Chapter 102 Pseudo-Siblings (8)

Life after marriage didn't actually change much.

Half of Xi Zhiyue's family fortune is overseas. Although Xi Ying is considerate of the newlyweds and tries to keep her son in China as much as possible to handle his work, business trips are always unavoidable.

Lin Langyi was quite satisfied with this cohabitation-style marriage. On the one hand, she and Xi Zhiyue got along very well. They never quarreled when living under the same roof, and they were very considerate of each other when they were busy with business trips. On the other hand, after reaping the benefits of the marriage, it had truly turned into tangible benefits for both families.

The ripples caused by his father's death seemed insignificant. Lin Langyi made some personnel adjustments as a warning to others, and the small disturbance was quelled. In the grand scheme of the company's life cycle, it was nothing more than a fleeting moment.

As for her mother, after her father's death, she pretended to gradually retire, handing over all the work that required her to appear in public to Lin Langyi.

With more and more events to attend, drinking is always inevitable.

Lin Langyi knew her own alcohol tolerance. Although no one could force her to drink, and she had plenty of smooth and experienced managers to drink with her, she was still bound to get her shoes wet eventually.

She felt fine, after all, strictly speaking, drinking only half a bottle of red wine was no different from going to the children's table.

It was already past 10 p.m. when the show ended, and Du Jing dutifully took her home.

Lin Langyi leaned against the car window, propping her head up with her elbow, and had already taken a nap on this short stretch of road.

When Du Jing stopped the car and gently woke her up, Lin Langyi's world was still hazy. It took her a lot of effort to look around before she realized that she was in the old house.

She should go back to the house she shared with Xi Zhiyue, but Du Jing probably doesn't know the address...

Perhaps seeing that she didn't react, Du Jing nervously whispered, "Chairman Lin, Secretary Zhou gave me this address. Are you staying here tonight?"

"Ah... um." Lin Langyi propped herself up with her arms, reached to the left a couple of times before finding the buckle, pressed it, and the seatbelt snapped back in.

Xi Zhiyue didn't return until the day after tomorrow. Her mother had also flown abroad for regular physical therapy. There was no one at home, so she could stay anywhere.

Lin Langyi clumsily opened the car door, and the cool night air rushed in, making her feel a little more awake.

Du Jing got out of the car and walked around to offer a helping hand, but before she could finish her sentence, "I'll take you inside. Is anyone home?", her tone changed abruptly, and she exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Langyi took half a step forward, her center of gravity slightly unsteady, and she fell forward, her head heavy and her feet light, rapidly closing the distance to the concrete ground.

Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a pair of men's leather shoes suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

She was too slow to react after drinking, and the leg completely entered her field of vision without her making any response.

Someone grasped her shoulder, gently but firmly, to support her as she fell.

The familiar scent of ylang-ylang filled my nostrils, and before my brain could react, my body had already instinctively relaxed.

She tried to lift her head to look up along those long legs, but could only bury her face in his shirt.

The texture of the waist and abdomen, resembling blocks, has a wonderful feel to the touch.

The belt buckle on his chin was cold, square, and angular, like a hot stamping on his skin.

It was uncomfortable and she wriggled her neck upwards like a little green worm.

The person acting as her support seemed to know that she was not comfortable in this position, so they considerately moved closer to her and reached down to support her chin with one hand to prevent her heavy head from slowly sliding down.

"Why are you making her drink? What is Wu Ling doing?"

Du Jing explained dryly, "Because Mr. Shan, who came today, said that he is Mr. Xi's half-uncle, and they are related by blood, so he can't drink the wine that is meant for family members... Chairman Lin drank a little."

A cold laugh of ambiguity came from above.

Lin Langyi felt his hard abdomen tighten under the cold sneer, even through the fabric of his shirt. She turned her head slightly, about to express her displeasure, but the person in front of her focused his attention back on her because of her small movement.

He didn't say anything more, bent down, wrapped his arm around her knees and lifted her up with one hand, while his other arm wrapped around her back and pulled her into his embrace, letting her lean completely against his shoulder.

After pulling the person into his arms, his emotions were inexplicably calmed down, and his tone softened as he said, "Thank you for your hard work. Leave this to me. Be careful on your way back."

