Brother's Lover

Chapter4

7.

"Do you really like that guy who plays basketball?" Qiqi asked.

"I, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? It's either yes or no. Can't you just be straightforward?"

"I really don't know. I've never felt like this before," Qianzhi innocently replied.

"Does your heart beat faster when you see him? Do you feel a vague but happy feeling when you think about him? Do you get nervous when you talk to him?" Qiqi asked a series of questions.

Qianzhi looked at her in surprise. "How do you know?"

She looked like she had a lot of experience and said, "People in love are mostly like this! So, do you want me to help you?"

"What?"

"I mean, help you find out about him and then confess to him."

Qianzhi shook her head. "I just want to keep watching him from afar like this."

"Really? Why?"

Qianzhi said lightly, "No reason. I just want to maintain the status quo and not disrupt anyone's life because of my feelings."

Qiqi couldn't believe her ears. "Just for this ridiculous reason? But what if he also likes you? What if he feels the same way as you? Then you'll miss each other. Will you be willing to accept that?"

She sighed softly. "Let it be. I don't dare to hope for too much happiness, for fear of ending up with nothing in the end."

Looking at her suddenly sad face, Qiqi realized that there had always been a hint of sadness in her eyebrows. She was actually very good at hiding her emotions. What was the real her like?

It was class time, and the classroom was quiet. Outside, the cicadas were chirping endlessly, annoyingly loud. Qianzhi was focused on her exercises with her head down. Qiqi lightly tapped her shoulder, and when she looked up, a note appeared in front of her: "Guess who I saw in the hallway just now?"

Qianzhi glanced at her and shook her head. Qiqi took the note, blinked mysteriously at her, and wrote below: "Zhong Mingjie! He said their basketball team has a game after school and hopes we'll come watch, at the indoor basketball court. Shall we go?"

Qianzhi looked at the note, thought for a moment, and wrote back: "But, isn't today our turn for classroom duty?"

Qiqi immediately saw it, took the note, and drew a big ghost face. Below was a sentence: "No matter what, we must go, it's a great chance to get closer to him!"

Qianzhi looked at it, smiled, and said nothing more.

"Hurry up! The game will start in five minutes," Qiqi dropped the broom and pulled Qianzhi along, running.

"Qiqi! Slow down, it's dangerous!" Qianzhi reminded her as she struggled to keep up, panting. Although school had been dismissed for a while, there were still students around. Running in the corridor like this could lead to accidents.

"No... we won't make it if we don't hurry..."

As they were speaking, suddenly, at the corner of the stairs, several figures appeared. Qiqi, who was running in front, managed to dodge to the side in time, but Qianzhi, unable to control her steps, collided heavily,

"Bang!"

Qianzhi, who fell to the ground, hurriedly stood up and instinctively apologized, "I'm so..."

"What's going on!" An angry voice interrupted her apology. When she looked up, she saw Xing Tuo's familiar and fierce face.

"Qianzhi, are you okay? Who's the i***t running..." Qiqi turned around angrily, but when she saw the person's face clearly, she took a sharp breath, and her voice disappeared.

At this moment, Xing Tuo also recognized the person who collided with him, surprisingly, it was her — Xia Qianzhi.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Finally, it was Shen Xinghao who spoke first from the side, "It's you, Qianzhi. I heard from Xing Yun that you would transfer to our school this semester, but I didn't expect us to meet under these circumstances. Are you okay?"

"So, you're Qianzhi, I've heard of you before!" Lei Xi smiled and said, interestingly glancing at Xing Tuo's suddenly cold face.

Qianzhi had an intuitive feeling that this person's smile was a bit dazzling.

"Don't you know how to apologize when you bump into someone? You really have no manners. I wonder how your mother taught you!" Xing Tuo's gaze cooled, with a mocking tone.

Qianzhi bit her lip, took a deep breath, raised her head to look directly at him. He always knew how to provoke her! She knew there was never anything good when she met him!

