Chen An returned to his room, locked the door, took out his phone, and called Cheng Lele.

At this moment, Cheng Lele was lying on her bed like a corpse. Tonight’s heated argument filled with verbal daggers had given her a feeling of unreality. She felt like she was watching a play, or having a dream, but the burning pain on her face proved that everything was real.

She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she thought—how could things have developed to this point? Both mothers were her closest relatives, and neither had ever spoken harsh words to her. She could honestly say that even though Godmother hadn’t let little brother come back to see Dad off, she hadn’t said a single unpleasant word to Godmother. And little brother was practically obedient to Mom in every way—kind mother and filial son. How did they suddenly turn against each other, and it was actually because of her and Chen An? What had they done wrong?

Cheng Lele was immersed in ineffective thinking. Her phone vibrated many times before she snapped back to her senses.

She looked at the incoming call display on the screen. Afraid that the sound of answering the phone would upset Ye Xiaomei, she immediately burrowed into her blanket: “Hello—”

Cheng Lele asked urgently: “Little brother, why aren’t you going to the training team? Also, Godmother said you’re going to Z University because of me. What’s really going on?”

Chen An said softly: “My mom misunderstood. I just explained it clearly to her, and she understands now. She said she’ll find time to apologize to Godmother.”

Cheng Lele emerged from under her blanket, as if her backbone had suddenly straightened. She didn’t have time to wait for Chen An to explain the specific reasons for the recommendation. At this moment, she only cared that the inexplicable rift seemed to be over, that the thing she worried about ultimately didn’t happen. The grievance in her heart took over, and her voice began to carry a hint of tears: “That’s what I thought. Little brother, you didn’t see it—Mom and your mom, the two of them fought like cats and dogs over you going to Z University. Mom even said we two can’t see each other, making it seem like we’re the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. I’ve seen people break up young couples, but I’ve never heard of breaking up siblings. It scared me stupid. Little brother, if we can’t see each other anymore, what am I going to do?”

Chen An paused for a moment before saying: “In modern society, how could we not be able to see each other? What are phones for? Besides, our legs are our own.”

“That may be true, but wouldn’t that seem like having an affair?” Cheng Lele muttered.

Chen An laughed: “You’re quite imaginative.”

“So when are you coming back?” She hadn’t shown little brother her tattoo yet.

Chen An leaned against the windowsill. Outside the window was a lawn outlined by streetlights. He gazed at that half-hidden, half-visible scenery, trying to broaden his mood, but his heart still felt heavy as if pressed down by a huge boulder: “Lele, when adults fight, it’s not like children—they can’t just make up right away. Godmother is angry right now. I think she probably doesn’t really want to see me recently.”

Cheng Lele rubbed the handprint on her face and lowered her head.

She hugged her pillow and asked carefully: “So are you still going to school?”

“Not anymore.”

The joy of being a top student was something Cheng Lele, a poor student, couldn’t comprehend. She sighed dejectedly: “So what are you planning to do?”

“I’m helping my mom manage the company here.”

“Little brother, you’re truly capable of anything.” Cheng Lele praised listlessly.

Chen An laughed softly: “What’s wrong?”

Cheng Lele said: “Nothing.” The atmosphere was a bit heavy. She shrugged her shoulders in feigned maturity and switched to a lighter tone: “What’s that saying—all good things must come to an end. One day, you’ll have a great future to pursue! As for me—never mind about me.”

Chen An wished he could reach through the phone and tousle her head: “What do you mean ‘all good things must come to an end’? Are you saying goodbye to me so easily?”

“Right now I’ve been scolded by my mom and godmother until I’m terrified. I’ve already lowered my baseline as far as it can go. As long as we can still see each other in the future, if we see each other less, then we see each other less. At worst, I’ll just treat it like you went to a competition. I have strong adaptability. Look, when we had that fight, I learned how to ride a bicycle, how to find my way around, and how to wash my lunch box myself. Every day I remembered to drink milk and eat fruit. Besides, I can take care of my mom now. Today’s dinner—I picked all the vegetables. Oh, I even went to the hardware store to buy a light bulb, and Mom and I changed it together…”

Cheng Lele rattled on endlessly, trying to prove to Chen An that she was already a self-reliant adult. She wanted Chen An to feel at ease, but Chen An felt even more upset hearing it. Cheng Lele, just like her name suggested, was naturally optimistic. Even with her father’s death and the feud between the two families, she could still maintain a positive, sunny, enthusiastic heart. She was pure as a child—not wallowing in grief, not resenting others. Clearly very wronged, yet still being considerate enough to help dispel his worries.

Chen An really wanted to hold his darling treasure in his arms, touch her forehead with his, scratch her nose, and then stroke her—

The imagination came to an abrupt halt. A flush of red swept across the young man’s fair face.

Wang Liting’s words drilled into his mind: “If one day she realizes you have other feelings for her, she might avoid you like the plague.”

Would she?

Chen An had never thought about it from this angle before. Cheng Lele’s natural intimacy and trust toward him were irreplaceable by any outsider—they were the foundation of his plans for their future together. Even though Zhong Ming had made him feel a trace of unease, he hadn’t truly worried that Cheng Lele would be lured away by someone else. But what if his opponent was Cheng Lele herself? What if this intimacy was limited to the boundary of siblings, and once crossed, Cheng Lele would draw a clear line with him? The cold war from a few months ago still left him with lingering fears. The vicissitudes of life had made him develop some reverence for fate. His mother’s warning didn’t seem like such an alarmist exaggeration after all.

The young man’s heart surged with emotion. He finally felt the confusion befitting his age.