Chapter 15: Xiaoya’s Girlish Secrets

The next day.

As usual, Lin Shu went to the West River intersection to deliver breakfast to Xie Buchen. After hanging the items up, Xie Buchen handed her a bag.

“What’s this?” Lin Shu asked softly.

“Open it and you’ll see,” the boy said, circling around his scooter before riding off.

Lin Shu opened the bag to find a cup of hot milk tea—still quite warm to the touch. She took a sip; it tasted of ginger and red dates.

There was no label, so it must have been homemade by Xie Buchen.

She took another sip, then another, and by the time she reached the school bus stop, only half the cup remained. Her body felt warm and comforted in a strangely soothing way. The persistent backache from her period, which painkillers hadn’t alleviated, seemed to ease a little.

So magical?

Lin Shu took a big breath and swallowed slowly, watching the liquid sway in the cup, stepping carefully on the stairs and rubbing the soles of her shoes.

What’s going on? Seriously.

Is there really a boy who gets up early to make warm tea for someone’s uterus?

……

In Classroom 1

With only one day left until the holiday, the mood in the class grew increasingly relaxed. Even the most studious seniors couldn’t help but be affected, and the break between classes was filled with lively chatter and a lighter tone of voice.

“Your brother’s back?” Zhou Ya asked in surprise.

“Yeah, but he didn’t say a word. He almost bumped into Xie Buchen when he came to pick me up after evening study…” Lin Shu leaned on her desk, feeling the weight of her misfortune. She complained about Zhou Ya’s jinxing words telling her to be careful during evening study, and then trouble happened immediately.

Zhou Ya was silent for a moment. “How long is he staying?”

“Don’t know.”

“Didn’t he bring a girl home last year?”

“Ah, that’s probably over. I haven’t seen any photos in a while on his social media.” Lin Shu sat up and looked at Zhou Ya with a mischievous grin. “Xiao Ya, you really care about my brother, huh?”

Zhou Ya was momentarily stunned, then retorted, “…I’m worried about you, okay? I’m going out with my family during the National Day holiday. If no one’s home at your place, and your brother has no plans either, he’ll probably keep an eye on you all day.”

Enough, don’t say any more.

Lin Shu stood and covered Zhou Ya’s mouth.

Though the siblings were close, as they grew up, they couldn’t really hang out together and it often got awkward. Once when they went shopping, kids even chased after them shouting, “Brother, buy a flower for your girlfriend!”

Laughable!

Putting aside their blood ties, even if they weren’t siblings, Lin Shu could never like a guy like Lin Zhou. And Lin Zhou, like her, kept his distance from girls who pretended to be obedient little sisters; he preferred lively, fashionable, and cool girls.

The National Day holiday lasted five days, including the weekend.

After Friday afternoon classes, there was no evening study. Teachers assigned homework in advance and posted notices in the class group to prevent students from forgetting.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, the usually stagnant classroom turned lively, like prisoners being released. Except for a few top scorers who planned to attend extra classes during the break, most planned to have fun, as these few days were the only chance to relax—Brother Gang said after the holiday, there would be final exams and midterms back to back. Truly relentless. Nobody knew what kind of person schedules such packed exams to torture students.

Zhou Ya’s evening flight was to Nanjing, supposedly to check out some universities there.

She seemed to be aiming for early admission.

Actually, with Zhou Ya’s grades, it wasn’t necessary; it was probably her family’s idea.

Lin Shu checked the flight time and saw there was still time, so she invited Zhou Ya to have a meal before she left.

“What to eat? There’s airplane food.”

Zhou Ya didn’t want Lin Shu to spend money on her. Her family was strict, her pocket money limited, and Lin Shu often paid for their meals. There weren’t many occasions where Zhou Ya could split the bill. Lin Shu was generous—she might take ordinary classmates to fast food places like KFC, but with Zhou Ya, it was always upscale buffets or trendy restaurants, quite expensive for students.

“Come on, come on, it’s my brother’s treat anyway.”

“Lin Zhou, huh…”

“Would he let me, his sister, pay? What kind of brother would that be?”

Absolutely impossible!

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Ya agreed. Before leaving school, she went to the restroom and took a long time coming out. Her neat short hair was tucked behind her ear with a hollow heart-shaped hairpin, looking cute and playful.

“Where did you get that? It’s so pretty!”

Lin Shu’s eyes lit up, showering her with compliments.

Zhou Ya blushed slightly and whispered, “That new boutique at the school gate… really pretty, right?”

“Definitely! And it only looks good on short hair!”

Zhou Ya smiled and gave her a shove.

Stronger than usual.

She must really be shy.

In fact, in her previous life, Lin Shu had vaguely sensed that Zhou Ya had a crush on her flashy brother, though Zhou Ya hid it well.

