To Treat Each Other Like Brothers - Chapter 15

Xie Shiyao had expected to see a dark-faced, furious Lin Zhuyi.

Instead, the scene before him was entirely unexpected.

Lin Zhuyi held no umbrella. Wearing only slippers, he stepped through the rain, crossing the long courtyard alone. One step, then another, Lin Zhuyi drew closer until he came to a halt in front of Xie Shiyao. Only then did he manage to force a faint smile.

“What am I supposed to do with you, Brother?”

“You always make me so sad.”

A fine, dense current of warmth surged into Xie Shiyao’s heart. The person he had wanted to destroy since childhood was now showing him such a fragile expression. Xie Shiyao should have felt triumphant in this victory.

But he did not.

In his confusion, he followed his instinct and tilted the umbrella, shielding Lin Zhuyi from the downpour.

Xie Shiyao tried to maintain a cold tone. “Are you going to control whether I leave the house now, too?”

Lin Zhuyi seemed to find the words amusing and shook his head with a laugh. Then, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against Xie Shiyao’s shoulder. “What right do I have to control you?”

“If you must leave, why will you not take me with you? The rain is so heavy; I do not want to stay home alone.”

Lin Zhuyi looked up, his eyes pleading. “Can you?”

A flash of lightning struck, its white light—along with that look in Lin Zhuyi’s eyes—crashing heavily into Xie Shiyao’s heart.

He glanced toward Gu Jinsheng’s car and used his index finger to push Lin Zhuyi’s head away. “You are too young. Go away. Go home.”

Lin Zhuyi followed Xie Shiyao’s gaze and saw Bai Ye in the car. His expression soured. “It has been nearly three months. As expected, you could not stay behaved for that long. You finally could not hold it in and had to find someone to relieve your loneliness, right, Brother?”

This familiar tone made Xie Shiyao feel inexplicably relieved. He raised his hand, gripping Lin Zhuyi’s face with his palm, gradually increasing the pressure.

“You have been ‘good’ for three months; it seems you could not hold it in either. Good. This is more like you.”

Rainwater from Lin Zhuyi’s face flowed over Xie Shiyao’s hand. Lin Zhuyi let himself be held. “How can you speak like that? I am truly very sad today.”

Xie Shiyao said, “Before my patience runs out, I advise you to go home.”

At that moment, Bai Ye, who had been waiting in the car, finally lost his patience. He cracked the window and shouted to Xie Shiyao, “Brother Xie, let us go! Everyone is already there!”

Xie Shiyao instinctively let go. Bai Ye’s voice thoroughly ignited Lin Zhuyi.

Lin Zhuyi stared gloomily at the Lamborghini. As if intentionally provoking him, he reached out and pulled Xie Shiyao into an embrace. “Can you stay, Brother?”

“…Please.”

The words were forced through Lin Zhuyi’s gritted teeth.

Xie Shiyao had not expected this sudden move. He pushed Lin Zhuyi away with force. “What is wrong with you?”

Xie Shiyao was strong; Lin Zhuyi was pushed from under the umbrella back into the rain.

Lin Zhuyi did not care about being soaked. He licked the raindrops from his lips, his eyes full of disappointment. “I have gone this far, and it is still not enough?”

“You are insane.” Xie Shiyao did not want to waste any more words. He turned and stepped through the rain toward Gu Jinsheng’s car. “Go back, now.”

He was angry as well. He did not want to be angry, he did not want to argue with Lin Zhuyi, and he did not want his heart to be in such a mess. Frustrated, Xie Shiyao walked faster, decisively leaving the drenched figure behind.

Gu Jinsheng’s car was right in front of him. Just then, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

The moment Xie Shiyao turned around, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Stumbling through the curtain of rain was Lin Zhuyi, who had just held him so tightly.

The boy had chased after him after all. He seemed to have run so fast that his slippers were nowhere to be found. He was barefoot, soaked, clutching a corner of Xie Shiyao’s clothes, his face covered in a mixture of rain and tears.

Lin Zhuyi ran up to Xie Shiyao, panting, gripping the edge of the suit jacket. With water streaming down his face, he dropped all his pride and shouted:

“Brother.”

“Please, do not leave me.”

His voice trembled. It was as if the decade of lethal hatred between them had become as light and fragile as his voice at that moment. Inside the car, Gu Jinsheng and Bai Ye watched the scene through the glass, neither daring to speak.

Xie Shiyao’s pupils shivered. “What are you doing?”

Lin Zhuyi still held onto his clothes. “I do not know. I just… I really do not want you to go. Is that okay? It is, right? Let us go home.”

It was that look again. A look that blurred the line between sincerity and acting. The look Xie Shiyao least wanted to see.

Rain flowed into his eyes, blurring his vision. Xie Shiyao wiped his wet forehead. “What are you performing? Have you not always hated me the most?”

“Lin Zhuyi, from the time we were children, you wanted to destroy me completely. Since you hate me, why are you doing this?”

Xie Shiyao truly wanted an answer. But he also felt that Lin Zhuyi could not be that honest; he would surely mix cunning with his sincerity, making it impossible to tell truth from lies.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhuyi looked straight at him. “I do hate you.”

“I hate that I care about you.”

