After Becoming Arch-Enemies with My Best Bro - Chapter 22

Wen Huihan didn’t know why, but he felt as though he had heard this voice somewhere before. It gave him a sensation that was simultaneously familiar and foreign.

It was as if it had echoed in his ears day and night once upon a time, vanished for a while, and had now reappeared without warning.

The feeling was terrible, and it made him incredibly uneasy.

Wen Huihan stood still for a moment, only to find the strangeness in his heart growing more pronounced. Subconsciously, he began walking toward the source of the sound.

When he came to a stop in front of Wen Nuannuan’s bedroom door, the eerie sensation enveloped his entire body. Without hesitation, he knocked.

The sound inside the room cut off instantly. A moment later, Nuannuan’s panicked voice drifted out: “What is it?”

Wen Huihan said calmly, “Wen Nuannuan, you’re staying up late again.”

The door opened. The young girl’s dark, bead-like eyes darted a quick look at her stern-faced brother. She put on a well-behaved act. “It’s the holidays, after all. I’m going to sleep right now.”

Wen Huihan gave a faint smile. “Then what were you just doing?”

“Nothing! I was just getting into the mood for sleep.” Nuannuan looked at the ceiling and the floor, looking everywhere except at her brother, who was currently standing there like a god of wrath.

Heavens, my brother has such a good temper, but even he has days where he gets mad? How novel.

Wen Huihan took a deep breath. He felt a dull ache in his head due to a certain terrifying suspicion, one that almost made it impossible to think.

However, he could still tell that this girl was contradicting herself.

He said coldly, “I heard everything. It’s the middle of the night and you’re listening to an audio drama instead of sleeping.”

Nuannuan’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible!”

She suspected Wen Huihan was bluffing. She was wearing Bluetooth earbuds, after all. Even if he were lying under her bed, it would be impossible to hear. Did her brother install a bug in her phone?

After saying that, she stole another glance at Wen Huihan, her heart pounding.

Logically, she should be confident and unafraid, but today Wen Huihan possessed a strange, commanding presence. He was 185 cm tall, but his aura felt like it was nearly three meters high.

Especially with his face as black as the bottom of a pot. She also felt that her brother was on the verge of a breakdown, looking as if he might close his eyes and faint at any second.

This wasn’t right, was it? Did the fact that she was listening to an audio drama late at night make him that angry?

Her brother was likely overreacting out of concern, but he shouldn’t let his anger ruin his health.

Out of guilt, and because Wen Huihan’s serious expression was truly rare, Nuannuan finally admitted, “Fine, fine. I was indeed listening to an audio drama, but I really intended to sleep after listening for just a bit longer.”

She had recently started high school, and the academic pressure was immense. To make matters worse, she had a brother who was a top-tier student, and that brother was surrounded by a “God of Study.” How was she supposed to sleep?

With Wen Huihan’s brilliant example before her, everyone felt the Wen family might produce two top scholars in one generation. Nuannuan was burdened with the high expectations of the entire family. She suffered from insomnia every night and lost her appetite.

Fortunately, she had discovered not long ago that as long as she listened to her favorite audio drama while falling asleep, her stress vanished and she could actually drift off. Thus, she developed this habit and had been listening to it for months.

Since she had been caught, Nuannuan had no choice but to hand over her phone as evidence of her “crime.”

When Wen Huihan saw the title of the audio drama, his vision went dark—After Becoming Archenemies with My Best Friend.

Nuannuan wasn’t sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she thought she saw her brother sway on his feet, his pupils unfocusing.

They were truly unfocused. Since the Wens were a family of doctors, Nuannuan knew a bit of medical knowledge. She quickly grabbed her brother’s shoulders and shouted, “Brother! Brother, are you okay?! Do I need to call an ambulance?”

Wen Huihan’s soul, which had drifted out of his body, was screeched back into place by her voice. He gritted his teeth. “Is the ambulance fee coming out of your New Year’s red envelope money?”

Nuannuan said shyly, “That won’t work, Brother. I spent all my red envelope money on BunnyEar subscriptions.”

Wen Huihan: “…”

A massive leak had occurred within his own home, and it had ruined everything.

He was indeed having a breakdown now, especially since he had just searched for the plot of this audio drama. It was exactly the same as the dreams he had been having.

The villain and the protagonist met when they were nobodies, brothers who would take a bullet for each other. Later, however, they became enemies due to conflicting ideologies.

Driven by various factors, they engaged in a series of power struggles and mutual betrayals. In the end, the villain met a miserable demise while the protagonist went on to live a brilliant life.

Not only that, even the names of the villain and protagonist were nearly identical to his and He Chenshuang’s. One was named Wen Han, and the other was named He Chengshuang.

