Thanks to her older brother Lu Cheng’an’s unconditional doting, he was, without a doubt, Lu Chenghuan’s favorite person in the family.
Mom and Dad, her paternal and maternal grandparents—they all had to take a backseat.
When little Chenghuan first learned to walk, she was like a little tail, wobbling along right behind Lu Cheng’an.
She called him "Brother, Brother," in the sweetest voice imaginable.
Lu Cheng’an might have been a little hellion, mischievous enough to stir up trouble from heaven to earth, but the mont he saw his sister, all his fierceness would vanish.
He was the one who would get on all fours and let her ride him like a big horse. He was the one who would stuff all his own precious snacks, the ones he couldn’t even bear to eat himself, into her hands.
And if anyone dared to say a single bad thing about his sister, he was the one who would roll up his sleeves and get ready for a fight.
This made Lu Xiao terribly jealous. He would often hold his little daughter and lant, "Huanhuan, Daddy buys you pretty dolls and lifts you up high, so why is your brother still your favorite?"
Little Chenghuan would just hug her brother’s neck and giggle, making her position perfectly clear through her actions.
Despite being endlessly pampered by the entire family, Lu Chenghuan never developed an arrogant or willful personality.
This was likely because while her brother doted on her, he never indulged her bad habits. Whenever she did sothing wrong, he would put on his own stern little face and lecture her.
She was a quiet and demure child who loved to read. Her grades were always top of her class, and she later worked steadily toward her dream of attending a teacher’s university, which she was successfully admitted to.
anwhile, Lu Cheng’an had long since followed his heart, and in his father’s footsteps, had enrolled in the National Defense University with outstanding scores.
He had grown up, shedding his boyish mischief. His expression now carried a new sense of determination and responsibility. His goal was to beco a soldier and defend his country.
The day her brother graduated and was about to depart for his military post, Lu Chenghuan cried her heart out.
She was an eighteen-year-old young woman, and usually very composed.
But in that mont, she seed to revert to her childhood, clinging to her brother’s luggage and refusing to let go as tears stread down her face.
She looked as if she would never see him again.
Lu Cheng’an’s heart ached terribly as well. He ruffled his sister’s hair and made a promise, just like he used to when they were children.
"Be good, Huanhuan. It’s not like I’m never coming back. I’ll co see you whenever I’m on leave and bring you tasty snacks. Behave at ho, and help take care of Mom and Dad."
After Lu Cheng’an left for the army, the house suddenly felt much emptier.
Thankfully, Lu Chenghuan was still there to keep her parents company, becoming the family’s little ray of sunshine.
Though Lu Cheng’an was no longer in Beijing, his thoughts were never far away.
His old crew from the residential compound—the guys he used to raid bird nests, play soccer, and get into fights with—were all still around.
So had gone to college, while others had started working.
Before he left, Lu Cheng’an specifically organized a get-together, calling on his closest buddies like Huo Dongzhou and Liu Xiaojun to solemnly entrust them with a task.
"My sister—you guys better look after her for ! Keep an eye on her, and don’t let anyone bully her. If anything cos up, call right away."
His buddies thumped their chests and swore, "Don’t worry, Brother An! Huanhuan is like our own little sister. With us here, no one in Beijing would dare give her a hard ti!"
And his buddies were indeed true to their word. Every so often, using the excuse that "Brother An told us to," they would ask Lu Chenghuan out.
They would either take her to a newly opened restaurant or rush to her school to help with any heavy lifting or tiring chores.
Lu Chenghuan grew accustod to this group of overly enthusiastic "big brothers."
Lu Cheng’an thought, ’With my buddies looking after her, my sister will definitely be safe and sound.’
But what he never, ever expected was that all this "looking after" would nearly land him a brother-in-law!
Among the friends, one nad Huo Dongzhou was Lu Cheng’an’s absolute closest buddy.
They had gotten into trouble together and won awards together back in the day.
