When Ye Qiu finally finished buying water and came up the mountain, he found that Ye Qing and the others were nowhere in sight, and the chill on his body worsened.

"Didn’t I tell you to wait for me right here?" he said, taking a deep breath.

Ye Qing sat on the railing at the top of the mountain, enjoying the breeze and said indifferently, "We were bored, besides, we can’t keep everyone waiting for you."

Ye Qiu’s hand, holding the water, shook and turned white. The nearby companions sensed the tension and dared not speak, but Ye Qing continued to mutter, "It’s not cold anymore, forget it, it’s cool at the top of the mountain, we don’t necessarily need to drink something cold."

Ye Qiu glanced at her expressionlessly, then silently moved to another side and quietly put on headphones to listen to English.

"Ye Qing, your brother seems upset."

"Yeah, it’s our bad, we should have waited a bit longer for him," a companion said.

"It’s fine." Ye Qing waved nonchalantly, "He’s a boy, what’s there to fuss about?"

The companions exchanged glances, all falling silent. They used to hear Ye Qing say her younger brother was very obedient; today they saw it’s by being ordered around, but even between siblings, this seemed a bit much!

Typically, brothers and sisters in their families would fight and play, but wouldn’t intentionally trouble each other like this. If they had such a handsome, obedient younger brother in their family, they would be too fond of him to let him suffer!

As outsiders, they didn’t know how to speak up; mentioning family matters too much could annoy others. However, they felt internally that if Ye Qing continued to act this way, the sibling relationship was doomed.

Moreover, it wasn’t their idea to go up the mountain earlier. Originally they suggested waiting for Ye Family’s brother, but Ye Qing kept insisting it was okay and said they shouldn’t delay the schedule, insisting on leaving first. Now Ye Family’s brother was genuinely upset; if it were them, they’d be mad too and might even have made a scene.

They thought Ye Qing was foolish; even for familial relationships, it wasn’t wise to wear them down like this. After she marries and possibly gets bullied, wouldn’t she rely on her brother from her maternal family? Without maintaining good relations, why show off her position at home like this!

They once heard that she was very favored at home, never having to do anything. They suspected all household chores were left to her brother.

Looking again at the siblings’ attire, Ye Qing was dressed in designer clothes; from top to bottom, including necklaces and watches, couldn’t be less than ten thousand. For a college student, this was quite extravagant.

What about her brother Ye Qiu? He wore an inconspicuous tracksuit, shoes washed until the edges appeared yellow, and his backpack was merely a hundred-yuan chattel, looking nothing like a fashion-conscious young man; compared to his sister, he seemed like he was picked out of a trash can?

Even if girls are raised richly and boys frugally, shouldn’t the contrast be this stark?

They envied Ye Qing being favored at home, but disapproved. Nowadays, society criticizes favoritism toward boys over girls, yet favoritism toward girls over boys can also be excessive. If parents are too biased to one side, it can easily cause inner imbalance among the children.

If parents show favoritism, it’s okay for the favored side to care for and love siblings; the fear is when the favored one brazenly bosses siblings around just like the parents. Like Ye Qing now, she had no intention to care for her brother who ran errands, but greatly enjoyed the commanding power—this is worrisome.

Someone noticed Ye Qiu wasn’t coming near them and jokingly said, "Ye Qing, since your brother listens to you so much, you must really care for him, does he ever ask you for pocket money?"

Ye Qing was clueless: "No, why would he ask me for pocket money?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"You’re his sister, and boys often need more money," they said.

"My parents give him enough living expenses every month, why isn’t it enough?"

"Because boys play games, some like treating friends, some secretly date, don’t these cost money?"

"He wouldn’t dare!" Ye Qing frowned, "He’s supposed to be studying, how can he play games? Treat friends? What would those kids know, they’re bound to separate after graduation, and having a girlfriend now would surely end in a breakup, why spend money on unrelated people?"

Upon hearing her reasoning, the companions were left speechless, what’s with this logic?

They understood games harming studies, but is there any boy who doesn’t play games? Knowing limits is key, and how can student friendships dissolve so easily? They were once classmates too. Also, what about romance being destined to end? What’s this about spending on unrelated people? Didn’t they know student first loves are the sweetest? Not spending anything—wouldn’t one end up being ridiculed in future meetings?

Moreover, didn’t many first loves lead to marriage? Ye Qing not dating doesn’t mean early romances are mistakes, her words sounded infuriating! Especially one of the girls among them had been dating since freshman year, scoffing at her statement.

But they weren’t meddlesome; since there was no convincing Ye Qing, they stopped speaking. It wasn’t their business anyway, but from this they recognized Ye Qing’s nature seemed somewhat selfish.

People often say only children are selfish, thinking having siblings brings sharing, but favoritism can prove even more extreme.

Ye Qiu didn’t care about the others’ feelings; whatever Ye Qing asked, he did. It was just a year, after leaving this family, he’d see who could stand her anymore. The more he indulged now, the more demanding Ye Qing would be—wonder who’d pamper her next, and whether they would do so as unconditionally.

On the way back home, Ye Qiu and Ye Qing were silent. Ye Qing couldn’t bear it and said, "What’s wrong with you these days? You’re embarrassing me in front of friends."

Ye Qiu was perplexed: "What did I do wrong again?"

"Why were you sulking all day?" Ye Qing questioned.

"You made me run up and down the mountain for nothing, should I greet you with a smile?" Ye Qiu suppressed his anger.

"I’m your sister, why are you speaking to me this way?"

"Just because you’re my sister, you don’t have to treat me like I’m not human."

"Oh, siblings fighting!" The taxi driver suddenly interjected with a laugh as they clashed, "Siblings are like this, often fighting when young, then realizing after growing up that only the sibling relationship remains closest. Sisters should be more lenient to brothers, just as brothers should understand sisters—there’s no unforgivable hatred between siblings."

Ye Qing and Ye Qiu remained silent, but before getting off, Ye Qiu still helped carry Ye Qing’s bag.

The driver chuckled again, "That’s more like it. Girls are usually delicate; boys should be more generous."

Ye Qiu responded with a smile: "Thank you, Master, drive safely, and watch the road."