Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 49

Xu Luzhi had been diligently working these past few days to the point where Xu Luwei felt something was off.

Initially, she just watched the young girl run back and forth with a cold eye, but after a full week, Xu Luzhi was still maintaining that level of enthusiasm, so she finally stopped Xu Luzhi, who was busy in the kitchen, and asked, “Why the sudden interest in learning to cook?”

Xu Luzhi blinked, wearing a look of utter confusion, “Isn’t this very normal? I’m already that old, of course, I should learn how to cook.”

“Oh, is that so?” Xu Luwei smiled slightly, not buying it, “But just last week you said you never wanted to learn how to cook in your life.”

She spoke slowly and gently, with a hint of teasing, “What happened? Did something motivate you?”

The young girl’s thoughts were all written on her face; perhaps she could hide them from others, but never from her older sister.

“Sister!” Xu Luzhi’s face inexplicably turned red, embarrassed that her little secret was seen through, but this only made her more determined, “Yes, I want to learn how to cook, to cook for… her!”

She said it firmly and openly, with grace, not mentioning who “she” was, but both sisters knew perfectly well.

Who else could it be?

Recalling Lin Qingyue’s devastatingly beautiful appearance, Xu Luwei sighed and shook her head, not stopping Xu Luzhi. Instead, she stood idly by, watching her turn on the heat.

Hot oil poured into the pan with a sizzling sound. Xu Luzhi instinctively flinched but managed to stand her ground without stepping back. After steadying herself, she cracked an egg against the side of the pan.

The egg liquid flowed in, and a fragrance spread out. Xu Luzhi hastily picked up the spatula to stir-fry, rushing to break the egg into small pieces before the liquid solidified, then whoosh, she poured in a plate of pre-cut cucumbers.

After a few stirs, she remembered the plate of shredded meat next to her. It wasn’t too late to add it now. Xu Luzhi closed her eyes in resignation and stirred randomly for a bit.

When the dish was done, Xu Luzhi approached Xu Luwei with a bright smile, her voice sickeningly sweet, “Sister, would you like to try some? Freshly made, it’s so fresh~”

Xu Luwei looked down at the plate containing an unrecognizable mixture of ingredients. It had some aroma and color, but as for the taste…

She closed her eyes, recalling the strange flavors that had lingered on her tongue these past few days, and truly dared not try it again.

Xu Luwei smiled gently and decided to deflect the trouble: “Mm, the vegetables Auntie Lin picked early this morning are indeed very fresh. Why don’t you let her try it first?”

Xu Luzhi certainly understood her sister’s intention she just didn’t want to taste test. Unfortunately, Auntie Lin wasn’t foolish either. Although she fully cooperated with her requests and tried the dish a few times, she was absolutely unwilling to eat it again.

Don’t ask why; just know that years of friendship were easily ruined by one plate of food.

Xu Luzhi remembered Auntie Lin’s pained expression; she almost bowed down to her: “Zhizhi, listen to Auntie Lin, just stop cooking, okay? Whatever you want to eat every day, Auntie Lin will make it for you!”

Xu Luzhi couldn’t help but want to laugh, thinking to herself that her ability to eat the fried rice Xu Luzhi made, even with the terrible taste, showed a love as deep as the ocean.

“Forget it, I’ll eat it myself.” Xu Luzhi shook her head, no longer forcing her sister to cooperate, and picked up a pair of chopsticks, ready to risk poisoning herself without hesitation.

She shakily picked up a bite, sniffed it carefully with her little nose, identified a slightly burnt piece of egg, blew on it to cool it down, and hesitantly put it in her mouth. The taste wasn’t that bad.

She could vaguely recognize that it was egg and that salt had been added.

Xu Luzhi nodded in satisfaction, took out a small tablet, and began to seriously review the problems from this attempt.

The young girl frowned slightly, her small hand swiping across the tablet. She quickly scrolled past the densely packed list of records until she reached the last blank page. Xu Luzhi wrote down today’s problem stroke by stroke:

The steps were correct, but practice still needed improvement. It was strange; she never shook her hands when doing chemistry experiments, so why was she always careless when cooking?

Xu Luzhi pursed her lips, calculating in her mind that at this pace, her cooking would probably be edible by the time school started.

Edible meant it wouldn’t be far from delicious.

She was determined to capture Lin Qingyue’s stomach, and then her heart.

Xu Luzhi bowed her head, writing earnestly. Her fair neck curved into a beautiful arc. Her hair had grown quite long, nearly reaching her shoulders, with a few wispy strands always falling near her cheeks that she had to push back with her fingers from time to time.

Xu Luwei stood behind her without realizing it, gently placing her hands on her sister’s shoulders. Her gaze swept over the notes she was diligently making, her handwriting elegant and neat, every stroke filled with intention.

She stood quietly for a while before speaking softly, “I’ll take you to get a haircut in a couple of days.”

With a glance down, she unintentionally noticed that the gentle curve of Xu Luzhi’s chest seemed to have increased slightly.

Xu Luwei added another sentence, “And pick out some suitable underwear.”

A girl of seventeen or eighteen grows fast, and Xu Luzhi, eating well every day, naturally developed faster.

She seemed to change a little more every few days.

Xu Luzhi replied quietly without turning around, “Okay.”

Looking at the young girl’s clear and beautiful face, Xu Luwei was surprised to find that she had matured a bit more, slowly shedding the childishness and baby fat from her face, her features becoming more refined and captivating.

