Chapter Thirty-One: It is Younger Brother, but I do not wish to be only a younger brother.

"Tsk, sit up straight!"

The girl sitting next to Lin Shouxia spoke with a sharp tone, impatiently pushing away the man who kept leaning toward her again and again.

She couldn't tell if the guy was doing it on purpose or by accident; no sooner had she pushed him away than his body would lean back toward her once more.

"Sit properly! If you don't behave, I'm going to dump you on the side of the road and leave you there."

Ignoring whether a drunk person had the capacity to understand, Liu Zhimin pressed the man's head against the car window again, clapped her hands, and straightened her ruffled clothes.

She regretted it. Truly.

How wonderful it would have been to spend such a beautiful night sleeping, but instead, she had acted on impulse and rushed out to pick up a troublesome man who didn't even want to see her.

She should have let Lin Yinglu come.

Taking care of one’s own brother is expected; pushing that responsibility onto someone else was just absurd.

"I should take a picture of you looking this pathetic and send it to Yuna, just so she can see!"

The girl glared fiercely at the man, who wore an expression of agony, tossing out threats every so often.

After getting drunk, the refreshing scent that usually clung to Lin Shouxia had been replaced by the smell of alcohol. Even for Liu Zhimin, who didn't usually mind his presence, it was becoming hard to bear.

She pinched her nose, raised a small fist, and kept bringing up the name Shin Yuna.

It was so unfair.

The songs were sung for her alone, and the meals were dates initiated by Lin Shouxia, but ever since he met Shin Yuna, he had turned cold.

Just a moment ago, he had even walked away right in front of Yuna without saying a word.

"I feel sick."

The man murmured, his head leaning toward Liu Zhimin once more. Curled up, he looked utterly wretched.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Cold... and dizzy..."

"Serves you right!" Liu Zhimin huffed. Despite her sharp tongue, her heart was soft; she gently took hold of his hand, which had been resting aimlessly. "That's what you get for drinking, and for not saying hello to me."

His hand was surprisingly warm in her palm, and he even gripped hers back, yet he was shivering slightly as if he were freezing.

"Are you faking this?"

The girl felt like she was being played, caught between annoyance and amusement.

A drunk person, clearly running hot, was claiming to be cold while leaning closer to her.

However...

"Are you still cold now?"

The voice that echoed inside the car remained gentle. She pried open the man's clenched hand and tucked her own into his palm.

"Cold."

Hearing the man’s soft, sleepy mutterings, the girl smiled and couldn't help but say:

"You're such a fiery boy, so why are you so sensitive to the cold, Shouxia-xi?"

She reached out a small hand and gently pinched the man’s cheek—a clean-cut face topped with dark brown, short hair.

Then...

She carefully unzipped her down jacket, gently resting his head on her shoulder, and slipped one arm out of the sleeve so she could drape the coat over him.

"I'm only helping you because of Yinglu."

"Don't get the wrong idea when you wake up~"

As the girl tended to the intoxicated man, she kept muttering, trying to find a suitable excuse for her actions.

But some things can be hidden from others, yet never from one's own heart.

He was such an annoying guy, oblivious to social cues and unable to read a woman’s heart.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel a fondness for this frustrating person. That jacket draped over her shoulders, those songs sung for her all night long—they were deeply etched into her memory, impossible to forget.

"And don't you dare... don't you dare think Yuna was the one who helped you."

Liu Zhimin’s heart was a tangled mess, like a thread with no clear end, leaving her with no solution in sight.

Does she like him?

She certainly had feelings for him.

But with Shin Yuna in the picture, she didn't know if she should like him, if she could like him, and she couldn't read his heart either.

"Sunbae..."

The man’s soft call reached her ears. Liu Zhimin frowned, a strange, flushed expression on her face.

"Sunbae?"

"Which sunbae?"

She had just told him not to mistake her for Shin Yuna, and yet, in the blink of an eye, he had forgotten everything she said, hadn't he?

"Zhimin-sunbae."

"You should call me Noona."

The car’s air conditioning wasn't set very high, but the girl’s face was flushed with a deep crimson. She pursed her lips, hiding a faint smile, and cleared her throat, pretending to be angry as she adjusted her voice.

"Noona."

"What kind of Noona?"

"Zhimin-noona..."

Outside the window, snow drifted across the sky; everywhere she looked, the scenery was solemn and still.

Inside the car, however, it was warm, filled with Liu Zhimin’s irrepressible smile.

She liked this person.

She liked seeing his helpless expression when she teased him.

And she liked seeing him on stage, holding the microphone.

Actually, the man was quite docile when drunk, staying quietly by her side and letting her fuss over him.

But compared to the Lin Shouxia who always kept a safe distance, this drunk version was much more clingy and craved physical contact.

He pressed his body against Liu Zhimin, still not satisfied, nuzzling his head against her shoulder.

"Noona..."

The man, having settled, let out a sound of contentment...

"Hmm?"

"I don't feel well..."

"Will you drink in the future?"

"No more."

"Then... will you keep pretending you don't see me in the future?"

"..."

"Tsk, you always go quiet when I ask questions like that."

The space in the car was cramped. After a few light jabs with her small fist, which hit his chest, he merely rubbed it absentmindedly and wrapped his arms around the girl, his voice sounding even more like he was pouting.

"It hurts..."

"I hope it hurts enough to kill you." Liu Zhimin cursed fiercely. Her face flushed, she turned to look out the window, her gaze focusing on the man's reflection in the glass...

"You are not allowed to like Shin Yuna."

She shook off the man’s hand and whispered to herself, head bowed.

"You're still just a rookie in the industry." Her voice was so soft that if one didn't listen closely, it would be impossible to hear.

This wasn't meant for the drunk Lin Shouxia; it sounded more like a warning to herself.

A warning to her own budding, spring-like heart.

A warning not to cross any lines.

He was still a newcomer to the industry.

He needed time to grow.

For the time being, he couldn't afford to like anyone.

"I feel sick..."

"Shut up."

"But..."

"Miss, your boyfriend seems to be quite heavily intoxicated." The taxi driver glanced back with curiosity.

Liu Zhimin carefully loosened the scarf around her neck and gently draped it over the man's face.

"He's my younger brother," the girl replied casually, then turned her focus back to the annoying man. She pointed a finger at his pained face, huffing:

"Be quiet."

"Okay, Zhimin."

"What did you call me?"

"I said... Zhimin." His words were slurred, yet carried an undeniable tone of firmness.

Not a brother.

And he didn't want to be just her younger brother anymore.

"Don't... don't be so good to me."

Because I don't think I can control my heart anymore.