Chapter 67 — If You Dare, Say It Again
“…As long as she’s happy, that’s enough.” Lin Yimo no longer asked for anything else.
“Dad, Mom.” Lin Rumeng came downstairs. “Did you go see Uncle Xu?”
“We did.”
Lin Rumeng rushed into Lin Mother’s arms, and Lin Mother held her tightly.
“Then… did Uncle Xu agree?”
“He said he would consider it.”
“That won’t be a problem. Uncle Xu is just like Dad—he loves playing chess.” Rumeng smiled.
“Mm.”
“What’s wrong?” Rumeng sensed something was off about them.
“We… saw your sister at the Xu house.”
“Sister?” Rumeng exclaimed. “Why would Sister be at the Xu’s?”
“It seems… the Xu family is very fond of her.”
“Ah… That must be because Brother Nianshen brought her there. After all, Brother Nianshen and Sister are very close, right? They grew up together. Unlike me—I never had the chance to grow up alongside Brother Nianshen.” Rumeng’s head drooped, her voice full of regret.
Lin Mother hugged her. “Mengmeng, that was our fault. But now, you’re back with us.”
“Mm-hm, I’m with Mom now.” Rumeng looped her arms around her mother’s neck, rubbing her cheek affectionately against her.
Lin Yimo glanced at her, something flickering in his eyes.
“Then Mom,” Rumeng asked, “why was Sister at the Xu’s? Playing with Brother Nianshen?”
“No, she was… having dinner with them.”
“I see…” Rumeng secretly began scheming in her heart.
“What is it?” Lin Mother asked.
“Nothing, I was just asking.”
“Sir, Madam, dinner is ready.”
“Alright, come, Mengmeng, let’s eat.”
“Okay.”
After the meal, Rumeng figured the timing was about right. She tugged on Lin Yimo’s hand. “Brother, let’s go out for a walk.”
“Alright.”
The two of them headed out. Rumeng steered him toward the Xu family’s direction—Yimo had rarely gone there before, so he didn’t remember the way.
As they walked, they saw three people approaching: Xu Nianshen, Lin Yuejiu, and Xu Nian. The three were chatting and laughing as they came closer, their conversation easily overheard.
“Jiujiu, really don’t want me to give you a ride?”
“With Nianshen it’s fine. Besides, didn’t you just get a call? The company needs you. You shouldn’t take the time to drive me. And honestly, you don’t really remember the way, do you? I think the last few times you picked me up you were using GPS navigation.”
Xu Nian: “…You noticed that?”
Lin Yuejiu grinned. “I even heard the voice navigation.”
Xu Nian: “…”
Great. Now she probably thinks I’m hopeless with directions.
Xu Nianshen mocked him: “Now I finally understand why, back on that trip, you showed up so late. Turns out you were lost. And here I was blaming you—my mistake. I really didn’t expect you to be such a directionless idiot.”
Xu Nian: “…”
This brat!
#fists slowly clenching#
Expressionless, Xu Nian said, “So, you’re forcing me to reveal all your embarrassing childhood stories?”
Xu Nianshen met his glare without fear. “What embarrassing stories could I possibly have?”
Xu Nian gave a short laugh. “Too many to count.”
Watching the two brothers on the verge of fighting, getting closer and closer, Lin Yuejiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She quickly pushed herself between them. “Alright, enough, enough. Brother Xu Nian, don’t bother with him. He’s just like that. Grown-ups shouldn’t argue with children.”
Xu Nian stepped back a few paces, straightened his jacket, and said with mock gravity, “Mm. You’re right. Can’t argue with children.”
Xu Nianshen ignored the jab, his gaze falling on Yuejiu, who had played the peacemaker. His brow arched slightly. “So if I’m a child, then what are you?”
Lin Yuejiu chuckled. “Aren’t all underage people still considered kids? I’m a kid too.”
Xu Nianshen gave a small laugh. “Strong survival instincts, huh.”
“Elder Sister.”
