Chapter 103 Pseudo-Siblings (The End)
It rains a lot at night in T City. When Lin Langyi returned to the hotel after finishing the banquet for the second half of the summit, the rain that had been drizzling since evening had become even heavier.
She and Xi Zhiyue came to the event together, and the organizers thoughtfully booked a suite for them, which was originally a convenient thing. However, when she heard on the phone that Yuan Chuyu was coming, this matter became a test of her mental strength.
What tested her mental fortitude even more was that, just before this, Xi Zhiyue had said a few inexplicable things to her about Yuan Chuyu, and even now, Lin Langyi was still unsure whether he had stumbled upon it by accident or had some prior knowledge of it.
He came home early that day, saying he wanted to show her his cooking skills. When Lin Langyi arrived as promised, the dining table was adorned with a variety of mouthwatering dishes.
After trying them all, Lin Langyi gave them extremely high praise.
A candlelight dinner like this would take half an afternoon to prepare, and Lin Langyi felt she had to give it plenty of emotional value because of the thoughtfulness behind it.
The ivory-white candles melted, leaving uneven wax drips. Amidst the dazzling lights, Xi Zhiyue abruptly asked a question: "Compared to your brother, who cooks better?"
Lin Langyi gave the only correct answer under the current circumstances, saying decisively, "You're delicious."
Another tear of candlelight slowly trickled down the pillar, slower and slower, until it finally solidified into the shape of a winding vein.
Xi Zhiyue said, "Then let's eat at Mom's house less often from now on, and I'll cook for you every day, okay?"
Lin Langyi was stunned for a moment. The candle wick flickered and made a crackling sound. The flickering flame cast his shadow on the ground, and she seemed to see a mottled shadow on his face.
"Isn't it tiring to cook every day? You're busy too, so it's more convenient to go home together and eat Aunt Qiu's hot meals."
"Do you want to try Aunt Qiu's cooking, or would you like to have dinner with someone?"
Xi Zhiyue's tone was off, as if there was a lump of ash stuck in his lungs, and he needed to breathe hard to continue speaking.
He said, "Wouldn't it be nice to have dinner with me?"
Lin Langyi slowly sat up straight, put down her chopsticks, and glanced at the red wine in his glass... This shouldn't be the case; such a small amount of wine shouldn't elicit such strange remarks.
She asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Xi Zhiyue lowered his head, picked up the handkerchief, and rubbed it back and forth several times with a force that almost chafed his skin, until the entire handkerchief was crumpled into a ball before putting it down.
Putting down the handkerchief seemed to release all the energy in his body, and his tone immediately dropped: "I drank too much, I'm sorry, don't mind it."
"Is there a problem at work?" Lin Langyi had never seen Xi Zhiyue, who was usually good-tempered, say such obviously sarcastic things.
But Xi Zhiyue's mood was still not quite right. He lowered his head and stared intently at the square handkerchief in front of him. After a long while, he asked, "Can you have a fight with me?"
"ah?"
"Anything is fine, let's have a fight, okay?"
What's wrong with you?
"Can't you treat me like your brother and have a fight with me without any reservations, just like you would with him?"
Lin Langyi's expression finally changed slightly after Yuan Chuyu was mentioned twice.
A flurry of guesses flashed through her mind. She never hesitated to prepare for the worst when faced with unexpected situations, but the more she faced such situations, the calmer and more composed she became.
It's impossible for her to know anything. Strictly speaking, what happened between her and Yuan Chuyu?
There was nothing there.
"Why would I argue with you?" Lin Langyi tilted her head, picked up a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and said casually, "You didn't make me angry."
Xi Zhiyue moved his arm, and in the process, he accidentally knocked over the chopsticks, which rolled to the side of the candlestick before stopping.
He spoke slowly: "So, if I wanted you to take off those seashell bead earrings, would you be angry?"
Lin Langyi paused for a moment... These were a pair of priceless earrings that Yuan Chuyu had just bought from abroad. When he bid at the auction, he made a gesture of lighting a sky lantern, and after winning the bid, he gave them to her directly.
Because the conch pearl earrings were of excellent quality, even though Yuan Chuyu had expressed his willingness to go all out with any price increase when they were first displayed, there were still people who liked them and made several bids, so the final transaction price was very high.
Yuan Chuyu gave her these earrings for no reason, not on any holiday, birthday, or anniversary. He just saw these earrings and thought they suited her and that she would definitely like them, so he took the picture.
Lin Langyi really liked it. That day, the family was having dinner at the old house. At the dinner table, Yuan Chuyu casually mentioned that she should go to her dressing table to open a small brocade box. She was intrigued and went upstairs to open the gift halfway through the meal.
Her joyful cheers probably reached the first floor, and her mother asked her a few questions downstairs. Lin Langyi then ran downstairs with the brocade box in her arms, and jumped down the last two steps in one go. She rushed behind Yuan Chuyu, hooked her arm around his neck, and shouted loudly, "Brother, I love you so much!!"