An invisible chill enveloped him and her, making the atmosphere strangely suffocating.

8.

"Apologies should be selective, not for just anyone." Her tone was icy. Over the years, she and her daughter had suffered enough grievances. Why should she endure his temper here?

Xing Tuo dangerously approached her, his towering 185 cm figure intimidating her 160 cm stature. She stood stubbornly, telling herself she wouldn't retreat any further.

"What did you say? Say it again," he demanded.

"I won't repeat the same words multiple times. I don't wish to reiterate," she said lightly.

Xing Tuo suddenly chuckled, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Xia Qianzhi, you're quite something! Much better than your weak mother! But, one day, you'll regret what you've said! Remember that!" Though the words were menacing, his tone was surprisingly gentle.

"Let's go," Xing Tuo said, then walked away.

Shen Xinghao watched Xing Tuo's unusual behavior with concern, exchanged a glance with Lei Xi, then followed suit without saying anything.

"Goodbye, Qianzhi!" Lei Xi smiled and waved at her.

In the blink of an eye, the three tall figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Tang Qiqi looked uneasily at Qianzhi's cold expression. Although she had many questions, this kind of Qianzhi was terrifying.

The two walked in silence, both forgetting about the basketball game.

"You must find it strange, right? He and I are half-siblings. And he's always disliked me," Qianzhi said calmly, with no expression on her face.

"You mean, you and Xing Tuo are..." Tang Qiqi's eyes widened in astonishment, she swallowed hard, unable to accept the news.

Qianzhi nodded, and fell silent.

"Even though you're siblings, you don't know what terrible things he might do if you anger him," Tang Qiqi said with concern.

"I'm not afraid of him."

"You have no idea how terrifying he is. Before..."

"Regardless, I'm not afraid of him," Qianzhi interrupted her. After so many years, she had had enough. It was time to let him know that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

"What did you say? Did my brother really say that?" Xing Yun stared at Shen Xinghao in front of her, asking loudly. Shen Xinghao nodded, "Mm."

"What should we do? Oh my god!" She paced nervously in the room. "No, I have to go find my dad before he does anything terrible!"

Shen Xinghao grabbed her arm. "Can you calm down? Perhaps he was just venting, after all, Xia Qianzhi is your and Tuo's sister."

Xing Yun forcefully shook off his hand. "How can I calm down! You know very well, with my brother's fearless personality, there's nothing he wouldn't do! And he's always denied that Qianzhi is his sister! Do you remember what happened two years ago?" Thinking of that incident made her shiver!

At that time, just promoted to high school, he was arrogant and domineering at school. When a senior tried to admonish him, he lashed out and hit him! It seemed like he had gone mad, no one dared to stop him. In the end, in front of everyone, he beat the senior to death! She was also there because the middle school and high school sections were connected. When she was notified to come, the senior was already lying on the ground, covered in blood, without any resistance! No matter how hard she cried and begged him to stop, he seemed deaf to her pleas, his mouth still carrying a cold smile! That bloody scene was something she would never forget in her life! And that terrifying smile haunted her for many nights! Later, their family used all their connections, spent a lot of money, and invited countless famous lawyers. In the end, because he was still a minor, he was only convicted of manslaughter! This incident wasn't reported by the media because their uncle used his influence in the political circle!

Thinking of this past event, Shen Xinghao also frowned. "Don't think of it as being so terrible. That incident can't be compared to what's happening now! And with me and Xi here, we won't let him do anything terrible. You can rest assured!"

"No! I really can't rest assured. I think I'll go find my dad!" She rushed towards the door.

"It's useless for you to go to your dad now! If Tuo denies it, your dad can't do anything! After all, nothing has happened now! Think about it, would Uncle Xing believe that Tuo would harm his own sister?"

One sentence from Shen Yun stopped her in her tracks. Yes, maybe her dad would think she was just overreacting! But she was worried. If something really happened to Qianzhi, how could she face her stepmother? Their family owed her and her daughter too much.