Yu Shulin's face broke into a wide smile as he hurried towards the approaching Liang Zhou, saying excitedly, "Brother, you're back—"
Liang Zhou pulled him into a tight embrace, his arms holding him close. He stroked his neck and ruffled his hair before burying his face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling against his skin, his warm breath ghosting over it. "Shulin..."
"Brother?" Yu Shulin felt a ticklish sensation and tried to shrink away, but instead of letting go, Liang Zhou held him even tighter. Blinking, Yu Shulin's smile grew even brighter, and he hugged Liang Zhou back. "Brother, did you miss me a lot? You got tanned from filming, but you're still very handsome!"
"I missed you terribly." Liang Zhou greedily inhaled his clean, pleasant scent and tightened his arms once more before forcing himself to release the hug. He let his hands drop to rest on Yu Shulin's shoulders, taking a step back to look him over carefully. A gentle smile touched his lips. "Good, you've grown quite a bit taller."
"And put on some weight too." Yu Shulin was so happy to see Liang Zhou that his eyes were sparkling. He pinched his own cheek, then boldly reached out to pinch Liang Zhou's face. "See, my face is all fleshy now. But brother, how did you get so much thinner? Was the food abroad really bad?"
Liang Zhou took his hand and held it firmly. Seeing those bright eyes fixed on him, he couldn't suppress the surge of emotion in his heart. He leaned down and planted a firm kiss on Yu Shulin's cheek, his gaze tender. "Yes, it was awful."
Yu Shulin was stunned for a moment, then pulled his hand free to touch his own cheek, laughing. "You went abroad once and even picked up those messy foreign kissing customs. Don't do that to other people, especially girls, or they might get the wrong idea."
Hearing his words, the nervousness Liang Zhou felt from taking the initiative to kiss him gradually subsided, replaced by a faint sense of disappointment. He ruffled Yu Shulin's hair, his emotions finally settling down a bit more. Taking his hand, he led him outside. "Let's go home for dinner first. You've waited so long, are you hungry?"
"Not hungry, I ate a big breakfast! Brother, was filming abroad fun?"
"Not bad. I brought you a gift, I'll give it to you when we get back."
"Great!"
Compared to the intimacy over there, the meeting between Uncle He and He Long was much more subdued.
Uncle He frowned as he looked his son up and down. "You've gotten stronger. Have you been taking good care of the young master?"
He Long nodded. "Yes."
"Good." Uncle He turned and walked away, and He Long quickly followed.
Guan Bowen glanced at his own honest assistant, thought for a moment, then hurried over to He Long's side. He poked him and pointed at Liang Zhou and Yu Shulin walking away hand in hand. "Younger brother? Biological?"
...Weirdo.
He Long shot him a sidelong glance and didn't answer.
Guan Bowen didn't mind his rude attitude and kindly reminded him, "The airport is crowded, and both Liang Zhou and I are fairly well-known. That touching scene of brothers reuniting was definitely photographed just now. Better get ready to deal with some gossip news."
He Long's brow furrowed. He scanned the crowd and indeed spotted a few people with cameras, sneaking around furtively. His face darkened, and he strode towards Liang Zhou up ahead.
Aunt Liu had prepared a sumptuous welcome-home feast for Liang Zhou. Everyone ate together noisily and happily, asking Liang Zhou about his time abroad. The atmosphere was lively and warm.
After the meal, Yu Shulin packed his schoolbag, hugged Liang Zhou, and rode his bike back to school. The summer make-up classes at City No. 2 High School had already started. He had taken an unprecedented half-day off just to be the first to see his brother and had rushed to the airport to pick him up. Now that he had succeeded, he naturally had to obediently return to class.
Watching his younger brother's figure disappear from the villa gate, Liang Zhou's eyes dimmed slightly. Finally, he raised a hand to rub his temples and went upstairs to rest.
That night, Yu Shulin, hugging a pillow, knocked on Liang Zhou's bedroom door.
"Shulin?" Liang Zhou had just finished showering, his hair still dripping. Seeing Yu Shulin standing at the door in pajamas and holding a pillow, he was surprised.
"I'm sleeping with you tonight." Yu Shulin squeezed past him, placed his pillow on the bed, and climbed on. He hadn't seen Liang Zhou for half a year. Now that he was back, of course they had to have a good, long chat.
—He'd never tried the whole 'sharing secrets with your brother in bed' thing before.
Liang Zhou's calm expression cracked slightly. His gaze involuntarily swept over Yu Shulin's fair face, delicate collarbones, and exposed arms and legs... He unconsciously tightened his bathrobe.
Why are summer pajamas so revealing... No good. Tomorrow, he'd go buy new ones. Tank tops and shorts? Absolutely banned!
"Brother, don't you want to sleep with me?" Yu Shulin frowned in confusion when he saw Liang Zhou standing still for so long.
Of course he wanted to... No! He didn't! He couldn't! He mustn't!
His mind was a chaotic mess, but he maintained a perfectly expressionless face on the outside, nodding stiffly as he walked towards the bathroom in an awkward posture. "I'll go blow-dry my hair and change into pajamas..."
"Then hurry back, brother!" Yu Shulin waved at him with a smile. Once the bathroom door closed, he secretly pulled a long, pretty box from inside the pillowcase. He opened it, took a look, gently closed it again, and tucked it back under the pillow.
Inside the bathroom, Liang Zhou locked the door, turned on the shower, adjusted it to cold water, and plunged his head under the stream.
Tonight was probably going to be... very difficult.
Yu Shulin waited for quite a while before Liang Zhou emerged from the bathroom. His eyes lit up, and he lifted the covers, climbing into bed. He beckoned to Liang Zhou, "Brother, come quickly."
