Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 8

The pigtails were rebraided, and Xu Luzhi no longer had a reason to stay.

She stood up reluctantly, staring at the half-empty bottle of red wine on the table, and whispered, “Sister is not allowed to drink anymore.”

Lin Qingyue glanced at her indifferently: “What’s wrong, does a little kid have so much to manage?”

Xu Luzhi propped her chin, tilted her head, and blinked innocently: “If Sister drinks too much, she won’t be able to eat Zhi Zhi’s birthday cake.”

“That would make Zhi Zhi very sad,” her voice was sweet and charming, full of a pleading tone.

Lin Qingyue hated people meddling in her business, so she had deliberately chosen a deserted corner, shielded from all discussions and glances, only wanting to drink a few glasses to sort out her tangled thoughts.

Who would have thought she’d be bossed around by a little kid.

But looking at Xu Luzhi’s naive and bright face, and listening to her clear and sweet words, Lin Qingyue somehow couldn’t get angry. She watched helplessly as the girl hid the red wine bottle behind her, confiscating it triumphantly.

It was as if she had collected a trophy, showing off, her small face radiating with a look of satisfied accomplishment, as if she had completed some great feat.

Lin Qingyue was resigned, her thin lips slightly pursed. Considering the pigtails she had just braided for her, she would… let it go for now.

“Sister, how about a drink?” Xu Luzhi magically produced over a dozen kinds of beverages on the table. The packaging was covered in foreign script, ranging from juices to milk, all readily available.

Lin Qingyue shook her head. Perhaps it was because she had drunk too much earlier, her tone now carried a hint of languor: “No, thanks.”

She didn’t even realize that her words carried a slight petulant tone, like a child.

Xu Luzhi stood there dumbfounded. After a moment, she put the wine bottle back in its original spot, testing the waters tentatively: “Then… Sister, perhaps you should drink wine after all?”

The exquisitely carved red wine bottle stood out awkwardly amongst the array of beverages, the liquid inside sloshing conspicuously.

Lin Qingyue curved her lips, amused by the situation, and shook her head casually: “No need.”

She didn’t feel like drinking anything now, she just wanted to rest alone for a while.

Xu Luzhi observed the expression in Lin Qingyue’s eyes, confirming she was only sleepy and not angry. She confidently took the wine bottle away again: “Then… Sister, you rest for a bit. I’ll come see you when I offer a toast with a drink later!”

Xu Luzhi turned and walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back, smiling sweetly: “Sister, this is our second little secret. Don’t tell anyone!”

Having said that, the girl lifted her skirt and left cheerfully, leaving only a rich fragrance of gardenias lingering at Lin Qingyue’s nose.

It was only then that she realized she had unconsciously nodded, as if a pact had been made.

Lin Qingyue slowly rested her head on her arm. The row of various beverages on the table magnified infinitely before her eyes. She touched each one, feeling the coolness on her fingertips.

What an observant little kid, not dragging things out at all, and so vibrant and lively. She clearly grew up carefree.

It made one envious.

Little secrets, such a childish thing, yet in just a few minutes, she and Xu Luzhi already had two of them.

They were just the most ordinary things, but when Xu Luzhi mentioned them so seriously, it felt like these matters had become exclusive, most intimate shares between the two of them.

It was a strange feeling, like the slightly quickened heartbeat one gets when the alcohol is taking effect.

Lin Qingyue rested her head on her arm, her peach-blossom eyes half open and half closed. The loose white shirt felt cool against her back. The surrounding hustle and bustle had nothing to do with her; she was savoring the peculiar taste of the little secrets all by herself.

It felt like a very long time since she had been so relaxed.

The moment Xu Luzhi reached the main table, the sharp eyed Xu Luwei called out, “Zhi Zhi, Mom and Dad are looking for you.”

Xu Luzhi obediently went over to her mother, sweetly calling out, “Dad, Mom, Sis, Uncle Ying, Auntie Ying, Uncle Fu, Auntie Fu…”

She called out to everyone at the main table in one breath, finally lifting her skirt and performing a graceful curtsy, her voice clear and sweet: “Welcome to Zhi Zhi’s birthday banquet!”

The adults at the table all smiled: “Zhi Zhi is still so sweet-mouthed!” “Much better behaved than my Ying Ying!” “She’s grown up in a blink of an eye, so pretty!”

These were family friends, aunts and uncles whom Xu Luzhi was familiar with. Auntie Ying, who liked her the most, had already pulled her into a hug, asking with a smile, “Zhi Zhi is wearing pigtails now. They look great. Who braided them for you?”

Xu Luzhi blinked, smiling mysteriously: “A beautiful older sister!”

“Oh, our Zhi Zhi still loves clinging to pretty older sisters the most,” Auntie Fu chimed in, pointing at her nose. “When you were little, you loved your sister the most. Wherever Wei Wei went, you insisted on her holding you, remember?”

Xu Luzhi genuinely didn’t remember that, but she still smiled at Xu Luwei: “I still like Sister now!”

The adults chatted and teased Xu Luzhi for a while. They had watched her grow up and treated her like a child, even though they knew she was already seventeen.

