had she done or said wrong?
Qiao Xiaoxiao clearly saw the light in those eyes dimming bit by bit.
This was more lethal than any words.
Qiao Xiaoxiao couldn’t stay for another second. Another second and she was afraid her tears would fall. She turned and quickly left. Finally, the door was slammed shut with a bang.
That night, Qiao Xiaoxiao buried her face in her blanket, bit the corner of the blanket, and cried silently until her whole body trembled.
The two words “younger sister” were like a demonic sound, ringing in Qiao Xiaoxiao’s mind all night.
And her sister’s disappointed gaze was even more heart-wrenching.
Younger sister… younger sister… younger sister!
What she wanted to be was not just a younger sister. Chu Xinrou, don’t you know?!
The next day, she walked to Yang Feitang’s music room with a pair of red and swollen eyes. Chu Xinrou, who had been awake all night, stood at the door, watching her leave, and slowly lowered her head.
She didn’t know what was wrong with Xiaoxiao during this time.
But… Chu Xinrou knew that she was not feeling well in her heart.
In the past, she could ignore any harsh and sharp words from anyone.
But with Xiaoxiao, it was different. For some reason, she was being serious with a child.
When she arrived at the music room, Qiao Xiaoxiao found that Sister Yang seemed to be in a good mood recently. Even the hand wiping the piano keys was a little lighter. “Oh, the brat is here?”
So early? Could it be that she had a fight with Xinrou?
Qiao Xiaoxiao stood to the side and looked for a long time, repeatedly pondering her words, and cautiously asked, “Sister Yang, what would you do if… if I fell for someone older in the future?”
She was really at her wit’s end.
She needed someone to talk to so badly.
Besides her sister, Sister Yang was the person she trusted the most. Although this might expose her, it was better than now, with her whole heart soaked in sour water, so painful she couldn’t sleep at night.
Yang Feitang was very magnanimous. “I know. Didn’t you tell Xinrou before that you could accept a twenty-year age gap? At worst, after you bring them back, I’ll just call them ‘auntie.'”
Qiao Xiaoxiao: …
As she spoke, Yang Feitang turned her head, and her smile instantly froze when she saw Qiao Xiaoxiao’s red-rimmed eyes.
“You…” Yang Feitang’s voice unconsciously softened. She reached out to touch Qiao Xiaoxiao’s face but stopped in mid-air. “What happened?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip and shook her head. She just looked at Yang Feitang like this, her eyes filled with an unspeakable grievance and sadness.
Yang Feitang’s throat bobbed. She suddenly felt her legs go a little weak and quickly sat down on a chair beside her. Her voice was almost inaudible. “Thirty years old… is not unacceptable either.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao: …
The door of the music room was suddenly pushed open with a creak.
Xue Youyou walked in barefoot, wearing only a loose, rose-red shirt of Yang Feitang’s. The hem of the shirt barely covered her thighs, and as she walked, it was faintly visible. Her slender legs were so white they were dazzling. Xue Youyou walked straight up to Yang Feitang, straddled her lap without a word, and wrapped her arms around her neck. Her long neck was dotted with a few red marks.
Yang Feitang subconsciously wrapped an arm around her waist, the tips of her ears turning a faint red. “What…” she cleared her throat, her voice unconsciously softening. “Why did you come out like this?”
Last night was indeed a bit rough.
Xue Youyou’s eyes were sleepy. She leaned forward, her nose affectionately rubbing against Yang Feitang’s. “You woke me up…” her voice trailed off, with the unique lazy hoarseness of the morning.
Yang Feitang glanced at Qiao Xiaoxiao’s flushed face on the side and lowered her voice. “My sister is still here.”
Xue Youyou wrapped her arms around Yang Feitang’s neck and turned to look at Qiao Xiaoxiao, a meaningful smile on her lips. “What are you afraid of?” She deliberately paused, her eyes flowing. “The scenes she’s seen are much more exciting than this.”
