“Sister Ye, are you feeling a little better?”

“Mm... I’m sorry, Xiao Zhe... I... I was just too impulsive back there.”

Qi Xinye sat on the sofa and accepted the cup Su Yuzhe handed her with both hands. It was filled with freshly brewed tea.

She kept her head bowed low. It seemed that even after that little incident, she still couldn’t go back to the way things used to be between them.

Still... she was clearly doing much better now that she was inside than she had been just moments ago.

She raised her eyes slightly and looked at him from an angle that seemed to avoid Yuzhe’s concerned gaze. A faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“Just as I thought... Xiao Zhe, you’re still as kind and gentle as ever...” Meeting Yuzhe’s puzzled gaze, she went on to explain.

“When we both fell just now, you still protected me first, just like you always used to... I’m supposed to be the older sister, but I’m really so useless.”

As she spoke, her expression dimmed a little more.

An older sister, huh... As the eldest son in the family, Yuzhe honestly had no idea what it felt like to be looked after by someone his own age.

He was about to say a few more words to comfort Qi Xinye, but her next words made his face twist at once.

“Besides... Xiao Zhe, you’ve really... really gotten prettier than before...”

“Sister Ye?! How come even you’re doing this to me?!”

Yuzhe suddenly stood up, startling Qi Xinye.

But she quickly recovered and hurriedly set down her cup, waving both hands.

Unfortunately, her chest swayed along with them. At the sight, Yuzhe instantly lost his temper.

“Ah... I’m s-sorry, Xiao Zhe. I forgot you don’t like being described that way. Then... then you’ve gotten a lot more h-handsome!”

What’s with that reluctant expression, like you’re forcing yourself to say something you don’t mean?

Is it really that hard to admit I’m handsome?!

And you... please stop shaking. I really can’t take it.

“Sigh!”

Yuzhe knew all too well that getting angry was pointless. It was this face of his!

He patted his cheeks, trying to settle his shattered composure, then looked straight at Qi Xinye with utter seriousness.

Under his gaze, Qi Xinye found herself unable to look away.

“Sister Ye, tell me. Can you still not get past what happened five years ago?”

If Su Yuzhe’s guess was right, Qi Xinye was acting this way because of what had happened five years ago.

.................

What happened five years ago...

The incident itself wasn’t complicated, but Su Yuzhe still found it hard to forget. After all, it was the only time in his life he’d ever been hospitalized.

Five years ago, Qi Xinye was in her first year of high school. She came to the Su Family to find Su Yuzhe, who was in his second year of middle school, and invited him to visit a newly opened amusement park run by the Qi Family. She said it had lots of new rides and was really fun.

She thought that, as his older sister, she really did treat Yuzhe like her own little brother. Whenever there was something fun to do, she thought of him first. Sure, he looked more like a little sister than a little brother, but that wasn’t important! He was so adorable!

Su Yuzhe didn’t have anything to do at the time, so he agreed.

But Su Zixiao and Su Yuche both had things to take care of, so they couldn’t go with their older brother.

Zixiao was easy to convince. She was practical and figured they were only going to an amusement park. The Qi Family’s rides were pretty safe, and it was good for her brother to get out and see the world once in a while.

Su Yuche was different. She thought anything outside her sight could pose a threat to her older brother, and she strongly opposed him going out with Qi Xinye.

There was no denying it: when it came to her older brother, Yuche’s overprotectiveness knew no bounds.

In the end, Su Yuzhe had no choice but to lie and tell her he wasn’t going. Only after Yuche had left to get on with her own things, reassured, did he head out to meet Qi Xinye, who was waiting at the gate of the Su Family Villa. Then they set off for the amusement park.

After all, Qi Xinye had come all the way over, brimming with excitement. Su Yuzhe really didn’t want her to leave disappointed.

A little white lie every now and then couldn’t hurt, right?

An amusement park... Su Yuzhe was so excited. All he ever did was study, and he rarely got to see the world outside!

They got into the car, and the driver set off. The whole trip should’ve been over before dark.

But accidents always seemed to come out of nowhere, for no reason, and without warning.

The car they were riding in crashed at a corner not far from the amusement park.

The Qi Family’s sports car collided with an oncoming vehicle whose driver was drunk.

Sports cars really weren’t built to take a hit. They hadn’t even been going that fast, but the car was still badly damaged.

Qi Xinye was stunned with fright in that instant.

At the last possible moment, young Su Yuzhe hurriedly wrapped his arms around Qi Xinye, who was sitting beside him, shielding her with his body.

