I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 272. Zhang Yiyi's Wish

"Cough cough cough—what did you say? What did Wan Ning say to you?" Xu Qingfan began to visibly tense up, his speech becoming mumbled and he had lost his usual composure.

Zhang Yiyi winked mischievously, and her smile resembled a hibiscus bud just beginning to bloom, showcasing the greatest beauty in the world.

“Wan Ning told me everything!” The girl jumped back a step, put her hands behind her back, and leaned forward slightly to look at him.

Seeing her brother's flustered expression, her smile widened.

Realizing he was being teased by the girl in front of him, Xu Qingfan pretended to be angry and raised his hand as if to slap her, trying to cover up his guilty conscience. "Are you playing riddles with me? Believe me or not, I'll spank you!"

The girl wasn't afraid at all. She knew that her brother was just putting on an act and that being spanked wouldn't hurt. She raised her head and put on a defiant look.

Zhang Yiyi's forced smile made her pose not at all irritating, but rather quite adorable, much like an emoji he once used.

"I think you just want a spanking." Xu Qingfan walked over and gave her a light pat on the bottom.

Zhang Yiyi wasn't annoyed. She leaned against the wall again and said to him, "It's what my brother said, that you can only date when you're seventeen or eighteen."

"Oh~ you mean this? Yeah, so what?" Xu Qingfan was almost scared to death by the girl in front of him and let out a long breath.

He thought Lin Wanning really dared to say anything, that would be too outrageous. It seems that Wanning is still aware of his own limitations.

Zhang Yi knew that if she kept laughing, she would give herself away, and she didn't want to betray her good friend, so she changed her question and asked, "Will you date after you turn seventeen, brother?"

This is a very important question. If Xu Qingfan doesn't plan to date in high school, then no matter how much she and Wan Ning prepare, it will all be in vain.

"Huh?" Xu Qingfan hadn't expected the girl to ask that, but he himself didn't actually have an answer to the question yet.

"I'll definitely talk about it after I turn seventeen, but whether it'll be seventeen, eighteen, or twenty-seven or twenty-eight, I don't know," he said ambiguously.

Zhang Yiyi was not satisfied with his answer and asked again, "If a girl your older brother liked confessed to you in high school, would your brother be with her?"

She rarely spoke so many words at once.

"Uh..." The images of many people floated into his mind: Lin Wanning, Wu Lingyu, Xiao Ruanwen, and of course, Zhang Yiyi, who was right in front of him.

Xia Xiaoxiao should have been included as well, but he suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.

If we're talking about liking someone, he really likes the four girls he spends every day with, both in terms of their personalities and appearances. But there's still a question he's thought about before: if he gets together with one of them, will it affect all the friendships between them?

After all, his past life experience was the best example. He and Xia Xiaoxiao drifted apart, probably because the girl only saw him as her brother.

When it comes to matters of the heart, it's a complicated mess. Xu Qingfan is terrified that he might end up like he did in his previous life, unsure when he might step on a landmine.

"These things are hard to explain. Sometimes, when the atmosphere is right, the feelings are there, and dopamine levels rise, you naturally end up together." Xu Qingfan still didn't give a direct answer.

"Oh," Zhang Yiyi said, a little disappointed. She had originally wanted to ask if her brother would be with her if one of the five of them confessed to him. She was asking on behalf of a friend.

But Qingfan's brother isn't stupid. Asking this question makes it seem like this friend is herself.

The girl moved her feet little by little, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Qingfan.

"I like my brother," she whispered, clinging to Xu Qingfan's arm.

“I like Yi Yi too.” Xu Qingfan patted the back of her hand.

Neither of them spoke for a while, and after a long time, Zhang Yiyi finally said, "It's different."

"Huh?" Because a considerable amount of time had passed, Xu Qingfan didn't understand the meaning of the girl's words.

Zhang Yiyi simply shook her head, offering no explanation.

She also longed to say to her brother in person, like Lin Wanning, "I love you so much, brother, I love you the most, the most, the most, the most," but her girlish modesty wouldn't allow her to do so.

Most importantly, Zhang Yiyi was terrified that Xu Qingfan would tell her, "My feelings for Yiyi are just those of a brother for his sister!"

Her childhood experiences left indelible scars, but over the years, with the security her brother provides and her good friend Wan Ning as her source of joy, she has long since let go of her kindergarten experiences and the fact that her father didn't want her.