This guy was more thoughtful and not as loud and boisterous as the others. His care for Lu Chenghuan was particularly ticulous and considerate.
Over ti, those brotherly feelings for a "little sister" quietly began to transform into sothing else in his heart.
When a nervous Huo Dongzhou finally called the base and, beating around the bush, confessed his feelings to Lu Cheng’an, the other end of the line went silent for a full minute.
Then, he exploded.
"Huo Dongzhou, you bastard! I told you to look after my sister, and you damn well looked after her right into being your girlfriend? You just wait! Next ti I’m on leave, I swear I’m coming back to rough you up!"
Lu Cheng’an chewed Huo Dongzhou out over the phone, but separated by hundreds of kiloters, all he could do was fu helplessly.
After hanging up, he was so furious he punched the wall. His mind was filled with images of that brat Huo Dongzhou eyeing his precious little cabbage, and he wished he could sprout wings and fly back to Beijing that very instant.
Back in Beijing, Huo Dongzhou hung up the phone with a helpless smile.
Lu Cheng’an’s shouting had nearly burst his eardrum.
’Still,’ he thought, ’at least I’ve broken the ice. It’s better than sneaking around.’
’Besides, even though Cheng’an blew up, he didn’t say he was cutting off, did he?’
Huo Dongzhou thought with a wry smile, ’I probably can’t escape that beating, but for Chenghuan, it’s worth it!’
Now that his intentions were out in the open, Huo Dongzhou beca even more attentive toward Lu Chenghuan, but his thods quietly changed.
Before, it was all the "brothers" looking after their "little sister" together. Now, it was Huo Dongzhou appearing alone, and frequently.
He no longer gathered the whole group to ask Lu Chenghuan out; instead, he started finding all sorts of excuses to see her alone.
"Huanhuan, Cheng’an sent back so local specialties from his base and told specifically to give them to you."
In reality, Huo Dongzhou had asked soone to buy them himself.
"Your school is far from downtown. Why don’t I give you a ride ho this weekend? It’s on my way."
In reality, it wasn’t on his way at all; he had to make a huge detour.
"I heard this is a great book. Here, it’s for you."
Occasionally, a movie ticket or a concert ticket would be tucked inside, sotis with a little note he had written.
No matter how unperceptive Lu Chenghuan was, she slowly began to realize that sothing was off.
’Dongzhou... he seems a little too nice to , doesn’t he?’
The way he looked at her wasn’t the sa as how he looked at everyone else. There was sothing in his gaze that made her heart beat faster.
She wasn’t that little tail who only followed her brother around anymore. She was a university student, just beginning to experience the first stirrings of romance.
Faced with Huo Dongzhou’s ticulous care and occasional displays of gentleness, a strange, bittersweet ripple spread through her heart.
But she was a little flustered, and more than that, at a loss. For one, Huo Dongzhou was her brother’s best friend.
For another... she was afraid her brother would be angry if he found out.
So, while she subconsciously accepted Huo Dongzhou’s kindness, she also remained a bit evasive, not daring to reciprocate.
Huo Dongzhou didn’t push her. He just patiently closed the distance, bit by bit, like the proverbial frog in slowly boiling water.
But so secrets just can’t be kept.
Even though Lu Cheng’an was away at his post, he had plenty of eyes and ears.
The other guys didn’t have Huo Dongzhou’s "traitorous" intentions, after all.
When they occasionally called Lu Cheng’an to report on his sister’s well-being, it was inevitable that soone would let sothing slip.
"Brother An, Huanhuan seems pretty busy lately. Dongzhou is always going to see her..."
"Saw Dongzhou’s car parked outside the teacher’s university last week, waiting for Huanhuan to get out of class..."
Lu Cheng’an gripped the phone, taking several deep breaths. "Tell him to wait for . The monk can run, but the temple can’t. I swear I’m going to beat him up first!"
He truly never expected this whole "buddy-turning-into-brother-in-law" situation to happen to him.
’Damn it! My beautiful, sweet, adorable sister!’
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