Font Size:
Xu Zhiqiao skipped down the last few steps and ran happily toward Ji Huailuo. “Big Brother!”
Zhou Cong’s gaze sharpened, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Ji Huailuo squinted at her and cursed, “Damn! It’s only five degrees today, and you’re wearing a sweater? What are you trying to show off?”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao shrank back, feeling guilty. “I’m not cold.”
Ji Huailuo took off his coat and wrapped it around her, treating her like a piece of livestock. “I think you’re freezing!”
Her teeth were chattering from the cold.
Xu Zhiqiao smiled brightly at him, as if checking if he was doing okay, if he’d lost weight.
Ji Huailuo scowled. “What are you looking at?”
Xu Zhiqiao lowered her head and giggled.
It really had been a while since they last saw each other, and she found she missed him quite a bit.
It was hard to pinpoint when it started, but from their initial bickering and pretending to get along, something akin to familial affection had developed between them.
Even when he scolded her, Xu Zhiqiao knew it was just him speaking without thinking.
Ji Huailuo’s rugged face showed a hint of awkwardness. “Hey, who bullied you? Why didn’t you come tell your Big Brother?”
“No one, it’s not important,” Xu Zhiqiao said. “I didn’t want to bother you at work.”
Mentioning work made Ji Huailuo stiffen. “Let’s be clear: I don’t want you embarrassing me.”
“…”
That mouth of his needed a good smack.
Xu Zhiqiao looked around, deliberately avoiding a particular direction. Ji Huailuo noticed and asked, “Why aren’t you greeting your Big Brother Zhou Cong? Afraid of him?”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao’s guilt deepened. “Where are we going?”
Ji Huailuo replied, “First, let’s grab something to eat, I’ll buy you a couple of clothes, and then we’ll head to the Ji family.”
“Okay.”
“…Xu Zhiqiao,” Ji Huailuo paused. “Why aren’t you greeting your Big Brother Zhou Cong?”
It seemed like not greeting him was an issue, so Xu Zhiqiao finally turned her head to the right.
When her eyes met Zhou Cong’s, who was wearing a teasing smile, Xu Zhiqiao immediately looked down. “Hello, Big Brother.”
“Hey~” Zhou Cong said, his hands in his pockets, his voice slow. “I’m doing just fine.”
“……”
Small and helpless.
“Alright,” Ji Huailuo waved his hand. “Ah Cong, go start the car. I’ll take this girl to grab some things from the dorm.”
Zhou Cong gave a strange smile but surprisingly obeyed without a word.
Xu Zhiqiao quickly stole a glance at him.
Sigh.
This was all Zhou Cong’s fault. Why did he have to wear the same outfit? What if Ji Huailuo thought they were matching couples? How was she going to explain that?
Not to mention that down jacket was expensive, and she couldn’t afford it. If Ji Huailuo suspected something, he’d probably check her account balance again.
She grabbed a bag from the dorm, and Ji Huailuo naturally helped carry it. Without thinking, Xu Zhiqiao slipped her arm through his, chatting as they walked.
Ji Huailuo grumbled at her, complaining that she was useless, cried too much, had short legs, and needed him to drag her along.
“Big Brother,” Xu Zhiqiao said cheerfully, “I bought you a set of figurines…”
Ji Huailuo interrupted. “You thought I came here to give you pocket money? Your Big Brother got transferred to finance department, doing random tasks. My salary was cut, I can only give you four thousand.”
Xu Zhiqiao sympathized. “Your salary is only eight thousand now?”
“…No,” Ji Huailuo coughed. “Your Big Brother… has to save a little for dating girls…”
Xu Zhiqiao looked up. “Which girl?”
Before she could finish, a gust of wind hit her, and suddenly she was shoved from behind. A girl’s angry voice sounded. “Who are you?”
The shove came so unexpectedly that Xu Zhiqiao lost her balance and stumbled, crashing into a stranger in front of her.
The two collided and fell into a heap.
“Sorry, sorry,” Xu Zhiqiao apologized repeatedly. “Did I hurt you?”
The person who caught her was a boy, his face turning red. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Are you okay?”
Xu Zhiqiao’s heart was still pounding as she quickly turned around.
Ji Huailuo stood frozen, his arm still hanging in the air as if it were meant to be around her.
The scene froze.
After a few seconds, Ji Huailuo turned his head and glared at the girl. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Who is she?” The girl glared at Xu Zhiqiao. “You’re dating me but also seeing someone else?”
Xu Zhiqiao: “…”
Ji Huailuo’s expression turned cold. “Apologize to my sister.”
The girl froze. “Your sister?”
Ji Huailuo’s tone was firm. “Apologize.”
“…”
The girl hesitated before turning to Xu Zhiqiao. “Sorry, I thought you were… trying to seduce him.”
Xu Zhiqiao turned her face away, the corners of her lips curving upward.
If it were her, she would have slapped Ji Huailuo and not let the girl push her around without any explanation.
After the apology, the girl awkwardly mumbled, “I didn’t know she was your sister.”
Ji Huailuo showed no change in his expression. “Forget it. You wasted your time.”
The girl hesitated, looking confused. “What do you mean?”
“I have something else to do,” Ji Huailuo said. “I won’t bother you anymore.”
“…” The girl became frantic. “Are you rejecting me?”
Ji Huailuo nodded. “Yes. I thought we could meet and get to know each other, but I don’t think we’re a good match. Let’s delete each other’s contacts.”
The girl snapped, “I apologized to your sister!”
Xu Zhiqiao immediately responded, “I forgive you.”
Don’t let him put the blame for their mismatch on her.
She couldn’t carry that burden.
Ji Huailuo looked at the girl with a dismissive air. “I like to have fun, but I can’t accept every girl around me being pushed away by you.”
“…”
Clearly losing interest, Ji Huailuo grabbed Xu Zhiqiao’s bag and moved forward, muttering as he passed by her, “If you don’t leave, I’ll break your legs.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “…”
Just as she tried to catch up, the boy she had bumped into earlier suddenly blocked her way. “Xu Zhiqiao… don’t you remember me?”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao blinked, confused. “Who are you?”
“Uh, the flower,” the boy stammered. “I waited for you in the spring, Yang Yuying…”
Xu Zhiqiao immediately remembered. “That flower was from you?”
“Ah,” the boy smiled happily, relieved that she remembered. “You didn’t add me afterward, did you… not get it?”
Xu Zhiqiao opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, she was pulled behind Ji Huailuo.
Ji Huailuo looked him over, unimpressed. “She’s under twenty. She can’t date.”
“…”
“How much were the flowers?” Ji Huailuo asked coldly. “I’ll pay you back.”
“No need, no need…” The boy quickly waved his hands. “Really, it’s fine…”
Ji Huailuo wasn’t in the mood to argue. He pulled out five bills from his wallet and stuffed them into the boy’s pocket. “Done.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “…”
The boy: “…”
At that moment, a blinding high beam flashed several times, followed by a long honk.
Ji Huailuo cursed, “Here they come! What’s with the honking and flashing?!”
Xu Zhiqiao grabbed her bag and jumped into the car, leaving him only with the back of her head.
She slammed the door shut and stared straight ahead. “What’s with the honking and flashing?”
“…” Zhou Cong smirked, his eyes chilling. “If you have the nerve, bite me to death.”
Top of Form
Bottom of Form