Chapter 7

Yuan Qingzhuo's child's words and actions attracted some unusual glances from those around them, making Yuan Xi feel somewhat uncomfortable. She quickly reached out to grab her elder brother's hand and said with a smile: "I understand now, you can put it down."

"How did you get here?" she asked

Over there, Pi Hui has already taken Grandpa and Grandma off the car. Grandma Pi looked at Yuan Xi and said, "Yuan Xi, Qing Zhu has been insisting on coming to see you, so we brought him along. During your break these few days, make sure to take him out to have some fun. When you go back to work, we will help look after him. After the fifteenth, when we return to our hometown, we will take him back with us."

Yuan Xi felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly declined, thinking it would be taking advantage of others. Moreover, she had another concern, which was the fear of being seen by her colleagues at the company. Bu Huaiyu was indeed too conspicuous; his every move often attracted the attention of well-meaning female colleagues, who would occasionally broadcast it around the office.

Leading my elder brother back to my residence, just as we arrived at the entrance of the community, he insisted on not moving forward, staring at the McDonald's across the street.

"Xiao Xi, what kind of place is that for eating?" The elder brother asked, as the small county town of his hometown did not have a McDonald's. He looked inside, which was so lively, and naturally felt curious

However, she has forgotten that things are no longer the same as they were in school; at that time, she still had some adaptability

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Yuan Xi accompanied Pi Hui to the station to pick up Pi Hui's grandparents, who were coming from their hometown to celebrate the New Year, specifically requesting Yuan Xi to meet them.

Looking at his older brother, who was bouncing around like a child, Yuan smiled, but felt a twinge of sadness in his heart. This is his older brother, whose intellect has forever remained at the level of a five or six-year-old. God, is it fair or unfair?

Yuan Xi nodded with a smile, and Yuan Qingzhu, grinning foolishly, leaned over and took out his wallet from his pocket, opening it to show Yuan Xi, "Xiao Xi, look, Mom gave me a lot of money, I can buy you delicious food and fun things!"

One night later, when Yuan Xi was running to catch the bus, Bu Huaiyu stopped his car beside her and waved for her to get in. Yuan Xi chuckled and went to hitch a ride in his car. When they arrived at Yuan Xi's building, Bu Huaiyu said, "Yuan Xi, since we are going the same way, you don't need to squeeze onto the bus anymore. I can give you a ride from now on."

Yuan Xi smiled and said good, but his eyes were slightly red

Bu Huaiyu turned around and pulled out a large bag of items from the car, handing it to Yuan Xi, "I brought this for you." Seeing Yuan Xi looking a bit stunned, he smiled self-deprecatingly, "I heard you were spending the New Year here, and since I had nothing much to do tonight, I went to the supermarket and bought some things, thinking you might need them. But it seems like I might have overstepped a bit now." After saying this, he glanced at Qing Zhu beside Yuan Xi and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Bu Huaiyu." He smiled self-deprecatingly again, "I heard you were spending the New Year here, and since I had nothing much to do tonight, I went to the supermarket and bought some things, thinking you might need them. But it seems like I might have overstepped a bit now." After saying this, he glanced at Qing Zhu beside Yuan Xi and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Bu Huaiyu."

Yuan Xixiao reached out to take the luggage from Grandpa Pi's hand, holding her elder brother's hand with one hand as they walked outside

Yuan Xi smiled as she was dragged along by her elder brother. In fact, she rarely went to such places to eat, partly because she felt the food was not very good, and partly because she thought the prices were simply not worth it. However, in order to make her brother happy, she would buy even the most unworthy items.

Bu Huaiyu mentioned commuting with Yuan Xi, but he is always very busy with work. Sometimes he has to go to the company as early as three or four in the morning, and at times he also needs to visit clients, so he cannot always guarantee his availability. However, whenever such situations arise, he always informs Yuan Xi in advance

Go back and tell Pi Hui about this matter. Pi Hui will provoke her, saying, if you are upright and have nothing to fear, why are you worried? Didn't you say he means nothing to you? So why are you afraid? He's just an ordinary friend, what's the big deal about hitching a ride? I think you are feeling guilty about something! Honestly confess, have you developed a crush on him?

Yuan Xi was unwilling to always take advantage of him, knowing that he was not lacking in money, so she often made some stomach-nourishing soup to send to Bu Huaiyu. Zhang Heng found out and always jokingly complained that Yuan Xi was biased, to which Yuan Xi retorted, "What are you shouting about? You don't ask me for a ride every day!"

