Chương 16: Tacit Understanding and Agreement

Lin Che tried to make his voice gentle, afraid of disturbing the fragile atmosphere: "What happened to them?"

His fingertips unconsciously traced the seam of his trousers, then suddenly stopped.

Su Yuqing lowered her head, gently kicking a small pebble at her feet, watching it roll into the drain with a crisp sound: "Actually, it's not complicated at all..."

Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of waking something: "Xiaoye got a serious illness during the summer vacation of my third year of junior high school... After that, my mother never got over it."

Lin Che noticed that when she said the word "Mom," the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily, as if she had been stung by something.

"When I was a freshman in college," Su Yuqing took a deep breath, her chest heaving noticeably, "her health suddenly collapsed. One night..."

Her voice suddenly choked, and she continued after a while, "She suddenly told me that she wanted me to live the happiest life in Xiaoye's place... Those were the words she said to me when she hugged me on the day Xiaoye left."

"I received a call from the hospital the next day, and she passed away on the way there. I was unable to see her one last time."

Lin Che's breath hitched. He suddenly remembered that late night when Su Yuqing was desperately suppressing her sobs on the phone.

They weren't very familiar with each other at the time, but she made that incoherent phone call as if she were grasping at a straw.

Perhaps it was the fragile vulnerability on the verge of collapse in her voice that touched him, or perhaps it was the memory of her helpless, animal-like eyes when they first met.

In short, he bought a standing ticket overnight and finally saw that thin figure on the platform at dawn.

"... I'm sorry," he said in a low voice, his voice dry and rough, like sandpaper scraping.

Su Yuqing wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and forced a smile: "What's there to apologize for? If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know what to do about my mother's funeral."

"That man... didn't even come to my mother's funeral, and I don't know any reliable relatives."

There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, but it was quickly masked.

"Those are all minor matters." Lin Che shook his head. Only now did he truly realize that this seemingly weak girl was much stronger than he had imagined.

"By the way," he asked softly, "you said Xiaoye got sick during your summer vacation after junior high, so what about her now...?"

Su Yuqing's expression suddenly brightened. Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, but the corners of her mouth had already turned up: "She's recovered. You could tell by how lively she was at the banquet."

She paused, her voice suddenly becoming hesitant, "Speaking of which, she got lost once this afternoon, but luckily she ran into Xing... an acquaintance, who helped find her."

Lin Che silently complained to himself, "This girl... her mouth is too loose. I'm really afraid she'll tell everyone she's a magical girl one day."

He subtly changed the subject: "It seems this world is very different from before. My father chose to come to Jiangchuan City, Xiaoye is healthy, and..."

He suddenly lowered his voice, "The original world didn't have things like magical girls and virtual beasts."

"You already know about these things?" Su Yuqing's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm not some uninformed caveman," Lin Che said, pulling out his phone and waving it.

"A simple online search will tell you, not to mention..."

He tapped on an app with a black icon.

"This 'Strange Affairs Bureau' app suddenly appeared on my phone. It's hard not to notice it."

Su Yuqing suddenly chuckled, "I don't think any of that matters." Her voice became cheerful again, "The most important thing now is for our family to live happily together."

She paused deliberately, narrowed her eyes, and gave a sly smile.

"Of course, except for you."

"What do you mean I'm an exception? Aren't I a member of this family?" Lin Che's eyes widened.

"I haven't forgotten," Su Yuqing took a step closer, poking his chest with her index finger, "who abandoned me and ran away in my past life."

Although her tone was fierce, a mischievous glint shone in her eyes, and her face wore a mocking expression.

Why don't you say that I rushed up and pushed you away afterwards?

"But in the end, we were both hit by a car."

"Who told you to stand there like an idiot in the middle of the road?" Lin Che rolled his eyes.

"In the end, I'm the one who got dragged into this."

"That's..." Su Yuqing was speechless for a moment, then turned her face away angrily, "Anyway, I'll try my best to annoy you whenever I can in the future~" She deliberately emphasized the words "within her power".

"The words after 'help you' are superfluous," Lin Che said helplessly.

"Also, don't go too far. If Dad and Wan Yi's mom misunderstand that we're arguing, I won't let you off easily."

