I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Brother

Ning Chen could not resist any form of closeness from He Shenyu.

To abide by the rules he had set for himself—to persist day after day without taking the initiative—had already exhausted the self-control he once prided himself on.

He didn’t know what to do; it seemed that as long as He Shenyu held his hand, he wanted to follow him. No matter where they went, no matter how far, no matter the sun or the rain.

After playing in the theme park all day until nightfall, He Shenyu and Ning Chen finally took Ning You back.

After this day, Ning You already viewed He Shenyu as being as important as his own brother. He even hugged He Shenyu during the farewell and said, “It would be great if Brother He were my real brother too, then I’d have two real brothers…”

Shenyu laughed and patted his head, saying, “You can treat me like one. Brother He will take you out to play more often in the future!”

“Okay!” Ning You nodded, finally giving them both a kiss on the cheek before running inside.

Ning Chen looked at He Shenyu and said, “If you became his real brother, you would be my brother too…”

“What? You’re taking it seriously?” Shenyu burst out laughing. “Wouldn’t that be a mess? We’ve already kissed; no matter how much of a beast I am, I couldn’t do something like that…”

Ning Chen looked at him in silence.

Actually, he wouldn’t mind at all…

Ning Chen admitted he had no bottom line. His values had long been shattered during the times he hit dead ends while looking for part-time jobs. He knew clearly that he maintained the persona of a “good student” only to more easily obtain preferential treatment in all aspects.

He needed scholarships, he needed the extra project funding provided by professors, and he needed the process not to be blocked when applying for student loans. Perhaps, as a child, he had been a boy with normal values and a healthy curiosity about the world.

But he didn’t remember. Year after year, the urgent need for money had turned him into this; he couldn’t change back. He didn’t know what he looked like in He Shenyu’s eyes; he imagined it must be much better than the real him.

Shenyu was an absolutely good person.

This was something Ning Chen no longer doubted. Shenyu’s “germophobia” wasn’t just physical; Ning Chen knew he also had a very high level of moral cleanliness.

Sometimes Ning Chen wanted to reveal bits of his true self to He Shenyu, but at other times, he felt it was unnecessary. From his perspective of absolute utilitarianism, Ning Chen shouldn’t do that. Maintaining the image of a pure and pitiable canary was the correct way to keep a “Gold Master’s” favor.

But the problem now was that he craved more than just that kind of relationship…

This was the crux of his recent internal struggle. He didn’t want to admit it, but sometimes his body was more honest than his heart. When He Shenyu held his hand, he would laugh involuntarily. He even wanted more, more…

At this moment, He Shenyu was staring straight at him, waiting for a response to his previous sentence.

Perhaps because he had been silent for too long, He Shenyu leaned in closer and said, “Ning Chen, do you really want me to be your brother? Why the sudden silence?”

“Brother…” Ning Chen looked at him and called out.

In truth, he didn’t care if the hypothesis was true. Even if it were, he would still be just like he was now…

Shenyu felt a bit uneasy. He whispered, “Ning Chen, don’t call me that. How am I supposed to kiss you if you call me ‘brother’?”

Ning Chen’s eyes lifted instantly: “Then I won’t call you that. Does Shenyu want to kiss me?”

“Ah?” Shenyu froze, his ears turning red. “Why so sudden…”

Ning Chen silently opened the car door and gently pushed He Shenyu inside. The two sat side-by-side in the back seat. Once Ning Chen got in, he closed the door.

The air was quiet for a few seconds. Ning Chen didn’t speak, just quietly looked at He Shenyu. Regardless, he wasn’t being proactive; this didn’t count as breaking his own rule…

Shenyu sat up straight, somewhat dazed, not quite understanding how they had reached this step again. He sighed in his heart and took Ning Chen’s face in his hands. Looking into Ning Chen’s calm eyes, he gently leaned in to kiss him.

To be honest, he was almost getting used to kissing Ning Chen. He knew that a person’s bottom line is lowered step by step like this. However, if it was just kissing, he could accept it for now. Anyway, kissing once is a kiss, kissing twice is a kiss—no difference…

In the narrow carriage, the two pressed closer and closer because of the kiss. Ning Chen held He Shenyu’s waist, enjoying his proactive kiss. He didn’t dare take control of the initiative; once he started moving, he would lose control completely.

Shenyu’s kiss was as gentle as he was. Even the fingertips touching Ning Chen’s face weren’t using force, just lightly resting there. Lips were gently held and sucked, a texture like jelly pudding—a sticky, soft friction that made one’s heart itch with restless desire.

Ning Chen didn’t plan to keep pressing He Shenyu down, so he reached out and picked him up, placing him on his lap. Shenyu opened his eyes, startled by the movement. He was about to pull away, but Ning Chen pressed the back of his head.

He had no choice but to compromise, closing his eyes to continue the kiss.

Under Ning Chen’s intentional control, this kiss didn’t become uncontrollable like before. Ning Chen only stabilized He Shenyu’s body, giving all the initiative of the kiss to He Shenyu. Thus, they kissed for a long, long time…

Shenyu panted lightly and stopped the kiss: “Okay, okay… Ning Chen…”

Ning Chen smiled, leaned over to give him another peck on the corner of his mouth, and then let go.

