After the traffic police had dealt with the situation, Bai Yan and the others drove the beat-up van to Su Ran’s house, placed her luggage at the door, and then left without a word.

Meanwhile, Su Ran returned to her bedroom, hid under the covers, and cried her heart out.

With tear-filled eyes, Su Ran called He Ju, but he was currently having breakfast with Si Hua and paid no attention to his phone.

Si Hua was dressed simply today, wearing a black tank top with letters and capri pants. Her black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and she wore light makeup, yet still looked very beautiful. Her face was flawless, and when she smiled, her eyes would curve into crescent shapes, causing many passersby to turn their heads.

She was currently enjoying a delicious bowl of lean pork congee, and then gossiping with He Ju about the TV series they had watched the night before.

He Ju was happy to listen, feeling completely relaxed when he was with Si Hua.

After finishing their meal, Si Hua took He Ju to visit some scenic spots, chatting non-stop along the way. He Ju couldn’t help but smile at Si Hua’s cherry-like lips.

The crowd was bustling.

Suddenly, Si Hua stopped in the middle of the busy sidewalk, turned around, and looked at He Ju with a playful smile in her eyes, teasingly asking, “He Ju, what are you smiling about?”

He Ju quickly suppressed his smile and coughed lightly, saying, “Nothing.”

A mischievous glint flashed in Si Hua’s eyes as she took a few steps forward, looked up at He Ju, and asked in a soft, teasing voice, “Little brother, are you lying?”

He Ju’s heart felt ticklish, as if it had been scratched by a kitten.

He Ju was even a little dazed. Up close, he could clearly see Si Hua’s bright eyes, which were filled with him, very clearly.

Just then, with the large crowd, someone accidentally bumped into Si Hua, causing her to lose her balance and stumble to the side.

Reacting quickly, He Ju reached out and wrapped his hand around Si Hua’s slender waist, pulling her into his arms. “Be careful!”

After speaking, He Ju looked at the man who had bumped into Si Hua with a displeased expression.

It was a middle-aged man who had initially intended to make a sarcastic remark, but seeing that He Ju was not someone to be trifled with, he changed his tone. “Sorry, little brother, I wasn’t paying attention…”

On such a wide road, he wasn’t paying attention? Who would believe that?

He Ju held onto Si Hua and moved her back, about to say something, but Si Hua tugged at his sleeve. “I’m fine, let’s go have fun.”

Furrowing his brow slightly, He Ju was about to say something when the middle-aged man had already walked away.

He Ju had no choice but to focus on Si Hua. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Si Hua shook her head with a smile. “I’m fine.” Then she tiptoed and whispered in He Ju’s ear, “Thank you just now.”

Her breath sprayed onto He Ju’s face, making his heart feel warm.

Before He Ju could ask anything, Si Hua had already skipped away, looking very happy.

He Ju couldn’t help but smile and quickly caught up with her.

Taking the opportunity, Si Hua took hold of his hand. “To prevent my slender arms and legs from being bumped again, I’ll have to trouble little brother He Ju.”

He Ju thought to himself… he couldn’t just shake her off, could he?

He Ju smiled. “Okay.”

As they strolled until noon, Si Hua suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and her face turned pale.

He Ju immediately noticed that something was wrong with Si Hua and asked her, “Sister Si Hua, what’s wrong?”

As soon as he asked, Si Hua’s eyes turned red. “I think… it’s that time of the month…”

After speaking, Si Hua lowered her head, her face pale but her ears turning slightly pink.

He Ju almost immediately understood what was happening. He looked down and saw that Si Hua was still wearing white capri pants and holding a cup of iced lemon water.

He Ju let out a sigh. “Sister Si Hua, can’t you take better care of yourself?”

As he spoke, He Ju took the cup of lemon water from Si Hua’s hand and then took off his jacket, wrapping it around Si Hua’s waist to cover her backside.

He Ju then looked around and saw a restroom not far away, but the thing…

He Ju led Si Hua to a nearby bench and said, “Sister Si Hua, wait for me here. I’ll go buy what you need, and also…”

He Ju shook the unfinished lemon water in his hand. “I’ll take care of this.”

Si Hua let out a barely audible “Mm” and didn’t even dare to lift her head.

Looking at the petite Si Hua, He Ju suddenly felt… that she was quite cute.

He Ju quickly finished the lemon water, ran to the supermarket, bought a pack of sanitary pads, and hurried back.

This was something He Ju used to do often.

The first time Su Ran got her period was on the first day of high school. He was tutoring Su Ran at her house, and her parents were not home. Su Ran didn’t understand and was so scared that she screamed, telling him, “Brother He Ju, wah, wah, my butt… my butt… I’m going to die… wah…”

Su Ran had no interest in biology and was almost always sleeping, but He Ju was a top student in every subject.

So he knew very well that this was a sign of a girl entering puberty.

He ran to the supermarket, listened to the auntie’s recommendations, and bought a pack of sanitary pads for Su Ran. She didn’t know how to use them, so he looked it up on Baidu and then gave her a crash course in biology.

At that time, He Ju was also quite shy…

But he silently remembered Su Ran’s first period.Su Ran might not always carry such items in her bag, but He Ju did, because Su Ran’s periods were always irregular, sometimes early, sometimes late.

When that time came, Su Ran knew… she could count on He Ju.

He seemed… to always be Su Ran’s strongest support.

Yet, Su Ran only saw him as… a brother.

Thinking about it now, He Ju felt… it was somewhat laughable.

He and Su Ran had been through so much together, and yet, it all ended in such an awkward manner.

By the time He Ju returned, Si Hua was curled up in pain, her silhouette looking incredibly lonely.

He Ju hurried over and touched Si Hua’s cold forehead: “Si Hua, Si Hua! Are you alright?”

Only then did Si Hua open her eyes, filled with grievance and discomfort, her voice muffled: “I’m okay, just a stomachache…”

He Ju frowned slightly and bent down to pick Si Hua up.

Si Hua let out a small exclamation: “He Ju?”

He Ju: “I’m taking you to the restroom.”

Si Hua could only look up at He Ju in a daze, her pale face flushing with embarrassment. She spoke with a hint of guilt: “I’m sorry, I was supposed to accompany you to relax and unwind, but it seems I’ve caused you trouble.”

He Ju shook his head, looking straight ahead: “It’s no trouble, it’s only natural. Sister Si Hua, you don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

Si Hua then allowed herself a secret smile, feeling the pain in her abdomen subside, and her grip around He Ju tightened.

She, Si Hua, had indeed not… chosen the wrong person.

It’s just that…

He Ju must have been through a lot, right?

Si Hua felt a twinge of heartache.

But He Ju, who was rushing on the way, didn’t notice this at all.