WAYCAV Chapter 28

Shen Nianjing didn’t say a word the whole time.

His brain was about to explode.

“I’m going to study even harder today, so when my brother comes home he’ll praise me!” Su Zhiyao put the dessert in the kitchen fridge. “I told Auntie that my brother’s coming home today, so she’ll definitely buy more groceries this evening.”

“Shen-gege, you should stay for dinner tonight. Don’t you always want to meet my brother?” Su Zhiyao’s smile hadn’t faded at all, she looked really happy.

“Ah… yes.” Shen Nianjing finally snapped back to reality. “No need, I’ll eat at home.”

“Let’s start our lesson quickly. It’s just two hours, it’ll go by quickly.”

Su Zhiyao’s little face immediately drooped. “Ah, okay then.”

Shen Nianjing calmed himself down, thinking that as long as he left early, there was a good chance he wouldn’t run into Su Zhiyan.

If he met Su Zhiyan at his house in this situation, who knows how awkward things would get.

Please God, help me, Shen Nianjing thought miserably.

The class didn’t go smoothly. Su Zhiyao was obviously too excited about her brother coming home and couldn’t focus. She kept forgetting things they’d just covered.

“Let’s take a break.” With her current state, her learning efficiency was way too low. Shen Nianjing wanted to redirect her attention to the lesson.

He took his pen and circled the key points Su Zhiyao kept forgetting. “How are those study methods I taught you last time working out?”

“…They’re okay.” Su Zhiyao kept listening for sounds from outside.

Shen Nianjing glanced at her. This girl was obviously even more excited and restless than before their lesson started. He suddenly realized that if he didn’t leave soon, he really would run into Su Zhiyan.

Shen Nianjing looked at the time. There were still 40 minutes left.

“Yaoyao, did your brother say when he’d be back?” he asked with a smile.

Su Zhiyao shook her head regretfully. “No, but he usually comes back in the evening and spends the day studying or resting.”

Shen Nianjing relaxed.

Su Zhiyan’s study habits were really great!

“Good,” he clenched his fist. “Since he won’t be home for a few more hours, stop paying attention to what’s happening outside.”

“Look at your class notes first, come on!”

Shen Nianjing opened the notebook in front of him and used a red pen to mark the important parts.

“I added several practice problems for your weak areas, and we’ve already gone through the basic knowledge once. Remember to review it yourself after class or you’ll easily forget.” He was afraid that the little girl would forget what they covered in class and her grades would suddenly drop.

If Su Zhiyan found out he was tutoring his siter, there might still be a chance.

But if he made his sister’s grades worse, that would really be a dead end.

After all, Su Zhiyan might care more about family than feelings!

After their tutoring session, Shen Nianjing quickly packed his backpack.

Outside was completely quiet, not a sound.

Su Zhiyan’s apartment had two elevators per floor, with the main door facing the stairs and next to the elevator.

Shen Nianjing grabbed his backpack and opened the study door, ready to sprint like he was running a hundred-meter dash the moment he got out. He wouldn’t even take the elevator, he’d go straight for the stairs!

He walked to the door with a big smile on his face.

As long as he opened this door and rushed into the stairwell within five steps with lightning speed, the rest would be safe!

“Beep!”

The sound of the electronic lock responding came through the heavy door.

Shen Nianjing’s smile froze.

The door slowly opened, and his feet wouldn’t move, like they were nailed to the ground.

He saw Su Zhiyan come in wearing a mask, head down, his fluffy hair hanging down and swaying with each movement as he changed his shoes.

Shen Nianjing’s heart tightened, he could barely breathe.

The next moment, he saw Su Zhiyan carrying a bag in his hand.

A University… Affiliated Hospital…

He squinted, trying to make out the words.

“Are you sick?” Shen Nianjing blurted out.

Su Zhiyan’s body shook, and he turned to look over.

Shen Nianjing was standing about an arm’s length away from him, looking a bit nervous.

Su Zhiyan’s drowsy eyes were full of confusion, like he couldn’t figure out what was going on.

“Isn’t this my house?” he mumbled, his voice a bit hoarse from the fever.

“…” Shen Nianjing stood frozen in place.

“Ah… yes.” he said automatically.

“Gege!!!” Su Zhiyao’s crisp voice rang out at just the right moment. The little girl rushed over and took the things from Su Zhiyan’s hands. “Let me help you carry that.”

She saw the words on the bag and froze for a moment, then quickly rummaged through the medicine inside. “Gege, you have a fever?”