Haha, how could such a coincidence exist in this world?

Wen Huihan felt even more unstable, his mind filled with only one thought: I’m screwed!

The “Villain Incident” was actually a massive blunder. Not only did he believe it, he acted on it!

At this very moment, he wanted to transform into a monkey and sprint outside screaming to vent his utterly shattered emotions.

Seeing Wen Huihan looking like a man on his deathbed, Nuannuan didn’t dare speak. She felt as though she had committed an unforgivable sin.

But all she did was stay up late, right? It wasn’t exactly life-destroying, was it?

Finally, unable to help herself, she asked, “Brother, I’m sorry. But how did you know I was listening to an audio drama? I wear earbuds every single time.”

Wen Huihan let out a cold laugh. He wanted to know the answer to that question too. Why was it that even though Nuannuan wore earbuds, he had been listening to it for half a month?!

And it wasn’t just that he heard it; because he listened to these things while falling asleep, his mind had automatically applied the plot to himself and He Chenshuang.

He wasn’t even this efficient when applying formulas to math problems or putting on long johns!

Wen Huihan struggled to steady his rapid breathing and smiled. “Why don’t you check your earbuds, little sister?”

Nuannuan: “Brother, your smile is terrifying.”

She pulled out her battered Bluetooth earbuds. Once they showed they were successfully connected, Wen Huihan expressionlessly pressed play.

“He Chengshuang, we are already enemies until death. Why are you acting like a hypocrite now!”

“Have you ever considered, Wen Han, that we didn’t have to end up like this? It was your selfishness and narrow-mindedness that turned everything into this!”

The protagonist’s voice actor had a very pleasant voice, one that shared a similar quality with He Chenshuang’s deep baritone. If the voice were lowered just a bit, they would be almost indistinguishable.

Nuannuan: “…”

Holy crap, the Bluetooth earbuds are leaking sound!

They usually seemed fine to her. She had no idea the world outside her earbuds shared her listening experience.

Furthermore, she and her brother’s rooms were separated by a single wall, and their beds were both placed right against that wall. In the silence of the night, any significant noise could be heard clearly.

She had been too confident. He didn’t need to lie under her bed to know what she was doing.

No wonder her brother was so angry; he had been kept from his sleep by her noise.

Nuannuan pressed her palms together and apologized sincerely. “I’m sorry, Brother. I really didn’t know these earbuds leaked sound and kept you awake. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

Wen Huihan: “You really do owe me an apology.”

Whenever he thought about the things he had done lately, he wanted to find a place to bury himself alive.

How can a person be this stupid?

Wen Huihan closed his eyes, feeling as though he’d been struck by lightning. Half of his body felt numb.

Blaming Nuannuan wouldn’t help. Besides, it wasn’t entirely her fault; he was the primary culprit.

He raised his hand and transferred 500 yuan to his impoverished sister, saying coldly, “Go buy a new pair of earbuds.”

She spent all her red envelope money recklessly but insisted on using a broken pair of earbuds for several years. He was almost angry enough to laugh.

All of this was caused by a pair of earbuds.

The time these earbuds broke must have been roughly when his nightmares began. These earbuds were truly resilient; they had managed to hold on for over a month.

Nuannuan was moved to tears. “Can you give me my phone back first? If I don’t accept the transfer within 24 hours, it’ll be automatically returned.”

Wen Huihan: “…”

***

Finally, after Nuannuan promised repeatedly that she would buy new earbuds immediately, go to bed on time, and stop listening to audio dramas all night, Wen Huihan let her go.

“You listen to audio dramas all night while sleeping? Don’t you want your ears anymore?”

“I fall asleep and forget to turn them off, haha.”

No wonder Wen Huihan had constant nightmares. It turned out Nuannuan listened to them all night long. She slept soundly, but did she ever think of her poor brother on the other side of the wall?

Wen Huihan made Nuannuan write a letter of guarantee before dragging his heavy steps back to his room.

However, as he tossed and turned in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep. Only one thought occupied his mind: Is it all over for me?

How could someone cause such a huge mess?

Had He Chenshuang realized his best friend was targeting him? The reason He Chenshuang hadn’t been sleeping well lately, could it be because he noticed something was wrong and was debating whether to cut ties?

Should he apologize to He Chenshuang? Could an apology solve the mistakes he had made?

The reason He Chenshuang hadn’t exposed him to his face—was it because he couldn’t let go of their years of friendship yet? Or was he looking for an opportunity to bring it up?

As these questions flooded his mind, Wen Huihan’s thoughts became chaotic. He began to reflect on every single thing he had done during this period. The more he counted, the more horrified he became.

