Chapter 21

Shen Youwei felt that Guan Shanyan cared about boxing even more than she did.
She pulled her legs back and asked him beside her, “Can you row the boat back by yourself?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
As it turned out, he could, and quite skillfully.
He guessed it was all from the times he had accompanied Shen Youwei rowing on the lake as kids.
Shen Youwei relaxed. With someone rowing for her, she only needed to quietly enjoy the lake scenery and take a few beautiful photos for her social feed.
When they got off the boat, there were still people lining up by the shore. Since Shen Youwei’s foot was injured, they decided not to visit anywhere else and went straight home.
The balloon Guan Shanyan bought for her was still tied to her hand. It was a simple, ordinary balloon, but in her hand, it looked like a stylish accessory.
If her foot weren’t injured, she definitely wouldn’t have missed the chance to take some “perfect shot” photos.
“Can you still walk?”
Guan Shanyan had just checked her foot. While it wasn’t too serious, walking back could worsen the injury.
Shen Youwei shook her head: “I can’t walk. You’ll have to carry me back.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Seeing his silence, she raised an eyebrow teasingly: “What, you were planning to carry me anyway, right? Or do you want to do a princess carry?”
“…” Guan Shanyan realized that wearing a mask indeed made her braver. “I could also push you back. The park has wheelchairs for emergencies. I can borrow one for you.”
“I’m not sitting in a wheelchair.” Shen Youwei refused. “Too embarrassing.”
Guan Shanyan laughed: “Funny, doing a princess carry isn’t embarrassing, but sitting in a wheelchair is?”
Shen Youwei answered matter-of-factly: “Of course it’s different. In the first case, both of us are embarrassing.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
It fit perfectly with Shen Youwei’s logic.
After a short standoff, Guan Shanyan resigned himself and squatted down before her: “Get on.”
Shen Youwei hadn’t expected him to give in so quickly. She adjusted her mask and leaned forward, lying across his back.
Feeling her weight, Guan Shanyan stood and lifted her. The last time he carried her like this was on Shen Youwei’s eighteenth birthday.
After the birthday party that day, she had clung to him the same way, making him carry her under the starry sky.
Thinking back, Guan Shanyan felt a pang of nostalgia. They had been so close before, when did things start to change?
The image of Shen Youwei drinking beer in the kitchen that night flashed through his mind, and he frowned, feeling his back growing hotter.
Shen Youwei’s arms were draped over his shoulders, her whole body pressed against his. When they were kids, he often carried her, even with his small arms and legs. Now he had grown tall and strong.
His back was broad and solid, giving her a strong sense of security. Shen Youwei wasn’t particularly petite, but he carried her steadily.
Being so close, she smelled the fresh cedar scent again, the same as the jacket he had covered her with that day. She nudged her nose and whispered in his ear: “You even wore perfume. Pretty fancy, huh?”
Guan Shanyan’s lips curved slightly: “You wear perfume too. Then what does that make you?”
“I’m a celebrity,” Shen Youwei said. “Isn’t it natural for a celebrity to wear perfume?”
“Fine, you’re always right.”
“Because I always make sense.” Shen Youwei rested her chin on his shoulder and suddenly said: “Guan Shanyan, your ears are red.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He wasn’t sure if his ears were red before, but hearing her words, he could feel them warming immediately.
Shen Youwei smiled at his increasingly red ears. She wanted to see how long he could keep pretending to be the composed older brother.
After a moment of silence, Guan Shanyan lightly deflected: “Now you’re calling me by my full name? Didn’t the same person used to follow me around and call me ‘Brother Guan’ every day?”
Shen Youwei shivered: “Repeating words is gross.”
“Indeed. Sometimes people can’t even relate to their former selves.”
“Then if you like, I can call you like I did when I was little.”
She deliberately paused, then imitated her childhood voice: “Brother Guan~”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Okay, he felt disgusted. One really can’t empathize with one’s past self.
Guan Shanyan carried Shen Youwei all the way back to their apartment complex. He had carried her many times, but this was likely the longest distance.
At the elevator, he finally put her down: “No strenuous exercise for the next few days, but don’t completely rest either.”
“Got it, brother Guan.”
“…”
“Why that expression? Don’t like the nickname anymore?” Shen Youwei clicked her tongue playfully. “So hard to please.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
If she hadn’t deliberately used that cutesy voice, it wouldn’t have been so hard to accept.
Back home, Shen Youwei went to her room and plopped onto the lounge chair. She picked up her phone to admire the photos she had taken.
