Liang Zhou was sleeping restlessly, his brows furrowed, his face flushed.
Yu Shulin put down the towel, reached under the blanket to feel, and frowned—it was completely soaked with sweat. After a moment's thought, he got up, went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water, returned, pulled back the covers, climbed onto the bed, and with some difficulty, removed Liang Zhou's pajamas to begin wiping him down.
The company had been very busy lately, and the few pounds Liang Zhou had gained were visibly disappearing again... but... his gaze fell on Liang Zhou's abdomen. He reached out and poked it curiously.
It was firm and hard, unlike the soft flesh on his own waist... Abs and muscles... so enviable.
Liang Zhou was a deep sleeper and very heavy. Unable to move him, Yu Shulin decided against putting clean pajamas on him after finishing the wipe-down, opting only to change the blanket. But with the blanket changed, the sheets were still wet. He frowned again, climbed back onto the bed, slipped under the covers, and, lifting Liang Zhou's upper body, began shifting him to the other, dry half of the bed.
His skills at nursing the sick were quite limited, and his movements during the relocation were far from gentle. Stirred by this commotion, Liang Zhou's eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes.
"Shulin?" Liang Zhou's eyes were filled with the confusion of just waking up. He raised his arms to encircle the person on top of him, patting comfortingly, and asked, puzzled, "What are you doing here?"
Held in the embrace, the strength Yu Shulin had just mustered instantly drained away. Losing his balance, he fell onto Liang Zhou, then began struggling frantically. "Brother, it's good you're awake. Now let go, please. Move over to the side a bit. This part of the sheet is wet."
Still somewhat groggy, and noticing he wasn't wearing any clothes while holding the person he constantly yearned for in his arms, Liang Zhou assumed he was dreaming. Instead of letting go, he tightened his hold, one arm around the waist, the other supporting under the buttocks. He hugged Yu Shulin close and rolled them both to the side, thoughtfully pulling the blanket over them. Patting Yu Shulin's back, he coaxed softly, "There, it's not wet anymore. Sleep."
Their bodies were pressed completely together, tightly, with not a sliver of space between them. Yu Shulin was stunned by his actions. It took him a good moment to react before he started struggling again. "Brother, what are you doing? Let me go! I'm not sleeping, I haven't even showered yet."
"Don't move." Liang Zhou restrained his movements. His breathing suddenly grew a bit ragged—whether from the illness or something else, his body temperature rose again. His mind was still foggy, wondering why the usually obedient Shulin in his dreams was suddenly being so mischievous. Frowning, he lowered his head and covered the other's lips with his own.
"Mmph!" Yu Shulin stopped struggling, his eyes widening. "Brother... mmph..."
The sensation of lips and tongues tangling felt more real than in any dream he'd had before. Unconsciously, Liang Zhou deepened the kiss, tightening his arms. After a period of rubbing and nuzzling, somewhat clumsily, he extended his tongue, pried open the other's tightly shut teeth, and coaxed it to tangle with his own.
This was going too far!
Yu Shulin struggled, but flustered and with his legs pinned, he couldn't muster any strength! Sensing Liang Zhou's rising temperature, alarms blared in his mind—Oh no, brother's fever is getting worse, he's delirious, he's started kissing people randomly!
After a long while, Liang Zhou finally had his fill of kissing. He moved his lips away and began to suck and nibble on Yu Shulin's earlobe, his hands also starting to wander restlessly.
"Stop, ah..." Yu Shulin's hair stood on end. He finally realized that his brother's rising body temperature wasn't due to the fever, but to some other... unspeakable condition.
This, this is just...
During a brief pause in the kissing, he took a deep breath, seized the opportunity to free a hand from against Liang Zhou's chest, and before the other's hand could slip under his clothes, closed his eyes and delivered a chop to the back of Liang Zhou's neck.
The next second, the force pinning him down slackened, then vanished completely, followed by a heavy weight settling on him.
Crushed, he let out a muffled grunt, then heaved a long sigh of relief. Frantically, he pushed the person off, scrambled off the bed in a hurry, glanced back somewhat guiltily at the unconscious Liang Zhou, haphazardly tucked the blanket around him, and fled back to his own room.
He shut the door firmly, leaning against it, utterly conflicted.
What brother just did... No, no, brother was just sick, delirious with fever... But that chop might have been a bit too hard, and he's still sick... Should I go back and check on him?
The sensation of his lips being gently sucked and nibbled suddenly resurfaced in his mind. He shuddered, turned around, and swiftly locked the door!
