Chapter 46 Stepbrother
I can’t remember how many times this brat Lin Heng started a fire and then his brother Lin Yan was responsible for spreading the prairie fire.
But strangely enough, after being tortured by this "little devil" Lin Heng for so long, I have gradually adapted to his rhythm.
From the beginning, I was afraid to even breathe in front of him (mainly because I was afraid of his evil charm and amazing destructive power), but now I can actually play games with him arm in arm, watch him mix cocktails, and even let him press me on the makeup stool for "transformation"...
Even though the process is always chaotic and the results are often socially disastrous (like that photo of a "landmine goth cute thing" that was posted online), it doesn't seem that bad? Even... a little... enjoyable?
I thought this young master would stay in our house forever and continue to act as a high-wattage light bulb in the world of Lin Yan and me.
As a result, the peaceful (?) days were broken by a sudden phone call.
That afternoon, Lin Heng was slumped on the sofa, browsing his phone, with the fat otaku happy water I had just poured for him next to him.
An unfamiliar number called. He glanced at it, didn't pay attention, and picked up the phone casually. His tone was lazy and a little impatient at being interrupted: "Hello? Who is it?"
A voice came from the other end of the phone. Even through the receiver, one could tell it was a young boy. His voice was immature but carried a strange, steady magnetism: "It's me."
Lin Heng's expression changed instantly.
The laziness and casualness just now receded like the tide, replaced by a tense arrogance with obvious hostility and vigilance.
He sat up straight, his voice as cold as ice: "How the hell do you have my phone number?"
"...My dad gave it to me." The voice on the other end of the phone remained steady, without any emotion.
"How many do you want?" Lin Heng's tone was extremely unfriendly, and every word he said was poisonous.
"Dad hired a tutor for you. It's based on your results on the mock exam." The other party's answer was concise and to the point.
"So?" Lin Heng sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Come back." The voice on the other end of the phone was still calm, but these three words were like igniting a powder keg.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Lin Heng suddenly jumped up from the sofa, his voice suddenly rising, almost roaring.
"You're not qualified to manage me?! You're a bastard who came out of nowhere! Do you really think you're that great?! My dad appreciates you? Oh, that's just him being senile! You're just a dog in human skin! What are you pretending for? Wagging your tail and acting like a good boy in front of me? And acting like a decent human being in front of my dad? Damn! Just looking at you makes me sick!"
In the next few minutes, I experienced what was meant by "the essence of national culture" and the peak of personal attacks.
Lin Heng poured out the most vicious and insulting words he could think of, like pouring dirty water, from the other party's humble origin (he called him a "bastard"), to the other party's hypocritical personality ("a dog in human skin"), to the other party's "wolfish ambitions", he cursed with great enthusiasm, and every word pierced the heart.
I was so frightened that I huddled in the chair next to me, forgetting even to play the game and not daring to breathe.
This insult was too harsh! The man on the other side was his nominal stepbrother after all!
However, what shocked me even more was the reaction on the other end of the phone.
The other side seemed to have its own soundproof barrier, and those vicious curses were like hitting cotton.
When Lin Heng was out of breath from scolding, and paused for a moment, that calm and magnetic voice sounded again, its tone as calm as if discussing the weather:
"Where are you now?"
This question was extremely abrupt, and Lin Heng was obviously choked for a moment, then laughed angrily: "What the hell is it to you?!"
The other party was silent for a second, then spoke again, this time not as a question, but more as a firm confirmation: "Are you at your brother's house?"
Lin Heng subconsciously asked back: "...How do you know?" There was a hint of surprise in his tone as if his secrets had been exposed.
"...I guessed." The other party answered lightly.
Then, the voice softened a little, revealing a kind of... strange concern?
"Xiao Heng, don't stay outside for too long. It's not safe. Is your brother's side... convenient? If you need anything, tell me."
Me: “…” Damn! What kind of person is this?! He was scolded to the point of being humiliated and even cursed at his ancestors for eighteen generations, but not only was he not angry, he showed concern instead?
Why did this concern sound... so wrong? It had this sticky, goosebump-inducing persistence?
(Later, Lin Heng complained to me bitterly, saying that the way his stepbrother looked at him was like a hungry dog salivating at a bone, which made him shudder.)
Lin Heng obviously couldn't stand this kind of "gentle knife". He yelled into the phone again, "Fuck you!" and then hung up the phone angrily!
"Bang!" He threw the phone hard onto the sofa (luckily the sofa was soft).