"That's my line!" Su Yuqing turned around abruptly, her hair tracing an arc in the air.

"Maintaining family harmony is my top priority. If I make Mom sad..."

She squinted and made a throat-slitting gesture, but the smile on her lips was impossible to hide.

Lin Che extended his right hand: "Then it's settled. You can cause as much trouble as you want in private, and I'll retaliate, but—"

"In front of Mom, Lin Chen's father, and Xiao Ye," Su Yuqing continued, gently placing her hand in his palm, "we are the closest of siblings."

Her fingertips were slightly cool, but a reassuring warmth followed the moment they touched.

"Deal!" The two hands gently clasped in the air, forming a perfect silhouette under the moonlight.

Su Yuqing suddenly took a step back and put her hands behind her back, a gesture that made her look like a real sixteen-year-old girl.

"So~" she tilted her head, deliberately drawing out the syllable, "Can we get along well now, brother~ brother~" She pronounced the last two words with a bittersweet tone.

Lin Che lowered his head to straighten his tie, using the gesture to hide the upturned corners of his mouth: "It depends on how you do, little sister."

"Speaking of which, you'll be helping with the move tomorrow, right?"

"Even if I don't want to go," Lin Che sighed, "my dad will drag me into it."

He looked up at the sweltering night sky.

"Although I really don't want to work in this weather... I have to go for both moral and practical reasons."

"I'll be there to give you encouragement~ Good luck!" Su Yuqing clasped her hands together and blinked.

"If you slack off, I'll go tell Wan Yi's mother." Lin Che didn't even lift his eyelids.

"That's where we'll be living together from now on," he said deliberately, putting on a stern face.

"No one but Xiaoye can slack off."

"You!" Su Yuqing glared at him angrily, then suddenly her eyes lit up and she put on a sweet smile.

"Since you're going there tomorrow, it's okay if I go back to sleep with you tonight, right? Mom will definitely agree."

"Okay," Lin Che said expressionlessly, "Do you want to sleep on the sofa or on the floor?"

"That's outrageous!" Su Yuqing stomped her foot.

"Don't they even have a bed?"

"Of course," Lin Che rolled his eyes, "Your new bed is still at the furniture store, are you going to share a bed with me?"

"It's not that it's impossible..." Su Yuqing deliberately lowered her voice, "Anyway, I've slept with them before..."

"Ouch!" She suddenly covered her head and squatted down.

Lin Che calmly withdrew his hand, saying, "If that kind of thing happened, Dad would definitely break my legs."

He imagined the scene and added, "Of course, it's more likely they'll kick me out of my own bed and make me sleep on the sofa or on the floor."

Su Yuqing rubbed her head and stood up, sticking out her tongue: "Actually, I just wanted to see your reaction, but the scene of Lin Chen's dad kicking you out of bed seems quite interesting..."

"It seems worth trying."

"Stop fooling around." Lin Che suddenly reached out and gently ruffled the top of her head. The movement was incredibly gentle.

"Go home properly tonight and say goodbye to it."

Su Yuqing was stunned. This familiar gesture reminded her of countless moments when she had been comforted in the past. She put away her playful mood and nodded gently, "Mmm..."

Lin Che suddenly said softly, "Starting tomorrow... it'll be a completely new life. Don't worry, I won't disappear this time when you wake up."

"Huh? What did you just say?" Su Yuqing asked, puzzled.

Lin Che ignored those words, took out his phone and checked the time: "It's getting late, I'll take you home." As he turned around, the hem of his shirt was gently lifted by the night breeze.

"So kind?" Su Yuqing jogged to catch up.

"He's suddenly acting a bit like an older brother~"

"Dream on." Lin Che didn't even turn his head.

"I was thinking that if any clueless person tried to chat me up, I could warn them to run away."

"Hey!" Su Yuqing angrily grabbed his arm.

"So, what exactly did you say just now?"

"I don't know, you must have misheard me."

"Impossible, you must have said it!"

The shadows of the two people gradually lengthened under the streetlights, their intertwined shadows merging into one in the night.

A gentle evening breeze, carrying the warmth unique to summer, carried their laughter into the distance.