Mm, Shenyu was the one who was proactive. I was just serving Shenyu. It seems Shenyu is very satisfied; this service was very successful.

Ning Chen suppressed the deeper longing in his heart and moved He Shenyu back to his original position. It took a long time for them to settle down before He Shenyu got out of the back and into the driver’s seat.

Shenyu’s ears were still red. He was helpless against his own constitution that turned soft after a kiss; every time after kissing, he had to recover for a long while. Ning Chen wouldn’t be like that. He felt it was a bit embarrassing…

Shenyu glanced at Ning Chen as a cover-up and found that his face didn’t even turn red, making him even more frustrated. Ning Chen had no reaction at all, making it seem like his reaction was huge…

Lost… I truly lost… Shenyu sighed in his heart and started the car.

…

Autumn, as a transitional season, always seems short. Shenyu felt the ginkgo trees along the street hadn’t been yellow for long before it was already the season for overcoats.

This afternoon, there was a mix of rain and snow. Worried about Ning Chen, He Shenyu drove to pick him up from school for the first time in a long while. He had given notice in advance because, due to the weather, the school gate was congested. There were too many people, and he was afraid he wouldn’t find Ning Chen.

Fortunately, Ning Chen was never hard to find.

Today, he wore a black overcoat from the same brand as He Shenyu’s—it was a new arrival. Shenyu liked it very much, so he bought one for Ning Chen as well. Shenyu’s aesthetic was deeply influenced by movies; he always liked things that looked good on screen.

An overcoat is a winter essential. Ning Chen usually only wore various sportswear, but because He Shenyu really liked seeing him in it, he didn’t refuse.

A person with enough height really carries an overcoat with an air of elegance. Ning Chen still didn’t have an umbrella; walking through the crowd, the gray sky made him stand out. Black is a heavy color, much like Ning Chen himself; even if he wanted to be low-key, he couldn’t. With this outfit, he really stood out like a crane among chickens.

Shenyu waved at him, and Ning Chen quickly looked over. His feet still wore sneakers; when he ran, he was light and fast. The overcoat and the backpack behind him flew in the air, and the little white bear pendant never fell.

“Shenyu…” Ning Chen was always happy to see He Shenyu. A smile appeared on his face before he even realized it.

“Don’t just stand there, it’s still raining. Get in the car.” Shenyu beckoned him.

Ning Chen’s gaze followed him as he entered the car. Shenyu usually liked to wear light-colored clothes, especially cream-white knits, which made him look very gentle. But today, he rarely wore a black overcoat, which neutralized his temperament, giving him a kind of quiet beauty.

Ning Chen held his backpack and kept staring. Shenyu felt a bit self-conscious: “What? Is there something on my face?”

Ning Chen shook his head: “No, it’s just that Shenyu rarely wears black.”

Shenyu smiled and joked: “You’re always in all-black. If I wear black too, people will think we’re going to rob a bank when we walk together!”

Ning Chen smiled: “No, it’s a ‘couple outfit’.”

Shenyu looked down at his clothes. Well, same brand, same season’s new arrival—it did look a bit like a couple’s outfit. Irrefutable. He laughed and didn’t continue the topic, saying: “We need to pick someone up on the way.”

Ning Chen’s smile vanished. “Who?”

Actually, He Shenyu didn’t know her either, but for the sake of his persona, he was supposed to. He answered: “She’s the granddaughter of my neighbor from when I was a kid. We played together as children. She went abroad for school and work, and she’s here on a business trip this time. My parents called and asked me to help pick her up.”

“Oh,” Ning Chen nodded, then asked, “Is Shenyu close to her?”

Shenyu shook his head: “Not really. We haven’t been in touch for a long time since she went abroad.” It had taken him forever to find this girl in his contacts. Her name was also a bit obscure, Zhong Ai. When He Shenyu first saw it, he didn’t even know how to read it…

“Mm.” Ning Chen nodded and didn’t ask further.

Recalling Ning Chen’s previous “heroic feat” of offering to be a “secret lover,” He Shenyu proactively added: “Don’t overthink it. My dad insisted I go. Her plane lands exactly at this time. But it started raining, and I wanted to pick you up first.”

Ning Chen turned to look at him and laughed. His “aegyo-sal” (eye bags) crinkled into obvious curves from the force of his smile, his eyes narrowing by half—his happiness was incredibly obvious.

Shenyu was infected by his joy and laughed along: “Happy now?”

“Mm.” Ning Chen nodded, the smile still not leaving his face.

Only now did He Shenyu feel the reality that Ning Chen was still a student; he could be childish and needed coaxing. Usually, Ning Chen did things with great structure; in handling certain problems, he was even more mature and stable than He Shenyu. Sometimes, He Shenyu felt Ning Chen was like a precise robot—when something happened, he had no emotion, and his first reaction was to find a solution.

Mature to a fault.

He found he quite liked this side of Ning Chen—the occasional childishness was quite cute.

The light ahead was red. Shenyu stopped to wait, but the phone mounted on the bracket suddenly rang. Since he was driving, he didn’t pick it up but put it directly on speakerphone.

A lively female voice came from the receiver: “Hey Shenyu, are you here yet? I’ve gotten off the plane! Why don’t I see you?”