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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Yu was truly a walking model of double standards. He could boss me around, steal my snacks, and even when he was in a bad mood, he would casually flick my forehead with just the right amount of force. But if anyone else so much as joked around and touched me, his expression would darken instantly, as if he had just seen something distasteful.
During this week's physical education class, we had some free time. I was huddled with my deskmate, Zhang Hao, discussing a math problem that had us stumped for quite a while. Finally, we cracked it, and both of us couldn’t help but laugh.
Suddenly, "Bang!" A basketball came crashing down right by our feet, bouncing twice before rolling onto my shoe. Startled, I looked up to see Lu Yu standing not far away, his hand still in the throwing position as he approached us with an expressionless face.
“Lin Wan, come pick up the ball,” he said, his voice clear despite the noise of the playground.
Zhang Hao stood awkwardly beside me. I shot Lu Yu a glare and reluctantly bent down to retrieve the ball, handing it to him. He took the ball from me, but his fingers brushed against the back of my hand intentionally or not. I recoiled as if burned. He didn’t seem to notice; instead, he tucked the ball under his arm and leaned slightly closer to me, speaking in a tone only we could hear, “Stay away from that guy; you look like a fool laughing like that.”
“Who are you to tell me what to do?” I retorted angrily. “What I say to anyone is none of your business!”
He narrowed his eyes at me; those usually charming eyes now held a hint of pressure. “Just because I’m your brother.”
There it was again! The all-powerful “I’m your brother” law. But for some reason, his tone today sent a shiver down my spine; it wasn’t as assertive as usual but carried an inexplicable undertone.
Over the weekend, my parents inexplicably insisted that Lu Yu and I go grocery shopping together for next week’s supplies. Their reasoning? “Xiao Yu is responsible; he’ll keep an eye on you so you don’t buy soy sauce instead of vinegar again.”
I seriously doubted my mother’s memory; mixing up soy sauce and vinegar was something that happened back in second grade! But resistance was futile; I resigned myself to trailing behind Lu Yu.
He pushed the shopping cart while I tossed items into it. As we turned a corner in one aisle, a small child darted past and collided straight into me. I let out an “Ouch!” nearly losing my balance.
Before I could react further, Lu Yu stepped forward to steady me while frowning at the child’s parent who had rushed over. “Please watch your child; they just bumped into someone.”
The parent quickly apologized. Lu Yu didn’t say anything more but glanced down at me to check if I was okay. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” I shook my head, watching his tall figure as the slight annoyance from being bumped faded away instantly.
At checkout, I noticed several bags of my favorite chips and a box of chocolates had mysteriously appeared in the cart—items I hadn’t picked up myself.
I looked at Lu Yu.
He pushed the cart forward without glancing back and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, “You looked so pitiful; I bought them on a whim.”
I remained silent and stole a glance at his profile. Sunlight streamed in through the supermarket entrance, and for a moment, I thought… were his ears slightly red? Was it just my imagination?
That evening, staring at a physics problem that had me scratching my head in frustration, I finally caved and sent Lu Yu a message asking for help.
A few seconds later, his call came through.
"What question?" he asked on the other end.
I reported the question number. He explained it to me clearly over the phone, his voice coming through the receiver more focused than usual, with a touch of patience.
After he finished explaining, I said "thank you," thinking he would hang up.
But he didn’t.
There was a moment of silence on both ends, and then I heard him casually ask, "Did that Zhang Hao guy contact you again this afternoon?"
"Huh?" I paused for a moment before realizing who he was talking about. "Oh, he asked me a math question."
Another silence stretched out, long enough to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Just as I was about to find an excuse to hang up, Lu Yu's voice came through again, low and somewhat unclear: "Lin Wan, are you really that clueless?"
"Ah?"
"Never mind." He paused for a moment, then his tone returned to its usual teasing manner. "I mean, are you really that oblivious? Can't you see what that guy means?"
"What… what could he mean?" My heart inexplicably raced for a beat.
Lu Yu let out a soft scoff, his tone unreadable: "Nothing would be best."
With that, he hung up decisively.
I sat at my desk, holding my still-warm phone, lost in thought. Lu Yu was acting really strange today.
First there was the "warning" on the playground, then the "helpful gesture" at the supermarket, and now this call about Zhang Hao. Was he just fulfilling his role as my "eternal brother," making sure I wouldn’t be fooled by some bad guy? Or…
Or was it simply that he felt possessive, like when we were kids and he protected his toys? Did he think that Lin Wan, as his "accessory," could only be "bullied" and "taken care of" by him?
I shook my head, trying to dispel these chaotic thoughts. Whatever it was, Lu Yu had always been this unpredictable character since we were young.
Yes, it must be that way.
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