“Xiao Xiang…”
He Bin raised his hand to stop Ye Zhiqiu: “Sis, I know what you’re going to say. I’m not just playing around. I really like Shuangshuang.”
“I know you genuinely like Shuangshuang.”
He Bin looked surprised: “Sis, you believe me?”
Ye Zhiqiu gently patted He Bin’s head: “Of course I believe you. I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. I still understand your character.”
“But Sis, don’t you also think I was too impulsive?”
Ye Zhiqiu gave a noncommittal nod: “It was a bit impulsive. You not only scared Shuangshuang, but you even surprised me.”
He Bin lowered his head in frustration: “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s perfectly normal to like someone.”
“I just didn’t expect you to like Shuangshuang.”
He Bin awkwardly kicked a small stone at his feet: “I didn’t expect it myself, but I like her, and that’s just how it is. I can’t help it.”
“Xiao Xiang, liking someone can be a one-sided thing, but wanting to be together involves two people.”
Ye Zhiqiu took He Bin’s hand, gesturing for him to look at her: “You have the right to like Shuangshuang, but Shuangshuang also has the right not to like you back. Do you understand?”
He Bin gave a slight nod: “I understand. I actually didn’t want to let her know how I felt this soon. I know I can’t give her anything right now. I should have become stronger, able to protect her better, and taken care of her before telling her.”
“I thought she liked my senior fellow apprentice, and I panicked. That’s why I blurted it out impulsively.”
As he spoke, a trace of sadness flickered in He Bin’s eyes: “Sis, do you think there’s a chance Shuangshuang could ever like me? Not as a younger brother, but as a man.”
“I don’t know about the future, but it’s definitely impossible right now.”
Ye Zhiqiu pinched He Bin’s cheek: “After all, you’re still a minor. To us, you’re just a little kid.”
“Sis~!”
He Bin pulled Ye Zhiqiu’s hand away and rubbed his cheek, feeling quite helpless: “This is the first time I’ve ever hated the age gap between us. If only I were your older brother, I could protect you and also be with Shuangshuang.”
“Xiao Xiang, Sis wants you to understand one more thing. Sometimes liking someone lasts for a moment, sometimes for a few years, sometimes for a lifetime. By the time you’re qualified to stand by Shuangshuang’s side, that’ll be several years from now. Will you still like who she is then?”
“People change. You will change, and Shuangshuang will change too. A woman’s youth doesn’t last forever. Maybe by then, Shuangshuang will already be with someone else, or perhaps have her own family and children.”
Ye Zhiqiu gently patted He Bin’s shoulder: “Xiao Xiang, you and Shuangshuang are five years apart. Five years is neither too long nor too short.”
“Have you thought about all this?”
He Bin replied in a low voice: “I have thought about it. I’ve thought about everything. My confession was impulsive, but my feelings for Shuangshuang aren’t impulsive.”
“Shuangshuang is my friend, and you’re my little brother. If things work out between you two, I’d naturally be happy to see it. But if problems arise between you, it puts me in a difficult position with both sides.”
Ye Zhiqiu advised He Bin: “Xiao Xiang, matters of the heart also depend on fate. Don’t be too stubborn about it. Let things take their natural course.”
Even though He Bin could be a bit of a slacker, he was actually very sentimental.
She was worried he might become obsessed with this feeling.
He Bin lowered his head and thought for a while. When he looked up again, he turned towards where Lu Shuangshuang was: “Sis, can you let me say a few words to Shuangshuang?”
“Should I go ask Shuangshuang?”
“Okay.”
Ye Zhiqiu relayed He Bin’s request to Lu Shuangshuang. Lu Shuangshuang felt very conflicted. She didn’t really want to see He Bin at that moment, finding it awkward, but she also knew this matter needed to be resolved sooner or later.
“Zhiqiu, tell him to come out.”
Ye Zhiqiu waved at He Bin from the railing. He Bin ran over, and Ye Zhiqiu went to the side, leaving the space for him and Lu Shuangshuang.
“Shuangshuang, my sister talked to me a lot. I had considered some things, but there were indeed some aspects I hadn’t thought about.”
“First of all, I want to apologize to you. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
Lu Shuangshuang glanced up at He Bin, then quickly lowered her eyes: “It’s okay.”
“Shuangshuang, I don’t have the right to ask you to wait for me to grow up. I don’t want to hold you back either. Just do what feels right. If you meet someone you truly like, I’ll be happy for you.”
“But if you never meet someone you like, could you consider me?”
Lu Shuangshuang shook her head firmly: “No matter when, I don’t think we’re suitable. I’m five years older than you. Women age faster than men anyway. I really don’t want people saying I’m an older woman chasing after a younger man.”
A flurry of thoughts ran through her mind, but the age gap was the biggest issue.
People don’t usually say anything when the man is older than the woman, they might even think an older man dotes on his younger wife.
But if the woman is older than the man, people gossip.
There was a couple in their courtyard, an older woman and a younger man. They said they were childhood sweethearts engaged from a young age, and the woman was three years older than the man.
To their faces, people joked about how “three years older brings gold bricks,” but behind their backs, the gossip was really nasty.
She had heard Sun Lanzi mention it a few times, and it made her quite resistant to the idea of an older woman with a younger man.
“It’s a fact that you’re five years older than me. I really wish this fact didn’t exist, but I can’t change it. I can’t be older than you. I am younger than you.”
“But I’m still taller than you.”
He Bin gestured with his hand. Lu Shuangshuang only came up to his chest: “I think age and height aren’t really that different. They’re just external conditions. Whether two people are suitable isn’t about these things. It’s about whether they’re happy together, whether they genuinely like each other.”
Lu Shuangshuang wasn’t surprised at all that He Bin could say something like this. During the time she’d spent with him, both of their impressions of each other had changed significantly.
Especially her impression of him. She knew that even though he was younger, he was very responsible and had his own thoughts.
He was very considerate and knew how to make people laugh.
If it weren’t for him being there for her, she probably wouldn’t have gotten over the hurt she suffered in the Lu family so quickly.
“But when two people are together, you can’t just look at liking each other. You have to consider the circumstances,” Lu Shuangshuang argued softly.
“Circumstances are considered after there’s mutual affection. And I think that’s something couples consider when deciding on a long-term commitment.”
“Shuangshuang, is it…” He Bin lowered his head, looking at Lu Shuangshuang, and asked tentatively.
Lu Shuangshuang panicked immediately and pushed He Bin: “No, don’t guess randomly.”
“Okay, I won’t guess.” He Bin’s eyes lit up with a smile. “Then can you allow me to like you?”
“Can we just be like before?”
“How can it be the same?” Lu Shuangshuang bit her lower lip lightly.
She could feel her heartbeat starting to race uncontrollably.
