Chapter 52 - Old Street

After leaving the shopping mall, Xia Xinya sat on a small bench at the entrance, discussing with Bai Yuerou on her phone about what to eat later.

Suddenly, Xia Xinya’s eyes lit up with excitement. “How about Old Street? Let’s go there!”

Old Street was a famous snack street in Jizhou City, well-known among the locals.

Bai Yuerou nodded and looked at Tang Huaijin to see what he thought.

Tang Huaijin hadn’t been to Old Street with his sister for a long time, mainly because it was always so crowded. Seeing the two girls so eager, he didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so he agreed.

They drove to a spot not far from Old Street and parked the car, as there were already many people ahead and driving further would be inconvenient.

Xia Xinya pouted as she looked at the bustling crowd on the street. “Why are there so many people?”

“It’s normal. Everyone wants to make the most of the last bit of the National Day holiday. It’ll probably get even busier later,” Tang Huaijin explained, checking the time.

The three of them strolled and snacked along the way, and surprisingly, they were almost full. Tang Huaijin looked at Xia Xinya, who was still holding a skewer of grilled rice cakes, and teased, “What’s wrong? Is the big eater finally full?”

Despite her small stature, Xia Xinya had quite an appetite. She would buy several skewers of snacks at a time, and Tang Huaijin couldn’t help but wonder where all the food went. With a mischievous thought, he glanced at Xia Xinya’s small behind.

Xia Xinya frowned, reluctantly eyeing the rice cake in her hand. She seemed to want to force herself to finish it, but she was too stuffed. Seeing Tang Huaijin still teasing her, she glared at him and thrust the skewer toward him, saying in a playful tone, “You eat it!”

To her surprise, Tang Huaijin cheerfully accepted it, examining the rice cake. “I used to give the food I couldn’t finish to my dad.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Xia Xinya retorted, annoyed. Then, noticing Bai Yuerou’s amused expression, she quickly realized what Tang Huaijin meant and blushed with embarrassment. “You pervert! You’re taking advantage of me! You’re so dead!”

With that, she lunged at Tang Huaijin, ready to give him a piece of her mind. But Tang Huaijin, not one to be easily caught, deftly dodged her, holding her small hands with one of his own and playfully flicking her forehead with the other.

“Ow!” Xia Xinya yelped, clutching her forehead. Knowing Tang Huaijin wouldn’t go easy on her, she pouted and took a couple of steps back, trying to escape to Bai Yuerou’s side.

“Hey! Watch out!” With so many people on the street, Xia Xinya’s sudden retreat made her unaware of the person behind her. The person, carrying something, shouted as she bumped into them.

Tang Huaijin quickly stepped forward, pulling her into his arms to protect her, and gave an apologetic smile to the person behind her.

The man, holding a bowl of spicy tripe, was startled. If she had bumped into him, the bowl would have ended up on her head. He gave them an annoyed look and walked past with his bowl.

Realizing she had nearly caused an accident, Xia Xinya wriggled out of Tang Huaijin’s embrace without a word, jogging over to Bai Yuerou and giving Tang Huaijin another glare, though her cheeks were flushed.

Bai Yuerou comfortingly patted her head and smiled at Tang Huaijin. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go,” Tang Huaijin nodded, glancing at the crowded street with a slight frown. “Stay close to me,” he instructed, leading the way out.

With him paving the way, Bai Yuerou followed closely behind, while Xia Xinya brought up the rear, dutifully holding Yuerou’s hand.

The crowd was overwhelming, and Huaijin had to constantly check to see if the two girls were keeping up. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to Yuerou, saying, “Let me hold your hand.”

After all, they’d held hands once before. They were friends, and it was just a practical gesture.

Yuerou was a bit surprised but quickly took Huaijin’s hand, murmuring softly, “Okay…”

The trio navigated through the bustling crowd, finally emerging from Old Street and reaching the Bentley. As soon as they were out, Huaijin released Yuerou’s hand.

Sitting comfortably in the plush leather seat, Xinya let out a contented sigh, “I’m so tired.”

Huaijin rolled his eyes, “I carried all the stuff. What are you tired from?”

Yuerou chuckled, “Xinya’s always like this. She’s full of energy while we’re out, but as soon as she’s in the car, she complains about being tired.”

Xinya giggled, then seemed to remember something and turned to Huaijin, curious, “Hey, what do you usually do for fun, you rascal?”

“Me?” Huaijin laughed, “Oh, you know, just the usual-murder and arson.”

Even Xinya, with her limited wit, knew he was joking. She pouted, “Come on, I’m being serious.”

“Hmm…” Huaijin pondered briefly before smiling, “Honestly, not much. Besides part-time work, I mostly just go shopping with my sister.”

“What? You have a part-time job? What kind of job?” Xinya asked instinctively, but seeing Huaijin’s amused expression, she quickly remembered their first meeting was at the bookstore.

Realizing her mistake, she stammered, “Well, that must be boring for you.”

“It’s not too bad. I have my sister, and that’s what life’s about,” Huaijin replied, not minding his lack of leisure activities. As long as he was with his sister, he was happy.

Yuerou glanced at Xinya, smiling gently, “Then we should invite Jin to hang out with us more often.”

Xinya nodded, feigning arrogance, “Alright, for Rou’s sake, I’ll allow you to join us.”

“…We’ll see,” Huaijin replied, a bit exasperated. He had a sister who got jealous easily. Luckily, she hadn’t asked about this outing; otherwise, there’d be trouble.

