a.s.sistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling
Chapter 72: Sister
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Gu Yao listened and pursed her lips together and unexpectedly complained: "What intelligence and talent? With a genius brother, you do not know what it was like as a child growing up! When you score high on a test, maybe in another family, there will be a reward, but in ours, with my brother scoring first on everything, my scores meant nothing! No matter what my grades were, there will always be someone better. Even when I got into F University, my Dad just said "good" …. My college entrance examination score was a lot worse than my brother"s. Anyway, don"t praise me, it makes me feel uncomfortable."
Thinking in Gu Yao"s point of view, Zhang Siyi thought it was pitiful, but he was also curious: "Gu Yu is your older brother so didn"t he encourage you and help you with your studies like homework?"
"Ha! What encouragement!? He was only helpful when he wasn"t ridiculing me!" Gu Yao remembered: "When I was in high school and he was in college, one year I tried my best to make it to the top at the school. He was home for holiday break and saw my paper, scoffed and asked me, "you only needed this level to score first?". It was so exasperating."
Nodding energetically, Zhang Siyi fully understood the suffering Gu Yu causes. He used his own experience to comfort her: “Gu Yu is also very strict in the company. On the first day of work he had me stay and work overtime fixing every drawing mistake. When he finally approved, I wanted to dig a hole for myself. Well, it"s not just me. He"s totally unapologetic towards the female colleagues in the company.
Gu Yao was surprised: “Really!? I thought he only did this to me!"
Zhang Siyi laughed: “Hhha. I also thought his behavior would be different towards his family, but it appears like he acts this way to everyone!”
Gu Yao snorted: “Yes, his seemingly arbitrary contempt towards others is really hateful!"
Zhang Siyi clenched his fist and in depressed way said: “I know. Every time I am in front of him feeling insecure, he makes me feel like a complete idiot."
Gu Yao said: “This kind of high-IQ animal that destroys social harmony and stability should be pulled out and chopped to death!”
Zhang Siyi: “That"s right! Hack it to death!"
…… Wait, that"s too ruthless!
Thinking he said something very pervasive, he covered his mouth then looked timidly at Gu Yao and found that she also had covered her mouth.
Realizing they have found a special confidant, the two looked at each other and suddenly laughed. Their revolutionary friends.h.i.+p became more and more profound, and together they continued to gossip in whispers. Originally, Zhang Siyi thought Gu Yu would be gentler towards his sister. He did not expect the source of Gu Yu"s persecution to be his sister. Everything she has relayed, she was distraught and gnashed her teeth. Zhang Siyi estimated the area of the shadow of her brother looming over her exceeds the whole Pacific Ocean….
Zhang Siyi felt sympathetic and tried to encourage her: "You were so much better than I. My college entrance exam was very compet.i.tive and missed the mark by 20 points. But how did you do in high school? Did you also go to Ning? Maybe you are my school sister!"
Gu Yao wrinkled her nose and said: "To escape my brother"s shadow, I didn"t test for Ning. I went to the same elementary and middle school as my brother and what teacher does not know of my brothers" achievements? If I continued to Ning, every teacher will compare me with him, and I"ll end up at Blue Xiang Technical School. I"d go crazy!"
Zhang Siyi laughed out loud. This girl is too humorous: “Is it better for you now?”
Gu Yao said with joy: “Of course it is much better! At least, most people don"t know that I have a brother.” …… It seems that Gu Yao did spend a relatively easy three years in a school without Gu Yu"s influence.
She continued: "Since my brother"s reputation is far reaching, there has been some trouble. Not only did he score the highest school entrance examination, but he also placed first in many city activities that he partic.i.p.ated in like the badminton compet.i.tion and computer compet.i.tion. Thus, many people outside of Ningcheng also know him. From time to time, girls at school come to find me and ask me about my brother. They want me to give him a love letter." Gu Yao stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry in Gu Yu"s direction.
Zhang Siyi sighed. Gu Yu really is a stalwart character. A heavenly son…. "The letters… Did you give them to him?" Zhang Siyi asked without thinking.
“How could I? My brother has never accepted a girl"s love letter since he was a child. If I stamped and posted the letter, he would call, and I tell me I didn"t have a brain. Hey, I"ll tell you something more embarra.s.sing! When I was in junior high school, I had few very good girlfriends. At that time, girls were a little obsessive about love, you know!” Gu Yao squinted her eyes at him.
Zhang Siyi: "???" Why would I understand?
"At one point, I brought them home, and as soon as they saw my brother, they made a fool of themselves …,” Gu Yao continued without stopping. "A cla.s.smate of mine stood there motionless staring at him. When he smiled at her she literally got a nosebleed! Super awkward! After that, she was like a zombie wondering around in a daze with her soul sucked out. She was always pestering me about my brother and even though I told her about my brother"s black belly, she never listened and only replied with liking his type. Can you imagine the situation when your best friend m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.es to your brother? She was delusional and thought she was going to be my sister-in-law. Then she turned jealous and thought my brother might be in love with me."
“Hhha…” Zhang Siyi was caught off guard. Thinking she was a simple playful girl, he was really impressed at her frank and open discussion. Even talking to a boy about forbidden love, is surprising. He really liked her unpretentious nature.