Yuan Chuyu sat motionless in his chair, calmly picking out fish bones. He patted her arm that was wrapped around his neck and said, "Yes, I love you too. Let's eat first."
It seems that after that... after dinner, they went for a walk to digest their food, came back and sat on the sofa to watch TV together for a while. In the end, until she said goodbye to her mother, Xi Zhiyue didn't say more than a few words.
These past few days have been the same, but he's a gentle and mild-mannered man. As he gradually returned to normal from that night's silence, Lin Langyi didn't notice his process of healing on his own.
This morning, her mother asked her if she would be coming home for dinner. At that time, she was on speakerphone and refilling her coffee. Before she could say yes as usual, Xi Zhiyue preemptively refused for her.
Then came the candlelight dinner that evening.
Lin Langyi felt as if she had stepped into a trap set with animal snares. Although she couldn't see the injuries clearly, the pain in her foot gave her a vague idea of what was going on.
She didn't say anything.
She was waiting for Xi Zhiyue's next words, or for his outburst of emotion.
She had no intention of retracting her leg, which had stepped into the animal trap, unless he insisted on making a scene today, pushing the situation to an irreversible point.
Otherwise, she could only assume he was testing her, and she wouldn't do anything to throw herself into a panic.
Fortunately, after a long, deathly silence, Xi Zhiyue took a few deep breaths, picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and drank the remaining red wine in one gulp.
When he put down the cup, his movements were a little unsteady, and he used too much force, causing the chopsticks to jump slightly, and two drops of wax to drip from the candlestick, like tears.
"It's nothing," he forced a smile. "I just made up an excuse. I did run into a few tough guys in business today, so I'm not in a good mood."
Lin Langyi didn't bring it up again, but just nodded and comforted her, "Get some rest early, everything will be alright."
...
After that candlelight dinner that felt like a trap, Xi Zhiyue did not distance himself from her. They continued to live together and attend various events together as usual. This summit originally conflicted with another business negotiation meeting of his, but Xi Zhiyue still chose to appear with her.
Under these circumstances, meeting privately with Yuan Chuyu, who had flown all the way here specifically to see her, was not a good option.
Although Lin Langyi didn't get any answers from the phone call, Yuan Chuyu's almost fiery voice had been lingering in her mind intermittently since the afternoon.
She thought, he was so eager, calling her in a soft voice over and over again, telling her to wait for him, and excitedly emphasizing that he had to talk to her about this in person. It couldn't be that he was a workaholic who demanded excellence and results, and he flew over specifically to discuss work with her.
Besides work-related matters, what else is there?
It is obvious.
Lin Langyi took off her expensive and extravagant jewelry one by one and put it into a jewelry box. Wearing such ostentatious items would make it harder to reduce her presence.
When she sat down at her dressing table and looked at her plain reflection in the mirror, she suddenly realized that her thoughts had been led astray again.
What kind of professional anti-paparazzi tactic is this?
It's no wonder her first reaction was to think of romantic things; it's just that Yuan Chuyu is the kind of person who would do such a thing. Lin Langyi never imagined that her brother was such an incurable romantic. But all the little secrets between the two of them over the years are irrefutable evidence. She gradually went from thinking, "Is he faking it?" to asking, "Brother, can you please wake up?"
"Why do you seem a little distracted tonight?" Xi Zhiyue noticed her holding a cup in one hand, leaning against the screen, gazing absently out the window. He went over and closed the window a little to block out the wind and rain. "The rain is so heavy."
"Hmm, I'm probably a bit tired because of my packed schedule." Lin Langyi lowered her head and took a sip of her drink.
Raindrops were seeping in through the cracks in the dark brown window sill... She had just sent Yuan Chuyu a message while Xi Zhiyue was taking a shower, telling him to talk about it tomorrow during the day.
With such heavy rain, and another hour and a half's drive from the airport, the radio said that the airport expressway was still congested for a long time due to an accident. At least when Lin Langyi got out of the car, the traffic situation on the radio hadn't fully recovered...
Yuan Chuyu hasn't replied yet; perhaps he won't come over tonight.
After all, she added a blank sentence at the end: "Zhiyue is with me."
He was a sensible person and always kept a low profile in front of Xi Zhiyue, never arousing any suspicion.
Lin Langyi felt that after reminding herself that she was in the same room with Xi Zhiyue, Yuan Chuyu would understand and back down.
The curtains in front of them were drawn, completely blocking the view. Xi Zhiyue, wearing light brown pajamas, only withdrew his hand after confirming that there was no gap in the curtains. He then turned around and took the cup from Lin Langyi's hand: "We're having tea tonight, or we won't be able to sleep later."
Before she could answer, her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.
Lin Langyi felt as if her heart was being immersed in hot tea, pounding and creating ripples that spread across the surface of the water.
Xi Zhiyue held a teacup in one hand and gently pushed her lower back with the other: "Go take a shower. Since you're tired, get some rest."
Lin Langyi's expression remained unchanged as she nodded and walked towards the bathroom.
