Rebirth to Save Myself

Chapter 142 Junior Sister

The three of them returned the next day, and Su Xia also went back to her graduate student dormitory. The dormitory was a two-person room, with a single bed on each side near the balcony, and a desk at the foot of each bed with a bookshelf above it. Near the bathroom was a 1.2-meter double wardrobe with four doors, mirrored on the other side. Near the entrance were a toilet and a shower room, with hot water available 24 hours a day, a convenient design for two people. The balcony had a laundry sink, and at the other end was a front-loading washing machine; Su Xia had already bought washing machine cleaner and gave it a wash.

She chose a bed on one side, changed into her newly bought sheets and duvet cover, and placed her laptop and tablet on the desk. The clothes in her wardrobe were mostly summer clothes; she planned to change them after the National Day holiday, since it was close to home and convenient to travel by high-speed train or ride-sharing. The other bed was currently empty; they said it hadn't been assigned yet. She would move in later when it was. Su Xia wasn't bothered by this; she was there to study, not to socialize. If her roommates were friendly, that would be great. If they weren't, graduate student life was so busy; she didn't have time for any roommate conflicts.

The familiar music started playing; it was Lu Jingnian calling. Su Xia answered with a smile and asked, "What's up?"

"Go downstairs."

"what?"

"I'm downstairs in your dorm."

Su Xia ran to the balcony in disbelief. The balcony faced the building below, and among the lush green branches, she saw her boyfriend. As if sensing her presence, Lu Jingnian looked up, glanced around, and then waved to Su Xia.

"How did you come?"

"Come to see you."

"I'll be down right away."

Su Xia rushed downstairs, still wearing slippers and with her hair a little messy, clearly having come in a hurry. Her heart was pounding, and only one thought occupied her mind—to see Lu Jingnian.

As she rushed out of the building, she immediately saw Lu Jingnian standing not far away. He was wearing a simple white shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, his hand raised to his ear with his phone, smiling at her. The sunlight shone on him, making him appear exceptionally gentle.

Su Xia quickened her pace, almost taking three steps at a time, and rushed directly towards Lu Jingnian. Lu Jingnian seemed to have anticipated this, and with a slight smile, he opened his arms and caught her steadily.

Su Xia threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face in his chest, her breath filled with his familiar scent. Her heartbeat gradually calmed down, replaced by a sense of security and warmth.

"Why are you here?" Su Xia looked up, her eyes sparkling, her voice filled with surprise and a hint of coquettishness.

Lu Jingnian looked down at her, his eyes full of affection, and gently ruffled her hair: "I missed you, so I came to see you. I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry, you didn't even change your shoes."

Su Xia then realized that she was still wearing slippers. Her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head shyly, saying, "I... I heard you were coming, so I rushed downstairs without thinking too much."

Lu Jingnian smiled gently, his voice low and tender: "It's okay, you're cute just the way you are."

Su Xia's face turned even redder, and she lightly punched his chest: "Stop it, you're just teasing me."

Lu Jingnian held her hand, his tone becoming more serious: "I'm not teasing you, I really miss you."

Su Xia looked up into his eyes, a warm feeling washing over her. She knew Lu Jingnian had already prepared to send her to school, but her parents made a last-minute decision that she couldn't change. She hadn't expected him to come over the very next day.

"I miss you too," Su Xia said softly, her voice tinged with shyness.

Lu Jingnian smiled, lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead: "Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious, and after we eat I'll take you somewhere."

Su Xia nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face: "Okay! But you'll have to wait for me a moment, I'm going upstairs to change my shoes."

Lu Jingnian released her and said with a smile, "Go ahead, I'll wait for you."

Su Xia turned and ran back into the building, her steps light and quick, her heart filled with sweetness. Lu Jingnian stood there, watching her departing figure, his eyes filled with tenderness and contentment.

A few minutes later, Su Xia changed her shoes, ran downstairs again, and took Lu Jingnian's arm: "Let's go, let's go eat something delicious!"

Lu Jingnian smiled and nodded, taking her hand as they walked side by side to the car not far away. The sunlight shone on them, lengthening their shadows, as if foreshadowing a future that would be just as warm and beautiful.

Lu Jingnian took Su Xia to the mall for a seafood feast, and after they finished eating, he bought her milk tea before taking her to the place they had mentioned before. Su Xia watched the car turn into a residential area, wondering why Lu Jingnian had brought her there. It wasn't until Lu Jingnian parked the car and Su Xia got out that she noticed his license plate number hanging above the parking space.