What had he done?

He splashed water on He Chenshuang, spun the dining table just as He Chenshuang was reaching for food, and intentionally turned off the bathroom light as a prank while he was showering.

He even ran to the gym to strengthen his body, trying to ensure he wouldn’t lose if they ever came to blows in the future.

Later, after learning that He Chenshuang was supposedly homophobic, he had pushed things even further, doing things that were enough to “spoil” their friendship.

In the October weather, which wasn’t even that hot, Wen Huihan wasn’t under a blanket, yet he was drenched in sweat.

the audio drama was only the trigger; the one who truly did the wrong things was him. He had no right to blame anyone else.

The more Wen Huihan thought about it, the more ashamed he felt. He was so embarrassed he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Leaving the planet would be fine, too. Either way, he had no face left to see He Chenshuang.

He pulled out his phone. The moment he opened WeChat and saw the nickname he had given He Chenshuang, he felt even more flustered.

He quickly changed the nickname back to the original name and hid all the “gloomy and wet” posts he had recently made on Moments, which were visible only to He Chenshuang.

And his screen name and profile picture… dammit, how did he do so many stupid things?

After being busy for a long while, he stopped and stared blankly at the chat interface.

His last chat record with He Chenshuang was still stuck at them sharing their dinners. They had each taken a photo, chatted for two sentences, and that was it.

It looked very ordinary. They chatted frequently, almost to the point where they shared everything with each other. When they encountered anything new or interesting, they couldn’t stop talking.

Before his brain broke, they were a perfectly normal pair of best friends. They would roast each other, bicker, and laugh together at funny videos.

Although it still appeared this way on the surface, Wen Huihan had a sinking feeling that He Chenshuang must have realized something was wrong with his head.

Perhaps because he had suddenly learned the truth, Wen Huihan was now clearer-headed than ever before. He began to recall every word and expression of He Chenshuang’s, peeling them back like layers of an onion.

When he said he wanted a bite of He Chenshuang’s ice cream cone, that strange expression that flashed across He Chenshuang’s face for a split second.

When he pretended to be asleep and crawled into He Chenshuang’s covers, He Chenshuang’s avoidant attitude.

When he watched anime with He Chenshuang and occasionally interspersed it with BL titles, He Chenshuang always made excuses not to look at his computer.

And during the day, that was the first time He Chenshuang hadn’t gone home with him.

***

Wen Huihan actually knew He Chenshuang quite well. He appeared to have no significant emotional fluctuations, but his mind was more delicate than anyone’s.

Back in high school, Wen Huihan had a period where he skipped breakfast, causing a bout of gastroenteritis. He didn’t know it himself, thinking it was just a regular upset stomach. It was He Chenshuang who saw his pale face and dragged him to the hospital for a check-up.

He Chenshuang was observant; how could he have missed his abnormality?

Wen Huihan let out a massive sigh. The feeling that he was truly finished grew even stronger.

What was He Chenshuang doing right now? He should be asleep by this time, right?

It was already 2:00 AM. Wen Huihan hesitated repeatedly. He wanted to send a message to He Chenshuang to test the waters, but in the end, his finger stayed hovering over the text box, and he didn’t send it.

He hadn’t figured out how to face He Chenshuang yet.

Failing to find a solution, he posted a Moment.

I am just a big stupid pig!

It drew many concerned comments.

What happened to the handsome guy? Transfer me 50 yuan and I’m willing to listen to your troubles.

Piggy darling, I won’t allow you to say that about yourself.

What happened?

 If you’re a pig, how are the rest of us supposed to live?

Stop being a pig. Get online and let’s play, I’ll take you to hunt the wild boars in the Rift.

Out of all those comments, He Chenshuang was the only one missing.

Wen Huihan felt he was truly done for.

***

The next day, Wen Nuannuan indeed fulfilled her “servant” vow. She got up early and used the floor scrubber to mop the entire house.

When Wen Huihan walked out with dark circles under his eyes, he was startled by the mirror-like floors.

“Brother, you’re awake? Did you not sleep well?” Nuannuan had a fawning smile on her face. “Was it because of me that you didn’t sleep well? I really didn’t listen to it last night.”

“It wasn’t because of you.”

Wen Huihan had spent the entire night thinking about him and He Chenshuang. He didn’t fall asleep until nearly dawn.

But even after a nap, he still couldn’t muster any energy. He was a far cry from how he had been a few days ago.

After all, his worldview had been shattered and reconstructed over and over. He felt like dying.

He ate a brunch that tasted like nothing. Holding his phone, he searched the entire internet for “how to apologize to a best friend.”

