After Huo Chao noticed Shu Er’s gaze, he put away his phone, raised his hand, and slowly unbuttoned the three buttons on his shirt one by one, revealing his fair collarbone. Despite his youthful appearance, exposing his collarbone instantly gained him two points of dangerous and aggressive masculinity.
Shu Er glanced at the sky. The sun was glaring down, and she blinked in confusion. “Brother, are you feeling hot?”
Huo Chao responded lazily, “No, I’m not.”
“Then why—”
“You wanted to see, didn’t you?”
Her eyes were so obvious, how could he not notice her intention?
Shu Er: …So just because she was looking, he unbuttoned his shirt for her?
Thankfully, she wasn’t easily embarrassed by Huo Chao’s boldness. Anyone else might have been too flustered to speak! But watching him unbutton his shirt with that casual, refined movement was truly captivating, giving off a blend of restraint and allure.
What Huo Chao didn’t realize was that she wasn’t just looking—she was contemplating biting him. Now that he was offering himself up, it seemed like a missed opportunity not to take action, right?
Just as Shu Er was about to joke about biting him, Aunt Zhang walked by with a smile, “Little Shu Er, are you going to school?”
At that moment, any thought of playfulness disappeared. If she really bit Huo Chao’s collarbone in public, the whole neighborhood would be gossiping by afternoon.
As much as she liked to tease Huo Chao, she wasn’t shameless.
In front of outsiders, she was still very decent.
Thinking of this, she quickly hopped onto Huo Chao’s bike, motioning for him to ride on.
When they arrived at school, Shu Er cheerfully followed Huo Chao to the senior year building. He stopped and put his hands in his pockets. “Tell me, what’s the matter?”
Shu Er grinned and said, “Brother, my birthday is this Friday.”
“I know.”
That’s it?
A simple gift wouldn’t satisfy her. Her tone turned sweet, but with a touch of arrogance, “Brother, throw me a birthday party—something super grand and super luxurious.”
Huo Chao chuckled, “Super grand and super luxurious?”
Shu Er nodded seriously. “Yeah, a princess’s sixteenth birthday should be extravagant!”
Huo Chao, amused, deliberately responded sarcastically, “Why not book an entire luxury yacht? We could have deep-sea fishing, a banquet, a ball, and entertainment all in one.”
Shu Er’s eyes lit up. “Okay, okay! I knew you were the best, brother!”
She played along, even though she knew he was teasing. After all, after so much playful banter, she had gotten used to pushing Huo Chao’s limits.
Clinging to Huo Chao’s arm, she pleaded, “So, Friday, on the yacht?”
Before he could respond, Shu Er quickly pulled the knitting supplies she had bought the previous day out of her bag and stuffed them into Huo Chao’s arms. In a hurry, she said, “Brother, my bag depends on you!”
Without waiting for his reaction, she happily ran off toward her teaching building.
Huo Chao looked at the bag full of knitting supplies in his arms, his temple throbbing. Seeing these needles and threads for one more second was a torture for him. He considered tossing it all into the nearest trash can, but the thought of what Shu Er might do in retaliation stopped him. If he threw it away, who knew what earth-shaking idea she would come up with next?
Just as he was about to head to class, Xu Chen and Zhao Zhifeng walked over, arms slung around each other.
Zhao Zhifeng spotted the knitting supplies immediately. “Fuck, Ah Chao! Switching hobbies? Knitting now?”
Huo Chao’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “You’re overthinking it.”
Zhao Zhifeng leaned in closer. “If you’re not knitting a sweater, then why did you buy so much wool?”
Xu Chen, despite his bulky appearance, was quick to catch on. “Are you knitting it for Little Shu Er?”
Huo Chao didn’t respond, but his silence was telling enough.
The two of them exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes.
No way! Wasn’t it supposed to be just a childhood connection that made Huo Chao take extra care of Shu Er? Now he’s knitting her something? Will he eventually take care of her too in the future?
Xu Chen felt like he had uncovered the truth.
It was supposed to be a little indulgence, but now it looked like Huo Chao had fully invested himself. Sure, Shu Er was cute and pretty, but…
Zhao Zhifeng placed a hand on Huo Chao’s shoulder, giving him a teasing look. “Brother, you’ve fallen, haven’t you?”
Huo Chao’s expression darkened, and with a mocking smile, he shot back, “Instead of worrying about me, maybe you should figure out how to deal with your two jealous ex-girlfriends.”
Zhao Zhifeng winced at the reminder of his ex-girlfriends who were both trying to reconcile with him. The thought alone gave him a headache, making him lose any desire to tease Huo Chao further. Yet, given the chance, he’d still pick the same path of switching girlfriends every month.
Although Zhao Zhifeng was one of Huo Chao’s closest friends, even he knew when to back off, especially when Huo Chao’s mood was souring.