Before closing the bathroom door, her left hand was already in her pocket, gripping her phone tightly in her palm.
Locking the door, Lin Langyi leaned against it and promptly pulled out her phone to check the latest information.
Y: [I'm downstairs.]
Her breath caught in her throat. The cold light from the phone screen was slightly blinding. She stared at those words, motionless.
The next message followed immediately:
Can I come up to you?
This guy's insane!
Lin Langyi turned around, opened the bathroom door, and strode out. Xi Zhiyue, who was sitting on the bed facing his laptop, turned his head with some surprise: "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"
The lie flowed out like water: "I have to go out for a bit, but I should be back soon."
She admired her own composure.
With her nominal husband already harboring suspicions.
Xi Zhiyue moved the notebook off his lap, threw back the covers, got out of bed, and walked toward her, exclaiming in surprise, "Where are you going? It's still raining heavily outside."
"No, I'm not going out, I'll stay here."
Xi Zhiyue was stunned for a second, then glanced in the direction she casually pointed to next door, realizing that Lin Langyi might be meeting other guests who had booked the same floor.
"Do you want me to come with you?" He looked around and grabbed his coat from the sofa.
"It's okay, I'll be right back." Lin Langyi grabbed her phone and headed out. "I won't bring my room key. Could you open the door for me later?"
One sentence stopped Xi Zhiyue from wanting to accompany her. He stopped in his tracks, thinking that Lin Langyi was discussing some business with a partner that was not convenient to disclose to the public.
When it comes to matters concerning the group, she never utters a word to him. Similarly, she never inquires about the Xi family's business secrets. An invisible line is drawn between them, and she is the soldier who strictly adheres to it.
Lin Langyi only realized she was still wearing slippers when she stepped into the elevator.
She paused for a few seconds, took out a room key from her pocket, scanned it in the sensor area, and then pressed the button for another floor.
When she received Yuan Chuyu's call in the afternoon, she privately asked Secretary Zhou to book an extra room for her.
It's only used for receiving guests. The residents here are all prominent CEOs and celebrities, so it's not convenient for them to chat in the corridor or lobby.
That's what she told herself.
Lin Langyi went into another room she had booked first. The two-story business suites had been fully booked, so this was just an ordinary standard room.
She inserted the card to get electricity, and only after drawing the curtains tightly did she turn on all the lights in the room.
Finally, she sent the room number.
I've put the other room key in the locker; the password is the room number.
The trigger note emitted before the door lock turned seemed like the prelude to opening Pandora's box. Lin Langyi sat at the desk facing the door, watching the door slowly open to reveal a familiar figure behind it.
Yuan Chuyu's hand was still on the doorknob, his drooping fingers slightly white, water droplets sliding down his rugged, protruding finger bones, finally gathering at his fingertips and falling to the ground with a "plop".
He was completely soaked. His hair, which seemed to have been pulled back, was still pressed down by the weight of the rain and stuck to his face. Tiny, winding water droplets covered his face, fell from the tip of his high nose, flowed over his thin lips, slid over his prominent Adam's apple, and disappeared into the collar of his clothes, which was becoming darker from the rain.
Lin Langyi had never seen him look so disheveled.
"How did you get caught in the rain—?" She cut the question off halfway through.
She discovered that he hadn't brought any luggage, let alone an umbrella; all he had was a file folder in his hand.
Yuan Chuyu fixed his gaze on her, a dark red temperature rising in his black pupils, and the surging emotions that emerged were enough to terrify one's soul.
Lin Langyi felt increasingly agitated under his gaze: "You—"
Before he could finish speaking, he took a long stride into the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
The clanging of the security chain against the door frame couldn't mask the clear "click" of the latch as he turned the lock.
When he was a child, his room couldn't be locked, so he couldn't keep secrets and didn't have the basic right to privacy.
But now, in the dead of night, amidst a torrential downpour, he locked both of them in the room.
Lin Langyi's scalp began to tingle slightly. She said, "After I finish seeing you and leave, Zhiyue is still waiting for me."
Yuan Chuyu walked towards her, his pace quickening until he was right in front of her in a few steps. Without even having time to say a word, he leaned down, pressed her shoulders, and firmly pinned her to the back of the chair before lowering his head and kissing her forcefully.
Raindrops from her hair fell onto her eyelids, making her shiver slightly from the coolness.
But his lips and tongue were burning hot, his breath was unsteady, and his kisses were fierce and urgent, unlike the gradual approach he took last time. Instead, he pried open her teeth from the start and fiercely seized her breath.
More raindrops fell on her skin. Lin Langyi was so overwhelmed by this kiss that felt like both ice and fire, that she could hardly breathe. She let out muffled, incoherent moans and grabbed his shirt, pushing him away.
The fabric in her hands was soaking wet when she wrung it out. She caught her breath and turned her head away, refusing to kiss him: "You're all wet and you still want to kiss me?"
He was completely absorbed in the kiss with his eyes closed. When she pushed him away, he opened his eyes in a daze, subconsciously raised his chin and lingered for a moment, only to be pressed down on her face and pushed away by her.
