Who Wants to Be the Affectionate Cannon Fodder?! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20

Yu Lin felt that Lin He had been acting a bit strange lately.

It wasn’t that he was giving Yu Lin the cold shoulder like before; if anything, he seemed a bit closer. But this closeness wasn’t exactly genuine. It usually amounted to him asking, “Are you going to look for Xie Zhizhang again?” as Yu Lin headed downstairs to leave, and then casually smoothing out Yu Lin’s hair.

Yu Lin didn’t think his hair needed much smoothing, but it seemed to have become a habit for Lin He.

Is my brother into some weird niche hobby? Like, maybe he loves fluffy creatures but can’t have a pet, so he’s just grooming me instead?

System 007, having long since seen through everything, remained silent, offering only a subtle hint: “Have you noticed that Xie Zhizhang hasn’t dared to get too close to you lately? And the Devotion Points from his colleagues haven’t increased either.”

“Really?” Yu Lin thought back briefly. He hadn’t noticed any difference in Xie Zhizhang’s behavior, though it was true that the Devotion Points hadn’t changed much. He figured he had probably reached the limit of what he could squeeze out of Xie Zhizhang’s coworkers.

In late July, on the day Yu Lin received his admission notice for University A, Mother Lin had the housekeeper prepare a massive feast. She specifically asked Yu Lin to invite Xie Zhizhang over for dinner.

She had heard Xie Zhizhang’s name mentioned piecemeal by Yu Lin and Lin He, and she knew he was the Omega Yu Lin liked. She understood that Yu Lin’s current academic success was largely due to Xie Zhizhang’s help. Combined with what she knew of the boy’s family situation, her gratitude was mixed with a sense of maternal pity.

However, an interlude occurred when Yu Lin and Lin He went to the cafe to pick up Xie Zhizhang.

Before the car had even come to a full stop, Yu Lin saw Xu Ze’an emerging from the cafe holding an Americano. He seemed reluctant to leave, lingering at the door and looking back to say something to someone inside.

Turning around and seeing them, Xu Ze’an’s expression stiffened. He glanced at Yu Lin and then walked away, feigning indifference while maintaining his full “main character” aura.

A moment later, Xie Zhizhang finally appeared. He climbed into the backseat with an apologetic look, explaining, “Sorry, I lost some time handing over my shift to a colleague.”

Lin He: “No worries. We just arrived.”

“I saw Xu Ze’an just now. What was he doing here?” Yu Lin asked guardedly.

Xie Zhizhang blinked, seemingly surprised that they had run into Xu Ze’an, but he quickly composed himself. “He was passing by and stopped for a coffee. He asked where I decided to go to school and then left.”

“Mm. And you told him?”

Xie Zhizhang hesitated. It wasn’t that he wanted to tell him, but Xu Ze’an had come with specific questions. He clearly already knew Xie Zhizhang had applied for Clinical Medicine at University A; if those questions weren’t just an excuse to talk, they were a way to confirm the news was true.

Still, Xie Zhizhang gave a quiet “Yes.”

Yu Lin said nothing.

The development of this script is truly unexpected, Yu Lin marveled. I have a premonition that Xu Ze’an is going to end up being my classmate.

System 007 replied coldly: “Whose fault do you think that is?”

“I’ve saved up almost enough to pay back the money I borrowed from Xu Ze’an. Once that’s settled, I won’t have any more contact with him,” Xie Zhizhang explained, assuming Yu Lin was unhappy about his interaction with Xu Ze’an.

To his surprise, Yu Lin said: “A few more days won’t make a difference. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

In Yu Lin’s estimation, the plot involving Xie Zhizhang’s heat cycle was inevitable. As for when or how it would happen, that remained a mystery. The only certainty was that Xu Ze’an would play a major role in it, so a delay of ten days or half a month didn’t really matter.

“What I mentioned last time, about your cycle…”

“Ah?” Xie Zhizhang looked awkwardly at Lin He, who was driving. His old habit of stuttering returned. “That matter, I… I went to ask. The doctor said my pheromone levels are normal. In the short term, it shouldn’t happen. I’ve also prepared plenty of those, you know, suppressants.”

“Oh.” Yu Lin had just responded when the traffic light ahead flashed. Lin He brought the car to a somewhat abrupt stop. Inertia threw Yu Lin forward before the seatbelt jerked him back, leaving a stinging pain in his shoulder.

He looked at Lin He with a mix of confusion and complaint, only to meet a pair of cold peach-blossom eyes looking back at him. Perhaps it was the dim light inside the car, but Yu Lin felt his brother’s eyes were as dark as a deep pool under the moonlight—dangerous yet strangely captivating.

He asked tentatively: “What’s wrong?”

Lin He pressed his lips together. “Is this what you two usually talk about when you’re together?”

Before Yu Lin could detect the abnormality in his tone, Xie Zhizhang sensed it and hurried to say: “It’s because a customer at the shop had an accidental heat a few days ago, and it affected the others. Yu Lin was just showing concern.”

Hearing this, Lin He glanced at the bewildered Yu Lin, likely unable to reconcile the word “concern” with that face.

“Is that so?”

Coming to his senses, Yu Lin said, whether intentionally or not: “Brother, I showed a lot of concern for you during your Rut, too. You were the one who ignored me.”