Su Zhiyan reached out and patted her head. “The fever’s already gone down.”

“Then why are your hands still so hot?” Su Zhiyao questioned, pushing him to sit on the sofa. “I’ll get you some hot water. Don’t drink the water on the table, that’s from this morning.” Then she ran to the dining room water dispenser with a cup.

Only Su Zhiyan and Shen Nianjing were left in the living room.

Shen Nianjing walked over, casually put his bag beside the sofa, and picked up the medicine to read the instructions.

Su Zhiyan glanced at his bag, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Your tutoring… you’re teaching my sister?”

Shen Nianjing’s hand paused. He tried to stay calm as he opened the medicine box. “Yeah… I only found out today that she’s your sister.”

Damn it, another lie.

“Oh.” Su Zhiyan nodded and didn’t say anything else.

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I just hadn’t figured out how to tell you after finding out.” Shen Nianjing admitted honestly, looking uneasy. He gave a self-mocking smile. “I’m probably not qualified to be your sister’s tutor. Actually, having you as her brother is enough.”

“No, you teach very well.” Su Zhiyan looked at him calmly.

Before, there had been some strange emotions stuck in his chest, but now suddenly seeing the person who caused those emotions in his own home, he suddenly became clear-headed.

How could someone who had been hiding from him and lying to him from the very beginning really consider him a friend?

He still didn’t even know the reason for Shen Nianjing’s initial reaction. Just because they’d spent time together, he’d foolishly thought they had developed a friendship, but maybe Shen Nianjing still rejected him in his heart.

He didn’t know before that the student Shen Nianjing tutored was his sister, but what about now?

Was the next step to just leave directly, stay far away from him like before, even quit this part-time job to avoid him?

Was he some kind of plague god who could curse people to death? Su Zhiyan pushed down his earlier emotions, but somewhere in his heart, another feeling quietly rose up, tangled and uncomfortable.

Shen Nianjing carefully sorted out the medicine according to the doctor’s instructions, cautiously watching the person beside him.

Su Zhiyan just sat quietly against the sofa.

Shen Nianjing felt inexplicably tight in his chest and looked away.

“Gege, drink some water, it’s warm.” Su Zhiyao came over with the cup. She placed her hands on her hips as she looked at Su Zhiyan with some disdain. “You can’t even take care of yourself but you say I can’t travel alone. I’m definitely way better than you, okay?”

Su Zhiyan took off his mask and smiled when he heard this. “That’s completely different, don’t twist my words.”

“Hmph.” Su Zhiyao turned her face away, then suddenly noticed Shen Nianjing sitting to the side holding the medicine. After Su Zhiyan drank a couple sips of water, Shen Nianjing handed the medicine to his mouth, gesturing with his eyes. “Take the medicine. Did you eat lunch?”

Su Zhiyan acted like he didn’t hear, took the medicine and swallowed it in one go, then pulled out a new mask to put on.

“Gege, did you eat lunch?” Su Zhiyao asked.

Su Zhiyan nodded. “I had some porridge.”

Shen Nianjing was stunned, his gaze dimming slightly.

Su Zhiyao looked between the two of them and suddenly frowned.

“I’m going to sleep now.”

Su Zhiyan wanted to go to his room to rest. Su Zhiyao followed him in. “Auntie changed the bedding yesterday, it’s all new.”

Su Zhiyan nodded. “Don’t call me for dinner tonight.”

“I know, you need to rest well. The best thing is to sleep under the covers and sweat it out!” Su Zhiyao sat at the desk, watching Su Zhiyan open the closet to choose home clothes.

“Gege.” She suddenly spoke up.

“Mm?”

“Do you know Shen-gege?” she asked.

“…” Su Zhiyan picked out a hoodie-less one from a bunch of messy fluffy home clothes. “You bought me random clothes again while I wasn’t home.”

“! These bunny pajamas and fluffy clothes are so cute and warm, and comfortable too!” Su Zhiyao expressed her disdain for her brother’s fashion sense for the second time. “Are your closet full of sweatpants and casual clothes any better looking?”

“Wait!” She suddenly realized. “Don’t change the subject!”

“Is Shen-gege your classmate? Are you two close?” She jumped in front of Su Zhiyan, forcibly threw the clothes in his hands back into the closet, then picked out a blue bunny home outfit and stuffed it into his hands. “This one looks good, it matches mine, sibling outfits!”

“Answer my question quickly!” She stared directly at Su Zhiyan.

Su Zhiyan’s eyes lowered. “I guess so.”

