Chapter 36

When Lin Miao handed the red envelope, she felt a little shy, wondering if her brother would reject it. If he did, she would have to act like her mom and aunt, pushing it back and forth.
Fortunately, she saw her brother accept it seriously, which made Lin Miao incredibly happy.
The most important thing was that her brother seemed happy too.
Yu Jingxuan noticed her smiling so widely, so as he held her hand, ready to take her to dinner, he saw a bruise on her wrist. Since Lin Miao had gotten much paler, the bruise was now very obvious.
"How did this happen?" Yu Jingxuan frowned and asked.
"It happened during training. I accidentally bumped into something." Lin Miao hadn’t paid attention and her hand had swung into a nearby railing.
Lin Miao didn’t think much of it; it only hurt for a moment and wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t even turn red, but for some reason, after a night, it turned purple. She figured it would go away in a few days, it was pretty normal, considering how often she’d bumped into things when she was little.
Yu Jingxuan, however, didn’t say much. He immediately took her back to the car and instructed the driver to head to the hospital.
The driver, who was from the Yu family, was shocked at first, thinking that Young Master had gotten hurt, but upon realizing it was just a bruise on Lin Miao’s hand, he let out a sigh of relief.
Lin Miao was momentarily stunned as she was being led along. Hearing her brother insist on going to the hospital made her feel warm inside. It was such a small injury, yet her brother was still taking her to the hospital.
The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. The joy was so overwhelming that she couldn’t contain it. She couldn’t help but hug her brother and said, “Brother, you’re so good to me!”
Yu Jingxuan, still talking about the game, was taken by surprise and didn't catch the hug, but she ended up hugging him.
Her voice was sweet and full of excitement.
Yu Jingxuan’s ears turned red. When he heard her say this, he felt like his heart was soaked in syrup. He tried to sound serious, “Don’t change the subject. Did you fall during training at school?”
He remembered watching her play; no matter how low the ball was, she’d go for it. She’d even jump to get the high ones.
Lin Miao hugged him, then looked up and said, “I didn’t fall. Our coach praises me for having good balance.”
When Lin Miao was at school, she was especially eager to show off. She remembered the time she was carrying a pumpkin and slipped but managed to keep her balance. She also recalled walking to school in slippery mud roads during both winter and summer. Despite carrying a backpack, she never fell down. Now that she wasn’t carrying anything and the ground wasn’t slippery, falling was even less likely.
At the hospital, Lin Miao obediently let the doctor check her out, and then they went to pick up some medicine.
It was just topical ointment, and once they were back in the car, Yu Jingxuan tore open the packaging and began applying it to her bruise.
Yu Jingxuan was so careful. With his head lowered, Lin Miao couldn’t help but touch his head, reassuring him, “Brother, I’ll take good care of you too.”
Yu Jingxuan looked up, met her gaze, and, seeing her determined little expression, couldn’t help but smile. “How are you going to take care of me?”
“I’ll carry your backpack when I have time,” Lin Miao thought for a moment, then added, “I’ll give you back rubs and massages!”
When she was younger, she used to give her grandmother back rubs.
Since her left hand was occupied with the ointment, she used her right hand to massage his shoulder.
Yu Jingxuan was completely defeated by her. He rubbed her head affectionately, “As long as you don’t get hurt, that’s the best thing you can do for me.”
Lin Miao immediately promised, “Okay, I won’t get hurt anymore.”
Yu Jingxuan casually fixed her hair. Lin Miao still had short hair, and after hugging him, her bangs had gotten a bit messy.
They went back to her house for dinner, and afterward, Yu Jingxuan took her back to school.
Naturally, he brought her a lot of food to eat at school.
Tan Jing saw Lin Miao walking back with a big bag, and said, “Your brother came to visit again?”
“Yep.”
“Why don’t I have a brother?” Tan Jing sighed.
Lin Miao paused for a moment. If it had been in the past, she might have said, “Don’t worry, my brother can be your brother too…”
But after thinking for a moment, she said, “I’ll be your brother from now on. After all, you’re two years younger than me.”
Tan Jing thought for a moment. “Shui-ge?”
Lin Miao thought it sounded pretty good. “Jing Mei Mei!” she replied with a grin.
Then, Lin Miao patted Tan Jing’s head, mimicking her brother’s tone, “You’re such a good little sister!”
Lin Miao was the sweetest-looking girl in their group, big eyes, a small nose, and a round face, always smiling.
However, when she played sports, she was the fiercest. No one knew why she had so much strength, but every time they played against her, it felt more like a battle.
So, everyone started calling her Shui-ge, just like Tan Jing.
From the moment she became Tan Jing’s “brother,” Lin Miao paid even more attention to her.
When Tan Jing went to a competition, Lin Miao even told the coach she would accompany her. But the coach didn’t allow it.
Tan Jing comforted her, saying, “Don’t worry, my parents will come to watch, and they’ll tell me the results when I get back.”
Yes, the coach hadn’t allowed Lin Miao to attend Tan Jing’s competition.
Later, that evening, Tan Jing returned, crying. She had lost the final match by one point.
