After making a decision in his heart, the suppressed longing surged forth.
Yu Shulin ran to Liang Zhou's room and sat there for a long time. Finally, he mustered up the courage, went back to his own room to get his phone, and called Liang Zhou.
It was still switched off.
He frowned and called the company, but the secretary didn't know where the boss was either. Left with no choice, he dug out Zhang Qian's number and called. The moment the other party heard Liang Zhou's name, he started ranting angrily, going on and on about how inhumane the boss was and how effortlessly he played the absentee manager. The more Yu Shulin listened, the more exasperated he felt. In the end, it was the mature Zhao Zhi who was the most reliable, giving him an address. He searched online; it turned out to be in an old district of S City.
S City? Wasn't that where Ling Chun often stayed? He was taken aback for a moment, then called Ling Chun, but no one answered.
Why is finding someone so difficult... He put down his phone, looked at the address written on the slip of paper, and sighed.
At ten o'clock that night, Ling Chun called back.
"Little Yu, what did you call me for earlier?"
Ling Chun's voice sounded somewhat low and very tired. Yu Shulin hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother Ling, has my brother been in contact with you recently?"
"Your brother?" Ling Chun's voice rose slightly. After a moment of silence, he replied vaguely, "Of course he has, but not much. You know, both he and I are busy."
"Then... is he in S City right now? How does he seem?" As Yu Shulin spoke, he glanced at the calendar on the desk, his gaze lingering on a few dates.
"He is indeed here, but he's not in great shape; he's lost a lot of weight. Little Yu, did you two have a fight?" Ling Chun's voice softened, full of concern.
Lost a lot of weight? Yu Shulin frowned, his remorse and worry deepening. He finally made a decision and said, "We didn't fight... Brother Ling, please try to persuade my brother to get some proper rest. Let's talk another time, I'm going to sleep now, goodnight." After hanging up, he took out his backpack and started packing.
S City.
Ling Chun put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Liang Zhou sitting across from him: "Worried?"
Liang Zhou's face was dark, his brows furrowed. He took his own phone out of his pocket, looked at it, and put it back. Leaning back into his chair, he rubbed his temples with a look of dejection and waved his hand. "Forget it. Since we've already decided to give him time to think things through, we shouldn't back out halfway. Shulin relies on me a lot; I don't want to use words to pressure or beguile him." Although he had appeared calm and assertive after laying his feelings bare, ever since leaving B City, the unease and uncertainty in his heart had grown deeper and deeper. He even somewhat regretted his impulsiveness back then. Going this long without contacting Shulin was too difficult for him.
"He's started to actively care about your situation; that's a good thing," Ling Chun soothed. "Your decision is right. Pushing too hard might make the kid rebellious. Little Yu has feelings for you. Just take it slow, it'll work out eventually."
Liang Zhou remained silent, his hand in his pocket constantly rubbing the phone case.
Two days later, the May Day holiday arrived.
Using the excuse of going on a trip with classmates, Yu Shulin fooled Aunt Liu and Uncle He, then headed straight for the airport and boarded a plane to S City.
Two hours later, the plane landed. Dizzy and weak-legged, he got off and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. After that ordeal, he left the airport, hailed a taxi, gave the address, and leaned back in the seat with his eyes closed. He fished his phone out of his pocket, hesitated for a moment, and dialed Liang Zhou's number again.
This time it wasn't switched off, but no one answered.
The feeling of not being able to reach someone was truly awful... He rubbed his throbbing forehead and sighed. He had rushed over here so impulsively; he had no idea how his brother would react.
The traffic was heavy, and by the time he reached the destination, the sky was beginning to darken. He hadn't eaten much for lunch, had thrown up after getting off the plane, had been in the car all afternoon without even a sip of water, and now his stomach was aching with hunger.
To make matters worse, his wallet had been stolen.
The taxi driver also noticed his predicament and condemned in accented Mandarin, "How heartless, stealing from a kid. People these days really have less and less decency."
