Chapter 50: She's the Only Sister I Have

Chapter 50: She Is My Only Sister

Before leaving, she still stole a glance at her surroundings.

Parents holding fresh flowers while wearing cheongsams smiled gently at their children, listening to them recount the hardships of the past three years, and encouraging them now that it was finally over.

Bai Li's eyes were filled with evasion, afraid others would notice her standing there foolishly, and even more afraid someone might view her as an unnoticed ant, silently envying the happiness of others.

Yet, she simply could not look away.

It seemed that just by watching like this, she could feel a sliver of warmth.

She took a deep breath, gazed for a long while, and then prepared to take the bus home.

Her luggage at the school had already been moved out much earlier.

There was no need to make the trip back in vain.

The sunlight on this day was particularly dazzling. Just as she squeezed her way out of the crowd, she heard someone calling her name.

"Bai Li."

Hearing the familiar voice, Bai Li thought she was experiencing an auditory hallucination. Her whole body paused for a moment, and when she lifted her gaze, she locked eyes with the man’s gentle ones.

Those dark eyes carried a faint smile.

It had been nearly a year since they last met.

The brother she had longed for day and night was right before her eyes. He stood in the sunlight, his long legs straight, his entire figure bathed in a layer of radiance. In his slender, fair hand, he held a bouquet of sunflowers, still breathtakingly handsome.

Though he still wore his flashy earrings, the roguish aura about him had largely faded, replaced by a gentle, scholarly, and mature presence that washed over him.

He had changed somewhat.

There were not so many scars on his body anymore.

She didn't know if he would still suffer hardship, but one thing was certain: he was truly busy, and a deep sense of exhaustion lingered between his brows.

Even in this state, why had he still come to see her?

Seeing the young girl stunned into shock, Fang Ye curled the corners of his lips, handed the exquisitely wrapped sunflowers to Bai Li, and gently smoothed down the hair that the wind had blown into disarray.

"The exams are over, right? Your brother wishes you a resounding success."

Bai Li cradled the bouquet. The sunflowers displayed the brightest yellow, yet they could not block her gaze from fixing entirely on Fang Ye.

"Brother, why are you here? How long have you been waiting for me?"

Her heart fluttered nervously, because watching other people's heartwarming reunions by the school gate had made her somewhat lose track of time, and she had come out quite late.

Fang Ye looked into her eyes, a smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth. "I heard the college entrance exams ended today, so I came to take a look at you. I also heard your school was assigned to this testing center, and it took me a little time to find it. I haven't been waiting long."

He didn't mention that he had arrived at three in the afternoon, earlier than any of the parents standing outside the gates. With the nervous anticipation of a big brother whose little sister was taking her first major exams, he had anxiously waited all afternoon, finally welcoming this slow-paced girl after a long wait.

He merely described the journey briefly and then asked Bai Li, "Is there anything you want? Your brother will reward you."

Bai Li had always been sensible and never asked for things.

She shook her head, cradling the fresh flowers in her arms, and couldn't help but let out a smile. "No need, Brother. This is already wonderful."

Fang Ye reached out and ruffled her fine, soft hair. "Still the same as ever. Let's go, I'll take you to buy some snacks."

For a split second, Bai Li's heartbeat went haywire again. The need to consciously control her breathing happened to her once more.

After remaining silent for quite a while, Bai Li suddenly reached out to stop the Fang Ye in front of her, tugged at the hem of his shirt, and asked softly, "Brother, how long are you staying this time?"

Hearing this, Fang Ye glanced at his phone, his voice tinged with a slight coolness. "I'll buy you things, send you home, and then I'll leave."

Bai Li was left speechless, realizing he must have made a special trip just for this and would have to hurry back immediately.

She stopped walking and refused to move further. "Brother, don't buy snacks. Don't waste time, and don't trouble yourself. Go if you have things to attend to, I can go back by myself."

Fang Ye unhurriedly led her across the street, turning slightly sideways to face her, his gaze calm as he spoke every word with casual lightness.

"What talk of trouble is there between you and your brother?"

Thus, without minding the trouble, he carefully selected various flavors of snacks for her, stuffing an entire backpack full, before hailing a cab, giving the driver an address, and sending her home.

He gave Bai Li no room for the slightest bit of polite refusal.

Inside the car, Bai Li suddenly thought of something.

She turned her head and quietly bit her lip.

Taking advantage of the moment Fang Ye closed his eyes to rest, she slowly pulled the card out of her backpack and stealthily tried to slip it back into his pocket.

She clearly only wanted to return the money.

Yet while doing all this, her heart was hammering wildly in her throat, filled with the guilty tension of a thief. Her eyes remained glued to Fang Ye's profile, ready to pull her hand back at any moment.

Fortunately, Fang Ye indeed seemed very exhausted and did not open his eyes the entire time.

Once the bank card was successfully returned to its rightful owner, Bai Li let out a sigh of relief, her happy little expression mixed with a faint trace of excitement.

The gentle sunlight streamed through the car window, spilling over them both.

Fang Ye leaned his head against the seat, one hand resting on the edge of the door. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his peripheral vision catching the curved arc of the young girl's lips.

He lowered his gaze and smiled silently.

His reflection in the rearview mirror was impossibly soft and tender.

When the car arrived near the Su family's residential complex, Bai Li picked up her backpack and prepared to get out.

"Brother, I'm here. You should head back quickly."

Fang Ye tapped his fingers against his phone and called out to stop her, "Bai Li."

Bai Li paused her hand on the car door, feeling a bit nervous, afraid that Fang Ye would step out of the car and be seen by nearby residents.

Fang Ye seemed acutely aware of what she was worried about.

He made no move to get out of the vehicle, but instead reached out and hooked her backpack, effortlessly unzipping it to slip a card back inside.

His voice was calm, devoid of any discernible emotion, save for a forced exhaustion.

"A girl should have some money set aside for emergencies. You'll be going to university in the future, so if something happens, you won't be driven to a dead end, nor will you have to lower your head to beg others. Take good care of yourself. With me around, just think of this as pocket money I've left with you for whenever you need it. There's no reason to take back what's already been given. If you really can't get over it, we can talk about whether to return it or not after you get to university."

With that, he let go of the backpack and waved at Bai Li. "Go on up. Your brother is leaving."

Bai Li did not utter a sound even after the car drove away.

In truth, she was too choked up with emotion to speak.

No one had ever planned things out so thoroughly for her.

Nor had anyone ever told her that she didn't need to worry about anything.

That hundred thousand yuan must have cost him immense effort to earn, yet he handed it to her as easily as if it were a mere ten or twenty yuan.

After a long while, she took a deep breath, wiping away her tears just as they were about to fall, while her mind echoed entirely with those words: "Take good care of yourself. With me around."

...

On the return trip in the taxi, Fang Ye received a phone call.

Chengzi expressed his concern over the line: "Brother Ye, even though you've been busy with that matter, did you go see the little sister after her college exams ended? High school isn't easy, and she looks completely different from slackers like me—studying is hard work."

Spring winds were blowing as well. Fang Ye glanced at the reddish clouds staining the horizon, a trace of warmth and gratification surfacing in the depths of his eyes. "She's my only sister, of course I had to go see her. The kid is doing great; it looks like she probably tested quite well."