Lin Miao was devoid of energy, but her fatigue felt as if it had completely disappeared when she saw the Young Master outside the door. She immediately embraced him. Considering that Tan Jing was in the room, she spoke quietly, “You’re here, Gege.”
The Young Master was struck in the heart by those words. He silently vowed to visit her after every tournament.
Lin Miao smelled of light shower gel, and due to her tiredness, she felt soft all over.
The Young Master lovingly patted her head, “Shuishui worked hard today.”
Lin Miao felt the same way. She nodded and mumbled, “I don’t have any energy left, Gege...”
It was extremely rare for Lin Miao to act like that. She had probably only said that to the Young Master today due to them not seeing each other for two months and because of how tired she was.
The Young Master turned around and piggybacked her, his heart softening. “Let’s talk more upstairs.
Lin Miao was startled by this sudden action, “Gege, I can walk by myself.”
“But I want to carry you,” The Young Master responded.
Lin Miao felt a sugary feeling. It’s so amazing to have Gege.
When she was little and lived in the village, other girls’ older brothers would help pick and carry firewood for them. She and the other girls would be so jealous of those who had older brothers.
Now, Lin Miao felt that her older brother was the best of everyone else's older brother.
The Young Master had truly grown taller. Lying on his back, Lin Miao felt that his steps were firm too.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps heading their way. The Young Master strode through the fire exit doors to hide.
Lin Miao recognized the voice. It was her coach. They probably just returned from a restaurant.
Her hands wrapped around the Young Master’s neck were sore and weak. It felt as if they were back in the days of sneaking out of the mansion without the doctor knowing.
Back in those days, the Young Master was always on her side. He would tell her everything. It also seemed like the case nowadays, too.
Her older brother is the world’s best older brother!
Lin Miao lied on the Young Master’s back, feeling very happy. “Gege, I feel filled with happiness right now.”
Hearing the person on his back, the Young Master asked why.
“Because you’re carrying me right now.” Lin Miao rubbed against her older brother’s back, saying, “Gege, how could you be so kind to me! I’ll be kind to you all the time as well!”
Barely anyone piggybacked like this her whole life.
The Young Master was immensely pleased by this, his mouth curving up into a smile. The so-called stone-faced school hunk was full of smiles, even his voice had changed, “Then how would you be good to me?”
The Young Master had asked her the same question sometime before. Lin Miao had answered that she would massage his shoulders and legs.
This time, Lin Miao responded differently, without hesitation. “I’ll piggyback Gege once my strength returns!”
The Young Master: “...” There are many ways to be good to me, for example, listening to your Gege.
They soon arrived at the Young Master’s room, which was on the fifth floor, one floor above Lin Miao’s.
The Young Master’s room was a double room containing two large beds.
The first thing Lin Miao did upon entering the room was to kick off her shoes and jump on the bed. Crossing her legs, she asked, “Gege, come on, let’s play a round! I should be able to win against you now.”
The Young Master searched for paper and pencils. Then, he sat down beside her.
The Young Master massaged Lin Miao’s arms as they played.
Soon, Lin Miao lost the game even faster than before.
Lin Miao lay flat on the bed, questioning her life. When she examined their game, she asked, “Gege, will I ever win in my lifetime?”
“Victories and defeats coexist with each other, don’t mind it.”
“Our coach always says that to us. He’s a great teacher, just a bit mean. But it’s okay because he’s mean to all of us.”
The Young Master pressed some acupressure points on Lin Miao’s arm as he listened to her. Then, he massaged the area between her left thumb and index finger.
Lin Miao felt sore and slight pain from the massage, but it also had a certain pleasure to it.
“Gege, Gege!” Lin Miao looked at the Young Master with her glittery eyes, “It’s so comfortable! Gege, do it again!”
The Young Master massaged the area between her thumb and index finger again.
The Young Master started paying attention to sports since Lin Miao transferred to her sports school. He knew that athletes were often in distress. Even if they weren’t accidentally injured, they would often strain parts of their body.
The Young Master asked as he massaged, “Shuishui, are you happy now?”
