43 Chapter 43
It was an ordinary autumn morning. The warm sunlight shone into Nakajima Atsushi's bedroom as the curtains loosened.
Although Baili Bian had told him the night before that he would take care of all the meals today and would also take over the grocery shopping, Nakajima Atsushi still did not sleep until noon.
Even though he missed the best time for development at three, the crucial age of five, the life-determining age of seven, and the six watersheds of first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth grade, he still developed a good habit of studying at the age of 16.
Less than two months into the semester, the curriculum wasn't intense, and the homework wasn't overwhelming. In just one morning, Nakajima Atsushi successfully finished all of it.
Needless to say, the lunch was all crab-themed, a reward for Dazai's hard work throughout the week. Even though Dazai kept looking at Nakajima with a warning, he didn't put down his chopsticks—this was a tacit agreement he and his brother had long ago: never, ever, let Dazai eat all the crab dishes by himself.
Although until today, Nakajima Atsushi still has no chance to verify whether Dazai, who loves eating crabs and going into the water, has arthritis or rheumatism, or whether his bones hurt on rainy days, this does not affect his decision to follow his brother and take good care of his dear Dazai.
Sometimes, Nakajima Atsushi would wonder how his brother got in touch with Dazai-kun. There were many similar doubts, but he never asked them out loud.
Everyone has their own secrets, don't they?
The afternoon was as pleasant as usual. I took a good nap, and then followed the sunset and walked with Bailibian to the park we often go for a walk.
It was still too early for the colors of autumn to overshadow the beauty of summer, and the rows of ginkgo leaves in the park hadn't yet changed into yellow bookmarks. But that didn't stop them from enjoying the magical moment summer turned to autumn.
Taking advantage of the moment when the sun was about to fade away its last rays of light, and urged on by the not-too-bleak autumn wind, the two returned home together.
What was remarkable was Dazai Osamu's self-awareness. Although he had clearly completed his goal of entering the water for the day, he had already finished his bath. Even the remaining water stains on the floor were barely visible.
Even though Dazai Osamu insisted that he had a body that could eat crabs every day and crab meat for every meal, and even threatened to hand over his salary, Bailibian, as the real person in charge of the kitchen, still rejected his proposal.
Of course, Bailibian, who received the report from Dazai Osamu, also severely criticized Nakajima Atsushi for eating tea rice for four consecutive days.
Just as they were enjoying the rare warm time after dinner, Nakajima Atsushi heard Bailibian's rare serious tone.
"A Dun, please sit down, I have something to tell you."
Nakajima Atsushi didn't understand why, but he still straightened his back obediently. Only then did he realize that neither Bailibian nor Dazai Osamu were lying lazily on the sofa as usual, but were sitting seriously with solemn expressions.
What happened?
The rare seriousness made Nakajima Atsushi nervous. He swallowed, straightened his shoulders, and nodded firmly under Bailibian's slightly worried eyes.
He's ready!
No matter what kind of difficult situation he faces, no matter how unbelievable the challenge is, no matter how painful the future is, he is ready to face it with his brother!
Sensing Nakajima Atsushi's determination, Bailibian exchanged glances with Dazai Osamu, then slowly said, "I know what I'm going to say next may be hard for you to believe, but no matter what, will you believe me?"
Of course.
Nakajima Atsushi didn't answer, but nodded affirmatively. Of course he would believe his brother.
"These past few days, I believe you must have had similar doubts in your heart." Bailibian raised his head slightly, looking at the decorations on the crystal chandelier, and slowly recalled, "Actually, Dazai and I have discussed this matter before. He once suggested that I tell you the truth when you first met, but I chose to refuse at that time."
"I thought you were too young then and there was no need for you to know these things, but now..." Bailibian paused, and Nakajima Atsushi swallowed nervously again.
Has the situation become too tense now?!
Nakajima Atsushi couldn't help but wonder about the truth of the matter.
What exactly is going on? Even Dazai-san got involved, and they discussed it for a long time. Is it related to him? Or is it related to his brother? Or, or...
So what should they do next? Even though he didn't know what kind of predicament they would face, Nakajima Atsushi had already made up his mind to stay with Bailibian no matter what happened. Of course, that also included Dazai-ge.
Nakajima Atsushi stared at Bailibian with a burning gaze, his legs straining, ready to dash up the stairs at any moment. As soon as his brother finished speaking, he went upstairs to pack his bags. Life might not be easy from now on, but that didn't matter, as long as they were still together.
