Chapter 101 Pseudo-Siblings (7)
Lin Langyi wants to know the truth about her father's unexpected death, but her mother and Yuan Chuyu are determined to exclude her from the matter of her father's sudden death.
This subtle conspiracy could not fool Lin Langyi. People who live together day and night, any slight abnormality is like a specimen magnified under a microscope. Lin Langyi suspected that her father's death might have been caused by her own family.
She didn't want to fight for her father's rights; she just had a gut feeling that her mother had suddenly changed her ways and was having a secret with Yuan Chuyu that she was keeping from her. This puzzled her and made her a little worried.
Wanting to know the truth, Lin Langyi turned her attention to Yuan Chuyu, who had remained silent from beginning to end—if anyone hated anyone, it was Yuan Chuyu, who hated his father the most.
Furthermore, if he truly orchestrated this, then is his mother's tacit approval merely a case of playing with fire, and could his mother and himself be next?
Lin Langyi had imagined the consequences to be very serious, but things took a 180-degree turn, turning into something she had never expected.
Yuan Chuyu seems to be expressing his intimacy with her more and more unrestrainedly and boldly, no longer even bothering to pretend to restrain himself.
She vaguely remembered that before he went abroad, he kept his distance from her and acted appropriately. Even after she broke up with Bian Shu, he remained self-disciplined and polite for a long time.
Until her father was accidentally killed.
He suddenly changed his personality as if he had been stimulated. Oh, of course, the so-called change in personality was Lin Langyi's assessment. Yuan Chuyu's behavior in public was as usual, but in front of her, he was like a rebel who tore up a peace treaty, and began to take advantage of her and cling to her side.
On the night of the vigil, when Lin Langyi woke up from her chair, she found that she had dozed off on his shoulder without realizing it.
She was also wearing a light-smelling men's jacket.
The coat was long, reaching up to half her thighs. The space under the stiff fabric was warm and comfortable, but the warmest part was her left hand, which he held tightly under the coat.
The overhead light was soft and yellowish, but Lin Langyi was still not used to it when she suddenly woke up and opened her eyes. She squinted and saw a large number of white chrysanthemums piled up in front of the memorial tablet, which were indistinct.
She closed her eyes again, paused for a moment, and then opened them again.
My mother, who was sitting opposite me, had left sometime earlier, and the seat was empty.
Lin Langyi pulled her hand out of his burning palm.
The moment he moved, Yuan Chuyu turned his head sharply. His movements were small, and his breathing was calm and even, like a smokeless candle lit in front of a photograph, silent and still.
Lin Langyi raised her head and moved her slightly sore and numb body back to its original position. Only then did she realize that his posture was not as upright and proper as usual. Instead, he was slightly hunched over and leaning towards her, his shoulders lowered towards her, maintaining a height that allowed her to comfortably lean on his shoulder. He sat still for a long time without moving.
She was so stiff from sleeping that she didn't know if he still had any feeling on one side of his body, which had been in that position for so long.
Yuan Chuyu clenched her fist slightly, her fingers curling up, but she had already completely withdrawn her hand; curling her fingers again would only leave empty air.
"Mom went to rest," Yuan Chuyu explained to her gently. "It's almost four o'clock now, there's hardly anyone around."
There was hardly anyone around, so he brazenly took her hand and let her lean on his shoulder to sleep.
The siblings had a history of leaning on each other and taking naps before. When Lin Langyi went to the Northwest for a trip, she took a long-distance bus for six or seven hours.
At that time, she acted like a rogue, grabbing his arm and forcing him to lean his shoulder closer to her, domineeringly and rudely resting her head on him, and riding the car all the way with the ups and downs.
But things seem a little different now.
Lin Langyi couldn't explain why her heart skipped a beat when she found herself sleeping with her head on his shoulder while half-asleep. When she realized that her hand was wrapped under her clothes, her first reaction was to look around. But she knew that Yuan Chuyu was definitely crazy.
Years of study abroad hadn't cleared his head, nor had the long journey and jet lag cooled his despicable heart. Lin Langyi suspected that the extended time in a foreign land had even nurtured dark and paranoid seeds within him, to the point that when the two met again, he seemed to have abandoned even the pretense of a normal facade.
She ripped off her coat, tossed it onto his lap without a second thought.
The coat slid down his legs. Yuan Chuyu didn't say anything, but simply raised his hand to press the collar to stop it from falling. Then he slowly closed his fingers, lifted the coat, straightened it, folded it up, and tucked it into the crook of his arm.
Lin Langyi glanced at the center of the mourning hall, then looked away. Her eyes flickered to her father's spirited photograph, her eyelids twitched slightly, and she looked away again.
Irritable and restless.
"Do you want to go take a nap too? It's uncomfortable sitting here." Yuan Chuyu looked at her with a deep gaze, his voice soft, like a lover's whispered words.
Lin Langyi turned her head and stared into his eyes. The room was dimly lit, and his dark pupils reflected the flickering flames, as if they were burning and spreading in the darkness, dispelling the heavy night.
