soon as exams were over, I rushed home.
to my surprise, Ryan actually came to the airport with my parents to pick me up.
After half a year apart when I saw Ruan anal
He was even thinner, had dyed his hair, but of course still looked as handsome as before.
I may not be good at judging people, but my aesthetic sense was still intact.
Otherwise I wouldn’t have known to follow him around like a fool since childhood.
After being stunned for a moment, I smiled and walked over, greeting him casually.
Big brother Ryan, you came too.”
Ryan’s hand reaching for my luggage froze in mid–air as he looked at me in disbelief.
Since childhood, both sets of parents had tried many times to get me to call him “big b
I had stubbornly refused, never calling him that.
Now my mindset was different, and it came out naturally.
But Ryan seemed to have a hard time accepting it.
It was a long while before he took my luggage with shaking hands,
Mom explained quietly in my ear.
“big brother“.
“We came out to pick you up and happened to run into Ryan at the entrance. He insisted on coming along to help:
I smiled and gestured that it was fine.
In the car, I eagerly shared recent funny stories from school with my parents, making them laugh non–stop.
No one paid attention to Ryan, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed his lips curling up secretly the whole way.
That day he seemed to want to come sit at my house for a while, but all three of us politely declined together.
The entire winter break, I was out early and back late every day to practice driving in the evenings I often went out with high school friends.
I heard Ryan came looking for me a few times, but always missed me.
I was a bit taken aback, not feeling we had anything to talk about
This year my grandmother and aunt had come back for the New Year.
On New Year’s Eve, the house was especially lively.
After the reunion dinner, the elders watched the Spring Festival Gala on the couch while the younger generation learned to play mahjong. Ryan’s family of three suddenly showed up at my house with bags of gifts.
“Our house is too quiet. Mind if we join in for a game?” Mrs. Carter joked with a smile,
In previous years, our two families always celebrated the Spring Festival together.
This year, because of my relationship with Ryan, my mom had declined Mrs. Carter’s invitation to have the reunion dinner together,
But with guests at the door, we couldn’t turn them
Ryan naturally sat down next to me, watching me play mahjong.
My cousins who didn’t know about Ryan and me kept teasing us.
Ryans expression became quite unpleasant.
At midnight when we went out to set off fireworks, he pulled me aside, seeming to want to say something.
But my phone suddenly rang.
My face reddened a bit as I pulled my hand away from Ryan’s and went to answer the call.
It was a local classmate I had met through a club, named Ethan.
He was very good–looking too.
Not the cold, handsome type, but a funny, smiley boy.
He talked a lot, was quick–witted, and often made me laugh so hard I couldn’t stand up straight.
He said he called because he was bored being alone, and wanted to join our New Year’s countdown.
I didn’t think much of it. It was New Year’s after all, so I didn’t hang up and let him participate in our countdown ceremony.
Before hanging up, he chuckled.
“Actually, I just wanted to be the first person to wish you Happy New Year after midnight
“Happy New Year, Mia”
I laughed happily and wished him well too,
After chatting for a while longer, when he was finally willing to hang up, I turned around to find Ryan standing behind me with an icy expression.
I don’t know how long he had been listening.
“Boyfriend?” he asked hoarsely.
“Not quite yet,” I replied honestly after thinking for a moment.
Ryan was silent for a long time,
I thought he had nothing more to say and was about to go back inside to continue playing mahjong
But he suddenly spoke again, “Out–of–town guys aren’t necessarily reliable. You should find a good local boy that you know well
Inodded.
“You’re right. You never really know someone. Ill keep observing.
“Thanks for the reminder, big brother Ryan. You should settle down soon too
Ryan seemed pained by something and didn’t speak again. He left the yard directly.
I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t the first time he had acted strangely.
In the past, I had the rose–colored glasses of a lover on, thinking everything he did was great. But now…
After that, I accompanied my grandmother and parents to visit relatives, then went on road trips. I basically wasn’t home at all.
I didn’t run into Ryan either.
The winter break was short. Soon I was back at school.
10:42 AM
19
He looked haggard, as if something terrible had happened.
“Big brother Ryan, why are you here?”
“I wanted to see what your university looks like. And see how you’re doing in Florida.”
I smiled and replied, “It’s great here. The food is really good. You should look up some recommendations and try it yourself when you have
time.”
He looked a bit embarrassed and didn’t answer me. “Mia, can’t you accompany me for a meal? Just once is fine.”
Before I could speak, a male voice cut in
“Sorry bro, I already made plans with Mia. Please take a number and wait your turn.”
Ethan walked over from the side, nervously positioning himself between Ryan and me.
The two of them glared at each other, sparks flying.
“Mia, you came back to school so early just for him? There was an indescribable emotion in Ryan’s voice.
I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I didn’t need to explain anything to him.
to go:
“I’m sorry, big brother Ryan. We’re going to eat now, We have to
Inudged Ethan who was standing frozen in place.
“Let’s go. Didn’t you say you wanted to try that farm–to–table chicken place? It’s quite far, we should hurry”
Ethan let me pull him away, glaring at Ryan one last time,
As we crossed the street, I looked back.
Ryan stood at the school entrance watching us. Under the tree shadows, he looked especially forlorn.
20
