In everyone’s eyes, Xia Xiqing was someone who only bossed around his younger brother. Only Xia Xiuze knew that his older brother was the one who truly cared about him.
During his middle school years, he was still a scrawny little guy who was often cornered by school bullies in the bathroom. If he didn’t hand over his money, he’d get beaten up. One time, Xia Xiuze didn’t have his wallet and had no money on him. Unfortunately, he ran into those thugs, who beat him up badly.
With a swollen face and a heart full of grievances, he returned home only to be questioned by his father about whether he had been fighting at school, nearly earning another beating. His mother intervened, and the two argued all night, shifting blame for their parenting responsibilities.
Xia Xiuze still remembers Xia Xiqing, who stood silently by the second-floor railing watching the commotion, his face expressionless.
The next morning, Xia Xiqing burst into his room, dragged Xia Xiuze—who had locked himself in and refused to go to school—to school, found the bullies who had beaten him up, and took them on one by one, beating them until they were lying on the ground unable to get up.
“This guy is indeed cowardly and weak, but it’s not up to you bunch of scum to discipline my younger brother.”
After saying that, Xia Xiqing pushed Xia Xiuze out forcefully, shoving him in front of those thugs.
“If you get beaten up like this again, don’t say I’m your older brother when you go out.”
From that moment on, Xia Xiqing became a hero in Xia Xiuze’s heart.
“Enough.” As soon as Xia Xiuze brought Xia Xiqing into the classroom, he dismissed him, “Don’t follow me anymore.” Outside the classroom stood a line of students, all of Xia Xiuze’s classmates, staring intently at Xia Xiqing without blinking. The girls’ expressions were particularly excited, whispering to each other incessantly.
Someone as good-looking as Xia Xiqing was often stared at, but this time the crowd was unusually large.
He suddenly remembered that he was now a minor internet celebrity. Once the trailer for Escape from Heaven was released, his popularity would likely increase even more.
“Xiuze, this is your…”
“My brother.” Xia Xiuze wrapped his arm around Xia Xiqing again. “Isn’t he handsome? I told you my brother is even better-looking than a celebrity!”
“Your family has such good genes…”
“My brother is so handsome…”
Xia Xiuqing pushed Xia Xiuze away with a look of disgust, “Go back to your house first. I’ll leave after the meeting.”
“I didn’t bring the house key, and Aunt Zhang took a day off two days ago.” Xia Xiuze explained with a look of grievance, “Her son had surgery recently and said it would take a week. Lately, I’ve been eating at school.”
“What about Yu Fangyue?” Xia Xiqing raised an eyebrow, directly addressing Xia Xiuze’s mother by her full name.
Xia Xiuze’s expression changed. “She went to England too.”
Watching the thing he had taken like a dog was truly amusing. Xia Xiqing tossed the car keys to Xia Xiuze. “Wait in my car first.”
Despite his indifference toward this half-brother, Xia Xiqing had always been cold toward him, and initially, he could even be described as utterly disgusted. Every time he saw that innocent smile, he was reminded of his own miserable childhood, when he couldn’t even manage a smile.
He often used this child for amusement and never regarded him as family. Until one day, Xia Xiqing saw him being hit with a golf club by Xia Yunkai. That scene was like seeing himself from the past.
Yu Fangyue and Xia Yunkai were constantly arguing, just like Xia Yunkai and his mother had done in the past—arguing over women, money, and shifting blame. Xia Zexiu, caught in the middle, was almost repeating his own mistakes from the past.
For some reason, Xia Xiqing began to feel sympathy for him. Perhaps it was because his own childhood had been so miserable that he didn’t want to see another person grow up in such a twisted environment.
It felt like looking in a mirror, which was unbearable.
The parent-teacher meeting didn’t last long. Xia Xiqing, who was particularly good at putting on a show, gave Xia Xiuze plenty of face in front of the teacher, acting like a model older brother—polite, considerate of his younger brother, and even taking the time to discuss his brother’s recent studies and life with the teacher afterward, repeatedly thanking them for their care. He couldn’t have been more proper.
When they came out, the rain was falling even harder. Xia Xiqing, who hadn’t reached the entrance yet, took off his suit jacket and was about to cover his head with it when he noticed Xia Xiuze standing at the entrance of the first floor of the teaching building, carrying a large backpack and holding an umbrella. With his drooping head and dark green school uniform, he looked like a little leek wilted by the rain.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, the little leek straightened up suddenly, turned around, and saw Xia Xiqing, flashing a bright smile. He ran over like a puppy seeing its owner, “Brother! Are you done? I’m so hungry.”
“Go back to your own home.”
“No one’s home to cook for me.” Xia Xiuze shook his arm. “Brother, I want to eat the noodles you make.”