After a moment of eye contact, she suddenly moved with lightning speed, grabbing his chin and roughly twisting his face toward the portrait of his father, which was surrounded by flowers.
"Where is there no one?" Lin Langyi retorted in a low voice, her tone unfriendly. "Isn't there always a pair of open eyes watching you?"
She felt his prominent Adam's apple bob and his chin tighten slightly. Thinking that he had finally felt shame and fear and wanted to avoid the portrait, she grabbed his face and pulled it upwards even harder, forcing him to face his father's photo and calm down his mind, which had been pounding like thunder these past few days.
Who knew he would suddenly loosen his grip and let her do as she pleased with her domineering movements.
Lin Langyi loosened his grip, turned his face slightly, and his warm breath fell evenly on her palm. Before she could pull her hand back, he lifted his chin and kissed her palm with his wet breath.
Lin Langyi shuddered violently as if she had been electrocuted. He even tilted his head back and followed her an inch further, licking and kissing her wrist, and even lingeringly sucking on her rapidly beating pulse.
With a crisp "smack," Lin Langyi, acting entirely on instinct, slapped him hard across the face.
Yuan Chuyu's head was turned completely to the side after being hit, his eyelids half-closed, and his long eyelashes cast an arc-shaped shadow under his eyes, making him look even more reckless and crazy.
He paused for two seconds before turning back. Bright red bumps quickly appeared on his pale skin, like a snake that had shed its scales and left mottled marks on its tender, newly grown flesh. Lin Langyi had seen this on him several times, but none of them had been as shocking as this one.
He shamelessly touched his reddened cheek and reached out to hold her hand without a care.
Lin Langyi took several steps back, pointed at the photo, and said sternly, "Don't forget that we share the same blood! The blood of our father! I think you're seriously ill to dare to be in the mourning hall..."
She stopped speaking abruptly, looking at his handsome face, unable to continue. The spot on the inside of her wrist where he had kissed her was still burning hot... If this got out, Yingyuan's stock price would probably plummet.
Yuan Chuyu remained seated, his face, which was closer to the memorial tablet, glowing with a blood-red light from the candlelight, as if he had returned to that night in the remote town, with the aftershocks of the explosion still audible.
He smiled slightly at her and asked gently, "Father? Where is my father?"
Lin Langyi was stunned for a moment, and almost immediately realized what he meant.
He quickly answered, tilting his head slightly, looking puzzled, and asked in the gentlest of tones, "Where is he now?"
Lin Langyi finally caught the unspoken meaning in his eyes, which were churning with emotions beneath the calm surface of his face.
She opened her mouth, but was still too shocked to say a word.
Once the first sentence is uttered, the rest flows like a torrent that can never be stopped.
"He is dead; he no longer exists between you and me."
“I don’t care. He is him, and you are you. I have never lumped you together.”
“I’ve already had a tubal ligation abroad, and I’ve long been prepared to never get married and have no children… So, blood ties aren’t an issue at all.” He smiled gently, the light and shadow casting a mad and chaotic pattern on his face.
"Don't drag me down if you're going crazy!" Lin Langyi was terrified by these words and exclaimed in horror, "You really dare to say such things in the mourning hall!"
“I’m not afraid to say these things in front of the memorial tablet.” Yuan Chuyu stood up and slowly walked to the portrait.
The burning candles swayed as he approached, the air currents he stirred causing their wicks to flicker with phosphorescent light.
He carefully arranged the bouquet in front of the photo, carefully removing and crushing the drooping petals, squeezing out the juice, and slowly said, "Since you've already done it, what's there to be afraid of saying?"
"Who did it with you??" Lin Langyi's mind wandered all the way to the realm of adult content.
"The reason why Deng Xiu knew about my father's itinerary was because I leaked the information."
The room fell silent instantly. Lin Langyi's previously agitated emotions seemed to have been doused with water, causing her to freeze in place and calm down completely.
Deng Xiu, a young man who had just turned twenty-two and whose household registration only had one page, stabbed his father multiple times on the terraced fields. When he was arrested, the reason given was that his first love had been kept as a mistress.
After the incident, Lin Langyi learned that her father had been dishonest all these years.
Just like the many collectibles in the family, the father was dedicated to piecing together a puzzle in women as well. Facial features, temperament, voice—as long as there was even a slight resemblance, it would immediately trigger memories.
It's disgusting.
Lin Langyi could actually guess a clue from her mother's occasional absent-mindedness. She was completely certain that after her father's death, her mother, who had always been particular about health, came home late one night but was covered in the smell of alcohol and lay on the sofa, looking dazed and melancholy, trying to sober up.
That night, while wiping her mother's face, she overheard some fragmented murmurs.
If the mother's motive for hitting him can be attributed to a broken heart, then what about Yuan Chuyu? Was it because he harbored resentment for a long time, because his father's philandering ways were tantamount to slapping someone in the face?
