Chapter 38 [VIP]
He slept soundly until almost noon before waking up. When he opened his eyes, his body finally began to react to the torment of the past two days, and he was sore all over.
The first thing he saw when he woke up was Lin Langli's handsome and aloof face. The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, casually playing with his hair. His expression was not as mocking or indifferent as usual. Instead, he had a faint smile on his face as he looked at him intently.
Chen Mian's heart skipped a beat, and a chill crept up his spine—had Lin Langli been watching him like this all along?
"Awake?" Upon realizing he had woken up, the man's smile faded, but the darkness in his eyes deepened. "Give me a kiss."
Chenmian subconsciously turned her head away: "No, and I haven't even brushed my teeth."
Lin Langli didn't care: "I swiped it."
After saying that, he leaned down, ignoring Chenmian's refusal, pinched the young man's chin, and kissed him. As their lips rubbed together, Lin Langli skillfully pried open the man's teeth, deepening the kiss.
Chenmian's head was still a little dizzy and he wasn't fully awake. Lin Langli was kissing him so hard that he couldn't breathe, and he mumbled, "No more."
Lin Langli, in a moment of mercy, released the kiss. Seeing Shenmian's flushed face, sweaty eyes, and slightly panting breath, a hint of pleasure returned to his lips. He reached out and gently wiped away the trace of saliva from the corner of Shenmian's lips with his fingertips, a tender gesture.
"Are you feeling unwell today? Let me carry you to the washroom."
Chenmian recalled the embarrassment she felt yesterday when Lin Langli took her bird. She angrily refused, but after washing up, the soreness in her body could no longer be ignored. Chenmian sat on the sofa, suddenly raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had seeped from the corner of her eyes, and said in a very aggrieved tone, "I feel uncomfortable all over. I have to go to class tomorrow. I'm so pitiful."
Lin Langli, who was setting out breakfast takeout orders, paused upon hearing this. He washed his hands and was about to come over to hug Chenmian when he heard the boy's angry words: "It must be because your technique is too bad!"
Lin Langli did not refute, but silently walked to the sofa and looked down at Chenmian, who was curled up there.
Chenmian did indeed look rather pitiful, with redness at the corners of her eyes, drooping eyelashes, and downturned lips. She resembled a cat that had been ravaged by a storm, listless yet still trying to scratch someone with its claws.
He looked at him for a long time, then gently stroked Chenmian's cheek with his palm, his thumb resting on the boy's chin, his hand constantly rubbing against him, the movement seemingly carrying his unspeakable desire to control Chenmian.
It continued until the boy's fair skin turned slightly pink.
Lin Langli finally gave in to his desire and lowered his face to place a brief but possessive kiss on the corners of Shen Mian's slightly swollen lips.
He kissed her so quickly that before Chenmian could react, Lin Langli had already straightened up, picked her up, and carried her to the dining table, saying in a very calm tone, "Let me massage you, Chenmian, don't cry." It was as if those two tears were something precious that needed to be stopped immediately.
She only shed two tears, and Chenmian felt that she hadn't cried at all.
After finishing his meal, the medicine delivery he ordered arrived. Chenmian rinsed his mouth and reluctantly opened it for Lin Langli to apply the medicine.
The red spot from yesterday looked even more vibrant today, resembling a mouth ulcer. Lin Langli frowned, feeling a rare pang of regret.
Chenmian is such a delicate little thing, she'll definitely throw a tantrum when she's in pain. He mocked her like that yesterday, and with all the old and new grudges combined, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause him then.
He completely ignored how much of his feelings stemmed from fear of trouble, and how much from an involuntary concern for Shen Mian that he himself was unwilling to delve into.
Watermelon frost was evenly sprinkled on the wound. Chenmian pursed her lips and subconsciously savored the cool yet strange taste of the powder.
"It's a bit bitter," Chenmian commented. "You said you'd give me a massage, and you even know how to do this? How did you learn that?"
Lin Langli packed his medicine box, pointing to what scented essential oil he would apply to Chenmian later, his tone calm and even: "When your grandmother was paralyzed, I had to take care of her when I went home for vacation, as well as my mother. She had headaches and wasn't in good health, so I learned how to use it."
The sound of sleep faded, and after a long while, it gave a dry "oh".