In contrast, they were warmly polite to Xu Luwei, who was seven years older, and their conversations revolved around adult topics.

Auntie Ying was the first to ask, “Wei Wei, you’re twenty-four, nearly twenty-five in lunar age. When are you bringing a boyfriend home?”

Xu Luwei paused, seemingly not expecting the topic to turn to her. After a long moment of hesitation, she smiled politely: “I’m busy with work. There’s no rush for that.”

Auntie Fu pressed on: “Wei Wei, how can you not rush about this? With our family background, how many men are worthy of your looks? If you don’t act fast, they’ll all be snatched up!”

Xu Mother smiled and interjected: “We don’t manage these things. As long as Wei Wei genuinely likes him, it’s fine.”

“How can that be? Although we say that, we must find someone from a matching family. It’s a shame we only have daughters. Otherwise, marrying Wei Wei into our family would be great!” Auntie Fu sighed with regret.

Xu Luzhi’s eyes widened as she listened. Ever since her sister graduated from college, she had been pressured to marry every time she came home. However, she always claimed she hadn’t found a suitable partner. She was even forced to go on a few blind dates. The men were quite satisfied with her, but she remained indifferent.

Fortunately, Xu Luwei was pretty and had a good job, so getting married a little later was acceptable. But with her approaching twenty-five, the elders were getting frantic, dropping hints openly and subtly, wishing Xu Luwei would marry off immediately.

Xu Luzhi stole a glance at the dignified and composed Xu Luwei. Her usually graceful and quiet sister still looked calm, as if the object of the collective scrutiny wasn’t herself at all. She just pursed her lips, seemingly not in a great mood.

Being sisters, Xu Luzhi occasionally felt a telepathic connection with her sister. She smiled and interjected: “Couldn’t Sister and a girl be together, and we still become in-laws?”

Upon hearing this, the adults at the table were stunned for a moment. After a while, they all laughed heartily with a knowing look.

Auntie Fu laughed so hard tears came out, patting Xu Luzhi’s back repeatedly: “Oh, our Zhi Zhi is still so mischievous, telling jokes all the time. How can girls be with girls?”

“Exactly, Zhi Zhi is just talking nonsense. You can read those novels, but don’t let your imagination run wild, okay?” Auntie Ying dismissed it.

Xu Father and Xu Mother didn’t say anything, but judging by their expressions, they shared the same traditional views.

Xu Luzhi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they were taking her words as a joke. So she laughed along with them, playing the fool.

However, she felt secretly worried. Everyone was against girls liking girls, but… she seemed to like it a little. What should she do?

Just then, Xu Luwei suddenly spoke, her voice faint: “It’s not impossible.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm and powerful, causing everyone to be momentarily stunned, even Xu Luzhi looked over in disbelief.

Is this the Xu Luwei she knew? In Xu Luzhi’s mind, her sister was never rebellious and always followed the rules, yet deep down, she actually… liked girls!

Xu Luwei observed the dramatic change in everyone’s expressions. Before they could start questioning her, she smiled lightly and said, “I was just joking. I just thought what Zhi Zhi said was interesting.”

Everyone hesitated, and because Xu Luwei’s image of a dignified lady was too deeply ingrained, no one pursued the matter further. They quickly moved on to the next topic.

Xu Luzhi took a sip of her drink, staring intently at Xu Luwei, who was picking up food, noticing that her hand holding the chopsticks was gripping slightly tightly, causing the skin between her thumb and forefinger to turn a little red.

Was her sister really joking? Or does she also like girls? Who does she like? Does she like Lin Qingyue too?

Xu Luzhi’s heart tightened suddenly, feeling stretched like a rubber band, up and down, a taste she couldn’t quite name.

She could only hope that the person her sister liked was not Lin Qingyue.

Otherwise… Xu Luzhi’s eyes darkened, and she subtly pressed her lips together.

Zhi Zhi is unreasonable; she will strive to get everything she wants.

No one can stop her.

Not even her own sister.

It was nearing noon. The kitchen was bustling, dishes were served one after another, and the cakes were being decorated, fragrant and tempting.

It wasn’t Xu Luzhi’s first birthday, so she was familiar with the process. Still, even with Ying Ying and Fu Shixuan accompanying her, she was constantly moving around, getting quite tired.

The emcee displayed her photos on the big screen, reading out messages of well wishes from friends. Xu Luzhi held a drink and went around toasting everyone. Ying Ying and Fu Shixuan pushed a cart to hold the received gifts.

Everyone was very generous; the cart was quickly almost full, and Xu Luzhi’s stomach was full of drinks. She had been smiling for a long time, her face nearly stiff, and she finally found an empty spot to sit down and rest.

Xu Luzhi caught her breath, inspecting the diverse array of new gifts on the cart, and secretly glanced in a certain direction. She said to her friends behind her: “You guys take these to my room first. I want to sit alone for a while.”

Ying Ying and Fu Shixuan exchanged glances: “Okay, then you rest first.”

Once her friends left, Xu Luzhi was alone. Counting it up, she had visited almost everyone in the venue, except for one place.

Her heart suddenly began to pound.