Shen Yao left Qiao Yunxue’s house with a box of Fluvoxamine Tablets in his pocket.
Before he left, Qiao Yunxue had also changed his watch for a New Watch, saying the Old Watch had belonged to his Dad, and wearing it was too unlucky.
At last, Qiao Yunxue waved her hand impatiently, “Alright, alright, just go back already. Come back when you’re better.”
Then her expression turned odd, “If you notice anything abnormal or feel unwell during this period, remember to contact me immediately.”
Back on the familiar streets, Shen Yao suddenly recalled the matter of a summer job, so he took a detour to the Chicken Shop.
Unfortunately, the Boss had already hired a helper for the year.
On his way back, Shen Yao unexpectedly saw someone heading to throw out the trash, carrying a garbage bag.
Cheng Orange was wearing a Duckbill Cap and a short-sleeved shirt printed with Godzilla.
She always said the Duckbill Cap was the greatest invention in the world—if she hadn’t washed her hair, she could just throw on the cap and go out.
As for Godzilla, that went back to their childhood, when the two of them would sit in front of the TV.
She found the monster suit a bit cute and became a monster fan ever since.
Most of the time, she was endlessly genuine and sincere, utterly flawless as a friend.
Shen Yao quietly approached from behind and suddenly reached out to tap her shoulder.
Cheng Orange gave a startled “Ha,” her body jolting as she turned around, her chest heaving up and down.
Wearing the loose School Uniform could barely cover her figure, but in Home Clothes, the proud curves of a young woman could not be hidden.
This was why Shen Yao could no longer treat her simply as a brother.
As they grew older, the differences between boys and girls became more obvious—there was no use covering one’s ears and pretending otherwise.
He had to admit, Cheng Orange was a girl, and by nature, they were never just good brothers.
Seeing Shen Yao, Cheng Orange first put on a pouty face, as if blaming him for scaring her.
But she quickly gathered herself, her expression turning resentful, then finding that inappropriate, she replaced it with a forced smile.
“Shen Yao, why are you… here?”
As soon as she spoke, she regretted it.
She just wanted to cover her ears and not hear Shen Yao’s answer.
Shen Yao pointed behind him at the Chicken Shop, “I just went there to look for a summer job.”
Cheng Orange’s smile finally showed some sincerity, “Oh~ did you get it? Are they still hiring? Want me to join you?”
“No, the Boss’s Nephew came over for the summer, so I’m out of a job.” Shen Yao half-joked.
Chengcheng must have something on her mind… What did those quick changes in her expression just now mean?
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“I went to your house to look for you this morning,” Shen Yao said.
“Auntie said you weren’t home. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go get some Milk Ice Cream Shop with me tomorrow.”
Cheng Orange gave a dry laugh, “Forget it, I’m meeting Dodo to play badminton.”
“What about the day after tomorrow?”
“The day after… can’t do either, I have to accompany Mom to get her hair done.”
“And the day after that?”
“Still can’t. Let’s talk about it some other time.”
Cheng Orange smiled, “You already have a girlfriend, why do you keep asking me out? Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will get jealous?”
Shen Yao sighed.
As expected, it still came back to Qiao Yunxue: “Chengcheng, have we both changed?”
“…No, we haven’t.” Chengcheng looked away.
“We’ve gotten used to lying, to putting on a front, to not being those good brothers who told each other everything.”
“…”
Shen Yao snatched the garbage bag from her hand, “I’ll carry it for you.”
Cheng Orange looked reluctant, “No need, I can do it myself.”
Shen Yao said, “Chengcheng, listen. I want to apologize for lying to you before.”
Cheng Orange stiffened her neck, “You don’t need to apologize to me, why are you apologizing? Give me back the garbage bag, I’ll throw it myself.”
Shen Yao pressed on, “I lied to you about helping my aunt and Homeroom Teacher, when really, I was just with Qiao Yunxue.”
Cheng Orange raised her voice a little, “I get it, just give me back the garbage bag!”
“She wanted to do some Ghost Catching. I agreed because I didn’t want to have any regrets.”
Cheng Orange got angry, “I said I get it, why do you keep talking about it! Just give it back already, will you?”
She didn’t know what she was angry about—maybe it was just because Shen Yao had snatched her garbage bag.
“But there’s one thing I didn’t lie about: we weren’t dating.” He met Chengcheng’s angry gaze head-on.
“Qiao Yunxue turned me down—she doesn’t see me that way. That day at the Shopping Mall, we’d just finished our Task and she was just thanking me, that’s all.”
Cheng Orange suddenly fell silent, staring at Shen Yao.
Seeing his earnest expression, she turned her head away, “I get it, just give me back the garbage bag, okay?”
“If you don’t believe me, wait a couple days and watch the News. It’ll say the Xu Jia disappearance was solved, that the killer was the local well-known host Zhong Wen, and he hid the victim’s body at the Comprehensive Logistics Park.”
Cheng Orange saw how detailed he sounded, and her attitude finally softened, “So that day, you guys really stumbled on where the body was hidden?”
Shen Yao breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes. Qiao Yunxue and I accidentally uncovered Zhong Wen’s secret and got into some danger, which is why she was so grateful afterward. In truth, we were never a couple.”
He added, “Besides, even if one day I really do have another family, I don’t want to drift away from the person I care about most in this life.”
“I haven’t drifted away from you…”
From anger to calm, and now guilt, Cheng Orange put her hands behind her back, fingers twisted together.
“Really? You’ve been avoiding me, always finding reasons to turn me down.”
“I was just worried your girlfriend would get jealous…” she lowered her head.
“So do you forgive me now?”
Cheng Orange glanced up at him, trying to keep a stern face, but she couldn’t help it and broke into a bright smile: “I forgive you~”
She clenched her fist and gave his chest a playful punch,
“I thought you’d ignore your brother once you had a girlfriend, and kept making up excuses to trick me, so Dodo and I decided to give you the cold shoulder for a few days…”
Is that really the truth? Since she said so, so be it.
At this point, there was no dignity in doubting Cheng Orange’s words.
Shen Yao handed back the garbage bag, “So, Miss Cheng Orange, are you free tomorrow to go to the Milk Ice Cream Shop with me?”
Cheng Orange giggled, “Who’s a young lady? Qiao Yunxue’s the real Miss, I’m just a Little Commoner.”
“So, are you coming or not?”
“Of course I’m coming.”
Cheng Orange beamed, her fake smile vanishing at last, “I’ve been wanting Milk Ice Cream Shop for ages.”
Shen Yao had said something that truly touched her heart: even if he did have another family one day, the bond between them would never fade.
With that in mind, she felt a strange sense of reassurance.
If Shen Yao ever really got a girlfriend, she’d just go on being his best brother.
Girlfriends might change, but a best brother is one of a kind, isn’t that right?