Deng Xiu's statement never implicated Yuan Chuyu. He probably had no idea who gave him the information. Perhaps he just thought that God had eyes and that lovers were destined to meet again, even if they ran to the ends of the earth.
Lin Langyi couldn't understand how Yuan Chuyu dared to say something that was tantamount to self-destruction in front of her, even though any normal person would have kept quiet in this situation.
What did he think her first reaction would be after hearing such words?
For her, the biggest impact of her father's sudden and unexpected death was the restless thoughts of Yingyuan's stakeholders.
According to the information she received, some shareholders who were on good terms with her father during his lifetime were in private contact with each other and their attitude towards her mother was not very respectful.
In such a precarious moment, she would only be more cautious.
Lin Langyi's gaze locked onto the man who had his back to her. She reached into her pocket, fumbled for her phone, and after fiddling with it for five or six seconds, started the recording.
She composed herself and asked, "What do you mean?"
Yuan Chuyu was still fiddling with the white chrysanthemums. The candlelight cast his shadow diagonally to the ground. After several years, he had shed the thinness that was somewhere between a boy and a man. He had broad shoulders and a sharp body line. It was hard to ignore his long, straight legs when he stood in front of him. Even now, without his neat and solemn suit, he still exuded a dignified aura.
Lin Langyi's finger hovered over the screen, still fishing for attention: "Speak."
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, initially because of my mother,” he paused, and Lin Langyi naturally knew who he was referring to.
"Later, I realized that I could ignore the presence of our father between you and me, but you definitely couldn't."
"I told you, don't drag me into your madness! This has nothing to do with me." Lin Langyi repeated, her tone sounding calm, but her mind was buzzing from his absurd motive.
Did he think that just because her father was dead, she would consider being with him forever?
Did he think that once her father turned to dust, she would forget the blood flowing through her veins?
He's deceiving himself to this extent, what is he thinking?
“It’s related.” Yuan Chuyu finally turned around. He placed one hand on the top edge of the photo frame, hooked his fingertip, and without any reverence, pressed the portrait face down onto the table. The white flowers that had been painstakingly arranged around it fell down like dominoes.
"Deng Xiu's first love, Miss Qi, is trying to conceive."
Lin Langyi blinked slowly, her face turning completely cold.
From a young age, she and Yuan Chuyu were taught in their family to be chaste and self-disciplined. It wasn't that they couldn't date, but they had to strictly use contraception.
This is the most realistic problem for every prominent family. If an investment fails, the loss is at most the initial investment of a company. But if a child is accidentally born, the legal provisions that illegitimate children have equal inheritance rights mean that the amount taken away is not just a few coins.
Lin Langyi strictly adhered to the rules, and Yuan Chuyu has remained single ever since, but unexpectedly, the most reckless person was his seemingly respectable father.
At this moment, it's really hard not to feel self-loathing and disgusted by the fact that I have half of my father's blood in my veins.
She finally understood why her mother had been determined to solve the problem at its root.
To give birth to him, his mother suffered a lot, and even when hope was slim, she swallowed her grievances and adopted Yuan Chuyu—the son of a rival in love.
She gave her heart to the wrong person when she was young, and now that her children are of marriageable age, her husband is still plotting to have another child with an 18 or 19-year-old girl. No wonder the mother decided to go all out and get promoted, make money, and have her husband die.
The recording continued. Lin Langyi frowned, her mind racing. She didn't want the audio to be too biased towards her mother.
She said, "Making false accusations without any basis is a legal offense."
Yuan Chuyu looked at her and smiled: "I am confessing."
“I was the one who confronted my mother about my father’s affair. I was the one who found Deng Xiu, and I was the one who passed on the information. I was the one in charge of everything. My mother was just going on a normal autumn outing with my father.” His gaze calmly slid over her hands, which were hidden in her pocket, and he took out his phone and pressed the record button in front of her.
Then he recounted the whole story again.
He even added at the very beginning that he "was not deceived, threatened, or bribed."
He sent the entire statement to her phone. With a "ding," the screen lit up through her pocket. Lin Langyi didn't cover the light; she stood there, completely unaware of what was happening.
Yuan Chuyu casually put the phone back: "I also gave my mother a copy of this video. I just wanted to prove that I'm on your side."
“My mother never hated your mother when she was alive. She only ever hated my father, and so did I… As for you,” he turned his head helplessly, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, “I… I have no way to deal with you.”
“I know we can’t really be together, and I know that sooner or later my family will find out what I’m really thinking. I’m giving you this video to tell you that I’ll always be in your hands and I can never escape your clutches.”
Lin Langyi remained silent for a very long time.
Her phone was recording continuously, and it was starting to get slightly warm inside her pocket. She never took her hands out of her pocket, and this independent posture with her hands in her pockets looked somewhat distant.
His face really suited her aesthetic. Lin Langyi had to admit that even though she had seen him since she was a child, he was a very handsome face. If he weren't her brother, she would be happy to try dating someone with such superior looks.
What's more, he has a great physique that looks good whether he's dressed or undressed, a smart mind, a gentle and refined personality, and he's also very good at taking care of people and can handle everything perfectly...