Zhang Siyi isn"t a girl and doesn"t really understand how to relate to Gu Yao"s experience. However, Zhang Siyi imagined what it would be like in her shoes and thought about Gu Yu"s potential relations.h.i.+ps with girls. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He really didn"t want anybody to pursue Gu Yu and he didn"t want Gu Yu to like anyone. As the feeling grew, Zhang Siyi felt even more uncomfortable as the strong desire to monopolize Gu Yu scared him. He shook his head and made himself push away whatever special feelings he had for Gu Yu.
Fortunately, Gu Yao went on to say: “I thought maybe she was joking, but then she told me that if my brother didn"t except her lover letter, she was going to stop being friends with me. I asked her why, and she told me that, I would remind her of her failed first love and she didn"t want to feel heartbroken all the time, so she had to sever our connection.” Slumping, Gu Yao held her head and sighed.
Hearing her story, Zhang Siyi felt gooseb.u.mps all over. He tried to comfort her: “Hey, people who can so easily dismiss a friend may not be suitable for being friends…”
In distress, Gu Yao continued: "I had a really close relations.h.i.+p with her for some time. We would help each other with homework or study, walk together to school, we shared many meals…… But just because she met my brother, she ended it! He is a curse!"
Zhang Siyi hesitated for a moment then lifted his hand to pat her on the shoulder, showing comfort.
Gu Yao thought of something else and continued venting her past frustrations: "Oh, and another thing… My brother is so selfish. For his convenience, every time I go out with him, he takes my hand and pretends I am his girlfriend. He never considers my feelings or how it will affect my experience. How am I supposed to find a boyfriend!?!"
Vexed, Zhang Siyi asked: "Why does he want you to be his girlfriend?"
Gu Yao explained: "He said he didn"t want to be hara.s.sed. When I don"t cooperate with him, there are usually a lot of girls that approach him. I don"t understand it. How can a nearly thirty-year-old man not want to find a girlfriend? Does he want to die alone?!"
Zhang Siyi: “……”
Thinking thus, Gu Yao glanced at the kitchen and saw her brother still busy in the kitchen then leaned in close to Zhang Siyi and whispered in his ear: "Hey, do you know if my brother has someone he likes in the company?”
Zhang Siyi"s heart nearly jumped out of his chest: “Ah? I-I don"t know. Why?"
Gu Yao touched her chin in thought and said: “Recently, he has been acting strange. I think he has a secret relations.h.i.+p with someone."
Feeling nervous, Zhang Siyi asked: “How did you find out?”
Gu Yao whispered: “He often checks his mobile phone and smiles. His baffling behavior is obviously because he is in love!"
Zhang Siyi: “Is that how it is?"
Gu Yao pouted: “When I asked him, he didn"t say anything about it and I never see him call anyone. It"s mysterious."
Her comments prompted Zhang Siyi memory to recall the night of Truth or Dare and Gu Yu"s admission to having someone he likes. Recalling the moment, laying in bed with his magnetic voice close to his ear…. That sweet feeling rising… No. No. No. Don"t freak out! It"s nothing to do with me! (&////&)
Gu Yao voice stopped Zhang Siyi train of thought: "Whether it is a man or a woman, I have to meet the person who has the ability to make my brother act like that!"
Starting to feel alarmed, Zhang Siyi timidly asked: “A man can cause that too?”
Gu Yao was silent for a moment. She turned to look directly at Zhang Siyi and said:" To tell you the truth, I think my brother is gay."
Zhang Siyi stifled his breath and nearly choked on his saliva. To hear Gu Yao, talk about her brother like that was more shocking then hearing Gu Yu saying he liked someone.
"…… Why do you think that?"
Just when Zhang Siyi asked her to explain herself, Gu Yu came out of the kitchen, grabbed two paper towels from the table, and walked over to them: "You two are very talkative."
Zhang Siyi and Gu Yao were silenced at the same time; a pair of frightened chickens.
“I can hear you two chatty-kathys from the kitchen." Gu Yu smiled and stood in between them. They consciously separated and scooted over to make room for Gu Yu to sit down. "What are you guys talking so happily about? Make me happy too."
Zhang Siyi Gu Yao: “……”
Even though Gu Yu didn"t use a particularly serious tone, a heavy invisible pressure exuded from his body. Obviously, there is no way they could repeat a word! Zhang Siyi glanced over at Gu Yao and noticed her demeanor instantly changed when her brother arrived. Her previous upright, buoyant and chatty figure is shrinking back into the sofa diminutively. The contrast in personalities between the two siblings is striking. He thinks it"s both funny and sad.
With a sullen tone Gu Yu asked: “Why aren"t you saying anything? Did you just say something bad about me?” He narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them coldly as if a cold wind blew threw them, chilling to the bone. They both trembled.
With great courage Zhang Siyi said: “No, no, we were talking about things in high school."
Gu Yao begged her brother for more grapefruit. Gu Yu snorted and handed over a few pieces: “After lunch do you want to go to the movies together?"
With big eyes, Gu Yao stared at him: "Are you treating?"
Gu Yu gave her a patronizing look: "Are you going to treat?”
Gu Yao: “Without a job, I have no money to treat!"
Gu Yao looked at Zhang Siyi and smiled and asked: “What about asking your new acquaintance? Zhang Siyi is working.”
Startled, Zhang Siyi put his hands up and confessed: "I don"t have money!”
Gu Yu looked at Zhang Siyi with ridicule as if to say: you can"t even afford a movie and yet you are trying to pick up my younger sister.
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