Du Jing felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly climbed back into the car.

When Lin Langyi was gently placed on the bed, she was still groaning uncomfortably, "I want to take a bath."

Yuan Chuyu carefully took off her shoes and socks, unbuttoned her coat one button at a time, and hung it up: "You can't take a bath when you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk. I feel uncomfortable if I don't shower before going to bed."

“I didn’t see you having this germaphobia when you used to sit on my bed. I tried to get rid of you, but you wouldn’t leave.”

"This is my home, why should I leave? You can leave now, didn't you? Why are you back today?"

Even after drinking too much, Lin Langyi's sharp tongue remained undiminished, and she unleashed her full eloquence.

The room fell silent instantly.

The curtains fluttered slightly, revealing the cool, thin moonlight.

After her marriage, Yuan Chuyu went abroad for half a year and never came back or reported home that he was safe.

Lin Langyi was so shocked by the lack of news that she wanted to send him a message to ask if he was dead.

When she heard the manager in charge of international business at the group constantly complaining with his head down, she knew that Yuan Bapi spent all his time at the company, venting his frustrations by completely immersing himself in it.

He left, so why did he come back?

Lin Langyi often felt that she didn't really think about him much, because she was also very busy. As an adult, how could one have so much time to immerse oneself in emotions? The only time that caused a ripple was when she saw his signature when reporting the quarterly work situation of the subsidiary.

When they were in school, he once signed his name on her test papers, and she even tried to imitate his handwriting on blank paper, attempting to do it herself.

She can write so skillfully that she is very satisfied with herself, and others can't tell the difference when she shows it to them.

But Yuan Chuyu could tell that she thought this was normal. After all, a person would naturally be more familiar with their own handwriting. But the reason he gave at the time was not like that.

He said, "I can recognize your handwriting, even if you were reduced to ashes."

You're something else.

The moonlight meandered up to the bedside, and Lin Langyi felt she wasn't so drunk anymore. She had taken a nap on the way, and...

"Because I miss you so much, I can't bear it anymore, so I have to give in and secretly come back to see you, pretending that nothing happened."

Yuan Chuyu's voice was calm. He was so good at pretending to be calm and mature that he always thought he could suppress his desires when it came to the topic of love.

The moment I unexpectedly met her was like accidentally spilling coffee on my computer, instantly waking me up from my chaotic life.

Lin Langyi sat up, still wrapped in the blanket, and stared at him sleepily for a while: "Now that you've finished seeing him, you can leave."

He remained motionless, his gaze calm. The moonlight did not reach him; in the darkness, his gaze was solely fixed on her.

“I was invited to a party held by my alma mater before, where four or five students were discussing philosophical questions about obsession and letting go.”

"The hypothetical question is, since obsession is hell and delusion is the ignorant and unreal mind of man, when you make up your mind to let go, if that person looks back, will you choose her again?"

"Those students debated fiercely and finally reached a consensus that going back was just because they hadn't found anything better, or it was just a temporary refuge, and they would eventually have to part ways, so there was no need to gamble on her again."

Lin Langyi poked one foot out from under the covers and tapped it in the air before turning her face to look for slippers under the bed.

It turns out that he had been in quarantine for half a year and his mind had cleared up, so he came back to share his thoughts with her.

She had just stretched out one leg to tentatively step onto the ground when he suddenly took two steps forward, grabbed her ankle, and pushed her leg forward, bending it and pressing it onto the bed.

Lin Langyi braced himself against the ground, then leaned down to get closer to her, his other arm around her side, gazing intently at her.

“But I thought, there is such a tempting option as ‘going back’, I definitely can’t resist it. You never give me a chance, you have made this position clear to me a thousand times over.”

"Even so, just hearing these hypothetical questions makes me uncontrollably fall into fantasies about such vague possibilities, turning back to you a thousand times as if I were performing a solo act."

The distance is too close.

Lin Langyi's leg, which was pressed onto the mattress by him, became slightly damp, probably because the temperature of his palm was too high.

She had barely stepped back when he immediately tightened his grip on her, trapping her in place. He then wrapped his other arm around her, completely confining her to the space in front of his chest.

