Chapter 16: Why Would He Not Like My Sister?

“Are you full?”

The food on the table was nearly finished, and the drinks were all gone. Lin Zhou asked.

Lin Shu nodded.

Zhou Ya nodded as well.

The three of them paid the bill and went out to stroll around casually. Zhou Ya’s parents came to pick them up; the uncle and aunt first fixed their gaze on Lin Zhou for a moment, then locked their daughter safely in the car. Afterwards, they said a few words to Lin Shu, inviting her to come over for dinner once their family returned from Nanjing in a few days.

“It’s okay to eat out once during the holidays, but students should try not to eat out too often. There are too many additives, which are bad for the body and can affect the brain. This is a critical time, so Zhou Ya and Lin Shu must be careful,” they advised.

Zhou Ya rolled down the car window, “Why do you have to talk about Lin Shu when you’re talking about me?”

The couple finally stopped their lecture and drove off with their daughter.

...

Lin Shu rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

Her family was relatively open-minded; as long as she didn’t do anything wrong, she was free to do as she pleased. This made it somewhat difficult for her to deal with Zhou Ya’s parents, who were either not bad people or just a bit overprotective.

Lin Zhou put his arm around his sister’s shoulder. “Your classmate’s family really is strict. Her parents kept glaring at me. If I weren’t your brother, I think they’d skin me alive and send me straight to the police station.”

“That’s exaggerated. It’s mainly because you’re at a private school, so you have more freedom. Parents of kids at public schools tend to be like Zhou Ya’s.”

“Really? They even control who you eat with?”

“More than that...”

Lin Shu thought of Fang Chao and his mother.

Many families only allowed their children to associate with those who had good grades. Actually, the kids’ choice of friends often reflected their temperament.

Changing the subject, Lin Zhou said, “But I can understand Zhou Ya’s parents. Like that night when you walked with a boy, I wasn’t happy about it.”

“Why do you care? You have so many female friends in your circle. Have I ever told you what to do?”

“You’re still young, Shu Shu...”

“You’re older but you haven’t even made our parents grandparents yet.”

“Lin Shu!”

“Lin Zhou!”

The brother and sister called each other by their names and laughed. Lin Zhou pushed his sister into the car and playfully pressed down on her head. Lin Shu struggled in vain, letting out a couple of shrieks. Taking advantage of her brother bending down to look for something, she reached over to pinch the soft flesh on his waist.

Lin Zhou grabbed her hand.

Lin Shu smiled mischievously. “Brother, don’t pick on him next time. He’s a good guy. There’s a boy in the next class I don’t get along with, but he stepped up to help me. He’s just not good at grades, not a bad person.”

“Is he chasing you?” Lin Zhou asked.

“No... What are you thinking?”

Lin Zhou snorted coldly.

Lin Shu asked if all he thought about was that.

Lin Zhou snapped, “My sister is so pretty; why wouldn’t he chase after you?”

“...No, brother, you...”

Lin Shu didn’t know what to say.

It turned out that it wasn’t just parents who saw their children as the most beautiful in the world; her brother also saw her through that lens. Fortunately, she had a clear understanding of Lin Zhou—handsome, yes, but there wasn’t much else remarkable about him.

The car was nearing home when Lin Zhou asked her the name of the boy who had bullied her at school.

Lin Shu didn’t dare say.

With Lin Zhou’s connections, just a name would let him zero in precisely, and it would probably blow up into a big deal. He didn’t know how to keep a low profile, not realizing that the key to surviving at the top high school was to be as quiet as a chicken.

Openly having a crush on Ji Xingshen, as she had done before, was not okay.

And having Lin Zhou openly back her up was also not the way.

Though she was reluctant to admit it, Xie Buchen’s way of handling things was the most appropriate at this school.

She always called him the “scoundrel brother” in her heart, but when it came to this, Xie Buchen was anything but foolish.

Lin Zhou said he would find out.

Lin Shu said, “Brother, really, it’s fine now. Scoundrel Brother is protecting me, and no one dares cut in line when I eat at the cafeteria.”

“...Can you cut in other people’s lines then?”

Hmm?

Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?

Lin Shu froze.

She had never considered that path.

Seeing her silent for a long while, Lin Zhou snorted again, “Sounds like the backup you found isn’t all that great.”

Lin Shu gave him a sideways glance.

Though Lin Zhou didn’t say it, he was thinking that the boy who didn’t crash into his sister that night must be an idiot.

Where did that brat come from, daring to set his sights on Lin Zhou’s sister?

And that clueless someone from the neighboring class—Lin Zhou was just going to college, not dead—actually dared to bully his sister.

Just wait and see.

...

Holidays were truly wonderful.

After playing games with her brother, Lin Shu went to her room and watched variety shows until past midnight, snacking on cucumber chips, spicy beef jerky, fruit platters, fish skin peanuts... She even drank two bottles of cola. Her stomach was bloated, and her happiness was swelling just as much.

Zhou Ya called to say their plane had landed, and her family was now heading to the hotel.

Lin Shu felt a pang of envy.

Her parents were always away. The last family trip was back in elementary school, feeding animals at a scenic spot. Lin Zhou teased a llama, which ended up spitting on her. Her parents didn’t intervene; they only took photos to post on social media...

After so many years, she still couldn’t let it go.

A mischievous brother, carefree parents, and a patient girl.

Zhou Ya said she would bring her a gift.

They chatted for a while before Lin Zhou came to knock on the door. “Go to sleep. What time is it? Don’t tell me you’re still chatting with a boy.”

“Shut up, brother!”

Lin Shu propped herself up and shouted.

Low, annoyed laughter came from outside the door. How annoying!

...

On the first day of the holiday, after staring at each other over breakfast, Lin Shu shoved all her homework into her backpack and told Aunt Zhu before heading out to the city library.

The holidays meant more people around, so she needed to get there early to secure a spot.

She planned to finish her homework today so she could relax and play for the rest of the break.

That was just her personality.

The library was indeed crowded. Lin Shu put on her headphones, turned on her playlist, and got to work with a battle anthem playing.

...

At the Lin residence.

Lin Zhou lay sprawled on the sofa, eating osmanthus cakes made by Aunt Zhu while on the phone.

“Who usually hangs out with the kids in the second year at Top High?”

“Oh, not much. Someone apparently has a grudge against my sister. Since it’s finally the holidays, I want to check what’s going on.”

“Okay, send me the photos.”

Lin Zhou, with a mouthful of osmanthus cake, opened the photos sent by a friend. The most troublesome one was familiar—it was the boy who had been riding a bike near his sister that night. Lin Shu said he protected her; his name was Xie Buchen. He was pretty bold. Really, what was that all about? He even looked somewhat handsome at night. How come the photos taken with an iPhone looked even better? Ridiculous.

Although he knew his sister was not shallow and wouldn’t fall for someone just because they looked good, still, Lin Shu was not blind—she could tell beauty from ugliness.

“Ugh, that brat should just go hang out at the art school next door. Why is he even at Top High looking like that?”

He wasn’t sure who the rest were but suspected they had some feud with Lin Shu.

He looked over each face, deciding who was just trouble and who was not.

After a moment, Lin Zhou pressed a message and sent a voice note: “Lao Xu, call those boys out and ask around.”