She complained softly, "You've gotten me wet too."
"Hmm." The warm, moist breath sprayed onto her palm, and Lin Langyi abruptly withdrew her hand.
He actually nodded.
What do you mean, "um"?
She moved her hand away from him, refusing to touch him or kiss him. He finally regained some composure, blocking the chair and staring at her with his eyes half-closed, slowly taking off his clothes one by one in front of her.
His movements as he took off his clothes were gentle and slow, as if he were slowly stretching his shoulders back, and the jacket slipped down his arms.
He loosened his tie with one hand, his fingers brushing across the collar to unbutton five buttons from top to bottom, and with a hunch, he took off the shirt as well.
He carelessly tossed the clothes aside, then moved closer to her, lowering his eyelids even further, staring intently at her lips and gently inhaling her breath. He felt a hunger that seemed to devour her whole, every cell in his body screaming that he wanted to continue kissing her.
Lin Langyi's head was spinning from his allure.
Absurdly, absence makes the heart grow fonder, with the wrong person.
All she could see was his firm, muscular chest and abdomen. The thin layer of water vapor on his body was gradually evaporated by his body temperature, and the bulging veins on his lower abdomen rose and fell like a thirsty creature when he breathed, making her vaguely remember that he was a master of butterfly stroke.
When you get out of the pool, you'll probably look just like this, all wet, with your smooth, flowing V-line tightening down, and the water droplets disappearing into it.
"What do you want?" She forced her eyes away.
He placed a file folder on his lap; it was dry and flat.
Lin Langyi looked down and saw that he had this in his hand when he came in. He had carelessly tossed it on the table during their kiss, and she hadn't had time to pay attention to anything else besides him.
"What is this?" She picked up the file bag and looked at it from all sides, but did not open it immediately.
Yuan Chuyu squatted down in front of her, his upper body naked, his lower body cinched by a leather belt around his narrow waist, the fabric of his trousers folding tautly at the junction of his thighs and hips when he half-squatted.
At such close range, he only needed to tilt his head to rest his head on her knees.
He pointed to the brown file folder: "It's a gift."
"Gift?"
"Hmm..." Yuan Chuyu's eyes softened, and he murmured softly, as if in the murmur of lovers, "It's a gift for me."
Lin Langyi slowed down her movements as she unpacked the package, her right hand still clutching the thin rope. She hesitated, "Then why are you giving it to me?"
"Take a look." He didn't know why, but when he mentioned this document, he exuded a joy like bubbling bubbles, his ears turned red, and the blush even spread to his neck, with a hint of demure coquettishness.
Lin Langyi didn't understand, but carefully and solemnly opened the package. When she saw the words "Paternity Test" on the cover, she was stunned for a moment. Her expression slowly turned serious, and she flipped to the back to find the key information.
After confirming that she hadn't misread it, she clutched the paper in both hands and stared at the man in front of her with a shocked expression.
"You're not...?"
“Yes, I’m not.” Yuan Chuyu’s voice trembled as he said these words, and he clung to her again as if unsatisfied, his overflowing joy almost overwhelming him. “I have no blood relation with you.”
Lin Langyi's mind went blank; all she could hear was the increasingly heavy rain outside the window, and in the distance, the rumble of thunder muffled in the clouds, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Her brother, with whom she spent every day, actually had no relation to her at all.
She actually thought about a lot of things in a moment, but after careful analysis, it seemed that whether Yuan Chuyu occupied the status of an illegitimate child or not had little impact on the inheritance rights, because he did not hold any real power in Yingyuan. From the beginning, he had been setting up his own business and doing it very well.
The impact was that her and his secrets, things that couldn't be told to others, became less unacceptable to heaven and earth.
He told her the significance of this result; it was all too obvious.
Lin Langyi wasn't sure if she was trying to persuade him or herself: "But we grew up together, and as siblings, regardless of whether we're actually related by blood, from a worldly perspective, this is—"
“I know.” Yuan Chuyu interrupted her abruptly, replying, “I know, I told you, I won’t make things difficult for you.”
"What I promised you before still stands. You can date, get married, and have children, as long as you leave me even a tiny bit of space."
"I told you that we are not related by blood so that you wouldn't feel guilty."
When he used these reasons to comfort her, he stood up again, braced his arms on either side of the chair, bent down and pressed his cheeks intimately against hers, rubbing back and forth against her in a sticky and affectionate way, gently rubbing his teeth against her chin, and then soothingly comforting her with his lips and tongue.
Lin Langyi's nostrils were filled with the refreshing scent of ylang-ylang emanating from him, a scent that firmly bound her body to his arms.
She emphasized, "I'm married."
“I know,” he replied quickly. “I don’t mind.”
He paused for a moment, his beautiful eyebrows slightly raised, and the corners of his eyes trailed down in a smooth arc, as if he were truly perplexed by the question.
He tilted his head, frowned slightly, and asked, "Does he mind?"