He looked at her, his pupils unfocused, his dark eyes seeming to be ignited by something, generating a hazy yet frenzied smoke under the moonlight.

"You call me brother, so it seems the price for me to be a part of your life is that I can never fall in love with you."

As he said this, he pressed his forehead weakly against hers, their noses rubbing together, their breaths mingling.

Lin Langyi didn't dodge at all.

She thought she had already given the signal.

But Yuan Chuyu was worried about being pushed away again, so he raised his hand to cup her face, turned his head, and kissed her cheek intermittently, her eyelids, cheeks, and the tip of her nose, but dared not kiss her lips. He was like a cat or dog carrying a small blanket, wanting to sneak into its master's bedroom to sleep together, but only daring to linger and probe outside the door, not daring to go forward.

Lin Langyi suddenly slammed his head forward, roughly pressing it down, and then bit him hard on the lip.

A faint smell of blood lingered on her lips and tongue. She abandoned her sluggish brain and grabbed his tie, pulling him towards her.

From this point on, things spiraled out of control.

Lin Langyi gave herself many reasons:

The brain is the most moist and sensitive organ in the human body. The moon can affect the brain, which has the highest water content, just like it causes tides.

In Tarot, the Moon represents dreams and instincts, as well as instability and fickleness;

And she was drunk.

Yes, she was just drunk, on a moonlit night.

She wanted to take a shower first, but he stopped her and told her to wait, even pulling the other pillow over to put under her waist.

This pillow belongs to Xi Zhiyue; he has slept here a few times.

It's hard to imagine that she used his pillow as a cushion underneath.

Lin Langyi's back tingled in waves of numbness. The excessive soreness and tingling sensation made her reflexively want to close her legs, but Yuan Chuyu's two large hands were firmly pressed against her hip bones, preventing her from moving away. His hair had grown a little longer and was sticking to her inner thighs, making her feel a little itchy.

His breathing was heavy. Although he was dressed neatly, he was panting as if he had been tormented to the limit by pleasure. Every magnetic and husky sound was muffled in his throat as he chased after her, burying his face completely between her legs.

His breath was hot, and his tongue was hot too. Lin Langyi heard him swallowing hard when he breathed, which made her calves cramp and tremble. She didn't know whether to step on the sheets or on him, so she just rubbed against his side back and forth in a mess.

It won't last long.

"No pillow!"

Lin Langyi's tone became uncontrollably shrill, her nerves twitching to the limit of her endurance: "Take it away!"

He ignored her, held her legs in his hands, pressed his shoulders down, and held her even tighter, pushing her up.

Lin Langyi's moan suddenly stopped for a few seconds. In the midst of her mental blankness, she unconsciously arched her back and raised her buttocks slightly. An electric-like stimulation surged from her tailbone upwards.

When she regained consciousness, she felt something uncontrollable flowing down her body, all of it soaking her pillow.

She doesn't like drinking and doesn't understand what a slight buzz is, but now she probably understands what it means to be adrift and disoriented.

Lin Langyi pulled her leg back and stepped on his shoulder. Her calves were weak, and she couldn't muster any strength when she pushed him back.

Her raised leg came into view, and there were still fingerprints left by him when he held her tightly at the base of her thigh. The marks were mottled and slightly red, as if the bright red allergy marks that often appeared on his body had been transferred to her.

Yuan Chuyu lifted his upper body from behind her, following her resistance.

His hair was messy and damp, and the back half of his eyelashes were stuck haphazardly to his eyelids, with droplets of water that were hard to tell whether they were sweat or something else hanging on them. His nose was covered with glistening water that he had blown out.

He raised his hand and rubbed his wet chin with the back of his hand, casually sucking away the messy liquid, before finally pulling out the pillow under her waist and throwing it on the ground like trash.

"Okay, no pillow."

Lin Langyi closed her eyes and kicked him hard in the chest.

He accepted it wholeheartedly, pinched and rubbed her feet, then let her step on his narrow, smooth abdomen. He brought up the things he had just rejected one by one and suggested, "If you want to take a bath, that's fine too. If you don't want to soak, I'll help you dry off."

What a hypocrite.

Lin Langyi didn't end up wearing slippers into the bathroom because he carried her in directly.

