Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin's parents were close friends and lived in the same neighborhood.
They were born almost one after another. Since Shen Tingsi's parents were busy, Xu Jiaxin's parents often invited Shen Tingsi to their home to play.
Xu Jiaxin liked to play house. Shen Tingsi cooperated with her. One played the mother and the other played the father. Then they would find a delicate little doll and treat it as their child.
Sometimes they would act out the story of a princess and a prince. Xu Jiaxin was the beautiful little princess in a tutu, while Shen Tingsi was the little prince riding a toy white horse, hacking through thorns and protecting the princess in front.
Later, they went to the same kindergarten. Shen Tingsi took on the responsibility of an elder brother. After being picked up and dropped off by the driver, he would send Xu Jiaxin home first and then go back himself.
During the summer vacation after kindergarten graduation, Shen Tingsi watched as Xu Jiaxin cried to a very good - looking girl in the class, shouting, "Jin Ran, only when the mountains have no peaks, the rivers run dry, winter thunders rumble, summer snows fall, and heaven and earth combine, will I dare to part with you!"
This little girl had really watched too many TV dramas at home. There was bound to be a problem.
Shen Tingsi helplessly rubbed his forehead and whispered in her ear, "Jiaxin, we'll be promoted to the primary school next door. We'll still be together."
"Ah, really?" Xu Jiaxin was stunned. She wiped away the non - existent tears, stopped crying and smiled. Then she seriously held Lin Jinran's hand.
She then pulled Shen Tingsi's hand over, and the six small hands were stacked together.
Xu Jiaxin looked serious, and her chubby face was very cute. "Lin Jinran, I like you very much, really, really like you. The three of us must be good friends for life!"
The young Lin Jinran blinked her dazed eyes, looked down at the three chubby hands, tilted her head, and crisply replied with a "yes".
"Ranran, it's time to go home!" Standing at the school gate, Xiang Yanhua gently looked at her daughter, and her eyebrows became even softer.
Lin Jinran tightened the strap of her schoolbag, pointed at her mother at the school gate with a big smile, and said crisply, "My mom is here to pick me up. I'm leaving first."
After saying hello, she happily threw herself into her mother's arms and was reluctant to let go.
Xiang Yanhua coaxed Lin Jinran for a long time before she was willing to let go. Then she grabbed Xiang Yanhua's hand tightly. Then they walked away gradually and disappeared into the crowd.
Shen Tingsi knew that Xu Jiaxin's parents were busy and didn't have time to pick her up today. As the elder brother, he consciously took on the responsibility of taking care of the younger sister. He greeted the teacher and took the private car home.
When primary school started, the three of them were in the same classroom as they wished. They studied hard in class and played merrily after class.
Two years passed in a blink of an eye. Lin Jinran became more and more hard - working, while Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin had no intention of studying at all. They just wanted to play all day long.
However, Shen Tingsi keenly noticed that Lin Jinran seemed to be getting more and more preoccupied. She often stared blankly at a certain place.
Then something happened. Lin Jinran's mother committed suicide by jumping off a building and became a vegetable. Lin Jinran herself was listless and silent all day long. And her father went out to have fun.
Having known her for so many years, as soon as Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin heard the news, they immediately came to accompany her.
They were angry at her depression, her decadence, and even more angry at her attempt to commit suicide.
Fortunately, later, Lin Jinran recovered. She was discharged from the hospital as if nothing had happened. She became more and more hard - working and was admitted to the best junior high school in the local area by her own efforts.
Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin were still in the same school.
Just like before, the two went to and from school together. Shen Tingsi took good care of Xu Jiaxin as if she were his younger sister. He couldn't say why, but he just wanted to take care of Xu Jiaxin.
Maybe when they were young, his parents had specifically told him that Xu Jiaxin was in poor health and he should take good care of her.
The three years of junior high school also passed in a flash. They were soon promoted to high school. Lin Jinran didn't do well in the senior high school entrance examination and went to a relatively good high school. Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin were separated. Fortunately, the schools were not far apart, and they could still go to and from school together.
In the first year of senior high school, Xu Jiaxin's parents moved because of work. Shen Tingsi comforted himself that since they were studying in high schools nearby, they could still meet often.