A-Anyway, the sweating stage is over, brother's fever should have mostly broken by now. A-And that chop probably wasn't as strong as I thought, just helped him sleep a little. I-It should be fine, right?
He swallowed hard, rushed to the wardrobe for his pajamas, dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower, and then brushed his teeth for a long time.
The boy in the mirror had half-dry hair, eyes full of conflict, flushed cheeks, and reddened lips... No! This definitely wasn't him! He finished washing up quickly, burrowed under the covers, and pounded his pillow. Brother was just delirious from the fever, that's why he acted out like that. Forget it, forget it, or brother will be embarrassed if he finds out... Right, sleep, sleep. When you wake up, it'll be a brand new day.
A night without... no, he had a terrifying dream.
Early the next morning, he stared dumbfounded at his own pajama pants, then rushed into the bathroom in shame and indignation! Speaking of which, who was that person in the dream? Who? He'd completely forgotten! How awful! But the other's panting seemed really enticing... Stop! Can't think about that anymore!
J-Just a natural bodily reaction, that's all. Don't overthink it, don't overthink it.
...Damn!
When Liang Zhou woke up, it was already past ten in the morning. His fever had broken, his body felt light, and his spirits were excellent. He raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, frowning. Just his neck was a bit sore. Did he sleep wrong?
He sat up. The blanket slid down his body, his skin meeting the cool air, raising goosebumps. Puzzled, he lifted the blanket to look and frowned. Why wasn't he wearing any clothes? Where were his pajamas?
After washing up, he went downstairs in quite a good mood and asked Aunt Liu, who was tidying up in the living room, "Where's Shulin? I thought he was off today."
"Young master, you're awake! Feeling better?" Aunt Liu inquired with concern, then turned towards the kitchen. "Young Master Shulin is in the garden helping Uncle He with the weeding. Wait a moment, I'll go cook you a bowl of noodles. You barely ate anything yesterday, you must be hungry now."
He was indeed a bit hungry, so he nodded and headed for the garden. "Call me when the noodles are ready. I'll go find Shulin."
Just as he finished speaking, Yu Shulin walked in, carrying a small bucket, his hands covered in dirt. Looking up and seeing Liang Zhou standing in the living room, he froze, then quickly lowered his head to stare at the floor, avoiding Liang Zhou's gaze. He hurried towards the utility room. "Brother, you're awake. I'll go put these away." With that, he scurried off.
Liang Zhou frowned. What's going on? Does Shulin seem to be avoiding me? He followed towards the utility room and stood at the doorway, looking at the young man who had his back turned, organizing various tools. "Shulin, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's nothing." Yu Shulin put the bucket away, turned around, and shuffled over with his head lowered. Then he quickly sidestepped past him, scurrying up the stairs, calling out as he ran, his attitude quite perfunctory: "Brother, you should go eat breakfast. I'm going upstairs to read for a bit!"
It was obvious something was up... Liang Zhou's face darkened.
Uncle He walked in with some tools. Seeing Liang Zhou standing in the living room looking much better, his expression relaxed considerably. "Young Master, are you feeling better?"
"Much better." Liang Zhou withdrew his gaze from the direction of the stairs and nodded to Uncle He. As if remembering something, he asked, "Who took care of me yesterday?"
"It was Young Master Shulin." A faint, pleased smile appeared on Uncle He's face. "That child wouldn't let any of us help at all. He's very attentive, much more sensible than my own stiff son, He Long."
"Did he stay up late?"
"It seemed a bit late, probably around nine or ten? I didn't pay too much attention. Why do you ask, Young Master?"
"Nothing." He shook his head, sighing inwardly. So that overly realistic dream from yesterday... This situation was a bit troublesome.
The lunch atmosphere was quite heavy. Whenever Yu Shulin saw Liang Zhou, he couldn't help but recall last night's kiss and the... less-than-harmonious dream. Feeling both embarrassed and guilty, he kept his head down, diligently shoveling rice, treating Liang Zhou across from him as air. Seeing him like this, Liang Zhou thought he had scared him last night, filled with both annoyance and self-reproach. So he silently kept putting food in Yu Shulin's bowl, racking his brains about how to resolve this matter.
After the meal, not giving Liang Zhou a chance to speak, Yu Shulin excused himself to go buy books and swiftly left the house.
Liang Zhou watched him run out the door, lowered his eyes, turned, and went upstairs, shutting himself in the study.
