Tan Xingwei had no impression of ever saying such a thing.
Although she might have, perhaps, possibly had some small objections in her heart to being Su Xu’s little sister, based on her understanding of herself, she would definitely never show it in front of Su Xu. She called her “Big Sister Ah Xu” more sweetly than anyone.
If you don’t want to be Su Xu’s little sister, then what do you want to be to Su Xu?
Aren’t you just her little sister?
But Su Xu wasn’t one to make things up out of thin air, so Tan Xingwei proceeded as if it had happened and asked, “Then why did you still say I was your little sister just now?”
Su Xu seemed to fall silent for a moment. “That’s why I thought you were angry.”
Tan Xingwei: “You make it sound like I get angry easily.”
Su Xu smiled. “Afraid you’d be unhappy.”
It was the same thing. Tan Xingwei naturally wouldn’t let it go. “Do I get unhappy easily?”
“No, you don’t,” Su Xu said, seeming amused as she drove the car out. “You’re a high-energy little happy pill.”
What an unfamiliar description. Tan Xingwei laughed along. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Su Xu: “It’s a compliment.”
Tan Xingwei: “I know.”
Su Xu fell silent after that. The navigation had two destinations: the first was Su Xu’s company, and the second was the barbecue restaurant where they would be eating later. It was a very convenient route. The female AI voice spoke up, announcing a right turn in 500 meters.
The matter seemed to have passed, but Tan Xingwei still felt something was off.
“Um…” Tan Xingwei began in a breathy voice, turning her body slightly to ask Su Xu, “Why would you think I was unhappy?” As the words left her mouth, she thought of something else and added, “Did my sister say something to you?”
Su Xu didn’t reply immediately.
Su Xu actually didn’t reply immediately.
Tan Xingwei felt her heart instantly quicken. She was nervous.
“It was nothing much,” Su Xu said, seeming to search for the right words. “It’s just that when I went abroad, she told me you shut yourself in your room and didn’t go out much.”
Tan Xingwei breathed slowly, only then realizing that last week wasn’t the first time Tan Yinqing had mentioned this.
Tan Xingwei should have kept asking—ask why Tan Yinqing told you this, ask if Tan Yinqing said why, ask what you thought the reason was.
She felt guilty. She felt it was too ambiguous. She was such a coward.
Perhaps because it had gotten a little quiet, Su Xu didn’t wait for Tan Xingwei to speak and continued, “She asked me to chat with you when I had time.”
New information entered Tan Xingwei’s mind, making her feel extremely embarrassed. “Did you… come looking for me?”
Su Xu: “Mhm.”
That “mhm” was light, yet it carried a lot of emotion.
The rest of the story wasn’t hard to guess. Su Xu looked for Tan Xingwei and was rewarded with the red exclamation mark gift package. Yay.
“I’m sorry,” Tan Xingwei said, dejected.
Su Xu followed up on the topic. “So, tell me, shouldn’t I be afraid you’d be unhappy?”
Tan Xingwei was convinced.
It was logical and well-founded.
The unreasonable one had always been Tan Xingwei.
“Then,” Tan Xingwei suddenly wasn’t so cowardly anymore, as if the conversation had reached a point where the plot was meant to develop this way. She opened her mouth and asked, “Why didn’t you come that day?”
As if afraid Su Xu wouldn’t know which day she meant—after all, the day the sky fell for Tan Xingwei might have just been an insignificant evening in the course of Su Xu’s life—Tan Xingwei quickly added, “The day before you went abroad, I asked to meet you, but you didn’t come.”
Clear, unambiguous, and straightforward. It seemed quite simple to say it out loud.
But Su Xu fell silent.
Tan Xingwei was no longer clear, unambiguous, or straightforward.
“Let me think about how to say this.” After another period of silence, Su Xu said this.
Tan Xingwei regretted it. Why did I have to ask, why!
Tan Xingwei also fell silent for a little while.
“You, uh,” Tan Xingwei’s voice stuttered, “you don’t have to say.”
This time, Su Xu was quick. “Then let’s not talk about it.”
Tan Xingwei: “???”
She’s really not going to talk about it?
The female machine voice spoke again, announcing to move into the left two lanes in preparation for a left turn in 600 meters. It was a bit quiet in the car. Su Xu minimized the navigation, skillfully opened her music app, and tapped on her daily recommendations. The speakers vibrated, and upbeat music filled the space.
Wait, she’s really not going to say anything?
Tan Xingwei was the one who said she didn’t have to, but now that Su Xu was really not saying anything, Tan Xingwei had to hold her breath, feeling stuffy and frustrated.
Half a song later, Tan Xingwei was still a little unwilling to let it go. The topic’s warmth hadn’t faded, and she still wanted to talk more.
