They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

An Yu shook his head, looked around, and smiled.

"You look great! So this is what you look like without glasses. Oh, is it because you're going shopping with me that you specially..."

"You're overthinking it. The store I'm going to is near my sister's school, and I'm strictly forbidden from going near it."

I waved my hand, interrupting her daydream.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, let's talk as we walk."

"...It won't kill you to lie to me, Ning Ruoyu, that's the one thing you can't do."

As An Yu followed me, she took out a small bag of corn cobs and started eating them unhappily, stuffing her mouth full like a little squirrel.

"Oh, come on, how about you and your sister get rid of each other? Wo..."

"I don't understand, finish eating before you talk!" I sighed.

An Yu quickly swallowed the snack in her mouth. "I mean! How are you and your sister getting along? I heard you're going to live together during the summer vacation, right? You won't fight, will you?"

"Don't worry, I'm experienced in avoiding conflicts with people," I said with a wry smile. "Even though Ning Ruoxin always seems to dislike me."

"I'm an only child, so I don't really understand these things—did you do something bad to upset her?"

Does not doing housework count?

"Of course!" An Yu was so shocked that he forgot to eat his snacks. He frowned, pointed at me with a corncob, and said, "As the older brother, you make your younger sister do all the housework. I really misjudged you!"

"Is it possible that I never have the chance to do any housework at all?"

"How could that be? Laundry, cooking, sweeping, mopping—there's so much housework!" An Yu's eyes widened, then she muttered listlessly, "So much housework! If I don't help with chores at home, those two idiots, Mom and Dad, will overflow the laundry basket... Don't underestimate housework, it's really troublesome..."

"We'll save your miserable life for another time."

In a sense, An Yu's daily life is probably quite tough, as he often suddenly falls into strange reverie and self-pity.

"When it comes to laundry, it involves the personal privacy of the police officers, and I, who have a negative impression of them, cannot trust them."

“Oh, that’s true. Xiao Xin is in the second year of junior high, right? I used to hate it when my dad had to put away my underwear.” An Yu nodded. “I still hate it now.”

"As for cooking, no matter how much I try to persuade her, she still doesn't believe I can cook. Apparently, I once made White Valentine's Day chocolates at home and attracted a fire truck."

"It's the same with sweeping and mopping. Every time I finish cleaning, she checks it again. Although she says she checks it again, she actually just sweeps it all over again and rearranges everything. Because of our different arrangement habits, she also refuses to let me participate in tidying the room..."

“Even taking out the trash is like that. She seems worried that I don’t know how to sort the trash, so she always takes it with her when she goes out for tutoring.”

I noticed that An Yu had fallen silent.

After a while, she handed me a corncob.

Want some snacks?

She said with a smile, as if the topic had never been discussed at all.

It has a kind of profound enlightenment, like someone who has seen through the vanities of the world and is now "going to have some tea."

……

In the CD store in the mall, An Yu and I discussed our options.

"...How about this one? It's supposedly a compilation album by a world-class pianist. He seems quite famous in the music world?"

"I know absolutely nothing about the music industry; the only instrument I can play is whistling. But I think if it's someone at the level of a senior student, their likes and dislikes about music would be very obvious—wouldn't it be inappropriate to buy music with a composition style that they don't like?"

"Whistling isn't a musical instrument, is it?"

"Could you please reduce the number of things you're focusing on?"

I gently tapped An Yu's head with the CD.

"Did you ask me to come with you to find an apology gift for your senior? Or is it better if I just leave you here now?"

"I didn't expect you to actually come. I sent out so many invitations this summer, and you didn't reply to any of them."

Well, after all, An Yu wasn't the only one who felt guilty towards Senior Chu Guyin... Of course, I would never say such things out loud, or this guy in front of me would take advantage of me.

"I'm also planning to pick out a gift, after all, my senior took great care of me last semester."

I took a CD of a girl band from the shelf. Although the senior seemed to be a classical music student, judging from her usual club activities, I had a feeling that she was probably more interested in this kind of light rock band.

"Hey, would you like this style, senior? I'll go pick one too."

As An Yu said this, she squatted down and picked up an album from under the shelf.

...Honestly, you'd better put the death metal down for me, okay?

"Senior An Yu?"

I fell silent, just as I was about to criticize An Yu's taste.

"Which one?"

An Yu, who was squatting on the ground, looked up as she answered.

“Eh, Ningning Ningning…”

She visibly wavered.

Idiot, don't be so obviously guilty.

"Ning Ruoxin, my name is Ning Ruoxin."

Fortunately, my sister (who is kind to everyone except me) did not realize that An Yu was wavering. Instead, she thought that An Yu had forgotten her, so she very thoughtfully added her own name.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! Ah, no, no, no!"

An Yu nodded and shook his head repeatedly, having completely turned into a fool.

"I didn't forget your name, I was just so surprised."

She quickly stood up and patted her skirt. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't have class this afternoon, so my friend and I were planning to come to the bookstore nearby to look for reference books. We just saw you at the entrance and thought we'd come over and say hello."

Ning Ruoxin looked towards the doorway.

"And you, senior?...And who is this...?"

"Huh? You..."

I quickly interrupted An Yu before she could say anything.

