Chapter Sixty-Seven

This was a bit of a dilemma for Yuxing Yue, but Sun Ying’s request wasn’t particularly difficult. As long as Yuxing Yue called Yang Shuting to get her approval, there would be no major issues.

Yuxing Yue first had Sun Yao get in the car and return home. Sun Ying was overjoyed. On the way, they passed by Sun Ying’s villa, but she didn’t even glance at it, her gaze full of disdain for that place.

Once they arrived home, Yuxing Yue told Sun Ying to wait in his room while he called Yang Shuting to ask if she would agree. When the call connected, Yuxing Yue said, “Mom, Sun Ying has always wanted to stay with us, but I brought her home without your permission. You won’t be angry, will you?”

“Is Sun Ying asking to stay at our house?” Yang Shuting wanted to confirm Yuxing Yue wasn’t lying; otherwise, it was difficult to judge if he was telling the truth. Sun Ying snatched Yuxing Yue’s phone and spoke to Yang Shuting on the other end, “Auntie, I don’t want to go back to that big house anymore. I just want to live with big brother.”

“You really want to stay here? Let me ask your father to see if he agrees. If he does, I have no objection. Don’t hang up, let me go ask.” There was silence on the other end. Sun Ying handed the phone back to Yuxing Yue, who patted her head. “If he doesn’t agree, it’s alright. I’ll move to your house in the future, and you won’t be so lonely.”

Sun Ying pouted, “Are you teasing me again? Haven’t you lived there before, big brother? Are you so attached to that big villa?”

“Your father wants to give you a warm home, but his work keeps him busy, so your home has become a lonely castle. If I had to live in such an environment alone, I’d go crazy.”

There was sound from the phone, indicating Yang Shuting had returned. Yuxing Yue picked up and asked, “Did uncle agree? If not, I’ll move back to the villa with Sun Ying.”

Yang Shuting laughed, her laughter oddly mysterious, “Do you think that’s possible? In this lifetime, it’s impossible.”

“So… uncle didn’t agree?”

Yang Shuting chuckled, “Of course it’s fine. I asked your Uncle Sun, and he said Sun Ying can stay with us for as long as she wants. It’ll help you two bond, but don’t do anything too outrageous. I have things to do, so I’ll leave it at that.”

After Yang Shuting hung up, Yuxing Yue was still bewildered. Was it really okay for Sun Ying to stay here?

Sun Ying, not deaf, easily heard the conversation. When she heard Yang Shuting say her father agreed, she was beside herself with excitement.

Yuxing Yue picked Sun Ying up and spun her around, happily saying, “Did you hear? Your father agreed to let you stay here. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, little one.”

Sun Ying’s face flushed bright red; this wasn’t the first time. Every time she had intimate contact with Yuxing Yue, her face would turn red—not from embarrassment, but from excitement.

“Big brother, can you put me down? I’m a little dizzy.” After being spun six times, Sun Ying was dizzy. Yuxing Yue was too, unsure how long he’d been spinning her. If not for me, the narrator, keeping count, who knows how many times he’d have spun her.

Yuxing Yue stopped and set Sun Ying down, apologizing, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just too excited. The moment I heard you’d be living here, I was overjoyed.”

“If making big brother happy is the best thing, then I’m glad. Every time I see your smile, it’s always forced—not a real smile. This time, I saw the truest side of you.” Sun Ying smiled.

“Well then… let’s look out for each other from now on, little one.” Yuxing Yue held out his palm for a high-five.

“You too, big brother.” Sun Ying smiled and completed the high-five, then hugged Yuxing Yue tightly, catching him off guard. But feeling the wetness on his shoulder, Yuxing Yue knew Sun Ying was crying—not out of grievance, but from excitement. As mentioned before, living in a privileged environment often means losing something—warmth, which Sun Ying needed time to regain.

Sun Ying let go of Yuxing Yue and returned to his room. After a while, she handed him something, “Big brother, this is your gift.” It was a crystal ball, one of her classmates had given her.

Yuxing Yue accepted it and said, “This was a gift from one of your male classmates. Aren’t you sad to give it to me?”

Sun Ying shook her head, “Not at all. The boys in my class won’t give me gifts for life; one day, we’ll all go our separate ways. But big brother will always have a place in my heart, a place that can’t be replaced—that is love.”

“Hah, there’s a deeper meaning behind your words.” Yuxing Yue asked.

“You still saw through me, big brother. If Dad and Auntie get married, you’ll be my real brother. I’m looking forward to that day.” Sun Ying smiled.

Yuxing Yue continued, “Me too. You might really become my true sister. I hope when that day comes, neither of us cries. We’re both strong, both hoping to see our families happy.”

…

Soon, it was 520. Everyone was showing off their love in group chats and posting hearts on their moments, but for the members of the Tianyuan Team, it stirred no emotion. They all saw the holiday as something for children playing house. The seven of them were single, and secretly wished those showing off their love would be cheated on.

Xiao Jian, Wang Tianqi, and Huang Feifan sat at a table—one person short of a mahjong game, but no one else came. The others hadn’t logged into QQ, not wanting to see their friends flaunt their relationships.

Xiao Jian complained, “Heavens, why must there be such a holiday to punish us singles? It’s so unfair!”

Huang Feifan took a sip of cola, “Exactly. Those showing off deserve it. Why do they have to flaunt in front of us? I’d really like to punch them!”

Wang Tianqi said calmly, “Come on, it’s none of our business. As long as they don’t show off in front of us, it’s fine. If they do, I’d really diss them.”

Just then, Yu Li came over with a bottle of Sprite, looking upset. Summer heat can easily provoke people’s tempers.

Yu Li pulled out her phone, typed something, and showed it to the three: “I just saw Xing Yue’s post. He took a photo with a girl at home.”

The three immediately pulled out their phones to check Yuxing Yue’s moments. The first thing they saw was Sun Ying hugging Yuxing Yue, the two taking a selfie. The caption read, “Spending 520 with my sister,” and Lin Zi Mo commented that it was great.

After seeing it, Xiao Jian grumbled, “If I’m not mistaken, that’s Rain’s future sister. He won’t even spare his future sister—Rain’s really a rascal.”

“Stop it, Senior Xiao,” Huang Feifan fanned himself, “The more you say, the more upset I get. Is he showing off his relationship, or just showing how good he and his future sister get along?”

“I heard from Chen Siyu that the girl next to Yuxing Yue is named Sun Ying,” Wang Tianqi said.

Huang Feifan added, “Reliable sources say that little girl’s family is wealthy, maybe even on par with Wang Tianqi. Looks like Xing Yue’s got it good.”

Wang Tianqi objected, “So he’s just mooching off her? Living off a woman’s money—I can’t accept that couple.”

Xiao Jian smiled wryly, “You’ve got it wrong. They’re just brother and sister, not lovers. Besides, it’s Rain who spends money on the little girl, not the other way around. Living off a woman—that’ll never happen with Rain.”

Yu Li typed again, showing them: “If Xing Yue were such a person, Senior Xiao and the rest of us would have helped him change by now. Otherwise, we’d have lost him as a friend.”

“Hey, hey, hey! We were talking about those couples showing off, how did we end up discussing Xing Yue’s private life? We’ve really gone off topic.” Huang Feifan said, annoyed.