Yu Shulin felt somewhat helpless. Holding the backpack with a long, neat slash in front of his chest, he dug out the loose change from his pocket, insisted on giving it to the kind-hearted driver, and got out of the car.
The weather in May wasn't cold. He ruffled his hair, looked around at the crossroads of this old street, checked the contents of his backpack, sighed, and took out his phone to call Liang Zhou.
Still no answer.
He tried a few more times, with the same result, and finally gave up.
He lowered his head, staring at the long, neat slash on his backpack for a long time, but still couldn't remember when his wallet had been stolen.
How could he be this stupid... For the past two years, being doted on by Liang Zhou, all he did was bury his head in his studies. His ability to take care of himself had almost regressed to elementary school level. It wasn't like this in his past life...
He suddenly felt discouraged again. Away from Liang Zhou, it seemed he couldn't do anything right.
He had never been a particularly capable or strong person to begin with. After meeting Liang Zhou, he seemed to have been raised to become even more foolish. Was it because life had been too comfortable?... No, it was definitely because he himself was too brainless.
The streets of the old district were narrow, full of life, with many snack shops lining the roads. He found a steamed bun shop and bought two buns, then went to a small supermarket for a bottle of water. Clutching the last four yuan he had left, he abandoned any pretense of image, sat down on the curb munching his bun, and continued calling Liang Zhou.
He kept calling, but no one answered.
Looking at the last remaining bar of battery on his phone, he grimaced. If he still couldn't reach Liang Zhou, he'd have no choice but to call Ling Chun for help.
Perhaps heaven couldn't bear to see his streak of bad luck continue. Just as his phone battery was about to die, Liang Zhou's call finally went through. The surprise came too suddenly. He stared wide-eyed at the increasing call duration, a piece of bun stuck in his throat, nearly choking himself.
"Shulin? Why have you called so many times? Did something happen? Why aren't you saying anything, Shulin?"
The familiar voice came through the phone. He snapped back to reality, hurriedly swallowed the bun with effort, coughed to clear his airway, put the phone to his ear, and unconsciously curved the corners of his mouth upwards. "Brother, you finally answered. I've been calling for ages. Where are you?"
"I thought I heard you coughing just now. What's wrong? Are you sick?" Liang Zhou's voice grew serious, his speech speeding up. "Are Aunt Liu and Uncle He home? Have them take you to the hospital."
Hearing Liang Zhou's voice, his anxious heart finally settled back into place, and his mood lifted. "Brother, I'm not sick. I just choked earlier. Also, I'm in S City."
"What?!" Liang Zhou's hand gripping the phone tightened abruptly. He quickly turned and left the room, speaking urgently, "Where are you? When did you arrive? I'll come pick you up."
Now that he had made contact, he was in the mood to joke a little. After giving a rough address, he deliberately drew out his words, "Brother, my wallet was stolen, the plane ride made me really dizzy, I threw up, and I feel terrible. You..."
The familiar shutdown melody suddenly rang out, and the phone screen went dark.
He choked back a word, took the phone down, stared at the blackened screen, his lips moving, "...You definitely have to treat me to a big meal to make up for this... It actually ran out of battery and shut down."
"Uh..." He thought about what he hadn't finished saying, feeling slightly guilty as he tucked the phone back into his pocket and fiddled with the bun.
This... Brother wouldn't be worried sick, would he... He really didn't mean to.
Liang Zhou's heart had clenched the moment Yu Shulin said his wallet was stolen. After hearing the following torrent of "air sickness," "vomiting," "feeling awful," and so on, his heart stopped clenching and began to pound wildly. Then the call suddenly cut off, and when he called back, it went straight to voicemail. He wasn't just worried sick; he was scared half to death.
Running into people from the same film crew in the hallway, he nodded absently in greeting and hurriedly sidestepped past them.
Wang Chen, the female lead's rival in the movie, was a rising starlet with decent popularity and a glamorous, pretty face. Seeing Liang Zhou completely ignore her greeting, the smile on her face stiffened, and she clenched her fists.
