Do I have to wash your clothes again?

The next morning, Jin Bao'er did not go to the classroom early to reserve a seat as usual.

Instead, she went to the cafeteria and bought three steaming hot breakfasts, carefully carrying them back to her dormitory.

I didn't sleep well last night, and there are faint dark circles under my eyes.

He sat on his bed, phone in hand, his gaze occasionally drifting towards Zhao Yuheng's bed, waiting quietly.

Zhao Yuheng rolled over when the alarm clock rang at 7:40.

Jin Bao'er quickly got up, forcing a natural smile, and greeted, "Big brother, second brother, Heng-ge, I bought breakfast. You can eat as you go."

Zhao Yuheng didn't say anything, lifted the covers, and went straight to the bathroom.

He moved quickly, almost closing his eyes to complete the washing up, without giving Jin Bao'er a single glance the whole time.

The eldest and second eldest brothers thanked him happily and rushed to wash up.

They had to finish in 5 minutes and then sprint to the classroom in 15 minutes, making every second count.

Taking advantage of the break, Jin Bao'er casually stuffed Zhao Yuheng's textbooks and notebooks into his shoulder bag and zipped it up.

After Zhao Yuheng put on his shoes, he immediately handed them over, holding them with both hands like a soldier waiting for inspection.

Zhao Yuheng glanced at it indifferently, his gaze lingering on Jin Bao'er's deformed finger for half a second.

Then, expressionless, he took the backpack, mumbled a low "thank you," and stepped out of the dormitory.

Looking at his cold and aloof back, Jin Bao'er felt as if she had been pricked by a needle.

It's a little upsetting, but mostly it's a sense of calm after everything has settled down.

He silently comforted himself.

Why do we have to be a couple?

Heng is such a good person, can't we be brothers, even blood brothers?

Even brothers can give their lives for each other and become the most important person in each other's lives.

Perhaps, family ties last longer than romantic love.

Even if I feel jealous watching him marry the girl he likes, have children, and grow old together, it's better than being disliked by him for forcing love and ending up not even being able to be friends with him.

Jealousy is only one person's heartache, but continuing to pull each other apart hurts both of them.

Having figured this out, Jin Bao'er felt that the guilt and entanglement that had been weighing on her heart had lightened considerably.

Zhao Yuheng's current indifference can be seen as the punishment he deserves.

After all, he had indeed caused the other party a lot of trouble these past few days.

……

In the morning class, Zhao Yuheng still sat in that corner without fail, next to Yang Hui as always.

The two would occasionally whisper a few words to each other, and Jin Bao'er saw it all, feeling a sour taste in her heart, as if she had been soaked in lemons.

But he has been able to control his emotions and no longer loses his composure as before.

After class, instead of resting, he went straight to a milk tea shop outside and ordered two cups of milk tea from memory.

Walking to Zhao Yuheng's table, he put down the milk tea and said quickly:

"Heng-ge, Yang Hui, I'll treat you to milk tea!"

Before Zhao Yuheng could speak...

He knew Zhao Yuheng too well; he guessed that the other party would either tell him to get lost or mock him in a sarcastic tone.

Jin Bao'er put down her milk tea, turned around, and left, to avoid making a fool of herself.

Yang Hui watched his retreating figure, somewhat puzzled. She picked up the milk tea, looked at the label, and said to Zhao Yuheng, "I didn't expect Gan Jinbao to be such a nice person."

Which one would you like? I see you work out often, so you probably don't eat much sugar, right? How about this sugar-free one for you?

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Yuheng noticed a note on the unsweetened milk tea cup, written in bold black font: "Boss, please do not add sugar! Please do not add sugar!"

That was Jin Bao'er's tone, soft and weak, making her seem easy to bully.

A sudden surge of anger rose within Zhao Yuheng, and he snorted.

She reached out and snatched the cup of milk tea with only 30% sugar: "I want the one with sugar!"

