The Young Master was also quite surprised by his scores. He’d merely wanted more challenging materials in school.
But when he calmed down, it began to feel normal. There had to be someone at the top.
Why couldn’t it be him? He was only a bit younger than everyone else. The thought of this pulled him out of shock.
Meanwhile, Lin Miao was still celebrating.
The public wasn’t able to find the Young Master in the country, but soon, they discovered that he was watching tournaments abroad.
Connecting this with how he watched the previous competitions, many remembered that he had been sick through most of his childhood. It soon became apparent.
With the previous post on the Young Master’s mother’s Weibo, they came up with a theory.
It must be that the Young Master told this athlete, who was about his age, to his mother after the competition.
It was very convincing.
Of course, Lin Miao and the Young Master were both clueless about this online discussion.
The Young Master always aimed to major in mathematics at Tsing Hua University.
Her teammates’ teenage hearts all shattered after knowing that Lin Miao’s gentle and handsome brother was only fourteen. He’s only fourteen! How! How is he so young?!
But someone asked Lin Miao if her older brother had a girlfriend anyway.
Lin Miao was speechless. Gege would have a girlfriend?
There was a couple in their badminton teams. Obviously, the coach didn’t know, but everyone else knew it in private.
Lin Miao wasn’t familiar with them, but she had seen them eat together and secretly hold hands quite frequently.
On one of her nightly jogs, she even saw them kissing.
Tan Jing had immediately pulled her away then.
Lin Miao tried to envision the same for her older brother, but something felt off in her heart.
It was indescribable. It had felt a bit uncomfortable as if her heart had been weighed down by something heavy.
However, the feeling had disappeared after a few games.
So, when the Young Master visited, Lin Miao asked him the question, “Gege, do you have a girlfriend?”
The Young Master was teaching her how to solve systems of equations with two variables when he heard her question, startling him.
He was met with Lin Miao’s eyes upon raising his head. Her eyes had been big and watery since childhood, always pure and enthusiastic.
Since they weren’t in public, Lin Miao was wearing the clothes her mother bought, and even a skirt.
The Young Master felt that his heart was itching, “Why are you suddenly asking me this?”
He thought for a moment about how Lin Miao probably had plenty of opportunities with male athletes that he was unaware of.
“My teammate told me to ask.” Lin Miao felt a bit awkward, but also guilty for asking him that.
Gege will have his own girlfriend, she shouldn’t feel guilty. Gege won’t be this close to her all his life.
Tan Jing once said to Lin Miao that, as a sister, she wouldn’t be as important as her older brother’s future girlfriend.
She also said that Lin Miao would get a boyfriend in the future as well.
Lin Miao, however, was adamant about never having one.
Tan Jing shook her head and disagreed. Everyone else had boyfriends, it was eventual as one matured.
In all honesty, having a boyfriend would not be a bad thing. Tan Jing thought that they would help carry luggage, accompany her for meals, and be another person to socialize with.
Tan Jing had also purposely taunted her and said that she would never date someone with a younger sister due to the Young Master.
Lin Miao felt sad. She was in despair. On one hand, it was because the Young Master was going to have a girlfriend. But on the other hand, she felt guilty of inconveniencing the Young Master from dating.
Seeing that Lin Miao’s mood was low, the Young Master patted her head. “I don’t have a girlfriend, what’s wrong?”
Lin Miao’s emotions became more complicated. Now, she was happy that her older brother doesn’t have a girlfriend yet, but also remorse for disrupting her brother. Gege’s so great, it must be so easy for him to get a girlfriend if I wasn’t here.
Lin Miao was still a simple girl. She couldn’t contain all these thoughts, so they then amalgamated into a single sentence, “Gege, I’m sorry…”
The Young Master was speechless. Sorry for what? Feeling that she was about to burst into tears, he quickly comforted her, “No no, it’s okay, don’t be sad. Gege will forgive you no matter what.”
Hearing the Young Master’s response, she felt that he was the most forgiving person in the world. Stammering, she vocalized all her thoughts, “Gege… I’m sorry that I let you down. They all say that they wouldn’t date someone so kind to their sister…”
The Young Master had a sentence on the tip of his tongue, but he quickly swallowed it.