“Huh?” Su Zhiyao pressed. “What does ‘I guess so’ mean?”

Su Zhiyan smiled and patted Su Zhiyao’s head again. “Why are you so interested in this?”

“Ah, you messed up my hair!” Su Zhiyao used both hands to fix her hair, looking mildly annoyed. “Because Shen-gege is really nice, otherwise I wouldn’t be curious. Plus I feel like you two are acting weird.”

Su Zhiyan glanced at her, thought for a moment, then used a more trendy way of saying it. “Study buddies.”

Su Zhiyao’s pupils shrank slightly. “Buddies?”

“Mm.” Su Zhiyan opened the door and sent her out. “I need to change clothes now, go to the study and read.”

“…Hmph.”

Su Zhiyao returned to the living room. Shen Nianjing was still in the same position as when they left, staring blankly into space, completely motionless.

Su Zhiyan almost imagined him as one of those cartoon characters sitting gloomily with a dark cloud over their head.

Shen Nianjing sat on the sofa, feeling like all the blood in his body was about to stop flowing.

Su Zhiyan’s silent indifference just now was like a cold hook prying open a corner of his heart, making him suddenly wake up.

Only then did he realize that Su Zhiyan’s anger this time might be more serious than he had thought.

“Shen-gege,” she sat down next to Shen Nianjing and opened a pack of snacks, “so you’re my brother’s study buddy. I thought you two were really close.”

Shen Nianjing’s lips moved, surprised. “Buddy?”

“Is that what he said?”

Su Zhiyao nodded, noticing Shen Nianjing’s strange reaction, and said quietly, “Did my brother say something wrong?”

No.

Shen Nianjing thought gloomily.

His mood sank further. He wanted to look up toward Su Zhiyan’s room but didn’t have the courage. He said slowly, “I… made him angry.”

This answer didn’t match the question at all. Su Zhiyao frowned and said irritably, “Then you deserve it.”

“My brother doesn’t get angry easily. Either his anger goes away quickly, or he’s not the type to have negative emotions easily.”

“How did you make him angry?”

Shen Nianjing closed his eyes, full of self-mockery. “I lied to him.”

Su Zhiyao smirked. She knew their relationship wasn’t that simple.

But she didn’t ask what lie he told. Asking for details would be very rude.

“Then just go apologize.” Su Zhiyao said it like it was obvious. “Even friendship needs both people to work together to maintain it if you want it to last.”

“Apologize?”

“Yeah! You did something wrong. If you want to be forgiven, the first step is definitely to apologize.”

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her eyebrows sternly. “You weren’t hiding the fact that you’re tutoring me from my brother, were you? My brother doesn’t even know.”

“To be honest, I didn’t know either until I came here.” Shen Nianjing said seriously.

“…Okay then.” Su Zhiyao was speechless.

“My brother isn’t asleep yet. If you don’t go apologize now, are you going to wait until Monday at school? That’s way too late.”

“If you go home and then text him later, that’s also too late, and if you call him then you’ll disturb his rest.”

Shen Nianjing thought that going to apologize now would disturb his rest even more.

Besides, he wasn’t sure if Su Zhiyan wanted to see him right now.

First getting caught lying, then secretly coming to his house to tutor without telling him.

No matter how he thought about it, these weren’t things that would be easily forgiven.

Su Zhiyan looked like he didn’t want to deal with him at all just now. If he went over now, wouldn’t that make his condition worse?

“Stop hesitating! Hurry up and go. With this kind of courage, you still have the nerve to give me extra practice problems?” Su Zhiyao forcibly pushed him to Su Zhiyan’s bedroom door and gave him a look of disdain.

“?” Shen Nianjing stood stunned at the door. When he turned around, Su Zhiyao had already run into the study and shut the door with a “click.”

Shen Nianjing: “???”

This little girl’s ability to take action was comparable to her brother’s in some ways.

“…”

He looked silently at the door in front of him. The thoughts that had been going nowhere suddenly became clear.

They say you don’t turn back until you hit the wall. What harm was there in him hitting it once? Either way, every path led to a dead end.

All his previous plans were forgotten, as if all consequences didn’t exist, or as if he could bear any consequence.

Shen Nianjing raised his hand.

“Knock knock.” Two light taps.

“…”

Complete silence.

The overhead light in the hallway shone on the cream-colored door, blending with the warm light from the wall lamps to create a hazy glow.

Shen Nianjing raised his hand and gently touched the door.

Break through…

“Come in.” A soft voice came from inside.

And the path would open…

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