Serenade

Jin Xi sat on Bo Yan's thin mattress with her bare little white feet, occasionally anxiously poking her head out towards the balcony.

The wind gently stirred the curtains, and the night outside was heavy.

On the balcony, Bo Yan paced back and forth, talking on the phone with Shen Ping Chuan.

Jin Xi looked at the time on her phone. The two had been talking for over forty minutes already. Even she herself hadn't talked to Bo Yan on the phone for that long before.

She was really curious, so she put on her slippers and tiptoed to the door. Poking her head out towards the balcony, she saw that not only were they still talking on the phone, they had even started video chatting!

What was going on here?

When Bo Yan caught sight of the little girl peeking at them from the crack in the door, he came over directly, pushed her head back inside, and closed the balcony door, not letting her eavesdrop.

Jin Xi was full of question marks. She suddenly felt a sense of impending doom, like she was about to be split in half.

After about another twenty minutes, the two brothers finally finished their conversation. Bo Yan came back into the room and put his phone down on the bedside table to charge. Jin Xi glanced at the screen and saw there was only 10% battery left.

So it wasn't that they had finished talking, it was that the phone had run out of battery.

She tugged on Bo Yan's sleeve and asked with concern, "Did Shen Ping Chuan give you a hard time?"

"No."

"What did you guys talk about for so long?"

"Just random stuff."

Jin Xi blinked. Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to elaborate, it seemed like there were still some secrets.

She flopped down on the soft bed and slapped the pillow in frustration. Whining, she said, "You're keeping secrets from me. I can't go on like this."

Bo Yan started laughing. Gently he said, "Actually this was supposed to be a private conversation between men, but there's no harm telling you. Shen Ping Chuan said he's feeling a little down."

Jin Xi sat up. Looking down, she pursed her lips and said, "I knew it."

He reached out and ruffled her smooth hair, tidying it for her. "You don't know."

She looked at him puzzled.

Bo Yan said gently, "You thought he was sad about losing you, but that's not it. He's sad that you didn't keep it a secret from anyone except for him, your closest brother. He was the last to find out."

"I..."

Jin Xi opened her mouth but couldn't get any words out. Her eyes suddenly turned a little red.

Bo Yan sat down next to her and lightly rubbed her eyelids with his slender fingertips.

"Just now he kept reflecting to me that maybe he was too harsh on you in the past, so even for something as important as dating, you didn't dare tell him. He said he wasn't a good brother."

Jin Xi shook her head repeatedly. "No, not at all. He's the best brother in the world."

The bad one was her.

Bo Yan held her flushed little face in his hands. Her eyes were misty with tears ready to spill over. He gently wiped her eyes with his palm.

Jin Xi grabbed his hand and croaked, "What else did you guys talk about?"

"Shen Ping Chuan also said he wants to become best bros with me."

Jin Xi was astonished. "He...accepted you just like that? And wants to become bros with you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"It can't have been that easy."

"I made him a promise that I intend to keep."

Jin Xi asked curiously, "What promise?"

Bo Yan reached out and gently stroked her moist lips. "You just turned eighteen this year."

Jin Xi made a sound of affirmation. "Yeah, I turned eighteen in June. So what?"

Bo Yan let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "So young."

"So what did you promise him?"

"I promised I won't touch you, at least...not while you're still this young."

Jin Xi was stunned into silence. Yet a thread of warmth rose in her heart.

Bo Yan threw the box of condoms in the trash. Feeling exhausted all over, he heavily flopped down on the bed and dragged out his words, "I didn't realize you were so young."

She smiled and slipped under the covers, kicking Bo Yan's leg. "Then you go sleep on the couch."

"I'm dizzy." Bo Yan flopped down straight beside her and put a pillow over his face. "I can't take it anymore. Turn off the lights quick."

"How can you...how can you be like this? You think you can get away with this?"

With his eyes closed, Bo Yan grabbed the blanket and covered himself, burrowing into her waist. "I only promised not to touch you. Didn't say I can't cuddle you to sleep."

Jin Xi started laughing softly. "You really are a dog."

Bo Yan rested his hand on her concave waist, holding her in his embrace. "This is the first time I've cuddled a woman to sleep."

