"Do you have any manners at all!" Chu He was enraged and humiliated as he glared at Luo Qianqian. The students nowadays really are something else, daring to say such things. Then he glanced at his daughter, who was curled up under the blanket on the bed, and his eyes flickered. Was she really what he thought she was? For the first time, Chu He began to doubt his daughter, who he doted on in every way.
"Manners are for people." Luo Qianqian narrowed her eyes, "As for you and your daughter, it’s better to forget about such high-end things as manners. One fabricates rumors and slanders, the other hits people for no reason. Why should the world revolve around you two? Would the Earth stop spinning without you? Is everyone else just supposed to endure whatever you do to them?"
Then Luo Qianqian looked at Luo Yanhai with a slightly embarrassed expression and continued, "If that scandal causes my brother to not find a wife, are you going to take responsibility? Or will you offer that mess to my brother? Marrying that sort of thing, my brother would rather stay single for life!"
"It’s not nice to insult people." Luo Yanhai coughed lightly, his face turning slightly red. Could she really say anything? Was the usually demure little sister just a facade?
"Defending one’s family is a rule of the Luo Family." Luo Qianqian turned her head and blinked her big eyes at Luo Yanhai, "Bullying my brother is bullying me!"
"You!" Chu He used the tissue from the bedside cabinet to stop the nosebleed and then slowly calmed down as he looked at Luo Qianqian.
"He hit me..." He pointed a finger at Xu Tianyi.
Luo Qianqian curled her lips and stepped in front of Xu Tianyi, "If you hadn’t laid a hand on me, he would never have raised his. My family defends its own, and this is called self-defense." You just got a black eye and a nosebleed, right? I almost got disfigured by you, and my face is still burning in pain.
"Mr. Chu, what’s going on here?" The director entered the infirmary and saw the standoff between the few people. The atmosphere was very tense, and he stopped in his tracks, standing dumbfounded at the entrance of the medical office.
"Director, this Mr. Chu ordered someone to call me over. Without any explanation, he slapped me twice. My brother couldn’t stand by and watch, so he retaliated. You understand, right? After all, it was out of a desire to protect his sister." Luo Qianqian tugged at Xu Tianyi’s sleeve, and when he looked over, she quickly blinked.
"And you are...?" The director recognized Luo Yanhai and Luo Qianqian, but this excessively young man was unfamiliar to him, and the middle-aged man was undoubtedly Chu Yu’s father.
"This is my brother." Luo Qianqian said calmly, winking at Luo Yanhai, "Isn’t that right, second brother?"
Luo Yanhai was startled for a moment and then nodded, adding, "I called him. I thought Qianqian was frightened, so I wanted him to take her home to the hospital to get checked out."
Xu Tianyi’s face was marked by a stream of black lines. They were truly siblings, perfectly in sync. Yet in his eyes, there was envy. The siblings in the Xu Family would have torn him to shreds if possible; how could they compare to the harmony in the Luo Family? This was also one of the reasons he had agreed to the Luo Family’s request.
"How many brothers do you have, exactly?" The director was somewhat confused. He knew Shufan was her brother from the upper grade, and this military instructor was also her brother, but how many were there in total?
"One cousin, four paternal cousins, one—no, two blood brothers, and also... from distant relatives..." The Bai brothers should count as sworn brothers, right, since they’ve helped us siblings so much? Luo Qianqian thought uncertainly. Anyway, she’d never seen their parents, so she might as well pretend they were her godparents’ children, and there was also Xu Tianyi, who might as well be considered a brother now... She counted on her fingers, turning her gaze upward as she calculated.
The director quickly waved his hands, having heard enough about how many brothers she had, "That’s enough, that’s enough. Mr. Chu, let’s go to my bedroom to talk about this." Right now the sports field was crowded with people, student dormitories were not suitable, the medical office had occupants, and the canteen was not open yet. His bedroom was the best option.
By the time the two finished talking, Luo Qianqian had already switched to the third boiled egg on her face. Luo Yanhai and Xu Tianyi helped her roll it around her cheek, still using the medical office’s induction cooker to boil the eggs. They saw Chu He leave with Chu Yu, his expression dark, while the director returned to the medical office and sighed while watching Luo Qianqian enjoy her treatment in the chair, "The school will give you an explanation for this matter."