"I'd advise some people not to overestimate themselves. The boss is someone you can even think about? It's better to be sensible." The female lead, Liu Nana, sneered and went back to her room with her assistant in tow.
The other crew members who had come up in the same elevator with them saw this and immediately went on high alert. They hurriedly made their excuses and left, trying their best not to get caught up in the petty scheming between these actresses.
Stung even more by Liu Nana's words, Wang Chen glanced back at her own timid, submissive assistant and said resentfully, "What a bunch of snobs! That Liu Nana just debuted a few years earlier than me and is slightly more popular, and suddenly everyone's fawning over her. Ugh! Just wait until I'm more famous than her, then we'll see how I deal with them!"
"Ms. Wang, don't say anymore, let's go back to the room. It's not good if someone hears this," the assistant whispered, genuinely anxious about Wang Chen's loose tongue.
"Looking at your cowardly face just pisses me off! I'm firing you when we get back!" Wang Chen glared at her and stomped back to her room in her high heels.
The streets in the old city district were a tangled maze. Yu Shulin had only given a rather vague address, so Liang Zhou drove around for a long time before finally finding Yu Shulin sitting by the roadside, fiddling with a bun.
"Shulin!" He flung open the car door, rushed over in a few strides, bent down to grip his shoulders, and felt his forehead and hair, asking urgently, "Are you still dizzy? Where do you feel sick? Let's go to the hospital right now!"
Yu Shulin's wandering thoughts were pulled back. The person he hadn't seen for over a month was right in front of him, and he suddenly felt a bit nervous. Probably because he had left in too much of a hurry, Liang Zhou's hair was slightly messy. He wore no disguise—no sunglasses, no mask—just appearing openly on the street like that.
He was really worried... Yu Shulin's gaze shifted to the other man's deeply furrowed brows. He reached out, hugged him, gave him a pat, then quickly pulled back, took his hand, and said, "Brother, I'm fine. I arrived at noon. After resting this long, I'm not dizzy anymore, really. Brother, don't worry."
Liang Zhou was momentarily stunned by the hug. After a brief daze, he came back to himself. Seeing Yu Shulin's normal complexion and hearing his smooth speech, his heart finally settled a little. His eyes swept over the slashed backpack in Yu Shulin's arms and the bun and bottled water in his hands, and his heart clenched. He wiped his face, turned, and pulled Yu Shulin towards the car, saying in a low voice, "You must be hungry. Let's go eat first."
Yu Shulin looked at their joined hands and obediently followed him into the car.
Ten minutes later, Liang Zhou had finally pieced together everything that had happened to Yu Shulin since he arrived in S City.
"Why didn't you call me first?" he said with a tense face, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "What if your phone had been stolen too?" If he had encountered some bad person... just the thought of the consequences made him shudder with fear.
Yu Shulin also knew he was in the wrong this time. He stole a glance at Liang Zhou, lowered his head, and obediently admitted his mistake, saying quietly, "The May holiday is so long, and you never came home, so I came to find you myself. I'm sorry. I did call you after I arrived, but no one answered..." His voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke. Actually, they were all excuses. He was just hopelessly stupid, only causing trouble. He had originally planned to face Liang Zhou with a firm and mature image, but now... it was all messed up.
Remembering the phone he'd left in the hotel during the afternoon shoot, Liang Zhou felt even worse. He glanced sideways at Yu Shulin, who was slumped over, head bowed, silently holding his backpack. Heartache, self-blame, and frustration churned inside him. He couldn't hold back anymore. He pulled the car over, roughly unbuckled both their seatbelts, and pulled Yu Shulin into his arms.
"Don't be so reckless next time," he said, tightening his arms around him, speaking close to his ear.
Yu Shulin felt his ear tickle and tilted his head to avoid it slightly, only to be held even tighter. After hesitating for a moment, he finally raised his arms to hug him back and nodded. "Mm, there won't be a next time."
"I was so worried."
"I know... I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." Liang Zhou breathed in his familiar scent, his tense nerves gradually relaxing. His words carried a sigh. "It's my fault."
Yu Shulin lowered his eyes and patted his back.
