To Treat Each Other Like Brothers - Chapter 2

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Xie Shiyao pressed the back of his hand to his mouth and let out a laugh.

Lin Zhuyi asked, “Brother, what are you laughing at? Do you disagree?”

Xie Shiyao beckoned him with a finger. “Come here. Come a little closer, and I will tell you why it is funny.”

Lin Zhuyi stepped nearer.

That fair, clean face completely filled Xie Shiyao’s field of vision. If he had to use two words to describe this face, Xie Shiyao would first think of “pure,” and second, “innocent.” Two such pristine words, when applied to Lin Zhuyi, birthed a bizarrely beautiful aura. Although he looked cold and devoid of desire, his lips were fleshy, full in just the right way.

He had not changed at all. A face so perfectly suited to Xie Shiyao’s tastes just had to belong to Lin Zhuyi.

The smile on Xie Shiyao’s face vanished instantly.

He grabbed Lin Zhuyi by the back of the neck and walked him several steps toward a secluded spot where no one could see, shoving him heavily against a tree trunk.

Xie Shiyao deliberately pressed against Lin Zhuyi’s healthy ear and said irritably, “Act. Go on, keep acting. Your own mother is dead and you still have time for a performance? You only remember me? Since when was our relationship ever good enough for that?”

Lin Zhuyi stared blankly at Xie Shiyao. “How can Brother not believe me?”

“By the way, I heard the butler say the other day that Brother is taking over the group and becoming the Chairman of Yaoshi Group.”

“So, Brother, let us play a game. If you do not take care of me, I will go buy a lot of gasoline and burn the Yaoshi building down. That should give you quite a headache, right?”

Xie Shiyao’s expression shifted slightly.

Lin Zhuyi tilted his head and smiled. “I only want to live with you. I only remember you. Am I wrong?”

Nothing Lin Zhuyi said could surprise him anymore. Xie Shiyao reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which was currently recording. He flashed the screen, showing the red button in the center. Every word Lin Zhuyi had just uttered played back slowly, accompanied by the sound of the autumn rain.

For someone like Lin Zhuyi, mere humiliation was far from enough. He had to be made to suffer, or else Xie Shiyao would be the one in trouble.

Xie Shiyao sent the recording to a contact and placed a call.

“I have a recording here. Someone wants to set fire to my family’s building. Yes, the evidence is conclusive. The person is right here in the cemetery. You should interrogate him properly and find out what is going on.”

Xie Shiyao put his phone away and leaned in toward Lin Zhuyi with a smile. “Thanks to your boring little game, you are about to run into some trouble, Younger Brother.”

Lin Zhuyi remained composed, appearing as though he did not understand the concept of “fear” at all.

It was strange; while Lin Zhuyi’s expression lacked any aggression, his eyes were chillingly cold. Just like when they were kids.

Xie Shiyao could not help but recall the time Lin Zhuyi had threatened him with a kitchen knife, and he felt a vague sense of unease. He did not want to lose the upper hand to this brat. “I do not know why you are faking amnesia. If it is to get me to take you home, I advise you to give up.”

“Besides, even if your amnesia is real, there is no way I am taking you home.”

Xie Shiyao draped his arm around Lin Zhuyi’s neck, whispering into his ear with a breath as light as a feather. “After all…”

“Younger Brother. Dogs can only sleep in doghouses.”

Xie Shiyao’s thick lashes lowered as he waited to enjoy the look of defeat on Lin Zhuyi’s face.

But to his surprise, Lin Zhuyi reached out and grabbed his hand, pressing Xie Shiyao’s palm against his own cheek. The cheek was icy cold. Like an obedient pet, Lin Zhuyi closed his eyes, appearing to savor the touch. “It does not matter. Have it your way.”

This man is actually using my hand to rub his face?

Xie Shiyao was shocked by this neurotic behavior. In the ten years he had known Lin Zhuyi, the boy had never made such a bizarre, intimate gesture. He thought he was immune to Lin Zhuyi’s tricks, but this move was completely outside his realm of understanding.

It was even more bone-chilling than the threat to burn down the building.

Did Lin Zhuyi hit his head in the crash? Is the amnesia real? Otherwise, there is no explaining this behavior.

Xie Shiyao could not figure it out. Feeling disgusted, he pulled his hand away and poked his index finger hard against Lin Zhuyi’s chest. “Do not touch me. I am telling you, I have a mountain of troublesome matters to deal with right now. I do not have time to play house with you like we did as kids.”