The Young Master was living on campus in a male dormitory. He shared a room with some big bros. He had adjusted to the new environment shortly after he moved in. Initially, his roommates held a taboo against his age, but they eventually ignored the difference.
There were actually many people who confessed to him. He was tall and had a great aesthetic, so there were quite a few girls who ignored the age gap. But more importantly, it was the pull of finding love with a naive child genius.
The Young Master only held one sentence, “Study hard and improve everyday.”
Now that Lin Miao brought up the problem, the Young Master had no other option than to answer, “You aren’t in the way of anything. I’m not even looking for a girlfriend. We’re still young.”
Even though the two would share their fifteenth birthday in a few months, they were still relatively young. People their age were just high schoolers.
Lin Miao’s mood lifted a bit. As long as she was not obstructing her older brother.
But the Young Master couldn’t resist asking a question, “Shuishui, do you want me to have a girlfriend?”
He frequently visited Lin Miao, it was one of the only occasions in which he would go out.
His roommates joked that he would still be with her even after she finds a boyfriend.
The Young Master had always called Lin Miao his younger sister, so they thought Lin Miao was a sister by blood.
In her heart, Lin Miao didn’t want her older brother to have a girlfriend. However, he should be free to do as he wishes. “It wouldn’t be bad if you had a girlfriend…” There would be someone to walk the dogs with Gege, someone to accompany him in university, someone to carry Gege’s backpack when he’s tired, and someone to dine with.
Hearing this, the Young Master felt a breath of air stuck inside him. Not knowing how to let the air out, he pulled back his notebook. “Come, solve this algebraic equation.”
Lin Miao quietly began solving the problem. Looking at the top of her head, the Young Master sighed, not knowing what he was being angry about.
The two read peacefully under the wintry sun. The Young Master’s mother was present to witness the scene: Three dogs sunbathing beside a young girl and boy.
The two kids have had great bonds since childhood. They were all used to it; the pure and sincere emotions between them.
The Young Master’s mother was struck with a bout of sadness. She had also experienced these beautiful moments, but it had all changed when everyone headed their own way and each had families.
Everything seemed so fairy tale-esque. However, none could hold up to reality, and it was this that made them seem especially joyful.
The mother ordered some fruits for them and went to rest under the sun. The two kids were nearing fifteen.
Lin Miao threw everything to the back of her head because of the encroaching winter break. The New Year was coming!
They would be returning to the village to worship their ancestors. It had been three years, so her father was ironclad on going back.
They were initially against bringing Lin Miao back, but she herself wanted to return. She had saved much money, way more than when she bought candy last time.
She had saved all her prize money. She later learned that athletes had to retire sooner than most other occupations.
So she saved her money for her studies later.
The Young Master also thought it was viable as most athletes weren’t old when they retired.
Lin Miao had visited the Young Master before her family headed for the village. She went out with him after notifying her parents. She was going to purchase candy and some presents for her family, so she enlisted the help of her older brother.
Lin Ye and Gao Xie both had just started their freshmen years, so they were curious about Yu Jingxuan, who was now a university student. Now that it was break, they had also come to visit.
So the two parties met each other.
Lin Ye was first to spot the two, “Yu Jingxuan!”
Lin Miao recognized them. She had seen them during the visit at the Young Master’s school. Her memory was sharp.
“We meet again, Sister Yu~,” Lin Ye said slovenly. He had then noticed that the Young Master’s sister had grown up and was even sweeter after two years.
The cold winds blew violently among freezing temperatures. Lin Miao’s mother had put on a scarf on Lin Miao when they exited the mall. The scarf was attached to a fiery red wool hat with two cat ears attached on top, revealing her clear little face and large watery eyes. So cute!
At least, it was enough for Lin Ye and Gao Xie to question whether this adorable girl was really the fierce little athlete on the court.
The Young Master peered at them, especially Lin Ye, who was staring at Lin Miao, “This is my younger sister.”
“Yu Jingxuan’s sister,” Lin Ye called her something different, “My name is Lin Ye, you can call me older brother Lin, and this is Gao Xie. We’re here today to ask you guys whether you want to go to the zoo with us.”