They held each other for a good while before Liang Zhou slowly loosened his embrace, pulled back a little, ruffled his hair, and said softly, "Let's go eat first, then back to the hotel to rest, okay?"
"Whatever you say, brother." He nodded obediently, constantly giving himself a pep talk internally. Since he'd already decided to be with his brother, then he needed to get used to this level of intimacy. Right, and maybe he should take the initiative appropriately sometimes?
Come to think of it, he really didn't seem to mind his brother's touch that much... Maybe transforming familial affection into romantic love wasn't that hard? As he thought, his mind wandered, and he actually started spacing out.
Liang Zhou rubbed his head again, looked at him with a complicated expression for a few seconds, sighed inwardly, fastened his seatbelt for him, and restarted the car. Shulin coming to find him this time probably meant he had made up his mind. So what kind of result was waiting for him?
Yu Shulin was indeed starving. He ate most of the dishes on the full table, and the spare ribs were completely gone, not a single one left.
"Don't eat until you're too full; it's bad for your stomach." Liang Zhou moved the pumpkin cakes away and served him a small bowl of soup instead, coaxing, "Drink this soup. Don't touch anything else."
Yu Shulin rubbed his stomach, nodded obediently, drank the soup, wiped his mouth with a napkin, hesitated for a moment, then met Liang Zhou's eyes and said seriously, "Brother, the reason I came to find you this time is..."
"Don't say it." Liang Zhou's heart tightened, and he hurriedly cut him off. He pressed the bell to call the server for the bill, then said to a confused Yu Shulin, "Wait until we're back at the hotel. There are too many ears here."
"Alright." Yu Shulin nodded. The restaurant really wasn't a good place to talk, even though they were in a private room.
The hotel wasn't far from the restaurant. No matter how afraid he was of facing the outcome, after they entered the room, Liang Zhou had to muster his courage, turn to face Yu Shulin, and say, "Shulin, whatever you wanted to say... say it."
Yu Shulin tightened his grip on his backpack, stared at Liang Zhou's face for a few seconds, and nodded inwardly. Very handsome. Kissing him should be completely pressure-free. Taking a deep breath, he threw the backpack in his hand aside, stepped forward resolutely, placed his hands on Liang Zhou's shoulders, tilted his head up to give his lips a light kiss, then stepped back. Looking directly into his eyes, he said seriously, "I'm willing to give it a try. If it's with you, brother... I can."
Liang Zhou's body stiffened. His hand unconsciously pressed down on Yu Shulin's shoulder as he asked, "Shulin... what did you just say?"
"I said," he reached up to pinch Liang Zhou's cheek, enunciating each word clearly, "let's be together."
Liang Zhou's eyes widened, filled with disbelief. His handsome face paired with such an expression looked somewhat comical. After the shock came wild joy. He abruptly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace, kissing his forehead, then his ear, asking incessantly, "Really?"
His eardrums throbbed, his heartbeat growing louder and more frantic. "Really?"
He loosened his embrace, touched his face, and continued questioning, "Are you serious? I didn't mishear?" His hand moved down, rubbing his lips, as if unable to believe such a wonderful answer could come from them.
His face and lips were starting to hurt from the rubbing, but seeing Liang Zhou's uncontrollable joy, Yu Shulin couldn't help but smile. He hugged him back and nodded, "Really, you didn't mishear. Unless... you're not willing?"
The strength of Yu Shulin's return hug was light, but Liang Zhou felt a weight settle upon him. That feeling of weightless floating instantly faded away, his emotions landing back on solid ground. Reality and dream overlapped, and he finally sensed the happiness. He lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of Yu Shulin's neck, took a deep breath, and suddenly felt his eyes grow hot. He nodded, "Willing, of course I'm willing... I'll take good care of you." To have such a beautiful outcome for a love that had tormented him for nearly two years... he was too lucky.