“Brother, you seem to hate me very much.”

“Seem? Lin Zhuyi, is the fact that I hate you really that subtle?”

Lin Zhuyi said, “Then hate me. You will accept me sooner or later.”

Xie Shiyao was amused. “Where does this confidence come from? I have not forgotten a single thing you did in the past. It is not something you can solve by acting weak, faking amnesia, and calling me ‘Brother’ a few times. Do not annoy me, do not threaten me. I am not falling for your act.”

His red-bottomed leather shoes stepped onto the rain-soaked grass as Xie Shiyao turned and left.

Lin Zhuyi gazed at Xie Shiyao’s retreating figure. The tailored black suit clung to broad shoulders before tapering sharply toward a tight waist and long, powerful legs. Despite such a superior physique, Lin Zhuyi’s mind was filled only with Xie Shiyao’s face from a moment ago.

The man’s lips naturally curled upward, always carrying a trace of mockery. But upon closer inspection, that mockery held a touch of adorable childishness.

Lin Zhuyi’s eyes gradually darkened, and he let out a soft “tch.”

After leaving the cemetery, Xie Shiyao met with various distant relatives who managed different sectors of the family business. They drank tea and chatted for a while.

When he had gone abroad years ago, he had nearly severed ties with his father because of Lin Zhuyi. During those four years in New York, his father had provided nothing but basic living expenses, let alone letting him touch the family business. Fortunately, Xie Shiyao had experienced plenty of ups and downs and could afford his own villa and car. Thus, he was able to handle these relatives with ease.

The driver came to pick him up. Sitting in the back of the business van, he stared at the raindrops trailing down the window, lost in thought. He rolled down the window and, as if possessed, reached out to try and catch the rain.

He opened his palm and closed it, but the droplets lost their form in his hand, blurring into a wet mess before quickly sliding through his fingers, as if they were desperate to escape him.

Why can I not catch them? Why can I not catch anything?

For several days, Xie Shiyao filled his life with high-intensity work and socializing, trying to banish Lin Zhuyi from his mind.

One evening a week later, Xie Shiyao left the Yaoshi building, dismissed his driver, and took the wheel himself. He floored the gas and steered with one hand while using the other to place a voice call to a man named Gu Jinsheng.

“What are you up to?” Xie Shiyao asked.

A magnetic male voice answered from the other end. “My brother is back? I saw the news about your dad. I figured you would be in a bad mood, so I did not reach out yet.”

Xie Shiyao nodded. “It is not great. Are you still filming that variety show? I just finished work. Want to hang out?”

Gu Jinsheng laughed. “For you, I would break my contract to come out. Oh, by the way, during my last concert after-party, a few good-looking minor celebrities showed up. They look very pure and like men too. Just your type. You will definitely like them.”

Xie Shiyao was intrigued. He thought for a moment. “Are they bottoms? Do not let it be like that time in our freshman year where we chatted for so long and booked a room, only to find out we were both tops. A total waste of time.”

Gu Jinsheng laughed heartily. “But didn’t we become friends because of that? I will send you an address in a bit. Just come over. I will call everyone; you can see which one you like.”

“You have that much confidence in me? What if the stars you call do not like me?”

Gu Jinsheng acted as if he had heard a joke. “Are you kidding? Who could not like you?”

Lin Zhuyi’s face inexplicably surfaced in Xie Shiyao’s mind, and his gaze darkened. “That is hard to say.”

His leather shoe pressed the gas pedal, and the G-Wagon roared forward.

The location Gu Jinsheng sent was a secluded private club. As soon as Xie Shiyao parked, the manager welcomed him in as if he were the God of Wealth.

In the largest private room, Xie Shiyao found Gu Jinsheng.

Gu Jinsheng was dressed in top-tier luxury brands he endorsed, with several diamond-encrusted Chrome Hearts necklaces layered around his neck. Xie Shiyao looked him over. Hmph, yes, only that face still looks like a human’s.

He looked around the room. Gu Jinsheng sat in the center, surrounded by young men. Indeed, every face was exceptionally handsome. At first glance, it looked as if he were selecting a concubine for himself.

Xie Shiyao enjoyed the atmosphere, sat down next to Gu Jinsheng, and began drinking with everyone. One minor celebrity looked at Xie Shiyao with lingering eyes and leaned in to speak:

“I heard from Jinsheng that you will be managing the massive Yaoshi Group all by yourself? Heavens, I thought you would have a beer belly. I really did not expect you to be so young and so… lean.”

