Chapter 28: Sister and Brother
Zou Yameng’s teammates were flushed with excitement, their faces red. The girls surrounded her, jumping up and down. “That was so cool, Yameng! I’m in love! If only you were a boy!”
“Yeah, yeah, that last shot was amazing! Wuwuwu, Xiaomeng, marry me!”
Coach Dan was more reserved. She nodded with a smile. “Well done, Yameng.” He Ping was the strongest player in this Six-Province Tournament. Defeating her was as good as securing the championship. The confrontation between the two had already surpassed the level of “high school players” and had firmly stepped into the realm of professional competition.
Zou Yameng’s mind was in a daze. She didn’t catch what they were saying at all. She just asked, “Where’s Li Zi?”
“Li Zi(Little pear)? Xiaomeng, do you want to eat pears? I’ll go buy some for you!”
“Oh, not pears, silly! Xiaomeng’s brother’s nickname is Li Zi. You know, the one who cheered for her earlier and got taken away by security.”
“Ah? I thought that good-looking boy was a bit slow. My bad, my bad…”
Zhou Wen smacked her forehead. “No wonder Yameng suddenly exploded. Her little brother complex awakened!”
Zou Yameng finally came back to her senses. She was exhausted, otherwise, she would have given her best friend a good knock on the head. She looked at the coach questioningly. Before the coach could speak, she saw a security guard leading a young man towards them. The moment she saw Lu Li, Zou Yameng felt all her fatigue vanish. Suddenly, everything felt worth it.
“Sister Yameng!” Lu Li ran over excitedly, wanting to hug his sister, but then he hesitated, feeling it was inappropriate for the occasion. However, to his surprise, Zou Yameng didn’t even hesitate before pulling him into a tight embrace, as if she wanted to hold him forever.
When you love someone, even their farts smell sweet. That was exactly how Lu Li felt at this moment. Zou Yameng was covered in sweat, but he inexplicably found her scent intoxicating. It wasn’t a refreshing fragrance, but a deep, alluring scent that made him want to drown in her warmth.
If you had only watched Zou Yameng’s matches, you would think she was made of iron. But as Lu Li hugged her, he felt that she perfectly embodied the phrase “gentle as water.” Her body was soft, warm, and carried that captivating scent. Her skin felt delicate, like the finest silk or white jade. Once he held her, he didn’t want to let go. He remembered how he used to insist on sleeping in his sister’s arms when he was little. Later, when he entered junior high, his sister started to become more aware of the boundaries between men and women.
He also remembered when he was seven years old, he had suddenly burst into tears while taking a bath with his sister, making her panic and try to comfort him. After much coaxing, she finally found out that little Lu Li thought he had grown a tumor and was going to die soon.
He laughed, still holding his sister, and Zou Yameng laughed with him.
“Such a sweet relationship,” someone sighed.
Coach Dan shot the girl a look and said in a low voice, “Let’s give them some space. We’ll go discuss the celebration dinner.”
“Coach, the final hasn’t even happened yet. Isn’t this a bit like popping the champagne at halftime?”
“So much for not talking back. The school is paying for the champagne. Are you coming or not?”
“Coming, coming!”
“Hehe, I want beer! I’ll even perform a ‘chicken with pork, egg, and green onion’ dance for you! Hiccup~”
“Xiao Wen, what weird stuff are you watching again? What’s a ‘chicken with pork, egg, and green onion’ dance?”
After the girls left the rest area, Zou Yameng reluctantly let go of her brother, the tenderness and love in her eyes impossible to hide. “Why are you here in Lingyue City instead of attending class? Skipping school again?”
“Yeah. I missed you, so I came.” Lu Li’s smile was pure. He hadn’t smiled so genuinely in a long time. Somewhere along the way, he had learned to be hypocritical, to be calculating, to manipulate people’s hearts. He couldn’t remain untainted by the mud, but his sister could. He admired her for that.
Hearing his words, it took all of Zou Yameng’s willpower not to kiss Lu Li. Her eyes softened. “Earlier in the audience, why did you shout like that? Weren’t you embarrassed with so many people watching?”
“I was. It was so awkward.”
“Then why did you still do it? It was live! Weren’t you afraid of embarrassing yourself?”
“I had to shout. Even if it meant making a fool of myself. I’m your shameless little brother, after all.”
“…You’re not shameless. Don’t say that about yourself.” Zou Yameng pressed her fingers against his lips.
What was youth? Youth was passion, vigor, ambition, poetry, and adventure. It was a time for fine clothes and fast horses, for carefree laughter and grand dreams. There should be no regrets, no should-haves. Everything should be a beautiful memory to look back on in old age, a time when he could proudly recount his youthful exploits. A youth overly concerned with societal rules wasn’t truly young, but someone prematurely aged by worldly concerns.
Having lived through it once, Lu Li understood this clearly. At least he would be able to tell his grandchildren fifty years from now, “Your grandpa once traveled a thousand miles just to see the most important girl in his life…” Such an experience was romantic and legendary, happy and fulfilling.
“Have you been eating well?… Where are you staying?… Why don’t you move in with me today?” Sister Yameng’s motherly instincts kicked in again. Just moments ago, she was a fierce warrior on the court, and now she was fussing over him like a mother hen.
Lu Li didn’t answer because he knew that any answer would only worry her more. So he simply hugged her back. As expected, his sister stopped talking. An Baili was truly his mentor; this trick of acting spoiled always worked wonders.
“You’re too old for hugs…” Although she said that, Zou Yameng didn’t resist at all. Suddenly, she caught sight of a few sneaky figures outside the rest area.
She quickly pushed Lu Li away and walked towards the door, much to his surprise. With a bang, Zou Yameng flung the door open.
“Ouch! My head!”
“Something hit me!”
“Xiaomeng, what was that for?”
Several girls from the Chuanhai team were crouching on the ground, rubbing their heads. They had been caught red-handed eavesdropping outside. What could stop a girl’s thirst for gossip? Zou Yameng should have known better. She glanced at Lu Li awkwardly, and he coughed, pretending to be composed, following behind her without a word.
“Don’t ask me what I’m doing, what are you guys doing?” Zou Yameng had the aura of a true leader. She didn’t need to stand with her hands on her hips like Silly Goose; her imposing presence spoke for itself.
The girls shrank their necks, their gazes shifting to Lu Li.
“Xiaomeng, you’re so mean, hiding your cute little brother from us.”
“He’s so fair and delicate! Let me touch~”
Zou Yameng’s expression turned colder. She swatted away her best friend’s hand, shielding Lu Li behind her like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Zhou Wen wailed, “Xiaomeng, you’ve forgotten your friends after meeting your brother! I’ve been single for so long, let me quench my thirst!”
Lu Li, a master of deadpan humor, wordlessly handed her an unopened bottle of mineral water, as if mocking her. The girls were rendered speechless, their expressions a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
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