Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 187 He's Just My Brother

Since getting the chance to compete with senior Lin Yue for the lead role in the drama club, Shi Ning has put in a lot of effort.

Whenever she had free time, she would ask Shi An to help with rehearsals.

Although Shi An sometimes complained of being tired, he was still her older brother and patiently accompanied Shi Ning through rehearsals and lines again and again.

Shi Ning actually wanted to ask Chen Yu for help, since Chen Yu usually had a lot of ideas and his understanding of the characters often gave her new inspiration.

But Chen Yu wasn't from the same school as them, and even if the schools were close, it would be quite troublesome to travel back and forth. Besides, Chen Yu had a lot of academic work and club activities, so Shi Ning didn't want to cause him too much trouble and kept quiet.

During a rehearsal break, Shi An was on the phone with Chen Yu and inadvertently mentioned that Shi Ning had been asking him to rehearse but hadn't asked him.

When Chen Yu heard this on the other end of the phone, he felt a little uneasy, thinking, "Why don't you call me when you need something? It's not like I'm too busy to help."

The next day, Chen Yu rushed to Shi Ning's school as soon as get out of class ended.

When he found Shi Ning, Shi Ning and Shi An were rehearsing in the school's small garden.

Chen Yu walked over and pretended to be angry, saying, "Shi Ning, why do you always ask Shi Pai for training but never me? Am I that unworthy of your attention?"

When Shi Ning saw Chen Yu arrive, she was both surprised and delighted. She quickly said, "Brother Chen Yu, it's not that I didn't want to look for you, it's just that I was afraid you were too busy and it would be too much of a hassle for you to travel back and forth."

Chen Yu snorted and said, "No matter how busy I am, I'll still have time to help you. The three of us used to discuss problems together all the time, so you can't leave me out."

Shi An chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, that's good. You two can rehearse together from now on, and I can finally relax a bit."

From then on, Chen Yu would take time out of his schedule every day to rehearse with Shi Ning.

They analyzed the characters together, meticulously working through each line of dialogue. Chen Yu would also give Shi Ning some new ideas to make her performance more vivid.

Shi Ning also felt that with Chen Yu accompanying her during rehearsals, she was making particularly rapid progress.

That day, Shi Ning and Chen Yu finished rehearsing and were walking back to their dormitory together when they were spotted by Shi Ning's roommates, Li Yue and Wang Fang.

Li Yue's eyes lit up, and she teased with a smile, "Oh, Shi Ning, who's this? Is he your boyfriend?"

Shi Ning's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, no, this is Brother Chen Yu, my brother's friend, and also my brother."

Chen Yu was a little embarrassed, and smiled, saying, "Yes, Shi Ning, Shi An and I are very close, like siblings."

Wang Fang said with a smile, "Oh, I see. I thought Shi Ning had a boyfriend."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Yu said goodbye to Shi Ning and the others and left.

After Shi Ning returned to the dormitory, Li Yue and Wang Fang immediately surrounded her.

Li Yue held Shi Ning's hand and said, "Shi Ning, your brother is so handsome and talented. He's also willing to spend time rehearsing with you. Why didn't you introduce him to us sooner?"

Wang Fang chimed in, "That's right, look at his demeanor, I'm sure a lot of girls would like him."

After that, his roommates kept asking him about Chen Yu, from his school and major to his hobbies, leaving no stone unturned and making no attempt to hide their interest in him.

For some reason, Shi Ning felt a little unhappy and frowned, saying, "Why are you asking so many questions? He's my brother's friend; we grew up together."

Li Yue pouted and said, "Oh, Shi Ning, your reaction is too much! We just think he's nice and want to get to know him better." Wang Fang added, "Yeah, you don't actually consider him your boyfriend and don't want us to meet him, do you?"

Shi Ning became even more anxious and said loudly, "No! I just think you're asking too many questions. He's my brother, don't overthink it."

After saying that, Shi Ning sat down at her desk, no longer wanting to talk to them.

Li Yue and Wang Fang exchanged glances and whispered, "What's wrong with Shi Ning today? It's just a question, why is she so angry?"

Shi Ning sat there, feeling conflicted. She didn't understand why hearing her roommates' interest in Chen Yu made her feel so uncomfortable.

She thought, "I definitely consider Chen Yu my own brother, so why is this happening? It must be because they're asking too many questions, which is bothering me."

After parting ways with Shi Ning, Chen Yu quietly returned to his dormitory alone.

He sat on his bed, Shi Ning's words, "He is my brother," echoing in his mind.

It feels like something is blocking my heart, it's so uncomfortable.

Chen Yu knew that he liked Shi Ning, but this liking was not the kind of liking a brother has for his sister.

But Shi Ning only saw him as an older brother. Thinking of this, Chen Yu sighed helplessly.

He thought to himself, "Since she only sees me as a brother, I'll keep these feelings to myself and not cause her any trouble."

Chen Yu tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well.
The next morning, he decided to go to Shi Ning for rehearsal as usual.

Before leaving home, he made a special detour to buy pastries and milk tea from the shop that Shi Ning liked the most.

Shi Ning was still in her dorm room, feeling a bit annoyed because her roommates had been asking her about Chen Yu yesterday.

When Shi Ning saw Chen Yu arrive, she initially kept a stern face and didn't give him a friendly look.

Chen Yu smiled and held up the food in his hand in front of Shi Ning, saying, "Shi Ning, don't be angry. Look, I bought you your favorite food."

Shi Ning was still angry, but when she saw the food, her eyes lit up and her anger subsided by more than half.

But she still pretended to be fierce and said, "Hmph, at least you have some conscience. Buying these things will make me stop being angry?"

Chen Yu quickly said, "Of course not. I know you might have been a little unhappy yesterday, and I just wanted to cheer you up. Let's not talk about those unhappy things for now, let's get to rehearsing. You still have a little problem with your part from yesterday."

Shi Ning nodded, took the food, and said while eating, "Okay, then I'll let it go for now, for the sake of the food. Tell me, which part of my story is wrong?"

Chen Yu then began to explain to Shi Ning seriously, pointing out some minor flaws in her performance.

Shi Ning listened attentively, occasionally raising her own questions.

After rehearsing for a while, Shi Ning suddenly stopped and said, "Brother Chen Yu, my roommate kept asking about you yesterday, it was so annoying."

Chen Yu's heart tightened, but he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Oh, maybe they're just curious. Don't take it to heart."

Shi Ning wrinkled her nose and said, "I don't take it to heart. I just think they ask too many questions. It's much more fun rehearsing with you when no one asks any unnecessary questions."