"Fuck!!!" Lin Heng was like an enraged trapped beast, spun around in circles in the living room, and kicked the pillow next to him in a rage! The pillow flew straight towards my precious game wall!
"Don't!" I was so scared that I rushed over and narrowly stopped the pillow before it hit my limited edition figurine!
I hugged the pillow with lingering fear, watching Lin Heng still throwing cushions around and kicking the table legs as if to vent his anger. I huddled in the corner, trembling, not daring to get close. I could only scream wildly in my heart:
Lin Yan! What the hell took you so long to buy food?! Come back and take care of your brother!
However, Lin Heng, who was furious, obviously felt that throwing things was not enough to vent his anger.
He glanced around fiercely, and from somewhere (perhaps from his treasure chest-like suitcase?), he pulled out a...folding knife?!
My pupils suddenly contracted!
I saw him suddenly lift up the sleeves of his sweatshirt, revealing his white arms, with a look of self-destructive madness and anger, and he was about to cut his arm with a knife!
"Stop!" My head buzzed, and I forgot all my fear! My body was faster than my mind, and I pounced on him like an arrow from a bow! I grabbed his wrist holding the knife tightly!
"Lin Heng! Are you crazy?!" I was so scared that my voice changed. I snatched the knife from his hand and threw it away! My heart was beating wildly.
Lin Heng was restrained by me. He struggled for a while but couldn't break free. The madness seemed to have dissipated a little, and was replaced by great grievance and anger.
His eyes instantly turned red and he yelled at me: "Let me go! What the hell is it to you?!"
"If it's none of my business, who's going to care?! What do you want to do?!" I got anxious too. "Hurting yourself for a stupid thing? Is it worth it?!"
"What the hell does he have the right to control me? He's just a dog... a dog that wags its tail and begs for mercy! How dare he?!"
Lin Heng started to curse again, but his voice was already filled with tears.
He stopped struggling, his body trembled slightly, and tears fell down like a child who was bullied by the whole world.
"My dad...my dad...he doesn't care about me at all! Now he brings a dog to disgust me...why?!"
Seeing him like this, I felt angry, anxious and distressed.
After all, no matter how evil and crazy this kid is, no matter how playful and troublesome he is, he is just a child who lacks love, is rebellious, and uses aggressiveness to cover up his vulnerability.
This temper was definitely spoiled (or indulged) by his seemingly gentle but actually distant father!
I sighed and did everything I could to comfort the large, fur-ruffled canine.
Patting his back, she coaxed him clumsily, "Alright, alright, stop crying... It's not worth it for that kind of person... Even if your dad doesn't care, don't you still have your brother? And... uh, what about me, your sister-in-law? Let's just ignore him, huh? Treat him like air! He's nothing!"
I racked my brains to pour out all the words of comfort I could think of, and in my heart I cursed Lin Yan a thousand times for going to buy food.
This kid just couldn't stop crying. Finally, maybe he was tired of being scolded and crying, so he threw himself into my arms, hugged my waist and started crying loudly! He looked like an elementary school student who had suffered a great injustice!
Me: “…” Holding this crying “evil nobleman” stiffly in my arms felt more tiring than fighting ten difficult bosses alone! I’ve never coaxed someone like this in my life!
Just when I was at a loss and felt my waist was about to be broken, the savior... no, another troublemaker finally came back.
Lin Yan opened the door and walked in with the packed food, only to see this disaster scene: the living room was in a mess, pillows and cushions were scattered all over the floor, and the table was tilted.
And his "wife" was standing there with a look of despair on her face, tightly holding (or rather being tightly held by) his brother who was crying like a tearful person and sobbing from time to time...
Lin Yan: “???” His brows were instantly twisted into knots, and his eyes glanced back and forth between me and Lin Heng, finally landing on my expression that said “Help me, I’m dying!”
"What's going on?" he asked in a deep voice, putting down his food and striding over.
I quickly signaled with my eyes and mouth: Knife! Stepbrother! Tutor! Self-harm! His dad! Help me!
Lin Yan was so smart. Combining Lin Heng's phone call just now (he might have heard the end) with my miserable condition, he understood everything in an instant.
He rubbed his brows, a helpless look on his face. He walked over to Lin Heng and softened his tone, as if he were coaxing a real child: "Xiao Heng, come on, stop crying. Brother is here."
Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Heng paused in his crying, and then... he seemed to have found his backbone, suddenly let go of me, turned around and threw himself into his brother's arms! He hugged Lin Yan's waist and cried even louder!
Lin Yan: “…” He patted his brother’s back to comfort him and gave me a look that said “thank you for your hard work”.