Because of the presence of the two of them, Zhang Yiyi no longer had to pretend to be quiet to avoid being bullied as she did when she was a child; nor did she have to force a smile to please her elders as she did when she was a child.

Because of the presence of the two of them, she could occasionally show her quirky and mischievous side like an ordinary teenage girl, no longer needing to use silence as her protective shield.

But if one day her brother and Wan Ning both abandon her, Yi Yi will fall into an even bigger and deeper abyss.

I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the sun.

We promised to be together forever!
After some time, the sun hid behind the clouds again, and the two of them set off again hand in hand.

They didn't know how far they had gone, and when they looked back, they could no longer see the way they had come from.

Apart from the occasional car speeding by, he and Zhang Yiyi were the only two people on the entire coastline.

The sun was gradually setting in the west, and although it was still hot, it was at a level that people could tolerate.

“I want to go there,” Zhang Yiyi said, pointing to a large stretch of beach below the railing.

Xu Qingfan looked around but didn't see any signs prohibiting entry.

He nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll get down first, then you can step down onto my shoulders."

"Mmm!" The girl knew her brother was omnipotent, and she smiled sweetly.

Xu Qingfan stepped over the railing and slowly moved down, gripping the edges of the stone wall with both hands.

After his legs were completely suspended in the air, with only a little over a meter left to the ground, he released his hands and jumped lightly, landing easily on both feet.

“Come on, step on my shoulders first, then I’ll lift you down with my hands.” Xu Qingfan looked up at Zhang Yiyi, who was still on top of him.

"Mm." The girl nodded and took off her sandals, tossing them to Xu Qingfan.

After her brother was back in position, Zhang Yiyi placed her feet on his shoulders with complete trust, and then slowly squatted down.

The next second, Xu Qingfan steadily lifted the girl down.

"Alright." Xu Qingfan clapped his hands, indicating that the task was completed.

"Brother is amazing!" Zhang Yiyi lowered her head to adjust her skirt, and secretly pulled it out of the way Xu Qingfan couldn't see.

The sand gets a little hot under the sun, but it's not unbearably hot. Walking barefoot on it is a bittersweet experience.

Seeing Xu Qingfan holding slippers in his hand, Zhang Yiyi also went barefoot on the beach.

She switched her right hand, which was holding the shoe, to her left, and stepped forward to take her brother's hand again.

"Aren't you hot?" Xu Qingfan, with his thick skin, was fine, but Zhang Yiyi's skin was delicate and fragile.

“Brother is the same.” She lifted her right foot and looked back. The sole of her foot was reddish from being scorched by the sun, and countless tiny grains of sand were attached to it, like white sugar sprinkled on a delicious apple pie.

Xu Qingfan had no intention of taking a single bite. That's right, he didn't!
The girl put her feet down again and pulled her brother along as they continued walking.

They didn't stop until the icy seawater reached their feet.

Xu Qingfan suddenly recalled a famous scene from a Stephen Chow movie: "Strive, fight!"

He wondered if the film was shot on this very beach.

Zhang Yiyi released her grip on his hand and returned to the shore, her delicate feet drawing patterns on the soft sand. Xu Qingfan sat down as well, watching the girl dance gracefully.

The sea breeze blew, her dress fluttered, and the way the girl tiptoed was like a white swan performing ballet.

The outline of a human figure quickly appeared on the ground, and upon closer inspection, it bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the boy behind the girl.

After finishing outlining the hair and ears, Zhang Yiyi looked at her masterpiece, nodded and smiled, and squatted down to use her hands to add the most important facial features to the work.

Seeing the girl suddenly squat down, Xu Qingfan got up and went over to check, only to find that Zhang Yiyi was drawing herself.

"Who is this handsome guy? I rarely see someone so handsome." Xu Qingfan pretended not to know and squatted down to ask.

Zhang Yi smiled and rolled her eyes at him before continuing to paint.

The eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth were quickly drawn. Seeing her brother so smug, the girl smiled mischievously and smoothed out her perfectly drawn nose.

"Why did you erase it? It looked pretty good!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl changed her original high nose bridge into an oval nose with two nostrils, which was clearly a pig's nose!

This inexplicably tickled Zhang Yiyi's funny bone. She slumped to the ground, pointed at Xu Qingfan's nose, and laughed, "Hahaha~ Brother is a pig!"