He ultimately chose the classic rose essential oil. The room was very warm, but being shirtless in the living room still challenged his sleeping instincts. In the end, he awkwardly decided to let Lin Langli serve him in bed.
Lin Langli's technique was indeed excellent. Shenmian was dizzy from being massaged, but as his body relaxed, he remembered that day in his massage room when Lin Langli barged in and forcibly kissed him. Shenmian opened his eyelids and asked softly, "Lin Langli, you've slept with me, you won't take revenge on me in the future, will you?"
Before the person behind him could answer, he continued, "Don't tell anyone about my relationship with Shen Jinshan, okay? It's making things so ugly and embarrassing."
"Do you still like Shen Jinshan?" Lin Langli asked only this question.
He fell silent and remained asleep.
Did he like it? A little. But perhaps more than anything, it was painful. Shen Mian felt he would never forget the scene of Shen Jinshan humiliating him.
This is the outcome of his first genuine expression of love.
Shen Mian couldn't understand it either. Back then, he kept wanting to be with Shen Jinshan, always feeling that as long as he was like that, he would never have to worry about being retaliated against by Lin Langli or being kicked out of the Shen family.
But in the end, after many twists and turns, she ended up having a relationship with Lin Langli. It seems that her goal was achieved in a different way by chance, which is quite a strange thing.
Unable to get a denial from Shenmian, the massage from behind suddenly intensified, causing Shenmian to gasp and be wide awake. He clearly felt the low pressure emanating from Lin Langli and realized that Lin Langli was angry, but he didn't care. What was Lin Langli anyway?
Shen Jinshan may scoff at his feelings, but he always passes muster in other aspects. But what about Lin Langli? From yesterday until now, how many times has he kissed him? His lips are practically swollen from all the kisses.
If Lin Langli weren't a child of the Shen family, if he were the genuine young master of the Shen family, how wonderful that would be.
After the massage, Shenmian sat up groggily, letting Lin Langli dress him. He was still thinking about all sorts of random things, completely unaware that the fingerprint lock on the apartment door had been opened and someone had entered their residence. Immediately afterward, there was a knock on the door of the room next door that belonged to Shenmian, and Shen Ci's voice rang out: "Shenmian, open the door."
After exchanging a glance with Lin Langli, Chenmian was fully awake and instinctively jumped off the man's bed, trying to hide in the direction of the bathroom.
However, Lin Langli acted even faster. The man walked over with a calm expression, opened the door, and stated in a cold tone to Shen Ci, who looked displeased outside, "He's here with me."
Shen Ci's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant. He took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping over Lin Langli, then trying to look behind him, his tone questioning: "How did he end up with you?"
Lin Langli turned to the side, completely exposing the bewildered Chenmian behind him, and retorted sarcastically, "Otherwise, where should he be?"
With a forced smile, Shen Mian moved out from behind Lin Langli, trying her best to act nonchalant. She stepped forward and took Shen Ci's arm, attempting to use coquettishness to get away with it: "Shen Ci, what brings you here?"
Shen Ci was not so easily fooled. He turned his head and carefully examined Shen Mian.
Aside from her eyes and lips being a little redder than usual, her complexion was normal, even with a slight blush. He temporarily suppressed his suspicions about why the two were in the same room, and forgot about asking about Chen Mian and Lin Langli; there was a more pressing matter at hand. He lowered his voice and asked, "Did you go to see my elder brother?"
Shenmian's arm, which was holding his, stiffened instantly. He then shook off Shenci's arm, and a huge sense of grievance and anger surged into his heart again. He wanted to tell Shenci everything without caring about anything, but reason prevailed over these emotions. In the end, he only managed to condense these emotions into two sentences that were understated yet clearly carried an element of defiance.
"He disagreed and scolded me." Chen Mian turned her face away, her voice muffled. "Chen Ci, I'm breaking up with him! You're not allowed to mention him to me again!"
After days of anxiety, Shen Ci finally felt a sense of relief. A secret sense of satisfaction and relaxation even welled up within him.
It's good that he failed. It's good that his elder brother refused. Does that mean he still has a chance? Now that Chen Mian has figured this out, as long as Shen Jinshan isn't around, will he be next?
His mood improved, and he was about to say a few words to coax Shenmian, but Lin Langli suddenly followed behind him, naturally intervening between the two and asking Shenmian, "What do you want to eat for lunch? I'm going to make a cake later, what flavor would you like?"
