To Treat Each Other Like Brothers - Chapter 28

A month quickly slipped away in the midst of a hectic schedule.

During this time, to prepare for the upcoming trip to the United States, Xie Shiyao spent even his after-office hours calling the heads of various departments to ensure that all future arrangements were flawless.

Some of the veteran employees who had followed his father along the way asked him out of curiosity, “Why are you preparing everything down to the finest detail? Where exactly are you planning to go?”

Xie Shiyao replied with a smile, “I am about to take a month-long vacation for myself.”

He glanced to the side, looking at Lin Zhuyi who was currently changing the ink in the printer, and began to look forward to his month of leave.

Aside from official business, Gu Jinsheng also contacted him.

Over the phone, Gu Jinsheng sounded incredibly mysterious and showy, remarking, “I have been gone for so long lately. Why haven’t you asked me what I have been busy with?”

Xie Shiyao lowered his head, staring at the tips of his leather shoes out of boredom. “Go ahead and tell me.”

Gu Jinsheng said in high spirits, “I slept with Lu Yingcheng.”

No matter how Xie Shiyao thought about it, something felt off. He countered, “Which one of you slept with whom?”

Gu Jinsheng suddenly became sheepish and fell silent.

That Lu Yingcheng clearly did not look simple. Xie Shiyao understood instantly. It looked like his friend’s backside had been blown to pieces.

Suppressing a chest full of mockery, he said sarcastically, “It seems Lu Yingcheng is quite special to you. Why don’t the two of you start dating and see how it goes? You are a celebrity and he is the owner of an entertainment company, so you are practically in the same line of work.”

Gu Jinsheng quickly answered, “No way, no way, we are just playing around. I will never date anyone in my entire life. Oh, by the way, how are things going between you and that younger brother of yours?”

“Just standard.”

Gu Jinsheng refused to drop the subject, saying, “Keep on lying. I have never seen you protect any of your casual flames the way you protect him. Hey, I am heading to Thailand in a couple of days for a concert. How about I mail you a box of condoms then? Chocolate flavored with polka dots, you cannot get them domestically.”

Xie Shiyao cleared his throat and interrupted, “He is right next to me.”

Gu Jinsheng did not care at all. He teased, “Oh, you two are glued to each other every single day. Alright, we are brothers, I get it, I get it. You really know how to enjoy yourself. I cannot even blame you. With your brother looking the way he does, it is only human nature. I understand completely.”

Xie Shiyao thought to himself, you understand absolutely nothing.

He spoke aloud, saying, “Instead of sending condoms, I think you should focus on taking proper care of your own backside first.”

Xie Shiyao laughed as he dropped that line, hanging up the phone on the condom-gifting boy.

He tilted his head and could not help but study Lin Zhuyi. “My friend praised your looks. What do you think about that?”

Lin Zhuyi happened to have just finished changing the ink. He pushed the ink cartridge into the printer, turned to look at Xie Shiyao, and asked back, “I am a bit lacking compared to you. Which friend was that? A friend you have slept with?”

He definitely had not slept with him. However, Xie Shiyao did not want to explain it that way. He tapped Lin Zhuyi on the forehead and said, “How can you speak to the Chairman like that? Behave yourself.”

Lin Zhuyi fixed an aggressive gaze on Xie Shiyao and pressed, “Did you really sleep with him?”

Xie Shiyao replied helplessly, “No.”

“Oh.” Lin Zhuyi turned around and went back to organizing the desk.

Xie Shiyao felt inexplicably displeased. He walked over, rested one hand on the desk to block Lin Zhuyi deliberately, and said, “Let us go shopping after work to buy a couple of outfits for you to wear to the United States tomorrow.”

Lin Zhuyi replied, “To be able to spend the Chairman’s money is truly my honor.”

Xie Shiyao did not understand why this person had suddenly become so difficult. He raised his wrist to check his watch and said, “There are ten minutes left before we clock out. After work, I am your brother, so you had better speak to me properly.”

“Alright, brother. It is not that I do not have money, nor am I incapable, so why do you keep buying things for me?”

Xie Shiyao answered without a second thought, “Is an older brother not supposed to provide for his younger brother?”

He thought about it, then added thoughtfully, “Even if you were a useless person, I could afford to take care of you.”

A feeling called panic broke through the soil of Lin Zhuyi’s heart. He turned his head away, continued organizing the table, and spoke no further.

Xie Shiyao found this amusing. He leaned down, intentionally getting close to look into Lin Zhuyi’s eyes, and teased, “Little kid, are you too moved to speak?”

That wavering gaze, which clearly showed he had dropped all defenses, was quite entertaining to Xie Shiyao. He patted Lin Zhuyi on the back and said, “I am being serious. As long as you stay well behaved and obedient, and do not unleash that stomach full of bad intentions, I can provide for you forever.”

The lowered strands of hair hid Lin Zhuyi’s eyes. From the moment they left the office until later that evening, Lin Zhuyi did not say another word.

Xie Shiyao even began to wonder if his words had been that strange. He questioned how they could terrify a lunatic into absolute silence.

