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27. A brother-obsessed fanatic? ...
It was a lake shimmering with golden light, and a person sat on its shore. The person was tall and slender, with graceful, flowing lines. Long hair cascaded over their shoulders, and a large expanse of fair skin on their back was exposed, practically glowing in the sunlight. The person casually tossed their hair, a simple gesture that, performed by them, was extremely pleasing to the eye, like a spirit born of nature, beautiful beyond compare. Through the dappled shadows of the trees, this was the breathtaking scene he witnessed.
He stared intently at the person, and when he came to his senses, he was already standing behind her. The person slowly turned around, a slight smile appearing on her exquisitely beautiful face. In that instant, all the surrounding scenery paled in comparison; the whole world seemed to shrink to just the beauty before him. He stood there, dumbfounded, watching as the beauty's red lips parted slightly…
Then, he suddenly woke up.
Xu Qi sat bolt upright, rubbing his forehead and letting out a long sigh. What was wrong with him? Why would he have such a dream? The beautiful woman in his dream was clearly Si Qiang! And… she didn't seem to be wearing any clothes…
"Damn it!" Xu Qi slammed his fist on the bed. He tried to stop himself from overthinking, but he was powerless. The scene of him and Si Qiang on this bed that night kept replaying in his mind—the other woman's incomparably beautiful expression and slender, beautiful body during sex, as if it had taken root in his mind and wouldn't leave. In fact, almost half a month had passed since that day, but he still kept thinking about that night. Today, even more inexplicably, he saw that person in his dream, as if he had some kind of… something.
He got up anxiously to take a shower, forcing himself to calm down with the cold water. Taking a cold shower in autumn was still too chilly; Xu Qi gritted his teeth and showered for a while until he was completely cold. Although his body was trembling instinctively, he finally didn't have the leisure to think about anything else.
At 7 o'clock sharp, Wei Lan knocked on the door. Xu Qi, while getting dressed, called out to the door, "Come in." Wei Lan opened the door and stepped inside. Just as he was about to speak, he saw that Xu Qi had his back to him, his clothes half-done, his muscular body partially concealed, practically a scene of springtime exposure. He instinctively took a step back, yet couldn't help but stare intently into the man's eyes.
Xu Qi finished dressing, turned around and walked out: "Is there something you want to say?" He didn't notice Wei Lan's unnatural gaze at all, and just asked as usual.
Wei Lan quickly followed: "Young Master, I think there's some progress on what you asked me to keep an eye on. It seems Shao Yang has a boyfriend, a Latin American man named Lance, who works as a bartender at a gay bar."
Xu Qi immediately turned around, her brows furrowed: "Are you sure it's your 'boyfriend'?"
Wei Lan hesitated for a moment: "He didn't admit it... but..."
"Hmph. Anyway, it's best if he can come to terms with it." Xu Qi thought for a moment, then added, "Go and check on Lance's situation again."
Wei Lan understood what he meant. After all, Lance worked in a gay bar, a place where all sorts of people mingled, so it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be any problems. He nodded: "Yes, young master."
Xu Qi sighed. He had always hoped Shao Yang could let go of Su Xibai, so he had been secretly keeping an eye on the people around Shao Yang. Now, Wei Lan's news brought him both relief and worry. If Lance was alright, then everyone would be happy—except perhaps Shao Xiujun, who might be a bit difficult to deal with. If that person had ulterior motives…
Then we must not let that person go! He clenched his fists tightly.
It has to be said, Xu Qi is a natural worrywart. People who are used to being the eldest brother usually have this trait. Even though he has a lot of problems of his own, he's still always thinking about his younger brothers.
An hour later, Xu Qi sat at his desk, frustrated. Sometimes, he really wanted to just throw his job away, because he not only needed to strategize and handle all the big and small affairs of the gang, but also... when there was nothing going on in the gang, he was responsible for spacing out in the office—although such times were rare, they were the most unbearable for Xu Qi, especially these times.
Actually, he could choose to go out and have some fun on his own. Who would dare interfere with the young master's affairs? But what could he do outside? He didn't like being with large groups of people, so he couldn't go to those entertainment venues. Because of his aloof and unapproachable demeanor, he had very few friends. When you're bored, it's the same wherever you are. So, he continued to sit at the table—daydreaming.