"Who...who isn't doing this for the first time."

His hand wandered restlessly upwards, and Jin Xi quickly grabbed it. Wary, she said, "Behave yourself."

He let out a muffled, impatient groan, and held her even tighter. "I'm so uncomfortable."

"Where are you uncomfortable?"

"Down there."

"..."

She closed her eyes and mercilessly said, "Well, I'm going to sleep now."

"Mm-hmm."

Jin Xi fell asleep reassured. It wasn't a peaceful night of sleep. She woke up several times in a daze, and tossed and turned a few times, sometimes hugging his arm, sometimes cheek to cheek with him, sometimes burrowing into his chest.

Although she didn't sleep very well, she felt very safe.

**

That night, Bo Yan took the initiative to call Shen Ping Chuan, explaining to him the history of how he and Jin Xi got together, from when it started to how far it had developed. He candidly told him everything clearly.

Bo Yan rarely had this kind of patience. He generally disliked others interfering in his affairs, so when he opened his heart to communicate with Shen Ping Chuan, Shen Ping Chuan felt an inexplicable sense of being favored.

To be fair, Bo Yan had always treated him exceptionally well, to a degree beyond what he could have imagined. At least now, among his circle of friends while playing basketball at the military academy, whenever he showed up the boys would take the initiative to greet him and ask him to join their game.

Shen Ping Chuan knew he wasn't likable. In the last two years he had offended quite a few people. Those willing to interact with him only did so out of deference to Bo Yan.

Since Bo Yan called him "Brother Shen", it meant they were sworn brothers.

In the past, Shen Ping Chuan didn't understand why this groundless affection had landed on his head. It couldn't have just been for the two crates of milk every month, right?

Now he finally understood. Turns out this guy had painstakingly schemed all along to become his brother-in-law!

Shen Ping Chuan's sister-complex had already begun at five years old on that morning when he saw that chubby little dumpling. He had imagined countless scenarios of Jin Xi's future boyfriends mistreating her and having to stand up for her... And now, Bo Yan was so attentive he even looked out for Shen Ping Chuan himself, which showed how much he cherished Jin Xi.

After hanging up, Shen Ping Chuan's mood was somewhat complicated, as if relieved of a burden but also a little disappointed.

He didn't return to the dorms, but wandered alone to a roadside barbecue stall outside campus. He ordered several skewers of grilled meat and beer to slowly digest this sudden news.

The sizzling barbecue was served, the refreshing beer went down his throat, dispelling the summer heat.

City B's nightlife was very rich, with large and small late-night barbecue and beer stalls everywhere. Bare-armed men drank and gambled loudly, feasting heartily and exuding a strong rivers-and-lakes atmosphere.

Before Shen Ping Chuan's seat was even warm, he heard an arrogant voice call out, "Yo, what's this, Prince Shen eating supper alone? Want some brothers to keep you company?"

Shen Ping Chuan was halfway through a meat skewer, mouth greasy, when he looked back to see Sun Kai's foot on the stool next to him, a malicious smile on his face.

He was followed by several other guys, who had also clearly come out to eat late-night snacks.

Last time at the bar, Shen Ping Chuan had knocked out two of Sun Kai's teeth. He knew Sun Kai had held a grudge ever since. Now that he finally had a chance, he certainly wouldn't let Shen Ping Chuan off easy.

"Prince Shen, why is someone as noble as you eating at a common food stall like this?" Sun Kai spoke in a mocking tone.

Shen Ping Chuan didn't really want to bother with him and simply said mildly: "Have you gotten your missing teeth fixed?"

At the mention of this, Sun Kai immediately exploded. He grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it on the table, instantly shattering it. The pale yellow liquid splashed onto Shen Ping Chuan's clothes.

"You f*cker... If you don't drink the toast, you'll be punished with a drink!" Taking advantage of having strength in numbers this time, Sun Kai deliberately wanted to cause trouble for Shen Ping Chuan: "Brothers, beat him up!"

A few guys ganged up and started viciously beating Shen Ping Chuan.

Shen Ping Chuan was a newbie. Although he usually exercised a lot, it was limited to running and playing basketball. He was still no match for Sun Kai and his buddies who had muscular bodies from working out at the gym. He was beaten and rolling around on the ground in a sorry state.