With the warm lights on, nothing can hide.

Lin Langyi glanced at him through the moonlight.

It wasn't intentional; he was just not calm enough and his reaction was obvious. No wonder she noticed the damp stain on his pants, which was a darker color than the surrounding fabric.

The tailor-made trousers were well-tailored, but they couldn't hide the exaggerated bulge that appeared when he was in a daze. Fortunately, the tight belt kept his neck from getting too aroused, and he didn't reach down to try and undo it with a "click".

Lin Langyi turned her face away, thinking to herself that it was good he wasn't drunk and still knew his limits.

*

Two days later, Xi Zhiyue returned, and the first thing he did was to accompany her to his home for dinner.

Perhaps because the scene of Lin Langyi shedding tears in the wedding car was still vivid in his mind, Xi Zhiyue was very understanding in this matter, often taking the initiative to call out to her, "Come on, let's go to Mom's for dinner tonight~"

My mother was naturally happy that he came more often, so she moved his seat, which changed the way we ate at the table.

The days when the brother and sister sat side by side are gone forever; Chu Yu's seat has become Xi Zhiyue's.

The most convenient way for the four people to sit is for Yuan Chuyu to move to his father's seat.

During the six months he was away from the country, his seat remained the same.

But he came back this time.

Yuan Chuyu lifted his eyelids slightly, pressed down Lin Langyi's hand that was just about to "move" the bowls and chopsticks for him, his dark pupils swept over her face, and without saying a word moved the chair from her left to her right.

“It’s not convenient for me to sit in my father’s seat,” he said, but he sat comfortably next to his sister. “Although he is no longer here, he will always remain in our hearts.”

Lin Langyi looked at her brother, who was spouting nonsense, with an expression that was hard to describe.

Xi Zhiyue knew a little about Yuan Chuyu's background and guessed that he was just still estranged from his father, so he smiled and tried to warm up the atmosphere: "This table is so big, where can't we sit? Come on in."

Although Yuan Chuyu was sitting next to Lin Langyi, it was no longer his turn to debone and peel shrimp for her as before. Xi Zhiyue had more standing and status to do these things.

He held his chopsticks, not glancing once at the young couple beside him who were feeding each other and chatting away. In a daze, he seemed to have returned to the time when Lin Langyi first fell in love. He had deliberately avoided suspicion and stayed away, thinking that this would save him from his increasingly immoral behavior, but the result was a complete failure.

But this time, he clearly didn't want it to be like this. Every cell in his body was clamoring to get closer to her, to surround her, to turn her chair around to block out that annoying kid on the left, so that she would only look at him.

But Yuan Chuyu did nothing in the end. He simply picked out the carrot slices from the plate one by one and silently put them into his mouth.

The family is quite happy together.

After dinner, my mother suggested taking a family photo.

"It's a rare opportunity, so it's always good to take as many photos as possible. If Zhuzhu has children in the future, we should take even more photos."

The expressions on the faces of the people present were somewhat subtle.

After taking several family photos, the mother looked through them a few times and was satisfied. She patted Lin Langyi, who was leaning over to look at the photos, and said, "Why don't you take a couple of photos with Zhiyue? I just bought this painting last week. It would look nice hanging here as a background."

Lin Langyi readily agreed and waved to the person: "Come on."

Xi Zhiyue walked over with a smile, naturally putting his left arm around her. He heard his mother say, "Ayu, why don't you take a few pictures? You're pretty good at taking pictures."

Yuan Chuyu walked behind the tripod, lowered his head to adjust the height, and his hair fell down, partially obscuring his half-closed eyes.

Lin Langyi calmly looked straight ahead, and when she saw him holding up the camera, she raised her eyelids and glanced in her direction.

She crossed her legs, lazily tilted her head, and leaned on Xi Zhiyue's shoulder to face the camera.

Yuan Chuyu quickly withdrew his gaze, his expression seemingly frozen, and bent down to hide half of his face behind the camera.

His finger slowly moved the aperture, while his other hand slightly adjusted the camera angle, and he took pictures for a long time.

In the video, Yuan Chuyu squinted slightly, her entire world framing only her.

