Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 34

With just one lightly worded sentence from Xu Luwei, she could negate every possibility for Xu Luzhi.

Xu Luzhi’s brain was still a bit fuzzy, but she keenly perceived the implication: “…Why does it have to be about you?”

The young girl’s voice was soft, yet carried a hint of reluctance, and she said very firmly in a small voice, “Why can’t it be about my friend?”

Xu Luzhi pouted, looking at Xu Luwei, her small face full of questioning.

Did being her older sister’s friend at the beginning mean she had to be her friend forever? Couldn’t she, Xu Luzhi, have friends too?

Xu Luwei’s expression was calm: “Ying Ying, Fu Shixuan are both your friends.”

Xu Luzhi countered: “Lin Qingyue is too.”

“She is seven years older than you,” Xu Luwei gently repeated, without even sparing a glance for her. “Zhizhi, you aren’t an adult yet.”

Xu Luzhi felt agitated. Because she had been drinking, her heart was thumping, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet car, making her feel restless.

She couldn’t help but argue: “So what?”

Just being a year younger, to have everything forbidden what kind of logic was that? Would she, Xu Luzhi, not be Xu Luzhi next year, but evolve into something else?

She was always logical and clear headed, but now, all that was left was emotional venting. She forgot about moving gradually (Xu Xu Tu Zhi) and using retreat as a strategy (Yi Tui Wei Jin), only wanting to stubbornly push head on.

With drunken, hazy eyes, the little girl stared at her own older sister, filled with grievance and nothing but annoyance.

To be acknowledged as Lin Qingyue’s “girlfriend” was one thing, but now she had to be stopped from seeing her sister every day it was so annoying! She had never realized before that Xu Luwei had such strong possessiveness.

Xu Luwei smiled faintly: “You know yourself.”

She wasn’t planning on lecturing too much; Zhizhi was in a rebellious phase, and saying too much would only be counterproductive. A hint should suffice. Zhizhi was a smart child and should understand the unspoken meaning.

Unfortunately, the current Xu Luzhi was not the clear-headed Xu Luzhi from usual, but one whose mind was clouded by alcohol.

Hearing those words, she became even more certain of her suspicion. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she finally couldn’t hold back: “Sister, do you… like her?”

In Xu Luzhi’s memory, Xu Luwei was a generous person. Whatever toy she liked, her sister never hesitated to give it up. This was the first time she had seen Xu Luwei go to such lengths to obstruct her.

Thinking it over and over, if it wasn’t because she also liked Lin Qingyue, there was no better reason. Recalling everything that had happened, Xu Luwei had clearly admitted she liked someone, and it was likely a girl. If it wasn’t Lin Qingyue, who else could it be?

Xu Luzhi felt a dull ache in her heart. When the guess became reality, she realized how complicated the situation was. Even though she said the right things, she actually didn’t want to fight her sister for anything. It was fine for her sister to inherit the family business; her parents’ praise all went to her sister too. Zhizhi only wanted a little bit, just a tiny bit.

But even the moon in the sky, her sister wanted to snatch it away.

Sister is bad, but… but it seems like Zhizhi is the one who was a step too late.

Xu Luzhi lowered her long eyelashes, her eyelids drooping, looking indescribably dejected. She had never hated herself this much, never hated seventeen-year-old Zhizhi so much.

“I can go to university right away. I’m not a child anymore, Sister…” The young girl spoke with a soft voice, almost begging, urgently revealing herself, trying to prove something.

Seventeen-year-old Xu Luzhi was a top student genius, the campus pure campus belle, capable of writing programs not inferior to upperclassmen, but she couldn’t openly pursue the person she liked.

Xu Luwei intentionally or unintentionally ignored the question of whether she liked Lin Qingyue, only lightly tapping her: “You got drunk outside. Should I tell Mom and Dad?”

“Sister, you!” Xu Luzhi hadn’t expected that even at her age, Xu Luwei would use telling their parents as a threat. However, strict household rules were something they both knew well. They could do whatever they wanted usually, but crossing a certain line meant facing punishment.

Xu Luzhi felt a little guilty. She really shouldn’t have indulged herself, getting drunk just to tease Lin Qingyue. However…

She touched her cheek somewhat annoyed, feeling the lingering warmth, and whispered, “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know my tolerance for alcohol was so low…”

One cup and she was out it was too embarrassing.

Xu Luwei found it a bit amusing: “You’ve never drunk alcohol before, so of course, you get drunk easily.”

Xu Luzhi softly replied, “Mm,” and stopped defending herself. She had done wrong, and saying more was useless.

She just asked gloomily, “Then… can I still go out?” As long as she could go out, she had a chance to find Lin Qingyue. The sky is the limit; no one could control her.

