As soon as those words left his mouth, the entire courtyard fell silent.
Only the occasional crackle of skewers sizzling on the grill could be heard.
The cold wind stung their faces.
Then—
A wave of laughter exploded.
“Hahaha… Han Ting’s sister? Jiang Fuyue? Did you just make that up on the spot? Fine, I’ll go home and tell my sister to change her name to Jiang Fuyue too—how’s that?”
“Brother Jun, you’re so savage~”
“What kind of international joke is this? Just because Jiang Fuyue’s famous doesn’t mean any random nobody can ride her coattails. That’s my dream goddess you’re talking about. You? You all? Seriously?”
“Ayy, bragging is fine, but have some shame, yeah?”
“Did you even wake up today?”
“This is effing hilarious, hahaha…”
Sarcasm poured down like acid rain.
Han Ting’s face darkened, jaw clenched tight.
He opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something—but in the end, said nothing.
His little fanboys were red in the face with urgency—
“Brother Ting, say something! Your sister is Jiang Fuyue, no doubt about it!”
“You idiots! Brother Ting’s sister is the super-famous Jiang Fuyue! There’s no second one!”
Meanwhile, someone whispered to Brother Jun: “I saw on a variety show that Jiang Fuyue is Han Heng’s niece, and Han Ting’s last name is also Han… could they really be related?”
“Bullsh*t! There are tons of Hans in the world. If they really were related, why isn’t Han Ting admitting it?”
Brother Jun looked over—sure enough, Han Ting stood stiffly in place, silent.
“Ah, there it is—his bragging’s falling apart!”
“Compete with relatives’ grades, huh? What relatives?”
“Shameless clown!”
“Big talk, no receipts!”
The little fanboys were practically in tears. “Brother Ting, come on!”
“Didn’t you say yesterday your sister placed first in the national math olympiad camp with a perfect score, and she’s about to go to Zurich for the International Math Olympiad?”
“And that video of her beating R-country students in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—that was you who dug it up from the Linnan High School forum!”
“Oh! And you have her photo—she’s in this very garden!”
…
“Keep bluffing!”
“Even Han Ting won’t admit it, but you’re all jumping over yourselves.”
“Lying’s free, huh?”
“Got a photo? Let’s see it!”
“Even if you do, who knows where you scraped it from? Show us the real person!”
“Yeah! If you can get Jiang Fuyue to show up in person, then we’ll believe you.”
The fanboys all turned to Han Ting with hopeful eyes.
He stood motionless. “I…”
He really wanted to say—they weren’t close at all.
She only acknowledged his dog, not him.
Even if he went to ask, she might not come out.
She probably still held a grudge about him siccing Little Mang on her…
Han Ting pressed his lips into a line.
He wasn’t the type to grovel. Fine, he’d just admit he had no connection to her. It’s not like it’d cost him anything!
“I’m not—”
“Someone wanted to see me?”
Just as he braced himself to deny it, a cool voice floated over from the side.
The next moment, a girl stepped out from behind the flower arch, gaze calm and face expressionless.
Behind her bloomed a cascade of flowers. In front of her—everyone stood stunned.
“J-J-Jiang Fuyue?! Real?!”
“Am I hallucinating?”
“Jun-Brother Jun, it’s really her! The real deal, not some name-changer. Brother Jun?!”
Brother Jun was dumbstruck, eyes glazed over, mouth in an O.
Seeing the goddess appear out of nowhere, he felt like he was still dreaming.
Only when someone nudged him did he snap out of it.
“R-Really Jiang Fuyue…” he muttered in disbelief.
The happiest people were Han Ting’s fanboys, who instantly straightened up, vindicated—
“Told you Brother Ting’s sister is Jiang Fuyue. Should’ve believed us!”
“Feels good to be right!”
“Brother Ting’s sister is our sister!”
“Can I have an autograph, please?”
“I want a photo too—is that greedy?”
…
From the other side—
“What do we do now? I want Sister Yue’s autograph too…”
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so mean to Han Ting.”
“Wait, Sister Yue hasn’t actually said she’s Han Ting’s sister yet. Should we hold off?”
“True, she hasn’t confirmed it. Maybe there’s still a chance she’s my sister? Haha—”
“Keep dreaming. If she’s calling anyone ‘brother,’ it’s me.”
“Shameless!”
All together: “We have no shame!”
