1
The man changed clothes in front of him without any hesitation, his honey-colored skin gradually being revealed. Broad shoulders, a strong chest, a slender waist that was faintly visible, and long, straight legs—the sight was so beautiful that he stared at it, knowing he shouldn't, but he couldn't move his feet.
"Is A-Yi awake?" The man asked, looking up as he dressed.
One sentence instantly brought him back to reality. He calmly replied, "Yes, do you want to go see it now?"
The man strode over immediately, not even bothering to button his coat, and yanked open the door to leave: "How is he?"
Forcibly suppressing the bitterness in his heart, he caught up with the anxious man: "I heard that apart from being a little weak, A-Yi's mental state is relatively stable."
Silently watching Xu Qi's tall figure, Rose thought to herself with a self-destructive urge: this person might never even notice her behind him. Just now, even though she was right in front of him, he could still expose his body without a care. To him, she was just a loyal subordinate; he had never cared about her at all. In those deep, dark eyes, there could only ever be one person: his younger brother—Xu Yi. There is no lonelier love than unrequited love. No, it's not even love. Love is a matter between two people, but she could only guard this feeling alone, desperately waiting for this person's pity. She had always followed this person, yet he could only ever chase after his back. Even so, she still wanted to follow him forever.
When exactly did he fall into this quagmire? Perhaps, on the day he turned fifteen, chased and beaten by a group of black men, lying alone in a garbage heap in a dark alley, barely alive, the owner of those leather shoes appeared in his blurred vision, smiling and extending his hands to him, saying, "Want to come with me?" That person became his king, his lifelong faith. Knowing he was unworthy, he still harbored presumptuous thoughts, yearning to touch this person. He loathed this despicable version of himself.
Pushing open Xu Yi's door, Xu Qi saw his younger brother sitting alone on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. He approached the bed with some concern and reached out to support Xu Yi's shoulder: "Yi, how are you feeling?"
“Brother… I think I’ve lost something very important…” Xu Yi looked up at him blankly, her eyes filled with confusion. She clutched her disheveled hair, her delicate brows furrowed. “But no matter how hard I try, I can’t remember it…”
Xu Qi bent down and took his hand, smoothing the stray hairs from his forehead, looking at him with affection: "Ayi, you're just too tired. You need to rest."
He recalled many years ago, when his younger brother, after that incident, was on the verge of a mental breakdown, needing him to soothe him to sleep every night. His young brother, curled up in his arms, sobbing softly, looked like a pitiful little animal, always causing him unbearable heartache. Later, his brother grew up and no longer needed to be soothed to sleep, but in his eyes, his brother would always be that child who needed his protection and love. However, since that man took over his brother's heart three years ago, his brother had once again fallen into the same nightmare, even nearly losing his life several times because of it. He knew that man's existence was a ticking time bomb for his brother. So when his brother was once again in danger because of that man, he finally made up his mind to erase that man, along with that incident, from his brother's memory.
"Rose, go and ask Aunt Wang to prepare some of A-Yi's favorite dishes," Xu Qi instructed Rose, who was standing at the door.
"Yes, young master," Rose replied, turning and heading towards the kitchen.
“Aunt Wang? Could it be…” Xu Yi suddenly looked up. He clearly remembered that he should still be in China!
Xu Qi smiled at him and said, "Because you are sick, I brought you back for treatment. I hope you won't blame me for making this decision on my own."
"Sick? I don't remember?" Xu Yi immediately stood up and stared at him, questioning him.
"Don't worry, this is just a side effect of the treatment, you'll be fine soon," Xu Qi gently reassured him.
Xu Yi's doubts remained. His brother was acting strangely today, glossing over all his questions. However, he knew that with his brother's attitude, further questioning would be futile. He wisely refrained from asking further, but secretly kept a close eye on things.
After giving Xu Qi his instructions, Qiangwei slowly began to walk back. He deliberately slowed his pace, not wanting to return to that place that almost suffocated him so quickly. Although Xu Yi could not reciprocate Xu Qi's feelings, the image of the two of them together still stung his eyes. That person was so gentle with his younger brother, a gentleness he never dared to dream of receiving.