Lin Miao didn’t know how to comfort her. She felt heartbroken. “It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ll have so many more competitions. We don’t have to win every single one, just the most important ones…”
Tan Jing raised her head, her eyes red, and sobbed, “I’ve been practicing since I was five...and now I lost the first match. My dad says I should just go back to studying... he says I’m not cut out for this…”
Hearing this, Lin Miao panicked, “Jing Mei Mei, don’t listen to them. You are cut out for this!”
Fortunately, when the coach arrived, he reassured them that he had already spoken with Tan Jing’s father, and there was no need for her to quit.
Lin Miao sighed in relief. Adults could be so shallow. It was just one loss. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal about it?
Later that night, Lin Miao shared some dried pork with Tan Jing. They weren’t supposed to eat snacks because of potential hormones, but Lin Miao’s mom had helped out by having two pigs fed with natural food at the family farm. When they killed them, some of the meat was dried and made into snacks for Lin Miao.
The two of them once again lay together in the same bed. Lin Miao patted Tan Jing’s head, “When we grow up, we can’t be like the adults.”
Tan Jing, still wiping away her tears, was still thinking about what happened earlier that day.
“Shui-ge, I won’t let them come to my competitions again,” Tan Jing said as she ate.
Lin Miao nodded. “Yeah, don’t let them come!”
Because of this, Tan Jing grew up a lot.
Lin Miao also understood something, sometimes, adults really did speak nonsense. How could they say Jing Jing wasn’t cut out for the sport? That was just ridiculous.
After all, she used to think that what adults said always made sense.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was the New Year holiday, and they would have several days off.
Lin Miao didn’t count the days.
However, it was the first time Lin Miao met Tan Jing’s mother.
Since men weren’t allowed in the dormitory building, Tan Jing’s family sent her mom instead.
Lin Miao hurriedly left so her mom wouldn’t see her.
She went downstairs and saw her brother waving at her.
Lin Miao ran over to him.
Yu Jingxuan took her backpack. “You seem to have lost weight. Has your training been increased recently?”
Lin Miao was drinking milk and said, “No, brother. I’m just getting taller and thinner. My mom says girls at my age grow taller and thinner…”
While saying this, she grabbed her brother’s hand. “Brother, wait for a moment. I need a favor.”
Yu Jingxuan was a bit surprised. “What is it?”
Tan Jing’s mother kept saying, “I heard the provincial badminton team is selecting players from you guys. If you don’t make it, your dad will definitely make a fuss. Don’t slack off in school, train more.”
Tan Jing wasn’t happy. Hadn’t she trained enough?
“I’m just looking out for you.”
Tan Jing, carrying something, walked downstairs. She really hated the New Year.
Then she heard her dad impatiently calling, “Come here.”
Tan Jing walked over. “Dad.”
The three of them walked through the school, all in silence.
Then, they heard a male voice from behind. “Sister, you’re so good. You’ll definitely make it.”
“It’s not certain,” a girl’s voice replied, a bit dejected. “There’s another girl on our team who’s really talented. The coach always praises her, says she’s made for badminton, and she works so hard…”
Tan Jing wanted to turn around and ask, “Shui-ge, are you talking about yourself?”
Of course, Tan Jing controlled herself.
Tan Jing’s mom couldn’t help but tell Tan Jing, “Listen to that. The talented ones are working harder than you.”
The male voice behind asked, “Is she the girl you’ve always talked about, Tan Jing?”
“Yes, that’s her…”
Tan Jing’s parents were stunned. They hadn’t expected that the person being talked about was their daughter.
Lin Miao only then realized that the girl in front of her was Tan Jing. She awkwardly waved, “Tan Jing, I just...I just…”
It felt like being caught, but she couldn’t think of anything to say, so she haughtily said, “Don’t think just because the coach praises you for being talented that I’m scared of you! Once I start working hard, I’ll definitely beat you!”
Tan Jing: ...She didn’t expect Shui-ge to be this playful!
It was so hard to listen to Shui-ge’s last words. Watching the usually calm, happy Shui-ge leave like a little child made Tan Jing feel a complicated mix of emotions.
Tan Jing: …
Then, Tan Jing heard her mom say, “Your classmate is a bit too restless. Don’t copy her.”
Tan Jing had always thought Shui-ge was amazing. She knew everything, could do anything, and was super good at sports. The person who had beaten her in the last competition was Shui-ge. Not long afterward, Shui-ge met that same person in the finals, and that girl lost badly. Tan Jing said, “She’s really good. So talented. I can’t beat her.”
Tan Jing’s dad hadn’t expected her to be so self-conscious. He recalled when he had gone to watch the competition, where she’d made it to the finals, and he realized she might still be affected by her recent loss. He said, “You have talent too. Don’t worry about her.”
Tan Jing was stunned for a moment. Then, remembering Shui-ge’s words, she realized that adults often say nonsensical things. Her dad had completely forgotten who had told her she wasn’t cut out for it and should just go back to studying.
The acting duo returned to the car.
“Brother, how did I do just now?” Lin Miao asked, hugging his arm excitedly.
“Perfect!” Yu Jingxuan praised her.
Lin Miao said, “Sigh, when I have kids, I’ll definitely praise them every day!”
She was just a twelve-year-old girl, yet she was already thinking so far ahead. Her mature look made Yu Jingxuan laugh and ruffle her hair. “Alright, when the time comes, I’ll help you act out praise too.”