After leaving, Yu Shlin went straight to a bookstore, browsing books inside for a long time.
An hour and a half later, his expression began to turn grim.
His own situation last night and this morning was a normal physiological reaction of adolescence. But Brother... although Brother was feverish and confused yesterday, just grabbing someone and kissing them like that... And he remembered, when the other person opened his eyes, he had called his name.
Since he called his name, then Brother must have known who he was holding and kissing. Even if he became confused later and didn't know, he should at least have been clear whether the person he was holding was male or female... Alright, actually, calling his name isn't that important. The point is kissing someone indiscriminately, regardless of gender!
Why would he kiss on reflex like that? And while feverish and confused... Could it be that Brother is in a relationship? When he was feverish, did he mistake me for someone else?
The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. He put the book down, forcefully suppressed the memories of last night in his mind, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. Whether he mistook me for someone else or not, Brother is already in his twenties, it's about time he started looking for a partner... If Brother had a lover... would they find me a nuisance?
...His heart suddenly felt sour.
With too many guesses, he felt a bit confused. After calming himself a bit, he took out his phone and called Zhang Qian. Among Brother's group of friends, he was the most well-informed and talkative. If Brother really was in a relationship... he would definitely know, right?
Zhang Qian was still trapped in the nightmare of "the boss being sentenced to prison for molesting a minor." Seeing Yu Shulin's call, he was scared out of his wits. He hurriedly answered, tense, "Little Yu, has your brother finally been arrested for molesting a minor? Don't be afraid, I'll get him out! Don't panic! If the sky falls, your Brother Zhang will hold it up for you!"
What kind of nonsense... Yu Shulin was speechless. He got straight to the point, "Brother Zhang, is my brother in a relationship?"
"What?!" Zhang Qian shrieked in a strange voice, full of resentment. "I found a bunch of cute boys for him, and I haven't even had time to introduce them to him yet. How can he already be in a relationship? Isn't he busy with work all the time? When did he find someone? I didn't know. Also, is his partner an adult?"
"...Goodbye." Yu Shulin decisively hung up the phone. He sat there dumbfounded for a long time, then covered his face.
What had he just heard? Cute boys... So Brother really... Huh? Why did he use the word "really"? He shook his head, remembering the dirty, messy things he had seen in prison in his past life, and shuddered. But thinking about his brother, he felt somewhat worried.
Brother actually likes flat-chested men... How did this happen... Aren't sweet, soft girls good? He couldn't help but think of Liu Fen and shuddered again. Well, girls aren't necessarily all good either.
He stayed until the bookstore was almost closing before heading home. His backpack now held a few books interpreting homosexuality—some were extreme, some objective, some inclusive, some academic. In short, he needed to properly understand this.
From his past life to this one, the things he understood had always been few and limited. Regarding romance, he was a complete blank slate. Now suddenly exposed to all this, and recalling what he had seen in prison in his past life, to say he wasn't panicked at all would be completely unbelievable. But that person was his brother who had always been so good to him... Keep a normal heart, a normal heart.
"Why are you back so late? Have you eaten dinner?"
Hearing Liang Zhou's voice, Yu Shulin paused while changing his shoes. He pressed his lips together, then looked up as if nothing was wrong, smiling as he replied, "I saw a few interesting books at the bookstore and got absorbed in reading before I knew it. That's why I'm late. Brother, why didn't you turn on the lights? Were you waiting for me?" After speaking, he reached for the switch and turned on the main light in the living room.
That momentary pause of his was noticed by Liang Zhou, who had been watching him all along. The moment the light came on, he stood up from the sofa, tossed the phone he had been holding onto the couch, walked over, and stopped about two steps away from him. His fingers twitched, then clenched into a fist. He looked into Yu Shulin's eyes, his expression calm but his gaze complex. "You... did you find out?" Found out that I'm not a proper, good brother? Found out about those terrible thoughts I have about you? Found out...
"Brother!" For some reason, Yu Shulin suddenly felt flustered. He took a step forward, reached out, and grasped Liang Zhou's hand tightly. Looking up at him, he said seriously, "Brother, don't be like this... It's okay. Whether you like men or women, you're still my brother. Even if everyone else discriminates against you, I'll stand behind you and support you. Don't be afraid. I... I'll always be with you." He didn't like the anxious, nervous look in his brother's eyes just now. His brother should be confident and radiant. So what if he likes the same sex? It's nothing. Brother is different from those beasts in prison who only got together purely to vent their desires. He just happens to like people of the same gender... His brother is so wonderful. How happy must the man he likes be!
