The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 23

The Clumsy Encounter

“Su Huai?” Seeing that he hadn’t spoken for a long time, Yan Jin worried that the boy was dazed again as he had been before. He quickly cupped Su Huai’s face and called out urgently.

Too close.

Su Huai closed his eyes. The person before him had eyes and words only for him, and even the scent on the man’s body was identical to his own.

If I were to control Yan Jin’s actions and whereabouts… would he loathe me?

Yan Jin frowned. Why did the boy close his eyes instead? Could he be overthinking things again?

I never said I disagreed with him going to the Northwest with Lin Jiebai; how could he still have such a large temper?

Seeing no response, Yan Jin grew anxious and simply leaned forward

Who would have thought that the low stool would let out a sharp “creak” as one of its legs snapped without warning!

Yan Jin lost his balance instantly and tumbled forward. He crashed squarely into Su Huai’s embrace. In a frantic scramble to steady himself, he grabbed Su Huai’s hair; however, the hair tie loosened and his hand slipped. The two of them rolled together and fell to the ground.

Su Huai was pinned firmly underneath. He let out a muffled groan and opened his eyes, only to find Yan Jin’s nose right against his own.

The incident was so sudden that Su Huai’s eyes were still full of bewilderment, but his body had already reacted by wrapping an arm around Yan Jin’s waist to prevent him from rolling further onto the ground.

Eyes met, and the air froze.

Yan Jin was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole in the ground. Fortunately, this spot was secluded and others couldn’t see them.

He propped his hands beside Su Huai’s ears, his body as stiff as a door plank. He looked at the sky, the ground anywhere but at the person beneath him. Finally, holding up Su Huai’s hair tie and blinking his large, innocent eyes, he said: “…If I said the stool started it, would you believe me?”

Su Huai was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into a low laugh.

Their current appearance was truly too ridiculous. Thus, the two of them lay on the ground, laughing like a pair of absolute fools.

After a while, Yan Jin tried to get up, but Su Huai’s expression suddenly changed. He gripped Yan Jin’s waist tightly: “Don’t move.”

Su Huai pursed his lips, his eyelashes fluttering as he looked away. He whispered, “You’re pinning down my belt.”

Only then did Yan Jin look down. When Su Huai fell, his collar had been pulled into a mess, and his waist belt had loosened, leaving a section of it trailing beside him. Yan Jin was currently kneeling on Su Huai, and his knee was pinning that loose belt. If he stood up abruptly, the belt would surely “go on strike.”

He imagined an image of Su Huai being forced to walk the streets with his clothes in disarray wouldn’t the boy explode like fireworks? His heart hammered like a drum, but fearing he would truly unravel the belt, he felt momentarily at a loss.

Su Huai pulled his collar together and added: “Move your knee first.”

“Oh.” Yan Jin complied. “And then?”

He looked up to meet Su Huai’s gaze, followed by another silence. Amidst Su Huai’s hesitation, Yan Jin suddenly realized And then what?! The belt is free, why aren’t I getting up?

Su Huai’s heart was still fluttering; he wanted to say something, but as he looked up, Yan Jin scrambled to his feet so fast he slammed his head into the tree.

Yan Jin struck the tree several times, commanding his brain: “Forget it! Quickly forget it!” This was a cringeworthy moment he never wanted to recall the kind that hits you in the middle of the night!

Su Huai: “…………”

The tiny bit of romantic tension from a moment ago was shattered into dust.

He smoothed out his expression, feeling as though he could see the rest of his life before him. He must have committed some atrocious crime in his past life to be punished with a crush on Yan Jin in this one!

He straightened his clothes, expressionless as he grabbed Yan Jin by the back of the collar and hauled him back. He reached out: “My hair tie.”

Being held by the collar like a kitten by its scruff, Yan Jin immediately behaved. He sheepishly handed over the tie: “…Junior Brother, let’s talk nicely. Don’t be angry.”

Su Huai took the tie, his fingertips inadvertently brushing Yan Jin’s palm. He lowered his eyelashes to hide the surging emotions in his eyes, saying only: “Go behind me.”

“Huh?” Yan Jin didn’t react for a second.

“Tie my hair for me.” Su Huai sat upright on a stone under the tree, his tone steady. “You took it down, so you’re responsible.” He tilted his head slightly, indicating the dark hair spilling over his shoulders. “How am I supposed to see anyone like this?”

Only then did Yan Jin realize that he was seeing a side of Su Huai he had never seen before. With his dark hair flowing down like a waterfall, it added a rare touch of laziness to his usually cool and aloof face. This laziness, in turn, added a hint of allure to his exquisite features. It was like a flower on a snowy mountain suddenly appearing before one’s eyes; anyone who saw it would want to reach out and touch it.

He slapped his cheeks to wake himself up and moved behind Su Huai as requested.

“Although this place is secluded, people might pass by. I’ll give you a simple style.” Yan Jin took a deep breath and carefully gathered Su Huai’s long hair. The strands were like silk, carrying the same clear fragrance as his own, entining around his fingers with an indescribable sense of intimacy.

Back on Mount Wofuo, he had often helped Old Lady Li comb the hair of the little beggars, so he was very skilled. In no time at all, he had tied Su Huai’s hair back.

“Done.” Yan Jin stepped back to admire his handiwork. He suddenly noticed a leftover red thread on the table the remnant from when Su Huai had woven the red string for him. Red strings represented a wish for a lifetime of peace and prosperity.

A thought flashed through his mind. He pressed down on Su Huai, who was about to stand up, took the red thread, and wove it into Su Huai’s hair as well.

