Yu Shulin stared dumbfounded as he came down the stairs, pointing at his slightly curly brown hair and stammering, "Brother, when... when did you dye your hair? And you got a perm too!"
"Last night." He reached up to undo the top two buttons of his shirt, adjusted his glasses, and somehow, with a subtle shift, his walking posture instantly changed. It became leisurely, carrying a hint of relaxed contentment. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his eyes softened as he looked at Yu Shulin, the very picture of a gentle older brother. "Will I be recognized?"
It was like he had become a completely different person! His whole color palette had shifted from cool to warm, his aura and demeanor entirely transformed. There was no way anyone would recognize him! Yu Shulin shook his head, giving a thumbs up. "Brother, you're amazing."
Liang Zhou's expression returned to its usual sternness. He frowned and tugged at his curly bangs. "I shouldn't have listened to Ling Chun's suggestion to get this messy perm. It's troublesome."
Watching him stride over, still with his usual clean, efficient, and decisive manner—a stark contrast to his current outfit—Yu Shulin couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Liang Zhou's hand, holding the milk, paused. A vein twitched near his temple. "Is it that funny?"
"No, no, no." Yu Shulin grinned, praising sincerely, "Brother, you look handsome no matter what you wear!"
"Hmm." Liang Zhou nodded, pleased. He handed him the milk and asked as if it were nothing, "So, which version of me do you prefer?"
Yu Shulin was taken aback. He cautiously looked up to gauge his brother's expression, then took the milk, bowed his head, and drank it obediently. "The version where brother feels most comfortable is the one I like best."
Liang Zhou raised an eyebrow. So, whatever he himself liked, Shulin would like too? His features relaxed, and the corners of his mouth quietly lifted into a smile that took a long time to fade.
After arriving at school, Liang Zhou went directly to the small auditorium where the parent assembly was held, while Yu Shulin returned to the classroom to continue with class.
The morning parent assembly had nothing to do with the students. All the parents from the entire grade were herded into the small auditorium to listen to the school administrators' lengthy speeches. The main event of the parent-teacher conference was in the afternoon.
The classroom was noisy. As soon as Wang Zhi saw Yu Shulin arrive, he bounced over, slung an arm over his shoulder, and asked slyly, "Who came from your family? Let me tell you, Liu Fen's mom just scolded her right here in the classroom. It was terrifying."
"My brother came for me," Yu Shulin replied, frowning slightly. "Liu Fen's grades are so good, and she's the study committee member too. Why would she get scolded?"
Wang Zhi's smile instantly turned suggestive, his eyes full of gossip. "It's about that guy, you know, the P.E. committee member from the class next door. The tall, big, dark, and sturdy one. He suddenly came to our class looking for Liu Fen, and her mom happened to see it. She accused her of puppy love or something, scolding her really harshly. When they headed to the auditorium, the way she stomped in those high heels, tsk tsk."
Puppy love? Yu Shulin was stunned for a moment, then felt a bit awkward. He advised Wang Zhi, "Don't spread this around anymore. She's a girl, after all, and probably embarrassed. Don't affect her studies."
"You sound just like a teacher." Wang Zhi bumped him disdainfully, then grinned. "I know, I know. Liu Fen is kind of pitiful. I won't go blabbing about it. I only mentioned it because we're close."
"I know you mean well," Yu Shulin replied with a smile.
Because of the parent-teacher conference, the classroom atmosphere was restless. The teacher simply didn't bother teaching new material and just handed out a few test papers for the students to work on.
By the time the assembly in the small auditorium ended, school wasn't over yet. Liang Zhou, holding a few pieces of information in his hand, was in a good mood as he turned toward the teaching building. Following other parents, he planned to go see what Yu Shulin looked like in class.
The arrival of the parents instantly turned the quiet classroom atmosphere into a noisy one. The teacher at the podium rapped on the desk, and everyone gradually quieted down, though they seemed even more distracted while working on their papers.
