Chapter 2 – 02

At this time, the lights in the cafeteria had already been turned off. Lou Jia borrowed the key from the auntie and made her way to the kitchen to cook a bowl of vegetable and egg noodles.

Just as the noodles were ready, Jiang Siwei had finished showering and came looking for her.

Lou Jia poured the noodles into a large bowl beside her and told him to carry it himself. Afterward, she cleaned the pot, refilled it with water, and placed it back on the gas stove.

She loudly smacked two pieces of ginger and tossed them into the pot. Then, she found some brown sugar in the cupboard and added two spoonfuls. When she turned around, she saw Jiang Siwei standing behind her, holding the bowl of noodles. She suddenly smiled, “Do you remember—”

“I remember,” Jiang Siwei responded before Lou Jia could finish her sentence, already guessing what she was about to say. “The first time I met you, you made me noodles too, and after I finished, you made me ginger tea.”

“Yeah, back then, you were only this tall,” Lou Jia gestured with her hand, then added, “You barely said a word all day. Jian Rongrong had to practically beg you to call her ‘sister,’ like it was the hardest thing in the world. Who would’ve thought a bowl of noodles was all it took to win you over?”

Jiang Siwei laughed along with her, and the familiar scene and the warmth of the noodle bowl in his hands made him think back to that summer.

At that time, Jian and Jiang’s parents had just remarried, and Jiang Siwei, being somewhat sensitive, always felt out of place in the new family. Jian Rongrong, with her prideful personality, didn’t like this sudden new brother either.

The two didn’t get along and often had conflicts. Even when going to school, they walked separately.

That day, Jiang Siwei had to leave early to return to school and finish some assignments. In his rush, he forgot to bring an umbrella. Jian’s father, noticing the bad weather early that morning, asked Jian Rongrong to take an extra umbrella and find a chance to give it to him.

However, Jian Rongrong was reluctant to deliver the umbrella, and Jiang Siwei wasn’t willing to accept the gesture either. Their conversation quickly soured, and Jian Rongrong ended up throwing the umbrella away.

Jiang Siwei, having a temper of his own, refused to pick it up, even though it was pouring rain after school. Out of stubbornness, he walked home in the rain, drenched the whole way.

Both Jian and Jiang’s parents were workaholics, so it was usually just the two of them at home with the housekeeper. But during that time, the housekeeper had taken time off to go back to her hometown for personal matters.

When Jiang Siwei didn’t see Jian Rongrong’s shoes by the door, a wave of grievance surged in his heart. He was just about to open his mouth and cry when someone suddenly walked out of the kitchen.

“Siwei?” A tall, slender girl appeared, her face wearing a warm, friendly smile. “Hello, I’m Sister Lou Jia.”

Jiang Siwei had seen photos of Lou Jia around the house before, so her presence didn’t scare him too much. But with the tears he was holding back, his eyes were already red. “Hello…” he managed to reply.

“Why did you walk home in the rain?” Lou Jia stepped forward. “Do you want to take a shower first? I’ve made some noodles, and I can serve them for you afterward.”

“Okay.” Jiang Siwei sniffled, feeling like this was the kind of sister he had always wanted. “Thank you, Sister.”

“You’re welcome. Go take a shower quickly, so you don’t catch a cold,” Lou Jia added. “Do you drink ginger tea? I can make some for you if you’d like.”

“Okay.” Jiang Siwei was so touched that he was on the verge of tears. The long-standing sense of rejection from Jian Rongrong melted away easily, thanks to that one bowl of noodles and ginger tea.

In the following years, Jiang Siwei often followed Lou Jia around, their bond growing so strong that it left Jian Rongrong, his legitimate sister, both frustrated and jealous.

During those years when he was still young and not fully aware of things, Jiang Siwei even thought about being adopted by the Luo family, so that Lou Jia could become his real sister.

Later, that wish was written in Jiang Siwei’s diary and was discovered by his mother, who brought it up as a joke during a family gathering.

At that time, Lou Jia was in her second year of high school, while Jiang Siwei was still a middle school student. Uncle Luo jokingly suggested arranging a childhood betrothal for the two, so they could truly become family one day.