Both physically and mentally, she was constantly announcing that she was growing up.

Like a seed about to sprout, she was impossible to ignore, and impossible to bend.

On an ordinary workday, Lin Qingyue clocked in at the folk music hall.

The guzheng piece she played was the same as usual, and Meng Fan next to her was still offering veiled remarks. Lin Qingyue, veiled in a thin white gauze, plucked the strings with delicate hands, the music flowing like cold water.

Even though the scene was completely ordinary, she always felt restless, an emptiness, as if something was missing.

What was missing?

Above the veil, the woman’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes suddenly widened, then slowly blinked, and she understood in her heart.

It had been a full three days since she last saw Xu Luzhi.

Xu Luzhi was a determined person; she always did what she said she would. She had promised to visit her every day, and she truly hadn’t missed a single one.

She never hesitated to pay the entrance fee; she even proactively asked Xing Fei if she could get a monthly pass.

This often resulted in Lin Qingyue having the hall all to herself whenever she started work. Of course, it didn’t mean she had to work as hard; sitting idly and chatting, watching the child code, could pass the time for a whole day.

Xing Fei had wanted to earn more money, but when the boss’s daughter, Lulu, heard about it, she felt they shouldn’t profit from a minor. Plus, sharing a similar feeling, she immediately decided to grant Xu Luzhi a lifetime free pass.

The condition, however… she had called the little one over for a private chat, and she didn’t know exactly what the terms were.

She only watched as the returning Xu Luzhi’s little face gradually flushed red against her will.

But it had been a full three days, and Xu Luzhi hadn’t shown up at the folk music hall on time with her schoolbag to wave hello.

She had messaged to inform her, being mysterious and saying she had a surprise for her.

Lin Qingyue shook her head and smiled faintly, her thoughts wandering on the guzheng strings. She, who had always been free of worries, how had she developed a kind of… dependence on a young girl?

However… Lin Qingyue recalled the content of the message and confirmed that Xu Luzhi had said she would come today, but later, asking her not to worry.

Lin Qingyue had lazily replied at the time, “I’m not worried.”

But now, she realized she was indeed a little anxious.

How strange. She had already played several pieces, but why was it only around ten in the morning?

Even lunch was still a long way off.

Lin Qingyue’s thoughts flickered, and she accidentally hit several wrong notes in succession. Although it wasn’t very noticeable during the ensemble, it made Meng Fan glance over frequently.

She quickly composed herself, concentrating on playing, deliberately ignoring Meng Fan’s gaze.

In reality, with Lin Qingyue’s level of skill, muscle memory had long been formed, so she could play smoothly even if her mind wandered.

But now, her focus kept slipping, and even her gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the entrance, wishing she could see through the layers of screens to see if a certain person was there.

Finally, after half an hour, with a sharp buzz, Lin Qingyue felt a sting in her fingertip and froze.

She had forcefully broken a string of the guzheng.

Broken strings were common; it had happened to Lin Qingyue often before, but she clearly knew the reason this time was vastly different.

It was like a candle flame flickering in the night wind, impossible to stop, forcing herself to cover it with her hand and claim there was no light.

Meng Fan also stopped playing the pipa and came closer, asking gently, “Qingyue, what’s wrong with you today?”

She saw Xu Luzhi every day. From initial indifference to later vigilance, she couldn’t do anything about it, only hoping that because the girl was still a child, Lin Qingyue wouldn’t develop feelings for her.

What a joke! Although Xu Luzhi was taller than her, her chest wasn’t even half the size of hers!

Meng Fan bit her lip and tentatively asked, “Do you want to go rest for a while? It’s almost lunchtime anyway.”

The folk music hall had a relaxed structure, and Lin Qingyue was naturally easygoing, but she was always diligent in her work, never late or leaving early.

Now, she paused to think for a moment and nodded, “Okay.”

Then Meng Fan watched as Lin Qingyue picked up her guzheng and left, quickly going upstairs, her graceful figure disappearing from sight.

Meng Fan bit her lower lip, a chill settling in her heart.

She had known Lin Qingyue for many years and witnessed various people pursue her. No matter how passionate or ambiguous the pursuit, Lin Qingyue had never shown much emotional fluctuation.

But now, Lin Qingyue had made a mistake in her playing, broken a string, and even agreed to go upstairs to rest.

For whom? The answer was obvious.

Meng Fan hugged her pipa and felt like she couldn’t stand steady. The image of the smiling, cheerful girl flashed clearly in her mind. She had never seriously considered the other girl a competitor, but unknowingly, her home had been invaded.

Snap the pipa that had been with her for many years also easily snapped a string.

Meng Fan smiled bitterly in silence, unsure whether to feel happy or sad.

Lin Qingyue, whose heart always felt empty, seemed to be experiencing the feeling of caring for someone for the first time. The pity was that the object of her affection was not her.

Fortunately, she still had almost a year. If a string breaks, just re-string it can still produce a good tone.

Meng Fan knew very well that Lin Qingyue would never agree to any substantial relationship until she was truly an adult.

That was her moral bottom line! Besides, with that flat chest, how could she even manage it?

Meng Fan unconsciously puffed out her chest. She had always been satisfied with her gentle temperament and hot figure, which were competitive anywhere, only slightly inferior to Lin Qingyue.

Being close to the water tower gives one the advantage of the moon. Once Xu Luzhi starts school, we’ll see how she comes over every day!