Xu Luwei’s voice was gentle: “You know the rules at home.”

Whenever they made a mistake, Father and Mother Xu wouldn’t scold or hit them, but rather gently reason with them, and once the reasoning was done, they would be grounded. It wasn’t exactly house arrest, but rather a period of reflection since she made a mistake outside, she wouldn’t be allowed out for at least a week and had to work with Aunt Lin at home. It was a form of labor education to temper her spirit.

“Okay,” Xu Luzhi looked up, her round eyes full of pleading. “Then… Sister, please don’t tell Mom and Dad, okay?”

At this moment, Xu Luwei was the person she trusted most. Even if her sister was strict, she was still more reassuring than their parents. If her parents found out, even though there wouldn’t be scolding, just their quiet gaze would make Xu Luzhi feel a deep seated fear.

“Okay,” Xu Luwei nodded. The vehicle stopped steadily by the roadside. She unbuckled her seatbelt and looked into her sister’s bright, clean eyes. “For this week, if you go out, I’ll go with you.”

“Any objections?” the woman asked with a gentle smile.

Xu Luzhi was stunned for a moment, then cheered and threw herself forward to hug her. She rubbed against Xu Luwei’s shoulder, the other’s long hair brushing her face, the scent of bitter tea filling her nose. Xu Luzhi said softly from the bottom of her heart, “Sister is the best!”

Although having someone follow her was annoying, being allowed to go out meant everything was still possible.

Xu Luwei patiently allowed her sister to cling to her and fuss for a while, then lightly reminded her: “Then you have to be good.” She shouldn’t do anything inappropriate or say anything out of line.

Xu Luzhi’s mind was completely clear now. She nodded solemnly and said quietly, “Zhizhi will be obedient.” A small impatience ruins a great plan. Perhaps her sister wasn’t as rigid as she imagined. As long as Zhizhi behaved well, her sister would surely give her a chance, right?

“Good,” Xu Luwei smiled, a hint of indescribable fatigue in her expression.

Watching the young girl unbuckle her seatbelt and dash out of the car, she leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. When she opened them again, the flawless smile remained.

Xu Luzhi can be immature; she can be willful. But Xu Luwei cannot be immature or willful. The name Xu Luwei meant she had to always be dignified and elegant to deserve the title of the Eldest Miss of the Xu family.

Xu Luzhi got out of the car and stealthily entered the main gate. She had planned to sneak in without her parents noticing, but as soon as she walked in, she was called out.

“Zhizhi, why are you back so late again?” Father Xu called out to her, asking with sternness softened by warmth.

Xu Luzhi put her hands behind her back, not changing her expression, and told a little lie: “…I went to borrow a book from the senior student, and she treated me to dinner afterward.”

Father Xu’s expression softened slightly, but he still instructed her, “You must inform us next time, otherwise we worry about you.”

“Yes, and you shouldn’t be running around outside all day. Try to eat at home as much as possible,” Mother Xu added gently in agreement.

Xu Luzhi pursed her lips, looking as obedient as possible, and replied crisply, “Okay!”

“Alright, go back to your room. Your sister too, coming back so late.” After saying this, Father Xu went to watch TV, only offering a word of concern for Xu Luwei, who would be arriving later, without questioning where she had been.

Xu Luzhi went upstairs, stuck out her tongue, and deeply felt the unfairness of age. Being a child was truly worrying; this wasn’t allowed, that wasn’t allowed.

Xu Luzhi dutifully followed the rules, staying in her room to read, or else following Aunt Lin around, listening to her daily chatter, and helping with small chores like picking vegetables.

But after only half a day, she couldn’t stand it anymore and tried to subtly find out news about Lin Qingyue.

Xu Luwei had left early that morning. Even though it was considered vacation time, she had to attend a meeting at the branch company in Lincheng and handle some urgent matters. Xu Luzhi knew the importance of priorities; work was naturally the most important and shouldn’t be easily disturbed by something minor like hers.

She looked longingly at the tall courtyard gate. There was no lock on it, and if she snuck out, Aunt Lin wouldn’t tell her sister.

However… Xu Luzhi paced around the gate twice, even touching the door opening button several times, but ultimately lowered her hand in frustration.

The young girl stood there with her head bowed, looking somewhat dejected, her thin and slender back appearing particularly solitary and helpless.

Aunt Lin felt a pang of sympathy and rushed over to ask, “Zhizhi, what’s wrong?”

Xu Luzhi shook her head and whispered, “Nothing.” Just grounded. Her eyelids drooped, she looked listless, yet she still tried to force a smile.

Aunt Lin was experienced and instantly saw through it: “Did you get in trouble and get grounded again?”

