Alex left Chen Luoqiu's house at five in the morning. It was early in the morning and not yet light, and he couldn't even catch a car.
He stood alone on the deserted and lonely street, blowing in the chilly wind, and suddenly felt like a complete idiot. He should try to do this kind of thing less often in the future.
He was referring to sneaking to a girl's house in the middle of the night to meet her. It was not only dangerous—if caught by the girl's family, he'd be lucky to just get his legs broken—but he also couldn't do anything.
Although they had done a lot in the dream, in reality, they hadn't done anything at all. So, it's best to find a safer place for dates.
...
Returning home early in the morning, Freya was not yet awake. Alex returned to his room, feeling full of energy and unable to sleep, so he had to open his computer to type and kill time.
He only stopped when Freya reminded him. After washing up and eating breakfast, he went out to school.
Passing by Kiara's house, she was standing gracefully on the side of the road with her schoolbag, waiting for him. Seeing him arrive, Kiara opened her curious eyes and said: "You're so punctual today. I just came out."
Usually, she would have to wait at least five minutes for Alex to come out, and sometimes she might even have to walk over to Alex's house to find him. Since Kiara's house was closer to the exit than Alex's, it was generally more convenient for her to wait for Alex to come over.
"Ahem..." An embarrassed look flashed across Alex's face, but he immediately regained his composure and said, "I'm really sorry for making you wait every day. I'll try to be earlier from now on."
"That's what you said. If you oversleep again in the future, hmph..." She raised her small fist and waved it threateningly twice.
The two of them chatted as they walked outside.
"Brother Xiao Ke, I've been waiting so hard for you. Why are you only coming out now? Oh, who is this?"
Just as they walked out the gate, a young girl suddenly jumped out and said aggrievedly. After glancing at Kiara, her expression became guarded.
This girl was actually Zhang Shikou.
Alex was momentarily stunned by her friendly attitude and the way she addressed him; his reaction was a bit slow. He couldn't help but think, could it be that what he said last night had touched Zhang Shikou, and she had decided to make up with him?
That's impossible, right...
Rationally, that's what Alex thought.
Kiara was taken aback and asked Alex, "Who is she?"
"I am his childhood sweetheart; I've known him since we were little. Who are you?" Zhang Shikou spoke first, staring at Kiara with a haughty air.
Hearing this, Kiara looked at Alex beside her with deep grievance, her eyes filled with sorrow, as if asking him, 'How come I didn't know you had another childhood sweetheart? Aren't I your only one?'
Feeling as if something belonging to her had been snatched away, Kiara felt a bit dejected. However, facing Zhang Shikou's aggressive gaze, she didn't want to show weakness. She smiled and said gently, "What a coincidence, I'm his childhood sweetheart too. Are you one as well? I've known him since elementary school and have always lived in this area. How come I've never seen you?"
Zhang Shikou's smile stiffened, but she immediately returned to normal. She smiled faintly and said, "Didn't he tell you? During our time at the orphanage, I was his younger sister. Later, he was adopted, and we haven't seen each other for ten years."
As she spoke, a look of sadness appeared on Zhang Shikou's face, and she became quite sentimental.
...
Chapter 81: The War of Childhood Sweethearts (2)
Kiara had originally held an inexplicable hostility towards Zhang Shikou, but upon hearing that Zhang Shikou was Alex's sister from his orphanage days, she suddenly didn't know what to say and even felt a bit of sympathy for her.
Alex exclaimed internally, 'Good grief, Zhang Shikou, I'd crown you the Oscar Best Actress for this acting.'
At this moment, he finally realized the conspiracy behind Zhang Shikou's actions. She was mainly targeting the relationship between him and Kiara. Since only Kiara was present, and she specifically emphasized the point of being a 'childhood sweetheart,' her goal was too obvious.
"Classmate Zhang Shikou." Alex spoke up, his expression showing just the right amount of surprise. "You say you are Xiao Kou? The Xiao Kou I knew before? You're not joking, are you? Didn't you just transfer to my class yesterday? How did you suddenly become Xiao Kou? I can't quite believe it. Yesterday, when I was cleaning the classroom, you threw trash—was that your way of saying hello to me?"
Zhang Shikou had been feigning pity, but hearing Alex say this, she was instantly gnashing her teeth in anger. She glared at him and said with a forced smile, "Of course it was a greeting! Who told you not to recognize me? Hmph, annoying Brother Xiao Ke."