"I think you're the pig, you're laughing like a pig." Xu Qingfan reached out and ruffled her hair.

"No!"

"Hehehe~ I wonder who was laughing like that just now," he said again.

"I don't!"

"Crunch crunch crunch~" Xu Qingfan continued to imitate the pig's squeals.

"Ah~ Brother, you're bullying me!" Zhang Yiyi rarely acted coquettishly, jumping onto his back and covering his mouth.

"Hmm~ You can't even say anything when you laugh like that," Xu Qingfan said in a distorted voice.

"No, no, no!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"no!"

"Have!"

"."

The two seemed to have suddenly returned to their childhood, bickering like silly elementary school students.

The sun moved further and further away without anyone noticing, its brilliant rays dyeing the horizon red. The sea and sky merged into one color, as if the sky had stolen the sunset without the sky noticing.

The waves crashed against the shore, creating a surreal effect as light and shadow intertwined.

Zhang Yiyi then used her feet to draw her and Lin Wanning's portraits on the sand, followed by Xia Xiaoxiao, Wu Lingyu, and Xiao Ruanwen.

The large headshots of the five people surrounded Xu Qingfan like planets, as if to echo her recent statement that "her brother is the sun."

Zhang Yiyi suddenly remembered a popular lyric from a few years ago: "I travel through Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn in search of you."

[My love can only be yours alone; my spirit and soul will forever guard the door of your heart.] She hummed the climax of the song to herself, suddenly realizing how much it described her.

Isn't this exactly how I love my brother?

"Why are you surrounding me?" Xu Qingfan patted her shoulder, pulling the girl back from her inner turmoil.

Zhang Yi tilted her head and looked at him, blinked, then tilted her head to the other side before saying, "Because brother is the sun."

"And then the explosion killed everyone?" Xu Qingfan couldn't help but laugh first.

"No, it's about warming everyone's hearts!" Zhang Yiyi bit her lower lip lightly, a smile also on her face.

"No one is dying anymore?"

“I’m not dead.” She took two steps forward and took Xu Qingfan’s arm again.

"Everyone must take good care of themselves!" she added.

"Okay, Yi Yi and everyone else should take good care of themselves."

“I’m fine!” She gazed at Xu Qingfan and repeated firmly.

After the two left their blessings on the beach, only half of the sun remained on the horizon.

"Let's go back."

"Ok!"

When they returned, the two were still barefoot. After walking a distance, Zhang Yiyi looked back at the painting on the ground. The seawater had not washed it away, and it was still intact.

The girl secretly made up her mind that no matter how the future might change, Zhang Yiyi would always be with her brother and Wan Ning, and always be good to everyone!

Returning was even easier than coming. Zhang Yi sat on his shoulder, and he slowly got up, easily sending the girl up.

Xu Qingfan simply took a running start, easily grabbed the guardrail above, and then used the momentum to climb up.

Perhaps because the sun had set, we saw tourists all the way back. The sunset at the beach and the orange-colored sea were beautiful.

Zhang Yiyi had a smile on her face the whole time; it was a rare opportunity to spend so much time alone with her brother.

Even though there was no answer to the question I was looking for, the absence of a good answer also means there was no bad answer, right?
In this world, taking things too seriously is wrong, and not taking them too seriously is also wrong; being attached to something is wrong, and viewing everything as empty is also wrong.

But as long as she knows that Yi Yi can't live without her brother, and she can't live without Wan Ning, that's enough.

The two walked a long way but still couldn't see the building they had come from. Zhang Yiyi gently patted his arm, looked up and said, "Brother, I'm tired."

"Then I'll carry you?"

"Okay." The girl's smile was radiant, and compared to the other girl, even the setting sun on the horizon paled in comparison.

"Come on up." Xu Qingfan squatted down slightly. His physical strength was invincible, so he didn't feel tired.

After Zhang Yi jumped up, he pointed in the direction they were going.

"Let's go~"

Xu Qingfan did as he was told, carrying the girl on his back and running down the road.

"Hahaha~"

The evening breeze knows, the sunset knows, the waves know, and the setting sun knows what's in the girl's heart at this moment.

Only the boy in front of him didn't know.

Bonus chapter for monthly pass subscribers: (12/13)

(End of this chapter)