It was only after being brought back to the Xu family that he realized it was a Chinese gang. He underwent rigorous training and was soon assigned by Xu Qi to protect Xu Yi. Xu Qi himself was often busy with gang affairs and couldn't always be by his younger brother's side, but he was worried about him, so he made Qiangwei, who was the same age as his brother, his bodyguard and playmate. It was then that Qiangwei realized that his true "savior" was actually Xu Yi. Xu Qi brought him back simply to make it easier to take care of his brother. Qiangwei knew he should resent Xu Yi, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him. Because that arrogant and beautiful young man was more pitiful than himself. Over the years, they were nominally master and servant, but in reality, they were good friends. Xu Yi no longer allowed him to call him "Second Young Master" but had to call him "A-Yi," treating him like family—although Xu Yi was never warm or affectionate towards his family, except for Xu Qi and Shao Yang.
At first, Qiangwei thought Xu Qi's feelings for Xu Yi were simply the affection of an older brother for his younger brother, given the profound trauma Xu Yi had suffered from his childhood. However, he gradually realized that Xu Qi's affection for Xu Yi was far more than a normal brotherly love. This person's doting on his younger brother was utterly outrageous. Qiangwei had no doubt that even if Xu Yi wanted Xu Qi's life, this person would readily offer it up. Most importantly, he had once witnessed Xu Qi secretly kissing the sleeping Xu Yi, his expression so entranced that he didn't even notice the shocked man standing behind the half-open door.
After receiving a phone call, Xu Qi had to get up and rush to handle matters related to "Long Ming." Before leaving, he instructed Qiangwei to stay with Xu Yi for now, as he would send someone else shortly. Xu Yi frowned: "Why change?"
Xu Qi patiently explained, "I have other uses for Qiangwei. Don't you trust the person I sent?"
Xu Yi impatiently shooed him away: "Forget it, go do your thing, I'm not a child!"
Xu Qi hurried off to run errands with a smile, leaving Qiangwei sitting by the bed, watching Xu Yi eat bite by bite. Faced with Xu Yi in his current state, Qiangwei didn't know what to say and could only remain silent, waiting for him to speak first. Although Xu Qi had always pampered Xu Yi like a child, Qiangwei knew that Xu Yi wasn't a lamb; he wouldn't just let the sudden loss of part of his memory go, much less believe Xu Qi's two vague explanations.
Sure enough, after the servants cleared away the plates, Xu Yi looked up at him and gave him a meaningful smile: "Rose, don't tell me you don't know anything."
Rose smiled wryly: "Ah Yi, how much do you think the young master will let me know?"
"So, you didn't know? I hope you won't disappoint me." Xu Yi said in a deep voice, "Otherwise..." He didn't finish his sentence, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.
After a moment of silence, Rose slowly said, "All I know is that, no matter what, the young master would never be willing to hurt you in the slightest."
Xu Yi found it somewhat offensive, and he blurted out without thinking, "I know you've always been on his side! Even after all these years with me, you still consider him your master. When we went back to New York, he wanted to change my bodyguards. Was that what you asked for?"
Rose's beautiful face drained of color, her cat-like eyes widened, and her petal-like lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing his reaction, Xu Yi immediately realized he had gone too far. He knew perfectly well what Qiangwei felt for his brother, and he also knew that his brother had no feelings for Qiangwei. Saying this was tantamount to rubbing salt into his wounds!
But he simply couldn't bring himself to apologize. He turned his head away, gripping the sheets tightly with both hands.
With a sigh, Rose said softly, "Ayi, I don't blame you. You're in a bad mood right now, and I should understand. I do know a little about this matter, but the young master wouldn't allow me to say it casually. I believe that with your abilities, Ayi, you'll soon know more than I do."
Xu Yi turned his head, and a knock sounded on the door. He called out, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a tall man walked in. He glanced at the two of them, then bowed deeply to Xu Yi: "Second Young Master, this subordinate, Xue Ying, has been ordered by the Eldest Young Master to protect you. This subordinate will do everything in his power to protect you, even at the cost of his life!"
The man's voice was strong and resonant, indicating that he was a man of strong will, and such people are usually quite reliable—Xu Qi was indeed very concerned about his younger brother's affairs.
"Lift your head up," Xu Yi called to him lazily.
The man straightened up as instructed. Xu Yi squinted at him, inwardly praising his appearance. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a tall, upright figure. Although his skills were still unclear, he at least looked more like a "bodyguard" than Qiangwei. He turned and smiled, "Then, as a senior, Qiangwei, why don't you teach him?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