The three of them turned at the same time—Lin Rumeng was standing there smiling, while Lin Yimo stood beside her, his face complicated, watching them from not far away.
Almost instinctively, Xu Nian pulled Yuejiu behind him, and the two brothers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, shielding her.
Yuejiu blinked in confusion, then looked up at the two of them in their defensive posture, and suddenly burst into laughter.
The brothers turned back at her with odd, slightly resentful expressions, as if saying: We’re protecting you, and you laugh at us?
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Yuejiu waved her hands. “You two really don’t have to go this far. He’s not a robber, not a human trafficker, it’s not like he’s going to snatch me away the second he sees me. Relax.”
The brothers loosened up a little.
Yuejiu pried their hands apart and stepped out from behind them herself. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’ve already let go of it—it won’t affect me anymore.”
Seeing her genuinely unfazed, the two finally dropped their guard completely. Even though she had claimed before that she’d moved on—and even though there had been plenty of signs to prove it—they still wanted to protect her. After all, a seventeen-year-old girl, facing so much public criticism, enduring such a long wave of condemnation—it was like being cyber-bullied. That wasn’t something one could easily brush off.
And if she had truly let it go, it must have been after experiencing something even more despairing.
Yuejiu looked toward Rumeng and even greeted her: “Hi, did you need something?”
“Oh, nothing much. I just heard that you were here, Sister, so I thought I’d come chat. After all, it’s been so long since I sat down to talk with you.”
At her side, Lin Yimo cast her a glance. He vaguely felt something was wrong—as if she had come out on purpose.
“What do you want to talk about? I don’t think there’s much for us to discuss.”
“How could that be? We can talk about school, for instance—Sister, your grades are so good. By the way, if there’s something I don’t understand, can I ask you?”
“If you’re capable of asking me, then I’m capable of answering you,” Yuejiu replied coolly.
“Is that so?” Rumeng’s smile stiffened for a split second. “Since you said that, Sister, then I’ll definitely be asking you. Once we’re at school, I’ll be sure to come to you.”
Yuejiu brushed her off with an airy, “I’ll be waiting.” Then she turned to Xu Nian. “Brother Xu Nian, you should head back first. Nianshen can walk me home.”
Xu Nian patted her head. “Alright. I’ll head back then.” He pointed at his younger brother. “Make sure you get her home safely, understood?”
Nianshen snorted. “Do you need to say that?”
“Goodbye, Brother!”
“Goodbye.”
Xu Nian’s figure gradually disappeared from view. Yuejiu tugged on Nianshen’s sleeve. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Mm.”
The two walked side by side. He suddenly asked, “You’re not going to bother with them?”
“Who?” Yuejiu didn’t catch on at first. He pointed in the direction they’d come from. She glanced over briefly, then quickly turned back. “What’s there to bother with? It has nothing to do with me.”
Nianshen clicked his tongue. “Why do I feel like you’re getting colder and colder?”
“How am I cold? I’ve always been like this.”
He gave her a sidelong look. “You weren’t like this before. You used to cry about it all the time. Remember that one time? You cried so hard you soaked my books.”
Yuejiu gave him a polite smile. “If you’ve got the guts, say that again.”
Nianshen immediately sensed that if he said another word, she might lunge at him and bite.
“…I was wrong.”
Yuejiu poked his arm with her long fingernail. “Things like black history shouldn’t be brought up casually. Careful, or your head might be rolling the next second.” She even made a neck-slitting gesture.
“Yes, yes, Missy, I was wrong. I’ll never bring up your black history again.”
“But speaking of which… do you have any embarrassing stories?”
“What?”
“Brother Xu Nian said he knows a ton of your embarrassing stories.” Yuejiu looked at him with great interest. “Hard to imagine someone like you having any.”
Expressionless, Nianshen asked, “You really want to know?”
“Of course.”
He leaned in, face blank. “Kids shouldn’t be too curious, or they might lose their head.” He copied her gesture and made the same slitting motion across his neck.
Yuejiu: “…”
Copycat!