Then, with a distinctly distant tone, he asked Shen Ci, "Are you going to stay?"
Shen Ci's anger was about to flare up, but before it could erupt, he heard Shen Mian complain in a reproachful tone, "Didn't we just have breakfast? We can have the cake you made this afternoon, I want the mango flavor." Her tone and expression clearly showed that she was used to interacting with Lin Langli like this.
Why are they so close now?
"Do you have a particular type of mango you'd like to eat? Would you like some tomato juice? Your tongue is sore, you need to take more vitamins..." Lin Langli approached, put his arm around Shenmian's shoulder, and led him toward the kitchen. His tone was gentle and caring, unlike anything Shenci had ever heard before.
Shen Ci stood rooted to the spot, increasingly alarmed by what he saw and increasingly uneasy by what he heard. Lin Langli's current attentiveness and natural intimacy towards Shen Mian—was he taking his place? Moreover, Lin Langli's attitude towards Shen Mian was even more patient and indulgent than his own had been before…
He felt a soreness in his teeth, and his unease surged again. Then he saw Chen Mian skipping back to his side and asking him, "Tell me, it's going to be really awkward when we eat together at home from now on. Why don't you just ignore Chen Jinshan too?"
Shen Ci naturally did not stay for dinner. After receiving Shen Ci's reply, Shen Mian returned to her room satisfied, leaving the two of them facing off in the living room.
The once-twin brothers now showed no trace of blood ties. Shen Ci stared at Lin Langli's face, his tone chilling: "What trick are you trying to pull now that you're treating Shen Mian like this?"
Facing a prospective spendthrift who was not even as good as himself, Lin Langli appeared much more tolerant. He chuckled, glanced at Chenmian's room, and replied nonchalantly, "You were right before, it's indeed unlikely that you can get rid of Chenmian, so I chose to let go of those grudges. What? You're not satisfied again?"
He glanced lightly at Shen Ci's gloomy face, then suddenly laughed: "You and I not only look different, but our personalities are also so different. If I were you, I would have..."
He didn't finish his sentence, dodging Shen Ci's fist, his face turning cold: "Are you angry already? I faced a much more difficult situation than you, and I didn't get angry either. You are indeed not as good as me."
Looking at Chen Mian, who had come out of the room to look around because of the commotion, Lin Langli suppressed his expression and the fierce aura all over his body. He grabbed Chen Ci's wrist with one hand and sent him to the door. "Don't go crazy here. You'll scare your Mianmian. I won't keep you for dinner today. Goodbye."
The moment he closed the door and turned around, the last trace of expression on the young man's face vanished. He looked at Chenmian on the sofa, who seemed even more agitated by the mention of the past, and a possessiveness that he could barely suppress surged deep within his eyes.
Shen Jinshan? That's all in the past.
Shen Ci? He is not worth fearing.
Now and in the future, the only person who can stay by Shen Mian's side, someone he can rely on, someone he can be willful about, and someone he can even vent all his negative emotions on, is Lin Langli.
Shen Ci? He didn't take him seriously at all. Compared to Shen Jinshan, who was far away and had already personally pushed away his slumber, he was the one who had truly infiltrated Shenmian's life and controlled everything about him now.
As for others, Lin Langli thought he would never give Chenmian the opportunity to come into contact with more people.
"Shen Ci is gone? Good. He asked me about Shen Jinshan as soon as he arrived. So annoying."
On the sofa, Chen Mian, oblivious to the tense atmosphere between the twins, fiddled with the hem of her clothes and said, "Lin Langli, you were so close to me just now. What if Shen Ci gets suspicious? In his eyes, I liked Shen Jinshan just a few days ago, and today I'm being ambiguous with you. Won't he find out?"
What if Shen Ci thinks he's a fickle, womanizing playboy? Shen Mian is somewhat concerned about his image.
Lin Langli didn't answer immediately. He walked up to Chen Mian, looked down at him, and asked in return, "Found what? Is there anything between us that could arouse suspicion?"
"Huh?" Chenmian was taken aback by the question, and after a long pause, she stammered and answered hesitantly, "But..."
“But what?” Lin Langli interrupted him, kneeling down on one knee so that his gaze was level with Chen Mian, who was sitting on the sofa. He reached out and gently stroked the boy's face, his tone slowing as he said softly, “After all, you were the one who invited me first, and I initially refused you, wasn't I?”