The car stopped at the entrance to Huaijin’s neighborhood. After bidding the two farewell, he got out and left.

Once Huaijin’s figure disappeared from view, Yuerou turned to find Xinya staring at her intently. Feeling a bit guilty, she asked, “What are you looking at, Xinya?”

Xinya scrutinized Yuerou for a moment before asking, “You don’t have a crush on him, do you, Rou? You seem pretty close to him.”

“No, don’t be silly,” Yuerou replied, her expression a bit unnatural. “You’re overthinking it.”

Seeing Xinya’s skeptical look, Yuerou added, “Besides, aren’t you closer to him than I am? By your logic, do you like him too?”

Xinya’s face turned red, and she pouted, reaching over to tickle Yuerou. The two of them burst into laughter, playfully tussling in the back seat.

…

Tang Huaijin returned home and was relieved to find his sister hadn’t come back yet. He quickly sent her a message, letting her know he was home.

His sister replied promptly: “I’ll be home in ten minutes.”

Tang Huaijin swiftly changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas. He decided against taking a shower, as it would make the scent he was trying to mask too obvious.

Five minutes later, the sound of Tang Yaoyao unlocking the door echoed through the house.

Tang Huaijin greeted her with a cheerful smile, taking her bag as he said, “Welcome home, sis.”

Tang Yaoyao let her brother help her out of her coat, revealing a white sweater underneath. Her full chest accidentally brushed against him, causing her cheeks to flush as she playfully complained, “Jin, I’m so tired.”

Tang Huaijin guided her to the sofa and poured her a glass of water, asking, “What did you do to get so tired?”

Tang Yaoyao snuggled against him, tugging at his collar and sniffing a few times. Not detecting any unusual scent, she relaxed and sprawled across his lap, wriggling slightly as she said in a sweet voice, “I didn’t go anywhere special, just took a lot of photos and had dinner there. It was awful, not even a tenth-no, a hundredth-as good as what Jin cooks.”

Afterward, Tang Yaoyao curiously asked, “Where did you go, Jin?”

Tang Huaijin had already prepared an answer. With a smile, he said, “I went to see a movie with some friends and then took a stroll down Old Street. It was packed with people.”

Since she didn’t catch any suspicious scent, Tang Yaoyao didn’t question further. She nodded and said, “Yeah, it was super crowded where we went too. We could only manage to take a couple of photos.”

To divert her attention, Tang Huaijin suggested with a smile, “How about showing me the photos you took, sis?”

Tang Yaoyao pouted and pulled out her phone from her bag, grumbling, “Han Yaoyao’s photography skills are terrible. I always take pictures of her first, let her see them, and then she takes mine, but they still turn out awful. Next time, Jin should come with me.” Despite her complaints, she handed the phone to Tang Huaijin.

Tang Huaijin began browsing through the photos. It seemed his sister had visited a quaint little bookstore, with a charming ambiance that lent a literary vibe to the pictures. Her outfit-a trench coat-added to the aesthetic, especially in the portrait shot where her long legs in jeans extended gracefully, exuding both elegance and beauty.

Seeing Tang Huaijin staring intently at the photo, Tang Yaoyao squinted with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of pride, “Do you like this one, Jin?”

“I love it, you look stunning, sis.”

Watching Tang Huaijin nod like a pecking chick, Tang Yaoyao’s smile grew even wider. She took back the phone and sent the photo to her brother, then picked up his phone and entered her birthday on the lock screen.

The phone unlocked, as expected, but Tang Yaoyao couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. Just like her lock screen was Jin’s birthday, his lock screen was definitely his sister’s birthday.

Sister belongs to brother, and brother belongs to sister.

Opening her chat on his WeChat, she saved the photo and set it as the lock screen, replacing the old one she’d taken ages ago. Only then did Tang Yaoyao contentedly put down Tang Huaijin’s phone.

Seeing Tang Huaijin just smiling at her without saying a word, Tang Yaoyao let out a soft hum, her lips curling up. She snuggled into his arms again, her voice tender, “Jin, do you think your sister is too bossy?”

“Not at all.” Tang Huaijin toyed with his sister’s soft, smooth hand, speaking gently, “After all, there’s only one Tang Yaoyao in the world. If I don’t spoil you, who else would I spoil?”

“Mm, Jin is so good.” Tang Yaoyao squinted her charming eyes, a playful smile on her face, as she gently caressed Tang Huaijin’s cheek, her voice soft, “Sister rewards you with a kiss.”

Tang Huaijin had almost no resistance against his sister. Her delicate hand gliding across his face already made his breathing slightly heavier.

Hearing her words filled with deep affection, Tang Huaijin couldn’t hold back any longer. He brushed aside her hand and kissed those slightly parted red lips.

To Tang Huaijin’s surprise, perhaps feeling her brother’s affection, Tang Yaoyao responded with a few shy, awkward movements.

The siblings stayed close for quite a while before Tang Yaoyao covered Tang Huaijin’s mouth, whispering softly, “That’s enough, the reward is over.”

Tang Huaijin felt equally satisfied, the long-awaited response from his sister filled his heart with joy.

Yaoyao got up from the sofa, adjusted the sweater around her waist, her cheeks still flushed with a lingering blush, and said softly, “Then I’ll go take a shower and sleep. Jin, goodnight.”

“Mm, goodnight, sis.”