She knew all of this and had lived with her as her younger sister for so many years.
And now, his act of exposing his fatal wound and voluntarily handing her the gun as a solemn promise.
Lin Langyi took the gun, but said, "I want to live a normal life. I haven't strayed to this extent."
She saw him smile, standing amidst a sea of white bouquets, his face slightly pale, as if he were the one who had died.
But his smile was genuine, like the pale yellow center of a white chrysanthemum, radiating a faint vitality.
Lin Langyi knew what he was happy about. He was happy that she used the eternal chasm of their sibling relationship to avoid him, instead of rejecting him with "not loving" or "not liking" him.
"I didn't prevent you from living a normal life." As he said this, his pupils went unfocused for a moment, as if he were recalling something.
Lin Langyi paused for a moment, and then forcefully turned her head away after realizing what was happening.
Sometimes she really hated this inexplicable telepathy. She also remembered when she first brought Bian Shu home, Yuan Chuyu said in a daze, "I didn't mean to stop you from dating."
“You can date, get married, have children normally…” he continued, his voice trembling, like a rootless, drifting duckweed, “But don’t ignore me. Give me a little something now and then, just a little something as an older brother, and I can continue to play this role.”
"Really? I'm dating Xi Zhiyue, and we might consider getting married later."
He choked slightly, his brow bone lifted slightly, and the corners of his eyes also turned upwards, like a snake raising its tail to scare off an attack.
But he quickly suppressed that feeling, and when he looked up again, the terrifying urge to bite someone's throat had vanished without a trace. He whispered, "You don't like him anyway."
Seeing that Lin Langyi remained silent, he seemed unperturbed by his weak and feeble rebuttal, and repeated himself as if performing a monologue: "You don't like him."
It's like casting a curse.
Lin Langyi didn't say anything more to refuse. Her mind was a little dizzy, or perhaps his current humble and pleading manner was just too attractive, so much so that she didn't use any of her remaining sharp words to pierce him.
She repeated only once: "I want to live a normal life."
*
The funeral was held in a grand manner. In front of outsiders, the mother, wearing a black veil, wept uncontrollably, while Lin Langyi and Yuan Chuyu stood behind her, helping to manage the situation.
Those close friends and relatives who had been close to her father during his lifetime also expressed their great sorrow after his death, and each of them made sure to make their presence felt in front of Lin Langyi.
As for who will ultimately control Yingyuan, the personnel changes over the years have already revealed a clear and undeniable trend.
Xi Ying also came with her children to pay their respects, while Xi Zhiyue, dressed in a black suit, stood in front of Lin Langyi.
"Please accept my condolences!" he said.
Lin Langyi noticed small, burn-in holes on his sleeve, like tiny sesame seeds.
Xi Zhiyue followed her gaze to his sleeve and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
He had just lit a few incense sticks in front of the portrait when he glanced at her while inserting them at an angle. As a result, some ash, still mixed with sparks, accidentally fell onto the back of his hand, burning him. In his haste, the ash also burned his clothes, leaving several small holes.
"Thank you." Lin Langyi nodded in acknowledgment, and as usual, asked with concern, "Did you burn your hand?"
"No." Xi Zhiyue took a step forward and handed over the black umbrella in his hand, his attitude friendly. "I can hold the umbrella for you later."
Before the umbrella could be handed to her, it was blocked by another long-handled black umbrella that suddenly appeared from the side.
With a deft flick of the umbrella tip, Xi Zhiyue instinctively tightened his grip on the handle, preventing the umbrella from falling to the ground.
Yuan Chuyu calmly opened the black umbrella in his hand and held it above his head. It was a large umbrella, enough to completely cover the two of them.
Lin Langyi glanced at him sideways, her expression somewhat subtle, seemingly both annoyed and warning.
What is the warning?
Xi Zhiyue closed his umbrella without giving it much thought. He smiled at Yuan Chuyu and stepped aside to watch the funeral proceedings being carried out meticulously.
Yuan Chuyu and Lin Langyi rode together under an umbrella. The black suits they wore were from the same custom-made collection. Her hair accessory was the same color as his tie. When they stood together, the synchronized aura they exuded in every move spoke volumes about how they had been immersed in the same education since childhood and possessed an absolute understanding.
Xi Zhiyue overheard the whispers in the crowd, which were nothing more than quiet comments about how lucky Yingyuan Group was. Not only were its successors and children all successful, but they were also united and loyal. He heard that they would soon be forming a marriage alliance with the Xi family, truly a powerful alliance.
Xi Zhiyue couldn't help but smile.
His relationship with Lin Langyi had been progressing steadily, which was something both families were happy to facilitate. He was indeed attracted to Lin Langyi's strong personality, and he felt that life together would be quite enjoyable.
He received a Western education from a young age and is not demanding about marriage. It is normal for him to have three or four marriages in his life, and it is also normal for him to never get married.
