Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

As Su Xiao carried Su Wan Ning through the gates of Songbin University, people along the way were watching them.

There are many couples on university campuses, holding hands and putting their arms around each other; it's nothing unusual.

But there are very few people who openly carry girls on their backs on campus like this.

Some people turned around to take a second look, while others nudged their companions with their elbows and whispered among themselves.

Su Wan Ning lay on his back, her face initially just touching his back, but as she felt the gazes coming from all directions, her whole face slowly turned red.

She buried her face in his clothes, wishing she could hide herself away.

But it couldn't be hidden; her ears were already bright red, and even her neck was flushed pink.

Su Xiao felt the person on her back getting hotter and hotter, and she found it amusing.

He deliberately turned his head away, speaking in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for her to hear: "You're such a grown-up, and you still need your brother to carry you around with so many people watching. Aren't you excited? Aren't you ashamed?"

Su Wan Ning was already incredibly embarrassed, and after he said that, her face practically turned red with embarrassment.

She gently punched him on the back, not daring to look up.

Su Xiao continued, "Do you think they'll think you have a broken leg, or that you're drunk? Why don't you lift your head and show them that you're actually a great beauty?"

"You still dare to talk back!"

Su Wan Ning got impatient and bit his shoulder.

It wasn't heavy; it felt like being nibbled on by a kitten through my clothes.

Su Xiao smiled and lightly patted her bottom as a warning.

Su Wan Ning's body stiffened abruptly, as if she had been electrocuted.

Then she slumped back onto his back without uttering a sound.

After a long while, she opened her mouth again and gently bit his back, muttering, "Perverted bro."

Su Xiao smiled shamelessly and didn't refute it.

He carried her on his back, walking through half of the campus, past the library, past the teaching buildings, and past the avenue lined with ginkgo trees.

Su Xiao put her down when they arrived at the girls' dormitory building.

Su Wan Ning stopped, her face already flushed.

She lowered her head, her hands clasped together, and turned to walk into the building.

Su Xiao grabbed her wrist.

Su Wan Ning turned around, and he raised an eyebrow: "What, you're leaving without saying goodnight to your brother?"

Su Wan Ning looked up, her face flushed, and glared at him.

After staring for two seconds, he finally managed to squeeze out, "Goodnight, you perverted bro!"

Su Xiao smiled and pinched her cheek: "Go on up."

Su Wan Ning pouted, turned around, and ran into the building.

She ran to the entrance of the building, glanced back at him one last time, and then actually went inside.

Su Xiao stood there, watching her disappear around the corner of the stairwell, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He raised his arm, sniffed the smell of alcohol on himself, and frowned.

Instead of returning to his school, he turned and walked towards Haizhu University.

On the way, he took out his phone and dialed Xu Niannian's number.

The phone rang twice before I answered. It was quiet on the other end; I only heard her softly say "feed".

Su Xiao said, "I'm at the gate of your school, come out for a moment."

Xu Niannian paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, wait for me."

There wasn't much emotion in his voice, but Su Xiao knew that he hadn't come to see her even once in all these days. She was probably thinking about him too, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

Su Xiao stood at the entrance of Haizhu University and waited. It was late at night, and there weren't many students coming in and out of the school.

The streetlights illuminated the school name on the gateposts very brightly.

He waited for about ten minutes, and then he saw a figure running out of the school gate.

Xu Niannian was still carrying that old canvas bag, looking around.

She was running a little too fast, and stray hairs fell from behind her ears. When she saw Su Xiao standing under the tree, she slowed down, pursed her lips, and then continued walking.

She walked up to him and stopped.

Su Xiao looked down at her and smelled a faint fragrance on her as soon as she got close.

It was the perfume he gave her last time; she wore it.

Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat, but she asked aloud, "You went to the library again?"

Xu Niannian nodded gently: "I went to the library to read."

Su Xiao was somewhat speechless: "Why do you always go to the library to read books?"

Xu Niannian glanced at him, remained silent for a while, and then whispered, "Because you said before that you wanted to go to the same university as me. And that you wanted to study together in the library."

Su Xiao was stunned. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

I never expected that she would remember a casual remark she made.

Xu Niannian did not continue speaking.

She looked at his face and suddenly asked, "Have you been drinking?"

Su Xiao's spirits lifted, and the slight daze on his face instantly switched to another expression.

He lowered his eyes, pressed his lips down, and instantly became sorrowful.

He was silent for a few seconds before speaking, his voice low: "Niannian, I have something to tell you."

Xu Niannian looked at him without saying a word, but her fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap of the canvas bag.

Su Xiao said in a deep voice, "Su Wan Ning and I have severed ties."

Xu Niannian's eyes widened suddenly.

She seemed to have been tapped with a small hammer, taking half a step forward, her voice trembling: "What did you say?"

"No, this is not allowed!" Xu Niannian panicked.

Su Xiao shook her head.

He took the brand-new household registration booklet out of his pocket, opened it, and handed it to her.

On the user's homepage, there is only his name.

"It's too late," he said. "The formalities are all done."

Xu Niannian stared at the household registration booklet. She loosened her fingers from the bag strap, lifted it up, and touched the page.

Then she looked up at him, her eyes beginning to redden: "How could you do this? She's your sister, you grew up together, how could you sever ties with her?"

She became increasingly anxious, her voice filled with panic, "You need to go and rebuild your relationship with her immediately. You can't hurt her anymore. You're her only family, do you understand?!"

Su Xiao looked at her, tears already welling up in her eyes.

He lowered his head and put the household registration booklet back into his pocket.

Then he spoke, his voice even lower: "Niannian, actually, severing ties was something I and she had agreed upon."

Xu Niannian was stunned.

Su Xiao sighed, looked up at the moon overhead, as if organizing her thoughts.

After a long pause, he said, "Wan Ning... has someone she likes. They've agreed to get married after graduating from university, which is why she took the initiative to terminate the adoption. That way, we won't have to torture each other anymore."

As he said this, he lowered his head, a faint, bitter smile appearing on his lips.

That smile contained weariness, helplessness, and a perfectly balanced vulnerability.

He looked at Xu Niannian, his voice pleading, "Niannian, I have no home anymore, do you still want me?"

Xu Niannian's tears finally fell.

She raised the back of her hand to wipe it, but instead of wiping it clean, it spread even more.

She choked back tears, but nodded firmly: "Yes."

Su Xiao reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Xu Niannian buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling.

She had no idea how many truths and lies were hidden behind that household registration book.

But at this moment, all she knew was that he stood in front of her and said he had nothing left.

But she couldn't bear to leave him.

The ginkgo leaves rustled in the wind.

Su Xiao held her, resting his chin on her head, his eyes gazing at the dark night sky in the distance.

He felt the person in his arms gradually soften, as if they had finally found a place to lean on.

The guilt in his heart was like a fine needle, stuck there, but he chose not to look at it.

He lowered his head, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, "Thank you, Niannian."

……

(I've thought about this a lot these past few days, and I've finally come up with an ending that won't ruin the characters' personalities. I'll try to finish it this year, probably around 100 million words. I won't keep you all waiting any longer.)