The Disobedient Girl Awakened

Chapter 20: Called someone else brother

Xia Yuan froze in place and didn't notice the girl in his arms had stopped crying. When the thoughts hidden in one's heart were told from the concerned person, it was as if their own dirty laundry were exposed in the sun and an indescribable feeling rose. He couldn't understand Xia Yao at all but suddenly, he felt that she was not so stupid anymore.
The accusation that had reached his lips felt like a ball stuck in his throat and he couldn't say it. Xia Yao's grades had always been at the bottom of the school and he had long blacklisted any notice concerning her.
As if he had been ashamed of being her brother. She was not studious, she fought with delinquents all day, she was idle and he always felt that such a sister was not worthy of his attention. But he had never obviously shown it and had treated her with distant politeness, just as he would treat a guest at home.

The water dripping from the tap was particularly clear in the silence that had fallen in the girls' restrooms. Xia Yuan calmed down and opened his mouth: "Xia Yao, we will talk about it when we get home." His mind was numb now and he didn't want to think about it anymore.
Xia Yao, who was ready to argue, was startled by his calm tone. She blinked and felt a little annoyed; she really didn't want to go back to this home at all.
But she had no financial resources yet and it seemed that there was no place she could go except there. It wasn't time for her to move out anyway, the plot hadn't progressed that much yet.

As she was conflicted, a shadow suddenly covered her. She looked up and saw a pair of beautiful and affectionate eyes, which could poke people's hearts with just one glance.
Ji Huai was tall and slender and on this slightly cool autumn night, he only wore a blue shirt. With the wind blowing from the window, she could smell his refreshing fragrance.
His face was as gentle as his voice and he said: "Xia Yao, it's late. I will take you home."
Xia Yao felt bewitched by his gaze for a moment and had to blink to wake from her daze. She still really didn't want to go back there tonight.

She knew very well that Ji Huai was one of the heroine's suitors. He always showed people a smile, even when the vicious female character had caused trouble and he had used her to make the heroine jealous. Although Xia Yao felt that this plot was ridiculous, it had brought another layer to Ji Huai's character.
A darker persona hid under his kindness, able to gently push someone step by step into hell or stab them with a smile.

Therefore, hearing Ji Huai's gentle voice, Xia Yao's lips tightened nervously and she activated her newly found white lotus skills again.
"Ji..." She tried her best to suppress the shame in her heart, "Brother Ji Huai."
The teenager was taken aback. The girl's voice was different from her usual indifference, it sounded soft and delicate. He instinctively wanted to protect her.
Ji Huai took her hand, which was as soft as he had imagined, yet slightly cold.
"It's okay, I will take you home."
Xia Yao was still surprised by the white lotus technique's results. It was so easy to use and she looked down at the hand holding her, before saying: "I'm sorry, I want to go to Yinuan's house tonight. It's my fault, it's so late and you're not home, don't be angry~"
When her words fell, she took her hand back and put it behind her back, as she vomited in her heart. The white lotus was very effective but she felt nauseous every time she used it, she must be unworthy of it.

Before Ji Huai could recover from her words, she was already standing next to her friends. She would not go home tonight and when he thought of what kind of brother she had, he understood why. It was really distressing.

On the other side, the dark-eyed other teenager had a somber expression but stayed silent.
—Tsk, she called someone else brother.

***

This night was not destined to be peaceful. The farce had ended close to 9 pm and nightlife had only begun. The roads outside were still full of traffic and colorful neon lights illuminated the girl's face in the car.
In general, the restroom incident seemed to not affect her. Neither Ji Huai nor Xu Shizhou had shown strong hostility or even tried to defend the heroine. Xia Yuan had been the only one actively protecting his fake sister, as always.
Although Xu Shizhou had been a bit irritable and she had been finally able to leave after she had been forced to call him brother twice. It seemed that he really wanted a sister.