Lin He’s movements stiffened, and his lips seemed to press even tighter.

It had been a long time since Xie Zhizhang had eaten such a lively dinner. Mother Lin looked like a delicate lady from a wealthy family, yet her personality was exceptionally bright and frank. Her enthusiasm was almost more than Xie Zhizhang could handle.

Though Yu Lin’s “iron-fisted” education had helped him shed his former cowering demeanor, he still felt a bit stiff in front of an unfamiliar elder. No matter what Mother Lin asked, he could only manage “Yes,” “No, not at all,” or “Thank you for the compliment.” He had intended to send a few SOS signals to Yu Lin, only to find the other boy completely buried in his food, seemingly even more afraid of social interaction with Mother Lin than he was.

“Lin He mentioned he’s sponsoring your studies. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell us,” Mother Lin said gently. “I’ll have to trouble you to look after Yu Lin at school.”

Xie Zhizhang nodded obediently. “Actually, Yu Lin is usually the one looking after me.”

Mother Lin chuckled, her gaze landing on Yu Lin’s face, which was covered in sauce from the braised meat. “He’ll be lucky if he can look after himself, let alone anyone else.”

Father Lin opened another bottle of his prized wine. Xie Zhizhang wasn’t a strong drinker and had to go to the nursing home to be with his grandmother later, so he politely declined.

Father Lin didn’t press him, telling him to grab whatever he wanted from the fridge. He then turned to fill Yu Lin and Lin He’s glasses to the brim.

Just as Yu Lin reached for his glass, Lin He bumped his leg under the table. Yu Lin looked up curiously, meeting Lin He’s warning gaze.

“Brother, just one sip.”

Lin He didn’t believe his promise for a second. He mouthed the words: No.

Yu Lin glanced at their parents, certain that Lin He couldn’t do anything to him there.

So, under Lin He’s threatening gaze, he downed three full glasses. Five minutes later, he successfully collapsed, completely drunk. In the end, it was Lin He who carried him to his room after dropping Xie Zhizhang off.

The slightly tipsy Mother Lin leaned back in her chair, her eyes half-closed as she watched her eldest son’s retreating back. A strange feeling suddenly stirred in her heart.

“What are you thinking?” Father Lin asked.

Mother Lin said hesitantly: “I’m wondering why Lin He chose to go abroad in the first place, and why he suddenly changed his mind and wanted to help with the company.”

Father Lin said somberly: “Perhaps he was afraid we’d suspect he wanted to fight Yu Lin for power, so he deliberately avoided us.”

Mother Lin looked at her husband, puzzled. “Are we such mean and petty villains? Besides, their bond as brothers has always been very…”

Mother Lin trailed off. For a split second, she realized she couldn’t quite remember what the interaction between Lin He and Yu Lin used to look like.

Lin He had just placed Yu Lin on the bed when the boy rolled away like a fish back in water.

The bedroom air conditioner hummed to life. Yu Lin dug a hole in the blankets and buried half his body inside, leaving one bare leg and half his waist exposed to the air.

Lin He let out a soft laugh and pulled at the blanket to drag him back, but Yu Lin struggled, his leg kicking straight into Lin He’s shoulder. Lin He instinctively blocked it, his cool fingers nearly scorched by the heat of the boy’s skin.

He simply rolled the blanket up, wrapping Yu Lin tightly inside like a piece of sushi.

“Brother?” Yu Lin, sensing something was wrong, regained a bit of his senses. He called out innocently, “Why can’t I move?”

“What do you think? Didn’t I tell you not to drink just now?”

Yu Lin squirmed on the bed, moving toward Lin He’s hand. His shoulder rubbed against Lin He’s arm through the layers of blankets in an endearing way. “My mistake, my mistake, Brother. Let me go.”

Lin He froze, seemingly recalling a scene from his memory. A trace of nostalgia appeared on his face.

When he spoke again, his tone was much softer: “I’ll ask you a few questions. If you answer them, I’ll let you go.”

Yu Lin nodded dizzily, his face flushed.

“Are you happy about getting into University A with Xie Zhizhang?”

Yu Lin tilted his head, thinking for a moment. “I should… be happy, I think.”

Lin He didn’t know what kind of answer that was, but he let it slide.

“You really like being with him, don’t you?”

Yu Lin struggled inside the blanket. His body was burning from the alcohol, and his mind was a muddled mess. His eyes were veiled in a watery mist, making everything look blurry. In his peripheral vision, Lin He’s elegant hand seemed plated in a warm, gauzy light, like fine white porcelain.

That hand was currently pressing down on a corner of the blanket. No wonder he couldn’t break free.

Yu Lin could only nod again.

[Devotion Points +10, Contributor: Lin He]

[Devotion Points +10, Contributor: Lin He]

[Devotion Points +20, Contributor: Lin He]

System 007 watched the rising numbers and then looked at Lin He sitting beside Yu Lin. A chaotic electronic current surged through Yu Lin’s head; the silence was deafening.

“Six years ago, at Kuchuan Ferry…”

Lin He felt a weight on his hand. The sound of Yu Lin’s steady breathing reached his ears.

“You’re just looking for trouble,” Lin He said coldly.