Yang Feitang: …
Qiao Xiaoxiao: …
For a rare morning, Qiao Xiaoxiao stayed at Yang Feitang’s place for breakfast.
The reason was that the half-dead Xie Ying from yesterday had actually forced himself to get up early and had even specially gone to buy soup dumplings and had sent them to their house. A message from Chu Xinrou lit up on Qiao Xiaoxiao’s phone screen.
[Went for a workout? I bought soup dumplings. Come back and eat.]
This simple message made Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart feel sour again. She knew that this was her sister giving her a way out, but the indescribable feeling in her heart made Xiaoxiao simply stay at Sister Yang’s house, willfully refusing to go back.
Yang Feitang’s cooking was indeed excellent. The golden and crispy fried eggs, the layered sandwiches, just the appearance was far better than Chu Xinrou’s cloudy noodles.
And just now, Qiao Xiaoxiao had witnessed with her own eyes how Xue Youyou had clung to Yang Feitang like she had no bones, and with just a few words, had made the Sister Yang, who had originally planned to order takeout, willingly cook.
The moment Yang Feitang picked up the spatula, Xue Youyou’s eyes lit up. “So handsome~”
The fried egg flipped in the air. Xue Youyou immediately covered her mouth in surprise.
The corners of Yang Feitang’s mouth were almost at her ears. From the initial reluctance to the final initiative to say that she would cook again tomorrow. During this time, Xue Youyou didn’t forget to turn her head and wink at Qiao Xiaoxiao.
—See? So easy to coax.
Some were still sad over that “younger sister,” while others were already blatantly showing off their affection.
Qiao Xiaoxiao mechanically chewed on her sandwich, taking small bites, as if she were chewing wax.
Yang Feitang was a little worried and whispered in Xue Youyou’s ear, “What’s wrong with this child?”
The moment Qiao Xiaoxiao lost that “fierce” energy in her eating, it meant that she had something on her mind.
This was the experience Yang Feitang had summarized over the past few years. Before, when she had come to their house to eat sandwiches, it was no exaggeration to say that she would swallow one in two or three bites. Yang Feitang had even suggested that she participate in a big-eater competition, and she could be her cheerleader, and they would split the prize money.
Xue Youyou smiled and looked at Qiao Xiaoxiao, pinching Yang Feitang’s ear. “You, you’ve never understood a young girl’s heart. After breakfast, you go next door and take Xinrou out to sketch. I’ll talk to her.”
Hearing this, Yang Feitang’s body instinctively moved back, and she looked at Xue Youyou.
Xue Youyou’s hand ran through her hair, gently stroking it. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yang Feitang said seriously, “Xiaoxiao, she’s still young. Don’t lead her astray.”
Xue Youyou smiled. “This trouble is precisely because she’s too young. Back then, wasn’t I, who was young, bullied by you like this?”
Yang Feitang: …
This mouth of CEO Xue’s is unbeatable.
After breakfast, Yang Feitang, who had received her mission, wiped her mouth. “I’m going to find Xinrou to sketch.”
As she said this, she intentionally observed Qiao Xiaoxiao and really saw her furrowed brow relax a little, and her expression also improved. “Oh, okay. Are you coming back for lunch?”
Yang Feitang shook her head. She looked at Xue Youyou hesitantly. What on earth is going on? This brat has been with her day and night for so long, and she’s actually starting to not be able to see through her?
Who can guess a young girl’s thoughts?
After Yang Feitang left, Xue Youyou glanced at Qiao Xiaoxiao. “Coffee?”
This was what she had said the first time she had met Qiao Xiaoxiao. At that time, Xiaoxiao had refused cleanly and neatly.
But now, the look in Qiao Xiaoxiao’s eyes as she looked at her was clearly much weaker than before. “Yes, thank you, Sister Youyou.”
This reaction made Xue Youyou even more certain of her guess. Besides love, what else could destroy a young girl’s strong heart?
