Chapter 23 [VIP]
Chenmian was carried down the mountain by Shenjinshan.
His brother seemed a little angry. After discovering that the boy had emerged from his slumber, he almost roughly picked him up, placed him in his arms, and gave him a light tap.
Chenmian suppressed her grievances and did not utter a sound.
Shen Jinshan's tone still held a hint of anger: "Chen Mian, you are so insensible."
"It's all...Lin Langli's fault." Hearing the accusation, Chenmian couldn't help but cry a little. "It's not my fault."
It's all Lin Langli's fault for pressing him so hard. Why didn't you talk to him?
"Did you two have a fight?" Shen Jinshan asked casually, his hand on the waist of the person in his arms. After asking, he didn't seem to care much about the matter and began to scold Shen Mian: "Everyone didn't sleep all night, and you ran up the mountain. What if something happened?"
Chenmian pursed her lips and remained silent, only rubbing her eyes incessantly.
After taking a deep breath, Chenmian asked, "Brother, are you very worried about me?"
Shen Jinshan looked over with a reproachful gaze: "Everyone is very worried about you."
"I'm asking you, brother, are you worried about me?"
A strange feeling stirred within Shen Jinshan for a moment. Was he worried about Shen Mian? He probably was; after all, she had been raised for so long and was quite obedient in his presence…
Chenmian was stunned. Seeing that her usually composed and unflappable brother did not immediately give her a positive answer, but instead paused for two seconds as if pondering, she couldn't help but feel a little angry.
"Shen Jinshan, you bad brother! Aren't you worried about me at all?"
In the boy's heart, it was like a jar of peach-flavored wine being suddenly shaken open. Bubbles burst in his heart, small and dense, making his heart itch. He was extremely sad and depressed. This moment of loss overshadowed all the previous grievances and chilled his whole heart.
Shen Mian said, "Shen Jinshan, you're so mean! Do you only treat Lin Langli as a younger brother? You don't care about me at all?"
Otherwise, why didn't they ask him about his argument with Lin Langli, and why didn't they agree immediately?
Shen Jinshan frowned as he looked at the boy in front of him, who was in a state of agitation. Chenmian was struggling to push him away from his arms and scratching his chest and neck. She hadn't cried when they met, but now she had a few tears in her eyes and looked very angry.
What's there to be angry about?
An unusual annoyance gradually rose in the man's heart. Wasn't he good enough to Shen Mian? Shen Ci, Lin Langli, and all the other younger brothers and sisters in the family, the smiles and tenderness he gave to them were not even a fraction of what he gave to Shen Mian.
Upon learning of Chenmian's escape, he was the first to arrange for a search and rescue operation.
After a night of running around, Chenmian lost her temper with him simply because of his verbal hesitation.
Shen Jinshan felt a strange yet distinct emotion.
He couldn't quite grasp what this feeling was; he only knew that his actions had to outpace his thoughts.
As Shen Mian struggled and thrashed about, Shen Jinshan pulled her closer to him and spoke, calling her by her full name once more: "Shen Mian, don't cry, you'll have trouble breathing."
Chen Mian was held in Shen Jinshan's arms, but he couldn't feel Shen Jinshan's warmth. He angrily picked at the clothes separating them and asked with tears in his eyes, "Brother, are you always annoyed with me? Do you think I'm always causing trouble?"
His grief was intense. Shen Jinshan could feel the boy in his arms trembling, and he could clearly feel each deep breath through his clothes.
The man's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Don't talk nonsense, why would I be annoyed with you?" He softened his tone a little to coax, "Mianmian, why would you think that? From childhood to adulthood, hasn't your brother always been the best to you?"
Chen Mian was stunned. He was drawn into the thoughts by Shen Jinshan's words and recalled the past.
His memories seem a bit hazy. Back then, he was an unruly young master at home, and his memories of Shen Jinshan seemed to be intertwined with the presence of other people.
He could hardly remember any of Shen Jinshan's younger faces.
When did you start to care about your brother a lot?
Chenmian racked her brains, wondering if it was after Lin Langli returned?
Shenmian suddenly realized that he was such a utilitarian person? Did he like his older brother and stick to him just because he wanted to find a backer for himself?
Shen Jinshan's words interrupted the young man's thoughts. The man took his hand and whispered, "Chen Mian, I'll carry you down."
His sleeping face creased slightly upon hearing those words. He pursed his lips, wanting to turn his head away so someone else could carry him.
But Shen Jinshan had already squatted down without saying a word, making Shen Mian lie on top of him.
Looking at her brother's broad back, Chenmian felt increasingly uneasy, but she still obediently climbed onto Chen Jinshan's back, wrapped her legs around his waist.
Shen Jinshan firmly hooked his arm around Chenmian's leg, steadily stood up, and walked down with the search and rescue team.
Lying on the man's back, Chenmian secretly observed Shen Jinshan's face from behind.
Shen Jinshan was undoubtedly handsome, but at this moment, his face was not smiling, which made him appear very indifferent.
But when Chenmian thought back, he realized that almost every time he saw his brother, Shen Jinshan was smiling at him—his brother was right, he had always been the best to him and the one who favored him the most.
But why did he still feel so uneasy and dissatisfied?
The remaining tears in her eyes slowly seeped into the man's clothes, soaking his shoulder, which Shen Jinshan easily noticed.
He asked, "Mianmian, why are you crying again?"
