“Brother?” Linlin was momentarily stunned. “Okay. Thank you, Instructor.”
The instructor adjusted his cap and glanced at Linlin again.
Jiang Chengzhou’s little sister was simply too striking.
It wasn’t just the students and instructors in his own company—even people from the other companies had been coming around to ask about her.
Thinking of Jiang Chengzhou’s personality, the instructor smiled to himself. With such a brother-in-law who treated his little sister like his own life, he wondered who would be lucky—or unlucky—enough to marry her.
Linlin waited for Dong Xiaomin, and the two of them headed to the school gate together.
Like a happy little bird, Linlin flew toward him. “Brother, why are you here to see me again?”
Jiang Chengzhou took two steps back and looked her up and down in her military uniform. The corners of his mouth lifted. “Not bad, not bad. You look like a real female soldier now. Was military training tiring today?”
Linlin didn’t bother to hide the truth. Her shoulders drooped. “Tiring…”
Jiang Chengzhou laughed at the sight.
Linlin linked arms with Dong Xiaomin and introduced her to her brother. “Brother, this is Xiaomin. She’s the good friend I just made.”
Jiang Chengzhou nodded at Dong Xiaomin. “Hello, Xiaomin.”
“Hello.”
Dong Xiaomin greeted him softly. She seemed a little intimidated by Linlin’s brother and hid behind Linlin.
Jiang Chengzhou smiled, then took a bag off his bicycle. “Grandma asked me to bring you some dumplings. You can eat them with your friend.”
Linlin happily accepted the bag. “Thank you, Grandma.”
Seeing that Dong Xiaomin seemed uncomfortable around Jiang Chengzhou, Linlin thought for a moment before saying, “Brother, Xiaomin and I are going back to the dorm for a bit. Could you wait here for me?”
“Of course. Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
Linlin and Dong Xiaomin returned to the dormitory. Linlin told Dong Xiaomin to eat first, then went back out to find her brother.
Dong Xiaomin placed the lunchbox on the table in the middle of the room but didn’t touch it.
Just then, the others came back and noticed the lunchbox.
Sun Lina opened it without a word. “Wow, those smell so good! Who bought dumplings?”
Dong Xiaomin frowned, snatched the lid from her hand, and covered the lunchbox again. “They’re Linlin’s. Don’t touch other people’s things without permission!”
Sun Lina curled her lip. “Where did she buy them? I don’t think the cafeteria sells dumplings.”
Dong Xiaomin said nothing.
Sun Lina sneered. “Don’t tell me some guy gave them to her?”
It was only the first day of military training, and the girls barely knew one another, but that didn’t stop the gossip.
The story about Lu Zeyu giving Linlin soda had already spread.
After all, Linlin had become famous the moment she arrived at the school. And in an era when people were generally reserved, someone as openly forward as Lu Zeyu was rare.
Sun Lina had simply blurted it out. Dong Xiaomin grew irritated. “Don’t make things up. These are dumplings Linlin’s grandmother made. Her brother brought them over.”
“Her grandmother lives in the capital?”
Dong Xiaomin didn’t answer that either.
Sun Lina began to wonder.
Could Linlin be from the capital too?
Aside from the first couple of days, when everyone had introduced themselves and mentioned their hometowns and places of origin, nobody really cared where anyone else was from anymore.
Sun Lina, however, still clung to what she believed was her “advantage” and continued to take pride in it.
Linlin knew nothing about any of this. She was walking with Jiang Chengzhou beside the artificial lake on campus.
Seeing that the girl had been hesitating for ages without saying a word, Jiang Chengzhou couldn’t help urging her on. “What is it? Did you run into some difficulty? Or did someone bully you?”
Linlin shook her head and looked up at him. “Brother… have you ever been in love?”
Jiang Chengzhou’s internal alarm went off instantly. “No. I haven’t graduated yet. Studying is the most important thing right now, so I’m not dating. Why are you asking?”