But no matter how much he looked, he couldn’t find a situation that matched his and He Chenshuang’s.

Pretending to be gay to provoke a homophobic friend—this way of causing trouble was truly too niche. Not everyone had a thought process as eccentric as his.

Wen Huihan tried another angle. He went to ask a mutual friend of his and He Chenshuang’s, their high school classmate Lin Qihao.

[whh: Hao, you’re a total straight guy, right?]

[Lin Qihao: Yeah, why?]

[whh: Suppose your best friend suddenly turned gay one day, and it seemed like he was interested in you, often using stupid ways to get your attention. What would you do?]

Lin Qihao was silent for a long time before sending a message.

[Lin Qihao: What’s going on? Are you gay or is He Chenshuang gay?]

Wen Huihan: “!!!”

[whh: No, no, I’m just asking out of curiosity. Neither of us is.]

[Lin Qihao: Oh, is that so?]

[Lin Qihao: Well, this bro is straight as an arrow. I’d just have to say sorry to that gay friend, hehe.]

[whh: Then what if the other person kissed you while you were unconscious?]

This time, Lin Qihao was silent for even longer.

[Lin Qihao: Holy crap, you kissed He Chenshuang? Or did He Chenshuang kiss you?!]

[whh: …]

[whh: Stop jumping to conclusions, nothing like that happened. I just saw this question online today and wanted to ask you.]

[Lin Qihao: Fine. I figured it was impossible for you two anyway. He Chenshuang isn’t that kind of person.]

Wen Huihan: “…”

He Chenshuang wasn’t that kind of person, but he was.

[whh: Right? If such a thing happened, what would you do?]

[Lin Qihao: I don’t mean anything bad about gay people, but it would feel a bit weird in my heart. After all, I’m a rock-solid straight guy.]

[Lin Qihao: But if it’s a very good bro, I probably wouldn’t make a scene. I’d just silently distance myself.]

Wen Huihan stared at that line of text, feeling his breathing stop.

Was He Chenshuang thinking the same thing?

Not making a scene, but always having a grudge in his heart, so he planned to slowly distance himself in the future?

No wonder he didn’t go home with him anymore. Perhaps He Chenshuang hadn’t been asleep at all back then. Just as he had been feigning sleep, He Chenshuang knew exactly what was happening.

He who feigns sleep is destined to be feigned upon.

Wen Huihan’s mood hit rock bottom, feeling even worse than when he thought he and He Chenshuang were archenemies.

For two days straight, he didn’t contact He Chenshuang, and He Chenshuang didn’t contact him. It was so quiet it felt as if the man didn’t exist in the world.

Even Fang Ziya, who had returned from working overtime, asked, “Why hasn’t Little He come over to play?”

This question poked right at Wen Huihan’s sore spot. He couldn’t say a word for a long time.

He Chenshuang was probably thinking about how to break off their friendship right now. That was why he didn’t even “like” his Moments anymore or ask what was wrong.

Wen Huihan didn’t know how to answer, so he just made up an excuse: “He’s probably busy with something.”

Fang Ziya: “Then ask him when he’s free. Little He is all alone at home, it must be lonely. Invite him over for dinner.”

The Wen family seemed to have four members, but in reality, there were five.

From the day Wen Huihan and He Chenshuang became friends, He Chenshuang coming to the Wen house for dinner had become a tradition.

To thank He Chenshuang for taking care of Wen Huihan, and after accidentally learning that he lived alone, Fang Ziya often had Wen Huihan bring him home.

At his house, He Chenshuang even had his own set of exclusive cutlery and a water cup. He was treated exactly like Wen Huihan.

Since the Queen Mother had spoken, Wen Huihan replied, “Okay!”

Feeling as though he had finally found an excuse to contact He Chenshuang, he breathed a faint sigh of relief and picked up his phone to consider his wording.

This was the first time he had ever been so cautious when facing He Chenshuang. Previously, he would have just called him directly.

But he couldn’t help it; he felt extremely guilty and didn’t know how to properly handle the issue between him and He Chenshuang.

He agonized for a long time before choosing to send the invitation in a casual tone.

[whh: What are you up to? My mom wants you to come over for dinner.]

[whh: There are your favorite lemon chicken wings. I’m personally taking charge of the stove OVO.]

After sending the message, Wen Huihan nervously bit his finger, his eyes glued to the screen.

Unable to sit still, he paced around the living room with his phone. But five minutes passed, and he still hadn’t received a reply from He Chenshuang.

Even Nuannuan couldn’t stand it anymore. She asked him, “Did Brother He not see his phone? How about I personally run over to his house to check?”

