Chapter 50: Promises in the Snow

“Brother Li, wait!”

Jiang Qing suddenly stood up:

“I was just about to take out the trash, so I’ll see you out.”

Jiang Yu’s head snapped up:

“Don’t bother with the trash. It can wait until tomorrow.”

He knew his sister too well.

She didn’t actually need to throw out the garbage. She was looking for an excuse to talk to Li Xiao alone.

“There’s quite a bit today. It’ll start to smell if I leave it.”

Jiang Qing had already grabbed the bag from the bin by the door.

“You get some rest, big brother. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she pulled open the door and gestured for Li Xiao to go first.

Li Xiao glanced at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu was staring at him, his eyes screaming, “Don’t you dare say anything.”

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow at him, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth before he turned and followed Jiang Qing out.

The door clicked shut.

Jiang Yu sat on the sofa, his heart inexplicably pounding.

He stared at the closed door, his mind uncontrollably conjuring up images of what Jiang Qing might be saying to Li Xiao.

****

Downstairs.

The winter night was bitter cold, the streetlamp casting a hazy halo of light onto the snow.

Jiang Qing tossed the trash into the bin by the entrance and turned to face Li Xiao.

Her smile dimmed, replaced by a serious, scrutinizing expression.

Li Xiao stood beneath the lamp, his tall, straight figure casting a long shadow on the snow.

He waited quietly for her to speak.

“Brother Li.”

Jiang Qing’s voice was clear in the cold wind, carrying a girl’s crispness:

“You like my brother, don’t you?”

The question was so blunt that even Li Xiao was startled for a moment.

But he quickly smiled, a warm and unguarded smile:

“Is it that obvious?”

“Very obvious.”

Jiang Qing nodded, hands in her down jacket pockets.

“The way you look at him, the things you do… they’re not what friends do.”

She paused, lifting her head to meet Li Xiao’s eyes directly:

“My brother—he seems cold and distant on the surface, but he’s actually really soft-hearted, and stubborn too. He’s raised me on his own all these years, been through a lot of hardship, and never let anyone help him.”

“I know.”

Li Xiao’s voice dropped low.

“That’s exactly why I want to be good to him.”

Jiang Qing studied him for a few seconds, then suddenly asked:

“Are you serious?”

It was a sharp question.

But Li Xiao didn’t dodge it.

He met her gaze, his eyes earnest and almost solemn:

“I’ve never been more serious about anyone.”

Jiang Qing was silent for a moment.

The night wind stirred the stray hairs on her forehead. Her eyes glittered brilliantly under the streetlamp.

“Brother Li, my brother… he’s had a hard life.”

Her voice grew softer.

“Right after our parents died, he worked during the day and took care of me at night. Sometimes he’d be so exhausted he’d fall asleep sitting on the sofa. I was little then, didn’t know any better, and I’d always cry and make a fuss…”

“Later, he delivered food during the day, tended bar at night, and took odd jobs on weekends. His hands were covered in calluses, cracked and bleeding in winter…”

Her voice choked up a little, but she forced herself to stay calm:

“So if you’re not serious, if this is just a whim… please, don’t mess with him.”

She lifted her head, the rims of her eyes slightly red, but her gaze was unwavering:

“My brother looks tough on the outside, but inside he’s fragile. He can’t take getting hurt.”

Li Xiao looked at this girl, only eighteen yet already so protective of her brother, and something deep inside him was powerfully moved.

He stepped forward, bent down so his eyes were level with hers.

“Jiang Qing.”

His voice was gentle, but every word was clear and firm:

“I promise you, I’m serious about your brother. This isn’t a whim.”

“I want to take care of him, be good to him, make sure he never has to work so hard again.”

“I’ll prove it to you with my actions.”

Jiang Qing stared into his eyes for a long time.

Then she slowly nodded.

“Okay, I believe you.”

She paused, a sly smile curving her lips again.

“But Brother Li, my brother is really hard to win over. You’ll need some patience.”

Li Xiao smiled.

“I know.”

“And,”

Jiang Qing blinked.

“My brother responds to gentleness, not pressure. The harder you push, the more he pulls back. You need to be gentle and take it slow.”

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow.

“Are you teaching me how to chase your brother?”

“Sort of.”

Jiang Qing admitted freely.

“I think you’re a good guy. You’re… barely qualified for my brother.”

Li Xiao laughed at her phrasing.

“Barely qualified?”

“I’ll have to see how you perform from now on.”

Jiang Qing turned and walked back toward the entrance. Just before stepping inside, she looked back.

“Brother Li, good luck. I’m rooting for you.”

With that, she pulled open the door and hurried upstairs.

Li Xiao stood in the snow, gazing at the lit window on the second floor, his smile slowly spreading.

He pulled out his phone and sent Jiang Yu a WeChat message:

[I’m leaving. See you tomorrow.]

Almost at the same time, the curtain behind the window on the second floor stirred slightly.

Li Xiao saw a blurred figure flash past the window.

He smiled, put away his phone, and turned toward his car parked on the street.

Meanwhile, in the living room on the second floor.

Jiang Yu was frantically stuffing his phone back into his pocket, pretending he hadn’t just peeked through the curtain.

Jiang Qing pushed the door open, a bright smile on her face:

“I’m back!”

Jiang Yu sat on the sofa, forcing a calm “Mm,” but his gaze involuntarily darted to her.

“You… what did you talk about with Li Xiao?”

“Nothing much.”

Jiang Qing took off her down jacket and hung it behind the door, her tone light.

“Just thanked him for taking care of you and told him to be careful on the road.”

Jiang Yu clearly didn’t believe her.

“That’s all?”

“What else?”

She walked over and sat down beside him, tilting her head to look at him, eyes sparkling.

“Big brother, do you really care about what Brother Li and I said?”

Jiang Yu felt his ears burn under her gaze and looked away.

“No. Just asking.”

“Oh~”

Jiang Qing dragged out the syllable, then suddenly leaned in, lowering her voice:

“Big brother, Brother Li is really a good person. Handsome, treats you well, and he’s super attentive…”

Jiang Yu cut her off:

“You’re a kid. What do you know? Go do your homework.”

“I’m eighteen, not a kid anymore.”

Jiang Qing pouted, but obediently stood up and headed toward her room.

At the door, she suddenly turned around.

“Big brother.”

“Yeah?”

“You like him too, don’t you?”

Jiang Yu froze completely.

Seeing his instantly flushed face and flustered eyes, Jiang Qing smiled sweetly.

“Good night, big brother.”

The bedroom door clicked shut.

Only Jiang Yu remained in the living room.

He leaned back on the sofa, covering his burning cheeks with his hands, his heart racing wildly in his chest.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out. It was a message from Li Xiao:

[Your sister said I’m barely qualified for you.]

Then another one:

[I’ll work hard to get promoted to full-time soon.]

Jiang Yu stared at the two messages, his finger hovering over the screen, not knowing what to reply.

Finally, he typed a few words, deleted them, typed again, and deleted again.

In the end, he only sent one character:

[…Mm.]

Sent.

Almost instantly, Li Xiao replied:

[Does that ‘Mm’ mean you admit I’m qualified, or that I’ll get the promotion?]

Jiang Yu’s cheeks grew even hotter.

He bit his lower lip and typed:

[Neither. It means I received your message.]

Sent.

Li Xiao responded quickly:

[Fine. Good night. Remember to dream of me.]

Jiang Yu turned off the phone screen and buried his face in the sofa cushion.

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