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Chapter 28 – Does Your Sister Have a Boyfriend?

“Lingjun, your sister doesn’t look much younger than you. Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah! Why let outsiders take advantage? You know our character is solid. Ask your sister—maybe she likes one of us?”

“Your family’s genes are insane! Every one of you looks good.”

The nightly dorm-room chatter before lights-out had its topic fixed squarely on Lin Lingjun’s sister tonight. Truth be told, they’d gossiped plenty about girls around him before. Every time, Lin Lingjun’s response was always neutral—not interested, not rejecting.

But tonight, everyone was more hyped. Because this time, the girl in question wasn’t one of Lingjun’s admirers—it was his sister.

Lingjun’s sister… that meant each one of them had a shot.

“Lingjun, say something already!”

“Yeah, tell us—how old is she?”

“Is she working or still studying?”

This time Lingjun had no way out. If he stayed silent, where else could they get their answers?

He wanted to say she’s not my sister, but decided there was no need to clarify that much.

He wanted to shut down the topic, but he had no real standing to do so.

His roommates kept pushing…

“She’s still in school.”

Lin Lingjun picked the safest question to answer, then added a “threat”:
“Tomorrow’s the Iron Granny’s class. If you guys don’t sleep now, you’ll end up late—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Iron Granny—the terrifying old lady whose professional skills were unmatched, but who was notoriously strict with students. Tardiness was her greatest taboo.

Just the thought of her made everyone shudder. No beauty was worth risking Iron Granny’s wrath. The room instantly went quiet, everyone scrambling to sleep.

Soon, snores rose and fell around him. But Lin Lingjun couldn’t fall asleep.

Xu Jingchu… Xu Jingchu… His mind was filled with her smiles, the way her braid swung as she walked, the serious way she explained herself to him.

Her… damn it, the more he thought, the harder it was to sleep. Staring out at the moon while his roommates snored, his mind only spun with one question:

If I’m not home, who’s going to help Xu Jingchu with her homework?

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“Jingchu-jie, I talked it over with Liyan. His brother can tutor you every Friday afternoon.” Lin Lingyu and Shang Liyan, though still kids, proved their words carried weight.

“Great, thank you. And thank Liyan for me too.” Xu Jingchu was relieved. Last time she’d asked Lingjun, the result had been uncertain. Having a backup plan was way better than constantly begging Lingjun.

That guy… cold, surly, moody…

If not for the fact that he could actually teach her, if not for his future contributions to the nation, who’d even bother with him?

“Jingchu-jie, could you maybe show your thanks with something more… practical?” Lin Lingyu asked, a little embarrassed. His mom said helping others should be without expectation—but good kids still craved good food.

“You want hawthorn snowballs again, don’t you? No problem.” Xu Jingchu poked his dimpled cheek. Too cute.

“Mm!” Lingyu nodded hard. Hawthorn snowballs were even better than candied haws. The last time he took them to class, his classmates snatched them up so quickly he barely got to eat any himself.

Xu Jingchu figured just thanking Lingyu and Liyan wasn’t enough. She also had to thank Shang Liling. For him to spare precious study time to tutor her—that was an invaluable kindness.

But Shang Liling wasn’t a little kid. Making treats for him felt too childish.

What else could she do? She had some leftover fabric—dark-colored—enough to make a set of clothes for him. But would he even want them? And more importantly, making clothes meant taking his measurements. For a girl to do that for a man she barely knew—it carried a hint of intimacy.

The rumors Qin Yajuan had stirred up with those thugs had only just died down. Xu Jingchu had no intention of giving Qin Yajuan more fuel to slander her as promiscuous.

Speaking of that, she really owed Lin Lingyu. Whenever he overheard people gossiping while playing outside, he would always speak up:

Round little face set in seriousness, “Uncles, aunties, you shouldn’t believe or spread rumors. Jingchu-jie is a good person, a very, very good person. I live with her every day—I know best.”

Thanks to his outbursts, the scandal had died quickly, barely affecting her. Qin Yajuan, still living in the compound at the time, had been grinding her teeth in frustration.

At night, she’d get up on purpose—clattering chairs, slamming things—just to keep Xu Jingchu from sleeping.

But Xu Jingchu wasn’t one to swallow grievances. She’d throw back the blanket, switch the desk lamp to its brightest, and aim it right at Qin Yajuan’s bed while she studied.

“Xu Jingchu! In the middle of the night, what are you doing? You don’t want to sleep but other people do!” Qin Yajuan had been waiting for an excuse to lash out.

“And you? Slamming things in the middle of the night—what, should I call a doctor? Anyone listening would think you were having some medical emergency.” Xu Jingchu didn’t even look up. With Qin Yajuan, retaliation had to be instant. Wait even a second, and it was disrespecting herself.

“Who are you cursing? Can’t you talk properly?” Qin Yajuan smacked the table, unafraid of causing a scene. Even if she woke Lin Jianbai and Zhang Qiuyun, at worst they’d both be scolded equally.

She was desperate to see Xu Jingchu stumble. Holding in her anger would drive her mad.

But Xu Jingchu didn’t take the bait. Calm but sharp, her eyes fierce, she said, “Qin Yajuan, everyone’s already saying I’m a flirt, sneaking around with street punks. My reputation’s ruined anyway—what do I care about adding a fight with you?

“But you—you’ve been playing the sweet, obedient girl in front of everyone. You sure you want them to see the real you?”

Qin Yajuan worked hard on her image, sweet-talking neighbors and smiling at everyone in the compound. Every family here had power and status—she needed those connections. Even if she couldn’t marry Lin Lingjun, she could use them later.

“Go on, shout louder. Louder! Let the whole compound hear.” Xu Jingchu tilted her head with a mocking smile.

“I have class. I’m not like you!” Qin Yajuan forced out, finally retreating.

“Then go to bed and stay quiet.” Xu Jingchu snapped off the lamp.

Qin Yajuan’s petty scheme had backfired completely.

Once she was dealt with, Xu Jingchu’s thoughts returned to the gift for Shang Liling.

Hard. Too hard. Way too hard…

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