But at this moment, Baili Bian stopped.
He was a little nervous. Even if he was Bailibian, he would have hesitated to tear apart the lies he had woven with his own hands. Especially when it came to the topic of species—though it wasn't a drastic situation like the true or false rich young master, what if, what if A-Dun couldn't accept it and ran out, then got in a car accident and lost his memory!
Nakajima Atsushi didn't know what to say, so he turned to Dazai Osamu for help. Dazai Osamu didn't tell him, but instead patted Bailibian's shoulder.
Nakajima Atsushi looked at Dazai Osamu. He didn't say anything, but just gave Bailibian a look that he didn't know what the meaning was.
After struggling for a long time, Bailibian slowly stood up, lowered his head, and said to Dazai Osamu: "Please stand at the door first, Dazai."
Dazai Osamu scowled and complained, "Don't always order me around, Baili. And the door is already locked."
Well, looking at the nervous Nakajima Atsushi, Bailibian sat down and continued, "Now that you've grown up, it's time for you to know the truth. That's right, you're not actually a cat, but a tiger."
What's grown up? What's a tiger? Nakajima Atsushi pointed at himself in disbelief. At this moment, not only Bailibian, but even Dazai Osamu nodded affirmatively.
Nakajima Atsushi's confused brain was unable to react. He had made too many preparations in advance, so he was not so comfortable facing the plain truth.
Seeing Nakajima Atsushi gradually calm down, Bailibian continued, "If you can accept it, that's great. Your current market value is 10 billion US dollars. The other party didn't ask for your life or death, but I guess they would prefer to live. So do you want to meet them?"
Oh, it’s someone from the black market, but he’s still gone.
Huh? 10 billion US dollars!!
Nakajima Atsushi, who was about to shake his head, got stuck in the middle. He hadn't eaten anything, but he felt as if something was stuck in his throat. He could only helplessly feel the rise and fall of his chest, but couldn't breathe.
Why offer a reward for him!
Why spend 10 billion US dollars to reward him!
Nakajima Atsushi had also thought about his own value, in the confinement room of the orphanage, in the closet at home, and in the underground training ground, but he had never been so conceited as to think that he could be compared with such a huge sum of money, even though Baili Bian had praised his excellence many times.
Wait, 10 billion!
Nakajima Atsushi suddenly reacted and observed the reactions of Bailibian and Dazai Osamu with his eyes sideways.
If it was 100 million yen, he might still believe that he would never be abandoned, but 10 billion US dollars, this was a number he had never had an idea about.
Such a price was something Nakajima Atsushi, who had grown up in an orphanage with limited resources, could never dream of. As for Bailibian and Dazai Osamu, even if they didn't know exactly how large a sum it was, Nakajima Atsushi knew that such a bounty would be enough to captivate anyone in the world, and would also bring...immeasurable trouble.
What will my brother choose?
"Haven't you thought it through? How about giving me an answer tomorrow? Think about it again, A'dun. You can also take a nap first." Bailibian's voice was faintly heard, and Nakajima Atsushi's messy head suddenly shut down when he heard the words "sleep first".
As for the sentence about thinking about it carefully, it was naturally ignored.
It was not until he woke up the next morning and was greeted by the sunshine again that Nakajima Atsushi suddenly remembered that he still had an important decision to make.
Do you want to meet the person who is willing to spend 10 billion US dollars to buy you?
Nakajima Atsushi didn't know.
But when Baili Bian asked him again, he nodded.
He is willing to accept whatever choice his brother makes.
and,
If you shirk,
It will cause trouble.
Watching Nakajima Atsushi staggering up the stairs, Dazai Osamu turned to Bailibian and asked, "Do you want to take Atsushi with you to meet them?" He just said something nonsense.
"If Adun is willing." Even though the figure had disappeared at the corner of the stairs, Bailibian did not look away.
Is he a little too anxious?
Bailibian frowned uneasily. Was it so scary for A-Dun to meet strangers? It was like being played by Dazai.
The last time Baili Bian saw Nakajima Atsushi in such a staggering state was when Dazai Osamu first treated him.
Although the Baili family always pursued challenges head-on and also supported doing things on their own, this was a different world after all. Perhaps he shouldn't be so strict with Nakajima Atsushi—if Atsushi really didn't want to, then he could just go on his own. Anyway, there was still a lot of time, so it didn't matter if he grew up a little slower.
Anyway, as an older brother, he should take good care of A-dun.
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