Wasn’t it only natural for a boy to protect a girl?!

In the end, Qi Xinye only suffered a few minor scrapes.

Su Yuzhe took the brunt of the impact. His left leg was broken, and he was rushed to the hospital.

Almost the entire Su Family waited outside the hospital, leaving people all over the city wondering what had happened.

They had no way of knowing that Su Yuzhe had only broken a bone. But for the Su Family, the young master of the main branch breaking a leg was reason enough for everyone to rush to the hospital and keep watch.

Everyone waited outside the hospital.

Only Yuzhe’s father, Su Zixiao, Su Yuche, and a panic-stricken Qi Xinye were allowed into the treatment room where Yuzhe was. She had insisted on coming along herself. She couldn’t spare a thought for her own fright; all she wanted was to know how Yuzhe was doing.

Yuzhe kept insisting he was fine, but the pain on his perfect face gave him away.

When Su Zixiao hurried in and saw blood staining her older brother’s silver hair, she fainted on the spot.

Su Yuche, meanwhile, swayed unsteadily and caught herself against the bed. She didn’t faint. She went to her older brother and kept talking to him, soothing the pain he was feeling.

After a long while, she turned around and stared straight at Qi Xinye. Her gaze was like a blade glinting coldly; it seemed ready to drag her into the void and tear her apart. It was enough to make anyone shiver.

Yuzhe was seeing Yuche look like that for the first time, even if only from the side. In his eyes, his little sister was innocent and lively, so the sight made him feel a little uneasy.

Qi Xinye, who faced that gaze directly, couldn’t say a word. She didn’t even dare try.

Yuzhe tugged at Yuche’s sleeve.

“Yuche... I’m fine. This isn’t Sister Ye’s fault... It was just an accident... Don’t be like this. I’m worried about you...”

At Yuzhe’s words, Yuche immediately turned back. The coldness vanished from her eyes in an instant, replaced by a tenderness beyond words. She pressed her forehead against Yuzhe’s and whispered,

“Big brother, don’t worry. I’m still me... I won’t change. I just... want to chase away certain shameless, awful women who can’t protect you and don’t cherish you.”

At the time, Yuzhe and Yuche were about the same height. The two silver-haired little girls, whose faces looked almost exactly alike, stood so close together that they made a uniquely beautiful picture.

All Yuzhe could think was that Yuche really was Yuche. She made him feel safe...

Yuzhe took one last slow glance at Qi Xinye behind him and gave her a look that said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Then he slowly drifted off in Yuche’s arms.

The fatigue from all that pain had really worn him out.

Once she saw her older brother had fallen asleep, Su Yuche gently and slowly lowered him back onto the pillow.

Then she turned to look at Qi Xinye, who stood wordlessly in the doorway, unsure what to do.

Perhaps Qi Xinye finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. At last, she spoke softly.

“Um... Yuche, is Yuzhe... is he going to be okay?”

The first thing on her mind wasn’t who was at fault, but how Su Yuzhe was doing.

That showed just how much Qi Xinye truly cared about Su Yuzhe.

But Su Yuche thought that had nothing to do with her.

She didn’t answer Qi Xinye. She just kept staring at her, her gaze growing colder and colder.

After a long while, Yuche finally spoke.

“Qi Xinye, leave. Stay away from my brother.”

Those words sent Qi Xinye into a panic. This was the last thing she wanted.

“Yuche! It really wasn’t my fault... I just...”

“Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”

Before she could finish, Yuche cut off Qi Xinye’s explanation in a cold voice and pointed her petite finger toward the door.

“Then I’ll say it again... You. Stay away from my brother.”

......................

That was everything that happened five years ago.

Back in the present, Su Yuzhe looked at Qi Xinye sitting on the sofa and figured she was still hung up on what had happened five years ago.

“So, Sister Ye, are you still troubled by what happened five years ago?”

“I...”

Qi Xinye hesitated. After a moment, she finally spoke.

“I... What does it matter whether I’m still troubled by it? You three... surely none of you have forgiven me...”

That was it. That was what Yuzhe wanted to hear. The thing holding her back wasn’t himself, but the others.

That made things easy.

“Huh? Sister Ye, you’ve got that wrong. I’ve never thought it was your fault.”

“Huh?”

Qi Xinye looked surprised. She raised her head and gazed into Su Yuzhe’s beautiful, sapphire-blue eyes, as if searching them for an answer.