Chenmian denied it softly: "I didn't cry."
After a while, the boy said again, "Shen Jinshan, you're not a bad brother."
The man beneath her remained silent.
Shenmian stretched her neck forward and whispered in the man's ear, "But, Shen Jinshan, you're not my brother."
The man beneath her seemed to laugh in anger, and Shen Mian heard Shen Jinshan snort coldly.
He mustered his courage and added, "Shen Jinshan, will you not be my older brother? I don't want to be your younger brother."
Shen Jinshan didn't answer. Shen Mian thought to himself, "He's probably a pig; he can't understand what I mean." But what he had said to Shen Jinshan had already exhausted all his courage; any more would be too outrageous.
But he still wanted Shen Jinshan to like him. What's wrong with being a little pragmatic? He wasn't a saint. Lin Langli was pressuring him so much. What was wrong with him wanting to find a backer?
Shenmian fell asleep on Shen Jinshan's back. The mountain road wasn't very steep, but the journey was quite long. During the journey, some members of the search and rescue team wanted to come and take over, but Shen Jinshan shook his head and refused.
By the time they carried him back to the courtyard in front of the Shen family's building in the mountain villa, Chenmian had already finished having two dreams.
When Shen Ci gently shook him awake, he realized he was already back. Shen Mianjun and Su Yueqiu didn't look too good, but when they saw Shen Mian's tear-streaked face and his dirty, torn clothes, their accusations all took a different turn.
Chenmian was still very nervous, and she huddled behind Shen Jinshan, too embarrassed to face her family.
Su Yueqiu asked, "Mianmian, why did you run away from home? Don't you know how dangerous it is in the mountains?"
Chenmian was completely relieved. He looked at Lin Langli at the back of the crowd. It turned out that he hadn't gone so far as to tell the others.
He composed himself, turned around, and said in a pitiful tone, "Mom, I'm so sleepy and tired. I want to go to sleep first."
—
After a whole night of anxious anticipation, not only was Shenmian exhausted, but everyone else was also feeling unwell. Seeing that Shenmian needed to rest, the others also returned to their own rooms to prepare for sleep.
She felt ashamed and angry at Lin Langli for ruining what should have been a nice family gathering.
He deliberately avoided Lin Langli's meaningful gaze as he looked at him and Shen Jinshan, tilted his head back and acted coquettishly towards his brother, saying that he wanted to sleep together.
Shen Jinshan had just paid the search and rescue team's bill, and upon hearing this, he simply pressed his temples without refusing.
After taking a shower, Shen Mian crawled into Shen Jinshan's bed. His heart was pounding. It felt like many years ago that he had last slept with his brother.
He tossed and turned, thinking about many things, his mind a jumbled mess, and waves of drowsiness washed over him, but he stubbornly refused to close his eyes.
Shen Jinshan quickly finished his shower and came out of the bathroom. The man didn't go to bed immediately, but sat on the edge of the bed, took out a cigarette, but didn't light it, just held it between his fingers in a daze.
Chenmian poked her head out from under the covers a little and asked softly, "Brother, aren't you going to sleep?"
Shen Jinshan paused for a moment, then withdrew the cigarette from his fingers: "Mianmian, you're not asleep?"
Shenmian looked into her brother's eyes. The curtains were drawn tightly, with only a few gaps on either side letting in the daylight. But even this little light was not enough for Shenmian to see the man's eyes clearly. She could only sense that Shen Jinshan was also looking at her in the dim room.
His dormant heart suddenly stirred violently, and he heard his own voice say, "I want to sleep with my brother. I can't sleep if you don't come up here."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshan threw the cigarette into the trash can, washed his hands in the bathroom, and then returned to bed, lifted the covers, and went inside.
Shen Mian was not used to having Shen Jinshan by his side. He had only slept with Shen Ci occasionally before, and was usually alone.
But when Shen Jinshan slept beside him, Shen Mian's heart couldn't help but flutter with unease. He turned to face his brother and, in the dim light, continued to observe Shen Jinshan's face.
Shen Jinshan's features were impeccable, with deep-set eyes and a refined demeanor. Looking at him up close, Shen Mian noticed that his brother's nose was also particularly high and straight, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to gently touch it.
The next second, Shen Jinshan suddenly opened his eyes; it turned out he hadn't been asleep either.
Shen Jinshan caught Shen Mian's hand before she could pull it back and chuckled softly, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you scratching my face?"
Chenmian blushed slightly. "I didn't scratch you. I just thought your nose was so high, and I wanted to touch it."
Shen Jinshan turned his head, and Shen Mian judged that he was probably looking at her too. But Shen Mian had been so confident in her appearance before, but now, facing Shen Jinshan's scrutiny, she felt inexplicably nervous.
He must look exhausted after running around all night.
He drank a large glass of water before bed. Will he have water retention now?
He cried for so long, are his eyes still swollen? Does he still have double eyelids?
Chen Mian blushed, her eyelashes trembling slightly before she quickly looked up, wanting to know Chen Jinshan's expression.
But then he saw the other person raise their hand and gently brush their fingertips against his earlobe. Immediately afterwards, a gentle voice, both teasing and amused, rang in his ear: "Mianmian is also very cute, and quite pretty."
Shen Mian felt his ear, which Shen Jinshan had touched, was burning hot. He suppressed the uncontrollable excitement in his heart and asked softly, "Brother, do you like my face?"
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