Thinking this, all the confusion that had troubled him all afternoon instantly vanished. He let go of Liang Zhou's hand, stepped forward, and hugged him. A sense of satisfaction at discovering his brother's secret suddenly rose in his heart. Before, it had always been Brother taking care of him. He wanted to take care of Brother too. He would definitely help Brother keep this secret well!
"Brother, don't be afraid. You're so good, there will be many good men who like you." He patted the other's shoulder, then stepped back a little, looking up to meet Liang Zhou's deep, dark gaze, and grinned.
Liang Zhou watched him silently, his gaze sweeping over his bright eyes and upturned lips. He closed his eyes, suppressing the restless impulse in his heart, pulled the person back into his embrace, and said in a very low voice, "Shulin, don't be afraid of me, don't hide from me, and don't leave me without a word, okay?" He never knew that waiting for someone to come home could be so agonizing.
The person in his arms was still young... still young. He didn't want to scare him away.
Yu Shulin was momentarily stunned by the uncertainty and vulnerability in his tone, his heart aching a little. He raised his arms to hug him back and nodded: "Okay, I will always be with you, brother."
The results of the joint exam came out a bit slowly. It took about a week before the second-year students got the ranking list.
Yu Shulin did quite well, coming in second place, only one point behind the first-place student. Teacher Gao found this quite regrettable. Li Tao scored five points lower than Yu Shulin, but his ranking dropped to the twenties. With so many people having the same score, it couldn't be helped.
"Congratulations," Li Tao put down the ranking list. "It would have been better if you were first."
Yu Shulin was in a very good mood and waved his hand. "Second place is fine. It's less attention-grabbing than first, more relaxed."
Li Tao thought about how annoying the media could be and frowned. "The top three are all very noticeable. You should have scored one or two points less, ranked a bit lower. That would be even more relaxed."
Thinking about it, that seemed reasonable. Yu Shulin nodded and said, "Then next time there's a joint exam, I won't try so hard on the questions. I'll score a few points less."
"Mm," Li Tao was satisfied.
The classmates eavesdropping on their conversation were ready to spit blood. The worries of top students were just different from theirs. After getting their rankings, they actually thought about how to score lower next time. It was infuriating.
Having good results in the joint exam indeed brought many benefits. Setting aside the rewards for now, just the olive branches extended by various universities were enough to make one happy. However, since they were only second-year students, most schools only gave promises: if they could reach the first-tier university cutoff line in the last three mock exams during their final year, they would be given priority admission and could choose any major they wanted.
Confident that he could achieve a good score in the college entrance exam, Yu Shulin didn't accept any of the olive branches and continued with his usual routine of attending classes and reviewing. Teacher Gao was very satisfied with his humble and steady attitude and called Liang Zhou to praise him thoroughly.
After learning his brother's secret about his sexual orientation, Yu Shulin became even more considerate and well-behaved when interacting with him. Sensing this change, Liang Zhou felt somewhat amused and helpless inside, but his brother's closeness and thoughtfulness were too enjoyable, so he quietly accepted it and then treated Yu Shulin twice as well in return.
After all this, the way the two brothers got along actually became quite clingy.
In mid-December, Liang Zhou and Guan Bowen went abroad again—they had won awards.
This was an unexpected delight. Although the box office in Europe and America was decent, Guan Bowen and Liang Zhou's fame there was still not comparable to local stars after all. Being able to secure a place at this major year-end awards ceremony was quite an honor. Guan Bowen had developed his career in Hollywood for several years, and his popularity had gradually stabilized, so winning an award was a natural progression. As for Liang Zhou winning an award, that was completely a stroke of luck—he won the Popular Newcomer Award.
Who knew what crazy impulse struck those rebellious teens in Europe and America? After the movie's release, they suddenly became huge fans of Liang Zhou's looks, demeanor, and acting skills, and his fan count skyrocketed.
After the star-studded awards ceremony, Guan Bowen sat in the luxury car, loosening his bow tie, and looked sideways at Liang Zhou. "You're quite suited for this line of work. Even with that perpetually cold face, you have a bunch of fans who adore you. Heaven is biased."
"You're even more suited," Liang Zhou said flatly. "Lots of middle-aged ladies in Europe and America like you."
"...I curse you to die without heirs."
"I was always going to die without heirs anyway," Liang Zhou responded with a smile.
Remembering his sexual orientation, Guan Bowen rolled his eyes. "How have you become so venomous? What kind of boss are you? I curse you to be single forever."
