Chapter 3
Chapter 3
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
My Zhou Yanzhi was like a clear breeze under a bright moon.
Whenever he saw me, he would smile warmly and call my name softly: “Ningning.”
When I was little, I called him “Brother.” Every day after school, he would stand at the school gates with his backpack, waiting for me. I would always shout at the top of my lungs, “Brother!”
Then, I would tell my teacher with pride and delight, “My brother is here to pick me up!”
“Goodbye, Teacher.”
Later, as I grew older and entered my rebellious phase, I loved calling him by his full name.
“Zhou Yanzhi! Don’t you dare tell my mom.”
“Zhou Yanzhi, I was wrong.”
“Zhou Yanzhi, what should I do?”
He was never annoyed. He would answer every time, pat my head, and help me shoulder every mess I made.
“Zhou Yanzhi.”
“Will you… always protect me?”
“I will.”
The young man wore a white shirt, his posture tall and straight. The hem of his shirt fluttered in the wind. I would quietly grab hold of it, unable to see his expression as he sat on the bicycle’s front seat.
His voice was clear and honest. “I’m Ningning’s brother.”
“Of course I’ll protect Ningning for the rest of my life.”
I didn’t want that.
I didn’t want to be just your sister.
I pouted, not daring to speak. I could only wrap my arms around his waist in frustration. “Then ride more steadily!”
In truth, the road was flat and unobstructed.
His body stiffened for a moment before a laugh bubbled up from his chest. He didn’t argue, simply complying obediently.
“Okay.”
Later still, when my heart first began to stir, I started growing my hair long and wearing pretty little dresses. I began calling him Brother Yanzhi.
By that time, Zhou Yanzhi had already gone away to university. The time he spent back home was few and far between.
With broad shoulders and long legs, he had already grown into a man capable of supporting the heavens.
There was a hint of coldness between his brows, yet it would completely melt away the moment he saw me, leaving only smiles.
I had been in love with him for so many years.
During those late nights in my senior year of high school, I would look up at the moon and tell myself to hold on just a little longer-just get through this period.
I wanted to get the best grades possible, then stand before him and confess all the secrets and bittersweet feelings I had harbored as a young girl for over a decade.
I wanted to tell him that I had liked him for a very, very long time.
That was what gave me the motivation to face those dull and complicated exam questions.
But the person I encountered today…
He didn’t look anything like the man he used to be.
When I finally snapped out of it and tried to chase after them, they were already gone.
I refused to give up.
I wanted to see him one more time.
Whether it was amnesia or an act.
At the very least, I had to confirm it was him so I could let his parents know that Zhou Yanzhi was still alive in this world.
I didn’t have his contact information. My only link to him was Nightfall.
So, I used the simplest, most foolish method possible.
I waited at Nightfall.
I saw him again.
This time, he was gathered with several men, smoking. They were surrounded by three or four others who looked fierce and menacing.
I suddenly felt a wave of cowardice and didn’t dare approach.
But the man from last time spotted me.
He suddenly broke into a grin and gestured toward me to Zhou Yanzhi.
Zhou Yanzhi looked back, glancing at me with a cold, indifferent expression. Immediately after, the woman from that day appeared again.
His expression changed instantly. A faint smile played on his lips as he reached out to wrap his arm around the woman’s waist, pulling her into his embrace.
The woman leaned into him obediently.
I stood in the corner, watching their group enter a private booth, laughing and chatting.
In that split second, I saw the woman look back at me with a gaze full of hidden threats.
Like a rose dipped in poison.
Cold sweat soaked the back of my clothes. I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.