Before meeting Lin Langyi, he believed that it was important to be selective and not to be trapped in the "grave" of marriage; after meeting her, he felt that people should be brave enough to try new things.
Although he remained cautious about marriage, he believed Lin Langyi was an incredibly free-spirited and open-minded person, and being with her could be seen as a bold experiment. He now had a reckless impulse, even if it ultimately became a marriage, Lin Langyi seemed to be the type to part amicably and not leave behind a mess.
To everyone's delight, Lin Langyi seemed quite satisfied with him. Although her father had been killed unexpectedly, the good news between the two families was not affected in the slightest; on the contrary, it accelerated the process.
Especially Lin Langyi's attitude. Previously, she always seemed to be "just going through the motions" and not very proactive, but in the past few days, she has suddenly changed her nature and started to send him messages on her own initiative.
Xi Zhiyue knew, of course, that Lin Langyi was acting out of various practical considerations; strictly speaking, he was too.
She finalized the prenuptial agreement with him while she was still wearing black mourning clothes. This clear-cut approach would have been unpleasant for others, but his family and Yingyuan were well-matched, and neither of them had any intention of taking advantage of the other. It was a win-win situation, so this "upfront" approach seemed straightforward and easy to accept.
Xi Zhiyue felt that such a perfect match would surely receive blessings from all the relatives and friends who cared about both sides. Yuan Chuyu was a well-known sister-obsessed man, so devoted that he would focus all his efforts on the overseas market to avoid suspicion, without having the slightest intention of competing with Lin Langyi for Yingyuan... As the saying goes, love is where money is, and with such awareness, he would definitely also offer advice for his sister's happiness.
This seemingly reasonable guess was confirmed on every subsequent date.
Yuan Chuyu, isn't he a little too doting on his sister?!
Every time he returned home after a date, no matter how early or late, Yuan Chuyu would wait for Lin Langyi at the door. It was just a few steps, but he would personally watch the car headlights turn and shine on her before welcoming her inside.
After a while, Xi Zhiyue always had a strange feeling that he was an old father, solemnly and reluctantly entrusting his beloved daughter to the groom before she went on stage at the wedding.
If Lin Langyi got home late, Yuan Chuyu would send her a message to ask how she was doing. His tone wasn't urging her, but rather sending her some late-night snacks and telling her to be careful not to burn herself since they were warm in the pot.
Occasionally, when they go on business trips or travel together, Yuan Chuyu will personally take his sister to the agreed meeting place. Yuan Chuyu always refuses to let others do this basic task that could be done by the driver.
Xi Zhiyue offered to pick him up, but Yuan Chuyu always politely said things like "No need to trouble yourself," "It's on my way," and "Save time," to the point of being distant.
Perhaps it was because Yuan Chuyu was like that by nature, Xi Zhiyue speculated. His high standards at work affected his life, and since Yuan Chuyu didn't have a girlfriend yet, that's why he kept such a close eye on Lin Langyi.
When he said this, half questioning and half joking, Lin Langyi nodded in full agreement, while Yuan Chuyu gave him a forced smile and said ten words:
"What a coincidence, I'm also a non-marriage advocate."
Xi Zhiyue was taken aback. He knew that Yuan Chuyu was implying that his previous advocacy of not getting married was nonsense, but he also sensed a subtle emotion in this inexplicably sarcastic tone.
It sounds like there's some dissatisfaction.
Why?
Xi Zhiyue thought that in Yuan Chuyu's eyes, who was in the late stage of being a sister-obsessed man, no god in heaven or earth was good enough for his sister, which was why he was so picky and critical of her.
Xi Zhiyue didn't bring up this minor conflict to complain to Lin Langyi, because compared to Yuan Chuyu, her personality was just too good.
Lin Langyi is the kind of person who is meticulous when it comes to serious matters, but unrestrained and carefree when it comes to playing and relaxing. The more Xi Zhiyue spends with her, the more interesting he finds her. Even if the two of them break up in the future, they can definitely remain friends.
So he always spoke his mind to her.
Once, the two happened to meet in front of a high-end hotel that was a landmark building. When Xi Zhiyue got out of the car, he went up to greet him. As usual, he nodded and said a brief goodbye to Yuan Chuyu. When he saw that Yuan Chuyu was obviously absent-minded, he carelessly asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"
In return, he received a gloomy and unsettling look from the other party.
Xi Zhiyue felt wronged and turned to ask Lin Langyi. She frowned and said sarcastically, "I told him not to send it, but he insisted on sending it anyway. He was unhappy after sending it. Didn't he ask for this?"
After saying that, Lin Langyi pulled him into the hotel.
The restaurant was a buffet on the first floor of the hotel, where the lobsters were fresh, large, and unlimited. Lin Lang had been craving them for a long time, so he made an appointment to come here.
The moment Xi Zhiyue stepped into the hotel, she instinctively turned her head and glanced at the parking lot. Sure enough, she saw the black Bentley still parked there, the passenger window wide open, and the man in the driver's seat sitting motionless with his head slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
Xi Zhiyue looked away and joked, "If it weren't for your brother, the way he was angry just now would have made me think a husband was taking his wife to a hotel to meet his lover."
