Chapter 62: Showing Off

Bang!

It scared Pei Muyin half to death, and without hesitation she immediately crouched down, saying: "Are you okay? Shu Lingchen? Shu Lingchen? What's wrong with you?!"

She didn't go to help Shu Lingchen, because she recalled some common sense: a person who suddenly faints shouldn't be moved arbitrarily; one must wait for a doctor to avoid causing any accidental injury, so she only dared to call out with her voice.

"Shu Lingchen, Shu Lingchen?"

Pei Muyin was flustered, and immediately turned her head to look for Shu Shu, and just then Shu Lingchen flung his eyes open.

The boy scrambled up from the ground, rubbing the back of his head, looking at Pei Muyin in a daze: "Huh? How did I end up here? I wasn't supposed to be waiting on the sofa for the snack-delivery guy to come?"

"" Not waiting for Pei Muyin to speak, he slapped his forehead: "I remember now! I've been possessed! Since yesterday, my body has been taken over by a monster that's been occupying my body and consciousness, running amok!"

Shu Lingchen said to Pei Muyin with a solemn expression: "Didn't I do my homework with you in the living room study last night? And then I refused your cola at noon today? I'm telling you, that was all done by that hateful monster; it wasn't really me! You mustn't be angry with me, otherwise I'd be too wronged."

""

After his words fell, there was only silence, and still silence.

Pei Muyin's peach-blossom eyes stared fixedly at Shu Lingchen; a long time passed, and she still didn't speak, only silently looking at him.

Seeing her like that, Shu Lingchen knew he had messed up again.

The boy, like a defeated, deflated little lion, slumped his shoulders, drooped his brows and eyes, and spoke:

"Sorry."

"... Sorry."

Two apologies sounded almost at the same time, another being the girl's soft, sweet voice.

Shu Lingchen startled, lifted his head, met Pei Muyin's gaze, and both opened their mouths at the same time.

Seeing the other about to speak, they both closed their mouths again.

Shu Lingchen raised a hand to indicate: "You, you go first."

Pei Muyin pinched her fingers, then said again: "Sorry."

Pei Muyin wasn't angry at Shu Lingchen; instead, she was worried that Shu Lingchen was angry at her.

She knew the reason for Shu Lingchen's bad mood.

Because of Mushi sister.

Mushi sister doted on herself too much, neglecting Shu Lingchen.

It was like the original bond between two people, when a third person suddenly appeared, stealing one's attention, leaving the other feeling neglected.

Anyone would feel that way.

Pei Muyin completely didn't want this to happen, and she felt guilty about it.

"I, I'll move back upstairs tomorrow." She thought, feeling both reluctant and greedy, just for one more night, to stay another night with Mushi sister.

Hearing Pei Muyin say that, Shu Lingchen felt as if the sky were falling.

"Hey, don't go, you absolutely must not move out—I really enjoy having you live here, truly, I swear, if I'm lying I'm a turtle."

Even if he didn't know Pei Muyin was his sister, Shu Lingchen had never thought of letting her move out; now that he knows, it's even more impossible to let her leave.

"It's that I'm too petty; after saying those things, I regretted it a bit right away, but I just couldn't bring myself to apologize to you, really, you believe me."

Pei Muyin waved her hand: "No, no, you're not wrong; it's indeed that I disturbed you too much."

Shu Lingchen said: "You're not wrong; I'm the one who's wrong!"

Pei Muyin said again: "No……"

"Hey——" someone interrupted their conversation; it was Shu Shu holding a plate of fruit, standing at the other end of the hallway, looking at them with an amused expression, saying: "You two kids, how adorable, are you planning to apologize to each other until dawn?"

Shu Shu put down the fruit and walked over.

She took one hand of Shu Lingchen and one hand of Pei Muyin, then overlapped them, clasping both hands together and shaking them up and down.

"Alright, I declare that you shake hands and make peace, fully reconcile, and then become the very best friends in the world—do you all agree?"

Shu Lingchen glanced sideways at Pei Muyin, and Pei Muyin secretly glanced at Shu Lingchen.

Pei Muyin murmured two words: "... Agree."

Hearing Pei Muyin speak, Shu Lingchen then spoke, his voice noticeably more cheerful and lively: "I agree too!"

Shu Shu curled her lips: "Come eat some fruit."

Shu Lingchen still uneasy, asked Pei Muyin whether she was really not angry, as if without a definite answer from her himself, he would be unable to rest or eat.

Pei Muyin thought for a moment, then said: "Wait a moment."

After saying that, she turned and went into the study, and came out less than a moment later, holding two large notebooks with kraft-paper covers.

"Sister said you wanted to review all the knowledge from middle school up to now, before senior two, from scratch; these are the two subjects I've organized these past two days, math and physics—I haven't finished chemistry yet."

Shu Lingchen stared, taking the notebooks with both hands; at the moment they reached his palms, they felt heavy, the sensation transmitting straight to his heart.

Pei Muyin whispered: "... It's handwritten by me, so there might be some shortcomings."

Not at all.

Shu Lingchen opened the notebook, lowered his head to see the pages filled with beautiful, neat handwriting, with a table of contents and chapter outlines, clear and understandable.

Notes meticulously written by the perennial top-of-the-year scholar—its value goes without saying.

This couldn't have been put together in just a day or two.

In other words, while he was still nitpicking over whether Mom was biased, obsessing over Mushi's baby and the turkey chick, she was already doing this.

Pei Muyin was using another, clearer way to tell him that she really wasn't angry at him.

At that moment, Shu Lingchen felt himself even more unforgivable.

…

After eating the fruit.

Shu Lingchen proactively carried Pei Muyin's backpack and homework books back to the study table in the living room, exactly as they were.

The two sat facing each other again.

Shu Lingchen encountered a problem he couldn't solve, and Pei Muyin taught him.

The two kids' atmosphere returned to its former cheerfulness—no, it was even better than before.

After finishing homework, the sky outside grew dark.

Pei Muyin went back to her room to wash up.

Shu Lingchen remained seated in the living room, holding two notebooks and staring blankly, the light in his dark pupils flickering.

Shu Shu walked over and teased him: "How come, receiving notes made by your sister, are you moved to tears?"

Shu Lingchen: "I'm so jealous of myself."

Shu Shu blinked: "Jealous of what?"

Then Shu Shu heard Shu Lingchen say: "I'm jealous of myself—how fortunate, how capable, to have such an excellent, such a good sister."

Shu Shu let out a puff of laughter.

"Mom, what are you laughing at—you don't even have such a sister." The boy said smugly, his tail practically pointing to the sky.

"......" Shu Shu raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you're showing off now?"