Chapter 44

The temperature was even lower at night. Shen Yu was wearing a thick wool coat but still felt cold. She didn't understand why Shen Xiao suddenly wanted to take her to see the moon, but given his peculiar way of thinking, if she questioned him, he would probably get angry.
Shen Yu was starting to get a grasp of his temper.
Now that Shen Xiao offered to carry her on his back and had already assumed the position, Shen Yu didn't refuse. She obediently walked over and leaned onto his back.
Shen Xiao had always lifted her effortlessly, so carrying her on his back was no challenge at all. Once Shen Yu was settled, he straightened up, gave a light bounce, and secured her steadily on his back.
Shen Xiao had broad shoulders and a thick, muscular back from long-term exercise. When Shen Yu leaned against him, it felt firm yet warm, as if it could shield her from most of the chill.
Shen Xiao strode forward with his long legs at a slow pace. Shen Yu lifted her head to gaze at the bright moon in the sky. After a while, the strain of craning her neck made her tired, so she simply rested her head on Shen Xiao’s shoulder.
Suddenly, she recalled something from a long, long time ago. Back then, she was still in middle school, and her family’s financial situation was poor. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they couldn’t even afford a whole mooncake for each person. Her younger brother, several years her junior, cried and threw a tantrum, demanding an entire mooncake for himself. Her mother said that as the older sister, she should give in to her brother. In the end, she stormed back to her room in a huff without taking a single bite of the mooncake. At that time, she thought to herself, if only she had an older brother or sister, then someone might share a mooncake with her.
Little did she expect that after transmigrating, she would actually gain an older brother. Though he had a bad temper, a strange way of thinking, and often bullied others, he could occasionally be very gentle. At the very least, he treated his younger sister quite well.
Shen Xiao hadn’t heard a sound from her for a while and felt her completely relaxed against his back. He asked, “Are you asleep?”
“Mm,” Shen Yu responded with a smile, her eyes narrowed.
Shen Xiao turned his head slightly closer to hers and said, “If you dare fall asleep, I’ll toss you straight into the ditch beside us.”
Shen Yu: “…”
Every time she started to think he was a bit gentle, he would say something that ruined his image!
“Are you very envious of Yuan Yue and Situ Yi?” he suddenly asked out of the blue.
Shen Yu lifted her head in confusion and asked, “Why would I envy them?”
Shen Xiao thought to himself: Your emotions are written all over your face, I’ve long seen through them clearly. And now you’re still acting tough.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “You’re still young. Don’t always think about dating.”
Shen Yu: “…”
When had she ever thought about dating? Besides, she was already 20 years old, how was that young?! “No, how do you know I want to date?”
Shen Xiao snorted lightly. “When Situ Yi kissed Yuan Yue, you were practically drooling!”
Shen Yu: “…”
At that time, she had only thought the two of them were too unrestrained, since when had she been drooling?
She quickly clarified her stance, saying, “No, I’m not envious of them at all, and I don’t want to date in the slightest!”
Hearing this, Shen Xiao replied with satisfaction, “Good, things are just fine as they are now.”
After speaking, he thought to himself with some emotion: If she wants to have a secret crush on him, then let her. It’s still better than her going out and getting involved with all sorts of messy people. At most, he’d scold her less in the future. Wasn’t it perfectly fine for the two of them to live like this? Why bother with all that nonsense about dating?!
On Monday, while chatting with her deskmate, Shen Yu recalled the third-year senior she had met at the banquet and casually asked, "Have you heard of Xu Qi from the third-year directing department?"
Li Yiyi widened her eyes and laughed, "Of course I know him! He's a campus celebrity, handsome, wealthy, and talented. I can pull up several forum posts about him right now!"
As she spoke, she immediately reached for her phone, full of initiative.
Shen Yu frowned, thinking, Is Xu Qi really that good-looking? When I saw him, my first impression was that he was tall and thin, but I wouldn’t call him handsome. In my mind, a handsome man should have a slender yet strong build, preferably with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and some muscle definition, ideally with abs and a V-line. His features don’t need to be overly delicate, but they shouldn’t be too feminine or too rugged either. A clean, handsome look is best...
Huh...
Why does my standard for a handsome man sound exactly like my eccentric older brother? Am I cursed or something??
"Here, look at this," Li Yiyi said, handing her the phone.
Since Shen Yu had nothing else to do, she decided to indulge in some gossip. The post about Xu Qi seemed to have been written by one of his female admirers, detailing everything from the short films and stage plays he had directed since his first year. Thanks to his family’s strong backing, he had already directed his first web series in his sophomore year. Though it wasn’t a blockbuster, it was decently received and earned him a fair amount of praise. This year, two of his short films had even won awards...
By the end, Shen Yu sighed and remarked, "It seems he’s one of those blessed by fate." In the world of entertainment novels, someone like him would definitely be considered a character with a halo.
Li Yiyi wholeheartedly agreed. "Many people in our acting department are trying to get on his good side. Who knows, if he becomes a world-famous director someday, he might look out for his fellow students. It’s just a shame that Senior Xu is too aloof and hard to approach."
Wait, too aloof? At the banquet two nights ago, he had invited her to dance not once, but twice. He had seemed quite enthusiastic, nothing like the cold and distant type.
