Qin He had been busy with the cooperation matters at Wilson's place earlier, and then there was Qin Yun's engagement.
After returning from Haicheng, she had only visited Grandma Gu twice.
Someone else answered the phone, and Grandma Gu's voice came through, "He'er, is that He'er?"
Qin He felt a sting in her nose, "Grandma, it's me."
"You little rascal, you haven't visited Grandma in ages." Grandma Gu, being old, had a bit of a childlike temper and sounded wronged as she spoke.
Qin He felt even more distressed, "Grandma, I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
"What time tomorrow? In the morning?" Grandma Gu pressed.
Qin He coaxed with a smile, "En, I'll come early in the morning and have breakfast with Grandma then."
"Alright, you must come! If you don't, I'll go to the Qin family and live at your place!"
Qin He chatted with Grandma Gu for a long time before the elderly woman reluctantly handed the phone back.
"You promised Grandma you'd come tomorrow?" Gu Qichen asked.
"En, although it's Monday, there shouldn't be much happening in the Joint Department tomorrow." Qin He replied.
It was already noon when she hung up.
Qin He and Ming Yuzhu had lunch, and then she went back upstairs to catch up on sleep.
...
Qingda University, five in the afternoon.
Shen Yilin, with his backpack on, strode out of the Qingda campus gate.
Two girls, around eighteen or nineteen years old, followed closely behind.
"Shen, Senior Shen, this is a gift I prepared for you." One of the girls stepped forward and offered the prepared box in her hand to Shen Yilin.
Shen Yilin didn't look at her and quickened his pace, "I don't have time!"
Today was his sister's last live broadcast of the year.
If she didn't stream, he couldn't think of any other reason to see his sister once a week.
Shen Yilin was in a bad mood, but thinking about Qin He's pregnant belly, he also hoped she could get enough rest.
His conflicting emotions made him feel a bit impatient when he saw the gift offered to him again.
Shen Yilin stopped and turned his head to look at the two young girls.
He was nearly 1.9 meters tall and frowned as he looked at the girls, "You're a freshman, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes..." The girl was a bit shy, her small face red.
Shen Yilin nodded, "I don't like girls younger than me."
The girl was stunned and stood there sadly as Shen Yilin turned and walked away.
He had only walked about a dozen steps when he turned to look at a small stall by the roadside.
A stall by the side of the road, close to where the girl had spoken to him, had a tall, straight figure sitting on a small stool.
Shen Yizong rested one arm on his knee, half supporting his chin. His eyes clearly held a hint of laziness, yet his entire aura exuded a chilling presence.
Shen Yilin was pleasantly surprised and quickly walked over, "Brother, why are you here?"
Shen Yizong smiled, "It's the weekend, isn't it normal for me to pick up my brother from school? You're rushing so much, are you going to the Qin family?"
"Yes, today is my sister's last live broadcast of the year. I figured I should go earlier to not waste time."
Shen Yizong nodded, with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Let's go, I'll give you a ride."
He led Shen Yilin to the roadside, where a second-hand Buick was parked.
The reason it was recognizable as second-hand was the excessive number of faded marks on the car.
Shen Yilin was surprised, "Brother, you bought a car?"
"En, I got it for eight thousand yuan." Shen Yizong got into the car.
The car started, emitting a rough and awkward sound.
Shen Yilin laughed, "This car, if it were any louder, it would sound like a tractor."
"Only when starting up." Shen Yizong started the car and glanced at Shen Yilin, "I just heard that little girl confessing to you. I didn't expect my brother to be so popular at school."
Shen Yilin felt a bit embarrassed by his brother's teasing.
"Brother, weren't you very popular when you were in school?"
Shen Yizong laughed heartily, "Yes, but back then I liked girls younger than me. It gave me a sense of patriarchal protectiveness."
Shen Yilin fell silent.
There were many students in front of Qingda University. Shen Yizong drove intermittently, the car occasionally making strange noises.
He turned to look at his brother.
"You like the 'older sister' type?"
Seeing Shen Yilin turn his head to look out the window in silence, Shen Yizong's eyes twinkled with a smile.
"The older sister type is quite good. My brother is indeed growing up."
"Brother— I know you can't hide anything from me, but please don't say anything reckless in front of her—" Shen Yilin turned, his eyes filled with seriousness.
Shen Yizong thought for a moment and pulled the car over to the side of the road.
"Then tell me, brother, what do you like about her?"
"She, she's so good. When you were injured and unconscious, if it weren't for her, neither of us might be—"
Shen Yilin didn't finish.
In his life, that was the only time he had ventured into the entertainment industry, where most people might have become lost.
But he was fortunate to have met the angel of his life.
Shen Yizong sighed, "I know she saved me, and she saved my only brother. But that's because she's a good person. I'm asking, what do you think is good about her?"
Shen Yilin frowned, "Is there a difference? I think she's good in every way."
"Good in every way," Shen Yizong sighed deeply.
The secret hidden in Shen Yilin's heart finally had someone to confide in.
As Shen Yizong drove slowly towards the Qin family's house, Shen Yilin spoke in a low voice, slowly and in detail, recounting the little moments he had shared with Qin He.
"She never realized that she was the one who needed protection, always thinking of protecting others."
Shen Yilin had a smile on his face, "But I know she doesn't like me, so I can only be a well-behaved younger brother."
Towards the end, he sounded a little dejected.
"A well-behaved younger brother? You're not well-behaved at all." Shen Yizong laughed, "Our family has no trace of 'well-behaved' in our bones."
Shen Yilin thought for a moment and took out his phone, pulling up the account for Diligent Little He.
"Brother, she's really amazing, but I feel like I'll never be able to reach her or catch up to her in this lifetime. But it's also nice to have someone who can be like the sun, hanging in the sky from afar, warming me."
Shen Yizong listened to his brother's words the whole way, sensing that he had held these thoughts in his heart for a long time.
The car pulled up to the entrance of the Qin family's house, and Shen Yizong interrupted Shen Yilin.
"Brother, we're here."
"Brother, I'll go in first. You go back now." Shen Yilin's entire demeanor became radiant.
In the car, Shen Yizong watched Shen Yilin stride away. When he reached the Qin family's gate, he paused for a moment, and then his steps seemed to become lighter and softer.
Shen Yizong lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
Then he tilted his head back and blew out smoke rings.
The sound of his tongue clicking was very uncharacteristic of his elegant and noble appearance. The smoke rings dissipated on the yellowed car ceiling.
"Good in every way—"
His phone vibrated at his waist, and Shen Yizong took it out to look.
On the worn-out phone, although it was the lock screen, several blood-red letters slowly appeared.
【Lev】
【Emergency Contact: Strategist】