The school bell rang.
The weather was just right, with a slightly intoxicating breeze.
To prevent Lin Ci from running off like she did at noon, Shen Xiyan was already crouched beside her as soon as school ended.
He gave a sharp look to ward off those friends spouting dirty jokes.
“I’ll explain later, you just keep quiet!”
Lin Ci had already started imagining the questions Wenwen would ask next.
【Sister Lin Ci, are you dating my brother?】
【Sister Lin Ci, are you going to marry into our family?】
【Sister Lin Ci, natural birth or C-section?】
Soft whimper~~
“It’s nothing.”
Shen Xiyan laughed heartlessly, comforting her, “Don’t be nervous. Wenwen has a big heart; she’ll believe whatever you say.”
Almost every guy had a straightforward friend nearby, and when their girlfriend checked up on them, she would call that friend.
But precisely because he was straightforward, he lied the most.
Shen Xiyan didn’t. His life was pretty “boring.”
Go to work, then go home and sleep with Qin Sheng.
Dating was one thing, but in the end, it always came down to sleeping together.
Qin Sheng wasn’t exactly starved for affection, she just felt safest that way—two people merging together, her underneath, and Shen Xiyan inside.
When it came to Lin Ci, she never lied. Occasionally telling a lie, no matter how ridiculous, Wenwen would still believe her.
“It’s even possible that she hasn’t noticed at all and you’re just worrying over nothing.”
“Shut up!” Lin Ci said angrily, but the happiness and little pride hidden in her expression couldn’t be concealed.
The “affair” was about to be exposed.
She really didn’t know how to explain it, but once Wenwen found out, there was no turning back.
“I’m serious. She really might not have noticed…”
“What do you mean?” Lin Ci stopped walking, her big eyes spinning around.
“Think about it… the curtains were drawn, the room was already dark, and before bed, you were lying on the sofa. After Wenwen fell asleep, you moved to the floor behind the sofa. If Wenwen was even a little careless, she wouldn’t have noticed at a glance and would’ve just left, right?”
Shen Xiyan chuckled, his teeth white and neat, his body carrying a fresh sunny scent. “If you could be as calm as I am, you wouldn’t give yourself away like that…”
“What if she really finds out?” Lin Ci said in a pout, giving the soft flesh on Shen Xiyan’s waist a hard pinch.
“Ouch! Lin Ci! Haven’t you been punished in a while? You’re asking for it!”
“Nyah nyah~~”
After pinching, Lin Ci transformed into a little eel. Using her short stature to her advantage, she swiftly slipped out from under his armpit.
Shen Xiyan wasn’t about to let her get away after being wronged. He chased her down and tickled her.
Lin Ci laughed so hard she could barely breathe. Although Shen Xiyan was bullying her, she felt refreshed.
Probably from laughing so hard, her strength gradually left her body. Her legs went weak, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing and heartbeat became uneven.
After the commotion, the two suddenly sobered up, silently putting distance between each other.
They secretly glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes, not knowing what the other was thinking.
“Shen Xiyan, you’re so annoying! Don’t you know men and women should avoid suspicion? Who tickles a girl like this?”
Lin Ci looked shy from being teased, pouting and staring at Shen Xiyan. Her watery big eyes seemed to be covered with a thin crystalline film, reflecting the sunset like a hidden twilight.
“… Then I’ll just tickle you and Wenwen.”
“Wenwen’s my little sister! What about me?”
“… Also a little sister?”
Lin Ci rolled her eyes. “So should I call you brother? Good brother?”
“Don’t!”
That title was like saying “dad” in a specific time and place. Shen Xiyan couldn’t stand it.
“Anyway, if Wenwen finds out, I’ll just say you forced me to sleep with you!”
“Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
“…” Lin Ci stayed silent and gave a faint hum.
Shen Xiyan immediately made a zipper motion, sealing his mouth.
Lin Ci nodded contentedly.
At the school gate, Wenwen was still waiting, sucking on a lollipop.
“You guys are so slow~~”
“We…”
Lin Ci wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
She was all “brave” just a while ago, as if she could solve the problem by herself, but now that Wenwen was here, she immediately shrank behind Shen Xiyan.
Shen Xiyan found it funny.
Lin Ci was probably the most contradictory girl he’d ever met—clearly scared out of her wits but insisting on pretending to be strong.
But Shen Xiyan also noticed Wenwen’s expression was calm, nothing like someone who had just caught a secret.
So he took the initiative first…
“Where were you at noon? Why didn’t I see you when I woke up?”
“Me?”
Shen Xiyan wouldn’t have said anything if not asked, but once he spoke, Wenwen lost it a bit and angrily punched his chest.
“Isn’t that the question I should be asking you? You left without telling me?”
Lin Ci: “???”
Shen Xiyan rubbed his chest and sighed with relief. “You might not believe it, but we forgot…”
Then he secretly made an OK sign to Lin Ci behind his back.
See? I told you Wenwen was easygoing.
“So annoying! Am I still your sister?!” Wenwen bit his arm, leaving a row of tiny teeth marks.
“Never done a paternity test… hard to say… maybe a childhood bride?”
“Shen Xiyan!!” Wenwen’s small hand bulged with cute little veins.
Then she stumbled and “accidentally” fell into Shen Xiyan’s arms, stepping on his foot in the process.
