The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

Wen Yu keeps his word.

They call me every night, sometimes via video, sometimes by voice.

He would ask her what she ate today, how heavy her senior year coursework was, and if she encountered any problems she couldn't solve.

She would complain to him about the pressure from her teachers, tell him about the funny things that happened in class, and say that the new food in the cafeteria wasn't good.

Whenever he has free time on weekends, he goes back. He comes back on Friday night and leaves again on Sunday afternoon. It's a four-hour round trip, but he never complains of being tired.

Wen Yu gradually absorbed Su Qingyao's frustration and disappointment.

Those little emotions that arose from the separation were gently soothed by his meticulous and thoughtful companionship before they could even ferment.

She regained her energetic self, smiling every day, eating and drinking as usual, and still thinking about him.

Zhang Miaoke, standing to the side, rested her chin on her hand, looking at her speechlessly.

"Yaoyao, this is the fifth time you've mentioned your brother Ayu today."

Su Qingyao blinked. "Really?"

"Yes." Zhang Miaoke reached out and pinched her face. "You need to face yourself properly."

Su Qingyao pouted as her lips were pinched. "Hmm... what are you looking at?"

Zhang Miaoke stared into her eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Don't you think the way you and your brother Ayu are behaving is a lot like you're dating?"

Su Qingyao was stunned.

Like...what?

She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything for a long time, and her cheeks flushed with a thin layer of red at a visible speed.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" she stammered, her eyes darting around. "We, we are siblings."

Zhang Miaoke rolled her eyes. "I have a brother too. We're like oil and water. Forget about calling each other every day, I wish I could strangle him."

She leaned closer to Su Qingyao and poked her forehead. "What about you two? You're always so lovey-dovey, calling each other every day, and even going back home on weekends. If my brother keeps doing this, I'll have to call a master to exorcise him."

Su Qingyao opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but found herself at a loss for words.

"Besides, you two aren't related by blood. What siblings are you talking about? You're more like lovers."

The words "my lover" made Su Qingyao's face turn completely red.

Her cheeks turned red all the way to her ears, and from her ears to her neck; even her collarbones were tinged with pink.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Her tone changed, but she still tried to hold on.

Seeing her like that, Zhang Miaoke couldn't help but reach out and rub her face again.

"My silly Yaoyao," she sighed, her tone tinged with disappointment, "you're just saying one thing and meaning another."

She lowered her voice and leaned closer, "With a face like yours, how could no one have confessed to you during your three years of high school? From what I've heard, your sweetheart blocked them all."

Su Qingyao was stunned. No one had confessed their feelings; she had always assumed everyone was focused on their studies…

Wen Yu stopped them all.

Something inside me was gently poked.

I'm not angry.

Yes... a sweet feeling, indescribable, quietly welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Like sparkling water that's been opened, bubbling and gurgling out.

She hurriedly lowered her head and opened the book on the table. "I...I'm reading. Please don't disturb my studies."

Zhang Miaoke couldn't help but laugh when she saw her blatant attempt to cover up her embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, you read a book, you read a book."

Su Qingyao kept her head down, not turning a single page of the book for a long time, her earlobes as red as if they were about to bleed.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her bright red ears, a testament to the girl's turbulent heart.

That evening, Wen Yu called right on time.

Su Qingyao held her phone, listening to the familiar voice on the other end, but found that her heartbeat just wouldn't calm down.

He said the braised pork in the cafeteria was good today, and she responded with "Mmm".

He said he might be back a little late next week because he has an exam, and she said "Oh".

He asked, "Baby, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" She whispered, "No."

Panicked, she hurriedly said, "I'm going to sleep," and hung up the phone.

After hanging up, she held her phone to her chest, stared at the ceiling, and gasped for breath.

What happened?

She turned over, her mind filled with his face.

She turned over again, remembering the slightly rising tone in his voice when he called her "Yaobao".

She turned over again, remembering the warmth of his fingertips as he stroked her hair.

She rolled over again—and with a thud, she tumbled off the bed, blanket and all.

Su Qingyao lay on the ground, on the verge of tears.

The next day, Su Qingyao walked into the classroom with two huge dark circles under her eyes.