Without further ado, he swapped with Yang Hui.

Yang Hui felt a little helpless, thinking that Zhao Yuheng was inexplicably aloof.

Despite being together for so long, the two have barely exchanged any heartfelt words. It's all thanks to Zhao Yuheng's gentlemanly demeanor that they've managed to keep their relationship afloat; their relationship has progressed at almost zero.

Only Zhao Yuheng himself knew that he was unhappy.

Why should I have to drink sugar-free just because you tell me to?

I insist on drinking the sweet one!

……

In the afternoon, Zhao Yuheng finished playing basketball, took a shower, and came back.

He had just put the basin of dirty clothes on the ground.

Jin Bao'er, like a young wife who had been waiting for a long time, walked in quickly from outside and reached out to pick up the basin without saying a word.

What are you doing?

Zhao Yuheng reacted quickly and grabbed his wrist.

His palm was hot and strong, instantly enveloping Jin Bao'er's hand.

Jin Bao'er's heart skipped a beat, her face flushed, but she said frankly, "I'll do the laundry."

"You don't need to wash my clothes!"

Zhao Yuheng's face darkened, and he angrily snatched the basin back, slamming it heavily on the ground with a loud thud.

"I want to wash."

Jinbao'er was stubborn; she squatted down and then lifted the basin up again.

He felt really upset today.

Zhao Yuheng didn't say a serious word to him all day.

He was actually quite fascinated by listening to Heng speak; his voice had a rough edge and a masculine quality, and the occasional physical contact made his heart race.

It's been almost a week, and the feeling of being isolated has made him deeply regretful.

If doing his laundry could calm him down and let him vent his anger, it would be better than this cold war.

"If you keep doing that, believe me, I'll beat you up!"

Zhao Yuheng's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, his voice rose several octaves, his brows furrowed, and he looked like he was about to devour someone.

"Go ahead and fight if you want."

Jin Bao'er tilted her head back, her eyes stubborn yet clear, meeting Zhao Yuheng's gaze directly. "I'm going to wash up after I'm done hitting you."

He didn't know how to apologize; his clumsy hands could do nothing but these trivial things.

Zhao Yuheng looked at him, seeing his "take it or leave it" attitude.

He clenched his fists, his chest heaving violently, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

But the fist didn't come down for a long time.

After a long pause, he seemed to laugh in anger, or perhaps he was resigned to his fate. He let go of her hand and said angrily.

"Fine, you want to wash, huh? Then wash them thoroughly! And wash my shoes and socks too!"

As he spoke, he turned around and threw the smelly socks on the bed and the dirty sneakers on the floor at Jinbao'er.

He then swaggered onto the bed without looking back, his back to everyone.

Jin Bao'er looked at the several pairs of smelly socks and dirty shoes on the ground.

He sniffed, hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and picked it up.

Before leaving, the eldest and second eldest brothers next to her were looking at Jin Bao'er with a knowing, mischievous grin.

His eyes seemed to say, "Tsk tsk tsk, something's up," which made Jin Bao'er's ears turn bright red.

"Give them a good wash! And be gentle when you scrub, those shoes are expensive!"

Zhao Yuheng, lying on the bed with his back to them, added another sentence.

His tone was both roguish and arrogant, just like a young master waiting to be served by his maids.

The eldest brother chuckled and teased, "Third brother, you're something else! In just one night, you got our young master Tianluo to wash your smelly socks? We don't even get that kind of treatment."

The second brother chimed in sourly, "Exactly! Yesterday, the three of us went to help beat someone up, and we didn't get this treatment."

"Get lost!"

Zhao Yuheng cursed and turned his back to everyone.

But Zhao Yuheng's lips curled up secretly, and he was extremely pleased with himself.

Hmph, what's so special about that?

My underwear is still in the basin under that pile of clothes; I'll probably wash it with it later.

How could his position in Jin Bao'er's heart possibly compare to that of these two idiots?