Soon, the few guys around him were knocked over, and Sun Kai's arm was directly dislocated with a pop, making him shriek in pain!

Shen Ping Chuan was beaten until he saw stars. He barely managed to stand up, his eyes blurry. He only saw a girl with a ponytail wearing camo pants skillfully blocking in front of him.

She had a slender, willowy figure, and her bare little arms were shapely and muscular, clearly very powerful.

A man charged over with a roar, and she knocked him down with one hand.

Shen Ping Chuan blinked his eyes that were blurred by the fresh blood and thought he was hallucinating for a moment.

The girl turned around. Her narrow eyes were a bit masculine, her sharp side profile had distinct features, and her exquisite yet coldly beautiful face was very familiar.

Shen Ping Chuan suddenly remembered that she was the little junior who liked eating puffed rice balls.

A few men saw that it was just a girl and still didn't give up, rushing forward again. Shen Ping Chuan immediately pulled Xia Qing behind him and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, "She has nothing to do with this..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was punched and kicked again.

Xia Qing shook off Shen Ping Chuan's pull and rushed out, taking care of the remaining few men in just a couple moves.

Seeing that she was also wearing camo clothes, Sun Kai and his crew knew better than to provoke her. Supporting each other, they stumbled away in retreat.

Xia Qing looked back at Shen Ping Chuan. He was hunched over, pinching his nose with hands covered in bright red blood, but still mumbling incoherently, "It's fine, totally fine, I didn't feel anything at all. Those women didn't have a bit of strength in their legs and feet, pfft." 𝖋𝔯𝖊𝖊𝖜𝔢𝖇𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔢𝖑.𝖈𝔬𝖒

She hesitated for a moment before finally walking over, taking some tissue from her bag. "Let go of your nose," she said gently.

As soon as Shen Ping Chuan let go, the blood spurted out like beads, falling to the ground looking dreadful.

Xia Qing rolled the tissue into a vertical shape and carefully stuck it into Shen Ping Chuan's nose.

She was very slim with a small frame. There wasn't an ounce of extra fat on her body. Her arms were like a thin sheet of paper covering the smooth, flowing muscle lines, looking truly...

Extremely sexy.

Shen Ping Chuan's physique was nearly twice as big as hers, yet he still felt rather ashamed that a little girl had come to his rescue.

Xia Qing plugged his nostrils and used more tissue to wipe the blood from his face clean.

"Are you injured anywhere else on your body, senior?"

Shen Ping Chuan stared blankly at the sexy muscles on her little arms. They didn't look abrupt or reckless at all, rather, they exuded a bit of sexy flavor.

He let out a blank "ah".

Feeling a little embarrassed by his stare, Xia Qing turned around to grab her coat from the chair and put it on herself, "Go to the hospital if there are any issues, like fractures or something."

"No problem at all, how could I have fractures? My bones are rock hard, nothing happened!"

Seeing his muddled state, Xia Qing figured he was probably fine without major injuries. With this burly, sturdy physique of his that was over twice her size, while other things may be lacking, his endurance for beatings was still first-rate.

"I'm a little hungry now," she said, looking back at the grilled meat skewers and alcohol on the table.

Shen Ping Chuan quickly pulled her to sit down and generously said, "Eat whatever you want, senior will treat!"

He ordered a bunch more grilled skewers for her, along with a bowl of white rice, watching her eat.

Xia Qing ate very slowly, but her appetite was shockingly large. She quickly finished all the grilled skewers on the table and the rice was licked clean.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said somewhat apologetically, "I ate up all your late night snacks."

Shen Ping Chuan figured he had never seen a girl with such a big appetite before. In his limited experience, girls were like rabbits, how could any eat this much!

"Do you want anything else?" Shen Ping Chuan asked with concern, "Tell me if it's not enough."

"It's enough, thank you senior."

"Didn't eat dinner?"

"I was working just now, didn't even have time for dinner, I was starving."

"Working this late at night? Where?"

"Over there, at the hot pot restaurant at the end of the street. I'm a server there."

"You're not going home for summer break?"

"Not going back. I finally found this part-time job opportunity to earn more money and can review my courses at school at the same time."