How can a mistress be so brazen as to interfere in someone else's marriage and even politely ask the wife if she minds?
The phone suddenly rang and vibrated incessantly. Lin Langyi glanced at it and saw the three large characters "Xi Zhiyue" on the screen.
She jumped up, realizing she was still in the hotel and her husband was waiting for her upstairs.
Lin Langyi reached for her phone on the table when a swift bolt of lightning cleaved the night sky outside the window, instantly illuminating the room.
She shuddered, and someone pressed her hand against the phone, their fingers tightening and interlocking with hers.
A thunderclap suddenly exploded, as if tearing a crack in the air.
The hand that enveloped her was covered by her ears at the same moment the thunder roared, the sound muffled by a layer of frosted glass.
She was pulled tightly into someone's arms, and the thunder roared, completely drowning out the faint ringtone of her phone.
The screen lit up and then went out, then lit up again, but no one answered.
Yuan Chuyu held her tightly, lowered his head and gently pecked at her lips, the tingling sensation permeating all her nerves.
In the brief interval between thunder and lightning, he slightly raised his palm to create a little space, pressed his lips to her earlobe, and whispered seductively:
"It's thundering, Zhuzhu. It's not a good time to go out, right?"
She opened her mouth, wanting to say that it was a terrible, careless excuse, and that she didn't need to go out into the rain at all.
But in the end, she didn't say anything, instead placing her hand on his cold, hard belt buckle.
It was cold and hard to the touch, and still felt rough to the touch as always.
Just remove it.
...
Thunderstorms don't last long, especially not this kind of intense lightning and thunder.
All the last excuses disappeared, but Lin Langyi didn't leave.
It shouldn't have been like this. Her phone had rung countless times, but all she could see was his prominent Adam's apple. His body was blocking the light in front of her, and he flipped the incessantly ringing phone over and threw it into the pile of messy clothes.
The windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn shut. She remembered that Xi Zhiyue had also closed the curtains that night. The two completely different faces strangely merged and separated, making her already overloaded brain even slower.
Confusion, inappropriateness, taboo... countless emotions surged into her heart, her ears grew hotter and hotter, and her head throbbed.
Her calves were constantly taut as she sat on the table on tiptoe. Her earlobe was gently bitten, and his hot, moist breath filled her ear. He pressed against her shoulder, and both of them were breathing heavily.
Lin Langyi's eyelashes trembled, and she regretted drinking too much tea at the banquet.
She clung to his back, her prominent shoulder blades covered with a layer of wonderfully tactile muscles.
Pressing down, the texture of his skin rippled and pulsated in her palm, like a monster with a civilized exterior but savage bones. She wanted to hold on tight to prevent being forced to keep moving backward. His body, which had been soaked by the rain, had clearly dried, but when she scratched it with her fingernail, a thin layer of sweat rose up, so slippery that she couldn't hold on to it.
Yuan Chuyu wrapped one arm around her and the other around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck. His suppressed, panting breaths amplified infinitely in the unusually quiet space, making every nerve that spread from his tailbone tingle and itch, driving him to the brink of madness.
He pressed himself closer to her, embracing her tightly, but his heart, pounding in his chest, seemed to be pouring out dark, viscous liquid from a black hole... He wanted to keep her here. If he did well, would she not go back?
Both of them were too emotional. Under these circumstances, Lin Langyi was really on the verge of collapse. Originally, she planned to leave as soon as possible, but she ended up going completely in the opposite direction.
Yuan Chuyu was really too much of a tease. When he leaned down above her and kissed her, his usually calm and composed eyes were filled with thick and beautiful emotions. He whispered intimately in her ear, coaxing her to continue.
Lin Langyi completely lost her sense of time, and felt detached from reality in her excessive indulgence.
The phone rang again; I can't remember how many times it's been called.
Yuan Chuyu was holding her, gently licking away the sweat from her collarbone and cuddling with her afterward. When the bell rang, he lifted his face to kiss her, trying to entangle her again and make her forget about their business.
But Lin Langyi used her knee to push him away, turned around, picked up her phone, and answered the call.
It was Xi Zhiyue. He was getting really worried because she hadn't answered the phone for so long.
"Zhiyue," Lin Langyi realized her voice was full of holes as soon as she opened her mouth. She paused, but did not show any panic. Instead, she said briefly, "I'm with my brother."
The other end of the phone fell into complete silence.
Inside the room, Yuan Chuyu stood frozen in place, as if momentarily stunned by a missed heartbeat.
His eyes still had a lingering flush, and his sides and abs were covered in red marks from her scratches. Combined with his handsome and refined face, he looked like a crazy and chaotic beauty.
But until just now, he had been very careful to hide his insecurity.
He heard Xi Zhiyue slowly ask, "What did you say...?"
"I'm with my brother right now, so I didn't answer your call earlier."
Yuan Chuyu's long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly, and his breathing became disordered... Lin Langyi's words filled his spiritual thirst, just like the rhythmic and long squeeze he felt when she finally tightened her grip. His consciousness reached its climax during this phone call.