After work, Xie Shiyao fully disguised himself, putting on his hat and mask, and drove to the Yaoshi Shopping Mall with Lin Zhuyi.

They had a simple meal inside, and after eating, they wandered through various boutiques.

Xie Shiyao took a liking to a flashy Saint Laurent suit. He thought to himself that since they were going to the United States, there was no need to dress so conservatively. He sent Lin Zhuyi to pick out clothes while he stepped into the fitting room to try his selection on first.

He had an excellent physique, and the result of the outfit on him looked even better than the models on the runway.

To his surprise, when he walked out, Lin Zhuyi had already purchased the suit for him.

The sales assistant was clicking her tongue in admiration at Xie Shiyao, while Lin Zhuyi leaned against the counter, holding a black card between his index and middle fingers. He flashed it at Xie Shiyao and said, “Boss.”

“I am also willing to provide for you.”

Those words caused Xie Shiyao to pause. Once he processed them, he walked over, snatched the black card from the man’s fingertips, and slid it back into Lin Zhuyi’s pocket. “You certainly talk big. You are the first person who has ever dared to say they would provide for me.”

Lin Zhuyi turned his head, leaning close to Xie Shiyao’s ear to whisper quietly, “Your little cats and dogs cannot compare to me. Do you not know that best in your heart?”

“There is only me, brother. There can only be me.”

Whether it was because of that lowered voice or some other reason, Xie Shiyao’s heart began to thud violently.

He did not want a grown man to give him a gift for no reason. Treating it as a return gesture, Xie Shiyao picked out several outfits for Lin Zhuyi according to his own taste.

When the two of them came out, their hands were filled with shopping bags from various brands.

Lin Zhuyi looked at the bags in his hands, let out a soft exclamation, and without another word, snatched all of Xie Shiyao’s bags away.

“You still try to maintain a sense of fairness with me,” Lin Zhuyi said with dissatisfaction.

Since someone was eager to do the heavy lifting, Xie Shiyao did not want to argue. He followed behind at a leisurely pace.

He was in such a good mood that he completely failed to notice the sound of a smartphone camera clicking from a corner of the mall.

The lens flashed a couple of times.

Lin Zhuyi also took out his phone and snapped a picture when Xie Shiyao was not paying attention.

Xie Shiyao quickly snatched the phone away to look at it. Although their faces were blocked by the mask and hat, they obviously looked attractive, and those long legs practically filled the entire screen.

Suppressing his vain tendencies, he asked in a harsh tone, “Why are you taking photos of me? Do you want to die?”

Lin Zhuyi said something mysterious, “Perhaps we can also start over.”

He gazed deeply at Xie Shiyao and called him brother. “We have the ability to piece together a home, right?”

The word home, no matter when it was heard, was always enough to make Xie Shiyao lose himself for a moment.

Xie Shiyao’s nose felt a bit ticklish and stung with emotion. He lowered his eyes, and instead of deleting the photo, he opened the camera function to take the first photo they had ever taken together.

The two men, both wearing diamond studs in the same ears, appeared side by side in the lens, revealing a soft look that should not have belonged to them.

“Then let us give it a try together,” Xie Shiyao said as he shoved the phone back into Lin Zhuyi’s hand.

Lin Zhuyi seemed deeply moved.

Regardless of whether there were people around them, Lin Zhuyi raised his hand and yanked hard on Xie Shiyao’s collar.

Across the fabric of the mask, Lin Zhuyi tilted his head and pressed a kiss down.

It was a sincere kiss.

Xie Shiyao’s heart beat even faster. He quickly gave Lin Zhuyi a light kick, pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, and coughed unnaturally. “When we get in the car, send me the photo. I do not mind if you set it as your chat wallpaper.”

Lin Zhuyi acknowledged the request with a laugh. “If brother did not look so handsome, I would not have been unable to stop myself from photographing you.”

If these words had been spoken when they were children, Xie Shiyao would have thought Lin Zhuyi was possessed by a ghost. But now, he was willing to believe that this statement came from Lin Zhuyi’s heart, rather than for some other purpose.

When they returned home, Lin Zhuyi behaved well, pulling out a suitcase and beginning to pack Xie Shiyao’s belongings.

The clothes, shoes, silk scarves, and toothbrushes were all organized by Lin Zhuyi and placed inside the suitcase.

“I really never thought I would go abroad with you,” Lin Zhuyi said to his pillow partner as he lay on Xie Shiyao’s large bed after the lights were turned off. “After we finish the meeting at the company tomorrow, we will leave. We have a flight to catch in the evening.”

Xie Shiyao was already so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. He mumbled, “You are acting more and more like an old nanny lately. What is wrong with you?”

Lin Zhuyi gazed at Xie Shiyao silently in the darkness, his eyes flickering.

“哥哥.”

“Good night.”

The sun rose, and they went to the office together just like any other day, with Lin Zhuyi driving and Xie Shiyao sitting in the back, playing their roles as boss and assistant.

As soon as they arrived at Yaoshi, Lin Zhuyi went to the pantry to brew coffee for Xie Shiyao.

