Chapter 7 "Do you know Zhou Ai?"
"Oh, can you be as open and honest as your brother?" Chu Ruoyin looked at Chu Yi who was standing next to her with an expression of disappointment.
After saying that, he turned around and looked at Cheng Yanqing with admiration as he was chatting and drinking among the guests with ease.
Chu Yi, who was standing next to Chu Ruoyin, holding a half-glass of red wine in his hand, nodded silently without saying a word, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible.
"Second brother, Aunt Chu." Cheng Yunshu, wearing a goose yellow long skirt, ran over from behind with a smile and greeted him.
Chu Yi nodded slightly and remained as he was.
"I don't know who he looks like, but he has a dark face. He looks like he owes money to everyone he sees. He looks unlucky."
It was obvious that Chu Ruoyin was really angry. She rolled her eyes at Chu Yi's stubborn attitude, turned around and walked towards Cheng Yanqing with an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind".
Cheng Yunshu, who was standing by, heard Chu Ruoyin's sour sarcasm, stuck out his tongue, and watched the other person walk away before he dared to move closer to Chu Yi.
"Second brother, long time no see."
Chu Yi smiled, a smile that was gentler than before, "When did you come back?"
"Last week."
Cheng Yunshu was five years younger than Chu Yi and still had the nature of a child. Although this good-looking second brother didn't talk much, Cheng Yunshu still liked him very much.
In their Cheng family, except Chu Yi who took his mother's surname, everyone else must have the surname Cheng.
And everyone knows the deep meaning of this.
Chu Yi is not only a surname, but also means that one must give in to his elder brother, Cheng Yanqing, in everything he does.
Cheng Yunshu quietly tugged at Chu Yi's sleeve and lowered her voice: "Brother, I brought my Switch. Do you want to play in the backyard?" She blinked and said, "It's much better than being a statue here."
Chu Yi glanced at his watch. There was still half an hour until the banquet ceremony ended. He nodded gently and placed his wine glass on the waiter's tray.
Just as they turned to leave, Cheng Yanqing's voice came from behind: "Yun Shu, Grandpa is looking for you."
Cheng Yunshu's shoulders stiffened, and he turned back reluctantly: "Brother..."
Cheng Yanqing's gaze lingered on Chu Yi for a moment, a proper smile on his lips. "Yi, Mr. Li from Nancheng wants to meet you. He has a lot of investments in the medical field."
Chu Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not interested in business cooperation."
"This isn't a question of whether it's business or not," Cheng Yanqing said, taking a half step forward, his voice low but every word clear. "It's about the Cheng family's dignity."
The sound of the fountain in the courtyard suddenly became very loud.
Chu Yi looked at the other sapphire collar pin on Cheng Yanqing's suit. It was a birthday gift that his father Cheng Zhi bought for him at an auction in Hong Kong last year.
"Got it." Chu Yi straightened his cuffs and turned around to hear Cheng Yunshu whisper, "Come on, second brother!"
After Cheng Yunshu left, Cheng Yanqing took the decanted red wine from the tray in the waiter's hand and filled Chu Yi's glass, but Chu Yi stopped him just after he had poured a third of the glass.
"That's enough, big brother." Chu Yi's slender fingers pressed against the bottle of wine that Cheng Yanqing was pouring. Cheng Yanqing paused, smiled, and put the red wine back into the tray.
"Yi, what did you say is enough? My request? Or the wine?"
The drunkard's real intention is not the wine, which is what Cheng Yanqing is good at.
But Chu Yi is good at hitting straight balls.
"I'm talking about red wine, nothing else." Chu Yi shook the glass in his hand and drank it all in one gulp. He then added, "I have to go to work tomorrow, so just stop here."
Cheng Yanqing suddenly chuckled and raised his hand to straighten Chu Yi's tie, which was already neat. "Why do I feel like you and I are so distant? Yi?"
Chu Yi took a half step back, avoiding Cheng Yanqing's touch just in time, and spoke in a surprisingly calm voice, "No, big brother."