Lin Langyi went straight to the reserved seat, put down her bag, opened the menu and quickly checked off items. After finishing one round, she handed the menu to him and continued the conversation: "Isn't that right?"
She was so calm that she could even joke around nonchalantly, and Xi Zhiyue didn't notice anything amiss.
His relationship with Lin Langyi continued to develop steadily in a positive direction, meeting the parents, setting a date, getting engaged...
Everything is progressing smoothly, and the minor hiccups in between are negligible:
For example, Yuan Chuyu gave Lin Langyi two houses and shares in a foreign company;
For example, during a social gathering, Lin Langyi heard that Yuan Chuyu seemed to have a fever because of his continuous business trips, so she ended the dinner early and went back to bring him medicine.
For example, when the two families were eating, Lin Langyi would occasionally habitually remove the carrots that were mistakenly attached to the vegetables. After absentmindedly moving her chopsticks a few inches to the left, she would suddenly realize her mistake and quickly put the carrots back into her bowl.
For example, on her birthday, everyone teased her by opening all the gifts and letting Lin Langyi choose her favorite. Lin Langyi, wearing a birthday hat, sat in front of the table full of gifts and answered with a smug look, like a dragon that had collected a lot of gems and gold coins: "I would definitely like the most expensive ones the most."
All of them were her close friends, and their main goal was to stir up trouble and set traps for her to "offend" people. No matter how much she begged for forgiveness, they insisted on making her choose.
Lin Langyi hesitated for a long time between the two necklaces, unable to make a decision.
Xi Zhiyue is also present, so choosing a gift from him would be more appropriate for this occasion.
When Lin Langyi was asked what gift she wanted, she mentioned that she wanted a necklace to match her newly received strapless haute couture dress. He had already given her the answer, so he could just copy it.
But in front of me were two necklaces, which were quite expensive.
Lin Langyi spent a long time choosing, but she still couldn't figure out which necklace Xi Zhiyue had given her. In the end, she could only follow her heart and choose a necklace that matched her dress better.
She showed Xi Zhiyue a picture of the dress as soon as she got it. Apart from him, probably no one else knew that she bought the necklace to match the dress.
Lin Langyi thought about it and it made more and more sense. Full of confidence, she raised it up to show the whole audience: "I like this necklace the most."
Yuan Fei was the first to glance at Yuan Chuyu.
Lin Langyi caught this signal, and her confident smile froze, her raised hand gradually losing its confidence.
Zhuang Lan slammed her hand on the table: "Fine, you deliberately chose the gift your brother gave you, so you think you can treat everyone equally and not offend anyone, right?"
Why did she choose the gift from Yuan Chuyu out of all those gifts?
That's absurd.
Lin Langyi's hand was still suspended in the air, the dazzling necklace hanging in front of her swaying gently, like an ancient pendulum clock striking her heart rhythmically, making her heart beat faster.
She stared blankly at Yuan Chuyu, who was standing on the outer circle.
It must have been because, in such a large gathering of distinguished guests, under the intense gaze of everyone present, the feeling of having nowhere to escape the complete exposure of her secret to the light of day made her panic.
Yuan Chuyu stayed quietly far enough away from her, and the entire birthday party went unnoticed. Even now, when it should have been his turn to be the center of attention, he only said something understated:
"Happy birthday, Zhuzhu."
It was just an ordinary sentence, but his eyes were so gentle, so tender that it felt like they could drown you in the sea.
Lin Langyi used all her willpower to strictly control every reaction, nodded, and smiled, saying, "Thank you, brother."
“In the end, siblings understand each other best. No matter how hard you try, you can’t compare to your own brother.” Xi Zhiyue said, half annoyed and half jealous. “You were looking at my necklace for so long just now. I thought… my heart was really being tossed around by you.”
"Then I'll give you a chance." Lin Langyi calmed down, gently placed the one-in-a-million necklace back on the table, and then pointed to the remaining one, "Help me put it on."
A chorus of cheers erupted around her. Lin Langyi tossed her long hair aside, bent her neck, and stared unfocusedly at the table. The necklace felt slightly cool to the touch, and the pendant swayed against her chest like a wildly beating heart.
In a daze, she recalled how Yuan Chuyu had helped her put on jewelry many times. Every time she ran to his room with a necklace that was tangled and knotted because it hadn't been properly stored, he would sigh, put down what he was doing, and patiently untangle it for her under the light of the lamp.
She would usually sit on the edge of his bed, swinging her legs to supervise, and only after he beckoned to her would she turn around and half-squat in front of him, letting him put it on for her.
Thinking back, the necklace was always warm each time.
Lin Langyi had thought it was because he had warmed the necklace when he untangled the chain, but now she remembered that there were times when he had helped out temporarily, and even then, the necklace would not feel cold against her skin.
It seemed that he would carefully warm the cloth in his hands before putting it around her neck and putting it on her.
