Fang Yuan stared at him for a second, a smile spreading across her face:
“So envious that I'm famous, huh? Then let me make you famous too.”
She slammed the table hard and raised her voice, shrieking in a high-pitched, exaggerated tone:
“Don't talk! Your breath stinks—ew, it smells so bad, oh my god!”
Fang Yuan pinched her nose and fanned her hand dramatically, her voice getting louder with every word.
The surrounding diners lowered their conversations, pricking up their ears toward their table.
“Oh my god, Liang Du! Liang as in bridge, Du with wood and soil—Liang Du! How are you still farting?! Oh my god, it stinks so bad! How can it be liquid and solid at the same time?! That's so disgusting!”
Pinching her nose, Fang Yuan snatched a takeout box from the owner, whispered rapidly into his ear, and swiftly packed up the skewers on the table.
The decent smile on Liang Du's face gradually began to crack under her shouting.
“Oh my god! Oh dear! Liang Du—Liang as in bridge, Du with wood and soil—Liang Du! You really should go to the hospital for your incontinence, it's so pitiful!”
Before leaving, Fang Yuan stubbornly grabbed a handful of bamboo skewers from in front of Lin Xu and lunged at Liang Du's eyes once more. This time, her ankle twisted, and the skewers barely grazed past the side of his cheek yet again.
Fang Yuan didn't dwell on it. Having failed, she turned around with utter naturalness and walked away from the barbecue stand.
Lin Xu followed right on her heels, leaving the place behind her.
Liang Du gripped the corner of the table so hard his fingertips turned white. He turned around, offering the surrounding diners a smile filled with apology and helpless resignation:
“Sorry, everyone. My little sister got into an argument with me recently. I didn't approve of her relationship with her boyfriend, so she's been in a bad mood. It's my fault; sorry for causing a scene.”
As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to the people around him.
“To make it up to you, tonight's bill for everyone is on me. I'm truly sorry.”
Sympathetic and understanding glances poured in from all around.
“Ah, don't worry about it! We just didn't know what was going on. Now that you explained, we understand your hardship. Being the older brother is always tough, it's not easy.”
“Yeah, yeah, she's still young, we get it, we get it.”
“If you ask me, a rebellious sister like that just needs a good beating. Honestly, spoiling her like that.”
Having heard what he wanted to hear, Liang Du quickly waved his hands:
“Ah, can't beat my own sister! I spoiled her myself, didn't I? No matter how you look at it, it's my fault.”
He spoke with a touch of self-reproach on his face: “My little sister is actually very good and sensible. Maybe that guy just led her astray.”
“Aiya, look at what a great big brother he is! If I had a brother like that, I'd definitely be super sensible!”
“Brother, you really need to keep a tighter leash on her attitude. Don't be too lenient with her.”
“Exactly, a beating will straighten her right out.”
Wearing a warm yet helpless smile, Liang Du raised his drink and toasted the crowd.
“I thank you all. Sorry for the trouble.”
He downed his drink in one gulp and sat back down while resting his hand on his knee, looking quite plagued by a headache.
Holding a large bundle of skewers, the owner patted Liang Du's shoulder with a greasy hand.
Liang Du's brows furrowed imperceptibly, yet a gentle smile still bloomed across his face:
“What is it, Boss?”
The massive bundle of skewers in the owner's hand was truly intimidating. He said softly:
“Brother, your sister just said she knew throwing a tantrum in public wasn't right, so she wants to make it up to you. Five hundred skewers—you have to eat them all.”
The owner's volume suddenly boomed, making Liang Du's eardrums ring:
“She also said it's a tacit understanding between you two siblings. When you were kids, whenever one of you got angry, the other would treat them to skewers, and not finishing them meant you didn't forgive them.”
“She said she'll never throw a fit at you again, and she's going right now to break up with that guy. She hopes you'll eat these skewers and forgive her!”
These last two sentences reached the ears of the surrounding diners. Someone holding up a skewer cheered, “Your little sister really is as sweet and sensible as you said! Look, she's taking the initiative to break up with him. There's nothing left to argue about. Siblings don't hold grudges!”
Someone took a sip of beer and called out to the speaker, “With a brother this good, how could he stay mad at his sister? Listen to you!”
Others chimed in, “Right! Earlier when his sister was spewing nonsense like that, he didn't even get angry. He really spoils his sister!”
Liang Du nodded slightly to the crowd with a smile, but as his gaze shifted to the table piled high with skewers, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
The owner was thrilled. Since this guy was footing the bill for everyone today, he was more than happy to keep grilling.
“You've got to finish every last one, or your sister will think you haven't forgiven her!”
The owner added cheerfully as he kept serving more skewers.
From time to time, eyes darted toward his table.
“Yo, that's a lot! Your sister really splurged!”
“What an appetite! My son eats a ton too, I almost think he's a taotie, hahahaha!”
“Your son eats a lot? My daughter's a big eater too!”
The diners quickly struck up friendly conversations, chatting back and forth in a lively buzz.
But Liang Du wasn't feeling lively at all.
With deep disgust, his fingertips grabbed a handful of napkins to wrap around the skewer stick, and he bit into it with his eyes closed, resigning himself to his fate.
Squatting at the corner of the street, Fang Yuan burst out laughing.
Lin Xu poked half her head out: “Even if you said all that, what if he doesn't eat them?”
Fang Yuan drew out her voice: “No—he will definitely eat them. He's the kind of person who cares ridiculously about saving face and maintaining his image as a caring boy-next-door brother in front of a crowd.”
She clapped her hands with immense satisfaction and draped an arm over Lin Xu's shoulder.
“Besides, he hates greasy food the most. If I don't disgust him to death today, my name isn't Fang.”
Lin Xu: “...Just what kind of grudge do you two have?”
Just as Fang Yuan was about to speak, a strange premonition welled up from the depths of her heart. She suddenly yanked Lin Xu to the side.
Clatter—!
Right where Fang Yuan had been standing a moment ago, an outdoor air conditioning unit crashed down, shattering into pieces and crackling with sparks.
Fang Yuan stared at the sputtering, spark-flying wreckage, bumping Lin Xu with her shoulder: “Falling objects from high altitudes—is that under an inspector's jurisdiction?”
Lin Xu: “...”
She hated working overtime.
Resigned to her fate, she let out a sigh, looked up to estimate the floor, slurped down the final mouthful of her winter melon tea, slammed it into the trash can, and marched into the building with all the resentment of working overtime.
Fang Yuan stared at the shattered air conditioning unit by her feet and tilted her head back.
One side of the air conditioner's mounting bracket was broken, while the remaining half hung precariously from the wall, swaying on the brink of falling.
Rate on N.U.