“…Honestly? Same. I want her as my sister too.”
Brother Jun stepped forward and stood face-to-face with Jiang Fuyue. He asked cautiously, “Are you really Han Ting’s older sister?”
In that moment, Han Ting’s heart seized up.
His breath caught.
He didn’t even dare look at her.
Everyone held their breath.
Jiang Fuyue nodded slightly, voice calm: “Yes, though not by blood.”
“She really is!”
“Brother Ting, you absolute legend.”
“Ahh! Goddess Yue is even more beautiful in person than on TV!”
“She’s literally glowing—must be the divine aura.”
“Done for. One glance at Goddess Yue and every other girl’s a blur.”
“Brother Ting, you beast! Always so low-key, then boom—instant kill!”
“Umm… Sister Yue, we’re having a BBQ—want to join us?”
“Sure.”
“!”
She said yes?!
Everyone gathered around the grill. Jiang Fuyue sat at the center, instantly becoming the focal point. The atmosphere had never been this harmonious.
Han Ting and Brother Jun sat on either side of her.
Han Ting lifted his head several times, only to drop it again. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Again and again.
Jiang Fuyue pretended not to notice.
She understood the awkward pride of teenage boys.
Brother Jun, on the other hand, had no such reservations. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her: “Sister Yue, I-I-I’m a fan of your academic work!”
Jiang Fuyue raised a brow. She had academic fans?
Brother Jun: “I’ve read all your papers. Including The Physical Analysis of Bacterial Motility, Influencing Factors in Space Bioscience Experiments, and A Conjectural Analysis of the P/NP Problem…”
He counted them off on his fingers, eyes alight with admiration and excitement.
“Your thinking is always so refreshing—your points are sharp and direct. I hope you keep doing academic research. I want to read more of your papers in journals… I really admire you. I want to be a researcher too, though my field is astronomy…”
By the end, his words were a jumbled mess of fanboy enthusiasm.
Jiang Fuyue looked at him and suddenly felt moved.
Turns out, just being yourself can inspire others.
She was glad her influence was positive—uplifting, motivating.
Maybe this… is what it means to be a role model?
After finishing one skewer, Jiang Fuyue didn’t stay much longer. She got up and went back inside, carrying a few newspapers with her.
“Hey Brother Ting… sorry about before. Let’s be real brothers from now on!” Brother Jun slung an arm over Han Ting’s shoulders.
Han Ting gave him a chilly look: “Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know your motives. You’re only being friendly because of my… cough my sister!”
“Hehe…” Brother Jun rubbed his nose, not denying it. “C’mon, bros don’t keep score. From now on, your sister is our sister too. Through h*ll or high water!”
“In your dreams! My sister only has one bro—uh…” Remembering Jiang Chenxing in Linhuai, Han Ting coughed and corrected himself: “Two brothers. I’m one of them!”
Brother Jun: “Then I’m your honorary bro. Still counts.”
Han Ting sneered. Way to slap gold on your own face.
“And us too—” the fanboys chorused, “Honorary bros are fine!”
Brother Jun: “…”
Suddenly, his value plummeted.
Han Ting: “…”
Bunch of shameless clowns.
A pack of awkward teenage boys made peace that afternoon and spent the rest of the day happily barbecuing in the garden.
—
Night fell.
Jiang Fuyue finished packing and zipped up her suitcase, leaving it by the door, ready for morning.
“Whine…”
Little Mang was scratching at the door again.
Jiang Fuyue opened it, a flicker of helplessness in her eyes. “Why are you so clingy?”
“Woof woof—”
This time, the dog didn’t immediately nuzzle her feet.
Because it was on a leash.
Following the leash upward—stood Han Ting, his face full of awkward courage.
“What is it?” Jiang Fuyue raised a brow.
“About this afternoon… thank you.”
“I was just telling the truth.” They were technically related.
Han Ting: “Still, thank you.”
“Alright,” she accepted. “You’re welcome.”
He exhaled deeply. “Uh… I have school tomorrow, so I can’t see you off. Safe travels!”
“Thanks.”
“W-Well… goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
He turned to leave, leading Little Mang away.
After two steps, he suddenly paused, spun back around, and blurted out: “Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t tell Little Mang to bite you back then! I just wanted to scare you a little!”
Then, without waiting for a response, he tugged the dog along and fled into the night.