Linlin reached up and toyed with the drooping willow branches by the lake. “I wanted to ask what being in love feels like.”
“What’s so good about being in love?” Jiang Chengzhou said. “It wastes time and energy.”
Linlin wrinkled her nose coquettishly. “Didn’t you just say you’ve never been in love? How do you know whether it’s good or not?”
Jiang Chengzhou’s face darkened. “Have you met someone you like?”
“No.” Linlin answered seriously, “But what if I meet someone I like later? I should be prepared, right?”
Her mother had told her to experience romance, and Linlin had treated the matter like a research project.
Unfortunately, there was no textbook for it, and she genuinely had no idea what she was supposed to do.
Looking at his “silly” little sister, Jiang Chengzhou didn’t know what to do with her. “Love is something that should happen naturally. But remember one thing: if you ever like someone, you have to tell your brother first!”
“Oh…”
Linlin had wanted to tell him about Lu Zeyu. But Lu Zeyu hadn’t said anything inappropriate, and she didn’t feel anything for him either, so she swallowed the words.
Jiang Chengzhou walked his sister back to the dormitory entrance, then left the school and went straight to find Yan Yuan.
Yan Yuan was currently working as a teaching assistant at the university and lived in the family housing nearby.
The people he dealt with there were mostly older professors, and his daily life was quiet and orderly.
When Jiang Chengzhou came rushing over, Yan Yuan assumed something had happened.
“Have a drink?” Jiang Chengzhou asked, holding two bottles of beer.
Yan Yuan sighed helplessly, bought a few cold dishes, and led him inside.
“What happened?”
Jiang Chengzhou sighed. “It’s about Linlin.”
Yan Yuan’s hands paused slightly as he arranged the bowls and chopsticks. “What happened to Linlin?”
Jiang Chengzhou knocked one of the beer bottles against the table and pried off the cap. With an exasperated yet amused tone, he said, “That little girl got hit on by someone on the very first day of military training.”
Yan Yuan’s eyes dimmed for an instant.
Jiang Chengzhou didn’t notice and continued, “I went to bring her dumplings just now, and she suddenly asked me what being in love feels like. She nearly caught me off guard.”
Linlin’s instructor was Jiang Chengzhou’s former classmate.
Even though Linlin hadn’t said anything, the instructor had told Jiang Chengzhou about Lu Zeyu.
Not only that, Jiang Chengzhou already knew about everyone else who had been asking about Linlin.
He was proud that his sister was so popular, but he was also deeply troubled. “School hasn’t even officially started yet. What’s it going to be like later?”
Yan Yuan lowered his eyes and pushed the beer bottle forward.
“Not drinking?” Jiang Chengzhou asked.
Yan Yuan shook his head. “I have classes tomorrow.”
Jiang Chengzhou wasn’t really in the habit of drinking either. Seeing this, he got up and went to the kitchen to wash two glasses. “I’ve already opened the bottle. Just have one with me.”
Yan Yuan said nothing, silently agreeing.
Jiang Chengzhou moved on to other topics, but Yan Yuan couldn’t help steering the conversation back. “What about Linlin? Aren’t you going to do something?”
Jiang Chengzhou chuckled and drawled, “I’ve already applied to the instructor. I’m going to be Linlin’s instructor in a couple of days.”
Yan Yuan didn’t respond.
Given how much Jiang Chengzhou cared about Linlin, no one with ulterior motives would have a chance to get close to her with him around.
Yan Yuan shamefully realized that he felt relieved. Then an even stronger sense of guilt followed.
The light overhead fell across his lowered brows.
The ridge of his brow cast a small shadow over his eyes, making his expression impossible to read.
After seeing Jiang Chengzhou out, Yan Yuan turned back inside. He gathered the dishes from the table and placed them in the sink.
Water rushed loudly from the faucet. He lowered his head, his fingers immersed in the cold water. Only after a long time did he finally turn off the tap.