Liang Zhou glanced at him, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Likewise."
...Damn! The great movie star Guan couldn't help but swear internally.
After December passed, the atmosphere of the New Year grew stronger day by day.
The company's various affairs had temporarily come to a stage of completion. Liang Zhou simply became a hands-off boss, leaving the finishing work to Zhao Zhi and Zhang Qian, and gave himself a long New Year's holiday.
Life after the holiday was very leisurely. He would drive Shulin to and from school in the morning and evening, accompany Shulin with his homework at night, and watch movies or play games with him on weekends. It was almost like living a carefree, blissful life.
Ling Chun flew back from S City, drifting into the Liang household with dark circles under his eyes. Seeing Liang Zhou's well-nourished, domestic-good-man appearance, he elegantly gave him the middle finger and got straight to the point: "Did you catch him yet? Did you molest a minor?"
Liang Zhou's face instantly darkened. In fact, after that unexpected incident when he was sick, he had already confessed his feelings to Shulin over a dozen times in subtle ways, but Shulin just didn't get it! Afraid of affecting his studies, he didn't dare to lay everything out plainly regardless of the consequences, so he could only hold back until now, playing at a little ambiguity that the other party was completely unaware of.
"Hah," Ling Chun sneered, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "Virgin."
Liang Zhou stood up, walked over, pushed him out, and said, "Go home, get some sleep, then come back." He then decisively closed the door.
People who turned irritable when they didn't sleep well were really annoying.
That same afternoon, Ling Chun visited again, all smiles and full of energy.
"Had enough sleep?" Liang Zhou asked, arms crossed, blocking the doorway.
Ling Chun nodded, shaking the bag in his hand with a smile. "I brought you a gift."
Seeing he was indeed back to normal, Liang Zhou's expression softened a bit. He moved aside to let him in and asked casually, "What gift? Did you bring one for Shulin too?"
"How could I forget your precious Shulin's share?" Ling Chun, in a rather excellent mood, simply dumped the contents of the bag onto the coffee table. From a pile of questionable items, he fished out a box and tossed it into Liang Zhou's arms. "I happened to run into the launch of this brand's latest sports watch when I was abroad, so I got one for Little Yu."
Liang Zhou held the watch box, but his gaze fell on the large pile of unidentified items on the coffee table. He spoke coldly, "What are all these?"
"Teaching materials," Ling Chun said with a straight face, sitting down on the sofa with a smile. "There are discs, picture books, reference materials, and various types of lube and condoms. You're a public figure, so buying these must be inconvenient. I just helped you pack a bunch back."
Seeing Liang Zhou's dark expression and silence, he continued earnestly, "You don't know anything about these things, yet your preferences are a bit special. Male and female anatomy is different; you need to be even more careful, otherwise poor Little Yu would suffer."
"Ling Chun!" Liang Zhou gritted his teeth, giving him a cold glare. He took the bag, swept all those things back into it, and threw it back into Ling Chun's arms. "Shulin is still young. Don't mess around."
Ling Chun didn't spare him any face. Putting the things down, he crossed his arms and leaned back into the sofa with a cold snort. "I'm not the one being reckless here. The one who's always wanted to get reckless with Little Yu is you. If you don't learn about these things in advance, are you planning to just force it later and hurt Little Yu?"
"......" There was no rebuttal.
Ling Chun glanced at him twice, his tone softening and becoming more amiable. He moved over and patted his shoulder. "Alright, don't be so stuffy, it's not like a young person at all. Take a look at the watch. Do you think Little Yu will like it?"
Seeing the offered way out, Liang Zhou relaxed his posture and forced out a sentence, "I was being stubborn. Thanks." This meant he agreed to accept that pile of "educational materials."
"You're welcome." A well-rested Ling Chun was always easy to deal with. "Just send me a big gift in return."
The watch Ling Chun bought was very nice. It had a black strap, and the dial was a mix of black and silver, looking very high-quality. A segment of the inner ring of the dial was a soft yellow, which made the whole watch appear more lively. It was indeed very suitable for a teenage boy to wear.
"Good taste," Liang Zhou nodded, thinking of Yu Shulin's mobile phone that had been used for over a year, and pondered about getting him the latest model in a few days.
"Of course, when has my taste ever been bad?" Ling Chun very naturally accepted his praise, smiling. "Well, except for that one time I was blind in the past and came to be friends with a dull gourd like you. A miscalculation."
"......"
