Liang Zhou was indeed very angry, but beneath the anger, there was also a sense of panic. Yu Shulin was too good. Right now, he was still young, and only some adolescent girls paid him attention. But what about when he was older? What about when he became even more outstanding?
Yu Shulin studied so diligently. That kind of effort would make him better and better, more and more dazzling, and with that would come more and more admirers. Such a wonderful younger brother... could he keep him?
But what if he could keep him? What if he couldn't? Yu Shulin would grow up one day. Sooner or later, he would be attracted to some woman, they would fall for each other, get married, and have children.
Get married, have children, get married, have children... His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he drove the car into the garage. After taking a deep breath, he unbuckled his seatbelt, got out, and walked towards the villa.
His state of mind was too unstable right now. He couldn't speak, couldn't meet Yu Shulin's eyes... Otherwise, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from voicing those hidden, unspeakable feelings in his heart, and then, regardless of the other's reaction, locking him firmly by his side!
The car door closed with a loud "thump." Yu Shulin felt his scalp prickle. He hurriedly got out of the car, chased after him, and anxiously explained, "Brother, I'm not dating early, listen to my explana—"
Thump—
The villa door shut in his face.
...It's over.
Aunt Liu patted her chest in relief and opened the door. Seeing the dejected Yu Shulin outside, she asked quietly, "Young Master Shulin, what's wrong with the master? His expression was just terrifying..."
"It's nothing. Brother thinks I'm dating early... Where is he?" He entered, tossed his backpack and the exquisite box in his hand onto the sofa, and asked while looking around for Liang Zhou.
"I thought it was something serious, just a kid dating early... What? Dating early?!" Aunt Liu was shocked. She rushed over and grabbed his hands, adopting a serious, earnest tone. "Shulin, you're still so young, how can you date early! It's not good, it's not good. Which girl is it? Is her character good? When did you two get togeth—"
Her voice gradually lowered. She cautiously leaned closer to Yu Shulin, glanced upstairs, and whispered, "Did you and the master... have a fight over this?"
"It's all a misunderstanding. I'm not dating early." Yu Shulin sighed helplessly, freed his hands from Aunt Liu's grasp, and asked again, "We didn't fight... Where's Brother? Did he go back to his room?"
Aunt Liu pointed upstairs. "Yes, he went back to his room. His expression was terrible..."
Inside the room, Liang Zhou rushed into the bathroom, grabbed the showerhead, turned it to cold water, and aimed it straight at his head. Two minutes later, his chaotic, overheated brain finally cooled down. After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he gradually regained his composure.
...Yu Shulin must still be waiting downstairs for dinner. Leaving him in the car like that earlier must have scared him. He had promised himself not to ignore him again... That was too impulsive. It was just a girl showing interest in Shulin... Shulin clearly didn't like that girl. Don't overthink it, don't overthink it.
He turned off the shower, turned to get a towel, but upon seeing his own disheveled reflection in the mirror, he gave a bitter smile.
How pathetic.
He took off his wet clothes, put on a bathrobe, grabbed a dry towel to rub his hair, and finally left the bathroom.
As soon as he stepped out, he heard a soft knocking on the door. He paused, hesitated for a moment, then walked to the bedroom door.
His hand had just touched the doorknob when the knocking stopped.
He lowered his gaze, looking at his right hand gripping the doorknob, his thoughts in turmoil again. He hadn't figured out what expression to wear when facing Yu Shulin. If Yu Shulin asked about what happened earlier, what should he say?
After a moment of silence, the knocking started again, even softer this time, almost inaudible if one didn't listen carefully.
Who knows how long Yu Shulin had been knocking? His earlier reaction must have frightened him, making him knock more and more lightly... Thinking this, his heart clenched. His hand moved faster than his thoughts.
With a soft "click," the door opened.
Yu Shulin was anxious. He had been knocking until he felt like banging his head against the wall. How long had his brother been in there? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Ignoring him for so long showed just how furious he was.
...Sure enough, parents (guardians) everywhere are the same, they really dislike students dating early.
He was utterly wronged.
