Chapter 909: Childhood Sweetheart 03

Jin Chen's gesture was no small matter; it scared Song Xu into crying out 'wa', and seeing the ground littered with colorful pills, he felt he too would soon be done.

Song Xu was young, but he always remembered the doctor's uncle's instructions: he had to take medicine every day, or he would faint.

Thus, in little Song Xu's eyes, this big brother who suddenly barged in was no different from the demons in cartoons.

He was both sad and scared, stammering that he didn't like this place and wanted to go home to find Father and Mother.

The crying attracted Aunt Xu and Liu Ou, who held and tried to soothe him for a while; not only did they fail to calm him, but he also fainted outright, scaring Jin Chen's face deathly pale, as he thought he had just seen his brother and scared him to death.

Fortunately it wasn't serious; after staying two days in the hospital, Song Xu returned, and Aunt Xu overnight had Jing Shi send more medicine.

Although Aunt Xu and Song Xu's parents didn't mind, Liu Ou insisted on compensating for the medicine cost.

Thus that year, Jin Chen handed over all of his New Year money—over a thousand—to Song Xu, and still got beaten by his parents so hard he could barely go to school.

But Jin Chen didn't take the beating to heart; he's been tough since childhood and has endured many beatings.

Instead, he kept the duty to protect his neighbor brother in mind, caring more about Song Xu taking his medicine than anyone else.

—

After dinner, Jin Chen took Song Xu out to play.

The summer evening wind blew away the day's fatigue, the setting sun shone across half the sky; Song Xu sat on the rear seat of the bicycle, his shirt billowed in the wind, the hem flaring up in a carefree arc.

He tightly held Jin Chen's waist, still holding the melon Aunt Xu had just peeled, leaving a trail of fruity fragrance.

In a small town's summer evening, it's the residents strolling out of the park, neighbors who can call each other by name, friends meeting at the barbecue stall, and also them riding their bicycles past all of this right now.

Accompanied by the jingle of a bell, Jin Chen stopped beside a square, where a neat and cute youth was waiting.

Jin Chen glanced over and gave his approval.

A standard setup of a youthful, fresh-faced boy.

"Cheng Huai is here too." Song Xu handed the badminton bag and melon to Jin Chen, then waved to greet Cheng Huai.

"You came early today." he said.

Cheng Huai's home is nearby, just a street away from Jin Chen and Song Xu's homes; though not exactly childhood neighbors, they often meet up to play and study.

Thinking the sun would set early today, he came out and bought a few books.

Cheng Huai swayed the two essay collections in his hand, and as he walked toward the badminton court with Song Xu, they chatted casually.

Just a few steps out, Cheng Huai glanced at Jin Chen, puzzled, and asked, "Your eyes are twitching today—why do you keep staring at me?"

Jin Chen: "……"

He looked away, still unable to figure it out, but faintly sensed a possibility.

Could it be that Mu Henian… has been reborn to chase after his wife?!

If that's the case, why would Mu Henian wait for school to start; wouldn't it be better to come directly during summer vacation?

Jin Chen went to the convenience store, bought a few bottles of soda, tossed one to Cheng Huai, and casually asked, "Have you run into anyone lately?"

Cheng Huai made a puzzled sound, not understanding Jin Chen's meaning: "No, everything's as usual, boring to the point of anxiety."

Cheng Huai suddenly realized, jumped up in shock, and said, "I say, big brother, you haven't provoked someone again, have you? And you live nearby—won't they come looking for me?"

"... Am I a bumper car, causing trouble everywhere?"

Jin Chen rolled his eyes, "Don't talk nonsense; lately I've been a good student at home every day."

Otherwise Ms. Liu would serve him with a feather duster.

Jin Chen handed a badminton racket to Cheng Huai, took Song Xu to the other side of the net, though his mind was elsewhere.

【Host, I'm going to observe what the main character is doing.】

On 0731, seeing Jin Chen truly curious, Mu Henian's present choice will indeed concern their future fate, so he hurried to serve as a monitor and relay.

"Brother, you're zoning out again…"

Song Xu poked Jin Chen's face, his almond eyes slightly narrowed, expression somewhat serious: "What did you just say to Ah Huai?"

"Eh, it's nothing, nothing; Brother will teach you badminton."

Jin Chen shook his head, suppressed his doubts, and focused on teaching Song Xu how to grip the racket and serve.

From the opposite side came Cheng Huai's loud reminder: "Jin Chen, take it easy—don't wear Ah Xu out!"

"None of your business!" Jin Chen shouted back rudely.

That's because Song Xu's health has improved a lot lately, allowing him to gradually engage in light exercise, so Jin Chen dares to bring him to play ball.

"Come, forehand grip, keep the palm open."

Jin Chen embraced Song Xu from behind, hand-over-hand teaching him the serve, their bodies close together.

The badminton shuttle was struck precisely and flew toward the opposite side of the net.

Cheng Huai received the shuttle, switched to a gentler play, and didn't forget to encourage his friend who was playing for the first time: "Ah Xu, you're amazing! You learned to serve so quickly!"

Jin Chen also generously gave his praise, ruffling Song Xu's hair.

Hearing the praise, Song Xu quietly lowered his eyes, his ears slightly red.

What he didn't tell Jin Chen was that before, every time he watched him and Cheng Huai play ball, he could only sit in the rest area keeping them company.

Many times, many times he wished he had a strong body to interact with Jin Chen in ball play, rather than sitting far away just watching.

So Song Xu also prepared a badminton set at home, often hiding in his room to practice; when Jin Chen came, he would hide it in the wardrobe, never being discovered.

After a few rounds, Song Xu felt he had found the feel, so he grabbed the shuttlecock, gripped it, and turned to look at Jin Chen accompanying him from behind.

"Brother, I want…" to play a round with you.

Before Song Xu could finish his sentence, his heart suddenly raced and his face turned pale.

"Little Fish!"

Jin Chen hurried over, held him and sat him down, then slowly rubbed Song Xu's back.

He knew Song Xu wasn't having a medical episode; it was just tension after exertion.

Even so, Jin Chen remained on high alert, insisting on watching Song Xu slowly return to normal before he let out a breath.

Xiao Yu'er, still feeling unwell?

Song Xu shook their head, leaning on Jin Chen's shoulder, biting their lips tightly; Jin Chen gently wiped away the cold sweat, and Song Xu's heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

It's all my fault, brother; I should have let you rest more.

Jin Chen felt a bit regretful; seeing Song Xu having fun tonight, they let Song Xu play a few more minutes, not expecting that Song Xu had already reached their physical limit.

"Tomorrow we won't go out; just a leisurely walk is fine too." Jin Chen said offhandedly, but they needed to rest two days before continuing.

"Ah Xu, you rest well tomorrow! I'll go to your house to find you to play."

Cheng Huai had also been startled just now, and hastily used a book to fan them.

Song Xu's eyes suddenly reddened; they felt lost and uncomfortable inside, knowing they couldn't have too great emotional fluctuations, yet at this moment they could not suppress it at all.

"Brother…"

They curled into Jin Chen's embrace, holding tight to feel safe, and asked, "Won't you take me out tomorrow?"

Even the chance to sit in the resting area to accompany them is gone, huh?

Song Xu's voice trembled, they felt deeply wronged.

——

The new world is here~

Lately Hunan is about to have freezing rain again; I've already started dreading it in advance!

Although spring has arrived, temperatures fluctuate frequently; wives need to pay extra attention to staying warm, mua~