Qiao Chuchu finally managed to clean off the cream from her body, changed her clothes, hastily applied natural makeup, and walked down the stairs with particular elegance, trying to salvage her image.
Lin Shen looked up at the sound, his gaze eting hers.
Her heart began racing wildly, though she maintained a composed facade as she descended.
[Stay calm, Qiao Chuchu! Even though this is your first love, you haven't confessed, he doesn't know you like him, so it's fine. You can walk up to him naturally and greet him. He won't be able to tell, it's fine.]
Lin Shen's eyes brightened slightly, the corners of his mouth turning up imperceptibly as he stood up involuntarily and walked toward Qiao Chuchu.
Pei Buxian narrowed his eyes viciously, the dark circles under his eyes appearing even more pronounced as he said sarcastically, "If soone were a dog, their tail would be wagging right now."
Lin Shen ignored him, holding the flowers as his heart beat even more erratically.
Three years ago, he had left her after witnessing Qiao Chuchu's feelings for his brother firsthand.
And just now, he learned that Qiao Chuchu had only been completing tasks because she was forced by the system.
Now, he had heard Qiao Chuchu's true feelings.
They had feelings for each other.
He walked step by step to Qiao Chuchu, his eyes sparkling with tiny stars: "It's been a while, Chuchu."
Upon closer inspection, Qiao Chuchu realized that Lin Shen and Lin Qing looked incredibly similar.
Lin Qing's features were sharper, breathtakingly beautiful.
While Lin Shen's features were softer, more profound, like a Western classical painting with perfectly placed light and shadow on his face.
He hadn't changed.
Still the sa senior she rembered.
Qiao Chuchu's nervousness suddenly vanished, and she accepted the bouquet like a friend: "Thank you."
[Although I was nervous earlier, when it ca ti to face him, I'm surprisingly calm now.]
[After all, he's just a boy I used to like. Looking at him now, my heart doesn't flutter anymore.]
Hearing this, Lin Shen's smile instantly froze.
Pei Buxian's eyes widened in surprise, and he burst out laughing.
The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
Qiao Chuchu was puzzled: "Seventh Brother, why are you suddenly laughing?"
It wasn't just Pei Buxian laughing; the other brothers' faces were red from holding back their laughter, their shoulders shaking.
But Pei Buxian was the most amused, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with his dog, laughing aningfully: "I just thought of sothing funny."
Chuchu didn't understand and looked at Lin Shen: "Please sit, Senior Lin Shen."
Lin Shen stiffly sat down beside her, giving her a confused look.
Lin Qing noticed her brother's odd mood and, eyes rolling, put an arm around Qiao Chuchu's shoulders to probe: "I had no idea you knew my brother. How co you never ntioned it?"
Qiao Chuchu held the flowers, feeling a bit embarrassed: "When I t Senior, I didn't know he was Lin Qing's brother. We t at an art exhibition. Senior Lin Shen helped a lot. I always struggled with light and shadow in my paintings, but after his guidance, my technique improved significantly. I'm like his little apprentice."
[After all, I wasn't interested in minor characters back then. Except for the protagonists and main supporting characters who appeared frequently, I didn't rember the nas of other minor characters.]
Pei Buxian: "Pfft!!"
Qiao Chuchu looked at Pei Buxian in confusion: "What are you laughing at now?"
Lin Qing gave a forced smile: "Never mind him. Your Seventh Brother has his mouth and bottom switched; he's talking out of his rear end now."
Pei Buxian: "?"
Lin Qing continued suggestively: "So it seems you've known each other for a long ti. Are you two..."
"No," Qiao Chuchu denied imdiately: "Senior Lin Shen and I are just senior and junior, nothing more."
She awkwardly glanced at Lin Shen before looking away.
[It would have been wonderful if the man I liked had liked back, but he saw doing those tasks, and the next day he went abroad. He didn't even block , which was already giving face.]
Lin Qing choked, thought for a mont, then said cheerfully: "Oh right, my brother hasn't dated anyone yet. Why don't you two give it a try?"
Qiao Chuchu was surprised: "What?"
Lin Qing excitedly said: "You don't know what my brother's like. He's been a blockhead since childhood, only interested in painting. Both guys and girls have pursued him, but he never showed any interest. But I think you two would be perfect together! Right, brother?"
Qiao Chuchu froze, nervously looking at Lin Shen.
Lin Shen's ink-dark gaze was fixed on her, seeming to have thousands of words to say, yet he didn't answer Lin Qing's question.
Qiao Chuchu: "..."
[Oh no, he's not thinking about how I pursued my brother again, is he? I can't let him think about that anymore, it's too embarrassing!]
She waved her hands in refusal: "No need, no need. Senior Lin Shen is so handso, he could find any girlfriend he wants. I'm not interested in dating right now."
She nervously rubbed her knees, trying to hide her unease.
[After all, I was hurt really badly. When Lin Shen saw that mont, I didn't even get a chance to explain before the system forced into the hospital.]
[I've always wanted to explain everything clearly to Lin Shen, whether through handwritten notes, typing, or various hints. I wanted to tell him because I really, really liked him.]
[But he left for abroad without looking back.]
[That period was the hardest ti of my life. When I wanted to jump off a building, the system controlled my body to stop . When I tried to starve myself, the system forced my mind to keep alive. My hair fell out in clumps, I couldn't sleep night after night, couldn't live, couldn't die, and was still forced by it to complete tasks, putting on a fake smile to act like a seductress.]
Everyone's expressions gradually beca serious.
A life controlled by the system... was it really this painful?
Pei Buxian leaned close to Pei Yuan, muttering: "I rember Qiao Chuchu's ntal state was terrible for a while. We thought she was close to having a ntal breakdown. Was this the reason?"
Pei Yuan: "..."
Sohow, his heart ached.
He had never known Qiao Chuchu had gone through such painful tis.
He rembered it clearly too, and had even had people secretly watch over Qiao Chuchu, fearing she might do sothing drastic.
But he hadn't imagined she had endured such torturous suffering in secret.
Qiao Chuchu beca more lost in thought: [I not only ruined my brother's life, but I also ruined my own. It took a year to forget Lin Shen, and now all those previous heart flutters are completely gone, but I still rember all the pain. Now I don't want anything except to protect myself.]
Lin Shen suddenly stood up from the sofa: "Chuchu!"
Qiao Chuchu: "?"
Lin Shen's brows furrowed: "Actually, I've always—"
"Qiao Chuchu!" Qi Xiaojia stord toward Qiao Chuchu aggressively: "You actually knocked out my friend, I'm going to call the police on you!!"
Lin Shen's face darkened.
Lin Qing and the Pei brothers turned their knife-like gazes toward Qi Xiaojia in perfect unison.
Who did she say she was going to arrest?
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