As Huo Chao entered the classroom, many people noticed the bag in his hand, with a hint of yarn peeking out. Though curiosity burned inside them, no one dared to ask.
Who would dare ask Huo Chao if he is planning to knit something?
Even though he’d been staying out of trouble lately—no more fights, street racing, or clubbing—who knew when he might decide to return to his school bully ways?
Dare not say, dare not ask.
Huo Chao sat down and stuffed the entire bag into his desk drawer, feeling frustrated.
He won’t really weave a bag for her, will he?
Because of the life-saving debt he owed her, he was willing to indulge her more than anyone else, within certain limits. But those limits did not include knitting her a bag.
A grown man knitting a bag? That was absurd!
Just then, Xu Chen quietly came over and said, “Ah Chao, if you need any help, just let me know.”
Huo Chao raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, “You can knit?”
Xu Chen nodded. Although he looked strong, he had a very delicate heart. “I learned from my mom a while ago. I still remember how to do it.”
Huo Chao: …
Xu Chen scratched his head and explained, “I figured it’d come in handy one day—like knitting something for my future girlfriend.”
Unlike Zhao Zhifeng, who had a string of ex-girlfriends all over Beijing, Xu Chen was more pure-hearted and serious. He wanted to find someone in college and have a proper relationship.
Huo Chao thought for a moment. “Alright.” He pulled out his phone, showing Xu Chen a picture Shu Er had sent him. “She wants this.”
Xu Chen studied the image carefully. “It’s a nice bag, Shu Er’s got good taste. It’s not hard to make, but it will take time. With both of us working on it, though, it should go faster.”
Huo Chao smirked. “It won’t be just us.”
Xu Chen was puzzled. “Who else?”
Huo Chao’s lips curved into a sly smile. “We’ll get Zhifeng to help too.”
If he had to pick up knitting, there was no way Zhao Zhifeng was getting out of it.
Good brothers walk together, climb mountains of swords together, and cross seas of fire together. Naturally, they have to knit bags together too.
Xu Chen scratched his head, no objection.
To think that the top three figures of First High would all be knitting a bag for one girl. Shu Er was receiving a level of attention no one else could dream of, not even Zhao Zhifeng’s exes.
—
When Shu Er arrived in the classroom, it was still early.
The morning self-study session hadn’t started yet, so everyone was chatting and laughing. Even though they were already in their second year of high school, the study atmosphere wasn’t as intense as it would be in the third year.
While sorting out her textbooks, Shu Er asked Ning Meng beside her, “Did Huo Chao get you home safely last night?”
Ning Meng chuckled, “There’s no way the big brother would personally take me home! Xu Chen was the one who sent me home.”
Shu Er blinked in surprise, then casually replied, “Oh, as long as you got home safely, that’s all that matters.”
She smiled and said, “Huo Chao’s throwing me a birthday party on Friday. You should come!”
Ning Meng’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, Little Ear, your birthday is on Friday?”
Shu Er nodded. “Yeah, let’s have fun that night.”
Ning Meng quickly agreed, “Okay, I’ll make sure to prepare a gift for you.”
Suddenly, Ning Meng seemed to remember something and asked, “Hey, Shu Er, why do you call him by his name so casually?”
Shu Er shrugged, unconcerned. “Calling him ‘brother’ every day would be so clingy. In front of you, I just call him by his name.”
Ning Meng had a vague feeling something wasn’t right but couldn’t put her finger on it. After all, how could she know that Shu Er was simply playing up her behavior in front of Huo Chao without any genuine feelings for him?
She let out an “Oh” and didn’t press further.
At that moment, Jiang Xici happened to walk by and overheard their conversation.
Friday.
Her birthday?
He etched that date into his memory.
While the teacher hadn’t come yet, Shu Er took out his mobile phone and sent a WeChat message directly to Huo Chao.
[Xiao Er: Brother, brother, I told Ning Meng that you’re throwing me a birthday party on Friday, she’ll be there too!]
Not long after, Huo Chao replied.
[Brother: …]
[Xiao Er: Brother, I’m really looking forward to it! By the way, can I invite the entire class? 😀 (๑>ᴗ<๑) I’m so happy I could twirl around! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-]
[Brother: …]
[Xiao Er: Yay, you agreed! Here’s a big heart for you! <3 ]
Satisfied, Shu Er put her phone away.
The more people that came to the birthday party, the livelier it would be.
In her previous life as the daughter of the Shu family, she’d had several large birthday parties, but they were always organized by her family. Some were for her, but others had a social or business purpose.
The Shu family believed in equality between men and women, but they also followed the law of the jungle. Back then, she was excellent enough to deserve the spotlight, but if she ever lost that excellence, that spotlight would be taken away from her.
Now that she had entered this new world, someone else from the Shu family would take her place in the limelight.
So, having a boy throw her a birthday party for the pure purpose of celebration, without any ulterior motives, was a brand-new experience for her.
Friday, a luxurious yacht—here she comes!
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