<h4>Chapter 118: Chapter 118 Brotherly and Sisterly Affection</h4>


    Qiao Li walked out from inside, still holding two bottles of beer he had just opened, the tops releasing white cold vapors.


    "Yo?" Qiao Li saw Su Lu standing at the entrance andughed, "Xiaolu, you’vee at just the right time."


    Su Lu didn’t expect Qiao Li to be there. She simply didn’t want to stay in her own house any longer, and thought about cozying up at her brother’s ce for a while. She didn’t expect Qiao Li to be there as well.


    "Ah, Qiao Li. What a coincidence." Su Lu smiled, though her mood was so-so, so while the smile was on her face, her eyes weren’t really smiling.


    Su Zhe raised his eyebrows and handed her some slippers, "What are you staring for? Come on in."


    Sitting down on the sofa, Su Lu watched as Qiao Li brought out te after te of barbecued food from the kitchen.


    Su Lu was a bit curious and turned to Su Zhe, "Did Qiao Li make these?"


    "Don’t be silly, he just moved the skewers from the takeout boxes to the tes. Completely unnecessary," Su Zhe curled his lip, "OCD much? He has to categorize everything onto the tes, andter we’ll have even more dishes to wash."


    Just then, Qiao Li came out with another te and heard this,ughing, "How can that be called OCD? This is clearly about having a sense of ritual."


    "Eating barbecue and you still talk about a sense of ritual," Su Zhe grabbed a bottle of cold beer and brought it to his lips, drinking contentedly.


    Qiao Li looked at Su Lu with a smile and handed her several skewers of fragrant crispy bone, "This ce has the best crispy bone skewers, Xiaolu, give it a try. I had already said we should call you over, but your brother disagreed."


    "Thanks." Su Lu took them, then looked at Su Zhe, "Just over a few skewers, and you disagreed?"


    Su Zhe nced at her, "Do you think I disagreed because of the skewers? I just didn’t want you toe over and yearn for a drink."


    Thinking of her current health, which probably wasn’t fit for alcohol, Su Lu bent her mouth into a slight smile, "Then you can save that worry, I won’t drink."


    "That’s good to hear." Su Zhe drank two more sips of beer, the ice-cold drink making his eyes narrowfortably.


    Actually, Su Lu didn’t really have an appetite, so she hadn’t even had dinner, but with Qiao Li and Su Zhe both around, chatting on and off, her mood eased a lot.


    So she nibbled on the skewers until she was halfway full.


    "It’s rare for you to be in such a mood, how much have you drunk?" Qiao Li pointed to the empty beer bottles beside the coffee table, at least a dozen of them, of which the majority were Su Zhe’s doing.


    Su Zhe, cheerfullyfortable, had his face, usually cool and aloof, softened a bit, appearing less cold than usual.


    He hooked the corner of his mouth slightly and smoothly stuffed a slice of lemon into the mouth of a newly opened bottle of cold beer, then took a drink with a refreshing sigh.


    Then he spoke, "I’m in a good mood, and when I’m in a good mood, I drink more."


    Speaking thus, Su Zhe drank half of the bottle more, and after afortable sigh, his gaze drifted as he spoke distantly, "It’s been so long since I’ve felt this good, since I’ve drunk so happily..."


    Qiao Li paused, considering that he had known Su Zhe for a long time, and he had never seen Su Zhe drink so happily.


    Qiao Li paused, then said, "I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink so happily and freely."


    Su Zhe pulled at the corner of his mouth, nodding, "Yeah, because I’ve never been happy or free before. Since my mom died, since Zhu Xinyan entered our home, since Lulu was bullied, since Lulu was forced into a marriage."


    As he said this, Su Zhe simply tilted his head back and poured the rest of the beer down his throat, then let out a long breath, "Only until today, yesterday. I finally felt relief..."


    "Brother." Su Lu could hear the regrets, guilt, self-reproach, and resentment in Su Zhe’s heart.


    Su Zhe was a reserved man, sometimes casting a gloomy presence. Could he not be gloomy? When one harbors such aplex mix of emotions deep in the heart for so many years, even the sunniest of people would start to cloud over.


    Just like her, she wasn’t naturally this indifferent. It was just that she had always been pressing a lot of emotions deep inside her, letting them slowly settle and ferment.


    Over time, she ended up viewing many things indifferently.


    After all, things couldn’t get any worse; she had already experienced enough malice.


    "Lulu," Su Zhe looked over as soon as he heard her call him.


    A gentle smile floated across his slightly flushed, handsome face as he softly called out to her, "Lulu."


    "All these years, I’ve been too cowardly, I’ve let you down," Su Zhe pursed his lips, took a deep breath, "It was only yesterday, today, that I finally feel that I haven’t failed our mother’s expectations, that I finally feel I have the face to look at you."


    Su Lu whispered, "Brother, don’t me yourself, I’ve never med you. Never."


    She had always felt helplessly out of ce because of Su Zhe’s self-reproach.


    Qiao Li couldn’t help but exhale deeply, "Ah, how did ite to this kind of atmosphere? Seeing you siblings show such love for each other makes me feel so awkward."


    "That’s why I told you, don’t call Lulu over when youe," Su Zhe gave him a sidelong nce, "It’s because of situations like this you feel awkward, aren’t you superfluous?"


    "Superfluous, superfluous," Qiao Liughed, "Don’t be so mncholy, okay? I’ll go and cut some fruit for you, give you a bit of a sugar boost."


    "Thank you," Su Lu said thanks.


    Qiao Li looked at her earnestly, "Lulu, when can you stop being so formal with me? I’ve been busy with a lot of things at yourpany all day, if you keep thanking me constantly, so formally, people who don’t know better might think I’m the boss..."


    Hearing this, Su Lu cracked a slight smile and yfully said, "Oh, then I won’t be polite. Please pick out the seeds from the watermelon, remove the mango stone and peel, and also peel and pit the lychees, much appreciated."


    Qiao Li clicked his tongue, and without argument, got up to head to the kitchen.


    Su Zhe bit into a skewer ofmb and said, "After chasing all of them away, I slept especially well. I felt like a breath of foul air that had been building up in my heart for years finally got out. I’m nning to visit the grave in a few days, to tell my mom about it."


    Su Lu couldn’t help but think of that woman, who remained gentle even in the throes of her illness.


    "I’ll apany you," Su Lu suggested.


    Su Zhe reached out and gently touched her hair, smiling, "Okay, good. You..."


    As he was speaking, Su Zhe suddenly leaned in close, and the distance between them instantly narrowed.


    Su Lu was taken aback, her eyes widened at the skepticism in Su Zhe’s eyes.


    Inwardly, Su Lu cursed, how could she have momentarily overlooked what a fox he was...


    Only a warm yellow floormp was on in the living room; the lighting wasn’t good, so Su Zhe hadn’t looked closely before.


    But now, he’d obviously noticed.


    Su Zhe’s fingers lightly brushed past the corner of her eye, his voice chilling, "You’ve been crying? Who bullied you?"