Without a word, he squatted down again, grasped her calf, and kissed her intermittently from the inside. He needed to do things like hugging, holding hands, and kissing to restrain and dilute his extreme emotions.
"You've tested me before, asking me about my brother. I've thought about it, and since our relationship has always been equal and harmonious, and we get along very well, I don't want to hide anything from you. So, how should we handle our engagement going forward—"
"Zhuzhu." Xi Zhiyue suddenly interrupted her, his voice sounding as if it had been choked, but his words were unwavering, "Can you come back now?"
Before Lin Langyi could speak, he quickly added, "Come back, just come back."
"There's still the second half of the event tomorrow, you should be back by now, get some rest."
Lin Langyi was speechless, wondering why he was beating around the bush: "I said, my brother—"
“He’s just your brother.” Xi Zhiyue interrupted her before she could finish, as if afraid she would push things too far. “No matter what, he’s just your brother. At least we’ll be attending the closing ceremony together tomorrow, won’t we?”
Lin Langyi understood what Xi Zhiyue meant. She was so surprised; she hadn't expected him to say that.
"Okay, I'll come back first and then we'll talk."
Lin Langyi hung up the call, and Yuan Chuyu held her hand and asked in a low voice, "Shall I go up with you?"
She looked up from the dimmed screen, hesitating, "Isn't that a bad idea?"
She made it clear because Ying Yuan doesn't rely on the Xi family for his livelihood. The two families are mutually beneficial and have the strength to share a meal, but they also have the ability to sever ties at any time.
Therefore, she felt that now that things had come to this, it would be better to tell Xi Zhiyue directly so that he could cut his losses in time, rather than letting the three of them get entangled for a longer period of time and end up feeling stressed and heartbroken.
But wouldn't it be inappropriate for Yuan Chuyu to step in at this time?
Who would allow the wife to meet her lover? She just wanted to clear the table of food, not flip the table or the roof.
Yuan Chuyu didn't speak, but grabbed her wrist as she picked up her clothes: "Go take a shower first, your hair..."
He picked up a strand of her hair and stroked it gently, saying in a soft voice, "It's sticking up. Go wash up first, there's no rush of fifteen minutes."
Indeed, her current appearance was like adding fuel to the fire. Lin Langyi let go of her hand and prepared to go to the bathroom for a quick shower.
As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, Yuan Chuyu picked out her phone from her clothes, turned it on, and the screen was filled with missed calls from Xi Zhiyue.
While browsing, another message popped up at the top, concise and to the point: "Come out."
Yuan Chuyu glanced at the closed bathroom door, where the sound of running water could be heard. He didn't even look at the damp, wrinkled clothes. He went to the wardrobe, took out a bathrobe, dressed neatly, and then went to the room where Xi Zhiyue had come from.
The door was ajar, it was unclear whether it was left open for Lin Langyi or for this meeting.
Yuan Chuyu pushed open the door and had just stepped in with one leg when a cup was suddenly thrown from a distance, smashing against the door panel with a "bang" and shattering on the floor.
He glanced at the crumbs on the carpet, casually raised his head, and gave Xi Zhiyue, who was standing in the aisle with a cold gaze, a mocking laugh: "Zhuzhu said you have a good temper, like a rabbit. Turns out even a rabbit will bite when cornered."
“I’m not the one who’s eating the grass right next to my nest, Yuan Chuyu, you’ve really opened my eyes!” Xi Zhiyue’s attitude toward his rival was completely different from his gentle tone on the phone just now. He said aggressively, “Do you think I don’t know? It’s all because you’ve been fighting and forcing things.”
“Of course you know.” Yuan Chuyu nodded, using his shoe to clear away the debris blocking his way. “Stalking, conducting undercover investigations—you’re really good at this.”
Xi Zhiyue strode forward, his clear voice unusually suppressing a chilling rage. He slammed the man against the wall, and the man who couldn't fight back started attacking without hesitation, cursing:
"If you put your mind to something, would I need to do this? Besides, it doesn't take much effort at all. You can follow me around like a ghost even when I'm on a business trip. Why would I need to investigate you? You're the one who's always hanging around her. I can't help but see her even if I want to!"
Yuan Chuyu didn't fight back at all. In the process of pushing and shoving, he accidentally stepped on the pile of broken porcelain shards, making a "crunch crunch" sound that made his teeth ache.
He stared at the face in front of him that also irritated and angered him, and without changing his expression, he stretched out his palm to ask for something: "Where are Zhuzhu's change of clothes? I'll get you a set."
With a dull thud, Xi Zhiyue delivered a solid punch to Yuan Chuyu.
He was so angry that he had never fought anyone in his life, but he felt like he was not human if he didn't fight back at a time like this. Xi Zhiyue felt like his head was steaming. He grabbed Yuan Chuyu's bathrobe and slammed him against the wall again.