Just as he was thinking this, the tightly shut door suddenly opened. His eyes lit up, he looked up, and tried to explain again, "Brother, I'm not dating early, really! I won't even consider dating until after I graduate from univer... uh, Brother, were you... taking a shower?"
Yu Shulin stared wide-eyed.
Liang Zhou's hair was completely wet. His bathrobe was loosely tied, revealing the well-defined muscles of his chest. He was barefoot, holding a towel. Water droplets from his hair fell onto his neck, tracing down his collarbone... It was quite a sight of a handsome man fresh from the bath.
"What did you just say?" Liang Zhou's heart stirred slightly as he asked, frowning.
"Brother, were you just taking a shower?" Yu Shulin was still a bit dumbfounded. His brother's skin seemed pretty nice... No, that's not the point. Uh, since when did his brother have the habit of taking a shower when angry...
"No, the sentence before that."
"Ah, so you weren't showering? Then why are you dressed like thi..." He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what his brother meant. His body jolted, and he declared firmly, "I won't even consider dating until after I graduate from university! Really! Dating early is even more impossible! Brother, you have to believe me! Everything today was a misunderstanding!"
Hearing this earnest promise and explanation, the tightly wound string in Liang Zhou's heart loosened a little. His expression softened slightly. His fingers twitched, wanting to pat the other's shoulder, but he silently clenched them into a fist instead. "I believe you. Remember what you said today... Go downstairs for dinner. I'll change and come down to join you soon."
"Ah? Okay."
Yu Shulin obediently turned to leave. After two steps, he stopped and looked back. "Brother, you're not angry anymore?"
Liang Zhou, who had been gazing deeply at him, hadn't expected him to turn around. He hurriedly lowered his eyes to hide the emotions within them, turning slightly as if to close the door. "I'm not angry. I could never be angry with you. Go on downstairs, I'll be right there."
The door closed.
Yu Shulin pondered deeply. Was the storm over? Just like that? Was his brother really that easy to placate? He frowned. After a long while, he arrived at the reason things were resolved so quickly.
—Brother really does dote on him!
Dinner passed peacefully.
After the meal, the two of them lounged in the living room. One was sprawled over the coffee table doing homework, the other was leaning back on the sofa looking through documents.
Aunt Liu came out carrying chilled mung bean soup. Seeing Liang Zhou's expression wasn't too bad, she quietly approached, placed the soup on an empty spot on the coffee table, and said, "Take a break, have some mung bean soup. Shulin has to start evening self-study again tomorrow, so don't work too hard today. Finish your homework and have some fun."
"Thank you, Aunt Liu." Yu Shulin smiled, took the bowl of mung bean soup, had a sip, and praised, "The sweetness is just right. Aunt Liu's mung bean soup is still the best. The ones sold outside can't compare."
Aunt Liu immediately beamed with joy. "I knew Young Master Shulin was the most considerate, and so sweet-tongued too. No wonder girls like you..."
Liang Zhou looked up from behind his documents and narrowed his eyes at her.
"That, you all drink slowly, I'm going to the small living room to watch TV..." Aunt Liu said, holding a tray as she scurried away.
Yu Shulin put down his bowl of mung bean soup and, trying to be ingratiating, brought the other bowl over to Liang Zhou, assuring him once more, "Brother, I really won't start dating early, I promise! Have some mung bean soup and take a break, you can look at the documents later."
"Mm." He set the documents aside and picked up the bowl. "Rest a bit after you finish drinking. I'll be taking a flight tomorrow morning and probably won't be back for about a month." Just mentioning this made him want to scowl. That Guan Bowen was truly unreliable, only mentioning a flight the next day the night before, clearly intending to throw people into disarray.
"So soon?" Yu Shulin was stunned for a moment, then nodded somewhat dejectedly, "I understand." He and his brother were always apart more than together, sigh. The acting profession was just too unstable.
Liang Zhou reached out to pat his head. His gaze swept over the exquisitely wrapped box carelessly tossed in the corner of the sofa, his eyes darkening slightly. He leaned back, casually grabbed a throw pillow and placed it on top to block the box from view, only then shifting his focus back to Yu Shulin. "Rest after you finish. Do you want to play some games? I brought the computer down."
"Okay, let's play that adventure game this time. Zhou He said it's really interesting."