"Mhm, I believe you. I'll also learn to take care of you." Yu Shulin imitated how Liang Zhou usually treated him, reaching up to ruffle his hair. Thinking about how he'd just been won over so easily, feeling a bit indignant, he ruffled it again vigorously. Then he forcefully peeled Liang Zhou off, putting on a stern face, "Let's get this straight first. Even though I agreed, some things Brother Zhang said were right. I'm not an adult yet. You can't... do that to me. Hugging is fine, kissing is no problem, but anything else... no way!"
Liang Zhou smiled, his hair a mess, pulled him back into his arms. His eyes were bright, brimming with joy and contentment. He lowered his head, leaning close, "That's what you said... kissing is allowed..." Before finishing, his lips sealed Yu Shulin's.
"Mmph... let go..."
May 2nd. The second day of being officially together. Early morning.
Faint light filtered through the gap in the curtains. Liang Zhou lay on his side next to Yu Shulin, tracing the contours of the youth's face with his eyes. The uncertainty in his gaze gradually faded, leaving only happiness.
He leaned down, gently kissing the youth's forehead.
It was wonderful. It was all real, not a dream. This person had truly accepted him.
An hour later, Yu Shulin's eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes blearily, stared blankly for a few seconds, then frowned and closed them again. He turned over, burrowing towards the warmest spot in the blankets, looking utterly sleep-deprived.
Liang Zhou chuckled softly, gathering him into his arms. He lowered his voice, whispering near his ear, "Awake?"
Breath tickled his ear. Being held felt reassuring. He stirred, finally waking up completely. He blinked, turned his head, and saw Liang Zhou watching him, and was dazed for another moment.
Oh. This person likes me. And I'm trying hard to like him back.
He rubbed his eyes, sat up, leaned over, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, brother." The first step of trying: be proactive, proactive, and even more proactive. Once intimacy becomes a habit, then love shouldn't be far behind, right?
Liang Zhou was momentarily stunned by his initiative, then his smile deepened. He sat up, cupped his face, and kissed him back. "Good morning."
The first day together. After the lovely morning kiss, Liang Zhou found himself troubled. Well, it was a sweet kind of trouble.
"Brother, where did you put my bag?" Yu Shulin frowned, pacing around the room, searching everywhere for that tattered backpack.
"I threw the bag away. Are you looking for a change of clothes? I took yours out and put them in the bedside table drawer."
Yu Shulin hurried to the bedside table, fished out his clothes, and started changing.
Seeing this, Liang Zhou averted his gaze and turned to enter the bathroom. Can't look, can't look. Shulin is only sixteen.
He hadn't even calmed down for half a minute when the bathroom door was knocked. He opened it, and Yu Shulin, now dressed, pounced on him, draped his arms over his shoulders, gave his lips a kiss, and said cheerfully, "Thanks, brother!" Then he turned and ran off.
Liang Zhou turned back, turned on the faucet, and washed his face with cold water.
Sixteen. Sixteen. Restraint.
"Brother, I didn't bring my phone charger. Do you have a universal charger?"
He came out of the bathroom after changing. Hearing this, he quickly found his own charger and handed it over. "My phone is the same brand as yours. Use mine."
Yu Shulin walked over with a smile, took the charger, stood slightly on his tiptoes, and kissed his cheek again. "Thanks, brother."
"Shulin..." Liang Zhou touched his cheek, feeling conflicted. "This kind of intimate interaction... do you... feel uncomfortable or dislike it?"
"Why would I feel uncomfortable or dislike it?" Yu Shulin plugged in his phone to charge and turned to look at him. "Isn't this how couples usually act?" Since he'd agreed to be with his brother, he was definitely going to try hard to like him. He was really trying his best!
"...It's nothing. I was just talking." He turned away, lost in thought.
This was the source of his trouble. Shulin showed not the slightest discomfort with the change in their relationship. He kissed whenever he felt like it, completely without pressure. He suddenly remembered, before their relationship was clarified, Shulin's enthusiasm for physical contact... He had asked a similar question back then. How had Shulin answered? It was something like, "We're brothers, being close is normal."
So now it was "We're a couple, being close is normal"?
Should he be happy or worried...
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