The elder brother was very happy, grabbing Yuan Xi's hand and running across to the other side of the road, "Hurry up, hurry up, the traffic light is about to turn red," he shouted joyfully

He is very tall, wearing the very clothes that Yuan Xi sent back to him, paired with a pair of dark jeans. A childlike smile is on his face, making him look quite handsome. Seeing that he had his shirt open, Yuan Xi hurriedly reached out to fasten the buttons on his clothes, smiling gently: "It's cold, remember to button up your clothes!"

However, the next morning, as soon as I exited the community, I saw Bu Huaiyu's car parked at the entrance.

Yuan Xixiao said, "Let's eat, shall we? We will go there for dinner tonight!"

Yuan Qingzhu spun around with Yuan Xilun several times before finally putting her down, attracting the attention of many people around. Yuan Xi felt a bit embarrassed, but upon seeing her elder brother, she was both surprised and delighted: "Brother, what brings you here?"

Yuan Xi shot a glance at Pi Huai, and later reflected to herself, what is there to feel guilty about? Is it just because he is a bit more handsome or earns a bit more money? She felt completely justified in her heart, what is there to be afraid of? Back in school, didn't she often pat handsome guys on the shoulder and call them brothers? No one ever gossiped about that, did they?

"Xiao Xi, you should eat this, it is really delicious! I haven't tried it yet!" Yuan Qingzhu said as he brought the egg tart closer to Yuan Xi's mouth. Yuan Xi couldn't avoid it and took a symbolic small bite, smiling at his elder brother while reaching out to wipe off the crumbs on his face.

It was only after getting to know each other that I realized there were quite a few opportunities for encounters, especially between Yuan Xi and Bu Huaiyu. The two of them work in the same building, and their residences are somewhat along the same route. There were a few occasions when they ran into each other after work, and Bu Huaiyu even offered Yuan Xi a ride in his car.

Xiao Xi, shall we go to the amusement park tomorrow? Is that alright? Mom said you could take me to the amusement park!

How long has he been gone? Almost four years, right? Will he really not come back? Does he know that she is living very difficultly here? Loneliness is truly exhausting, and if he doesn't return soon, perhaps she really won't be able to wait any longer

After coming out of McDonald's with his older brother, he unexpectedly saw Bu Huaiyu at the entrance of the community.

Yuan Qingzhu chuckled, "Grandma Pi brought me here. I missed you. You never come home, so I came to see you!"

The train came to a stop, and Pi Hui pulled Yuan Xi to the window to look for their grandparents. After some effort, they finally spotted them. Through the glass of the train window, Pi Hui called out loudly for their grandparents, then turned and rushed towards the train door.

After finishing the hamburger and chicken wings, along with a large assortment of food that children love, the two sat down by the window. The older brother was eating with great enjoyment, while Yuan Xi merely smiled and watched him eat, hardly touching his own food.

As the New Year approached, Pi Hui was once again brought back home by his mother, leaving Yuan Xi alone in the house. After finishing work and returning home in the evening, he felt somewhat lazy; after all, cooking was just for himself, so it didn't really matter whether he cooked or not. Everything he touched felt cold, except for the large cloth monkey on the bed, which still had some warmth. Yuan Xi kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, hugging the big monkey in a daze. As he sat there lost in thought, tears began to flow.

The feeling of taking a private car is indeed much better than squeezing onto a public bus. Yuan Xi is truly afraid that if she continues like this, she will be eroded by such corrupt pleasures. That day, Bu Huaiyu did not accompany her; does she still have the "ability" to squeeze onto the public buses of this city?

Yuan Qingzhu nodded with a smile, proudly spinning around twice in front of Yuan Xi. "Xiao Xi, do you think it looks good? The clothes were bought by you, and the pants were newly bought for me by my mom when I came here, and the shoes too! Don't they look nice? Mom said I should celebrate the New Year here with you, and this is my new outfit for the New Year!"

Yuan Xi saw the old lady in the car laughing and pointing behind her, feeling that the old lady's laughter was somewhat strange. Before Yuan Xi could turn around, she suddenly felt her body being lifted from behind, and then she heard her elder brother's excited voice: "Hahaha, Xiao Xi! I have come to see you!"

Yuan Xi felt very touched, looking at the smiling elderly couple, unsure of what to say. Pi Hui shouted from the side: "Don't be so moved! If you want to be moved, go home and be moved! Our old man and old lady can't stand seeing you like this!"