After the rain, the air was exceptionally fresh and filled with a faint floral fragrance, with a few sparse streetlamps dimming the field with a warm light. Even the night breeze felt extra gentle.
Xiang Yi wanted to cry but held it back.
“Mhmm.” She mumbled softly as her nose became stuffed.
“No crying!” Xiang Qi said viciously through his own nasally voice. He sniffed, pulled out his phone, and opened the camera. “You, hurry up and coax me!”
Xiang Yi: “Big brother is the best in the world?”
Xiang Qi corrected her. “Third Brother is the best in the world!”
Xiang Yi complied and filmed the video.
Xiang Qi was overjoyed. “I’m going to send this to Xiang Chen and them right now!”
The atmosphere between reconciled siblings was transparent with warmth.
A minute after the message was sent…
Xiang Yi curiously asked, “Did they respond?”
Xiang Qi took a look. Their eldest brother, Xiang Chen, had not replied. Probably because of the time difference, or because he was too busy working abroad.
Xiang Yu, the fourth brother, also didn’t respond. He was probably still shut in.
However, her busiest second brother, Xiang Li, had replied.
[Xiang Li]: Heh.
[Xiang Li]: /smile /smile
[Xiang Li]: Tomorrow, I plan on coming by the manor.
[Xiang Li]: The sun will rise as usual tomorrow, but you might not be able to see it.
Xiang Qi: …!!!
He hurriedly shoved his phone in his pocket, refusing to let Xiang Yi see the responses.
“Brother, just let me see it…” Xiang Yi whined.
“See what! Go to bed!” Xiang Qi turned on his big brother status. “Uhm, I have to go back to the studio and finish some designs.”
“Heh? So rushed? Won’t you stay one more night? You can leave after breakfast tomorrow…”
Ah ah ah he wanted so badly to eat the breakfast his little sister will make!
But… he needed to be alive to eat that…
Xiang Qi was conflicted for a few minutes, then solidified his stance. “No need to see me off, I’m going now, bye bye.”
He plunged headfirst into the night as if there was a mad dog behind him.
Xiang Yi: “…”
Her immature third brother was always so strange.
But at least she had reconciled with her third brother now, too. Thinking of this, the girl’s lips formed into a smile as her footsteps became light.
In the living room.
When Xiang Yi entered, Shi Sui was adjusting the projector. The screen was paused at the beginning of the film, which seemed to be a horror movie.
She just remembered they had bought the projector several years ago but had never used it.
“You want to watch a movie?”
Shi Sui turned around and raised a brow. “Xiang Qi won’t let you call me big brother, so you’re really not doing it?”
“Eh…” The girl wanted to take back her words but heard Shi Sui’s casual response. “Whatever you call me is the same.”
Xiang Yi: “Then… why don’t I just address you by your name?”
Calling him a senior seemed too strange indeed.
Calling him zaizai… She was afraid he would object.
Thinking back and forth, it seemed addressing him by his real name was the most appropriate.
Shi Sui’s eyelids drooped lazily, the light mildly reflecting around his soft silhouette. In the ray of light, an indistinct “mhm” could be heard.
“Shi Sui.”
The girl’s voice was soft. He had heard these words countless times, yet it had a different charm coming from her.
Inexplicably, it sounded even more intimate than when she had called him big brother.
He looked at her from a distance, his temperament as gentle and considerate as always. However, a faint flicker appeared in his dark eyes.
“Wanna watch a movie?” He asked.
“Okay, I’ll go get the popcorn!”
Waiting for Xiang Yi to return with her homemade milk-flavored popcorn.
Shi Sui poured out two glasses of juice and mixed a bowl of goat milk for Xiao Naofu.
Xiang Yi’s slow brain twitched for a moment and blurted out, “Aren’t we like a family of three, watching a family-friendly movie together.”
The room went quiet for a moment.