Since their houses were so close, a round trip wouldn’t take much time at all. Nuannuan treated it as going down for a walk.

Wen Huihan: “No, no. If he’s not coming, he’ll tell me.”

Nuannuan thought that made sense and went back to the kitchen to help Fang Ziya wash vegetables.

About ten minutes later, he finally received a message from He Chenshuang.

The moment the message popped up, Wen Huihan almost jumped on the spot. He quickly looked at his phone.

[He Chenshuang: No thanks. Thank your mom for me.]

[He Chenshuang: Eat up, little pig ^^]

Wen Huihan’s mood instantly plummeted from the peak, feeling so cold he thought he was dying.

And He Chenshuang’s next sentence… he indeed saw the Moment he had posted, but he neither liked it nor commented!

And for some reason, he could just feel from between the lines that He Chenshuang’s mood definitely wasn’t great either.

He Chenshuang was truly angry!

From high school until now, He Chenshuang had never rejected any of his invitations. This was the first time.

Realizing this, Wen Huihan truly understood that his friendship with He Chenshuang was in the middle of a major crisis.

It was just that He Chenshuang was being considerate of their bond and wanted to leave him a shred of dignity.

In his sadness, Wen Huihan went to chat with the straight guy, Lin Qihao, again.

[whh: Suppose that gay guy has deeply realized his mistake and wants to apologize for his behavior. What would you want the other person to do so you could forgive him?]

[Lin Qihao: ?]

[Lin Qihao: Did a gay guy appear around you? Why are you so focused on this lately?]

[whh: Haha, didn’t you say I’m the ‘ideal type’ for the gay community? So I just paid a little attention to it.]

[Lin Qihao: Oh, I see.]

[Lin Qihao: Well, he doesn’t need to do much. Since we’re bros, letting a bro have a peck isn’t a big deal.]

[Lin Qihao: But I can’t return a gay guy’s love. After all, I’m straight. So I just hope the other person takes some traditional medicine to clear his head and stays away from a charismatic straight guy like me.]

Wen Huihan’s heart sank. Was this really the only way?

Lin Qihao was a straight guy. He Chenshuang was even more extreme—a homophobic straight guy. But their thoughts surely had common ground.

Although he wasn’t actually gay, what he had done was worse than what an actual gay person would do.

Once a gay guy, always a gay guy.

He had offended He Chenshuang because of a temporary lapse in sanity. Perhaps the other person thought the same way, which was why he rejected the invitation and planned to silently distance himself from now on.

Wen Huihan put himself in that position and imagined it.

If He Chenshuang had kissed him, he actually wouldn’t be particularly angry, given their years of friendship. But since he couldn’t return the feelings, it would be better to pretend he didn’t know anything and then gradually drift apart.

Sigh. When all was said and done, was there anyone stupider than him in this world?

He Chenshuang was right; he was a big idiot.

Wen Huihan spent another whole day in deep thought and finally made a major decision.

He was going to give He Chenshuang a solemn apology. If He Chenshuang didn’t accept it, he would pack up and leave.

Although he really wanted to tell He Chenshuang to his face, let alone seeing him, Wen Huihan’s hands were shaking even as he typed to him through a screen.

He wrote a draft on paper, deleting and revising for a long time, before sending the apology message to He Chenshuang in the middle of the night.

[whh: You there? I have something to tell you.]

[whh: Some things have happened recently that caused a subtle change in our relationship. But that wasn’t my intention. You must have noticed the strange atmosphere between us lately, right? Don’t doubt it; it’s actually my fault.]

[whh: Honestly, I struggled for a long time with how to bring this up to you. I’m really sorry. Everything is my fault, but I swear I’m really not gay. Please forgive me!! QAQ]

Wen Huihan chose to send it in the middle of the night for a reason.

He Chenshuang went to sleep early. There was a high probability he wouldn’t see these messages, which would give Wen Huihan a whole night to prepare himself so he wouldn’t see He Chenshuang’s reply immediately.

With this avoidant mindset, Wen Huihan peacefully covered himself with his blanket, preparing to sleep.

The world could explode tomorrow. He had suffered from insomnia for the past two days, and his eyes were sore and swollen. If he didn’t sleep now, he might actually drop dead.

But before Wen Huihan could even close his eyes, the lighting up of his phone screen made his heart skip a beat.

It was He Chenshuang’s reply, incredibly swift and incredibly brief.

[He Chenshuang: Is that so? I don’t think so.]

[He Chenshuang: Wen Huihan, let’s talk.]

Wen Huihan: “!!!”

The apology was indeed too weak. Not only did He Chenshuang not accept it, he was also very angry.

Was the only way really to move out of the dorm and consciously stay away?