Half of the painting on the wall was cut in half, leaving only the misty railway tracks in the light rain and smoky station. The most vividly colored clock in the whole painting looked like a knife hanging overhead, with a sharp and piercing beauty.

Yuan Chuyu held his breath and looked at her unabashedly through the eyepiece. In the miniature world of the camera, he could stare at her boldly and without any pretense.

With a light touch of his finger, he took countless photos. He had done this many times before, when they were children, before those countless hateful outsiders came between them. He had patiently acted as her exclusive photographer, taking countless pictures of her.

She looks great on camera and is very pretty, but the only flaw is that she's leaning on an unsightly shoulder right now.

Yuan Chuyu slightly twisted his wrist, his lips pressed into a pale line, his gaze becoming even deeper and colder... It's okay, it can be photoshopped out later.

He spent most of his time on her solo photos, while the last few group photos were taken perfunctorily.

"My neck is about to get stiff," Lin Langyi complained as he eagerly stretched his shoulders after seeing Yuan Chuyu finally straighten up.

"Look?" Mother smiled and spread her hands. "Didn't you used to love it when your brother took pictures of you? He said he was patient and skilled."

Yuan Chuyu walked over with a camera, and instead of asking someone else to help, he stood among the group and flipped through the photos one by one to show them to the others.

Xi Zhiyue chimed in, "It's very good."

Lin Langyi commented: "Your skill level has declined."

Yuan Chuyu remained unmoved: "Export it, adjust it, and then send it to you."

A few days later, the photos were sent to the group chat, and they were indeed quite good. At least Xi Zhiyue felt that after adjusting the parameters, Lin Langyi in the photos looked very vivid and bright.

He felt that her comment, "My brother is a decent photographer," was indeed quite insightful.

Xi Zhiyue maintained this objective assessment of Yuan Chuyu until the eve of the Lunar New Year.

It was strange that Yuan Chuyu didn't come home for dinner that day. Ever since he returned to China, Yuan Chuyu had never missed a meal whenever Lin Langyi came home for dinner.

At the dinner table, Xi Zhiyue asked a question. Lin Langyi was about to send a text message to Yuan Chuyu when her mother mentioned, "He has a dinner party today, it seems to be with Boss Shan and the others."

Lin Langyi glanced at Xi Zhiyue, who was also surprised: "Uncle Shan?"

She abandoned the text message she was about to send, recalling the past: "Mr. Shan really has a good alcohol tolerance."

Xi Zhiyue was taken aback: "You've had dinner with him?"

Lin Langyi paused, her teeth lightly biting her chopsticks... Well, that guy Shan Qi was using all sorts of tricks to persuade Xi Ying to drink, saying he would tell her when he got back, but it turns out he just pretended to be stupid after the drinking session.

Xi Zhiyue: "Uncle Shan has a pretty good alcohol tolerance, but his wife will scold him if he drinks too much."

Lin Langyi seemed to be deep in thought.

Around nine o'clock, Xi Zhiyue's phone did indeed receive a call. He stared blankly at the large name on the screen, his eyebrows furrowed, and turned his head to mouth "Uncle Shan".

On the phone, Shan Qi pleaded with everyone he knew, begging his wife not to find out he had ended up in the hospital from drinking too much.

Yuan Chuyu got Shan Qi into the hospital.

Unfortunately, the hospital they were sent to was under the control of General Manager Shan. The news spread like wildfire to his wife, who was still on vacation out of town, and all his efforts to gather a statement from her were in vain.

While receiving an IV drip, Shan Qi was bombarded with calls from his wife, who berated him mercilessly. He could only sit dejectedly on the hospital bed, enduring the scolding without daring to utter a single word in his defense.

After understanding the whole story, Lin Langyi felt something was amiss... Yuan Chuyu wasn't the kind of person who would set up a drinking session to force someone to drink. She vaguely felt that perhaps it was because she had drunk too much that time that Shan Qi had done it, which was why he had gotten her so drunk today.

Lin Langyi didn't care about Shan Qi's follow-up; she was more concerned about whether there were any new messages in Yuan Chuyu's chat box with her. After she sent him "How are you?", he hadn't replied.