"Alright." Xi Zhiyue patted her shoulder lightly.
Lin Langyi suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, turned her face to give him a bright smile, and then glanced casually in a certain direction when she turned back.
The jeering crowd blocked that corner, and she couldn't see him.
*
On the wedding day, not many people came to the manor to pick up the bride. Lin Langyi and Xi Zhiyue only invited close relatives and friends. Other guests were invited to the wedding banquet at the hotel in Jinsha Mansion that evening.
Both sets of parents wanted the event to be more grand and impressive, but Xi Zhiyue ignored all opinions and took all the blame upon himself.
He spoke eloquently about the procedures of a Western-style wedding, for which he received a lot of criticism.
Lin Langyi knew he was advocating for her, because she had gone on four business trips intermittently while preparing for the wedding, and Xi Zhiyue had finalized almost all the procedures and details. Perhaps it was this "careless" behavior that gave him a slight signal, so he keenly sensed that she did not want to invite too many irrelevant people to the wedding procession.
"I used to think I was carefree, but I didn't expect you to be even more carefree than me." He wasn't angry; he remained as good-natured as a thornless flower, standing on her side. "Okay, these are all small things. Don't worry, I'm here. I used to swear I would never get married, and my parents were already furious about it. Now that I can get married, they're overjoyed. They won't really interfere. I can just say 'It's troublesome, I'm not getting married,' and what can they do but listen to me?"
Lin Lang thought that if the elders knew that the two of them had held a banquet first and then registered their marriage, and that the registration date was still on their to-do list with no end in sight, they would probably be angry again.
Xi Zhiyue is a considerate person. Because she hesitated for a dozen seconds when he proposed, he understood and never brought up the matter of getting a marriage certificate again. The marriage was the result of the active promotion by both families.
He would always take the blame upon himself, without adding any burden or trouble to her. He said, "Having been influenced by what I've seen and heard, I really think that the Western model of living together for life without getting married is quite good. It sends a strong signal to the outside world, and internally, it makes no difference whether the two people are in love or not. If they really want to separate, this model can also make the separation clean and neat."
Lin Langyi believed the truth of his words, "If we are together, our future life will definitely be happy and fulfilling." Although true feelings can change in an instant and vows of eternal love are just myths, at least from the time they met until now, she had to admit that Xi Zhiyue was very suitable for her.
From any perspective, this is a marriage that can be considered a model of good fortune, a union of equals, where everyone is satisfied. Furthermore, Xi Zhiyue's character and personality are perfectly suited for a long and fulfilling life.
Everything seemed like a standard answer; if it were a test, Lin Langyi could write down the answer without hesitation.
But she didn't know why she had lost her tongue during that grand proposal ceremony, going blank for more than ten seconds, which made the atmosphere that should have been pushing the scene to a climax freeze up vertically like a kite with a broken string. If Xi Zhiyue hadn't spoken up in time to recall the past and save the awkward silence, she probably wouldn't have been able to gather her thoughts and nod and say "yes".
In those ten seconds, she really didn't think about anything, or rather, she didn't have time to think about anything. Her five senses were all empty, as if she were detached from the entire magnificent proposal hall, calmly watching everything from the perspective of an outsider.
It's strange. She always thought she had feelings for Xi Zhiyue, so how could this be?
Lin Langyi didn't dwell on this unsolved mystery. She threw herself into her busy work, and the compressed time filled her brain, so she didn't have the energy to think about such strange things.
The entire wedding process was standardized. Lin Langyi's makeup artist was a recognized expert in the industry and very responsible. She was invited to try out makeup several times, but after Lin Langyi spent more than two hours trying it out, she never went back to make any changes. The wedding dresses were indeed custom-made to order. Originally, four dresses were chosen. Her mother thought all of them were beautiful and wanted to have all four looks done, but Lin Langyi rejected this on the grounds that changing looks at the wedding banquet would take too much time. In the end, only two dresses were kept.
Even though everything was done as simply and easily as possible, Lin Langyi was still incredibly busy on her wedding day. From the moment she got up at five o'clock to do her makeup, she was surrounded by all sorts of people. She would raise her hand when asked to raise it, and turn around when asked to turn around, cooperating like a matryoshka doll.
It wasn't until the tea ceremony that a slight ripple of emotion truly stirred within her.
After his father passed away, his mother sat upright in the center. It was rare to see Xi Zhiyue so nervous that he stuttered. The lines he had memorized were read out as a dry, awkward, and comically broken monologue. Everyone around him laughed, but his mother wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
A wave of indescribable sadness washed over Lin Langyi. In that instant, she thought how wonderful it would be if people could stay at home and by their mother's side for the rest of their lives.
She awkwardly tried to comfort her: "Mom, we can see each other for eight hours during the day while we're at work. If we have to work overtime, then there's no way we can see each other."
Laughter and noise started again around me.
She continued, "And the house my brother bought for us is so close to home, I can go there every day—"
When Yuan Chuyu was mentioned, she subconsciously turned her head to search for him in the crowd. She hadn't realized that she hadn't seen him all morning until his name was mentioned.
