Chapter 183: Companionship, the Longest Confess of Love ②
Hearing Nie Aiwen ask her, Nie Aifang lowered her eyes and didn’t speak. Ever since that incident last time, she knew that her younger brother might like her, not the kind of liking a brother has for his sister, but the liking of lovers. Last time at Qiu Qiu’s school art festival, he got drunk and murmured all night about his love for her, his liking for her. To be honest, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved, but… she still had reservations, she still had Qiu Qiu, and she couldn’t disregard Qiu Qiu’s feelings.
Nie Aifang took a deep breath and finally spoke softly, “It’s not liking.”
Nie Aiwen, who felt like he had waited for an eternity, heard such an answer. His heart immediately plummeted to the bottom, then plunged into an ice pool, chilling him from head to toe. His heart ached, and Nie Aiwen gave a slight bitter smile. Something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he opened his mouth, smiling, “It’s… it’s okay, if you don’t like me, you don’t like me, it’s okay!” While speaking, Nie Aiwen couldn’t hear the sound coming from his own mouth.
Nie Aifang slowly turned her face towards the old man practicing Tai Chi and said softly, “It’s… liking to death.” This sentence was very light, almost inaudible.
If a little love is liking, and a lot of liking is love, then her liking for this younger brother must be very, very strong, right? She hated him to death when they were little, but thinking back, there were still many, many touching moments.
Nie Aifang’s words were very, very soft, but Nie Aiwen heard them! He had walked through hell, only to accidentally wander into heaven. In his ecstasy, he shot up from his seat, placed his hands on the shoulders of Nie Aifang, who was in a wheelchair, and leaned down, staring into Nie Aifang’s face, asking excitedly, “Sister, what did you just say? Say it again, say it to me again!”
Nie Aifang’s face, which had always been devoid of color, somehow turned red. She pushed the wheelchair wheels, about to leave, “If you can’t hear it, then forget it. I’m going back to the hospital room.”
However, how could Nie Aiwen let Nie Aifang leave? He firmly held Nie Aifang’s shoulders and pleaded persistently, “Sister, say it to me again, just say it to me one more time, okay? Just once!”
Nie Aifang looked at the green belt without speaking. After a long while, she finally spoke as if to herself, “My… temper is not good.” Her parents were gone, and when he was in junior high school, she was the one who managed him, dictating that he couldn’t stay out all night, couldn’t play video games, couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that. If he made a mistake, she would chase him with a bamboo stick and beat him.
Nie Aiwen immediately interjected, “I like it!” Having grown up together, he believed no one understood Nie Aifang’s temper better than he did.
“I… I’m also very willful.” Nie Aifang was also alone; she had her own personality, her own stubbornness, and her own willfulness.
“I like that too!”
“I also have Qiu Qiu…”
“I like it! I will treat her as my own biological daughter, no… even closer than biological.”
“I…”
“I like it, I like it all!” This time, before Nie Aifang could say anything else, Nie Aiwen firmly interrupted, “I like everything about you, anything that is yours, no matter what, I like it.”
Nie Aifang blushed and chided, “What are you saying!” Such cheesy confessions, she had only seen them on television, never heard anyone say such things. Even Qiu Qiu’s dad hadn’t said such things to her.
People from the 70s were quite conservative, unlike city dwellers. Most villagers got married and had children through introductions. She and Qiu Qiu’s father met through her aunt’s introduction. When they were dating, they would be shy and wouldn’t dare to walk side-by-side on the road; instead, one would walk on one side and the other on the other. Let alone sweet talk, they wouldn’t even walk together, so how could they say anything?
It was only after meeting more often and developing feelings that their conversations became less stiff. Sweet talk was never exchanged.
Qiu Qiu’s father didn’t have much money back then and didn’t dare to come to her house to “carry her away.” Only after he returned from working in another place and had some money did he marry her. After they got married and lived together, she came to the realization that she would spend her life with this person.
Unlike people today! They say sweet talk wave after wave without shame. Young people dating nowadays even kiss on the street, unlike in their time. They didn’t even dare to walk side-by-side on the road!
It made her sigh a little about the changing times. She also heard that nowadays even junior high students are dating and having children. The term “early romance” is familiar to every parent.
So after hearing Nie Aiwen’s confession, Nie Aifang couldn’t help but scold, “Shameless!”
Nie Aiwen chuckled, his face unconsciously blushing. Being able to hear her accept his feelings, Nie Aiwen felt that he would be content even if he died now. The unspeakable bitterness of his past unrequited love vanished with her every glance and expression. Now, his heart was filled only with sweetness, a sweetness from top to bottom, from the inside out!
Seeing Nie Aiwen smile, Nie Aifang blushed even more. She “tsk”-ed and asked, “Have you learned to be glib all these years you’ve been out there!” To be able to say such things!
Nie Aiwen still chuckled. After chuckling, he looked at Nie Aifang, “Sister, whether I’m glib or not, you’ll have to try to find out.”
This time, Nie Aifang was truly embarrassed. She pushed the wheelchair wheels, cursed, “Shameless,” then turned the wheelchair around and pushed herself away.
Nie Aiwen, in a very good mood, stepped forward, grabbed the wheelchair handles, asked Nie Aifang to let go of the wheels, and then pushed Nie Aifang himself towards the hospital room.