“Ah! Sorry, brother… I didn’t mean to. You’re not mad, are you?” Wenwen nervously fiddled with her fingers and asked pitifully.
Not on purpose?
You were practically standing on my foot and spinning around.
“Forget it, forget it… not bothering with you. You and Lin Ci go home first…”
Wenwen crossed her arms and glared. “You’re sneaking off to the hospital to see Aunt again, aren’t you?!”
“What do you mean sneaking? I’m just buying some groceries.”
“Come eat at my place! It’s just adding two more bowls and chopsticks.”
“No thanks.”
Lin Ci knew Shen Xiyan’s personality well enough not to push further. She opened her hands helplessly. “At least give me your backpack; I’ll carry it for you.”
“It’s too heavy…”
“Give it to me!” Lin Ci suddenly became unusually firm, snatching it off Shen Xiyan’s shoulder.
Shen Xiyan reminded her, “Go home early, and when there are lots of people around, don’t worry about Qin Ge.”
Wenwen secretly pouted. “So cautious, aren’t you?”
Shen Xiyan smiled. “You don’t know how stingy he is.”
The June sunset fell on the sidewalk, stretching their shadows long.
Wenwen took two mint candies from her pocket, handed one to Lin Ci, and peeled one herself. The cool freshness instantly filled her mouth.
“Sister Lin Ci, did you give my brother a birthday present?”
Lin Ci was a bit surprised, feeling like a little secret had been discovered. “Yeah, you found out?”
“How could I not? He was showing off to me bright and early, saying it was from you, and then criticized me for being a bad little sister who doesn’t care about him…”
“Haha… don’t listen to him. He’s just saying that. If you really gave him something, he’d be complaining about you wasting money.”
“That’s right! So mean!”
Wenwen cautiously tugged at Lin Ci’s shirt hem and asked, “But what about my gift… Sister Lin Ci? You can’t be playing favorites!!”
“… It’s not even his birthday yet, and you want a gift?”
“My brother’s not either.”
“He always scratches himself and leaves marks. I really can’t stand it.”
“Sister Lin Ci~~”
“Then how about this? We go shopping this weekend?”
“Okay! I also need to prepare a gift for my brother.”
Lin Ci sighed deeply. “That’s your real intention, isn’t it? You want me to help you pick something out?”
“If possible.” Wenwen nodded shyly.
Although her brother was annoying, gifts still needed to be given when the time came.
“So, what are you planning to buy?”
“Um… other things aren’t practical, and I can’t afford them. I’ll buy him a couple of clothes. Otherwise, he always wears the same few pieces back and forth.”
“It’s fine in winter, but in summer he sweats so much and changes clothes so often. Wearing the same few clothes until they’re worn out.”
“I don’t know how he grows like that. He barely eats meat but shoots up in height. Clothes bought last year don’t fit this year.”
“Just growing up.”
Lin Ci especially empathized with this. Her own underwear was still on the way.
In the photos of their uncles and aunts, they were all quite tall. It was really hard for Shen Xiyan to be short.
Plus, Aunt never skimped on food, he occasionally played basketball, and as a child even drank quite a lot of their milk—
Well, it was milk that Wenwen and Lin Ci didn’t want to drink… don’t read too much into it.
Now he was incredibly manly, but not the disgusting bulky muscle type.
He was “slim in clothes, muscular when undressed,” and when he held her, it was pure bliss, like some suppressed emotion was finally released.
She really wanted to… pull down his collar… leave a small bite mark on his chest…
and then… lick it.
Whenever that thought popped into her head, Lin Ci felt strange, as if her whole body warmed up. Her chest, neck, cheeks, and even ears flushed. Her breathing grew rapid.
She was really messed up. She never used to think like this!
“Sister Lin Ci, why is your face so red?”
“It’s hot outside.”
“… Oh.” Wenwen didn’t suspect anything.
“If you’re buying clothes, maybe I should buy him some underwear too. Every time I go to your place, I see his loose, saggy ones. I’ll find a chance to throw them all away!”
Lin Ci really didn’t understand—wasn’t that kind of underwear embarrassing to wear?
Even if no one else saw,
it wasn’t like Shen Xiyan’s excuse of “loose is comfortable” made sense. Where’s the comfort in loose and saggy?
… Is it because he’s big down there?!
Yeah, it’s quite big, and when swollen, it’s a bit scary.
“Oh… Sister Qin Sheng already took care of that. My brother’s underwear is all new now.”
“When?”
“When she stayed at my place before, she didn’t bring clothes, so she went shopping at night and bought some. Aunt and I have some too…”
Wenwen said, pulling down her chest to show Lin Ci the bra she was wearing now. “This one is super expensive! Altogether, almost equal to Aunt’s monthly salary… but it’s really comfortable!”
Lin Ci:
On his way to the market, Shen Xiyan passed by a cluster of rental houses beside the school.
He thought he saw someone familiar—someone like Su Jin, but with black hair and none of the soft curls at the ends, and even her style looked a bit plain and old-fashioned, completely different from when she left at noon.
Shen Xiyan hesitated to confirm.
But as he got closer, he clearly heard Su Jin’s voice.
“Master, why haven’t you come yet? I’m going to die of heat!”
“Then who should I look for now?”
“Alright, alright! I got it, I’ll look for someone else.”