Chapter 40: Your Sister is the Best
Looking at her smiling like a flower in full bloom, Xu Nian knew she truly no longer cared about that matter. But hearing what she said still made his heart ache.
A child abandoned by her parents and raised in an orphanage will naturally yearn for family love. She was the same. When she longed for warmth, the Lin family brought her light and hope. Even when she was told she was only a substitute soon after being brought home—knowing it was a gentle trap—she still stepped into it, wearing that identity just to stay in the Lin household.
Because she cherished family, knowing how hard it was to come by, she guarded it even more carefully—until that day came. The very night the real daughter returned, the brother she had called “brother” for eleven years accused her without evidence, and in front of her eyes, threw away the birthday bracelet she had treasured for so many years straight into the trash.
Hearts are made of flesh. Even if she said she had forgotten, deep down, there had to be some lingering feeling.
Lin Yuejiu seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. She smiled lightly, “Brother Xu Nian, if a little sapling is burned down to its very roots, do you think it can ever grow back?”
Xu Nian understood instantly and replied, “No.”
“So,” she tilted her lips in a faint smile, “it’s impossible.”
—
Midway through the banquet, someone went up to play the piano, bringing a pleasant background melody to the hall.
Lin Yuejiu glanced toward the stage. Xu Nian noticed, “Do you want to go up too?”
She neither nodded nor shook her head.
“I heard you didn’t sign up for that competition?”
Her eyes blinked. “He told you that?”
“My mom nags him about you every day—she insists on knowing how you’ve been.”
Lin Yuejiu pictured that scene and chuckled.
“So, you really didn’t participate?”
“No,” she admitted honestly, shaking her head.
“I heard you’re really good at violin. Why not give it a try?”
She lowered her gaze.
Seeing her head down, Xu Nian gently patted her hair, “It’s okay. Brother isn’t trying to force you to say anything. If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
“Because I think… I only practiced the violin to win their approval.”
Xu Nian understood immediately, “So you’ve decided to erase everything from the past, including the violin you played for them, right?”
Her surprise flickered briefly, then she nodded.
“Jiujiu, the violin is innocent.”
She looked up.
“Even when they weren’t there for you, the violin was. It may not be human, but you can still have feelings for it.”
“Ask your heart—do you still like the violin? Have you truly let it go?”
No. She hadn’t.
That was the answer buried deep inside her.
She had never truly abandoned the violin. When she said she wouldn’t join the competition, she had been conflicted—part of her wanted to cut ties with anything linked to the Lin family, but part of her couldn’t bear to give it up, because it had been with her for so long.
“Jiujiu, you need to know what’s worth giving up and what’s worth keeping. You have to find your own balance.”
Her voice was low. “…I understand.”
“Good. Hungry? Want me to get you something to eat?”
“Sure.”
“Alright, be good and wait for me.”
Xu Nian walked away.
The pianist stepped down from the stage, and Lin Rumeng took the spotlight, lifting her violin to play. Lin Yuejiu scanned the crowd’s expressions—polite smiles, polite applause—but the Lin family’s faces were filled with genuine joy and pride.
And suddenly, in her mind, she saw an image of Xu Nian’s happy, boastful expression when speaking of someone else.
Her fingertips twitched.
Two minutes later, Xu Nian came over holding a small cake, but didn’t see her anywhere. Feeling puzzled, he asked, “Where is she? Wasn’t she just here?”
From somewhere nearby came a faint sound. Xu Nian walked a few steps toward it and saw Lin Yuejiu standing on stage, holding a violin. His eyes widened slightly.
Lin Yuejiu had already positioned her violin. She closed her eyes and began to play.
Even though her eyes were shut, she could still feel the audience’s gaze on her. She did her best to ignore the complicated looks from the crowd, focusing on playing the piece from memory.
When the song ended, she opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Xu Nian smiling at her, still holding the small cake.
She could faintly hear his voice.
“Hey, did you see that? That’s my sister! Tell me, wasn’t that piece amazing?”
“Look at that, this is pure skill—my sister is just too outstanding!”
Lin Yuejiu smiled, set down her violin, and called to him: “Brother Xu Nian!”
“Hey—”
She ran off the stage, passing Lin Yimo on the way. He reached out but missed the hem of her clothes, catching only the faint scent of oranges she left behind.
“Was it good?”
“Super good! It was absolutely—let me tell you…”
Before he could finish, someone else cut him off.
“Alright, alright, we get it. Your sister’s the best, the most amazing in the whole world!”
“I’m telling the truth!”
“I know, I know, your sister’s the best—we all know. But can you please stop repeating it? My ears are about to grow calluses from hearing it so many times…”
Ignoring their complaints, Xu Nian kept going, oblivious to the looks of exasperation on his friends’ faces.
Lin Yuejiu tilted her head slightly, watching them laugh and joke, with Xu Nian’s bragging voice filling her ears. Her lips slowly curved upward.
She had found her reason.
This was what she should truly be working for.
*
Monday.
The homeroom teacher stood at the podium. “Let me confirm—our class’s participants for the competition are Lin Rumeng and Lin Yuejiu, correct?”
The whole class gasped in surprise, all eyes turning toward Lin Yuejiu. Chen Qianxi immediately poked her in the back. “Jiujiu, why are you participating again?”
Lin Yuejiu smiled at her. “I figured it out.”
Xu Nianshen, sitting nearby, turned his head to look at her, his brows lifting slightly. “Did my brother say something to you yesterday?”
With a smile on her lips, she replied, “Brother Xu Nian gave me some encouragement, and I slowly figured things out on my own.”
Behind them, Chen Qianxi secretly watched the two smiling at each other, her heart exploding with excitement: Ahhhhh!!! Eye contact and smiling! I’m shipping them right from the front lines! This is too sweet!
Du Zhuo, watching his desk mate’s eyes sparkle while staring at the Goddess and Study-God Xu, slowly formed a question mark in his mind.
What was wrong with his desk mate?
*
“Alright, I’ll go ahead and submit the names then,” the teacher said.
“Okay, Teacher.”
After class, her classmates crowded around to ask for the reason. Of course, Lin Yuejiu didn’t tell them the real reason—she just gave a vague answer.
Her classmates said, “Don’t worry, Goddess! We’ll be cheering you on—we’re your strongest supporters!”
Lin Yuejiu’s lips curved. “Thank you, everyone.”
*
At noon in the cafeteria—
Chen Qianxi had something to deal with at lunch, so Lin Yuejiu was eating alone.
Not long after, someone sat down across from her.