As he grew up, Shen Tingsi became more and more handsome. His facial features were more and more delicate, and there were often girls in school sending him love letters.
Whenever this happened, the first person Shen Tingsi thought of was Xu Jiaxin. He wondered what she was doing at this moment and whether she was studying hard and eating well.
As the class - division was approaching, Xu Jiaxin didn't know whether to choose liberal arts or science. As soon as school was over, she ran to Shen Tingsi's school and appeared at the door of his classroom like a ray of light.
Shen Tingsi's heart was pounding. He slowly tidied up and wiped the blackboard.
Xu Jiaxin was tall and had a beautiful appearance. There were so many people in the corridor, and everyone who passed by would take a look at her.
Shen Tingsi calmed his heart, quickly wiped the blackboard, and deliberately stood beside Xu Jiaxin, getting very close, as if declaring to the passers - by that she was taken.
"Why are you so slow? I've been waiting for a long time." Xu Jiaxin complained and gave him a glare. Then she walked towards the stairs. Shen Tingsi followed closely behind. "I don't care. You must treat me to a big meal."
Shen Tingsi smiled foolishly. "Sure, I must treat you."
The two came to a restaurant near the school. Shen Tingsi ordered all the dishes that Xu Jiaxin liked.
While waiting for the dishes to be served, Xu Jiaxin seriously and seriously threw the question of choosing liberal arts or science to Shen Tingsi.
Shen Tingsi's suggestion was to choose science, because there would be more choices in the future. Xu Jiaxin listened half - understanding.
After chatting, driven by his possessiveness, Shen Tingsi tentatively asked, "Jiaxin, why did you come to ask me instead of asking Jinran?"
"First, you are closer to me. Second, Jinran is busy studying. I don't want to bother her. Moreover, she didn't do as well as the two of us in the senior high school entrance examination last year." Saying this, Xu Jiaxin sighed and shook her head.
"Third, we've known each other since childhood. We've been like peas in a pod. Who else should I ask if not you?"
Hearing the girl's matter - of - fact tone, Shen Tingsi lowered his eyes and suppressed the disappointment in his heart.
When they were halfway through the meal, Xu Jiaxin suddenly received a call. She hissed at Shen Tingsi and clicked to answer.
Shen Tingsi quietly watched her.
"Hello, I'm having a meal, with a friend... Why do you have so many questions? Stop talking. My friend is here. I'll talk to you when I get back to school tonight."
It was a gentle tone he had never heard before.
Xu Jiaxin hung up the phone. As soon as she looked up, she saw the intensity in Shen Tingsi's eyes. Her heart tightened and she unconsciously lowered her head to look at the food. "It's a friend, just a friend."
Whenever Xu Jiaxin lied, she would habitually lower her head and her eyes would flutter. Shen Tingsi picked up a piece of green vegetable and ate it slowly. He felt uncomfortable all the time, so he just came straight to the point.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Shen Tingsi pointed out sharply, his eyes burning.
Xu Jiaxin was instantly flustered and directly admitted, "How did you guess? But you mustn't tell my parents. They'll kill me if they know."
"Since you know, why did you still fall in love early?" Shen Tingsi said softly.
"Who made him so good - looking? He just stole my heart." Xu Jiaxin whispered. She secretly glanced at Shen Tingsi's face. Seeing that it was getting worse and worse, she immediately realized that she had said something wrong and pleaded for mercy coquettishly.
"I'm wrong. He's not good - looking. No one is as good - looking as Brother Tingsi. Brother Tingsi is the most handsome in the world. Am I right?"
It was the same old trick. Shen Tingsi sighed, held back the discomfort in his heart, and seriously asked, "Tell me. How did you two meet, and how far have you gone?"
After saying that, he laughed self - deprecatingly. He wasn't her real brother, but he was more like an elder brother than a real one.
Xu Jiaxin hesitated for a while. "If I tell you, you won't tell my parents?"
Shen Tingsi said, "It's a deal."
"At the beginning of this semester, my friend dragged me to watch a basketball game. He's the captain of the basketball team. Unexpectedly, the ball hit me when he was playing. So he sent me to the school infirmary. We got to know each other after that."
