QTIMP -Chapter 137 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 8)

“Isn’t that so? Ever since we were kids, our family always told us to learn from Second Brother Zhou. Every time we got beaten, we’d hear his name,” a few of them said in unison, shuddering at the memory.

Then, laughing and joking, they drove off to look at houses. Yes—after hearing that she was helping a classmate find a place, they eagerly insisted on tagging along to help.

When they heard that Si Qiu had applied to Q University, they all gave her a thumbs-up. Among them, Lin Zixiang and Shao Yang were heading to military academies, while Zhou Chenyu was also going to Q University.

When he heard that Si Qiu had applied there too, he secretly felt delighted. “What major did you apply for, little sister?”

“I applied for Computer Science. What about you?” Si Qiu also felt a surge of joy, sweet bubbles rising in her heart. Her eyes unconsciously revealed a trace of straightforward affection.

Zhou Chenyu blushed slightly under her direct gaze and cleared his throat softly. “I applied for Physics.”

“You’re amazing!”

Her eyes sparkled brightly, and the other two immediately picked up on something. Lin Zixiang covered her eyes with his large hand.

Then he glared fiercely at Zhou Chenyu. “My sister is lively, cute, and pure. She’s no match for people like you from political families. You’d better control yourself and stay away from her.”

With her eyes covered, Si Qiu’s senses became sharper. She could feel Zhou Chenyu’s gaze on her, and her cheeks gradually flushed red.

Seeing this, Lin Zixiang puffed up his cheeks, his fierce expression clearly saying: This shameless guy is actually trying to seduce my sister.

Zhou Chenyu’s ears turned slightly red. He scratched his head and reached out to pull Lin Zixiang’s hand away. “Don’t keep covering her eyes like that. She’ll feel uncomfortable.”

Once her eyes were uncovered, Si Qiu felt a brief moment of discomfort. Zhou Chenyu gently brushed aside the loose strands of hair on her forehead.

Si Qiu felt a little shy, but her other hand quietly reached out and hooked onto his.

Lin Zixiang covered his forehead and collapsed onto the back seat. At that moment, Shao Yang suddenly slapped his thigh hard.

“Oh! So you two have feelings for each other!”

That one sentence sent the two in the front seats into shy silence, earning Shao Yang a fierce glare from Lin Zixiang. Shao Yang widened his eyes, scanning all three of them.

Lowering his voice, he muttered, “Although I think little sister would match better with me, Zhou Chenyu is… alright, I guess. Barely worthy of her. I won’t interfere, so it doesn’t affect our friendship.”

Leaning against the back seat, Lin Zixiang turned his head. “Well, thank you very much!”

Shao Yang gave him two loud pats on the shoulder—judging by the dull thud, they were quite forceful. “Ah, we’re bros. You know me, I’m a reasonable guy.”

Their silly exchange instantly eased the awkwardness between the two in the front.

With their company, Si Qiu followed the person her aunt had contacted earlier and viewed several apartments. In the end, she narrowed it down to two options: a 79-square-meter unit on the 4th floor, and a 55.6-square-meter unit on the 6th floor.

The building had only six floors in total, an older structure without elevators—just traditional staircases. The 4th-floor unit was priced at 4,020 per square meter, while the 6th-floor unit was 3,750 per square meter.

Si Qiu immediately took out her phone and called Tian Shuang. The number she had left was for a small shop near the construction site, so she had to wait over ten minutes before getting a response.

She carefully described these apartments along with the ones she had seen earlier, analyzed the pros and cons, and in the end, Tian Shuang said she would come over right away.

After thanking the person who had shown them around the property, Si Qiu said she would treat everyone to a meal. Zhou Chenyu, holding the fan they had bought earlier, kept fanning her.

It was the hottest time of the year, and with noon approaching, waves of heat made the air seem to warp and shimmer.

But even more “warped” was how the two of them had grown noticeably sweeter with each other in just one morning. Lin Zixiang directly wedged himself between them and snatched the fan away.

With quite a bit of force, he started fanning Si Qiu himself. “No need for you—little sister has me here!”

Shao Yang immediately hooked an arm around him. “Come on, Xiangzi, what are you struggling for? They clearly like each other, and here you are—playing the troublemaker… breaking up a perfectly good pair. Not a good look.”

Under Lin Zixiang’s threatening glare, he didn’t dare finish his original wording, but still managed to get his point across in a more “refined” way.

Lin Zixiang couldn’t argue back, but he stubbornly kept the two of them apart for the rest of the day.

For example, he made Shao Yang sit in the front passenger seat, arranged for the two of them to sit diagonally across from each other during meals, and whenever they exchanged shy glances, he would literally stick a hand in between them to block it.

In short, he kept himself busy the entire day—without even knowing exactly what he had accomplished.

By the time they parted ways, he was still glaring at the two of them in annoyance.

As he watched Si Qiu drive away, Zhou Chenyu took out his phone and sent a text: “Message me when you get home.”

Then, hands in his pockets, he strolled leisurely toward his grandfather’s house. His parents were both stationed elsewhere for work, and he had only returned this year, during his senior year of high school, to prepare for the college entrance exams.

As soon as he got home, he was surprised to see his grandfather chatting with his second cousin. He immediately wiped the smile off his face, neatly arranged his shoes, and walked over.

“Hello, Grandpa. Hello, Second Brother.”

Old Master Zhou smiled and waved him over. “I heard from your second brother that you went out with Lin family’s Lin Zixiang today?”

Zhou Chenyu sat properly on the sofa beside them. “Yes. He brought along his distant cousin, and Shao Yang, so the few of us…”

He briefly recounted the day’s activities. The old man seemed quite interested. “That distant cousin from the Lin family—isn’t she Old Master Lin’s younger sister’s granddaughter? From the Si family?”

“Yes, Grandpa. Her name is Si Qiu. Her mother is Song Qian—you probably know her.”

Since his grandfather already knew, he didn’t feel the need to hide anything. It wasn’t that there was anything shameful—he just instinctively hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

“Oh, the Song family? The one where three generations have all received First-Class Hero honors?” The old man narrowed his eyes as if recalling something.

“Yes.”

After getting confirmation, the old man nodded knowingly. “Half of the Olive Star recipients in the country were once students of Old Song. It’s a pity about him… Since you’re acquainted now, get along well.”

He said no more, pushing himself up with the support of the sofa. “I’ll go check on my orchids. You two brothers have a chat. While you have time, learn a thing or two from your elder brother—picking up even a fraction will be enough for your future.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, the old man walked off, leaving Zhou Chenyu sitting there stiffly. He had no choice but to force a smile and greet his second brother again.

Zhou Chengyu’s expression was gentle, yet it brought him immense pressure. “Our fifth brother is already eighteen—an adult now. A fine young man.”

That single sentence made Zhou Chenyu even more uncomfortable.

Why does he sound just like my dad…