Lou Jia joined in the laughter, teasing him to eat more, or else he wouldn’t be tall enough to match her in their future wedding photos.

Jiang Siwei’s face turned red with embarrassment. Even though he knew everyone was just joking and didn’t take Uncle Luo’s words seriously, somehow, that night, he actually dreamed about marrying Lou Jia.

When he woke up, Jiang Siwei was startled by how bold he had been in the dream. It was only after regaining his senses that he realized something was wrong between his legs, and his face instantly turned pale.

He felt like a complete pervert.

Jiang Siwei secretly washed his underwear and didn’t dare go back to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the scenes from the dream would flash before him. As a result, he became evasive whenever he ran into Lou Jia during the day.

Lou Jia assumed it was just him going through a rebellious phase and didn’t think much of it.

By the time Jiang Siwei entered his third year of middle school, he no longer followed Lou Jia around as much. Lou Jia was also busy preparing for her college entrance exams, and even though they attended the same school, unless they made an effort to meet, it wasn’t uncommon for them to go half a month without seeing each other.

The summer after his high school entrance exams, Jiang Siwei agreed to his father’s invitation and went to Jibei for the summer vacation right after submitting his applications. He didn’t return until it was almost time for school to start.

The two families gathered again for a meal.

Lou Jia asked Jiang Siwei what was going on, mentioning that he hardly replied to her messages anymore, wondering if he no longer considered her his sister.

Jiang Siwei looked at her bright, sparkling eyes and mumbled vaguely, No, that’s not it.

“Siwei’s all grown up now, huh,” Lou Jia sighed with a sense of melancholy, like a sister watching her younger brother mature. “You don’t even tell your sister what’s on your mind anymore.”

Jiang Siwei didn’t know how to respond, so he just lowered his head and muttered, No, that’s not true.

Lou Jia ruffled his hair, intending to say more, but when she noticed him stiffen at her touch, she pulled her hand back and turned to talk with Jian Rongrong instead.

Jiang Siwei felt a mess inside, with so many things he wanted to say but no idea how to express them. He feared making mistakes by getting too close, so he could only choose to distance himself.

In the first year that Lou Jia and Jian Rongrong went off to university, since both schools were close to home, they often returned on weekends.

Jiang Siwei, however, had applied for on-campus accommodation, so they rarely ran into each other.

The only time they did was that New Year’s Day. Jian’s father had scolded Jian Rongrong over her disheartened state after a breakup, which irritated her. She dropped her chopsticks and stormed out of the house.

Jiang Siwei sighed and got up to follow her outside.

Over the past six months, Jian Rongrong had shown a lot more care toward Jiang Siwei, and the two had grown much closer. Jian Rongrong wanted Jiang Siwei to accompany her to a bar for some drinks.

“I’m not of legal age,” Jiang Siwei said.

Jian Rongrong: “…”

In the end, Jian Rongrong couldn’t stand the cold anymore, but she still didn’t want to go home and face her father. So she dragged Jiang Siwei to the convenience store at the entrance of the neighborhood and bought several cans of alcohol.

Jiang Siwei hadn’t expected her to be such a lightweight. She hadn’t even finished her first can of beer before it hit her.

She started pouring her heart out to Jiang Siwei, like spilling beans, talking about how much she had liked her ex, how heartbroken and devastated she was after the breakup, and how Jian’s father just didn’t understand her at all.

She clung to Jiang Siwei’s arm, repeating over and over, “Siwei… do you understand? You don’t understand either… I’m so sad… none of you understand…”

Jiang Siwei was flustered and covered in sweat, unsure of what to do. Just then, a voice suddenly cut in from nearby, “Siwei?”

He hurriedly looked up and saw Lou Jia standing not far away, holding hands with a guy.

Jiang Siwei was stunned for two seconds before Jian Rongrong pulled him back down. As he looked at her, lost in her heartbreak and lamenting that no one could understand her, he felt a strong urge to shout back.

He did understand!

How could he not understand?

His heart was breaking right now!

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Author’s Note:

Jiang Siwei: No one understands me!!! (puppy howl)

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