When Zhang Miaoke saw her, she was so startled she almost jumped out of her seat.

"Yaoyao!" She grabbed Su Qingyao's shoulder, looking her up and down. "Did you go thieving last night?"

Su Qingyao slumped weakly on the table, her voice muffled, "Miao Ke."

"Um?"

What does it feel like to like someone?

Zhang Miaoke was stunned for a moment, then gave a "I knew it" smile.

She sat down next to Su Qingyao and started counting on her fingers.

"I'm just happy when I see him, sweet when I think of him, my heart races and my nose tingles! What, has our Yaoyao finally figured it out?"

Su Qingyao buried her face in her arms, her voice becoming even more muffled.

"But...but my heart didn't race when I saw Brother A-Yu."

Zhang Miaoke raised an eyebrow, her smile meaningful. "Oh? Then try it next time you see him."

On Saturday morning, Wenyu boarded the bus back home early in the morning.

He couldn't suppress the smile on his face as he thought about seeing his baby soon.

Su Qingyao sat in the living room, holding a book in her hands, but didn't turn a single page for a long time.

Lin Ruolan passed by and glanced at her. "Yaoyao, you're holding the book upside down."

Su Qingyao looked down and saw that it was indeed upside down. Her face turned red as she turned the book right side up, her ears burning.

Footsteps came from outside the door, and Su Qingyao jumped up, almost tripping over the coffee table.

She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and quickly walked to the door.

The moment the door opened, Wen Yu was standing outside.

The afternoon sun shone in from behind him, bathing him in a golden light.

He was wearing a wool sweater she had never seen before, with the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms.

The backlighting made his features exceptionally clear; his brow bone, nose bridge, and jawline were all exquisitely handsome.

He was slightly out of breath, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, probably from running.

But he was smiling.

The smile spread from his eyes, so gentle it was almost unbelievable.

"Yaobao".

He called her name, his voice low and slightly hoarse.

Sunlight fell on his shoulders, in his eyes, and in every step he took as he walked toward her.

Su Qingyao stood there, looking at him.

In that instant, she suddenly couldn't hear any sound.

The sounds of the wind, the trees, and the distant cars all disappeared.

Only one voice remained.

Boom, boom, boom.

His heart was pounding, each beat heavier than the last, as if it were about to burst out of his chest and rush to him.

That wasn't her heartbeat.

No, that was her heartbeat.

She never knew that her heartbeat could be so loud, so heavy, so... unlike herself.

Wen Yu walked up to her and saw that she was standing there motionless. He looked down at her with some concern.

"Yaobao? What's wrong?"

Su Qingyao raised her head and met his eyes.

Those eyes held sunshine, laughter, and her.

Only her.

She softened her voice, "Brother Ayu, welcome back."

Wen Yu smiled and ruffled her hair.

Su Qingyao felt the warmth coming from above her head, and her heart skipped a beat.

It turns out that what Miao Ke said was true; your heart really does race when you see someone you like.

How come she never noticed before?

She thought about it for a moment, and then suddenly understood.

It's not that we didn't notice.

It was the same heartbeat from before, now mixed up with his, and it was impossible to tell whose it was anymore.

Those mornings and evenings when they went to and from school together, those quiet afternoons when they sat side by side doing practice problems, those rising intonations when he called her "Yaobao," and every moment when she subconsciously relied on him.

It turns out my heart was always beating.

It's just that I'm so used to it that I think it's breathing.

Su Qingyao looked up at Wen Yu, who was looking down at her with tender and affectionate eyes.

At that moment, many things that I couldn't understand before suddenly became clear.

It turns out that Brother Ayu had the same feelings for her, even earlier than she had.

She didn't know the exact date, but she knew that he had never left all these years.

Having figured it out, Su Qingyao smiled radiantly.

Seeing her expression, Wen Yu couldn't help but smile slightly. "What are you laughing at?"

Su Qingyao looked smug. "Hmph, guess!"

So it turns out that Brother Ayu has been mine for a long time.

It was much earlier than I thought.

Since that's the case, she accepted it without hesitation.

From now on, Brother Ayu belongs to her.

She's all alone.