Serenade

Bo Yan's body was usually in good shape. After taking medicine, he felt much better. Thinking about what Jin Xi had said yesterday that she would come again, he deliberately took a hot fragrant shower and worked up the real mental energy to pretend to be weak.

In the evening, Bo Yan's door was knocked.

He walked with dragging lazy steps and opened the door, ready to hug the girl's neck. But to his surprise, Shen Ping Chuan's annoying big face appeared in front of him.

Shen Ping Chuan had his hands behind his back, straightening his chest, looking fiercely at him like an executing government runner.

Bo Yan almost stumbled into him. He steadied himself at the door and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Shen Ping Chuan smiled without joy, with a mean look on his face, "Surprised to see your dad? Unexpected?"

Bo Yan wanted to close the door directly.

At this time, Jin Xi poked her little head out from behind Shen Ping Chuan.

She wore a white down jacket and waved a carefully wrapped red apple in her hand. She smiled at Bo Yan, "Senior, Merry Christmas. Are you feeling better?"

Seeing her, Bo Yan's face finally softened. He opened the door and let the two in.

The room was warm enough. After Jin Xi came in, she took off her down jacket, revealing the light apricot fur sweater inside. The close-fitting sweater outlined her petite bud-like figure.

Usually seeing her wrapped up tightly, he didn't expect her indented waist to also have some feminine charm.

Bo Yan raised his eyebrows, took her coat and hung it on the rack.

"Thank you, senior." Jin Xi explained to him, "Shen Ping Chuan knew you were sick and strongly insisted on coming with me to see you."

"Thanks," Bo Yan didn't have a good look on his face for this uninvited guest who had "strongly insisted" on coming to "see" him: "Make yourself at home."

Shen Ping Chuan stood between him and Jin Xi, looking him up and down, "Little sister said you couldn't even walk. But you look quite energetic to me."

Bo Yan leaned against the sofa and said casually, "I feel much better after taking medicine."

Shen Ping Chuan sneered, "Seeing my little sister makes you magically cured?"

Bo Yan raised his eyebrows, "Mainly because I'm young and exercise often. Not like you old folks with kidney deficiency and back pain. That's really due to poor health. You need supplements. My roommate sells sea cucumber pills. Let me know if you need some?"

Shen Ping Chuan: ...

Damn sea cucumber pills!

If he wasn't still a patient, Shen Ping Chuan would have wanted to fight him just for that.

How can this guy speak so irritatingly and venomously? Yet his little sister is so keen on coming to care about him.

Shen Ping Chuan got up abruptly, pulling Jin Xi to leave.

"Brother, we promised to spend Christmas with Senior!"

"You see, he doesn't look sick at all. He's clearly pretending!"

Jin Xi looked back. Bo Yan took the chance to lie down on the sofa, "Oh, weak."

"See! You made Senior faint!"

"Damn, you actually believe that!"

Shen Ping Chuan wanted to hit someone.

Jin Xi shook off Shen Ping Chuan's hand and insisted, "You can leave by yourself if you want. I'll stay with Senior for Christmas."

Bo Yan opened his eyes weakly and said to Shen Ping Chuan, "Go out, turn right, and the number 304 bus stop is down the street. Have a nice walk."

How could Shen Ping Chuan leave his sister alone? He grumbled for a while, "I'm not leaving."

In fact, Jin Xi was thinking that Bo Yan must not have eaten well these past few days since he was sick. So she went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients to cook him a meal and spend Christmas together.

Seeing Jin Xi chopping carrots with a knife, Shen Ping Chuan shook his head and kicked her out of the kitchen.

Jin Xi's mother passed away a few years ago, leaving her in the Shen family. Shen Ping Chuan's father Shen Shishan was busy with work. As the eldest brother, Shen Ping Chuan had practically raised Jin Xi, though not meticulously. His cooking skills were barely passable. Jin Xi had always felt that given Shen Ping Chuan's terrible cooking, it was a miracle she hadn't become deformed after eating his food all these years.

Jin Xi looked at Shen Ping Chuan worriedly, "If you poison Senior Bo to death, we'll be done for."

Shen Ping Chuan leisurely put on a small floral apron and said, "Don't worry, villains live a thousand years. He won't die so easily."

Jin Xi came out from the kitchen and saw Bo Yan sitting on the sofa, body bent forward, elbows on his knees, peeling an apple.

He wore a light gray sweater, with a casual homely tone. Under the warm yellow ceiling light, it gave her a sense of intimacy.

His skin was also fair and translucent, without a trace of blood on his face, adding an extra touch of weak beauty.