Besides the scenic shots of the lake, she had sneaked a few close-ups of Guan Shanyan while he carried her.
She had to admit, his face really “photogenic.” Even from tricky angles, he held up to the camera. And those ears were truly red, though he stubbornly claimed it was from her breath on them.
Ha, that excuse only fooled himself.
Thinking of her earlier suspicion that the reset conditions might relate to photography, Shen Youwei paused on the photo highlighting his red ears and silently wished to “rewind” to this moment so he could carry her again.
After three seconds of devout wishing, she opened her eyes, still on the lounge chair.
“Why not? How did it work the other times?”
She tried again but couldn’t reset, finally giving up.
The door knocked. Guan Shanyan stood at the door holding medicated wine: “How’s your foot? Need some medicine?”
Shen Youwei took it: “I can manage myself.”
He nodded silently. Seeing him still at the door, she asked: “Anything else?”
“Oh, my mom called. They’ll be back for dinner.”
“Alright, we’ll wait for them to eat together then.”
“Mm.” Guan Shanyan glanced at her foot once more, then left.
Around six, Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su arrived, bringing food from Qingjing Mountain.
“Have you eaten?” Xie Mingqiu asked, unloading items.
Guan Shanyan: “You said you’d be back for dinner, so we waited.”
“Perfect, we brought a lot. Let’s eat together.” She handed food to Guan Su to plate: “This cold marinated pig trotters dish is famous. We queued for ages to get it.”
Shen Youwei perked up: “This is really good! Their sauce is unique. Can’t find it anywhere else!”
“Yes, it’s a family recipe, that’s why it’s so good.” Xie Mingqiu noticed Shen Youwei walking awkwardly in slippers: “What happened to your foot?”
“Oh, just twisted it. No big deal.” Shen Youwei smiled.
Xie Mingqiu helped her onto the sofa: “How did it happen? Does it hurt?”
“A little,” Shen Youwei said. “I slipped while rowing in the afternoon.”
“You went rowing this afternoon?” Xie Mingqiu looked at Guan Shanyan.
He nodded: “Mm.”
“Then you should take care of your sister. We were only gone two days, and she got hurt immediately.”
Shen Youwei nodded in agreement: “Exactly, exactly.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Looking at them on the sofa, he said, slightly exasperated: “Then how did she survive renting her own place for the past three years?”
“That’s different.” Xie Mingqiu clarified: “You’re by her side. If she’s hurt, it’s your fault.”
She asked again: “Who suggested going to the park this afternoon?”
Shen Youwei pointed at Guan Shanyan: “He said he wanted to row on the lake. I just went along.”
Xie Mingqiu clapped: “See!”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
“Then why not say I carried her back from the park?” He tried to object.
Xie Mingqiu: “Shen Youwei is light. Easy for you to carry her.”
“She’s 1.72m. How light can she be?”
Shen Youwei’s eyes widened: “So you’re calling me fat?”
“I’m not.” He just meant a 1.72m girl can’t be extremely light.
“So what if I’m 1.72m? You’re almost 1.9m.” Xie Mingqiu disagreed: “If you can’t carry a 1.72m girl, what’s the point of being so tall?”
“So he did carry her back, didn’t he???”
Xie Mingqiu finished scolding him, then turned to Shen Youwei: “Have you had your foot checked? Put any medicine on it?”
“It’s fine. I sprayed some medicated wine on it, it’s much better now.”
Seeing that her foot wasn’t very swollen, Xie Mingqiu relaxed a little: “If it still hurts tomorrow, you should go get it checked.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You know, your parents entrusted you to us, so we have to return you to them in perfect condition, right?”
“I’m really fine, godmother,” Shen Youwei said with a smile. “And it works out perfectly, you brought pig trotters, so I can eat to heal where it hurts.”
Guan Shanyan chuckled softly beside them: “So you’re calling yourself a pig.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
He actually remembered that grudge!!!
“What are you saying?” Xie Mingqiu was tempted to throw a cushion at Guan Shanyan. “Back when you were kids, the little sister kept clinging to him, and now grown up, you talk like this to her?”
Before Guan Shanyan could defend himself, Shen Youwei looked aggrieved: “Forget it, godmother, I know brother Guan doesn’t like me as much as he did when we were little.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
You weren’t this dramatic when you were little either.
“Don’t think that way. He’s just like that, bad at words, but he actually likes you the most,” Xie Mingqiu comforted her, holding her hand.
Shen Youwei lifted her head, her eyes glistening with mock sadness as she looked at Guan Shanyan: “Really? You like me?”