Li Yiyi suddenly turned to scrutinize her and asked, "You usually can’t even remember the names of people in our class, how do you know about Senior Xu Qi?"
"I overheard it by chance," Shen Yu lied smoothly. She had just realized how well-known Xu Qi was on campus. If Li Yiyi found out he had invited her to dance, the news would spread like wildfire.
Li Yiyi eyed her suspiciously, but Shen Yu remained expressionless. After a while, Li Yiyi gave up and changed the subject. "Did you know? Bai Muyu and Teacher Lin are together now."
Shen Yu frowned. "Weren’t they already together before?"
Afraid of being overheard, Li Yiyi leaned in closer and whispered, "Bai Muyu lives in that apartment complex near the school, right? Someone saw her and Teacher Lin walking out of her building hand in hand early one morning, looking absolutely lovey-dovey."
Shen Yu frowned again. She had never held a high opinion of Lin Cong, and her impression of Bai Muyu was even worse. Their relationship had nothing to do with her, so she simply filed it away as gossip.
Li Yiyi continued, "I wonder how long they'll last this time. Bai Muyu's previous relationships never went beyond two months. She once told someone that her favorite is Situ Yi."
Shen Yu raised an eyebrow. She knew a little about Bai Muyu's admiration for Situ Yi, it was mentioned in the book. But after Situ Yi broke up with Bai Muqing, he had no further contact with them. No matter how much Bai Muyu liked him, it was useless.
"Wouldn’t it be awkward if she breaks up with Mr. Lin after two months and still has to see him around?" Li Yiyi said with a laugh.
Shen Yu replied, "No need to worry on their behalf. Maybe this time, it’ll last."
Li Yiyi pursed her lips and said nothing more, clearly unconvinced.
The two had just been discussing Xu Qi that day, and to their surprise, a few days later, Xu Qi showed up in their classroom.
It was right after class. The teacher had just left, and the classroom was buzzing with chatter. Xu Qi appeared at the back door in a white shirt and jeans, looking sunny and refreshing, like the boy-next-door from a first love story. He instantly caught the attention of most people in the room. Everyone was curious: Why was he here, and who was he looking for?
Xu Qi scanned the classroom briefly, quickly found his target, and called out, "Shen Yu."
Shen Yu was chatting on WeChat with Uncle Li, who had sent her a video of their cats and dogs fighting. Xiaobai, unable to endure Er Gouzi’s relentless licking, finally unsheathed its claws and swiped at the dog. The dog, thinking it was a game, happily dashed around the room and knocked over two vases.
Shen Yu was typing with a suppressed laugh when she heard her name. She turned to look, the gentle smile still lingering on her face, and it all fell into Xu Qi’s eyes.
He had imagined the scene of a beauty turning back with a smile countless times, but never before had he felt his heartbeat go so wildly out of control, thumping uncontrollably.
"Senior Xu?" Shen Yu was surprised. She put away her phone and walked toward him.
The chatter in the classroom quieted down, as if everyone was eavesdropping, curious about why Xu Qi had come to find Shen Yu.
Ever since Shen Yu performed that dance on stage, everyone’s impression of her had been completely overturned overnight.
She had lost weight, become prettier, danced beautifully, gained popularity, and most importantly, her family was incredibly wealthy! The whole class had gotten a clear taste of that during the last gathering.
So when Xu Qi, one of the school’s most prominent figures, showed up, aside from curiosity, no one was overly shocked.
"Senior, were you looking for me?" Shen Yu herself was puzzled. What could he want?
Xu Qi smiled warmly, nothing like the aloof image Li Yiyi had described. "Are you free after school today? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about."
Shen Yu was taken aback and instantly grew wary. His tone sounded a lot like a confession. Although she had received plenty of love letters, no one had ever come to confess to her in person.
Seeing her clearly startled expression, Xu Qi knew she had misunderstood and quickly waved his hand, saying, "It’s not what you’re thinking. It’s actually about the stage play, I wanted to talk to you about it."
Shen Yu asked, "What stage play?"
"It’s hard to explain in a short time. Could you spare me a little while after school? I’ll explain in detail, and I promise it won’t take too long," he said, somewhat awkwardly, clearly worried Shen Yu might refuse on the spot.
Shen Yu hesitated, glancing at him, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to decline. "After school, I’ll be walking to the main gate bus stop. You can find me there, and we can talk while we walk. Is that okay?"
Xu Qi smiled and nodded. "Sure, I’ll come find you right after school."
Once they had agreed on the time, Xu Qi turned and left. As soon as he was gone, Li Yiyi hurried over, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What did Senior Xu want? Did he ask you out?"
Shen Yu glared at her. "Don’t talk nonsense. He really had something to discuss with me."
After Shen Yu’s foot injury had healed, Shen Xiao hadn’t picked her up or dropped her off in a while. Today, as he happened to be in the area for work, he thought he’d surprise his sister by picking her up without calling ahead.
Little did he know that the surprise would backfire, and the one shocked would be him!
Just as he drove his car into the small playground next to the teaching building, he spotted his sister walking away from the building, chatting and laughing with a guy. They looked exactly like a young couple!
Shen Xiao was instantly furious, thinking, Where did this wild man come from?!?!?