It was rare for her; she was used to him always replying to her messages instantly. Even when he was busy, Yuan Chuyu would send a period and call her back when he had free time.

Fortunately, Yuan Chuyu arrived home ten minutes later.

He was indeed very drunk.

Xi Zhiyue couldn't tell that he was about to black out, but Lin Langyi knew it.

Yuan Chuyu, who was already taciturn, became even more reluctant to speak when drunk. However, as long as you talk to him or interact with him, he can give a series of seemingly normal and logical responses. To outsiders, his behavior is so proper and appropriate that it is no different from usual, and they might even think that he has a high alcohol tolerance.

But that's not actually the case. When Yuan Chuyu woke up the next day, he had no recollection of that part of the memory; it was a complete blackout.

"Zhuzhu?" Yuan Chuyu called her gently, the words sounding sticky and muffled because of the alcohol.

Xi Zhiyue stepped forward, grabbed Yuan Chuyu's arm, and wrapped it around his neck, trying to get him to come in with her help. However, Yuan Chuyu stood straight and his center of gravity was extremely stable, showing no gratitude whatsoever.

He didn't even glance at Xi Zhiyue. His slightly moist eyes, still wet from drinking, held a deep emotion as he gently called her name in his mellow voice: "Zhuzhu."

The sound was husky, like the teasing coquettishness between lovers.

Lin Langyi remained unmoved, her face hardening, and said fiercely, "Why are you drinking so much? It's like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own."

Xi Zhiyue noticed her furrowed brows and cold expression, and suddenly felt that this scene was no different from the scene where President Dan was being scolded by his wife on the phone.

Yuan Chuyu stood obediently at the doorway, letting the cold wind blow on him. With her blocking his way, he didn't dare to move an inch.

It was a strange feeling; Xi Zhiyue inexplicably felt that this bustling atmosphere was completely different from the harmonious life he shared with Lin Langyi.

She had never been so fierce to him before.

Lost in thought, Lin Langyi took a step back and waved her hand impatiently: "Go back to your room and lie down."

That being said, after Xi Zhiyue helped Yuan Chuyu, who seemed to need no help at all, up to the third floor, Lin Langyi brought in a bowl of hangover soup with a cold face.

She slammed the ceramic bowl down on the bedside table. The spoon jolted, and Yuan Chuyu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately turned to look at her.

He even reached out from under the covers, like the antennae of a snail gently swaying in the air, trying to hook his hand onto her hem.

Actually, he opened his eyes the moment she walked in.

Xi Zhiyue didn't know why he had suddenly turned into a Sherlock Holmes who could see the big picture from small details. He stood in front of the wardrobe with his arms crossed, watching Yuan Chuyu stare at Lin Langyi with a dazed look, his gaze intense and affectionate, which was completely impossible for him to have when he was sober.

All the unspoken words in her eyes seemed to transform into the faint, mellow aroma of wine in the air, mingling with the delicate fragrance of care emanating from the dressing room, enveloping her like a gentle soak.

Xi Zhiyue quietly watched the scene of the siblings feeding each other medicine, forcefully suppressing the strange feeling that was rising in his heart.

Unsuccessful.

He said, "I just heard from Mr. Shan on the phone that he can go home after his IV drip is finished."

Lin Langyi put the bowl and spoon aside, got up and went to the standing clothes rack to feel Yuan Chuyu's coat pocket.

She took out her phone and skillfully entered the password.

It's not a six-digit password, but a long, complex password.

Xi Zhiyue took it all in without uttering a sound.

"I'll send a message in my brother's voice to check on you." Lin Langyi was halfway through editing when Yuan Chuyu, who was leaning against the headboard, started calling her softly again and again.

Unable to bear being pestered any longer, Lin Langyi shoved her phone into Xi Zhiyue's hand: "Help me write this down, just a couple of words of concern will do."

Xi Zhiyue edited the document as requested, read it through to her, and only sent it out after receiving her approval.

He exited the text message page, and as he swiped the screen, the preview of the portrait displayed in the stacked components of the photo album was surprisingly Lin Langyi.

Xi Zhiyue paused for a second, as if being pushed forward by an invisible force, and quickly tapped the photo with his slightly sweaty fingers.

