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The next day at noon, vibrant golden sunlight streamed in, creating a halo in her soft, silken hair.
Like fine threads weaving through the gaps in her eyelashes, the light awakened her. Ming Zhao rubbed her eyes, waking up somewhat hazily.
Her thoughts returned, gradually drifting back to last night, causing her cheeks to flush.
Sitting on the bed, Ming Zhao felt annoyed.
Why was he such a good kisser?
After getting up and washing, Zhou Tingyun came to call her downstairs for dinner.
She wasn’t surprised by his act of pretending nothing had happened. She knew he would act this way, which was why she had kissed him without restraint.
Ming Zhao leaned closer to Zhou Tingyun, tilting her head slightly. With a hint of confusion and distress in her eyes, she said, “Can you take a look at my mouth? It feels all tingly. Do you think something might have bitten me?”
The man’s gaze fell upon her slightly swollen lips, his eyes darkening.
The moment she leaned in, he almost instinctively lowered his head to kiss her.
“Maybe,” he said.
Ming Zhao inwardly scoffed.
As they walked downstairs together, Zhou Qian looked at Ming Zhao with surprise.
“Why is your mouth swollen?”
She shook her head innocently. “I don’t know. It was like this when I woke up. Maybe it was an annoying mosquito.”
Hearing this, Zhou Tingyun glanced at her.
She pretended not to notice, smiling brightly at Zhou Grandpa. “Grandpa, can I bring a friend home for dinner this weekend?”
Zhou Grandpa didn’t pay much attention to such small matters, only asking, “Boy or girl?”
“Boy.”
Zhou Grandpa was immediately delighted, asking her the friend’s name, address, and financial status.
Upon hearing that Brother Mu Qing was a childhood neighbor who had recently returned to the country, he was even more pleased, eager to invite him for dinner immediately.
Zhou Tingyun showed no expression on his face, but after dinner, when everyone had dispersed, he grabbed Ming Zhao’s wrist and pulled her back.
The girl suppressed the upturn of her lips. “What?”
He looked at her and said calmly, “Brother Mu Qing?”
“What’s wrong?” Ming Zhao asked, feigning incomprehension. “Isn’t that what I’ve always called him?”
“You used to call him ‘Brother Mu Qing’,” he corrected.
“Really?” Ming Zhao pondered for a moment. “Maybe it’s because we felt a little unfamiliar when we first met, but now that we’ve talked more, we’ve become closer.”
Zhou Tingyun’s eyes darkened. He released her hand and said calmly, “Okay.”
For several days, Ming Zhao acted as usual—staying close to Zhou Tingyun, deliberately teasing him, while also enthusiastically discussing Lin Mu Qing with Zhou Grandpa.
She watched Zhou Tingyun, his brows and eyes growing colder, and her smile grew sweeter.
Who told him to pretend nothing happened?
Then let it be as if nothing happened.
…
Time flew by, and soon it was the day Lin Muqing came for dinner.
He was very polite, bringing many expensive gifts on his first visit.
Old Master Zhou was so happy he couldn’t close his mouth, praising him with every good word, and even arranged for him to sit next to Ming Zhao.
After Lin Muqing sat down, he looked at Zhou Tingyun and greeted him with a smile.
The man responded calmly, his voice steady and gentle, as if he were truly just a kind elder brother, without a hint of any other emotion.
Lin Muqing raised an eyebrow slightly. Time and experience were truly magical things. If it had been Zhou Tingyun at sixteen or seventeen, he absolutely wouldn’t have been able to act so calmly.
He answered Old Master Zhou’s questions while picking out dishes for Ming Zhao, their interaction intimate and familiar.
On the other side, Zhou Siyu and Zhou Qian looked at each other in dismay.
“Help! How did such a formidable rival suddenly appear?”
Lin Muqing was equally handsome, and also considerate and gentle. He seemed like the kind of person who would be more appealing to girls.
“Oh no, oh no, it’s over. It’s over.”
“Big Brother won’t be defeated, will he?”
The old house wasn’t far from the Back Sea. After dinner, Old Master Zhou asked Ming Zhao to take Lin Muqing around for a walk. “Your Muqing brother just returned to the country. Take him around to get familiar with the surroundings.”
Lin Muqing’s lips curved into a gentle smile, and he said, “Zhao Zhao and I are in similar situations, so perhaps…”
He looked at Zhou Tingyun, “Tingyun Ge, come with us.”
Old Master Zhou frowned, not wanting Zhou Tingyun to butt in. “He’s busy with work. You, young people go have fun—you’ll be freer and more relaxed that way.”
Young people?
“Ge,” Ming Zhao asked him, suppressing a smile, “Do you have time?”
The man looked at her, his black eyes deep and obscure.
A few days ago, she was still clinging to him and kissing him, now she was keeping her distance and calling him “Ge.”
“Yes,” he said briefly.
The three of them walked down the street, two handsome men with different styles flanking a beautiful woman, attracting a lot of attention.
On the street, a flower girl, her head down playing with her phone, caught sight of them passing by. She picked up a bouquet and held it out, blurting out her professional spiel.
“Handsome, buy a bouquet for your girlfriend…”
Her voice hesitated, “…right?”
No—who was a couple with whom?
Her flower was held right in front of Zhou Tingyun, she couldn’t take it back, nor could she not take it back.
Zhou Tingyun paused for a moment, about to take it, Lin Muqing took the flower first and gave it to Ming Zhao.
He explained to the flower girl, “This is her older brother.”
Then he scanned the QR code to pay.
Ming Zhao stole a glance at Zhou Tingyun’s expression, then smiled sweetly and thanked Lin Muqing, “Thank you, Muqing Gege.”
Gege, and Muqing Gege.
Anyone could hear the difference.
Ming Zhao felt Zhou Tingyun’s deep gaze resting quietly on her, she curved her eyebrows.
The autumn weather was pleasant—perfect for strolling and sightseeing.
Ming Zhao and Lin Muqing chatted merrily; their atmosphere oblivious to others. Zhou Tingyun walked a step behind Ming Zhao, listening to her recounting interesting things from abroad.
To be fair, Lin Muqing was a very good marriage prospect.
He came from a good family, had a gentle personality, and most importantly, he was exceptionally kind to Ming Zhao.
He should feel relieved.
What happened before was a mistake caused entirely by his own selfishness; no one would know, no one would remember.
However, the more calmly he thought about it, the more meticulously he analyzed it, the more he was tormented by jealousy.
Like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart,
His initial relief at her memory loss had completely turned into resentment upon seeing her dazzling smile.
Why didn’t he tell her?
He looked at her profile, sunlight dappling and dancing on her long, curled eyelashes and the fine down on her skin.
This was his sister whom he had raised single-handedly.
He knew everything about her; now he even understood where she liked to be kissed and how much pressure would make her hum and act coy.
His gaze traced over her lightly flushed cheeks to her delicate earlobes that glimmered in the light. Her earlobes were very sensitive, and a gentle squeeze would elicit sweet sounds.
Zhou Tingyun allowed those dark thoughts to gradually take over his mind.
He imagined telling her how she had tangled with her older brother, kissing from the car to the bed, their lips swollen from the contact.
What kind of expression would she have? Would she regret not listening, not maintaining the appropriate distance from him?