In addition, Yang Feitang had chattered to her at night, “Although Xie Ying is decent-looking, what kind of person is Xinrou? She wouldn’t fall for him.”
Every time, Xue Youyou would pinch her ear and ask, “Then what kind of person do you think your Xinrou would like?”
Xue Youyou was already used to their friendship. Although at the very beginning, she had also been jealous quite a bit, but slowly, she would get used to it.
Although Yang Feitang would usually bicker with Chu Xinrou, in her heart, Chu Xinrou was a good girl that you couldn’t find even with a lantern. “She has to be to her liking, understand what she’s thinking, have an eye for things, have taste, understand art, be in good health, have a habit of exercising, and, most importantly, have an enterprising spirit. Oh, and she has to be able to stand Xinrou’s pig-food-like noodles.”
Xue Youyou had burst out laughing. Yang Feitang herself had felt that her tongue had slipped a little. “Are the requirements too high? But…” she had said mysteriously, “all of these, Xiaoxiao can do.”
Not to mention anything else, just the fact that Xiaoxiao could eat the noodles Chu Xinrou made with such relish every time made Yang Feitang admire her greatly.
Xue Youyou hadn’t argued and had repeated, “Yes, Xiaoxiao can do it.”
In the end, Yang Feitang had pondered for a while and had looked at Xue Youyou as if she had seen a ghost, her heart trembling.
She… what kind of outrageous thought had she just had???
…
Xue Youyou was a gentle person at heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to make Yang Feitang, after being tormented to death, still think of her.
The morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, plating her profile in a soft silhouette. Xue Youyou was engrossed in grinding coffee beans. As her wrist turned, her fine, white fingertips and the dark brown coffee powder formed a sharp contrast. A light pink cheongsam fit her figure perfectly, the pankou buttoned up to the collar. As she ground the beans, the dark patterns on the fabric were faintly visible in the sunlight.
Qiao Xiaoxiao stared in a daze.
Every one of Xue Youyou’s movements exuded a kind of femininity—the curve of her wrist as she ground the beans, the shadow cast by her eyelashes when she looked down, and even the faint pearly luster on her nails…
Qiao Xiaoxiao lowered her head in shame.
The aroma of coffee gradually filled the air, intertwining with the faint scent of perfume on Xue Youyou. She suddenly looked up and met Qiao Xiaoxiao’s gaze, a knowing curve on her lips. “When I was your age, I was even more impulsive than you. I didn’t know anything.”
She was like she had a pair of eyes that could see through people’s hearts.
Qiao Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and glanced at her, clearly not quite believing her.
The Xue Youyou before her was so elegant, her every move filled with charm.
Seeing that she didn’t believe her, Xue Youyou smiled. She took out her phone and took out a photo of her and Yang Feitang from when they were young from the phone case.
Who still carries a photo with them now?
It was clear how real Xue Youyou was.
Qiao Xiaoxiao looked at the photo, her eyes full of disbelief.
In the photo, Xue Youyou had no makeup on. She was even shy in front of the camera. And Yang Feitang looked even more spirited than she did now, one arm around her slender waist, smiling brightly at the camera.
“At that time, I was a freshman, and she was a graduate student.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded. “Is Sister Yang really a graduate student?”
In the past, when Yang Feitang had told her, she had dismissed it as boasting.
Xue Youyou smiled at Qiao Xiaoxiao’s expression. “Yes, and she was a good student who excelled in both character and academics, a good senior sister. Many people liked her.”
She could understand Qiao Xiaoxiao’s disbelief, but that was the truth.
At that time, Yang Feitang was so dazzling that she couldn’t even look up. And at that time, Xue Youyou’s family was in a state of disintegration, and she couldn’t even afford the basic living expenses and tuition.
Xue Youyou gently pushed the ground coffee to Qiao Xiaoxiao, the porcelain cup making a soft sound as it touched the wooden table. Her gaze passed through the rising steam, as if traveling back to that young and inexperienced time.
