Hearing those words, Shen Mu Lan nearly burst into tears.
Had it been anyone else, he would have dropped to his knees and confessed already. Ji Yanzhi was out now anyway, so at worst he would get a scolding.
But not his eldest brother.
Their parents had been busy with work when he was little, and he had practically been raised by this brother, nine years his senior. Political Commissar Shen might always seem gentle and modest, but whenever Shen Mu Lan made a serious mistake, he would teach him a lesson he would never forget.
"Why are you spacing out? Too happy?" Shen Lin asked.
"I, hehehehe..." Shen Mu Lan suddenly let out a string of laughter, as though something had set him off. "Happy. I'm just so happy."
"Then let's get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner you can see Ji Yanzhi."
"Okay. Let's... let's go."
Although Shen Mu Lan stood up, his body felt as though it had been filled with lead. Every part of him was heavy.
Why not just pretend to be sick? Say my stomach hurts? A headache? A fever?
No.
Shen Mu Lan felt that his brother would see through any illness he faked at a glance. They had already stepped outside when he spotted the few stairs ahead, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Fine, I'll go for broke. If I tumble down these stairs, I'll get a broken bone at worst. That's better than having to pretend Ji Yanzhi and I are madly in love.
He clenched his fists tightly, then hooked his right foot behind his left heel, closed his eyes, and stumbled forward.
"Ah-urk..."
Before he could finish shouting, Shen Lin grabbed the back of his collar, leaving half his body dangling over the stairs.
"Urk...