Liang Zhou's steps faltered. The impulses he had just managed to cool down threatened to resurface... His little brother's actions and words were too easy to misinterpret.
Relying on sheer willpower, he walked calmly and steadily to the other side of the bed. He first turned off the main light and the bedside lamp, then switched on two floor lamps, quickly got into bed, and wrapped himself in the thin blanket.
Yu Shulin scooted closer to him, fished out the pretty box from under the pillow, and in the dim light, grabbed Liang Zhou's hand and pressed the box into it. "For you. To celebrate you finishing the shoot."
Liang Zhou held his breath the moment Yu Shulin leaned in. When his hand was caught, his body stiffened uncontrollably. But once the hard box was placed in his palm, a wry amusement washed over him, and his tense nerves relaxed a fraction.
"What is it?" He held the box up to look at it, opening it. "A tie?"
Yu Shulin smiled along with him, nodding. "Yeah. I didn't know what to get you. I've already given you everything I could think of. This is practical, and it's a very mature style. You'll like it."
"Thank you." Liang Zhou touched it affectionately and placed the box on the nightstand. It was true that Shulin loved giving him little gifts. He carefully kept each one, and they were almost filling a whole drawer now.
He suddenly felt a wave of emotion. How could he not like such a wonderful younger brother?
It was just that... he liked him.
The two settled back down, ready for a long chat.
"Oh, right, brother, it's time to choose between the arts and sciences track. You weren't here when we had to submit the intention forms, so I had Uncle He sign mine. I chose the sciences." Yu Shulin continued to inch closer to Liang Zhou, resting his head on his shoulder as he gazed at the ceiling. "I got first place in my class again on the finals. Teacher Gao was very happy. He even asked about you."
"Yu Shulin is amazing." Liang Zhou tilted his head slightly, smelling the shampoo scent in his hair, and curved his lips into a smile. They were very close, and the room was quiet. This feeling of sharing each other's breath had a flavor of happiness.
"Is studying hard?"
"Not at all, it's very interesting." This feeling of growing increasingly different from his past life was utterly addictive. He turned over to face Liang Zhou, looking at his perfect profile under the dim lamplight, and asked, "Brother, is filming fun?"
Feeling the warm breath from the other against his neck, Liang Zhou's recently calmed heartbeat began to quicken again. After a pause, he said, "It's alright. Filming abroad is very different from filming domestically; there's a lot worth learning."
"Is that so? It would be great to have a chance to visit a filming set."
"I'll take you next time."
"Okay."
Yu Shulin was excited, saying whatever came to mind, stubbornly breaking his own habit of early to bed and early to rise. They chatted until almost midnight before he unknowingly fell asleep.
Liang Zhou remained lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
The talking beside him grew softer and softer, finally fading away, leaving only the sound of long, even breaths.
"Shulin?" he called softly, turning his head to look at him.
No response. The young man was fast asleep.
He moved his somewhat stiff limbs, tracing the boy's blurred outline with his eyes. He turned onto his side, gently touching his face. It was a touch he yearned for. He moved closer, facing Yu Shulin, their breaths mingling, and called out softly again, "Shulin?"
Still no response. Yu Shulin didn't move at all, his hands tucked obediently by his sides. His tank top was a bit loose, riding up to reveal his slender waist. Perhaps feeling a little hot, the thin quilt had been kicked down to his feet, his leg draped over it, forming a beautiful curve.
Liang Zhou watched, his breathing beginning to quicken. He hurriedly withdrew his hand, placing it properly, not daring to touch again. Only his gaze lingered greedily on Yu Shulin's sleeping face, filled with a gentle care he himself was unaware of.
His younger brother, sleeping so quietly with his hair tousled, was even more well-behaved like this.
It was wonderful. Just stay obediently by my side like this... forever.
The night grew deeper.
Yu Shulin suddenly turned over, presenting his back to Liang Zhou.
Liang Zhou was startled, shifting back a little. Only after confirming the other was still sound asleep did he carefully edge closer again.
Although he could no longer see his face, the beautifully defined line of his shoulder was now fully exposed.
—The tank top really was too revealing.
After turning over, the shirt had ridden up even more, completely exposing the curve of his waist, coupled with the waistband of his pants, which had been pushed down a bit from the movement... the view was undeniably enticing.
Liang Zhou was very uncomfortable, but he didn't dare make any move. With restraint, he glanced at the exposed skin of the other's waist, pulled out the thin quilt, and covered up that suggestive sight.
Taking several deep breaths, he got up, got out of bed very quietly, walked to the bathroom, closed and locked the door, turned on the shower, and adjusted it to cold water.
After completely calming down, he walked out softly, slipped under the covers, gently gathered the young man into his arms, lowered his head to kiss his forehead and lips, and closed his eyes to sleep.
In his sleep, Yu Shulin smelled a familiar scent, shifted, wrapped his arms and legs around the other, and fell into an even deeper sleep.
The next day, both of them woke up late. Yu Shulin hurriedly washed up, ignoring the hair still sticking up at the back of his head, grabbed two steamed buns, and rushed to school on his bike.
Liang Zhou sat on the bed frowning and rubbing his temples. He looked at the pillow Yu Shulin had slept on the night before, picked up his incessantly ringing phone, and answered, "Make it quick if you have something to say."
Zhang Qian was nearly scared to death by his hoarse voice and terrifying tone, but business was urgent. He immediately exclaimed, "Liang Zhou, you and your younger brother are in the newspaper! Those reporters wrote some really exaggerated stuff, you need to go look!"
Liang Zhou's grip on the phone tightened, his face turning even darker. 166 Reading Website