“Aren’t you mad at me?” If we’re going to talk, let’s talk, Tan Xingwei thought, saying, “For blocking you so inexplicably.”
Su Xu said, “No.”
Su Xu barely had to think. She seemed very unconcerned, so Tan Xingwei guessed, “Do you get blocked by people often?”
A slightly speechless expression appeared on Su Xu’s face. “Only you.”
Tan Xingwei: “Oh.”
Su Xu asked, “Happy now?”
Tan Xingwei said aloud, “Why would I be happy about that?”
But after saying it, she couldn’t help but let out a loud snort and burst out laughing, drowning out the background music.
“Alright, fine.” Tan Xingwei covered her mouth, trying to compose herself.
So special.
“Does my sister know I blocked you?” Tan Xingwei asked again.
Su Xu said, “No.”
Tan Xingwei let out an “ah.” “You didn’t tell her? Didn’t she ask you for a follow-up? Ask if you had looked for me.”
Su Xu said, “She did ask.”
Tan Xingwei: “What did you say?”
Su Xu: “I said I was a bit busy and would look for you after I was done.”
Tan Xingwei let out another “ah.”
At this point, Tan Xingwei had another guess. Tan Yinqing wasn’t someone who liked to trouble her friends. In the past, when Tan Xingwei used to cling to Su Xu, Tan Yinqing had lectured her several times, but Tan Xingwei never listened.
With Su Xu saying that to Tan Yinqing, based on Tan Xingwei’s understanding of her sister, Tan Yinqing wouldn’t have approached Su Xu about it again.
And so, the matter came to a close.
Oh, not yet.
Tan Xingwei’s mind heated up, and she had another question she wanted to ask.
“Since you thought I’d be unhappy,” Tan Xingwei was getting a little carried away, deciding to press her one last time, “why did you still introduce me to your colleague as your little sister?”
Hearing this, Su Xu actually laughed.
Tan Xingwei: “What are you laughing at?”
Su Xu held her hand out in front of Tan Xingwei, palm up. “It’s sweaty.”
Tan Xingwei: “Huh? Why?”
But Su Xu didn’t talk about her palm, instead answering Tan Xingwei’s challenge. “I didn’t think much of it at first, it just slipped out. It was only after I saw you huffily snatching my suitcase that I realized.”
It was Tan Xingwei’s turn to laugh. “I was just simply trying to help you with your suitcase.”
Su Xu said sweetly, “Thank you, Little Sister Xingxing.”
Tan Xingwei: “Bleh.”
Su Xu turned to glance at Tan Xingwei. “So cute.”
Tan Xingwei tightened her jaw, afraid her lips were about to curl up into a smile again.
After a moment, it dawned on Tan Xingwei that Su Xu had just shown her her palm.
What did that mean? Was Su Xu nervous?
Why would Su Xu be nervous?
Did she even need to ask? It was because she cared about Tan Xingwei. If it were anyone else, would Su Xu need to be so cautious and carefully handle every question?
Say no more. Su Xu, don’t be too in love.
…
Before long, they arrived at Su Xu’s company. Tan Xingwei continued to make herself useful, carrying Su Xu’s suitcase to the front desk on the first floor.
Next stop, barbecue. Time for barbecue!
“Today’s Friday,” Su Xu said as they got back in the car, asking Tan Xingwei, “Does Yinqing usually come back today or tomorrow?”
Tan Xingwei’s hand, which was pulling the seatbelt, paused. She first said, “Both, it depends on her mood,” and then asked, “Should we… ask her to join us?”
“That tone of yours,” Su Xu said as she started the car. “Do you want to ask her, or not?”
Of course Tan Xingwei didn’t want to. She could eat with Tan Yinqing anytime.
“I don’t know if she’s back yet,” was what Tan Xingwei said, however.
Su Xu said, “I’ll ask.”
Tan Xingwei’s mood plummeted.
She watched helplessly as Su Xu tapped the center console, opened the contact list, scrolled down, and scrolled down some more.
Stop scrolling, stop scrolling. Your hands don’t even look good anymore.
Soon, the screen reached the page with Tan Yinqing’s name.
And that finger, which had been moving so smoothly, stopped at this moment.
“Should I ask?” Su Xu lifted her hand to tap.
A match seemed to be struck in Tan Xingwei’s gloomy, gray mood.
“Huh?” Tan Xingwei sounded confused.
Su Xu moved her finger away, tapped the home button, and the screen switched back to the navigation.
Su Xu: “Let’s not ask.”
Tan Xingwei hadn’t expected Su Xu to do that. After all, in her mind, the scene had already fast-forwarded to Tan Yinqing sitting across from them at the dinner table.
So, Tan Xingwei came back to life.
Not to mention, Su Xu added, “Let’s not tell her.”