Girls often say they don’t like a certain type, but in reality, that’s exactly who they like.

Later, the two fell out, and Zhou Ya never got the chance to meet Lin Zhou again. After Lin Shu went to university, she lost contact with Zhou Ya.

Lin Shu knew her brother wouldn’t like Zhou Ya in that way, but as a friend, indulging Zhou Ya’s youthful crush a bit wasn’t a big deal. Who hasn’t liked someone unsuitable and impossible in their youth?

As long as it wasn’t like her chasing after Ji Xingshen so disastrously that even family got involved, regrets were just regrets. Years later, it might just be a bittersweet memory.

Lin Shu and Zhou Ya slipped out of the school’s back gate.

Sneaking through a street, then passing through the arcade’s main hall, they arrived at the bustling old street.

Lin Zhou wore a floral shirt with two buttons undone, sporting a pair of trendy loafers that screamed stylish young man and wealthy second generation. He waved at them.

An AMG was parked by the roadside, its hood gleaming like the wax in his hair.

As a kid, Lin Shu thought her brother was flashy; as an adult, he was even more flamboyant.

And he was her biological brother—there was no denying it. Otherwise, Lin Shu wouldn’t want to admit Lin Zhou was her brother.

“Dad said not to drive that car; every time you drive it, something happens.”

“Come on, your brother’s no rookie anymore. Don’t jinx me. What do you want to eat? You and your little friend, it’s on me, pick whatever you want.”

Lin Shu opened the car door and got in, then turned back to pull Zhou Ya inside.

Though Lin Zhou hadn’t said much, Zhou Ya’s palm burned like it had been set on fire. That stubborn girl was strangely gifted—her face didn’t flush at all, and at first glance, she even looked a little sullen. Someone unaware might think she disliked Lin Zhou.

Hilarious.

Lin Shu twitched her nose. “Bro, did you wear cologne again?”

“Are you a dog or what? Smelling all day long.”

Lin Shu snorted.

Lin Zhou buckled his seatbelt, turned his head, and with sunglasses perched on his nose, asked, “Have you two decided?”

Lin Shu looked over. “Xiao Ya, what do you want to eat?”

“Anything’s fine,” Zhou Ya replied calmly, not even glancing at Lin Zhou.

Oh no, Lin Shu couldn’t hold back her grin.

Lin Zhou asked Lin Shu what she wanted.

Lin Shu mimicked Zhou Ya’s cool tone, “Anything’s fine.”

Lin Zhou was amused by these two acting so cool. He smiled, put on his sunglasses, raised his hands in surrender, and said lazily, “Alright, alright, I’ll decide. I’ll take you to eat something.”

They went to a Korean barbecue restaurant.

The decor was very stylish.

There were many photos and memorabilia of Korean pop stars on the walls, and the music was from popular girl groups. The sound system was powerful—too loud for older people but just right for teenagers.

It was the holiday starting tomorrow, and the dinner rush was about to begin. They hadn’t taken a number, but Lin Zhou knew the owner and was led directly to a window seat in the innermost part of the restaurant. The waiter said it was a reserved spot by the boss.

After ordering, Lin Zhou poured barley tea for both of them.

When handing a cup to Zhou Ya, his hand brushed hers. He smiled and apologized. Zhou Ya showed no reaction, quietly tightening her fingers.

Lin Shu glanced at her and pursed her lips.

The meat was placed on the grill.

The waitress kept turning the meat over, smiling at Lin Zhou. He was very friendly to girls, unlike how he was with guys—never reckless or aggressive. Even his voice softened, and he smiled and joked, even without any romantic intentions.

When the waitress finished grilling a plate, she reluctantly stepped away.

Lin Shu scoffed, “Like a peacock spreading its tail.”

Lin Zhou nonchalantly picked up two chopsticks of grilled meat for her, “Only a peacock can spread its tail.”

Eh.

I thought that was a compliment.

After serving Lin Shu, Lin Zhou said to Zhou Ya, “Don’t want to offend you by not giving you any, Xiao Ya. Eat more. This dipping sauce isn’t spicy. Try it.”

Zhou Ya nodded, “Thank you, brother.”

Lin Zhou smiled, seeming to like being called that, but also a bit too accustomed to it, as if many people had called him that before and he was a little numb to it.

Throughout the meal, Zhou Ya was nothing like herself. She spoke fewer than five sentences all evening.

The chatterbox was under a silence buff.

Only Lin Shu and Lin Zhou talked at the table.

When caught up in something, it’s easy to lose perspective; now as an observer, Lin Shu thought, it wasn’t surprising that Zhou Ya, as smart as she was, got hurt. Everyone has their own fate.

But at most, her brother would just disappoint Zhou Ya. Unlike Ji Xingshen, who didn’t love but dragged things out painfully like a ghost.

In that sense, love really was a matter of luck.