"My name is Lü Ning. I knew An Yu before. I studied in another province and just came back for summer vacation."

"what?"

An Yu's shock was palpable; a huge question mark practically appeared above his head.

"I see, hello Senior Lü! My name is Ning Ruoxin, and I attend a junior high school nearby."

Wait a minute, I'm always addressed by my first name at home, so why am I being so respectful to a complete stranger?

...Wait a minute. Lü Ning is just an identity I made up on the spot. Am I getting too involved?

"Don't be so polite, I've known this guy since we were kids, don't be so reserved~"

...Someone who's even more immersed in the story than me has appeared. It's rare to see someone react so quickly.

An Yu and I exchanged a glance, and she gave me a very smug thumbs up.

Upon hearing this, Ning Ruoxin seemed somewhat uneasy for some reason. She glanced at me and then at An Yu, clearly looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Ah Xin, so you were here! I... huh?"

Behind Ning Ruoxin, a familiar-looking girl ran over. The moment she saw me, her face showed obvious surprise.

"That, that..."

The blue ribbon tied in her hair swayed slightly, as if telling of its owner's unease.

"Hello, we met a few days ago near the stadium, do you remember me?"

I greeted them with a smile.

"Ah! Yes, yes! You...you still remember?"

The girl's cheeks turned from white to red, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes as she looked up at me.

"Why are you all exaggerating to the point of using 'you' (formal)? Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Lü Ning."

I waved my hand slightly. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be Ling Qingxue's younger sister, right?"

"Yes! My name is Ling Chuqing, and I'm classmates with Ning Ruoxin over here! We're also good friends!"

The girl then realized she had forgotten to explain the situation clearly, and quickly added to Ning Ruoxin, "Last time I went to watch Brother Ma Hang's match with my sister, the one who defeated Brother Ma Hang and his team was this Brother Lü Ning."

"You even went to compete against Ma Hang? Is that Ma Hang from our school?"

An Yu was equally surprised.

"Yeah, I went with Chen Di and the others," I explained vaguely, trying to skip over the topic.

"You have time to play basketball with Chen Di and the others, but you refuse to let me invite you to a buffet?!" An Yu was furious.

I knew that refusing to go to a buffet with this girl would make her hold a grudge for life.

"I already made plans with someone else beforehand. Now that we have time, why shouldn't I come out with you?" I explained weakly, while conveying my warning with my eyes.

"Tch, he can play a whole basketball game with other people, but he won't even ask me out for a meal while he helps me pick out a gift..."

An Yu, who had been glared at by me, began to mutter unhappily.

"...Then how about we go have lunch together now?" Ling Chuqing suggested. "We don't have classes this afternoon, so if it's not too much of a bother!"

"Ah Qing, no, my brother is home alone at noon, I have to go back and cook..."

“My phone has been acting up lately. I just noticed that the battery level suddenly dropped from 50% to 3%. I’m worried that it will shut down automatically and I won’t be able to contact him.”

However, to my surprise, it was my younger sister who was the first to object.

This reason surprised me greatly.

"So you really do rely on your sister to feed you at home," An Yu whispered in my ear.

Actually, I'm clearly better at cooking than she is... Oh well, never mind.

Unable to explain this, I smiled wryly, only to hear the girl opposite me shout in a somewhat outrageous manner.

"Why bother with that annoying piece of trash! He's always dragging your bastard into this mess, he'd be better off starving to death!!"

Well, I knew it.

Amid An Yu's shock and Ning Ruoxin's silence, I realized this once again.

There are girls in this world who have a negative impression of me.

[Next chapter preview: An Yu had a mournful face, but breadcrumbs still lingered at the corners of her mouth.]

"Alright, alright, I'd better go and coax my old darling who's over 40 and weighs over 200 pounds."

"Okay, I got it. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again next time, hehe~ I'll order even more next time!"

"I'm sorry, my brother, for making you dislike me. As your sister, I really can't stay any longer. Goodbye."

Chapter Twenty-Three: My Name Makes People Lose Their Appetite (Proudly)

Is this your first time here?

"...I see. It must have been quite disorienting coming to a place like this for the first time, right? Actually, I'm not really comfortable in overly crowded places either, but oh well, it's work~"

"In that case, why don't you talk to me?"

"Look, my boss is always watching us closely, like a tiger eyeing the ground, so we don't even have a chance to slack off—let me take a break here, please, haha."

……

"Brother Ning, why are you chatting with that country bumpkin today? She looks like a newbie here for a trial. Wasting your time like this might affect your sales."

"Huh? Is she a fat sheep?... Oh, now that you mention it, she really is. But never mind, I can't be envious. Although she's good-looking, that kind of quiet, reserved woman isn't our type. And I'm not as versatile as you, Brother Ning. Anyway, I can't handle her. I'm not destined to seduce rich young ladies."

"Need me to help out then? Hehe, don't say that, just give me a little tip for my trouble... Alright, alright, I'd better go and appease my 200-pound, 40-something-year-old darling. 'Rich Woman's Contact List,' sure!"

……

"Hey! I'm also asking for your help today. Even though I only managed to get two hours, please give me your guidance!"

"...Hehe, yeah, yeah, I was actually really scared at the time. Everyone seemed to be going crazy with excitement. Luckily, you talked to me then."