Lin Miao was very tired.
Lying on the bed with her short hair, she wondered what her brother meant by that.
Hearing no response, the Young Master asked again, “Shuishui, do you want to go to my school and study with me?”
Now Lin Miao understood. Her brother was worried about her being overworked. Lin Miao thought for a moment, then took her hand back, and patted the area of skin over her heart, “It’s full here.”
It was a bit tiring, but her heart felt full throughout the day, from her practice during the day, to her tournaments, and to her resting in her dorm room. She had never felt empty and dissatisfied.
Lin Miao hugged her older brother. “Gege, I feel happy everyday,” She said as she yawned, “I know what to do everyday…”
She was genuinely happy playing badminton, practicing techniques, running, and playing in tournaments.
The Young Master couldn’t resist reminiscing over Lin Miao’s life with him back in his house. She must’ve felt so restrained and unhappy then...
He thought that because she was quite clueless and disliked around the house, Even he had wanted her to leave back then. She must have been very scared, being all alone.
He then went over how they first met. He felt guilty for acting that way.
Meanwhile, Lin Miao lied on his leg, so sleepy that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She murmured, “… Gege, I want to sleep…”
Lin Miao was still exhausted. Even though the Young Master had brought a spark of energy to her, it didn’t last and she was soon unable to stay energetic.
Seeing that she was about to doze off to sleep, the Young Master massaged her elbows, arms, and finally hands.
He couldn’t help but imagine how different their relationship would be if his grandma actually returned Lin Miao to her village…
A few moments later, Lin Miao fell asleep on the bed. Looking at her sleep so soundly, he felt quite assured.
The Young Master tucked her in. Then, he headed to the neighbouring driver’s room. He washed up and called his family.
The Young Master’s mother understood the relationship between her son and Lin Miao, but she couldn’t resist commenting over the phone, “Little Yu, how about I give you your own little sister? Shuishui might have to travel all over the world in the future. I feel bad for you as your mother.”
The Young Master’s mother had been a child celebrity. She had already been filming in the mountains by the age of thirteen, so she wasn’t worried about the Young Master at all.
“No, don’t be so rash, Mom. Advanced maternal age is dangerous.” The Young Master said.
The Young Master’s mother was only joking. Their relationship had improved a lot during the years so jokes weren’t uncommon. After a few more exchanges, she expressed that she was going to pick him up at the hotel tomorrow.
The Young Master never told his parents and grandma about Lin Miao’s competitions. He was worried that they might add too much unnecessary pressure.
Lin Miao was still intimidated by the Young Master’s father, possibly because he openly disliked her when she first met him. Lin Miao would feel very uneasy if they came to watch.
The Young Master returned to Lin Miao’s room after the phone call. He checked her blanket to make sure she was covered and then slept on the other bed.
Tilting his head sideways, he could see Lin Miao sleeping peacefully on the adjacent bed.
The Young Master soon also fell asleep.
Half-awake, he seemed to hear someone say to his grandma, “We found a few born on this date, but none of them have really good health. They’re all frequently sick, which is inadequate for this.”
His grandma sighed, “Guess we’d have to put that off, then.”
The Young Master couldn’t identify where he was. He seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, his surroundings all blurry.
He felt uncomfortable. The doctor restricted him from going outside, blocking him from even the yard.
He was angry and smashed everything he could grab. It wasn’t his first time being in such a bad temper.
There seemed to be something stuck in his heart, but he didn’t know what it was, so he was desperate to get it out.
It seemed… It seemed like he was missing something, something critical, but, he was still unable to make out what it was.
Suddenly, his surroundings changed to a scene when he was incarcerated in a dirt hut.
He was starving.
The Young Master found his head covered in sweat when he woke from his dream. His first reaction was to be thankful that it had been a dream— a nightmare.
Turning his head, he found Lin Miao on the other bed, sleeping quietly in the same posture.
He had forgotten to close the curtains. The moonlight, mixed with the city’s lights, spilled into the room through the window from afar. It was soundless in the hotel room.