Chapter 67: The Wallpaper is Fang Ye

Chapter 67: The Wallpaper is Fang Ye

The weather in September was still scorching, with weather forecasts indicating that temperatures in Beicheng had soared to thirty-three degrees Celsius.

Fang Ye stood in the distance, his eyes sweeping across the students of various classes before finally landing on Bai Li.

Perhaps the man possessed an exceptionally striking appearance and towering height, combined with an inherent aloof demeanor. The moment he entered the field of vision, he sparked a murmur of discussion.

"What are you arguing about? Anyone who dares to look around or speak again will stand for an extra hour."

Under the instructor's stern gaze, Bai Li did not dare to move rashly, nor did she want to implicate her classmates. Although she was curious and wanted to turn her head for a look, she still stood as straight as a ramrod, her expression displaying the utmost seriousness.

Sweat stained her hair, and her rosy lips were painfully dry, yet she could not step into the shade to take a sip of water.

The drill ground fell silent once more.

Fang Ye stood on the steps beside their formation, holding several cups of watermelon juice. Crystalline ice cubes clinked within the cups, and his gaze remained fixed directly on the young girl.

His younger sister was standing at attention with immense seriousness. Despite the intense ultraviolet rays, she still held her head high without dodging the oppressive sun—truly a stubborn character.

It was just that she was a bit too stubborn.

Fearing that she would be a burden to him, she had come to Beicheng without a word.

Had he not heard from a friend that the freshmen military training had begun, he wouldn't even have known that the young girl had arrived by his side.

Amidst the hot breeze of that day, Bai Li could feel a gaze fixed upon her. Unable to resist after several attempts, she stole glances toward the steps using her peripheral vision. Due to the angle, she could only make out a familiar, blurred silhouette.

Having endured the hardship of the entire morning without feeling any particular way, she now found herself hoping the instructor would dismiss them early.

The instructor checked his watch, counting down the time. He wasn't entirely unreasonable; seeing someone who appeared to be a family member arrive, he announced the dismissal with a stern face, nodded slightly toward Fang Ye, and left the school grounds.

Several students collapsed to the ground the moment they were dismissed, loudly demanding to know why such a thing as military training existed in this world.

In the bustling school, quite a few people were stealing glances at Fang Ye. Local students in Beicheng had more or less seen secretly taken photographs of him. Seeing him in the flesh now, their faces were filled with envy as they walked toward the cafeteria while repeatedly looking back.

Bai Li's legs had gone stiff from standing. She initially wanted to walk over quickly to find Fang Ye, but the moment she took a step, she knew things were in a bad way.

To avoid trembling and collapsing onto her knees right in front of Fang Ye, she had no choice but to squat on the ground for a while.

Chen Sang wanted to pull her along to the cafeteria for lunch, but Bai Li gently refused. "I won't go. I'm not hungry yet."

Disbelieving her and assuming she simply didn't want to wait in line, Chen Sang said, "I heard the cafeteria is serving cold noodles. Don't go, I'll bring a portion back to the dorm for you."

Bai Li agreed with a smile, watching her roommates walk away into the distance.

Not long after, a shadow suddenly blocked the blazing sunlight. Fang Ye had approached from somewhere and squatted down in front of her, his gaze as gentle as ever, his voice calm and understated: "Are you tired?"

Their eyes met.

Bai Li paused, nodded, and answered honestly, "A little tired."

"You've worked hard, little Bai Li." Fang Ye reached out, opened a cup of chilled watermelon juice, and placed it in her hands. "Have a drink."

The icy-sweet watermelon juice possessed a naturally appealing pink hue. After taking just one sip, Bai Li couldn't help but narrow her eyes in satisfaction, as if the heat accumulated all morning had been driven away.

The fruity flavor diffused—it was the very taste of summer itself.

She took a few sips, shifted her gaze upward, and landed on his gentle brow and eyes. With a trace of curiosity, she asked, "Brother, how did you know I was in military training, and why did you bring me a drink?"

Fang Ye raised an eyelid, wearing a half-smile. "We'll set that aside for now. When did you arrive in Beicheng? Why didn't you tell me?"

"..."

That was a good question.

It left Bai Li feeling somewhat guilty. She bit her lip and answered awkwardly, "I didn't want to bother you. You're too busy."

Bai Li knew very well she had said these words many times.

She also knew that her older brother did not care to hear such things.

Yet she truly felt that way, and Fang Ye was indeed extremely busy.

Everyone had their own matters to attend to; it made no sense for anyone to have to sacrifice or accommodate another. That was true even for biological siblings, let alone a "fake" younger sister like her.

Summer was drawing to a close, and the heat was still fierce, waves of warmth rolling through the air.

A moment later, Bai Li heard Fang Ye's slightly lowered voice:

"I am very busy."

She blinked, just about to sigh that her decision had been entirely correct.

A warm, lazy breeze brushed past her ear, carrying the man's uniquely gentle tone.

"But I will always find time to take care of my little sister."

With that, Fang Ye lifted her slender wrist, took out a pack of wet wipes, and gently wiped her hands, cleaning away the dust left from doing push-ups.

At that moment, Bai Li felt that although the temperature was sweltering, the breeze carrying the chill of the watermelon juice made every pore on her body relax, bringing an extraordinary sense of comfort.

Military training was set to continue in the afternoon.

Fang Ye had no intention of dragging Bai Li around. Acting truly like an elder, he asked about her dormitory and class information, and brought her a large assortment of daily necessities.

Bai Li asked Fang Ye to wait downstairs for a moment.

After putting her things away in the dorm and leaving the extra watermelon juice on her roommates' desks, she suddenly heard someone in the neighboring room contacting their parents, weeping bitterly over the misery of military training and demanding an immediate leave of absence to go home.

Between the coaxing and crying, the entire dormitory floor was lively.

"Wuwuwu, I feel like I can't take it anymore. This is completely different from high school military training. They say a child with a mother is like a treasure—hurry up and come take your treasure home."

Usually, whenever Bai Li heard such parent-child interactions, her heart would swell with envy.

A child with a mother is like a treasure. She did have a mother of her own.

Yet it was as if she didn't have one at all.

She had come to school on her own at the start of the semester, and her parents' phone numbers could not be reached. After finally managing to contact Ms. Hu, she had no idea what was said to the teacher, who had subsequently looked at her with eyes full of concern. Her enrollment procedures had been handled with simplified steps, presumably treating her as part of a special student group needing care.

Accustomed to it by now, Bai Li felt no sorrow, though she occasionally found things burdensome, having to rely on herself for everything.

This time, however, she didn't feel quite so envious.

Because she had a very, very good... older brother.

Thinking of Fang Ye waiting downstairs, she quickly changed out of her sweat-soaked clothes, washed her face with clean water, and hurried down the stairs.

When Fang Ye offered to take her out to eat, Bai Li refused, mentioning that her roommates would be bringing her cold noodles shortly.

Just then, someone sent a message to Bai Li's phone. She held the device in her hand, and the screen lit up with the notification.

Lowering his gaze at that exact moment, Fang Ye inadvertently glanced at her phone.

Coming into view immediately was the young girl's phone wallpaper—a photograph of a male. Though slightly blurry, his facial features remained clearly discernible.

"......?"

Bai Li replied to a few questions from her counselor. At first, she didn't think much of it, but a realization dawned on her a beat too late: she seemed to still be using a photo of Fang Ye as her wallpaper.

!!!

Had he seen it?

Bai Li looked up in a panic.