"This... I really can't believe it." Alex put on a look of disbelief.
Kiara understood now. The girl named Zhang Shikou hadn't even recognized Alex until now, yet she was already affectionately calling him 'Brother Xiao Ke.'
And hearing Alex say that Zhang Shikou had intentionally targeted him yesterday, throwing trash to cause trouble for the student on duty, Kiara didn't think this way of greeting was well-intentioned.
Since she held hostility towards Alex but was now acting like she had a good relationship with him, she must be targeting her, right?
Kiara wasn't stupid; she immediately realized this and looked at Zhang Shikou with hostility.
Zhang Shikou sensitively perceived this change. Unwilling to fail, she lowered her head, let her tears fall, and said weakly, "Brother Xiao Ke, do you hate me for how I treated you yesterday? Xiao Kou didn't want to either. Xiao Kou missed you so much, for ten years. It's just that when I saw you again, I couldn't help but do that. You clearly promised to come back and find me back then. Xiao Kou kept waiting and waiting, year after year, but Brother Xiao Ke was still nowhere to be seen. Where on earth have you been all these years? Xiao Kou missed you so much, do you know that?"
The girl's resentful tone, her smudged makeup, and the tears dripping onto the ground left Alex frozen in place, his mind going blank.
Kiara fell silent. She could feel that Zhang Shikou's emotions were genuine at this moment—so genuine that it was heartbreaking—and it even made her feel a sense of guilt, as if she had snatched away Zhang Shikou's Brother Xiao Ke.
The three of them fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of Zhang Shikou's soft sobbing; her tears seemed unstoppable.
Zhang Shikou raised her head, revealing a pretty face wet with tears, and gazed at Alex, asking chokingly, "Brother Xiao Ke, are you still unwilling to forgive me? Xiao Kou knows she was wrong. I won't make you angry anymore in the future. Please forgive me, okay?"
Her humble plea was like a pet terrified of being abandoned.
"I..." Alex stood there stunned. His instinct told him that Zhang Shikou was acting and that her sinister intention was to destroy his relationship with Kiara. But looking at Zhang Shikou crying so sadly in front of him, Alex began to doubt his own thoughts. Could what Zhang Shikou said be true?
Zhang Shikou wiped her tears with the back of her hand, turned her gaze to Kiara, and said dejectedly, "Is it because of her? What is the relationship between Brother Xiao Ke and her? Do you not need Xiao Kou anymore? Alright then, I'll leave. I won't come to bother you again in the future."
After saying this, she gave Alex one last look of extreme reluctance and turned to leave.
Alex instinctively wanted to stop her from leaving, but Kiara was faster than him. She hurried forward and grabbed Zhang Shikou's hand. "Don't go. That's not what he meant. He actually cares about you a lot."
"Beautiful big sister, really?" Zhang Shikou's eyes were filled with hope, but she was looking at Alex.
"It must be true. Although he never mentioned you to me, I know he has always cared about you. You might not know this, but during those rebellious years, Xiao Ke often made Sister Feiyan angry and even cut ties with me, all because he had lost contact with you."
Kiara said softly, looking a bit envious.
Zhang Shikou was stunned for a moment and looked at Alex. Alex neither admitted nor denied it; he could not deny all the things the little Alex had done.
Kiara gave Alex a look, then let go of Zhang Shikou's hand and said gently, "There are some things that aren't convenient for you to say with an outsider like me around. I'll head to school first. You two should talk for a while. It's rare to meet again after ten years apart; it shows that your fate with each other goes beyond this. If you were to separate because of some misunderstandings, that would be truly a pity."
After Kiara finished speaking, she walked away without even glancing at Alex. Zhang Shikou stared at her back, her expression somewhat strange.
Subsequently, she looked at Alex.
Alex sighed, "Xiao Kou, let's talk."
Zhang Shikou didn't speak, looking at him with a cold expression. At this moment, tears were still hanging on her face, and this cold expression looked incredibly strange, leaving Alex stunned.
At this moment, Zhang Shikou lunged over and hugged him, the two of them pressed closely together. However, the expression on the girl's face held a cold, triumphant smile. She whispered, "You have a good relationship with her? I can tell she likes you, oh. Seeing us like this, she must be very sad."
At this moment, Alex saw Kiara suddenly look back. After seeing them embracing, she turned her head away with a dim look in her eyes and ran away quickly.
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