The Young Master was uninterested.
Observing the two, Gao Xie elaborated, “There’s dogs, lions, tigers, giraffes...”
Of the two, Gao Xie had a younger sister, but he doesn’t want to be near her at all!
His sister cried a lot and loved to tattle tell. She was slow, and always brought troubles along with her.
However, because of this Gao Xie knew more things that interested little girls than Lin Ye.
Lin Miao had never been to a zoo, but she had more important things to do today so she couldn’t go.
The Young Master didn’t want to go, but seeing Lin Miao’s interest, he said, “We could still buy candy after we go to the zoo.”
So, the four headed to the zoo.
Lin Ye and Gao Xie had no idea that Lin Miao wasn’t the Young Master’s sister by blood since no one had asked.
They didn’t share surnames, but it wasn’t rare for relatives to have different surnames.
Lin Ye kept on talking with Lin Miao en route to the zoo. “Sister Lin, do you feel nervous during your competitions?”
Lin Miao felt a bit awkward, “Can you call me Shuishui, Sister Lin sounds weird.”
“Her nickname is Brother Shui, call her that instead.” The Young Master added.
Looking at the little angel in front of him, Lin Ye was about to protest when Gao Xie pulled him. He suddenly realized that he shouldn’t argue against a sis-con.
The two reluctantly called her “Brother Shui”.
Lin Miao didn’t feel a bit shy as it was only a nickname.
Then, when Lin Ye was about to continue talking with Lin Miao, the Young Master pulled a book from his side, “Shuishui can read a bit in this free time. You can ask me if you have any questions.”
Lin Ye: “...” What do you mean by free time? Chatting counts as something, too.
Lin Miao began on her book, and Lin Ye looked at the Young Master with bitterness.
The Young Master ignored him.
Then, Lin Ye received a text message, “Don’t even think about my sister.”
“Bro, I’m not. I just want to be friends! Can there not be any trust between us?”
“No.” The Young Master quickly replied.
Lin Ye’s life in school was quite wild. He had switched several girlfriends, all of whom he oathed to be true love, but broke up with soon after establishing a relationship.
If it wasn’t for Lin Miao asking, he wouldn’t allow the man to be within three meters of her.
At the zoo, they discovered that Lin Ye and Gao Xie had asked another group of girls to the zoo as well.
The Young Master headed straight for the other way to tour the place with Lin Miao alone.
Leaving Lin Ye and Gao Xie, who had only hitched a ride with the Young Master.
The Young Master soon disappeared into the zoo with Lin Miao.
Meanwhile, Lin Ye announced to some of the girls in the group, “The sis-con went away with his sister.”
One of the girls was confused, “Yu Jingxian has a sister? I don’t remember him having one.”
“Yeah.” Gao Xie said, “His sister’s an athlete. He’d skip class for entire days whenever his sister had a competition to spectate.”
The girls around him were all astonished. “And he still skipped grades and got so good on his exams?!”
“Guess he’s smart.” Gao Xie shrugged.
“I feel like the only reason he went to university was so that he could watch her sister’s competitions more easily.” Lin Ye exaggerated.
The girl furrowed her brows, “Really? I went to his house when I was little. He was an only child.”
At that time, her grandma was good friends with the Young Master’s grandma, who had invited her so the Young Master could be less lonely.
However, he was extremely hostile and made her cry. Her family then brought her back.
She only knew that he had grown to be so successful when the news of his high school exams came out.
Now, he didn’t even show up.
“You might’ve remembered wrong then, that was her sister.” Lin Ye was so sure because he heard the Young Master’s mother calling Lin Miao “Shuishui” at their house.
“Oh.” The girl responded and fell silent. Then, everyone happily went to see the lions.
A note from Angswench (the translator):
Hello reader! The next few months are looking really busy for my proofreader, who devotes a great amount of time to ensure the quality of these chapters. Unfortunately, their schedule can no longer allow for them to proofread my translations. If you readers feel up for the task, please join the Konila Discord or check out the recruitment posts on novelupdates.com for more details. Looking forward to potentially working with one of you soon!