"You live here?" Su Xia asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Yeah, it was just finished yesterday. Let's go up and take a look, and familiarize ourselves with the place." Lu Jingnian closed the car door with a smile.

"If you come to live here, what will happen to the family business?"

"My dad assigned me to this branch office, and I'm officially starting work tomorrow."

"A branch office? Does your dad agree? He's always wanted you to work at head office so you could take over his mantle as soon as possible."

"Yes, but I said if I work at the head office, my wife might run away, and I'll be single for life."

"You too." Although Su Xia said this, she was actually happy inside. She followed Lu Jingnian into the elevator, which finally stopped at the top floor.

"The password is your birthday. I also recorded your face at the main gate's access control. You can just come in directly." Lu Jingnian opened the door and then called out to the inside, "Xiao Ai, turn on all the lights."

"Okay, all the lights have been turned on for you."

In an instant, the lights came on, revealing a simple yet elegant interior design. Warm white light bathed every corner, creating a cozy atmosphere. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's night view unfolded before your eyes, with twinkling lights adding a touch of romance to the night.

Lu Jingnian took a pair of women's slippers from the shoe cabinet, placed them next to Su Xia, and then said to her, "Change your shoes first, then go inside and take a look."

"Okay, sure." Su Xia, wearing slippers that fit perfectly, walked into the living room. A leather sofa covered with a fluffy blanket came into view. Fruit and snacks were laid out on a small coffee table, and a rug was also placed under the sofa.

“I know you like to go barefoot, so I bought a rug so it won’t be too cold in winter. I also bought a game console so we can play games together on weekends.” Lu Jingnian said, leading her to the terrace.

"Wow, what a huge terrace!" Su Xia exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, the landlord originally intended to live there himself, so the renovations were all high-quality. But later, because his child went abroad, he simply started renting it out."

"Can we grow flowers on this terrace?"

"OK."

"This price can't be too expensive, can it?"

"Don't worry about that, let's go see your room." Lu Jingnian led Su Xia to the master bedroom, which was also warm and comfortable. Soft blankets covered the bed, and a small nightlight on the bedside table emitted a soft glow.

"Do you like it?" Lu Jingnian asked.

Su Xia nodded, a happy smile on her face: "I like it, I like it very much."

Lu Jingnian smiled and pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear, "This will be your room from now on. My room is next door. On weekends, we can cook together, watch movies, look at the stars, and do everything we want to do."

Su Xia nestled in his arms, her heart filled with sweetness and anticipation. She knew that Lu Jingnian had made this decision with great difficulty. It was truly remarkable that he had come directly to Xiamen to work for her.

"Stay here tonight, I've already bought you all the toiletries."

When Su Xia entered the master bathroom, she saw that the shelves were filled with her usual shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner. There was even a set of unopened skincare products next to the vanity. Su Xia turned to Lu Jingnian and asked, "How did you know I use these?"

"I asked Chen Yuan, and she sent me photos of all your skincare and toiletries." Lu Jingnian said proudly, just waiting for Su Xia to praise him.

"I don't even know what to say anymore," Su Xia said, her eyes reddening. Lu Jingnian was the person who had ever respected her the most, besides Chen's parents and Chen Yuan. Just thinking about him asking Chen Yuan these questions made her nose sting, and she could hardly hold back her tears.

"Alright, alright. What's there to cry about? Don't cry, or your eyes will be swollen tomorrow." Lu Jingnian quickly hugged Su Xia and gently patted her back.

"Ah."

The next morning, Lu Jingnian first took Su Xia back to school before going to work. Before leaving, he said to Su Xia, "Let's go to the supermarket tonight and buy some drinks and snacks, so you won't be hungry when you get there."

"Okay, I'll come find you this afternoon."

"I can't let you get tired. Just wait for me to pick you up."

"Bye-Bye!"

"Bye-Bye!"

Su Xia went to report to her supervisor, who was recommended by a professor from her undergraduate days. The professor had really wanted Su Xia and even wanted to give her his own guaranteed postgraduate spot, but Su Xia said she wanted to be closer to home so she could reunite with her parents. So the professor reluctantly recommended his senior classmate.

"dong dong dong"

"Please come in."

"Professor Lin, hello. I'm Su Xia, recommended by Professor Zhang." Su Xia introduced herself respectfully as she entered.