Chenmian tensed up, feeling dizzy from his twisted and evasive words. She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to refute him forcefully. The coercion and threats seemed to blur under Lin Langli's gentle and focused gaze.
Lin Langli twirled a damp strand of hair that clung to Shen Mian's cheek, his voice low and seductive: "Mianmian, it's only because I like you that I was willing to go along with things and tolerate everything about you. But what about you? Even now, you still have someone else in your heart. How can I accept that?"
The sleeping brain crashed, uttering a silly monosyllable.
Lin Langli continued his "analysis," his gaze fixed on the sleepy, bewildered eyes: "You didn't notice, did you? Otherwise, why would I go there to find you, why would I take care of you, and why would I be willing to obey your orders and tolerate your little temper?"
“But, but…” Chenmian was somewhat bewildered, “You often don’t listen to me.” She always belittles him and likes to force him.
The young man pressed his fingertip against the boy's lips, stopping him from continuing. Lin Langli's eyes revealed a complex mix of pain and jealousy.
"Because of my jealousy, I hate that you liked other people, and I hate all the unpleasant things that happened between us. I want to let go and only be good to you, but those things are like thorns stuck in my heart, making me sometimes... unable to control my emotions."
He disguised his possessiveness and malice as an uncontrollable jealousy born of love.
The confusion of slumber deepened a little.
Lin Langli smiled unconsciously. "What is our relationship? When you liked Shen Jinshan, was it really liking? Wasn't it just that you were looking for a backer because you were afraid of being retaliated against by me? Mianmian, have you misunderstood what liking someone means?"
Chenmian thought to herself, "Here we go again, belittling his feelings for me—even if my initial affection for Shen Jinshan wasn't pure, what happened later?"
He met Lin Langli's gaze and clearly saw his own reflection in the young man's eyes: sitting alone on the sofa, completely controlled by Lin Langli.
After a while, Chenmian heard his own voice ask, "So, what do you mean?"
Lin Langli looked at him, his gaze fixed on the beautiful face before him, and blurted out his thoughts as if he had already made them.
"I don't need any titles, whether it's boyfriend or anything else, I just need you by my side."
"For the last two years of university, and the years I spent studying abroad, will you stay with me? For ten years, twenty years, who knows, will you stay with me forever?"
“Chenmian, will you ever truly love someone else in your life? I don’t think so. So why not find someone who will always go along with you? You won’t have to worry about being kicked out of the Shen family anymore. I’ll take care of your daily life and cover your expenses. Be the apple of your eye for the first ten years or so, and then be mine. What’s so difficult about that?”
"You don't need to worry about what others think. We had no contact for the first ten years or so. Even if our relationship is discovered, no one will find it strange, and there won't be any insurmountable ethical obstacles like those between you and Shen Jinshan."
"Wouldn't it be better if you just stayed with me, or rather, let me stay with you?"
Lin Langli believed he had offered very sincere terms; he even generously refrained from asking for a formal title, seeking only a long-term, exclusive companionship.
Of course, he doesn't believe there's nothing false in his words, such as his statement that he "likes to sleep."
But there's nothing wrong with that. Liking Shenmian's beautiful body, being fascinated by the feeling of controlling his emotions, and enjoying his complete dependence on him—isn't that also a form of liking? Does he really have to admit that he likes a good-for-nothing like Shenmian?
He concealed his arrogance and disdain, wearing a gentle and expectant smile, quietly awaiting the answer from the slumbering being.
Would Sleep agree? Sleep would not disagree.
Besides him, where else can he go in his slumber? And who else can be as tolerant of him as he is in every way?
No one but Lin Langli would willingly accept and maintain this twisted relationship after seeing through the rotten heart beneath the golden exterior.
A note from the author:
Lin Langli cannot be with Mianmian, because if they are together, Lin will inevitably try to make Mianmian his beloved wife, ideally someone who will only have eyes for him for the rest of her life, and arrogantly refuse to admit his own feelings, thinking that he and Mianmian are just playing around...
I had considered a one-on-one "what if" scenario for Lin, but the romantic subplots were anything but realistic. It was either about stealing his brother's wife (referring to Mian), or forcibly taking her and then having her run away, leaving him completely bewildered.
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