People streamed in and out of the airport arrivals hall, while a sweet female voice announced flight information over the loudspeakers.
Zhu Liuyue walked ahead with both hands empty, her steps light and quick.
Behind her, Ye Yunche proudly dragged two suitcases—one his, and one Liuyue’s.
He was doing nothing but backbreaking labor, yet his face was lit up with an irrepressible smile, the corners of his lips raised.
In the distance, Ye Yunjin stood in a crisp black suit, his tall, straight figure as imposing as a pine tree. His striking presence made him impossible to overlook.
Simply standing among the crowd at the arrivals gate was enough to draw plenty of attention. A few people secretly took out their phones to photograph him, whispering about whether he might be some celebrity at the airport.
When he saw Zhu Liuyue appear at the end of the passage, a gentle smile curved his lips.
His amber eyes were bright and soft.
“Was the flight tiring?”
He stepped forward, just about to reach for her hand…
But Ye Yunche was quicker. He immediately released the handles of the two suitcases.
The suitcases slid a short distance across the polished floor, while he had already darted forward and taken Liuyue’s hand.
Ye Yunjin’s outstretched hand grasped nothing.
It paused in midair for a moment before he lowered his lashes, the smile at his lips stiffening.
His gaze shifted from Zhu Liuyue’s hand to Ye Yunche’s face.
Two pairs of amber eyes, so similar they could almost have been superimposed, met in midair for a second. A faint smell of gunpowder began to spread between the two men.
“Big brother, thanks for helping us with the luggage.”
A smile lifted the corners of Ye Yunche’s lips, revealing an adorable little canine tooth. It was clearly an ordinary sentence.
Yet somehow, it carried a hint of provocation.
Ye Yunjin’s gaze darkened.
He did not respond. Instead, he took a step forward and placed his long, slender fingers on the handle of Liuyue’s suitcase, lifting it with ease.
Then, with his other hand, he naturally took the hand Zhu Liuyue had left empty, his fingertip resting against her palm.
“The car’s parked in the underground garage. Let’s go.”
“Mm.”
Zhu Liuyue nodded.
She did not want to get involved in the brothers’ squabble. Besides, Ye Yunche had been the one to provoke him first this time.
Ye Yunche grew anxious and raised his voice. “Hey, my suitcase!”
Without even turning his head, Ye Yunjin replied coolly, “Get it yourself.”
If he went to retrieve his suitcase, he would first have to let go of Liuyue’s hand.
Ahhh!
It had taken him so long to finally hold her hand.
His steps faltered. Like a dog being pulled in opposite directions by two ropes, he could neither run left nor right. All he could do was watch the two people ahead of him walk farther and farther away.
His suitcase stood forlornly on the floor behind him.
At last, he surrendered.
“Big brother! I was wrong. Let me get my suitcase first.”
A smile appeared at the corner of Ye Yunjin’s lips, and he said calmly, “I never said you couldn’t get it. Let go of her hand and run back two steps. You’ll be able to pick it up.”
Of course Ye Yunche knew that.
But at that moment, those two steps seemed farther to him than two kilometers.
He could only turn to Zhu Liuyue with a pitiful expression and complain, “Liuyue, Liuyue, my brother’s bullying me…”
Zhu Liuyue glanced at him, the corners of her lips curving upward.
“Wasn’t it you who provoked him?”
Ye Yunche’s heart shattered. He glared viciously at Ye Yunjin.
Helpless, he released Liuyue’s hand and hurried back to drag his suitcase along.
By the time he caught up, he had just raised his hand to take Zhu Liuyue’s empty hand again when Ye Yunjin’s other free hand came down from the air and smacked the back of his hand hard.
A crisp smack rang out.
“Ow—!” Ye Yunche cried out in pain.
The back of his hand quickly reddened. He covered it with his other hand, staring at his brother with an expression that clearly said, Are you sick?
Ye Yunjin, however, did not even glance at him.
The two of them continued ahead, while Ye Yunche followed behind in wounded misery, dragging his suitcase.
They finally reached the parking lot.
As though nothing had happened, Ye Yunjin walked to the passenger-side door and opened it, turning slightly to the side.
He rested one arm atop the car door and smiled at Zhu Liuyue.
His voice was gentle. “Get in. I’ll fasten your seat belt for you.”
Zhu Liuyue looked at him, then glanced at Ye Yunche behind him, who was nursing his hand with a deeply aggrieved expression.
“No need. I can do it myself.”
A trace of gloom flashed through Ye Yunjin’s eyes, and his voice turned forlorn. “I just wanted to do one small thing for you…”
Zhu Liuyue had kissed his younger brother only the night before, so she could not help feeling guilty.
She nodded, bent down, and sat in the passenger seat.
“All right.”
The gloom in Ye Yunjin’s eyes instantly vanished.
He bent down and leaned closer. The passenger door had opened only a small distance, and his tall body happened to block the space completely, shielding Ye Yunche’s searching gaze from behind.
He pulled the slender black seat belt from above the passenger seat.
When he lowered his head, his breath discreetly brushed against Zhu Liuyue’s ear. The warm air stirred the loose strands of hair at her temple, creating a natural yet suggestive atmosphere.
He murmured softly, “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Zhu Liuyue touched her nose.
She felt even guiltier.
Because of their empathic connection, Ye Yunjin had not received a kiss last night. He could surely sense that warm, breathless sensation too.
As he spoke, he did not stop moving. Instead, he lowered himself a little farther.
With a click, the seat belt buckle locked into place.
His fingers lingered on the buckle without withdrawing. Rather, he leaned another half an inch toward her.
That handsome face was so close she could see every delicate curve of his long lashes.
Her reflection was visible in his amber eyes.
Ye Yunjin stared straight at her, a hint of grievance showing in his eyes.
“He seduced you, didn’t he?”
Zhu Liuyue did not dare tell him that she had actually been captivated by Ye Yunche’s beauty, and that since Ye Yunche was one of her targets, a little push and pull was necessary.
Besides, last night’s kiss had affected her more than Ye Yunjin’s.
Still, she was a responsible woman.
There was a set of scales in her heart, with one of them on either side. At present, they were perfectly balanced.
With that thought, she leaned forward of her own accord and lightly pecked the corner of Ye Yunjin’s lips.
The kiss was brief and featherlight, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.
Then she spoke vaguely, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.
“Yunjin, you two look so much alike.”
Obviously, that was nonsense. They were twins—of course they looked alike.
Ye Yunjin immediately came up with a perfectly reasonable explanation. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
“I understand now. Last night, Ye Yunche disguised himself as me and came to you, didn’t he?”
He had spent the entire night unable to sleep, searching countless related posts on forums and social media.
The titles of those posts were more sensational than the last: “Sister-in-law, Open the Door—I’m Your Brother,” “Can Twin Empathy Really Make You Unable to Tell Them Apart?”
The more he read, the more plausible it seemed. Before long, he had become convinced.
His treacherous and cunning younger brother must have done something like that.
Zhu Liuyue opened her mouth, about to explain. “I…”
But Ye Yunjin leaned closer.
When his lips met hers, they carried a gentle certainty.
Just as she had done moments ago, he lightly kissed the corner of her lips.
There was a look in his eyes that seemed to say, “I understand everything. You don’t have to explain.”
“All right. I’m not angry anymore.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I understand.”
“This is between Yunche and me. I’ll take care of it.”
With that, he stepped back. His long, slender fingers rested on the edge of the passenger-side door before he gently closed it.