The collar of his bathrobe was slightly open due to the violent treatment, and Yuan Chuyu turned his face to the side, revealing the smooth lines of his neck. Further down, the nail marks from the scratches were clearly visible due to his particularly sensitive constitution.
“I’m not here to argue or fight with you. You can teach me a lesson anytime you want.” He was about to say something more, “But now, give me the clothes. Zhuzhu is prone to catching a cold if she gets chilled. I don’t have time to waste here with you.”
"If you really care about her that much, then don't get involved!"
“Hmm, I haven’t thought about it.” Yuan Chuyu lowered his eyelids slightly, his thin eyelids pressing down to form a narrow, imposing crease. His gaze drifted in the air as he said in a low voice, “I’ve thought about it, then suppressed the thought, then thought about it again, and then suppressed it again.”
“I never thought she would tell you directly today.” He said this with a slight smile and a gentle look in his eyes, as if he were lost in some kind of sweet and dreamy dream. “But even if she never gives me a title, I am prepared to accompany her for the rest of my life as her brother. We cannot be buried together, but in the end, I will be in the same tomb as her. Just as I cannot hold her hand and attend a banquet like you, I can stand behind her and stand with her through thick and thin.”
“I took the beating, that’s what I deserved. But whether you’re here or not afterward, it won’t affect my relationship with her. It’s you who got involved between her and me, not me. As time goes on, the twenty-odd years I spent with her are a period you can never get past.”
"You started loving her in your twenties, but I started loving her from the moment she was born."
Yuan Chuyu slowly pried open Xi Zhiyue's hand that was gripping his clothes, and as if offering a sacrifice, clearly proclaimed the rest of his words: "I told her that she can date, get married, and have children normally. What I say is always valid. Whether you are willing or not is not within my consideration."
*
Lin Langyi thought that when she returned to the suite, she would be met with Xi Zhiyue's loud questioning. After all, she could tell from the last candlelight dinner that he was a man of principle and temper. If he was dissatisfied with this, Lin Langyi felt that there was no problem at all.
But after entering the room, Xi Zhiyue simply squatted down and picked up the teacup shards embedded in the carpet bit by bit, carefully reminding her, "Watch your step, I haven't finished picking them up yet."
Lin Langyi closed the door and squatted down to help pick it up.
"Go dry your hair." He brushed her hand away. "You're in such a hurry, the ends are still wet."
Lin Langyi paused, thinking he wanted to wait until he calmed down before talking, nodded, and then came out after completely drying her hastily dried hair.
Xi Zhiyue had already cleaned up the mess. He sat on the bed, just as he had before she left, as if those few hours in between had never happened.
"Want to talk?" Lin Langyi asked, standing by the bed with her arms crossed. She was already prepared for the two of them to go their separate ways.
When the two first met, Xi Zhiyue greatly admired the Western model of "marriage" where couples cohabit but do not register their marriage. He also openly expressed his trust in her, believing that their partnership would be a swift and decisive one: they would be together when the time was right and separate gracefully when feelings faded.
In this situation, he would probably be glad that the two of them had initially set up this marriage model.
Lin Langyi repeated: "You said before that not getting a marriage certificate is more conducive to fully investing in a relationship, and once you stop loving someone, you can minimize the cost of trial and error and break up cleanly."
“Yes, I meant if I stopped loving you, or if you felt we weren’t right for each other, then we would break up,” Xi Zhiyue said. “So there’s no reason for us to break up right now. We’re still right for each other, and I still love you.”
“You need me. You and your brother can’t be together openly and legitimately, at least not now.”
“When I’m sure I don’t love you anymore and can let go, I will agree. Don’t worry, it will be done gracefully… So…” Xi Zhiyue closed his eyes, a feeling of blood stagnation lingering in his temples, making him feel suffocated.
"So, aren't you cold standing by the bed in your pajamas?" He lifted a corner of the blanket for her, then lay down first, neatly folding his hands in front of him. "Sleep well, goodnight."
The lights in the room dimmed, and finally, Lin Langyi turned off her bedside lamp as well.
She said, "Good night."
Not only at tomorrow's closing ceremony, but in the days to come, Xi Zhiyue will continue to live the daily life of a wealthy couple with her as usual.
To the outside world, Yuan Chuyu had never made a mistake. Lin Lang thought that he had always been a person who was good at pretending. All the moments when he tore off his mask and revealed his true feelings seemed to only exist in front of her.
He was a proper and tactful person who knew when to advance and retreat. He said he wouldn't make things difficult for her, and for ten years he stayed by her side as her older brother.
Xi Zhiyue's idea of a dignified breakup occurred eight years later, which was an appropriate time, consistent with the common story of a marriage between wealthy families, and would not have too much impact on either party.
It was Lin Langyi who proposed it again. He tried to persuade her, but he couldn't go against her wishes.
At that time, Lin Langyi already had a lively and lovely daughter, whom her family called Zhenzhen.
Zhenzhen's personality is exactly like a mini version of Lin Langyi, but because she speaks in a gentle and pleasant manner, she seems to be an obedient person at first glance.
