Brother?
What brother?
Xu Chen looked at his good brother in shock. In this day and age, Huo Chao still plays the “brother and sister” game? Even he had long moved past that phase. Who plays such a cheesy game anymore? They weren’t in junior highschool anymore! If people wanted to flirt, they wouldn’t use something so childish.
Huo Chao narrowed his eyes dangerously when he heard the word ‘brother’.
But Shu Er didn’t care what they thought.
Don’t girls in Korean dramas affectionately call guys ‘oppa’? She had wanted to try that for a long time. Every time she watched a K-drama, seeing the heroine coyly call the hero “oppa” while he smiled foolishly made her want to try it out. Unfortunately, there had never been a guy in her previous life worthy of such a title.
Plus, the academic pressure in her previous life was too heavy, and she couldn’t think of anything else to do.
But now, things are different. She had studied hard in her previous life and her academic foundation is solid, so no matter how bad things would go, her grades wouldn’t suffer too much.
Since she doesn’t have much academic pressure in this life, she naturally has free time to do what she wants to do.
After all, since the male protagonist was the one who provoked her first, he couldn’t blame her for being a bit pretentious.
Even though the male protagonist has a bad personality, Shu Er wasn’t afraid of him in his senior year of high school. She had read the novel and knew that by the time he reached his senior year, Huo Chao had already toned things down. He was at his wildest in his first and second years.
In his first two years in high school, he was so reckless that he would personally test the reliability of his car’s airbag when he was racing, sending himself to the hospital multiple times. The game he often plays involved two cars speeding towards each other, and whoever turned the steering wheel first lost.
And Huo Chao never turned the steering wheel first, not even once.
You can imagine how crazy Huo Chao used to be.
But now, he has mellowed out. As long as you don’t cross his line, his temper is much better than before. In the book, the male protagonist didn’t lose his temper much after his senior year of high school. That’s what gave Shu Er the confidence to act like this in front of him.
Shu Er immediately interrupted him and said, “I’m not your sister.”
Xu Chen might have looked like a big guy, but he wasn’t stupid.
He had been with Huo Chao for many years, and he had seen many girls of all kinds and knew their usual tricks.
Suddenly enlightened, he nodded with a knowing smile. “Oh, so you’re just Huo Chao’s sister, right?”
Shu Er nodded seriously.
Xu Chen laughed. Sister? More like a ‘special sister’.
Huo Chao put his hands in his pockets, shot a warning look at Xu Chen, and signaled him not to talk nonsense.
Xu Chen shrugged, spread his hands, took a step back, and motioned to leave all the space to them.
Huo Chao didn’t really have anything to say. He wasn’t familiar with Shu Er. The only thing he knows about her is that she was his childhood savior. Apart from that, there wasn’t much connection between them.
As for how Huo Chao had confirmed Shu Er was the girl from back then, he actually did some investigation.
On the first day of school, he accidentally overheard her name. It was such a unique name, and the odds of someone else having the same one were slim.
He had also checked her records. She was from B County and had lived there for over ten years. She only came to Beijing this year and transferred to this school.
The most important point was that she had also experienced the same devastating earthquake back then and was lucky enough to survive.
With these points lining up, it was impossible for her to be anyone else but the girl who had saved him.
As for her appearance…
His mobile phone was damaged in the earthquake ten years ago, so he didn’t have any photos to remember her by.
So many years had passed, and considering he was injured at that time, it wasn’t easy to remain conscious at all. Naturally, he couldn’t remember what the little girl looked like.
Still, Huo Chao didn’t think he had mistaken her.
The reason he didn’t reveal his identity from the start was because he wasn’t sure about her character. What if she tries to exploit her childhood kindness and make outrageous demands?
Although he had money, he wasn’t willing to be taken for a fool.
Shu Er had no idea what Huo Chao was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care.
The thought of the male protagonist realizing he had mistaken her for someone else and that she had played him made her want to laugh.
But when she remembered everything the female protagonist had done to the female supporting character, and the fact that she had now become that supporting character, her laughter faded.
She pressed her lips together, forced a smile and handed over the transparent fruit container in her hand. “Brother, here, I’m returning this to you.”
Huo Chao raised an eyebrow as he looked at the container.
He did not bother retrieving the boxes from the previous two days and he did not expect that she would take the initiative to return them on her own.
Not that it mattered; he wasn’t planning on reusing them anyway. They were disposable, and his family certainly didn’t lack containers.
Still, he reached out and took it. He would just toss it into the trash can later.
“Anything else?”
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Huo Chao was just asking out of courtesy.
But Shu Er took advantage of the situation, nodding eagerly like a chicken pecking at rice. “Yes, yes! Let’s go home together after school.”
Xu Chen, who had been sneakily eavesdropping from the side, nearly dropped his jaw in surprise.
What kind of speed is this?
They are going home together?
What shocked him more was that he had previously thought this junior sister was quiet and introverted. How did she suddenly become so generous, bold and outgoing?
She even dared to flirt with Huo Chao now?
Huo Chao pulled the corner of his mouth, “You…”
Shu Er knew he wanted to refuse.
In the book, the male protagonist is actually really difficult to get along with, and it can be said that he rarely, if ever, went home with girls.
But there’s a first time for everything, right? She’d be the one to make it happen.
Shu Er did not give him a chance to refuse, quickly interrupting him, “Brother, what’s the matter? Aren’t you pursuing me?”
Xu Chen let out a loud laugh, nearly choking on his own saliva. His shoulders were shaking with laughter.
Pursuing her?
Hahahaha.
If he didn’t know Huo Chao better and hadn’t just asked him moments ago whether he had any interest in her, Xu Chen might’ve been convinced by the way this junior sister was acting.