Shen Ping Chuan sincerely praised her, "You're really capable. I wish my little sister was half as motivated as you."

Xia Qing smiled without responding. She walked to his side and gently brushed away the tissue sticking out of his nose, "The nosebleed stopped."

"Oh," he quickly pulled out the tissue that was plugging his nose, knowing he must look utterly stupid right now.

"Senior, let me take you back to your dorm," Xia Qing suggested.

"You take me back?"

"I'm worried those people won't let it go and might block you on the road. I'll send you back, it'll be safer." Xia Qing said, "You're a good person. With me here, I won't let others bully you."

"Huh?"

Her words were touching, but somehow they sounded strange to hear.

Xia Qing insisted on sending Shen Ping Chuan to the entrance of his dorm building, watching him go upstairs before finally leaving reassured.

Jin Xi teased him for days because of this incident: "Bro, are you some little princess? You actually needed a girl to escort you back to your dorm!"

At that time Shen Ping Chuan had gotten beaten up and was a bit cowardly, but in hindsight, he truly felt that he had no manliness at all. Not only did he let a little girl be his "beauty saving hero", but he also let her protect him all the way back to the dorm. This was completely taking the wrong script!

"And you're laughing at me? I offended Sun Kai for whose sake?" Shen Ping Chuan tugged on Jin Xi's little braid. "You have no right to laugh at me."

Jin Xi quickly hid behind Bo Yan, sticking her tongue out at Shen Ping Chuan.

Bo Yan casually put his arm around her and lazily said to Shen Ping Chuan, "Stop pulling her hair, she barely has any left. If she goes bald, I won't want her."

"If you don't want her, give her back to me." Shen Ping Chuan reached out to try and take Jin Xi away, but Bo Yan protected her in his arms and didn't let him. He said, "That junior Xia Qing, whether it was physical fitness or academics, she took first place in the entire academy for the entrance exams. She's extremely outstanding."

Shen Ping Chuan exclaimed in admiration, "No wonder. That day she took on so many guys herself, just like a female warrior in martial arts films!"

"I also heard the instructor chat about her. She's introverted and aloof with very few friends, but she's a good person, very innocent."

As Bo Yan spoke, Jin Xi had already logged into the military academy's website and found a photo of Xia Qing in the system: "Wow bro! She's monolid!"

Shen Ping Chuan rested his hands behind his head, lazily walking around the drill grounds after a meal with the two of them, "What's wrong with being monolid?"

Jin Xi examined Xia Qing's photo. She had delicate, beautiful features. Her narrow monolid eyes gave off an aura like the classical beauties in paintings.

She didn't know why, but the more she looked at the monolid eyes, the more she liked them.

Jin Xi looked up at Bo Yan, "Does this big sister Xia Qing have abs?"

"Of course," Bo Yan sounded rather proud. "How could the girls at the military academy not have abs?"

Jin Xi excitedly said, "Monolid, with abs. Isn't this big sister Xia Qing my future sister-in-law?!"

"You little rascal, what nonsense are you spewing!"

"This is what you said! Your future girlfriend must be tall and healthy, with a strong body. Bonus if she's monolid and muscular."

Bo Yan frowned at Shen Ping Chuan, "Didn't expect it, but brother Shen's taste is quite unique."

Shen Ping Chuan stammered, "You two... don't talk nonsense, nothing's going on!"

"Why's your face red if nothing's going on?"

"My face isn't red, I'm just hot..." He tugged at his t-shirt collar, fanning himself, and his cheeks really did flush.

When Jin Xi and Bo Yan reached the dormitory building where Shen Ping Chuan lived, they both stopped and looked up at him.

Shen Ping Chuan: "What?"

Bo Yan said: "Escorting His Royal Highness back to the palace."

"......"

He had deliberately accompanied these two for a walk to aid their digestion and chat, and it hadn't even been half an hour yet before they were chasing him away.

He looked at Jin Xi and Bo Yan and uncertainly asked: "Am I...in your way?"

Jin Xi smiled and said: "Of course not."

Bo Yan walked over, put his arm around Shen Ping Chuan's shoulders, and slowly said: "Lord Shen, I strongly recommend you take a royal consort."