I felt relieved and quickly took two steps back, rubbing my waist which was hurt by the squeezing. I looked at the two brothers hugging each other and held my forehead with my hands in my heart:
What kind of thing is this! A giant baby in the rebellious stage, and a brother-con in the late stage, this family feud is really enough!
While coaxing Lin Heng, Lin Yan whispered about more details.
After Lin Heng calmed down a little (mainly because he was tired of crying), Lin Yan helped him sit on the sofa, then picked up his mobile phone, walked to the balcony and called his father.
I pricked up my ears, pretending to tidy up the pillows on the floor, but actually I was eavesdropping. The content of the call was a bit unexpected.
Lin Yan: "Dad, it's me. Xiaoheng is here with me... well, he's not in a good mood... About tutoring? Have you hired a tutor for him?"
Father Lin's voice came faintly through the phone, and he seemed a little confused: "Tutor? What tutor?" He paused for a few seconds, and seemed to remember something.
"Oh... that's true. His mock exam results were terrible. He needs to be punished... Try to persuade him and get him to come back. The college entrance exam is coming up soon..."
The tone of both father and son sounded quite gentle, even with a bit of ordinary concern.
Dad Lin also asked Lin Yan about his recent situation. Lin Yan said he was doing well. Dad Lin didn't ask any further questions, but just asked him to take good care of his brother and himself. After chatting for a few words, he hung up.
Me: “…” This old man is so magnanimous! His son is already committing suicide, and he just says “give him some advice”?
I couldn't help but whisper to Lin Yan who was walking back: "Your dad is... quite generous."
My mind was racing: If this old man treated his son like this, then wouldn't he care even less about me, the daughter-in-law who had abducted his eldest son? Or was this just the calm before the storm?
Lin Yan put the phone back into his pocket, with no expression on his face. He just said lightly: "This old man has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
I asked tentatively: "Then... does he know about us?" This is what makes me most nervous.
"I know." Lin Yan answered straightforwardly. Seeing my nervous face, he reached out and rubbed my hair, saying soothingly, "Don't worry, he won't care. He can't control me." He paused and added, "I'm too lazy to care."
Me: “…” Well, the family relationship of your wealthy family is really off the charts! The main character is gentle on the surface, but alienated on the inside, and everyone plays their own game?
Later, Lin Yan and I worked together, using both coaxing and deceiving methods, and finally completely calmed down this emotionally broken young master (mainly by promising him that he would not have to go back to face that terrible stepbrother and tutor for the time being).
Lin Heng was probably tired of crying, or maybe he had vented his emotions, so he finally calmed down. With a pair of eyes swollen like peaches, he went back to the game room to sleep dejectedly.
I collapsed on the sofa, feeling drained.
I took out my phone to divert my attention, but ended up seeing Lin Heng's circle of friends and social media accounts, which, as expected, went viral.
"Fuck! Get out of here, all you idiots! I'm so fed up!" (with a middle-finger emoji)
"Stab you to death, stab you to death, stab you to death."
"I've been crying." (with a picture of tear tissues)
"Some people, don't take themselves too seriously." (No picture)
The comments section below was filled with concern and comfort:
"What's wrong, Master Heng? Who offended you?"
"Hug Hengbao! Don't be angry!"
"Thank you...Ross, please don't be angry."
"Bao Bao..."
"Ahhhh baby, don't be sad, we are all here!"
"Even when angry, he's so cute"
It seems that this kind of emotional outburst and venting of negative energy is not the first time for Lin Heng, and his fans seem to be used to it.
Seeing so many people care about him, I finally felt relieved. This guy is quite popular.
Lin Yan finished cleaning up the mess in the living room and came over to sit next to me. Seeing me staring at my phone screen, he reached out and pinched my face, saying with a hint of teasing, "Tsk, are you looking at this so seriously? You care about him more than you care about me?"
I put down my phone and patted my chest with lingering fear: "Damn! You didn't see it! The way he held the knife just now! I was scared to death! If I had been a step later..." I didn't even dare to think about the consequences.
Lin Yan held me in his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head, and said in a low and gentle voice: "Yes, I know. I scared Ruirui. My wife is the kindest."
I leaned in his arms, feeling his steady heartbeat, and my nerves, which had been tense all afternoon, finally relaxed.
Although the process was thrilling, but... I was able to prevent a tragedy in time and protect my brother who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside and was still a child at heart, which made me feel warm in my heart.
But... this wealthy family is deep-rooted and the little devils are difficult to deal with. I'm afraid there will be trouble in the days to come.
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