"Brothers, wanna go out tonight?"
"Alright!" x2
"Sorry, Old Jin, I have plans tonight!"
In the freshman dormitory of the Capital Film Academy's 2009 Acting Class 2, a few freshmen had just settled in when Jin Chengbin, the oldest in the dorm, decided to show off his Northeastern charm and invite his newly acquainted brothers to have some fun.
Lin Yikai, the second oldest, and Tao Yiran, the youngest, both readily agreed, but Chen Hao, the third oldest, refused.
"Plans, with a guy or a girl?"
The three of them surrounded him at the same time.
If Chen Hao had said he had other things to do or made some other excuse, the others might not have cared, but if he said he had plans, then they certainly weren't sleepy anymore.
Chen Hao smiled shyly: "A girl, but it's not what you're thinking!"
"Oh~ oh~ oh~, 'not what you're thinking'? Look at you, all lovesick!" Tao Yiran mimicked a 'green tea' girl's voice, speaking in a high-pitched tone. Indeed, art students are multi-talented; he could even do a female voice.
"Tell us, did you meet her during the art entrance exam?" Lin Yikai looked honest, but he was actually a bit of a gossip.
"It's really not what you're thinking!" Chen Hao seemed easy to talk to, but he kept his mouth shut tight.
"Alright, later we'll go have our skewers, and Haozi will go to his date. We'll all go out together. We won't disturb your date, but there's no problem with seeing our sister-in-law along the way, right?" The eldest, Jin Chengbin, made the decision directly.
"How about no? Or how about I treat you guys to this meal?" Chen Hao still wanted to refuse.
But very few art students are truly poor. So his suggestion was mercilessly rejected; the brothers were clearly more interested in gossip.
Chen Hao's bribery failed, so he gave up. See her, then. It's no big deal.
Afterward, the brothers tried every possible way to inquire, but he didn't say a word. What they saw for themselves and what he said to show off were two different things.
As dinner time approached, Chen Hao pulled out his phone to check the agreed-upon time, simply put on a gray T-shirt and jeans, and got ready to head out.
The other three in the dorm exchanged knowing glances, tidied up their appearances, and followed him with mischievous grins.
Chen Hao left a few minutes early. When he arrived at the school gate, the person he was meeting hadn't arrived yet, so he waited at the entrance.
He looked helplessly at his buddies, who were also stubbornly staying put, and asked, "Aren't you guys going to have skewers? Go early, it's freshman registration today, there are a lot of people, you might not get a table later."
"No rush, no rush. It's fine whether we have skewers or not, seeing our sister-in-law is more important." Tao Yiran was handsome, but he was a bit mischievous.
The other two also made knowing glances, clearly more interested in Chen Hao's date, and stubbornly refused to leave.
Chen Hao was helpless and could only let them be. He pulled out his phone, preparing to explain his situation.
But before he could dial, a red Ferrari stopped in front of them.
The window rolled down, revealing a face as beautiful as a Fairy Sister.
The three brothers from Chen Hao's dorm had their jaws practically on the floor. All the teasing remarks they had prepared for their sister-in-law were stuck in their throats.
"Get in!" Liu Yifei shouted to Chen Hao from inside the car.
"Guys, I'm leaving first. Have a good time drinking tonight." Chen Hao tried to slip away while they were stunned.
"Wait, you... she..." Jin Chengbin was the first to react, grabbing Chen Hao, but he stammered, unable to express what he wanted to say.
Chen Hao shrugged at Liu Yifei, explaining helplessly, "These are my roommates, they're just about to go out for a meal."
Liu Yifei opened the car door and got out, shaking hands and greeting the brothers warmly: "Junior brothers, hello. I need Chen Hao for something, I hope I'm not disturbing your dorm gathering."
"No, no, senior sister, your matters are important..." The brothers were a bit incoherent.
"My car can only seat two people, so I'll treat your whole dorm to a meal next time, senior sister. Thank you for taking care of my Haozi. We'll be leaving now." Although Fairy Sister wasn't much older, she exuded a powerful aura when dealing with a few junior brothers.
"Senior sister, you're busy..." The few of them became nodding machines.
Chen Hao gave a few instructions, telling them to keep their mouths shut and not spread rumors, then got into the car and drove off.
It wasn't until the Ferrari was out of sight, and a gust of wind blew by, that the guys picked up their dropped jaws and reattached them.
"Old Jin, I was under an illusion just now. It seemed like I saw Fairy Sister pick up Haozi." Tao Yiran was as mischievous as ever.
"From today on, Haozi is the boss of our dorm. None of you are allowed to fight me for big brother." For the sake of having Fairy Sister as their sister-in-law, he accepted Chen Hao as their big brother.
Lin Yikai, his face flushed, raised his hand: "Hehe, I shook hands with Fairy Sister. I'm not washing my hands anymore."
"Whack!" Jin Chengbin casually gave him a slap on the back of his head: "Don't be so perverted, this is our sister-in-law."
Northeasterners are still quite particular. Although everyone likes Fairy Sister, once she becomes their sister-in-law, they can't have improper thoughts, at least not outwardly.
Lin Yikai said sheepishly: "Idol, idol, sister-in-law is my idol, I've been a long-time fan."
"Me too, me too! I really love sister-in-law, especially Zhao Ling'er, she made me cry so much back then." Tao Yiran echoed.
"You two little kids, I think the coolest character is Nightingale, she's simply awesome." Jin Chengbin had a different opinion; he thought Nightingale was the character adults should like.
"Ah, yes, yes, Nightingale is indeed very cool..."
...
In the car on the other side, Liu Yifei asked Chen Hao with a smile, "Junior brother, what do you want to eat? Sister is treating."
Chen Hao reached out, pinched her face, and asked, "Whose sister are you? Say it again, I didn't hear clearly!"
Liu Yifei didn't mind the hand on her face and retorted, "You're a little kid born in the 90s, I'm naturally your older sister."
Chen Hao applied a little more force: "Some people look glamorous on the surface, but in private, they're..."
"Uncle, I was wrong!" Fairy Sister, having her weakness exploited, readily admitted defeat.
"You said that to my roommates just now, aren't you afraid of causing misunderstandings?" Chen Hao still held onto her face.
"Uncle, why are we being so clear-cut? We'll definitely be together often in the future, there's no way to avoid people," Liu Yifei said playfully, winking at him.
Chen Hao thought she had a point. He squeezed a little harder before letting go of Liu Yifei's face.
He had wanted to do this for a long time. Before, he couldn't, but now he could. However, her chubby, dumpling-like face was gone, which was a pity.
The two arrived at a private restaurant, known for its high-end Sichuan cuisine. However, Fairy Sister was quite individualistic; she booked hot pot, valuing the privacy of the place.
Chen Hao calmly blanched his beef, while Fairy Sister propped her chin with both hands, staring intently at him.
Chen Hao couldn't stand the gaze, rolled his eyes, and asked, "What's so good to look at? Don't you recognize me anymore?"
Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled, "Uncle, you look so young now. I think you looked handsomer when you were in your 30s."