As for Huo Chao, a half-smile appeared on his face.
Shu Er pressed her lips together, putting on a pitiful expression. “You’ve been sending me fruit and milk these past few days… Aren’t you pursuing me?”
Huo Chao tilted his head. Both he and Xu Chen knew he didn’t mean it that way, but thinking back on his actions over the past three days, it was easy to see why they might have misunderstood him.
So, he decided to just go along with it.
This wasn’t a big deal for him.
After all, she was his childhood savior, and he was willing to give her some privileges.
“Yes,” he replied.
Really?
Shu Er did not expect the male protagonist to admit it so straightforwardly, but when it came to playing along, she wasn’t one to back down.
“Brother, that means you’ll still bring me fruit and milk again tomorrow, right?” she asked, her voice sweet.
‘If there are other snacks, it would be even better!’ she thought but held back from saying it. She knew when to stop while she was ahead.
She didn’t want to push too far and end up with nothing, not even the fruit and milk. She knew the principle of gradual progress. There were still a few months before the female protagonist would finally appear, so she had time. No need to rush.
Huo Chao didn’t answer. He just looked at Shu Er indifferently and asked, “Why do you call me ‘Brother’?”
Shu Er exclaimed and answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Because you’re older than me. What else would I call you?”
“What about Xu Chen?”
“Xu Chen?” Shu Er briefly paused in confusion before she realized who he meant. “Oh, you mean your classmate? He’s not pursuing me, so why would I call him that?”
She noticed the smile gradually showing on Huo Chao’s lips, so she immediately flattered him again, “Brother, it’s your exclusive title.”
Huo Chao shrugged, it didn’t matter.
Shu Er snickered triumphantly. The male protagonist probably thought he was in control of the situation, but little did he know, she had been toying with him all along. It felt fantastic.
“Brother, I’ll be waiting for you here,” Shu Er said with a playful glint in her eyes.
Huo Chao looked at her meaningfully and agreed readily, gave her a long, meaningful look before replying, “Okay.”
Just don’t be scared and cry later.
–
Xu Chen, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, unconsciously gave Shu Er a thumbs up.
You know, there are so many girls at their school who wanted to walk home with Huo Chao. Even if they lined up one per day, there wouldn’t be enough days in the year.
So how many girls had longed to get closer to Huo Chao? Unfortunately, none of them couldn’t do it, not even one.
In more than two years of high school, Shu Er is the only girl who successfully manages to go home with Huo Chao, even Xu Chen had to admire her. No matter what Huo Chao’s true feelings toward her were, Xu Chen couldn’t help but admire her for that.
–
Huo Chao and Xu Chen usually ride their bicycles to school, but with Shu Er joining them on the way home, things were different. Since they weren’t all that familiar with each other yet, Xu Chen found it inconvenient, and Huo Chao was simply too lazy.
So, they both pushed their bikes along the way.
Although Shu Er badly wanted to sit in the backseat of Huo Chao’s bicycle, she knew better than to rush things.
It would be a disaster to scare the male protagonist away.
With her school bag slung over her shoulders, she skipped and chattered all the way, never stopping for a moment. Her energy was boundless, and her words flowed like a never-ending stream.
Huo Chao glanced at Shu Er on his side and had a new understanding of her. She seemed like just another naive, overly enthusiastic teenager. He doubted she harbored any ill intentions, but her behavior was definitely a headache. A few years ago, he might’ve lost his temper already.
After talking for a while, Shu Er remembered and said, “Oh, right! You can just take me to Shilu Community.”
After hearing this, Xu Chen’s expression soured instantly. “Sister… No, junior sister, couldn’t you have mentioned that earlier?”
The sight of a big guy with a pouty, disgruntled face was unexpectedly amusing, a contrast that Shu Er couldn’t help but find endearing.
Shilu Community is in the completely opposite direction from where they are headed, and they had already been walking for quite some time. If they go back, how long will it take? It’s not that Xu Chen was tired, he just thinks it’s a waste of time.
Shu Er pouted, her lips sticking out so far they could almost hang oil bottles on them. With her very delicate appearance, long eyelashes, and sweet, innocent face, she looks incredibly cute when she sulks.
Xu Chen had been ready to lose his temper, but one look at her face, and his anger began to fade.
Forget it, what else can he do? Can he beat her up to vent his anger? Looking at her now, it didn’t seem like she did it on purpose.
She was probably just too excited to be walking home with Huo Chao, the school bully and the man of the hour, so she mixed up the directions.
Shu Er was genuinely exasperated, though. She really didn’t know that Shilu Community was in the complete opposite direction. While she wanted to make trouble on purpose, she wasn’t heartless enough to waste the time of the male protagonist and his friend, both of whom were in their third year of high school.
At first, she didn’t even remember which neighborhood the original Shu Er lived in until just now when it suddenly came to her mid-conversation. Otherwise, she might not have even made it home today.
By now, Huo Chao’s patience had worn thin. His brows furrowed slightly, his face showing a trace of impatience. He directly sat on his bicycle and put one foot on the ground, glancing at Shu Er. “Get on. I’ll take you home.”
Shu Er’s eyes widened in surprise. She never expected the male protagonist to say that!
But after the initial shock, she quickly hopped onto the back seat, eager and thrilled. It was Huo Chao himself who took the initiative to take her home, so there was no way she’d pass on that opportunity.
Just earlier, she was just daydreaming about riding on the back of his bicycle, and now it had become reality. While she hadn’t intentionally asked them to take a detour, the outcome was definitely something worth celebrating.
Xu Chen stood there, dumbfounded.
He couldn’t believe it. Respect—he had to give her respect!
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