Yu Shulin was solving a math problem. He had just finished drawing the auxiliary lines when his sleeve was gently tugged by Yang Sese. He turned to look at her and asked quietly, "What's wrong? Is there a problem you don't understand?"
"No." Yang Sese lowered her voice, her face blushing slightly. She pointed outside and whispered, "There's a handsome guy outside looking at you. Do you know him?"
"Someone's looking at me?" He turned to look out the window and was startled by the dense crowd of parents standing by the window. "Why are so many people standing outside?"
"The assembly must be over," Yang Sese said, waving slightly toward a plainly dressed woman outside. "My mom's here too."
Among the crowd of middle-aged men and women, Liang Zhou's appearance was undeniably eye-catching. Yu Shulin met his gaze, smiled with upturned lips, and waved at him.
"Yeah, I see my brother too."
Yang Sese glanced warily at the teacher who was looking their way, then turned back, pretending to work on her paper. Her lips moved slightly as she whispered, "Is it that handsome guy? I saw him looking at you the whole time."
For some reason, Yu Shulin suddenly felt in a very good mood. Hearing this, he also turned back and started solving the problems much faster. "Yeah, that's him."
Yang Sese was instantly filled with envy. "Your brother is so handsome. Not like my brother, who only knows how to play video games."
Yu Shulin smiled without saying a word.
Liang Zhou's good mood evaporated.
—Shulin's deskmate was a very cute girl, and the two of them were chatting and laughing together... No, he should be happy that Shulin had a good relationship with his classmates... But Shulin only glanced at him when he arrived and that was it? After that glance, he went right back to chatting with his deskmate... Puppy love?
Brother Liang's face darkened.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, the students began noisily packing up their things, swarming out the door in a rush.
Worried about Liang Zhou's injury, Yu Shulin anxiously waved at him, signaling him to stay put, while quickly stuffing his test papers into his desk and rushing out.
Students and parents passing by kept casting subtle glances at Liang Zhou. Afraid his identity might be exposed, the first thing Yu Shulin did after rushing out was pull him into a corner, making him face away from the crowd. He anxiously reached out to feel the area of his wound. "Are you okay? Did anyone bump into you? Does the wound hurt?"
Liang Zhou's expression improved a bit. He turned his head to adjust his emotions, then grabbed Yu Shulin's groping hand and held it. "No, I'm fine. The teacher said you ranked first in the monthly exam. Congratulations."
"It's nothing. I'm just glad you're happy." Yu Shulin grinned from ear to ear. Seeing that most people had left, he directly pulled him toward the stairwell. "Let's go back for lunch first. There's still the class meeting this afternoon."
Liang Zhou looked at their clasped hands, the corner of his mouth hooking up, the gentleness on his face becoming a bit more genuine. Fine. His little brother was so happy. Any lecture could wait until after the parent-teacher conference was over.
"Zhou Zhou?"
Their descent down the stairs halted. Yu Shulin's body tensed. He turned and positioned himself in front of Liang Zhou, looking toward a student and parent pair who were approaching.
Liang Zhou glanced at him, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. He reached out to pat his shoulder reassuringly, then greeted the newcomers, "Uncle Qingren, Xiao He." After speaking, he walked over to Yu Shulin's side, placed a hand on his shoulder, and introduced him to the arrivals, "Uncle Qingren, Xiao He, this is my brother, Shulin."
Then he looked down at Yu Shulin and said, "Shulin, this is my uncle, Zhou Qingren, and my cousin, Zhou He. They're family, so relax."
Zhou Qingren and Zhou He both looked at Yu Shulin with curiosity, somewhat surprised by Liang Zhou's affectionate attitude towards him.
Seeing that they had merely run into relatives, Yu Shulin quickly regained his well-behaved demeanor. Unsure of how to address them, he simply said vaguely, "Hello."
Zhou Qingren set aside his curiosity, nodded with a smile in greeting, and said to Liang Zhou, "Since we've met, let's have a meal together and have a good chat."
Liang Zhou nodded.