The album opened, categorized by type. Xi Zhiyue stared at the 6,728 photos in the "Portraits" section, holding his breath to suppress his wildly beating heart, and clicked on it.

His breathing became rapid and irregular in an instant.

The minimized preview photos fill the entire screen, like the inner world of a microscopic crystal ball, where she is the protagonist in every world.

These are not burst photos; each one, when randomly selected, has had its parameters carefully adjusted and angles chosen. Xi Zhiyue is very certain that those moving snapshots capturing natural moments must have been carefully selected from dozens of photos.

He finally understood what Lin Langyi meant when she said, "Brother, your photography skills have declined."

The difference between perfunctory work and genuine care is evident in the contrast. In these more than 6,000 photos, the lens conveys warmth, and the tender love shown almost leaps off the screen.

More importantly, he saw a familiar photo at the end.

The scene was edited out; he, who was standing on the other side at the time, was removed. In front of that station painting, only Lin Langyi was smiling brightly with her head tilted to the side.

Their thoughts and preferences are obvious.

"Alright, go to sleep." Lin Langyi tossed the spoon back into the bowl.

Xi Zhiyue's thumb swept rapidly from bottom to top, exiting the entire photo album in less than half a second.

He held his phone, his palms damp, a kind of needle-like cold seeping out from his bones.

When Lin Langyi turned to look at him, Xi Zhiyue still looked confused.

She was still holding a bowl in her hand, and nudged him with her elbow as she passed by: "Never mind him, let's go."

"Huh? Oh." Xi Zhiyue squeezed out two sounds from his throat.

The next morning, when Lin Langyi got up, she found that no one was beside her.

She yawned as she went downstairs and heard Aunt Qiu and Xi Zhiyue talking in the kitchen.

After Huang Bo re-baked the bread, she spread mashed potatoes and Greek yogurt on it, a mixed aroma she was all too familiar with.

A happy smile spread across Lin Langyi's face as she walked into the kitchen. She immediately saw Xi Zhiyue, who was wearing an apron and gloves, seriously and earnestly making salmon flowers.

He had a small plate of freshly peeled, pitted lychees next to him, and under Aunt Qiu's guidance, he was layering salmon slices with the lychees as the filling.

Aunt Qiu saw Lin Langyi standing at the door and immediately smiled: "Oh, Xiaoyi, you're up? Zhiyue got up early this morning to say he wanted to make you a loving breakfast... You two are so close."

"How come you...?" Lin Langyi could naturally tell that these were her usual breakfasts that she never tired of eating.

Xi Zhiyue carefully turned the layers of salmon slices outwards to form the shape of flower petals: "It's not difficult. Learn more, and I can make it for you when we live at home together in the future."

When the family ate dinner, Xi Zhiyue once again received high praise.

Lin Langyi finished off the extra garlic-baked prawns he had specially placed on her plate, and just as she was picking up her bowl, Xi Zhiyue pushed two salmon florets over.

Lin Langyi's hand hovered in the air, and before she could speak, Yuan Chuyu, who had a poor appetite due to the aftereffects of a morning hangover, said, "She doesn't want to eat anymore."

Xi Zhiyue glanced at him.

Yuan Chuyu had only used half of the porridge in front of him. Holding the porcelain spoon in his hand, he said calmly, "She eats a combination of Chinese and Western food in the morning. She doesn't like to eat just raw or cold food."

Xi Zhiyue's lips parted slightly and then closed again, remaining silent.

Yuan Chuyu knew her too well; he knew all of Lin Langyi's preferences and even placed three steamed pork ribs in front of her on a small plate.

Lin Langyi was used to it.

She was fed an abundance of food, with various small dishes laid out in front of her.

The usually understanding Xi Zhiyue's expression was not so kind at this moment. He stared at Yuan Chuyu for a long time, then put his hand on Lin Langyi's shoulder and gently pulled her towards him: "Zhuzhu, sit a little closer. There's so much space, don't squeeze together."

"Okay... By the way, I'll just have some porridge." Lin Langyi didn't notice Xi Zhiyue's displeasure and moved closer to him. "I like it today. I'm too full. I can't eat any more ribs. I'll just have half a bowl of porridge."

