Baili Jing froze on the spot.
Jiang Qingli hadn't called him "Brother Baili" since high school.
She'd brazenly call him by his full name, and sometimes she'd even give him strange nicknames on purpose.
Just like a child trying to get an adult's attention.
One time, he overheard Jiang Yi ask her about it. She just turned her face away and mumbled, "He's not my real brother."
Back then, Baili Jing had looked at his childhood sweetheart's reddening ear tips and vaguely realized something.
Even much later, after they had confessed their feelings for each other, she never explained it.
Later, during the time Jiang Qingli was gone, Baili Jing spent his days replaying his memories, chewing over every tiny detail of their shared past, until one day he had an epiphany. He finally understood the hazy, girlish affection hidden in her sudden change of address.
—During the time he was used to hiding his affection, she had also liked him, secretly testing the waters.