He held the knife very dexterously, peeling the apple skin off in one go.

Jin Xi picked up the thin peel like a cicada wing and sighed, "Great skills."

Bo Yan cut off a small piece of apple and threw it in his mouth. He glanced at her with a smile, "Your senior is very capable. You'll know in the future."

Shen Ping Chuan stuck his head out of the kitchen, "Don't you dare talk dirty to my little sister!"

Bo Yan had an I-dare-you-to-do-anything look.

Shen Ping Chuan said angrily, "I'll poison you."

Jin Xi stared at the white apple in Bo Yan's hand and swallowed, "Senior, I want to eat too."

Bo Yan peeled off a piece of apple for her.

Jin Xi reached out to take it. Bo Yan disdainfully said, "Your hands are dirty. Open your mouth."

So Jin Xi obediently opened her mouth and he fed her the apple.

She didn't know why, but the apple bought for this hospital visit was especially sweet and juicy.

The two of them sat on the sofa, taking turns biting the apple until only the core was left.

Shen Ping Chuan watched resentfully from the kitchen. He had peeled apples for Jin Xi countless times before, yet she would throw them away after eating halfway. Now she was eating someone else's apple with such appetite.

She was an ungrateful little white-eyed wolf after all.

He knocked the spatula on the pot, "Hey! You two are sitting too close! Little sister, stay farther from him. Be careful of infection..."

Bo Yan: "That guy is so annoying."

Jin Xi quickly said, "He just looks annoying. He's actually quite nice. He took the initiative to come see you this time."

Bo Yan's lips curled up slightly. He believed that Shen Ping Chuan had taken the initiative to come, but not to see him. It was clearly to play the role of a chaperone.

Shen Ping Chuan treasured his little sister. Knowing that Bo Yan dared to smash someone's head with a bottle in a bar despite being a student leader, Shen Ping Chuan knew he cared for Jin Xi like a real sister. For this one point, Bo Yan's impression of Shen Ping Chuan was positive as well.

Shen Ping Chuan was quite earnest and made a table of relatively light dishes. The taste was passable and edible.

Originally not having much appetite, Bo Yan still ate an extra bowl of rice because Jin Xi kept putting food in his bowl.

Shen Ping Chuan was extremely jealous. His sister had never served him like this before.

Seeing Shen Ping Chuan's sour face, Bo Yan gave him a chicken leg, "Master Shen, sorry for the poor hospitality."

"Humph."

During the meal, Shen Ping Chuan looked around Bo Yan's place. It was very big, a duplex with four bedrooms and two living rooms, but it felt empty, perhaps due to the lack of people. He casually asked, "Where are your parents? Leaving you home alone when you're sick, they don't seem to care much about you. Looks like you lacked love since childhood and your brain lacks calcium."

It was meant to be a sarcastic remark, but Jin Xi immediately kicked him under the table, very hard. Shen Ping Chuan shuddered in pain.

Damn, she was ruthless!

Jin Xi glared at him fiercely. Don't speak if you have nothing nice to say!

Bo Yan was not emotional. He calmly said, "They're on the wall."

Shen Ping Chuan looked up and saw two black and white portraits hanging on the opposite wall.

The parents in the photos looked very young, with beautiful smiles, especially the mother. The upturned corners of her eyes were exactly like Bo Yan's when he smiled.

Shen Ping Chuan shut up, feeling like something was stuck in his throat. The rest of the meal tasted bland as he felt very uneasy.

Jin Xi was truly exasperated by her stupid brother. Those huge portraits were right there yet he didn't see them. He foolishly poked at someone's sore spot. He was beyond help.

She ignored him and kept putting food in Bo Yan's bowl, as if trying to make up for something.

Bo Yan's gaze was gentle. He accepted everything she gave him.

After the meal, the siblings didn't rush to leave but sat with Bo Yan on the sofa to watch TV.

Because of his blunder earlier, Shen Ping Chuan felt remorseful and hugged his knees quietly on the sofa like a good-looking boy.

It was Christmas Eve today. All the major downtown areas had Christmas activities and the atmosphere was great. Jin Xi and Shen Ping Chuan would go out every year on Christmas to join the fun and enjoy a good meal together.

Since Bo Yan was sick now, he obviously couldn't go out in the cold wind. So Jin Xi and Shen Ping Chuan sat on the sofa watching TV, flanking Bo Yan on both sides.

Shen Ping Chuan wanted to watch a gaming livestream while Jin Xi wanted to watch the movie "Black Christmas", saying it was festive. The two almost fought over the remote control.