"See, I told you to come. Su Xia, this is your senior brother, Lin Qingmu." An old man with graying hair introduced a boy next to him to Su Xia with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Brother." Su Xia greeted him directly without any hesitation.

"I was just asking you when you'd be coming, Professor, and here you are," Lin Qingmu said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I stayed off-campus yesterday, which took some time on my way here." Su Xia bowed slightly in apology.

"Don't say that, junior sister. If your senior sister and senior brother see this, they'll skin me alive." Lin Qingmu quickly stepped forward, but hesitated to help Su Xia because of the difference between men and women.

"What do you mean by 'skinning'?" A female voice rang out, and then the door was pushed open, and a girl with a high ponytail walked in. She immediately saw Su Xia standing in front of the desk and stepped forward with surprise, asking, "Are you the junior sister the professor was talking about? I'm Zhuang Qinglan. We're finally not the only girl here."

"Hello, senior sister!" Su Xia was attracted by this cheerful senior sister and greeted her happily.

"Alright, alright, you're the junior sister. Standing over there is your senior brother Lin Qingmu, I'm your second senior sister Zhuang Qinglan, and there's also a third senior brother Chen Ze. That's all of us. We're all easy to get along with, so don't be nervous. I heard you were recommended by the professor's junior brother. Why didn't you study directly under him?"

"Because I'm originally from this province, and my family was reluctant to let me go to university so far away. They hope that when I go to graduate school, I can choose a school closer to home so that I can go back on weekends and holidays." There was no point in hiding it, so Su Xia told the truth directly.

"Oh, I see! I'm from Northeast China, your eldest brother is from Beijing, and your third brother is from this province too." Zhuang Qinglan launched into a tirade without any hesitation.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Qing. Your mouth just won't stop. Take your junior sister to familiarize herself with our studio first. Xiao Su, is it okay if I call you that?"

"Yes, Professor."

"You don't need to call me Professor, just call me Lao Lin like Xiao Qing does." Professor Lin was very approachable and down-to-earth.

"Okay, Lao Lin."

"Go with your senior sister to familiarize yourself with the environment first, and then come to my house for dinner tonight."

"Ah good."

"Let me tell you, my teacher's wife is an amazing cook, especially her braised pork ribs, they're absolutely divine!" Zhuang Qinglan said, happily leading Su Xia to the studio while holding her hand.

"Really? Then I'm in for a treat tonight."

"A few of us often go to our professor's wife's house for meals, and she always welcomes us. They have a child who went abroad and graduated but doesn't seem to be coming back; he's working there. Our professor's wife and Lao Lin usually look after us. By the way, junior sister, which city are you from?"

"I'm from the provincial capital."

"Wow, that's great! I'm from Harbin, senior sister. Come visit our bathing culture sometime, and I'll take you to see the snow while I'm at it!"

"Thank you, senior sister."

"Does your junior sister have a boyfriend? If not, I can introduce you to someone."

"Senior, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Uh, no."

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I have a boyfriend. I'll tell him I won't be home for dinner tonight."

"You don't live at school, you live with your boyfriend?"

"No, he had made plans with me tonight, but now that my teacher's wife is throwing a welcome party for me, I'll definitely go."

"I like your good personality."

"Thank you for your kind words, senior sister."

Su Xia took out her phone and sent a message to Lu Jingnian. Lu Jingnian expressed his understanding and said that he would fill the refrigerator after get off work that night and wait for Su Xia to come over on the weekend. Then Su Xia went to the studio with Zhuang Qinglan. Zhuang Qinglan pointed directly to a boy in the corner with messy hair and a scruffy beard and said, "That's Chen Ze, your third senior brother."

"He looks very sleepy."

"He's always in the studio, sometimes he even sleeps here. Chen Ze, your junior sister is here!"

The boy seemed startled by Zhuang Qinglan's voice, jumping up from his seat. He looked around blankly before spotting Zhuang Qinglan at the door, accompanied by an elegant-looking girl. He then asked, "Senior sister, what's the matter?"

Zhuang Qinglan led Su Xia to his side and then said, "This is your junior sister, Su Xia."

The boy quickly looked at Su Xia and introduced himself: "Hello, junior sister. My name is Chen Ze, and I am your senior brother."

"Greetings, senior brother. Please take care of me in the future."

"well."

"Your senior brother Chen is a bit introverted, don't mind him. If your senior brother and I aren't in the studio, just ask him."

"it is good."