Xie Shiyao swirled the ice in his whiskey glass. “I am only twenty-two. Where would a beer belly come from? Silly.”

The celebrity’s face turned red instantly.

Some people could not keep up with the drinking and started picking up microphones to sing and avoid more alcohol. As soon as the first note was hit, Xie Shiyao shook his head in admiration. They were truly professionals. He listened to the music and played drinking games with the celebrities, feeling significantly more relaxed.

The alcohol vanished quickly as bottle after bottle of Macallan was replaced. Gu Jinsheng was a bit drunk; he grabbed the mic and started singing his own songs. Some people were already embracing and flirting. Xie Shiyao sat with his legs crossed. The liquid slid down his throat, and his whiskey glass was empty in an instant. Just as he set the glass down, it was refilled with light brown liquid.

The hand pouring the drink was fair and delicate, wearing a designer ring; it did not look like the hand of a server. Xie Shiyao looked up at the owner of the hand.

It was a young man everyone called Xiao Guai (Little Obedient). Xiao Guai looked pure, like a freshman who had just entered university, with red lips that made him stand out from the rest. During the drinking game earlier, he seemed to have introduced himself as… a singer?

Xie Shiyao gave a polite, acknowledging smile.

Xiao Guai sat closer. “Brother Xie, I want to toast you.”

Toward the first person to actively approach him tonight, Xie Shiyao showed a bit more patience. “You look like you are a bit afraid of me.”

The smile on Xiao Guai’s face stiffened for a moment.

“Then I can also be a bit rude, if you like that,” Xiao Guai said, immediately switching to a flirtatious tone.

Xie Shiyao remained unmoved. Thinking back, since he had entered the room, Xiao Guai seemed to have been staring at him. Rather than being interested in him, that gaze felt more focused on his name, his surname, and the word ‘Yao’ in his name.

He needed a no-strings-attached relationship, so he did not mind.

Xie Shiyao asked, “Do you smoke?”

Xiao Guai answered, “A little.”

Xie Shiyao leaned forward, took a thin cigarette with a gold filter from the silver cigarette case on the table, and lightly bit the filter between his teeth.

“Come here. Light it for me.”

Xiao Guai understood immediately. He searched the large table and found a luxury lighter embossed with the club’s logo. He raised his hand, obediently placing the flame before Xie Shiyao’s chin to light it.

Xie Shiyao was in no hurry to light the cigarette, instead gazing into Xiao Guai’s eyes. That gaze carried a numbness that saw through everything. Xiao Guai had nowhere to hide under that look, and the hand holding the lighter trembled slightly.

“Actually,” Xie Shiyao finally spoke, “you are quite obedient.”

Xiao Guai felt a sense of relief.

Xie Shiyao added, “But I do not play with obedient types.”

The blush that had just surfaced on Xiao Guai’s face vanished instantly, leaving only a trace of stubborn resentment. “How do you know I am obedient if you do not try? Did I not just say I can also be very rude?”

Xie Shiyao “stroked” Xiao Guai with his eyes, full of interest, but said nothing. This reserved distance, paired with that unforgettable face, was too effective at triggering a desire for conquest. Out of spite, Xiao Guai simply sat on Xie Shiyao’s lap. In this nearly intimate distance, he tested the waters, leaning his lips in.

Xie Shiyao tilted his head slightly to avoid it and smiled. It seemed like a clear rejection.

Xiao Guai was stunned, but Xie Shiyao wrapped his large hand over the other’s, helping him press down on the lighter. With a click, the flame rose again, the cigarette was lit, and Xie Shiyao took a light drag.

“That is more like it.”

After saying this, Xie Shiyao suddenly leaned in. His fingertips slid down the spine of the person in his arms, and he slowly exhaled the smoke from his mouth into the other’s. The pungent smoke, mixed with the scent of whiskey and sweet perfume, made Xiao Guai’s head spin with euphoria.

In the private room, the lights were seductive. Xie Shiyao was completely unaware that his phone screen was lighting up inside his dark suit pocket.

It was a string of messages from a phone number ending in 1, popping up one after another.

What are you doing?

Where are you?

Why did you not invite me to go home together, Brother?

You keep ignoring my messages. Brother, are you not afraid of regretting it?