"As you wish."
The next day at noon, Yu Shulin returned home from school for lunch. Puzzled, he rummaged through the sofa and called out loudly, "Aunt Liu, have you seen a box I left on the sofa yesterday?"
Aunt Liu poked her head out of the kitchen holding a spatula, shaking her head in confusion. "No, I just tidied up this morning, there was nothing."
"That's strange." He stood up, frowning. "How could it disappear..." He had wanted to return the item to Liu Fen. How inconvenient that it had gone missing.
On the airplane, Guan Bowen put down his magazine and looked at the box tied with a pink ribbon in Liang Zhou's hand, raising an eyebrow. "From a little sweetheart? This color... overflowing with true affection..."
Liang Zhou's face darkened. He took his bag, intending to stuff the box back inside. He had hidden the box on a complete impulse yesterday. Thinking about it now, the action was truly inappropriate.
"Hey, hey, what are you hiding? Open it and take a look. It's wrapped so prettily, what's inside?" Guan Bowen's interest was piqued. He leaned over, snatched the box, shook it, and laughed, "Judging by the sound, could it be chocolates?"
Liang Zhou swiftly grabbed the box back, frowning, staring at it in silence for a long while. Should he open it? But this was something a girl gave to Shulin. It would be terribly rude for him to open it...
His upbringing and his possessiveness towards Yu Shulin began an intense internal battle.
Guan Bowen paid no mind to his internal struggle. Seeing him stare at the box motionlessly, he took the box again, weighing it in his hand. "If you can't bear to open it, shall I help you?"
Liang Zhou opened his mouth, then closed it. In the end, the wicked side emerged victorious. He pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Was that agreement?
Just a little gift, why be so conflicted?
Guan Bowen narrowed his eyes with a sly smile, but his hands were quick. In a few moves, he untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.
"They really are chocolates. But looking at them, homemade?" He picked one up to examine it, smiling suggestively. "Pink wrapping, heart shape. Your little sweetheart is quite girly." As he spoke, he handed the chocolate to Liang Zhou, bent his head to poke at the remaining chocolates in the box, and pulled out a small, scented card. "Quite thoughtful, there's even a love note."
What? A card? Liang Zhou's hand holding the chocolate stiffened. He swiftly snatched the card from Guan Bowen's hand, scanned it in a glance, and his face completely blackened. Good thing this wasn't left for Shulin... Girls these days are getting bolder and bolder!
"'Dear Shulin, thank heaven for letting us meet. I believe we will be very happy together... Remember to finish the chocolates... Love, your little Fen Fen...'" Guan Bowen broke into a grin that was anything but elegant, saying cheerfully, "So this was from a girl to little Yu! Wait, how did it end up in your hands? Little Fen Fen... cough Is your little brother dating? This girl's handwriting is quite neat..."
"Nonsense. Shulin is still young." Liang Zhou quickly put the card and chocolates back into the box, clumsily re-wrapped the ribbon, and stuffed it into his bag.
"Having a girl like him is a good thing, proves little Yu has charm. Your reaction... jealous?" Guan Bowen propped his chin on his hand, watching him, his gaze roaming over Liang Zhou's face, thoughtful.
Liang Zhou took out an eye mask, put it on, and closed his eyes to rest, ignoring him.
"Don't be like that. How can an older brother be so petty? Your female fans are constantly sending gifts and cards to the company for you. Have you seen little Yu get jealous? Don't be too strict with the kid, or you might make little Yu dislike you."
A direct hit to the heart.
Liang Zhou took off the eye mask, his gaze dark and heavy as he looked at him. "Not busy enough this year? How about I arrange a few more film cameos for you?"
"..."
"Well?"
Is this how all older brothers are—exploding at the mere mention of their younger brothers? Not cute at all.
"You rest. Pretend I said nothing." He conceded.
Liang Zhou gave him a chilly glance and put the eye mask back on.
Guan Bowen's gossipy heart refused to die. He turned his head to look at He Long.
He Long had been watching him all along. Seeing him start to turn, he hurriedly took out his own eye mask, put it on, leaned back in his seat, and played dead.
Guan Bowen: "..."
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