Xie Shiyao walked toward his office according to his usual routine.

Except today, the atmosphere in the company felt different from usual.

The moment any employee, high or low, made eye contact with him, they scrambled to avoid him out of fear. It was hard to describe the feeling, but their eyes were filled with shock, doubt, and disbelief.

Xie Shiyao did not understand the cause, but he guardedly sensed that something was wrong.

As he passed a certain department manager, he asked sternly, “What is going on?”

That department manager beat around the bush, spouting repetitive nonsense without giving a straight answer.

Xie Shiyao turned around immediately, pulling out his phone as his intuition guided him while walking toward his office.

Sure enough, he was on the trending searches list.

The headline read: The Male Assistant of Yaoshi’s Chairman Is Actually His Stepbrother; A Masked Kiss Confirms an Incestuous Relationship!

Clicking into the topic, the attached images were shot from a third-party perspective. There were several pictures of him taking selfies with Lin Zhuyi in the mall, including the shot of that kiss across the mask.

Suppressing his disgust, Xie Shiyao pushed the door open and entered his office. Once inside, his fingers shook as he smoked two cigarettes back-to-back just to maintain a shred of calm.

He threw his head back, letting out a self-deprecating laugh before slamming his phone heavily onto the floor.

Xie Shiyao turned around to look at this office that had once belonged to his father. It was right in front of this desk that he had thought about how to protect himself against Lin Zhuyi.

This was true retribution.

No wonder Lin Zhuyi had taken the initiative to photograph him in the mall, buy him things, take pictures, and put on a rare display of warmth.

He asked himself why Lin Zhuyi suddenly had to kiss him at that moment.

He knew a genuine heart could never be born out of ruins.

Xie Shiyao had to gasp for air just to breathe, smoking one cigarette after another without stopping.

Right at that moment, the office door was pushed open.

Lin Zhuyi walked in holding a cup of steaming hot coffee. “Brother, why haven’t you gone to the meeting yet?”

Xie Shiyao did not speak.

Lin Zhuyi stepped closer. “Go quickly, we have to head to the airport later.”

He wondered if they were still going to the airport.

Xie Shiyao raised his head, took the cup from Lin Zhuyi’s hand to take a sip of the scalding coffee, and then stared at Lin Zhuyi for a very long time before speaking.

“Life has been too comfortable lately, causing me to forget that the thing that makes you happiest is watching me be abandoned by everyone. I actually thought it was real this time.”

“As it turns out, it was just another calculation.”

Then, he swung his hand, smashing the cup of coffee to the floor.

The brown liquid soaked the carpet. Xie Shiyao took a deep breath, using every ounce of his strength to say eloquently, “I told you before that I only care about two things: my sexual orientation and our relationship.”

At this point, Xie Shiyao clenched his fists. “You are truly a genius. I really do not know how you came up with such a disgusting method to ensure that absolutely everyone found out.”

Lin Zhuyi put on a completely ignorant expression and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Xie Shiyao’s eyes were full of disappointment. “The spring sea, we will not be going to see it anymore.”

Immediately following that, Xie Shiyao lowered his head, letting out a bitter laugh. He muttered that people like them could never have a spring.

Lin Zhuyi’s breathing also quickened. He asked with a darkened expression, “Treating you like this cannot buy me a single shred of your trust, can it?”

Xie Shiyao opened his phone, pulled up the photos from the trending search, and threw them at Lin Zhuyi. “I wore a mask and a hat. If I was not sold out by someone close to me, how would anyone know it was us? Was this not your doing?”

Lin Zhuyi did not speak.

Xie Shiyao continued, “Father is dead, so there is no one left to complain to. Is that why you started changing your methods to send me onto the trending searches? Incest? Very well. If it is you, you would indeed know exactly how to make me suffer the most. Give me a straight answer, was this matter your doing or not?”

Lin Zhuyi asked back, “If it was my doing, what can you do about it?”

Xie Shiyao slammed Lin Zhuyi against the wall, pinning him. “I am asking you if it was!”

He truly hoped he could force a no out of Lin Zhuyi’s mouth.

There was no other reason than the fact that among the members involved in the word home, he only had Lin Zhuyi left.

Yet Lin Zhuyi threw his head back, letting out a dangerous and arrogant laugh. “As expected, this state suits us best after all.”

“I also came within a hair’s breadth of believing that we would have a spring, brother.”

“However, in a certain sense, the two of us truly share a perfect telepathy.”

Bloodshot lines crawled into Xie Shiyao’s eyes one by one.

Although Lin Zhuyi was pinned by his throat, his aura did not back down in the slightest. He said, “If you want to know the truth, then go back to the family estate and take a look.”

At this point, Lin Zhuyi licked his lips and leaned close. “In fact, I prepared a grand gift for you in the basement long ago. In the room where my mother used to keep her belongings, there is a dictionary on the bookshelf. Give it a push, and you will receive the surprise you want.”

“Brother, I did not want things to turn out like this.”

“You forced my hand.”

Lin Zhuyi stroked Xie Shiyao’s hair with a look that was almost tender, whispering softly, “You forced my hand.”