"I didn't have any special feelings for him at first. Maybe he started to chase me because of this incident. After being chased for a while and seeing that he was really good - looking, I reluctantly agreed. We've only been together for a month."
It had only been a little over a month since they got together.
Shen Tingsi stared blankly at the girl he loved. The words on his lips were swallowed back, and instead he said, "I promise I won't tell your parents. High school is different from junior high school. Studying is more important now."
"I know." After getting his promise, Xu Jiaxin's tone became much happier.
Three months later, Shen Tingsi heard from Xu Jiaxin that they had broken up. It was because the boy wanted to make improper physical contact. Xu Jiaxin had learned taekwondo when she was a child and almost broke his bones.
This incident caused quite a stir. Xu Jiaxin's parents came forward to settle it for her. For this reason, Xu Jiaxin was scolded by her parents and obediently focused on her studies.
During the summer vacation after the second year of senior high school, Lin Jinran went to Wannan City to study. Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi also went there. Unfortunately, they had to go back to school after only a few days.
Another year and a half passed like this. After the college entrance examination, Xu Jiaxin proposed that they should go out and play together. She went to contact Lin Jinran, but Lin Jinran didn't reply all day.
Xu Jiaxin sensed something was wrong. She called, but no one answered. She nervously told Shen Tingsi. Shen Tingsi was much calmer than her. He went to the Lin family to find out the situation immediately.
Yang Jinzhi politely invited them in to sit down and said that she didn't know anything. Then she politely asked them to leave.
At the gate of the Lin family, they ran into Lin Tingnian who was coming back from outside.
Lin Tingnian and Xu Jiaxin had never gotten along well since childhood. As soon as they met, they would quarrel. In the chaos, Lin Tingnian's words "You'll never find her" caught Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi's attention.
Xu Jiaxin wanted to ask more, but Yang Jinzhi rushed out and pulled her daughter back.
It was obviously wrong. Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi looked at each other and, without saying a word, asked their parents to secretly investigate Lin Jinran's whereabouts.
Finally, they found that she was locked in a depression rehabilitation training center.
Lin Jinran was almost covered in wounds and was in a daze. Shen Tingsi and Xu Jiaxin forcibly took her away and rented a yard for her to recuperate.
This matter couldn't be made public. Yang Jinzhi was extremely angry but swallowed her anger and secretly concealed it for Lin Jinran.
It took more than a year for Lin Jinran to gradually recover. Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi also went to college. They chose universities in the same city.
Not long after the start of school, Shen Tingsi heard that Xu Jiaxin had taken a fancy to a boy from the next class during military training. In front of everyone, the boy confessed his love to Xu Jiaxin, and she readily agreed.
He always knew that Xu Jiaxin had a playful personality.
It was good that he could just watch over her from the side.
Shen Tingsi tried to free himself from the shackles. During college, a girl confessed her love to him. She was enthusiastic, generous, and straightforward as fire. He agreed to her confession.
The two dated for more than a year. Then the girl chose to break up, saying that she couldn't feel Shen Tingsi's love for her.
Time passed in a daze until graduation. Shen Tingsi returned to the imperial capital. He concealed his identity and started from the bottom. With his outstanding ability, he was promoted step by step.
He heard that Xu Jiaxin was still dating that boy. It had been six or seven years. Their parents were preparing for their marriage.
Shen Tingsi was not young anymore. His parents were sorry that it wasn't Xu Jiaxin and started to arrange blind dates for him.
He had been on many blind dates and had rejected one after another. Late at night, when passing by his parents' room, he heard his parents sighing, "What kind of girl does our son like? We've arranged so many blind dates, but there's not a single one he's satisfied with."
Shen Tingsi was silent. At the blind - date banquet the next day, he chose to date the girl.
That girl was also a very good girl. They were well - matched, and she was graceful, with excellent knowledge and conversation.
Shen Tingsi's cold heart was gradually warmed up.
He found that he had slowly let go of Xu Jiaxin and could more calmly regard her as his younger sister.
At Xu Jiaxin's wedding, Shen Tingsi sat at the first table below. He was like a family member.
Looking at Xu Jiaxin's bright and beautiful smile, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
"You must be happy."
"Xu Jiaxin."