Yuan Chuyu turned the casserole ladle handle towards her: "Okay, the scallops are very fresh, have a taste."

Just as Lin Langyi was about to take it, Xi Zhiyue stood up and smoothly took the bowl from her hand, twirling it halfway around. He then gently supported the bottom of the bowl with his fingertips and used his other hand to take a spoon and scoop half a bowl of scallop porridge for her.

"It's hot, let me do it."

When Lin Langyi placed the incredibly delicious porridge in front of her, she noticed him rubbing his fingers. She pinched his fingers to examine them and asked with concern, "Did you burn yourself?"

"No." Xi Zhiyue smiled and let her check the situation by counting on her fingers.

Yuan Chuyu stirred the half-bowl of porridge with a spoon, his gaze falling on the two people sitting even closer together, without saying a word.

*

Xi Zhiyue quickly hired people to secretly investigate Yuan Chuyu's background.

Although it's outrageous, and although the chances of such a substitution going unnoticed in a wealthy family are less than one percent, Xi Zhiyue still felt that it was impossible for such a bond that transcended blood ties to exist between siblings.

Half-siblings whose father has passed away face a much more complicated kinship test than a regular paternity test. Obtaining the DNA of Lin Langyi and Yuan Chuyu and sending it to a qualified testing institution is no easy task.

Xi Zhiyue could only start his investigation by investigating Yuan Chuyu's birth mother.

But he didn't expect that Yuan Chuyu had been keeping an eye on his movements for a long time.

Perhaps it started from the day of the wedding, or from the moment they started dating, or perhaps it was just when the elders were trying to match them up that they were targeted.

When Yuan Chuyu learned that Xi Zhiyue was secretly investigating blood relations, he also thought it was a fantasy.

According to my father, from before he was pregnant until the time he was born, my mother was kept like a caged bird, pampered and cherished. At that time, the two were deeply in love and lived together every day.

Therefore, there has never been any doubt or question regarding the bloodline of Yuan Chuyu.

To put Xi Zhiyue's mind at ease, Yuan Chuyu took the initiative to get tested himself; nothing could dispel doubts better than a test report.

The identification process took more than half a month, so long that Yuan Chuyu had to put the matter aside for the time being.

So much so that when the report was handed to him, his finger lingered on the conclusion for a very long time.

The brain was like a flattened electrocardiogram, blank and empty for a long time, while only the heart in the chest was beating faster and faster, bursting the blood flow in the blood vessels, which had almost instantly stopped, at a dizzying speed.

He immediately called Lin Langyi, but accidentally pressed the wrong key and had to dial correctly on the third try.

When the call was connected, Lin Langyi was attending a summit in another city.

"I'm coming to find you, I'm coming right now." Yuan Chuyu tilted his head, held his phone between his shoulder and shoulder, and reached for his calendar, pushing all his work aside.

"What happened?" Lin Langyi heard his rapid and unsteady breathing.

"I..." Yuan Chuyu burst out laughing as soon as he uttered a word. He couldn't help but clench his fist and put it to his lips, but he still couldn't hide his smile.

"I have something very important to tell you." He flipped through the thin report on the table again and again, becoming increasingly agitated as he read, his words becoming incoherent. "Wait for me, I'll definitely come to your place tonight, okay?"

After hanging up the phone, Yuan Chuyu didn't plan to pack any luggage at all. He asked his assistant to book the earliest flight, and then solemnly put the report on the table into a file bag.

In his extreme excitement, Yuan Chuyu didn't even consider practical issues such as whether not being his father's biological son would affect his own interests.

He had only one thought in his mind: to get to her right now, immediately, and tell her the news.

When he boarded the plane, Yuan Chuyu kept the document bag close to his body and refused to let it go. He felt like a lover who had just discovered that she was pregnant. Overjoyed, he pasted the ultrasound photo onto his still-flat belly and couldn't wait to rush to his lover to share this wonderful news.

Flying above the clouds felt like being in paradise, with a rainbow arching high in the distance, its golden hue trailing against the azure sky.

Yuan Chuyu smiled slightly, thinking that it was God who took pity on him and gave him a glimmer of hope, allowing him to catch his breath in this endless misery.