Xu Luzhi nodded, then shook her head: “I chose not to go out myself.” That was technically true; her parents hadn’t grounded her, and Xu Luwei couldn’t control her, but she was obeying the rule by not leaving the door.

But oh, how she missed Lin Qingyue. She wondered how she was doing right now.

Xu Luzhi tapped on the WeChat chat window several times, wanting to send a message, but hesitated and put down her phone. She had rarely seen Lin Qingyue reply to messages, so perhaps her sister didn’t like chatting on the phone. If she had the chance, she still wanted to get close to Lin Qingyue face to face and feel the warmth of the moonlight.

Lin Qingyue hadn’t seen Xu Luzhi for a whole week. Or rather, she hadn’t seen her alone.

She had hesitated for a while, but since she decided to stay in Lincheng, she didn’t change her mind. After resting enough in the hotel, she changed clothes and went out to look for a job.

Lin Qingyue went straight to the largest traditional music store in Lincheng and knocked on the owner’s door. At the entrance, she unexpectedly ran into Meng Fan.

The woman, dressed in a ruqun (a traditional Chinese dress with a short top over a long skirt), had eyes shimmering like water: “Qingyue, I knew you would come here.”

Meng Fan stared at her, her gaze clearly probing: “You aren’t together with Xu Luwei, are you?”

“So what if I am, so what if I’m not?” Lin Qingyue smiled casually, her peach blossom eyes curving into crescent moons, showing she didn’t care about such things at all.

“If not, then I will wait for you forever,” Meng Fan said firmly. She originally had a reserved and introverted personality, but now that she had spoken it aloud, it didn’t seem so hard to say. As long as Lin Qingyue didn’t reject her, she could keep waiting until the day the other woman opened her heart.

“As you wish,” Lin Qingyue tossed back lightly, turning to the middle-aged woman in front of her and explaining her purpose for seeking employment.

Xing Fei had a serene and elegant temperament, yet possessed the shrewdness of a businesswoman. With just a quick glance, she discerned the unusual atmosphere between the two.

She subtly tested Lin Qingyue, smiling gently: “If you come in, you will have to cooperate with others. Is that okay?”

Lin Qingyue shook her head: “I’m used to cooperation; it’s not an issue.”

The woman wore a well-fitted qipao that was full where it should be shapely and elegantly slender where it should be thin; her long hair was styled up like a dark crow. Her peach blossom eyes were bright, possessing a reserved, classical allure.

After asking her to play a segment, her technique and emotion were both top-notch; no one would refuse such an applicant. Xing Fei hired Lin Qingyue without hesitation, offering her a salary comparable to Meng Fan’s, and said kindly: “You and Meng Fan will play the pipa and guzheng respectively you’ll have many opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

Lin Qingyue curved her lips: “Good.” She couldn’t give up such excellent pay and benefits just because Meng Fan was there. It was better to be guarded than to be constantly on alert. She had always been casual and at ease, not afraid of awkwardness. Except for that man, perhaps.

Lin Qingyue’s expression darkened slightly before quickly returning to normal.

On her first day of work, Xing Fei didn’t assign any tasks she just told them to play some pieces casually at the store entrance to attract customers. In common terms, they were the storefront display, like having a loudspeaker, only the loudspeaker was now a living person.

Lin Qingyue had no objections. She took out a piece of white gauze and lightly covered half her face, her red lips and chin hidden vaguely beneath the sheer fabric, revealing only a pair of sparkling, mesmerizing peach blossom eyes. She was devastatingly beautiful.

Xing Fei found it novel: “Still holding the pipa half-concealed?”

Lin Qingyue smiled nonchalantly: “Maintaining a sense of mystery.”

“That works too,” Xing Fei didn’t want to interfere too much. A beauty covered up was still a beauty; keeping things fresh was fine.

Meng Fan looked at Lin Qingyue with some disbelief, not understanding where she got the confidence. Despite being in a situation like a stray dog, she still insisted on her own rules, as if unwilling to show her face and be found, and the boss actually tolerated it.

Watching Lin Qingyue sit down at the entrance gracefully and pluck the guzheng strings while masked, her movements flowing like water. She was momentarily lost in thought again and sighed inwardly.

Yes, what she had always liked was precisely Lin Qingyue’s untamed spirit, her mysterious distance, like the moon reflected on water close enough to touch, yet shattering at a touch. This feeling of unconquerable longing was captivating.

Meng Fan also brought her pipa over and sat down. She didn’t need to cover her face, nor did she need to strain to match the strings; she only needed to follow Lin Qingyue’s rhythm. They had collaborated too many times to know each other’s musical timing perfectly; they could play together fluently without thinking.

Meng Fan suddenly felt a bit grateful that she still had the chance to perform a piece so closely alongside Lin Qingyue.