Chapter 2 — You Raised Me, I'll Care for You When You Grow Old

Original poster, if you truly feel a sense of guilt, you should still go and confess to your sister.

Some people also spoke up in defense of the eldest sister: Knowing that someone already has a partner, why muscle your way in? Do you have any concept of sequence and boundaries? It is completely obvious that the original poster and the boyfriend were together first, and her younger sister is nothing more than a stand-in for the author anyway.

To the user above, are you perhaps also someone who specializes in playing the third wheel? Only a homewrecker would ever speak on behalf of another homewrecker.

The creator of the post offered no further replies, leaving only a chaotic crowd arguing back and forth across thousands of comment tiers. I switched off the screen, turning my gaze out the car window. Do I feel any regret? Regret, yes. In my eyes, those two messages amounted to nothing less than a profoundly deep, lingering confession of love between the two of them. I had half-imagined that reading such words would once again plunge me into a suffocating agony, leaving me weeping uncontrollably and utterly unable to bear the weight of it. Yet, truth be told, I felt remarkably fine. There was no overwhelming surge of emotion whatsoever. It was as though every trace of feeling had completely vanished. Naturally, it was also entirely possible that this was merely a state of profound numbness induced by an acute stress reaction.

I let out a slow, steady breath, unlocked the screen, and dispatched a message to Professor Tran: Professor, I accept your offer. I will resubmit my application to pursue my doctoral studies abroad.

Professor Tran returned my call almost instantly.

Hua Ying, my dear student, is this the truth? Does this mean you no longer need to stay behind to keep your sister company?

Yes, she has someone to keep her company now, I answered without a moment of hesitation.

Splendid, splendid, splendid! This is the absolute right choice, a young sapling with your talent simply cannot be allowed to waste away!

Professor, the sooner the better, I am afraid that if I linger, my heart will soften and I will regret this.

Splendid, splendid, splendid! Tomorrow I shall... no, I am going to submit the application right this very second!

The moment the call disconnected, the car smoothly glided to a halt right beneath my apartment building. I lingered beneath the glow of the streetlamp for a long while. Then, lowering my head, I sent the final message to Yen Chau: Let us break things off. Do not ever look for me again.

Sent. Blocked. The entire sequence executed in a single, fluid motion.

Pushing open the door, the living room was illuminated by a warm, golden ambient glow. Yen Chau was bent slightly forward, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind my sister's ear. From where I stood, the angle made it look precisely like an embrace. Catching the sound of movement, he instantly pulled his hand away, scurrying over with brisk, tender steps before dropping to one half-knee to help me unlace my shoes.

Back already? Your sister mentioned she wanted to whip up something delicious for you, and I simply insisted on crashing the meal.

His tone was effortless, his expression completely relaxed, as though the breakup text I had just sent never even existed. My sister chimed in as well: Go wash your hands and come sit for dinner. I stared blankly at her. Despite the oppressive summer heat, she had deliberately chosen to wear a high-collared shirt. Along the very edge of the collar, several purplish-red marks peeked out faintly into view.

Absolute silence reigned over the dining table. It was so quiet that the only sound to be heard was the gentle clinking of chopsticks against porcelain bowls. Yet, I could clearly perceive the unspoken, tangled web of emotions lingering in the sidelong glances they kept casting at one another. Agony, a desperate reluctance to let go, and deep affection were all heavily present, resembling nothing less than a pair of lovers locked in a petty spat.

At that exact moment, Yen Chau abruptly turned his head to look directly at me: Darling, the night before last, when I took you to see Zhang's concert, do you still feel like going again? There are tickets available for tomorrow, and I recall you rather enjoyed it the last time.

The chopsticks froze mid-air in my grasp. That particular concert was a-clearly an outing Yen Chau had taken with my sister.

My sister suddenly shuddered, the rim of her bowl striking against the table with a crisp, sharp clatter. She darted a hasty glance in my direction, her eyes swimming with sheer panic, much like a common thief caught red-handed in the act. Was he asking this question to force a showdown, or was he genuinely oblivious? But as for me... I was still entirely unprepared for any sort of showdown.

I picked up a piece of meat, placed it into my mouth, and slowly lifted my gaze: A concert? When on earth did I ever go with you?

With a sharp rustle, my sister abruptly stood up, snatching Yen Chau's rice bowl away with a voice stretched tight as a wire: I... I will go scoop some rice for you. You go into the kitchen and see what else you need.

The corners of Yen Chau's lips curved upward in a virtually imperceptible smirk as he obediently trailed after her. The two of them remained inside the kitchen for a lengthy period, faint murmurs and whispers drifting out intermittently. When they finally emerged once more, Yen Chau gave his own head a light tap and offered me a sheepish smile: My dear, my memory failed me. I must have been dreaming last night—I dreamed of going to the concert with you.

My sister kept her head bowed low, shoveling rice into her mouth bite by bite, as though she desperately wished to bury her entire being deep inside the bowl. My face darkened, though I remained entirely silent.

Suddenly, Yen Chau reached out and grasped my hand, his tone as light and airy as if he were recounting a humorous anecdote: Darling, tell me, if that former girlfriend of mine who abandoned me for the sake of money were to lay eyes on how blissfully happy the two of us are right now, would she feel consumed by jealousy, would she regret her choice?

My chopsticks trembled ever so slightly, a motion almost too minute to catch, yet she still refused to raise her head. He paused for a beat, his voice dropping into an even softer register, yet every single word carried a hidden thorn: Or perhaps she would end up just like a filthy rat scurrying through the storm drains, lurking in the shadows to steal furtive glances, coveting a portion of love that was always meant to belong solely to you?

With every single sentence he uttered, his gaze would sweep across my sister's face with veiled intent, the corners of his mouth hooked upward as though he were thoroughly savoring every shift in her expression.

Before I could even part my lips to speak, my sister jumped in ahead of me, her voice trembling slightly: That will never happen. Whatever rightfully belongs to my younger sister shall forever remain hers and hers alone.

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, as if summoning the courage from the depths of her soul: If... if you ever dare to entangle yourself with your ex-girlfriend again, I swear I will never forgive you. Besides, with me standing right here, not a single soul... will ever be able to snatch away what belongs to my sister.

The color drained entirely from Yen Chau's face, the rims of his eyes instantly turning crimson as his voice plummeted: Those were your very own words. In that case, I give you my word: I will never, for as long as I live, entangle myself with my former lover again.