In reality, he's a shrewd guy who's very good at reading people and playing tricks on them.
For example, she really likes her father, Xi Zhiyue, because he has a gentle personality and never gets angry with anyone.
And although dear Mom and Dad are separated, Dad often comes to visit Zhenzhen, and each time he brings her favorite snacks and toys.
But she preferred her uncle, Yuan Chuyu, because there was no one in the world who would dote on her more than him.
Whenever her uncle came to pick her up, she always got to eat all sorts of snacks that her grandmother had strictly forbidden.
At times like these, her uncle would always look at her face smeared with food with tender eyes and smile slightly: "You really look exactly like your mother."
He would carefully wipe away the icing and sauce with a handkerchief, and then say, "Let's bring some back for Mom too."
On weekends, her uncle would take her and her mother to the equestrian center to ride horses, to the aquarium to see jellyfish, and to the beach to dig for seashells.
He would hold Zhenzhen in his arms and point to the seashells that shimmered with colorful light under the sun, saying, "Look, this is Mommy."
Lin Langyi looked puzzled: "No, big brother, this shell that looks like a Buddha's hand can't grow pearls."
Zhenzhen liked these oddly shaped little gadgets. She broke free from Yuan Chuyu's embrace and wanted to get down. As soon as she stepped onto the beach, she ran around digging in the sand like a wild horse released from its stall.
Yuan Chuyu turned around only after Zhenzhen had run far away. He hooked his finger on the comet-shaped detail on the side of Lin Langyi's swimsuit and pulled her closer, asking in a low voice, "What did you call me just now?"
"Big brother." Lin Langyi glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "What's wrong? Does calling you 'brother' make you feel wronged? Don't you like being called 'brother'?"
"You can call me whatever you want." He was now full of vigor after enduring hardship and biding his time. He stroked her side with his fingers and said meaningfully, "If only you could have called me 'brother' last night."
What a shameless and brazen person.
Lin Langyi slapped his hand away, but he didn't care and pulled her wrist toward the lounge chair under the parasol: "Let me massage your legs."
There were many things placed next to the recliner, with a camera in the center. Lin Langyi lay comfortably on the recliner, with a thin gauze pad under her lower back, enjoying the attentive service of the technician while looking through the photos in the camera.
His photography skills are becoming increasingly refined; if the photos weren't all of her, the evaluation would be even higher.
"I know I'm photogenic," Lin Langyi said shamelessly, fully affirming her beauty, "but don't you have too many photos of me saved on your phone?"
“There are also Zhenzhens.” Yuan Chuyu was rigorous and objective.
"What about yours?" She turned around. "Let's ask passersby to take some photos of us together later."
Yuan Chuyu reminded: "In the group photo we took together on New Year's Eve last time, Zhenzhen was sitting on my lap, and Mom noticed... that her eyebrows and eyes look a lot like mine."
"She's praising Zhenzhen's handsome features. My daughter must be beautiful." Lin Langyi took a sip of the iced lemon-orange juice from the side and handed it to him.
"Besides, what's wrong with my niece looking like her uncle?"
The iced lemon-orange juice in front of him exuded a refreshing summer vibe. Yuan Chuyu lowered his head and took a sip through her straw, the ice cubes in the glass making a crisp sound.
The tart and sweet taste is like countless sweet and beautiful memories. When she was still in school, she once rushed into his room on a hot summer evening with half a watermelon in her arms and invited him to eat chilled watermelon together.
He had told her countless times not to come into his room without permission, but she was too lazy to listen to his nagging. She scooped up a spoonful and shoved it into his mouth, then leaned closer and asked, "Is it sweet?"
He didn't know why, but suddenly her beautiful features loomed large before his eyes. He accidentally swallowed the piece of watermelon he was holding in his mouth, then covered his lips with the back of his hand and coughed until his cheeks turned red.
She was horrified: "Brother, it had seeds! You swallowed the seeds too?"
He thought to himself, "If you swallow it, you swallow it. The moment you truly grow up is that summer when you realize that the watermelon seeds you swallow won't sprout."
But he didn't answer that way at the time. Only after he finally stopped coughing did he say, "Mmm, sweet."
"So sweet!" Lin Langyi withdrew her raised hand and took another sip of orange juice. "Refreshing!"
Yuan Chuyu snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her, reaching out to take her cup: "Your period is coming soon, drink less."
“The excuse you came up with is exactly the same as Zhenzhen’s. She was trying to get some food from me, and she kept saying ‘Mom, this isn’t healthy’ while looking at me with envy.” Lin Langyi handed the cup back. “Here, I’ll share half with you, okay?”
Yuan Chuyu couldn't help but chuckle. He bent down and, after passing the glass of chilled orange juice, continued to pick up the beach hat she had placed aside to cover their heads. He then lowered his head and kissed her tenderly.
It's so sweet, a sweetness as bright and beautiful as a summer sunset.
He wondered, how could the seed he swallowed not have sprouted? It clearly grew into a lush, green mountain, stretching for miles without end.
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