Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At Lecheng Station, a double-decker bus slowly made its way into the city.
These buses were typically packed with people, who would be getting off in a great bustle of luggage.
This one had barely seven or eight passengers on board, all seated on the upper level, looking out through the windows at the city, at the crowds milling about the bus station. Their young faces bore a cast of arrogant disdain.
“Thanks, Uncle Peng. Making you come all the way out here, and holding everyone up for half an hour… I truly apologize.” The bus doors swung open to reveal a fetching young lady, who was addressing the bus driver with impeccable politeness.
The driver smiled. “It’s nothing. We’re old acquaintances, after all. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
“Alright… I’ll be off, then.” She waved at the others in the bus, who were clad in fine branded sportswear.
Seeing her, the youths turned away from the windows to smile in return, and a tall, dashing guy among their number said, “Hurry back, now. Getting into a few major competitions will provide valuable experience for your own career. Be sure you don’t miss out! Don’t forget to visit the swimming pool for some solo training when you can spare the time, lest your body forgets the feel of the water.”
“I’ll be sure to do that. See you, everyone.” With that, the girl took her luggage and got off the bus.
The three sitting on the right side followed the nubile young beauty away with their eyes, full of longing.
There were many female students in their campus, but the ones who were lovely both in figure as well as character were only so few, and even more so the ones who were still single. Watching her disappear from their sight, these young men felt anxiety rising in their hearts, worried that during this latest visit home, she might get picked up by someone.
“Rainie gets more beautiful each time I see her,” some guy in a polo shirt said. “When she first came to our Aqua Academy as a mere slip of a girl, I’d never imagined she’d grow into such a vision.”
“Haha, wipe your drool. The instructors keep a tight watch. No one ever gets any.” This came from the tall guy who’d spoken to her earlier.
“Who can say? When it comes to matters of the heart, if both are willing, what say do the instructors get?”
“What’s your hurry? Cool your heels, she’s already one of us. There’ll be plenty of time to get close to her.”
“Speaking of which, do you know why she applied for leave to go home at this time?”
“Something about her dad not being well. Needs someone to look after him, something like that.”
“And on the topic of her family, based on the way she dresses and stuff, I guess she’s not from any wealthy background?”
“Just average.”
“Heh, heh… well, that makes things simpler.”
As they talked, the bus began to move once more. Without entering the Lecheng city proper, it rejoined the highway and began to leave.
After the bus had left, two female staff members looked out the window of their booth. One of them said in bewilderment, “That’s odd. Isn’t it prohibited for buses to drop off passengers outside of designated areas here?”
“Idiot, didn’t you see the label on the bus? That bus could have been full of national athletes!”
“I say, there were quite a few hunks on board.”
***
The river flowed serenely through the mountains, spanned by a stone bridge connecting two sections of the city, which both combined to form an even skyline of apartment buildings.
This was the scenery Yu Luocheng saw every morning. He often thought of it as looking at a painting, not because of its breathtaking splendor, but because after seeing it every day for a dozen years or so, it felt like it was always the same.
Today, there was the rare appearance of a dark stormcloud over a distant mountain peak. When Yu Luocheng gave the view his usual cursory glance, he caught sight of it, and felt sure that it would rain that day—and it would be a heavy rain!
In July, a household without air-conditioning would be a roasting oven, the fan stirring up a maddening tempest of sweltering air.
“Ugh, can’t stand this. Back to sleep.” Rinsing cup in hand, Yu Luocheng suddenly didn’t feel like brushing his teeth.
He’d spent all last night training hard alongside the players of Team Scarlet. Having to get up this early was inhumane.
Now that he thought about it, today would be his mother’s turn at the hospital.
Yes, it should be fine to go back to sleep, no need to crawl out of bed just yet. Lying back in bed, he found a particularly comfortable spot this time, and soon drifted off.
Snoozing deeply, he was only vaguely aware of someone turning a key in the door. Probably mom had just forgotten to bring the soup that she’d made this morning. Paying it no mind, he resumed slumbering.
Shortly afterward, the door to his room was opened, and a sweet scent wafted over to him—but it was this pleasing hint of fragrance which gave him that last push he needed to enter unconsciousness.
Yu Luocheng’s room wasn’t particularly spacious. Two-thirds of the floor was occupied by a pair of beds. Yu Luocheng was currently dozing in the larger of the two, while a table fan creaked mechanically as it worked to send a breeze in his direction.
The other bed was a little smaller, and there was nothing upon the bedframe. It had probably not been used in a while.
What space remained was taken up by a large cupboard, a rectangular desk, and a computer. There was nothing else.
The door stood open, a fair young maiden in the doorway.
She wore loose running shorts and a white sports shirt, her hair tied up simply, a relaxed and refreshing sight.
The contours of her perfect figure were easy to appreciate, even through a simple cotton shirt. Her face was fair and fetching, without a touch of make-up, pure and pleasing to the eye.
Standing in the doorway, she carefully set her bag down.
Her gaze was affixed upon Yu Luocheng’s sleeping form, currently clad only in a pair of trousers. A sly twinkle danced in her eyes.
Her things laid on the floor, she glided over to Yu Luocheng’s side, leaning in close to his ear…
She took a deep breath, heart pounding…
“Brother!” Her voice rang out, sharp and clear.
In his dreams, Yu Luocheng had been performing all kinds of incredible maneuvers with Lee Sin. This sudden ambush struck him like a bolt of lightning out of a blue sky, leaving him dazed.
Jolted awake, he opened his eyes groggily.
Immediately, he was greeted with a fox-like smile. The girl smiling at him was pretty, young, adorable, and enchanting. However…
“Oh, hell!” Yu Luocheng swore.
Rubbing his eyes to be sure he was really seeing her, he felt he finally understood the meaning behind that morning’s stormcloud:
It had been a dark omen!
“Big Brother, I’m home!” the little vixen announced happily.
The truth was that Yu Luocheng often thought of himself as an only child, because most of the time he was home alone, and he’d gotten used to it.
But that little bed beside him was a constant reminder of the existence of another child in the family—the epitome of a perfect child.
“Look at Yu Yu, she’s always doing so well in her swimming classes.”
“Look at Yu Yu, she’s been selected for the city team.”
“Look at Yu Yu, she’s always such a well-behaved child—why can’t you just listen, for once?”
The sort of kid whom, every time your parents see them, they can’t resist telling you something about them.
And she lived under the same roof as him, so his mom and dad were always going, “Look at Yu Yu, look at Yu Yu!”
What the heck was there to look at? She could very well go look at herself in a mirror!
As long as she was here, Yu Luocheng wouldn’t get any peace—none at all!
“Why… why did you come back!” As the she-demon leaned even closer towards him, he hurriedly snatched up his shirt and put it on.
“Mom said Dad’s fallen ill and needs someone to look after him, so I came back.” She scowled, upset.
She’d gone through so much trouble to come back home, and the first thing her idiot brother had to say to her was something so unwelcoming. He didn’t look the least bit glad to see her here.
Was she his little sister or not?
In those Hong Kong and Korean dramas you see on TV, the older brother always welcomes his little sister home with a warm hug, tousling her hair and smiling his love for her.
This was nothing at all like in the dramas!
