At dinner, Zhu Liuyue saw Ye Yunche and Bai Shurou hurrying into the cafeteria.
The principal was escorting them over.
When he spotted Zhu Liuyue, he greeted her. “Doctor Zhu, let me introduce you. This is our new volunteer teacher, Teacher Bai.”
“And this is…”
Zhu Liuyue took the initiative to speak. “I know him. He’s my fiancé’s younger brother.”
Ye Yunche stared straight at Zhu Liuyue, eagerly anticipating their reunion. But the first thing she said was that he was her fiancé’s younger brother.
His face darkened instantly.
“What do you mean, my fiancé’s younger brother? I have a name. It’s Ye Yunche!”
A second, deeper voice came from behind him.
“Yunche, what are you doing here?”
Ye Yunjin had just finished getting his food from the serving window. He naturally set his tray beside Zhu Liuyue’s, then sat down next to her.
He also gave Bai Shurou a slight nod in greeting.
Ye Yunche was so aggrieved he could hardly stand it.
When he thought about how he had instructed his assistant to buy his plane ticket, only for one problem after another to arise, his anger grew even stronger.
“What? It’s called the Ye Charity Foundation. Why is it that only Big Brother is allowed to do good deeds? I can’t come and help?” he said, his voice thick with resentment.
“Of course you can.” Ye Yunjin turned his head and smiled at Zhu Liuyue.
Zhu Liuyue smiled back.
The two of them looked perfectly in sync.
Ye Yunche felt even more bitter.
Although the principal had no idea what was going on between the Ye brothers, the atmosphere seemed tense enough that they might start arguing at any moment.
He quickly tried to smooth things over. “Teacher Bai, Second Young Master Ye, why don’t I take you to get some food? We can eat together.”
“Great! I’m starving. I’m going to eat a lot,” Ye Yunche announced loudly.
But no one paid him any attention.
After getting his food, he placed his tray directly across from Zhu Liuyue and sat down carelessly.
In a muffled voice, he said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?”
Zhu Liuyue ignored him.
She didn’t answer at all.
Ye Yunche gave another couple of disgruntled snorts.
Bai Shurou finished getting her food as well. She hesitated, unsure whether she should sit with them.
Zhu Liuyue waved her over and took the initiative to say, “We all know each other. Come sit here. There’s still one seat.”
Bai Shurou hesitated for a moment before walking over and placing her tray on the table.
Zhu Liuyue and Ye Yunjin sat side by side, while Ye Yunche sat directly across from Zhu Liuyue.
That left Bai Shurou with no choice but to sit beside Ye Yunche.
The moment she sat down, Ye Yunjin looked at Zhu Liuyue with a faint smile and asked softly, “I’m finished eating. What about you?”
Zhu Liuyue replied, “I’m finished too.”
“Then shall we go together?”
“Mm.”
With that, the two of them picked up their trays and stood to leave.
Their movements were perfectly in sync.
Ye Yunche slammed his hand down on the table.
No one paid him any attention.
He picked up a large steamed bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and took a vicious bite.
Bai Shurou spoke up. “You can’t go on like this.”
“What?” Ye Yunche asked.
“Although you and your brother look exactly alike, he’s more mature than you in both his behavior and his temperament. If you keep throwing tantrums now, you’ll only push her farther away.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Bai Shurou hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, “You like Zhu Liuyue.”
Ye Yunche fell silent.
Somewhat embarrassed and angry, he raised his voice.
“Who likes her? Who does? I hate her! Who could possibly like her…”
His voice was loud at first.
But the farther he got, the quieter it became.
A trace of bitterness and loneliness flashed across Bai Shurou’s face.
It seemed her guess had been right.
Still, there was something she didn’t understand.
“Isn’t she engaged to Ye Yunjin? Why didn’t you try to win her over sooner?”
Ye Yunche bit into his bun and said nothing.
He couldn’t exactly tell her that he had been acting too aloof before.
He simply hadn’t paid any attention to Zhu Liuyue.
He had never been interested in getting to know anyone, let alone a woman who might one day become his future sister-in-law.
By the time he wanted to get to know her, she had already become his big brother’s fiancée.
What was even more infuriating was that he had been the one to stand in for his brother at the engagement ceremony.
What did that make him?
A substitute?
Seeing that he remained silent, Bai Shurou quietly continued eating.
Suddenly, Ye Yunche spoke.
“Then tell me… What do I have to do to outshine my brother?”
Bai Shurou shook her head, looking somewhat lost. “I’m not sure. But from a rational standpoint, I’d advise you to give up. They’re already engaged, after all.”
“So what if they’re engaged? She was engaged to me too!” Ye Yunche couldn’t help raising his voice.
Bai Shurou froze.
“You were engaged to her?”
“Yes. At the engagement ceremony, you were in a car accident and ended up in the hospital. My brother abandoned the ceremony to go sign your paperwork at the hospital. Otherwise, why do you think everyone says you’re my brother’s first love?”
This was the first time Bai Shurou had heard about it.
She fell silent.
Could it be that Ye Yunjin had truly liked her before?
Ye Yunche took another vicious bite of his steamed bun.
He chewed with all his might.
“If I could be the one standing in for him at the engagement ceremony, why can’t I be the one at the wedding?”
With that, he abruptly stood up, picked up his clean tray, and walked away.
He wasn’t going to give up.
His big brother would be leaving after, at most, half a month here.
He still had an entire month.
Besides, he had plenty of free time.
…
Zhu Liuyue and Ye Yunjin took a walk on the small hill behind the school.
As they walked, the pale pink sunset on the horizon cast a soft glow over Zhu Liuyue’s fair profile, giving her an almost dreamlike radiance.
Ye Yunjin’s footsteps came to a brief halt.
“What’s wrong?” Zhu Liuyue turned her head to look at him.
“Nothing.” To cover it up, Ye Yunjin pointed into the distance. “The sun is setting. It’s beautiful.”
Zhu Liuyue teased him, “Is your heart still beating that fast?”
Their consultation in the infirmary that afternoon had ultimately ended with Ye Yunjin fleeing in embarrassment.
Yet the moment he saw her again that evening, he had transformed back into the mature and composed Mr. Ye.
The tips of Ye Yunjin’s ears turned red, but he kept walking.
“Yes, my heart is beating very fast. But… I like this feeling.”
Zhu Liuyue smiled and pressed him. “What feeling?”
Ye Yunjin turned his head toward her with complete seriousness.
“The sinoatrial node normally sends out sixty to one hundred electrical signals per minute, under the control of the autonomic nervous system.”
“But these past few days, my frequency hasn’t been quite normal.
“Medically speaking, it’s called sinus tachycardia. The symptoms include a heart rate above one hundred and twenty, sweaty palms, dilated pupils, and a temporary shutdown of the prefrontal cortex.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Liuyue’s eyes.
She hadn’t expected Ye Yunjin, a science-minded man, to know so much about medicine.
She nodded in agreement. “That’s right.”
Ye Yunjin lowered his eyes, and a deep, magnetic laugh escaped his throat.
“I think these symptoms are fascinating. They happen every time I see you.”
“The visual signal travels through the optic nerve to the cerebral cortex, after which the hypothalamus stimulates the release of adrenaline.”
“Medically speaking, this is perfectly normal.”
“And the only explanation for my irregular heartbeat now…”
Ye Yunjin paused.
In the pale pink light of the sunset, his amber eyes gleamed.
“Is that I’m falling for you.”