Sandwiched between them, Bo Yan nearly got caught in the crossfire several times.

For Bo Yan who had lived alone from a very young age, such a lively family atmosphere was something he had long forgotten.

Watching the two bicker and start hitting each other, Bo Yan could almost imagine their rambunctious family life at home. Come to think of it, it was quite warm.

Jin Xi still couldn't defeat Shen Ping Chuan and got so angry her little face turned red. She brought out her ultimate weapon—

tattling to her stepfather Shen Shishan about Shen Ping Chuan's violence.

Soon, Shen Ping Chuan's phone rang. From the earpiece came Shen Shishan's rough and loud voice that could be heard from ten miles away.

"Give your sister the remote control! How old are you and you still don't know to let your sister have her way! Do you believe me when I get home I'll smash the TV for you! I'll beat your legs until they're broken!"

The remote control returned to Jin Xi's hands. Jin Xi switched to "Black Christmas". After watching for a while, she became drowsy.

She suddenly remembered that this was Bo Yan's home.

She looked towards Bo Yan beside her. He seemed to have fallen asleep already, his head leaning against the soft sofa backrest, his arms hanging down casually and naturally. His fluffy black hair obscured his delicate eyelashes in wisps and strands - it was hard to notice that he had fallen asleep.

People who are sick tend to be more prone to sleep.

Jin Xi gestured to Shen Ping Chuan to keep quiet, and went inside to fetch a cotton blanket and gently covered Bo Yan with it. She then switched off the TV.

"Let's go."

Just as Jin Xi was about to get up to leave, Bo Yan suddenly reached out and grasped her little pinky finger.

She lowered her head and said gently, "Did I wake you?"

Bo Yan opened his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes, a glint of light in his jet black pupils. His voice was slightly hoarse, "I wasn't asleep."

"We were about to head home."

"Wait a moment."

Bo Yan flung aside the blanket and got to his feet, walking towards his own room.

Jin Xi and Shen Ping Chuan stood in place, looking at each other in puzzlement, not understanding what was happening.

Very soon, Bo Yan emerged holding a pink fur scarf in his hands. He went to Jin Xi and wrapped the scarf around her neck.

His actions were gentle as he pulled up the furry edges of the scarf to cover her demure little mouth.

Jin Xi's fair complexion was now framed snugly within the scarf, only revealing her bright doe eyes looking at him.

"Senior..."

"It's a Christmas present." Bo Yan's eyes smiled as he silently quirked up the corners of his lips, "I'm very happy that you came to see me."

**

Once they stepped out of the residential compound, Shen Ping Chuan rubbed Jin Xi's fur scarf with a look of displeasure on his face, "How is this going to keep you warm? Just a fancy accessory - your brother's knitted wool scarf is far better."

"Be gentle, you're pulling out the fur!" Jin Xi immediately shifted aside, tenderly adjusting her fur scarf.

"Look at you treasuring it so."

"You just don't understand - I love this style." Jin Xi pouted, "It's so much prettier than your big red wool scarf."

Shen Ping Chuan had his arm around Jin Xi's shoulder as they walked along the lively street. "What kind of person is this Bo Yan anyway? Just another frivolous playboy. Of course he knows what kind of gift will win a girl's heart. But it's useless despite being pretty."

Jin Xi dismissed his words haughtily, stroking her fur collar. As she turned her head, she caught sight of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in a display window, adorned with many gifts.

"Shen Ping Chuan, let's take a photo together." Jin Xi took out her phone in front of the Christmas tree backdrop and switched on her beautifying camera filter.

"Showing off just because you got a new scarf, tsk."

"Oh shush, take out your phone and I'll stand behind." Jin Xi passed her phone to Shen Ping Chuan.

Shen Ping Chuan looked at the screen. "Hey, why did my face become so sharp? Something's wrong here!"

Jin Xi laughed and turned off the face slimming filter.

Shen Ping Chuan said disdainfully, "You girls just can't accept your real selves."

Jin Xi rebutted slyly, "My beautified self is the real me!"

The siblings snapped a few photos, with Jin Xi striking cute poses while linking arms with Shen Ping Chuan. Shen Ping Chuan had an amusing expression, contrasting greatly from his usual stern demeanor at the student council.

Jin Xi posted the Christmas tree selfie on social media with the caption: Selling my stepbrother at a low price of two bottles of milk.

She then said to Shen Ping Chuan, "Look, no one wants you even at such a low price."

Not one to back down, Shen Ping Chuan stole her photo and posted this in retaliation: "Free little sister, anyone wants her?"

Two minutes later, Bo Yan commented: "I want."