Young Brother-in-law Is Now My Husband

"Is it because you didn't like them?" Jiang Yuyan asked innocently.

"No!" He paused with a thoughtful expression and questioned, "Why? Do you regret that things didn't go further with Lu Qiang?"

To say she was scandalized would be an understatement. "No way!" she protested. "But how did you know? Did you watch us until the end?"

He laughed. "No, I didn't. Lu Qiang came back within ten minutes of my return and looked unbothered. So, I figured…"

"Your analytic power is amazing." Jiang Yuyan commented.

"That's my job as I am a doctor," Jiang Yang boasted. "By the way… how did you feel when you were with him?"

"Like I will go crazy if I am with him again," she said, annoyance clear in her voice.

"I like essays, not short summaries, Yuyan," he reminded.

She thought for a moment and explained.

"When I was with him, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. It was as if… as if I was going deaf. My mind was as blank as a person who has zero IQ and my breathing—" She gulped. "I couldn't breathe; his scent was too…" she trailed off, unable to find the correct word.

"Seductive," Jiang Yang supplied helpfully.

She hummed softly.

"Finally," Jiang Yang said with a deep sigh.

"'Finally' what?" she asked, making a face.

"Finally, someone's pheromones were able to shake up the idle beast inside you." He grinned.

"Nonsense," Jiang Yuyan grumbled.

Jiang Yang chuckled as he responded. "Do you like him?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know him that much," she replied.

"He is our childhood friend. We have known each other for a long time."

"We were kids back then. Everything has changed now." She countered.

Jiang Yang made a noise of consent. "I wish we could go back to the past…"

She nodded, "I, too, wish for that sometimes, but facing the past and the things that happened in America—"

"Forget about that," he told her quickly. He remained silent for a bit before asking her, "Do you remember the day when once we went to the Lu Mansion, and you cried about the boys in your class bullying you?"

She giggled. "I was so silly."

"That's the beauty of being a kid," commenting, he asked, "Do you remember that Lu Qiang promised to marry you?"

"Yes! I was so happy when he said that."

"What if he wants to fulfill that promise?" Jiang Yang asked.

Jiang Yuyan coughed. "No way! I am still too young. Moreover, I don't think he remembers such a promise." 

"He might remember it," Jiang Yang countered.

She pursed her lips. "Actually, I don't plan on marrying anyone. I just want to spend my life pursuing my dreams."

"What if you fall in love?" came Jiang Yang's question.

"I don't think I will fall in love. Even if I think I am in love, I won't know what love is."

"If you don't understand, I will tell you," Jiang Yang said slowly.

"I don't want to suffer from heartbreak like other girls."

"Even if you do… don't worry. I will always be here to take care of you. Do you remember? That day, I made a promise to you as well." Jiang Yang looked at her.

"I remember," Jiang Yuyan replied.

"I promised to take care of you in your hardest times," Jiang Yang admonished.

"And you've kept your promise. Thank you so much for keeping it and being my brother." Her eyes glittered with a hint of moisture. She blinked them away quickly, not wanting him to see.

"Thank 'you' for being my sister."

The two siblings smiled at each other before turning to the sky and going back to their own little bubbles.

Jiang Yang closed his eyes and smiled as he reminisced.

That day, Lu Qiang and Lu Feng made their promises. 

When they took pictures, Jiang Yuyan chirped suddenly, "Brother, they each promised me something. What about you?" She pouted.

"She is right!" Lu Qiang said.

"You should promise her something," Lu Feng said in agreement.

"Okay, then I will promise you the thing I have been doing since you were born," Jiang Yang said.

"Okay!" she grinned. "What was that?"

"I will always take care of you always," he pledged. "I'll be with you on the days when it rains so hard that you can't' see what is in front of you. I will walk on that difficult path with you and be your shelter. I don't care if I have to sacrifice my prized possessions for it to happen."

The memory slowly receded, and Jiang Yang opened his eyes. "I feel glad I was able to fulfill my promise," he mumbled. "I don't have to worry about her anymore now."

Her ears perked up. "What?" she asked, unable to hear his muffled words.

"I said, congratulations!" he recovered the situation quickly.

"What for?" Jiang Yuyan asked.

"For having your first kiss."

"It wasn't my first kiss…" she said timidly.

Jiang Yang exclaimed. "Then? When was the first kiss, and how come I don't know about it? This ruins my reputation as a caring brother…"

"There is nothing called caring about it. You are just a nosy brother," she said calmly with a victorious smile on her face.

He huffed in response. "Just tell me."

She narrated the incident of her encounter with Lu Qiang in front of the restaurant's washroom.

When she finished, Jiang Yang broke into fits of laughter. "I didn't know you were that clumsy. You almost ruined his manhood."

"Don't worry. He is perfectly fine," she informed.

"How do you know?" Jiang Yang asked, the suspicion strong in his voice. 

The calm look on his sister's face shattered when she heard the simple question and coughed to hide her embarrassment.

"How?" he probed.

"Just like that," she mumbled, trying her best to divert the conversation.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know!" she rushed. "I'm sleepy now. Goodnight." 

Getting up from the chair in a hurry, she moved to her room without glancing back.

The brother remained seated as he watched her leave, and muttered a faint goodbye.