“Back then,” her voice was as soft as if she were telling someone else’s story, “the distance between us was as far as the entire Milky Way.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao’s fingertips unconsciously stroked the rim of the cup.
“She gave me the gentlest care, but at our most intimate moments, she would say…” Xue Youyou paused, a bitter curve on her lips, “‘never fall in love with her.'”
This sentence was like a dull knife, accurately stabbing into the softest part of Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart. She abruptly lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling violently, casting a shadow under her eyes.
“And then?” When she looked up again, Qiao Xiaoxiao’s eyes were already red. She had never thought that Sister Yang was such a scumbag when she was young. She deserved to be a 0 now and never be able to get up. She would never take her running again.
Xue Youyou slowly sipped her coffee, letting the bitterness spread on her tongue. “A secret crush is like this cup of coffee,” her fingertips lightly tapped the side of the cup. “It’s bitter at first, but as long as you’re willing to wait…”
As long as the direction is right, you will eventually enjoy the final mellow fragrance.
At that time, she didn’t know how many nights she had bitten the corner of her blanket and cried silently. Every time Yang Feitang was hot and cold, every time she smiled at her juniors, it was a silent torture to her.
“Later, I bought a notebook,” Xue Youyou’s gaze suddenly became sharp. “I wrote down every word she said, everything she did.” Her nails unconsciously scraped a shallow mark on the table. “At that time, I just thought—”
She gritted her teeth. “Yang Feitang, if you’re so amazing, then never fall in love with me for the rest of your life. Otherwise—”
Those painful memories, along with her tears, were recorded in the notebook, one word at a time.
There’s a long way to go.
You’ll get what’s coming to you!
Xue Youyou had done it.
Qiao Xiaoxiao had seen it with her own eyes. She had even “done” Sister Yang so ruthlessly.
“So, take it slow. The one who laughs last is the winner.”
Xue Youyou drank the last sip of coffee and looked at Qiao Xiaoxiao with a smile. Qiao Xiaoxiao’s heart was pounding. She knew that Xue Youyou had already seen through the person in her heart.
People may be different, but love is the same.
Xue Youyou understood Xiaoxiao.
The last question Qiao Xiaoxiao asked was very subtle. “Sister Youyou, you and my Sister Yang are only four years apart.”
At this, the smile on Xue Youyou’s face became richer. Her slender fingers fumbled with the coffee cup. “You don’t have to worry about that at all. The benefits of being younger, those old women will know when they need them.”
Xiaoxiao was a person of action.
She quickly collected herself and ran to the stationery store. This time, she didn’t even bargain and just asked the boss for the last notebook.
After she got home, Qiao Xiaoxiao opened the notebook and neatly wrote a few words on the first page.
—Jiejie, we’ll see!
After she had cooked for Chu Xinrou, she began to write furiously.
That night, when Chu Xinrou came back and saw a table full of her favorite dishes, she pressed her lips together.
In the living room, a lamp was lit.
She knew that Xiaoxiao was studying. Halfway through her meal, she had even gone over to take a look. “What are you writing for so long?”
She had just discussed studying with Xiaoxiao a while ago. The other girl had confidently said that she had already finished self-studying all the third-year high school courses and was now just waiting for review. Every time she studied, Xiaoxiao would also twirl her pen, with the air of a master. It had been a long time since she had been so serious.
And, from the looks of it, she didn’t seem to be angry anymore?
Qiao Xiaoxiao suddenly looked up, smiled at Chu Xinrou, and called out, “Jiejie~”
Chu Xinrou looked at her, always feeling that her smile was a little different from usual. “Hm?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao looked into her eyes and said seriously, one word at a time, “In the future, you will know the contents of this.”
She would make Chu Xinrou read it out loud, one word at a time, in front of her.
Not a single one could be missed.