Unfortunately, the crowd in the hall was too dense, just like the time she couldn't see him when he was completely overwhelmed at the birthday party. This time, she still couldn't find him.
Lin Langyi finally saw Yuan Chuyu when it was time to leave.
He was dressed impeccably, just as he would for any banquet or shareholders' meeting. This suit was the one he accompanied her to the tailor shop when she flew to Savile Row to try on her wedding dress. It was a deep, dark suit without any subtle patterns, and it had a kind of wooden, lifeless look to it.
She had been to Savile Row with him so many times since they were children, but this was the first time she had seen him wear such a lifeless outfit. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just made him look dull and lifeless.
He looked dejected, with dark circles under his eyes and slightly puffy eyelids. Lin Langyi found it hard to find an excuse to say that he might have drunk too much water before going to bed last night, because she saw that there was still a pale redness at the corners of his eyes, which looked like he had shed tears.
"When my sister gets married, her brother has to carry her from the gate to the main wedding car."
It remains a standardized process.
He turned his back to her in a standard manner, squatted down in front of her, picked her up on his back in a standard manner, and walked steadily out step by step along the predetermined route in a standard manner.
Lin Langyi lay on his back, her heavy tuxedo hanging down, but Yuan Chuyu walked steadily, his arms wrapped around her back to support her legs, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder, hook her arms around his neck, and rest her chin on his straight, broad shoulders.
The jewelry on her head jingled and swayed in small arcs, but he didn't make her bounce at all.
"Huge...bang."
Festive firecrackers shot into the sky one after another, their resounding sounds seemingly right beside us, and the earth seemed to tremble when they exploded.
Lin Langyi jolted and instinctively tried to cover her ears, but with both arms wrapped around Yuan Chuyu's neck, she had no choice but to awkwardly bend her elbows to try and block her ears.
He withdrew one of his hands from her lap, and the moment the firecrackers went off, he twisted his wrist to support her head, covering her ears completely to block out the loud noise.
After that explosion, she developed a physical fear of sudden loud noises, like thunder, firecrackers, or the fluffy, hot popcorn popped from an old-fashioned hand-cranked cast iron can occasionally be found on the roadside.
Yuan Chuyu knew, which was strange. How could he know everything?
Lin Langyi nestled in the crook of his neck, her cheek pressed tightly against his, and he didn't let go of his hand that was covering her ears all the way to the main wedding car.
Yuan Chuyu put her in the car, and Lin Langyi looked up at him. She saw that his eyes were starting to well up with tears again.
But he simply bent down, gently moved his fingers to clear the tassels that had been tangled together on the side of her head, then touched the hair that had been clinging to him when she was dodging the firecrackers with the back of his hand, and said softly and hoarsely:
"very beautiful."
"Extremely beautiful."
The car door closed, shutting out the deafening sound of firecrackers, as if shrouded in a layer of fog.
It's a stable, standard life.
"I'm not preventing you from living a normal life."
"I just..."
Lin Langyi touched the tassels at his temples. The beads he touched were still warm, just like the way he always untangled the chains that had become knotted together for her.
She touched it for a long time before slowly moving her hand to cover her sore and swollen eyes. The car drove away, but she remained motionless in that position.
She thought she was just a little homesick.
...
Back at the mansion, the main force followed the bride and left in grand style, leaving only a few people behind to do some cleanup work. After a short rest, they went directly to the hotel where the wedding banquet would be held that evening to continue the battle.
Xiao Pucheng also stayed here, planning to have a simple meal with the woman's relatives before going to the hotel with Yuan Chuyu later.
But he couldn't find Yuan Chuyu anywhere he looked.
After wandering around the relatively empty and desolate mansion for half a day, Xiao Pucheng finally found him on the turning platform between the second and third floors on the south side.
Yuan Chuyu sat sideways on the top step of the third floor, his long legs bent over the two steps below, with a meal spread out on his knees.
Hey, Xiao Pucheng gritted his teeth. This kid came here to eat without saying a word. I even went all over the world to find people to invite him to eat with me.
As soon as he took a step forward, his gaze shifting from the back to the side, Xiao Pucheng saw Yuan Chuyu pick up his chopsticks, take a small bite of white rice, and put it in his mouth.
It was a whole box of white rice. This guy was dumbfounded; he only took the rice and not the side dishes.
Xiao Pucheng found it funny and was about to say something to remind him when he suddenly saw something flash across Yuan Chuyu's face and fall into the lunchbox.
His smile froze, and he stood there motionless.
Yuan Chuyu sat on the "One Step, One Happiness" carpet, facing Lin Langyi's room on the third floor, looking at the red and pink balloons interspersed along the corridor and the delicate waterfall flowers on the stair railing.
As he watched, he picked up his lunchbox and ate bite by bite, his tears silently dripping into his food.
She ate white rice until she cried without any expression.
Xiao Pucheng didn't say anything, but quietly took a few steps back, turned around and went downstairs.
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