Xia Xiqing rolled his eyes at him. With his cooking skills, only this clueless fool could stomach it. No matter what he said, Xia Xiuze clung to him like glue. Xia Xiqing had no choice but to drive him back to his new house first. His clothes were half-wet and clinging to his body; he had wanted to change them long ago.
As they went upstairs, Xia Zhe chattered nonstop, pouring out the latest amusing stories to Xia Xiqing, regardless of whether Xia Xiqing was laughing or not, laughing so hard his teeth were showing.
“This house is so cool!” Xia Xiuze knew the elevator went straight to the house and no one else would be there, so as soon as they stepped out, he wrapped his arms around Xia Xiqing’s arm. “Can I come here often? Can I come over to do my homework? I have so many problems I don’t know how to solve.”
Xia Xiqing had pushed him away so many times along the way that he was exhausted, so he let him hold him and hug him, just wanting to open the door and go inside to rest. “Aren’t you the third-place student in your grade?”
“Well, I want to be first next time.” Xia Xiuze shook Xia Xiqing’s arm. “Can I come here to do my homework? You don’t have a girlfriend now, do you? I won’t bother you, will I? Can I come? Can I?”
What boyfriend? He’d never had a proper boyfriend.
Anyway, kids were easy to fool. If he refused now, Xia Xiuze’s stubborn personality would make him insist. Xia Xiqing activated the room’s password lock and replied casually, “Whatever.”
He suddenly heard a sound from the door across the hall, like someone unlocking it. He was puzzled—they really lived here? They’d moved in a week ago, but he hadn’t seen anyone.
Xia Xiuze was so excited to hear the word “whatever” that he practically flew into the air. He threw himself onto Xia Xiqing. “Ah, ah, ah, this is great! I love you! Open the door, I want to come in!”
His own door hadn’t opened for ages, but the door across the hall had.
“Don’t hug me so tightly, I can’t open the door.” Xia Xiqing couldn’t push him away. “Can you not be so impatient?”
“No way~”
This kid, he’s getting carried away. Xia Xiqing was about to scold him when he suddenly heard a loud bang from the door across the hall.
Bang—
Does closing the door have to be that forceful? What kind of manners are those? He frowned and turned to look at the neighbor who had been coming and going mysteriously.
Shit. Xia Xiqing almost couldn’t control his expression. He had only gone out to eat, but he faintly heard Xia Xiqing’s voice. At first, he thought he was hallucinating because he was so afraid of running into him, but when he opened the door, he saw this scene.
This clinginess—no doubt a little lover.
“Get down.”
Xia Xiqing calmly uttered two words, his eyes fixed on Zhou Ziheng.
Upon hearing his older brother’s command, Xia Xiuze didn’t continue causing a scene. He obediently pushed himself away a bit. He glanced at Zhou Ziheng, whose face had appeared countless times in the magazines and stickers of the girls in their class, as well as in his older brother’s art studio. Xia Xiuze subconsciously felt that his relationship with his brother was not simple, so he could only speak up reluctantly but sensibly, “Then open the door for me. I’ll go in first.”
Wait for him? Wait for him to do what? Zhou Ziheng furrowed his brows.
“What a coincidence.” Xia Xiqing’s face no longer showed the initial surprise. As usual, he leaned lazily against his own doorframe and gave Zhou Ziheng a smile.
The same words, the same expression. Zhou Ziheng thought back to the first time he met Xia Xiqing—he hadn’t changed at all.
Xia Xiqing was a man with no limits, and Zhou Ziheng had known that all along. Just a few days ago, he had been toying with him, and now he realized there hadn’t been a single truthful word.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziheng felt an inexplicable surge of anger rise within him. He couldn’t help but sneer coldly, his hands in his pockets as he walked step by step toward him. His tone was harsh, “You don’t even spare minors. Do you have any sense of morality at all?” He shook his head slowly, making his judgment, “You’re truly scum.”
Interestingly, Xia Xiqing noticed that the words “scum” coming out of his mouth sounded incredibly sexy.
“That’s right, I am scum.”
He took a step forward, his face adorned with an innocent smile, his eyes brimming with warmth more gentle than the spring sun. “I don’t even spare children.”
At that moment, Zhou Ziheng’s mind was filled with a strange thought: Was there ever a moment when the warmth in this hypocrite’s eyes was meant to be sincerely given to someone?
“So, do you think I’ll let you off?” The words spoken by this handsome face were always in stark contrast to his innocent expression.
Before Zhou Ziheng could react, Xia Xiqing’s hand reached out, his slender fingers silently wrapping around the black coat like a snake, gently fastening the button on his chest. His deep black eyes met Zhou Ziheng’s as he spoke softly, “Hmm.”
He blinked slowly.
“This coat is pretty nice too.”
Author’s Note:
Hengheng: Wrap me up in my little coat.jpg