"Is it because I pushed you too hard?" Cheng Yanqing's eyes were fixed on Chu Yi.
But the younger brother in front of him remained calm and didn't shed a drop of tears.
"I'm quite satisfied with my current life, brother." Chu Yi raised his head and his eyes flashed across the brooch on Cheng Yanqing's chest. Finally, he looked at Cheng Yanqing levelly and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Cheng Yanqing believed that Chu Yi's "satisfaction" was true satisfaction.
No one understands "satisfaction" better than Chu Yi.
From childhood to adulthood, both his father and his family strictly asked Chu Yi not to fight or compete, and everyone thought Chu Yi was obedient.
But Cheng Yanqing knew that his younger brother simply disdained to snatch these "flashy" things. Chu Yi was too easily satisfied.
Chu Yi felt that he was a little drunk, and patted Cheng Yanqing on the shoulder, "I'm leaving first. Please tell my father for me."
"Okay, be careful." Cheng Yanqing nodded and watched Chu Yi leave.
The moonlight poured down from the glass roof of the courtyard corridor, casting a cold edge on Chu Yi.
The silver-gray suit wrapped around his slender figure, with straight shoulders and a thin waist. His steps were actually a little unstable, but it did not affect the innate elegance of his back when he walked.
Cheng Yanqing watched Chu Yi's back as he left. He remembered that when Chu Yi was a child, his toys were snatched away by his cousin's children. Other children would cry and make a fuss, but Chu Yi stood quietly in the corner of the garden watching the ants move.
At that time, he thought his brother was a coward, until one day he saw Chu Yi blocking the child who was trying to steal the toy in the piano room, pressing the child's fingers with the piano cover and asking "Are you still trying to steal?"
——Chu Yi has never been unable to fight, but he disdains to fight.
As Chu Yi walked through the rose garden, he unbuttoned two buttons on his collar. The night breeze, filled with the fragrance of flowers, blew in, diluting the burning sensation of alcohol in his throat.
The phone vibrated in his pocket. The group chat was discussing the treatment plan for today's patient. Chu Yi stopped and leaned against the rockery to reply to the message. The cold light of the screen reflected his delicate profile.
There was a slight noise coming from behind the rockery. Chu Yi looked up and saw Cheng Yunshu sneaking out with her skirt lifted up, and she was holding the Switch in her hand.
"Second brother slipped away faster than I did!" The girl's eyes sparkled as she suddenly leaned over to his collar and sniffed. "Did you drink the wine that eldest brother poured? He hasn't changed his habit of mixing it with liquor yet..."
Chu Yi was stunned. No wonder he felt dizzy when he left the table just now. He thought it was because he was too tired from work recently.
Cheng Yunshu had already stood on tiptoe to stuff the game console into his suit pocket. The cold metal body pressed against his chest, causing his breathing to stop.
Chu Yi lowered his head and pulled out the game console, only to see Cheng Yunshu winking at him slyly, "Want to play a game with me?"
———
Cheng Yunshu sat cross-legged on the sofa in the courtyard guest room and put the Switch controller into Chu Yi's hand, his eyes sparkling: "Second brother, do you play it sometimes?"
Chu Yi lowered his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar game controller in his palm. He gently stroked the pattern of the buttons with his fingertips and shook his head, saying, "This is my first time playing this game."
"You're lying!" Cheng Yunshu's eyes widened. "You're so skilled at it!"
Chu Yi didn't explain, but just curled the corners of his lips slightly. He really had never played it.
After three rounds, Cheng Yunshu threw down his controller in despair and slumped down on the stone table angrily, "I'm not playing anymore! Second brother, you must be faking it!"
Chu Yi reached out to pause the game, tapped the screen twice with his fingertips, and glanced at her sideways: "Why did you want to play this?"
Cheng Yunshu suddenly perked up, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He quickly swiped the screen, clicked on Weibo, and held it up in front of him like a treasure: "Look! I only play because I watched Zhou Ai play!"
Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the vine-covered flower stand, and fell into Cheng Yunshu's eyes like a handful of broken stars.
Chu Yi's gaze fell on her phone screen—a Weibo post Zhou Ai had made last week, featuring a photo of him sitting cross-legged on a carpet, playing his Switch. He was wearing loose-fitting home clothes, his hair slightly tousled, a faint smile on his lips, and a ginger cat curled up beside him.
“PLAY.”
It was just a simple word, but Chu Yi felt as if he was burned. His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously twice, and he uttered a low "hmm".
The alcohol slowed his thinking, but it also brought back with exceptional clarity the memories he had deliberately suppressed.
He used to read every one of Zhou Ai's Weibo posts over and over again, and could even judge his mood that day from a half-blurred profile or a subtle expression.
Later he realized that this kind of attention had long gone beyond the scope of "fans".
So he forced himself not to look anymore, not to think anymore.
But at this moment, the photo suddenly caught his sight.
Chu Yi raised his head and closed his eyes. The night wind blew through the strands of hair on his forehead, and also blew away the emotions that were accidentally leaked at that moment.
"Second brother?" Cheng Yunshu tilted his head to look at him, "Do you know Zhou Ai?"
Chu Yi was silent for a moment before he said calmly, "...I've seen it."
Cheng Yunshu was about to continue asking where he had seen her before, when he heard the special attention message on Weibo ring.
"Ahhhh, Zhou Ai posted on Weibo again. Second brother, let me show you."
Cheng Yunshu handed the phone screen to Chu Yi, which showed a new Weibo post by Zhou Ai one minute ago.
[Ai Ni Ge Tou]: Drink milk tea on the beginning of autumn.
A selfie is pictured below.
In the picture, Zhou Ai is wearing a pure white short-sleeved shirt, the left cuff of which is casually rolled up, revealing his well-defined biceps. He stares at the screen with half-closed eyes and a lazy, unruly air, a few beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
Chu Yi's gaze fell on Zhou Ai's Weibo avatar again. That picture was taken by Chu Yi when he just debuted.
Haven't changed it in so many years.
Chu Yi remembers that it was his first time to catch up with someone offline, and he spent a long time mentally preparing himself. But when he saw Zhou Ai at the airport, he inexplicably raised his camera.
Zhou Ai also seemed to notice the camera and turned around suddenly to look over.
The moment their eyes met, Chu Yi pressed the shutter.
The light, the angle, and the defenseless look on the boy's face at that moment formed the starting point of his debut, which was later regarded as a "god picture" by fans.
"Second brother? You also think this profile picture is super handsome, right?" Cheng Yunshu's voice was a little proud, pulling Chu Yi back from his memories.
Chu Yi's Adam's apple rolled, and the cold wine slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the sudden bitterness that surged in his heart.
He unconsciously applied force with his fingertips, and the slender stem of the glass seemed fragile between his fingers.
"Yeah." He managed to respond, his voice a little tense.
"By the way, second brother, when did you meet Zhou Ai?"
Chu Yi paused and did not answer this time.
Cheng Yunshu didn't care and continued to talk to himself, "I saw him once. It was on Brother Yingzhi's birthday. I think Zhou Ai went there."
Chu Yi listened to Chu Yunshu quietly without expressing any opinion.
"If the young master of the Zhou family doesn't become a star, how can we mortals see him? Alas... If it were in ancient times, this would really be a world away." Cheng Yunshu spoke to himself, not noticing that Chu Yi's expression beside him was a little strange.
"Second brother?" Cheng Yunshu poked his stiff arm in confusion.
Chu Yi suddenly came back to his senses, "What's wrong?"
"Brother, are you too tired?"
Cheng Yunshu glanced at Chu Yi with some concern.
"Nothing. Just a little cold."
Only then did Cheng Yunshu notice that Chu Yi's voice was a little hoarse, and he hurriedly pushed Chu Yi to stand up, "Go inside and rest for a while, I'll call you later."
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