His fingertips occasionally brushed against the side of Su Huai’s neck or the curve of his ear. That cool touch made Su Huai’s body shiver imperceptibly, but he remained silent, enjoying this small comfort he had asked for.

The sky was now shaded with twilight. The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled spots of light upon them. The moment felt slow and elongated.

“Finished!” After a long while, Yan Jin let out a breath. “How does it look?” His eyes were sparkling, practically writing “please praise me” on his face.

“Very good.” Su Huai’s tone was flat, but a trace of a smile flickered in his eyes. “Let’s go.”

“Where to?” Yan Jin blinked.

“The outskirts. When I first arrived in Huaian, I heard there is a martial dance performance there every day. Want to see?” Su Huai made the suggestion sound casual, but his fingers curled slightly inside his sleeve as he watched for Yan Jin’s reaction.

“Really?!” Yan Jin’s eyes lit up. In both his past and present lives, he had wanted to be a great hero roaming the martial world. Since his health wouldn’t allow it, he settled for watching others play the hero. But heroes were hard to find, so he settled further for a love of martial arts performances.

He immediately tossed the previous embarrassment to the back of his mind and excitedly pulled Su Huai’s sleeve. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go! If we’re late, we’ll miss the good parts!”

The Leap of Faith

The outskirts were actually livelier than the city center.

A temporary market was crowded with vendors selling a dazzling array of goods. Beside the market stood a high platform twice the height of a man, with many Kongming lanterns piled at its base. According to the townspeople, today was the final martial dance performance, and the lanterns were to bless the performers on their journey.

In an open area in the distance, gongs and drums blared amidst bursts of cheering; the performance had clearly begun.

It was truly a case of “arriving at just the right time.” Yan Jin pulled Su Huai and nimbly wove through the crowd until they secured an excellent vantage point.

Soon, the gong was struck three times, and the performance ended.

Yan Jin, still wanting more, turned to say something to Su Huai but was jostled by the sudden surge of the departing crowd.

“Careful!” Su Huai reached out to pull him, but the crowd was too dense and fast, instantly pushing them a distance apart.

“Yan Jin!” Su Huai’s heart tightened. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd to give chase. But there were people everywhere, blocking his sight. He could only call out Yan Jin’s name in desperation, though his voice was quickly swallowed by the roar of the crowd.

He scanned every similar silhouette. Just as he was becoming frantic, the surrounding noise seemed to go quiet for an instant.

Sensing something, Su Huai looked up sharply

On the temporary prayer platform not far away, Yan Jin had just climbed up and was leaning on his knees, panting. Before he could even catch his breath, he was peeking around for someone. The moment their eyes met, Yan Jin’s eyes lit up, crinkling into crescent moons.

“Su Huai! I’m over here!” Yan Jin’s voice carried clearly with a smile.

At that moment, the sun was setting. The prepared townspeople began to light their lanterns for peace and prosperity. Countless golden points of light slowly rose from the ground like a river of stars flowing backward radiant and gentle, gradually filling the darkening twilight sky.

Yan Jin stood beneath that rising river of light. The soft glow cast a hazy halo around him. His smile was clean and brilliant, more dazzling than the ten thousand lanterns behind him.

Time seemed to stand still. All of Su Huai’s anxiety, restlessness, and panic were easily smoothed away in this instant. His heart felt completely filled, aching with a fullness that surged through his chest.

He instinctively pushed through the crowd, walked to the base of the platform, and spread his arms.

Yan Jin paused for a second, laughed softly, and without a moment’s hesitation, leapt from the high platform

With his robes fluttering and his dark hair flying, he fell into Su Huai’s embrace, enveloped by the prayers filling the sky behind him.

Their chests were pressed tightly together; even through their clothes, they could clearly feel each other’s rapid, forceful heartbeats. Su Huai lowered his head slightly, catching the faint scent of soap from Yan Jin’s hair.

To hell with hiding, escaping, and worrying. This person was his. If he didn’t realize it today, could he really stay oblivious forever?

With that thought, Su Huai released him slightly. When he looked at Yan Jin again, his eyes held an uncharacteristic steadiness.

Yan Jin noticed nothing, merely reflecting on how his Junior Brother had grown up and could now steadily catch him jumping from such a height.

He was in a good mood, so he simply leaned his weight on Su Huai. “I’ve been walking so long, I’m tired. I don’t want to walk anymore.” He muttered as he looked at the silent Su Huai, feigning weakness. “Ah, I’m dizzy, my feet hurt, my chest is tight… I’m about to faint from exhaustion…”

Before he could finish his nonsense, Su Huai had heard enough. He turned his back to Yan Jin and crouched down. “Get on.”

“Excellent! Doctor Su is such a good man!” Yan Jin giggled. Ignoring the onlookers, he hopped onto Su Huai’s back. “I’ll definitely give you a commendation banner when we get back.”

Su Huai ignored his rambling and simply walked for a long time. Suddenly, his shoulder grew heavy. Tilting his head, he saw that Yan Jin was nearly asleep.

“Junior Brother, walk a bit faster. I’m so sleepy.”

Su Huai: “Mm. I am.”

“Are you truly leaving for the Northwest tomorrow?”

Su Huai: “Mm.”

“What a pity. I originally wanted you to meet my uncle.”

Su Huai: “Next time.”

Yan Jin hadn’t fully recovered yet, and after forcing himself to stay active all day, he was truly exhausted. By the end, there was only a faint murmur: “I’ll miss you…” And everyone at the Hall of Three Lives.

Su Huai paused for a moment, adjusted Yan Jin’s position to carry him more steadily, and said softly: “I will, too.”