"Thank you, director." Luo Qianqian quickly stood up, took off the egg, and said with a smile, "So director, I’ve been injured and can’t be exposed to wind or sunlight because it’s embarrassing to be seen , so does that mean I don’t have to go to military training anymore?"
The director glanced at Luo Yanhai. Who would dare to force military training on you if you didn’t want it? Then he nodded, "If you need anything, just come to me."
With the director gone, Luo Qianqian put on a serious face, "Bro, is it convenient for you?" This was when no one else was around, so naturally, Xu Tianyi was no longer the brother she was referring to; she was asking Luo Yanhai.
Luo Yanhai nodded and looked at Xu Tianyi with eyes that said ’good luck,’ "Here’s the key, make yourselves at home." Although reluctant to let his sister be alone with a guy, it now seemed that his sister was angry, and he decided it was best to steer clear of the center of the conflict, "I still have to go and supervise. I’m off." With that, he made his escape.
Looking at the key, Luo Qianqian narrowed her eyes, "Lead the way?"
Xu Tianyi touched his nose, why did he feel that after nearly three years of not seeing this kid, she had become more and more terrifying? Where had the soft and cute little girl gone?
The two didn’t walk one behind the other; Xu Tianyi was beside Luo Qianqian, and he heaved an almost imperceptible sigh, stopping in front of a dormitory. Xu Tianyi took the key to open the door, while Luo Qianqian surveyed the room—it had two quilts, two pillows.
"When did you come back?" Luo Qianqian didn’t expose him, closed the door, and sat down on the only chair.
Xu Tianyi was silent.
"Top secret?" Luo Qianqian snorted through her nose.
Xu Tianyi still remained silent.
"Hey, hey, hey, aren’t we friends anymore? Can’t say anything? Then look at what you can talk about and tell me that."
"Good girl." Xu Tianyi placed his large hand on top of Luo Qianqian’s head, his eyes filled with tenderness, "I missed you a lot."
Luo Qianqian instantly thought of that hug, her cheeks blushing red in an instant, "You, you’re changing the subject."
"I really missed you, what about you?" Xu Tianyi gazed at Luo Qianqian, and to her surprise, she found not a hint of evasion in his eyes, they were forthright.
"You’ve been following me these past few days, haven’t you?" Luo Qianqian turned away, not daring to meet those eyes that made her feel a bit guilty.
"Mmhmm, answer me, did you miss me?" Xu Tianyi’s eyes held a sense of reluctance; showing up already disqualified him from protecting her from the shadows, but how could he remain indifferent when he saw Luo Qianqian getting hurt?
"No." Luo Qianqian replied in denial, feeling her heart pounding nonstop.
"Liar." Xu Tianyi smiled, "Seeing that you’re doing well reassured me. My training is over, and I’ll be going to high school soon. Are you satisfied with this physique?"
Luo Qianqian’s eyes widened in surprise, "Are you coming to Experimental High School?"
In Luo Qianqian’s expectant eyes, Xu Tianyi slowly shook his head and smiled, "My school records are in Capital City, so naturally, I will be returning there." Seeing the disappointment in Luo Qianqian’s eyes, he added, "If we were together, how could you possibly achieve what your brother did? Don’t disappoint me. You are Luo Qianqian after all." You’re my girl.
Luo Qianqian blushed and rolled her eyes, "Who cares? Then why didn’t you come out to see me, and why didn’t you tell me? Your phone was even disconnected." Luo Qianqian started to tear up directly, having no contact for so long would worry anyone, even just a regular friend, let alone the boy in front of her whom she was waiting for, right?
"It’s my fault, but who said I didn’t try to contact you?" Xu Tianyi smiled, "You’re just silly, not realizing it was me."
Luo Qianqian paused for a moment, "Santa Claus? And that phone number?"
"What the hell is Santa Claus..." Xu Tianyi furrowed his brow.
"It was on Christmas... No, you shouldn’t know my QQ number." Luo Qianqian shook her head, "Never mind, I should ask you for a Christmas gift, otherwise I waited for nothing, right? Hurry up and give it to me." The girl, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and the boy, as if basking in the breath of spring, laughed brightly in the sunlight.