What he couldn't stand was that just moments ago he was thinking about his brother, and the next second, that person's face appeared in his mind again. He closed his eyes, his head aching, and cursed himself for being crazy.
Lost in thought, Xu Qi's phone rang. He snapped out of his reverie and instinctively pressed the call button.
"Hello? This is Adam."
"..." No one spoke on the other end of the phone, only soft breathing could be heard.
Xu Qi frowned, but still politely asked, "May I ask who you are...?"
"Brother." The person on the other end finally spoke, and the voice was one that Xu Qi knew all too well—a clear baritone voice, "I am Xu Yi."
Xu Qi was stunned. Even though he and his brother had reconciled not long ago, his brother had actually taken the initiative to call him this time? This was the first time in a long time that Xu Yi had contacted him first. Did this mean that he had truly been completely forgiven?
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and then whispered, "Ah Yi, you were looking for me?"
"Yes. Are you free now? I'd like to talk to you." Xu Yi's voice sounded somewhat serious.
A few minutes later, Xu Qi quickly drove towards the location Xu Yi had mentioned. The shop wasn't far away, so he arrived quickly.
As Xu Qi approached the private room, the door opened automatically, revealing Xu Yi's face. Her face was as exquisite and beautiful as ever, captivating all who beheld her.
As Xu Qi walked inside, he asked, "Ayi, have you eaten?" It was really just making conversation; it was 3 PM, how could he not have eaten? He simply didn't know what to say to break the awkward silence, so he resorted to this seemingly silly topic.
Xu Yi turned and sat down, coughed lightly, and tried to make his expression look more natural: "Yes...I have eaten."
As soon as he finished speaking, a blush immediately spread across Xu Yi's porcelain-white cheeks, growing deeper and deeper. He was so annoyed he wanted to slap himself. Why did he look so stupid! It should be his brother who was uncomfortable, not him. Why was he the one who was nervous? Besides, he knew the other person was just trying to start a conversation, so what was with his incredibly stupid answer?
Seeing his brother's expression, Xu Qi immediately understood that his younger brother was probably even more nervous than he was. He considerately refrained from speaking further and sat quietly, waiting for the other to speak.
The two sat in silence for a while before Xu Yi finally spoke: "There's something that you probably don't know, brother. But I think you'd like to know."
Xu Qi was somewhat puzzled, but he nodded, signaling the other party to continue.
Xu Yi looked at him, a hint of pity on his face. He gritted his teeth and continued, "It's about that misunderstanding in your heart. You've always thought that you love me—just like I love Xiaobai, right?"
To bluntly reveal someone's feelings to their face is incredibly embarrassing for anyone—even if the other person's "love" is just a misunderstanding. If he could, he wouldn't choose such a direct approach. It would be better to guide his brother slowly, helping him realize his true feelings—though it would likely take a long time. That was his original plan, but now he probably didn't have the time. He didn't want his brother to regret it, and he didn't want Rose to make an irreversible decision.
In an instant, all color drained from Xu Qi's face. He felt completely frozen. He never expected his younger brother to know his feelings, let alone be so blunt with him. They were brothers, a fact that fundamentally meant his relationship was something that couldn't be made public. Besides, his brother was already married to another man; what did it mean to bring this up at this time?
He stared blankly at his younger brother, opened his mouth to try to say something, but found that his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single syllable.
“Brother, I don’t mean to embarrass you.” Xu Yi sighed as he looked at the other’s pale face. “I just want to tell you that what you think is not the truth.”
"Ah Yi, are you saying that my feelings for you aren't real?" Xu Qi suddenly stood up, his voice trembling, his hands clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms.
Even if his younger brother exposes his feelings to his face, he absolutely cannot tolerate anyone denying his feelings—not even his younger brother himself!
Xu Yi's expression remained unchanged: "No, I've always known that my brother is the person who loves me the most in the world." Even Su Xibai, who is so tolerant of him, cannot replace his brother who has always loved him since childhood.
Xu Qi's expression softened, and he slowly sat down, saying in a deep voice, "So, what are you trying to say?"
"Although it might sound strange for me to say this, brother, you're actually just..." Xu Yi paused, a smile appearing on his delicate face, "...just a brother-obsessed person."
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