Xie Shiyao’s grip loosened. The umbrella tilted and fell into the rain. It rolled across the ground and stopped at Lin Zhuyi’s feet.

In that moment, countless memories flashed through Xie Shiyao’s mind. He gave Lin Zhuyi a complex look. “Yes.”

“I hate you too.”

Having said that, Xie Shiyao used his thumb to brush the rain from Lin Zhuyi’s eyelashes. His thumb lingered at the corner of the eye. He could not control his strength, pressing harder and harder. Finally, as the corner of Lin Zhuyi’s eye began to turn red under the pressure, Xie Shiyao suddenly snapped out of it. He restrained himself, let go, turned his head, and bent down to pick up the umbrella. He handed it to Lin Zhuyi.

“Go home.”

Leaving those words behind, Xie Shiyao opened the car door and got in. The Lamborghini sped away.

Inside the car, a bewildered Bai Ye pulled out a tissue to wipe the rain from Xie Shiyao. “Brother Xie, what… what is going on?”

Xie Shiyao did not want to talk. He took two tissues, folded them, and dried his own face.

Gu Jinsheng was also confused. “Is that a new lover? He is definitely your type.”

Xie Shiyao crumpled the tissue in his hand. “What lover? He is the massive trouble my father left for me before he died.”

“Trouble?” Gu Jinsheng clearly did not understand.

Xie Shiyao hummed in response, looking at the rain on the window. He said wistfully, “Do not overthink it. He is my brother.”

Gu Jinsheng nodded, seemingly understanding. “Alright. If you do not mind, I can take him out sometime to see the world? With looks like that, he could debut on the spot.”

Xie Shiyao balled up the paper and threw it at Gu Jinsheng. “Just drive. If you cannot figure out how to drive, get out and let me do it.”

This was a clear sign of displeasure. Gu Jinsheng gave a thoughtful smile, immediately sensing the tension.

The three of them arrived at the private club owned by Bai Ye, looking glamorous. As soon as Xie Shiyao appeared, he was surrounded by various celebrities. Because he had taken a sleeping pill before leaving, he did not drink, and he spoke even less than usual. Even when Bai Ye introduced his boyfriend to everyone, Xie Shiyao only offered a nod.

Gu Jinsheng did not stay idle either. Shortly after sitting down, a handsome man followed him in. The two seemed to know each other well; it was clearly not their first meeting, and they began to talk flirtatiously.

While the man went to the restroom, Gu Jinsheng leaned in mysteriously. “I want you to help me check someone out. The one sitting next to me just now, named Lu Yingcheng.”

Xie Shiyao knew exactly what was happening. “Understood. But that guy does not look like a submissive type. Be careful you do not end up being the one pinned down.”

Gu Jinsheng said confidently, “He would not dare.”

After several rounds of drinks, everyone except Xie Shiyao was soaked in alcohol. Xie Shiyao truly had no heart for festivities. The image of Lin Zhuyi’s disheveled, chasing figure echoed repeatedly in his supposedly cold heart.

What is he doing?

Why use vulnerability as a weapon to stab at what little conscience I have left? And why must you mix that one percent of sincerity into your ridiculous disguise?

Xie Shiyao opened the surveillance app and pulled up the feed of Lin Zhuyi. Lin Zhuyi was still in the same clothes, his hair wet, seemingly asleep. However, he was not in his own room; he was on the sofa in the hall.

Even in sleep, he was a source of worry. Xie Shiyao looked down, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He opened the home automation app, raised the temperature of the hall air conditioning by a few degrees, and locked his phone.

After sitting for another half hour, the sleeping pills he took before leaving home fully kicked in. Xie Shiyao did not even bother making an excuse; with dark circles under his eyes, he quietly left.

When he arrived home, Lin Zhuyi was still as he appeared on the surveillance, sleeping on the sofa. Xie Shiyao ignored him and walked past the sofa toward the stairs.

Then, he noticed a box of opened sleeping pills on the coffee table next to the sofa. The lid was off; clearly, Lin Zhuyi had taken them to fall asleep. He picked up the box, confirming Lin Zhuyi had not gone mad and swallowed the whole thing, before feeling relieved.

Xie Shiyao walked around the hall but could not find a blanket. He took off his expensive designer suit jacket and, as if acting out of spite, threw it over Lin Zhuyi. Then, he went to the balcony to smoke a cigarette.

When he returned, Lin Zhuyi was in the same position, and the jacket had not been moved. Xie Shiyao’s expression grew even colder. He walked over to Lin Zhuyi and pulled the jacket properly over him.

As he leaned down, he noticed Lin Zhuyi’s hair was still not dry. The wet black hair clung to his face, making his skin appear even paler than usual.

As if possessed, Xie Shiyao reached out and brushed the hair away. By the time his awareness returned, his fingertips had already slid down to rest on those full lips.

His fingertips trembled for a second, yet he could not pull away immediately. Xie Shiyao first gave a bitter smile, then sighed.

The best ending would clearly be to go our separate ways. Why must you insist on making a home with me?

“…Greedy fool.”

Xie Shiyao stood up and turned off the light, his figure disappearing at the stairs.

Just as the sound of footsteps vanished completely, Lin Zhuyi, who had been sleeping quietly, silently opened his eyes in the darkness.