“Brother, what nonsense are you talking about!”
Rolling her eyes at Xie Yue, Hu Lienà grabbed him and walked out of the classroom.
They arrived at a patch of grass beside the sports field. Hu Lienà put her hands on her hips and said indignantly, her voice tinged with anger.
“Brother, did you misunderstand something!”
“My relationship with Wang Zhong is not what you think.”
“It’s not?” Xie Yue crossed his arms, his gaze scrutinizing, a look of disbelief on his face.
“Of course not. I just see Wang Zhong as a good friend.”
“There’s no relationship or feelings as you imagine. Besides, we’re still so young, how could we develop that kind of emotion!”
Hu Lienà puffed out her cheeks, very unhappy with her brother’s suspicious gaze.
“Nàna, your statement is not convincing at all. Yan is clearly infatuated with you.”
Xie Yue’s calm words caused Hu Lienà’s confident expression to falter instantly.
“Ugh!! It’s so annoying, Yan is Yan, and I am me!”
“As for what Yan feels for me, I’m not sure, but I can be sure that I don’t have that kind of feeling for him, just like I don’t for Wang Zhong.”
Hu Lienà pouted, squatting on the grass with a distressed expression, tilting her head and showing Xie Yue the back of her head.
Her demeanor clearly conveyed that she was very angry.
“Nàna, I believe you when you say you don’t have any feelings for Yan.”
“But when you say your feelings for Wang Zhong and Yan are the same, I don’t believe that.”
Xie Yue squatted beside Hu Lienà, his tone filled with helplessness.
Her delicate eyebrows knitted, Hu Lienà turned her head expressionlessly. Her beautiful eyes, devoid of any emotion, stared directly at Xie Yue, not saying a word.
Facing Hu Lienà’s death glare, Xie Yue visibly flinched and then said with utmost seriousness.
“Nàna, there are many things you don’t feel when you’re in the midst of them, but for us outsiders, it’s very obvious.”
Hu Lienà remained silent, staring into Xie Yue’s eyes without blinking.
“Alright, alright, I believe you. I know you have no affection or romantic feelings for Wang Zhong or Yan. Is that okay?”
Xie Yue raised his hands in surrender. You’re my sister, and whatever you say is right.
“Hmph!”
Her delicate nose twitched, Hu Lienà let out a soft hmph and sharply turned her head to the side.
“But there is!”
Hu Lienà’s childish behavior made Xie Yue want to chuckle. If she hadn’t glared at him, he might have actually burst out laughing.
“Nàna, though I don’t understand or have experienced such things, I see some things very clearly.”
“You are different with Wang Zhong than you are with Yan.”
Suppressing his amusement, Xie Yue gently stroked Hu Lienà’s head and said kindly.
“Different? How are we different!”
“Aren’t we both good friends! I don’t treat them differently!”
Hu Lienà batted away Xie Yue’s hand and exclaimed angrily.
“No, Nàna, you do.”
“If you don’t believe me, then how about I ask you a question?”
Xie Yue sat cross-legged on the grass, his upper body held straight, his expression solemn.
“Okay, ask away!”
Hu Lienà tilted her head up, full of confidence.
A clear conscience fears no accusation. She was upright and proper; there was no differential treatment.
“Nàna, has Yan ever held your hand, or rather, have you ever held his hand?”
“Pfft. Hahaha, hahaha.”
As soon as the question was asked, Hu Lienà burst into laughter.
“Brother, I thought you had discovered something, or noticed something I hadn’t.”
“I didn’t expect it to be this!”
“We’ve been companions since we were kids, even good friends who support each other. Holding hands, even when playing casually, you might end up holding hands without realizing it.”
“How can this be a basis for judgment! It’s too funny, I can’t breathe. My stomach hurts.”
Hu Lienà clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Don’t worry about all that for now. Think properly and answer my question first.”
Xie Yue watched Hu Lienà sway from laughter, his expression still serious.
Xie Yue’s serious expression gradually made Hu Lienà stop laughing. She took a few deep breaths and replied with equal solemnity.
“My dearest brother, of course, I’ve held hands…”
“Held… held…”
Memories began to resurface from the depths of her mind, and scenes of them playing together flickered before her eyes.
The seriousness on Hu Lienà’s face slowly faded. Her once extremely confident tone became weak.
“Nàna, let me help you!”
“No need, Yan, I can do it.”
…
“Nàna, can you give me a hand? I seem to have lost my strength.”
“Yan, you’re a boy, how can you be tired after walking such a short distance? I can do it, you need to keep going.”
…
“Here, Nàna, hold my hand.”
“No, I just saw you picking your nose, and you didn’t wash your hands! I’m going over there!”
None! Not a single time!
Hu Lienà’s eyes trembled slightly. No matter when, she subconsciously avoided any physical contact with Yan, whether it was a direct refusal or changing the subject, she always brushed these things aside lightly.
“How is it, Nàna, have you noticed?”
“Yes, you have never had any physical contact with Yan, and furthermore, you have never sought him out when I or Wang Zhong were not around.”
“You’ve never even played with him alone!”
Xie Yue sighed helplessly, unsure if it was for Hu Lienà or for Yan.
Hu Lienà’s rosy lips parted slightly as she uttered a reluctant rebuttal, “I just don’t like physical contact.”
“That doesn’t prove anything!”
“Then what about Wang Zhong! How do you explain that!”
Xie Yue’s simple question left Hu Lienà stunned.
“Zhong, there are such big fruits on the trees in the back mountain. I want to eat one.”
“Okay, let’s go, I’ll pick one for you.”
She naturally extended her hand and placed it in Wang Zhong’s palm.
“Zhong, I’m so tired, I can’t walk anymore.”
“Okay, okay, I got it. Come on, I’ll carry you back.”
She smiled slyly, jumped onto Wang Zhong’s back, tightly hugged his neck, and swung her legs as Wang Zhong carried her back to the orphanage.
“Zhong, look at that! It’s so beautiful!”
“Where? I don’t see it?”
“So silly, it’s right there!”
She held Wang Zhong’s hand and pointed at a blooming flower somewhere, her face filled with smiles.
When she was with Wang Zhong, those subconscious avoidances of contact seemed to have never existed.
Holding hands, hugging, playing – everything seemed so natural.
“This doesn’t count either. Brother, I’ve also held your hand and hugged you.”
Hu Lienà mumbled, her head lowered.
Xie Yue slapped his forehead abruptly, saying weakly.
“Oh my Nàna, we are biological siblings! It’s normal for a brother to hold his sister’s hand and hug her!”
“But he, Wang Zhong, is an outsider. Doing the same thing with him is completely different in nature, don’t you understand!”