"You have a brother?"
Hearing her say this, Ning Ci's expression suddenly turned more inquisitive. He dropped his cocky, unapproachable demeanor, and a deep, dark light covered his eyes as he looked at her.
It was like in third grade. The little girl with a shovel, delicate and angry, said to him, "Why are you like my brother?"
"I'll do it myself!"
"Your brother?" At the time, he was just speechless. Deigning to help her was rare enough—digging pits, carrying saplings, getting his new limited-edition sneakers covered in mud, his calves nearly filthy. He almost forgot he had a cleanliness obsession.
This pampered young master personally got his hands dirty, yet she openly despised him.
Everyone has a brother, he had one too.
The girl seemed to have her own ideas and didn't want to say more. She pouted, "Just don't do it!"
But the boy was dominant and stubborn.
...
The two worked hard for a long time, and the sapling was successfully planted. The sky had darkened.
Hooked clouds in the sky, rain on the ground.
The girl looked at the tender green sapling, so happy she spun in place. But seeing the time was late, she had to leave quickly. Her big brother would check her homework tonight.
Thinking of this, she quickly put on her shell-shaped hat from the spring outing, patted the dirt off her skirt, and prepared to slip away.
The boy was just bending down to take off his shoes when she had already run far away with her small round bucket. Chase her? Of course, he did, but he had just taken off his shoes. He tried to grab her cool, slippery little hand but couldn't catch it, and even tripped over the shovel.
In the panic, he shouted at her, "Hey!"
"What's your name? You—"
The wind whistled by his ears, along with his racing heartbeat.
The little girl was worried about getting home late. Her driver's car was almost at the school gate. If her brother caught her sneaking out of dance class again, the consequences would be severe.
But she was grateful to the strange boy, so she ran and turned back, lifting her milky-white shell hat, and replied, "Koukou..."
"My nickname is Koukou!"
"I'll come again tomorrow, remember to bring a shovel!!" She waved at him.
Keke.
Koukou.
That year, the wind came suddenly, whistling past his ears. Had he misheard? Or was he overthinking?
She had clearly said she would come again tomorrow, but what happened?
—
"What's wrong with you?"
Cheng Buxi was flustered by his sudden seriousness. The distance was so close, the atmosphere scorching and delicate.
Ning Ci collected his thoughts, took a deep breath, and looked down.
He felt he was possessed, seeing shadows everywhere. He had checked the registrar's office several times back then, but there was no one named Keke in the school. Besides, it had been over a decade, and he was still obsessed. He must be seriously ill.
His shoulders trembled slightly, and a low, feathery laugh brushed against her heart like a sigh.
Forget it, he hadn't caught up then, but it wasn't too late now. He trained hard every day, and now he could run fast. This time, he would definitely catch up.
"So... did you have a fight with your brother today?" He lifted his eyes again, the earlier confusion gone.
Cheng Buxi didn't hide it when her secret was exposed. She gave a low "Mm."
The hot cocoa he ordered arrived, and the two didn't talk much more. It was room temperature, and Ning Ci told her to drink some.
Sitting at a distance, Cheng Buxi picked up the cup, her peripheral vision catching the two girls whispering again. Annoying people live a thousand years; let them talk.
...
When the party ended, a drunk Haozi was helped into a taxi by a few people.
After saying their goodbyes, Cheng Buxi planned to go back to school.
Just as she left the KTV entrance, she ran into the two girls from the private room. They were lingering at the door, as if waiting for a ride.
Cheng Buxi wanted to ignore them, but their unfriendly gazes kept drifting toward her.
She turned around and saw the familiar sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, a clean and neat Adam's apple. Just as she was about to say something, the person behind her—Ning Ci—said abruptly, "I don't know them."
He had settled the bill and was the last to come out. For some reason, having him behind her gave her a strong sense of security.
He looked majestic and reassuring.
Cheng Buxi was slightly stunned, her heart racing a few beats, but she pretended not to care. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"
"Because I'm curious too." He smiled, his little canine teeth sharp and handsome, his chin lifted as if pondering something. He squinted slightly. "They seem to have come with someone from the PE college—don't know them, don't care to talk about it."
He'd already talked about it a lot despite saying he didn't care. Cheng Buxi honestly said, "They've been staring at you."
"Mm. And you?"
"Wh-what..."