The man snapped out of his memories and looked at the chick in the coop in front of him, hopping around anxiously trying to get out. He reached out and pinched its pointed beak, scolding, “So stupid. So annoying.”
“Brother, you’re back!” Wen Shiqing came out of the house. When she saw Xie Yucheng, her eyes immediately lit up, as if they were hiding little stars.
Xie Yucheng slipped his hands into his pockets, still wearing that cold, indifferent expression. “Mm.”
He took a few steps forward until he stood in front of her. At 188 centimeters tall, his height felt overwhelmingly oppressive next to her small 160-centimeter frame.
Out of nowhere, Xie Yucheng recalled what Wang Changlin had said—“pure and pretty.” His pitch-black eyes swept over her coolly.
Tsk. What’s so pretty about her? Wang Changlin must have something wrong with his eyes.
Stared at by him, Wen Shiqing’s face flushed. She lowered her long lashes, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
“Brother, why did you come back?” She knew he usually didn’t return home without a reason.
Xie Yucheng snorted, his thick black brows lifting slightly. “This is my home. Am I not allowed to come back?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What, trying to drive me out so you and your mother can completely take over, huh?”
“Brother, don’t say that. This will always be your home. We’re family.”
Xie Yucheng shot her a dark, cutting glance and strode into the main room.
Xie Guoli wasn’t in the living room. He was sick, lying weakly on the bed in the bedroom, his face sallow and yellow.
Ever since he’d overindulged and eaten an entire plate of edamame last time, he’d spent three straight days vomiting and having diarrhea. Now he looked completely drained, like wilted greens left without water.
The room lighting was dim. Yang Ying filled his thermos with warm water. After he took his medicine and lay back down, he asked weakly, “Is Yucheng back?”
“Yes. He’s in his room packing clothes. Looks like he’s heading out on another long trip. I’ll call him over to see you.”
Xie Guoli shook his head. “Forget it. Let him be. As long as he comes back once in a while and I know he’s doing fine, that’s enough.”
Taking advantage of her mother not paying attention, Wen Shiqing slipped into Xie Yucheng’s room and quietly closed the door.
His room wasn’t big—just enough space for a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Wen Shiqing’s room was next door. Originally it had been one room, but after they grew up, Xie Guoli built a wall in the middle, splitting it into two for the siblings.
“Brother, are you leaving again?”
“Something you need?” Xie Yucheng asked, efficiently pulling off his black T-shirt with one hand as he rummaged through the wardrobe for clothes.
His tanned skin looked striking, his broad shoulders and narrow waist forming a powerful silhouette, the lines of his back smooth and solid.
“N-no… I don’t have exams until the end of September, so I’m free lately. Can I go with you? Brother, I really want to go on a long trip.”
“Wen Shiqing, are you itching for a scolding?” He turned around and tossed the clothes in his hand onto the bed.
Her eyes seemed burned as she hurriedly pulled her gaze back—yet she couldn’t help stealing glances from the corner of her eye.
His physique was clearly defined, strong and youthful, his breathing causing faint movements beneath his skin that spoke of vigor and strength.
She bit her lower lip, summoned her courage, stepped forward, and grabbed his arm, gently shaking it. The cool touch of her fingertips brushed against his skin.
Xie Yucheng’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
“Brother, just take me with you. I can help, I promise I won’t cause trouble.” Her voice was very soft, light and pleading.
Xie Yucheng suddenly remembered several years ago, when he’d just graduated high school. His father had arranged for him to start working as a truck driver, and it was his first time traveling far with a duffel bag.
Before he’d even left the yard, thirteen-year-old Wen Shiqing had wrapped her arms around his waist, sticking to him like bubble gum. “Brother, where are you going? Take me with you.”
Yang Ying came over to pull her away but couldn’t at first. Furious, she knocked Wen Shiqing on the head twice.
“Your brother’s going to work. Why are you following him? You cling to him every day—he’s sick of you, don’t you know?”
Back then Wen Shiqing was young and thick-skinned, refusing to let go. In the end, Yang Ying dragged her away and gave her a harsh spanking. Even after Xie Yucheng had walked far off, he could still vaguely hear her crying.
“Brother, please… take me with you, okay?” The little girl from years ago had already grown into an eighteen-year-old young woman.
Maybe because she’d grown up, her personality was more restrained than before—thin-skinned, easily embarrassed, and a little afraid of him.
Xie Yucheng lowered his gaze to her slender, pale hands. His throat moved once as he pulled his arm free, saying sarcastically,
“I’m going to work, little princess. If you’re that bored, go play with your friends. Don’t stay too close to me and cause unnecessary trouble. I’m really afraid of that vicious stepmother, you know.”
“Brother, I can talk to Mom. I have a way—she’ll definitely let me go. I’ll handle Mom’s side.”
The man’s dark, cold eyes settled on her as his expression hardened. “Do you not understand human language?”
The girl drooped her head and slowly let go. She sniffed lightly, standing there at a loss.
“I’m changing my pants. Are you planning to keep standing here watching?”
Wen Shiqing stared into his eyes, desperately trying to find something—anything—in those dark depths.
Xie Yucheng avoided her direct gaze. “You really want to watch?” He curled his lips lazily. “Fine.”
His long fingers undid his belt, and the fabric of his pants fell away. A mature, powerfully built male body was suddenly exposed in front of Wen Shiqing.
When she finally realized what she was seeing, her face turned bright red in an instant, the color spreading from her ears down her neck, her fair skin looking as if it had flared up all at once.
She spun around immediately, her heart pounding like a drum.
Th-that… was way too much.
Ridiculous.
It hadn’t been like that a few years ago.
Back then, when Xie Yucheng had just started high school, Wen Shiqing once saw him wearing loose shorts, diving and swimming in the river with a group of boys his age. She sat by the riverbank waiting for him so they could go home together.
When he climbed out of the water dripping wet, one boy behind him played a prank and yanked his shorts down. Wen Shiqing had been sitting only two or three meters away.
She saw everything without warning.
Xie Yucheng reacted quickly. After a glance at his sister, he hurriedly pulled his shorts back up and turned to curse, “Damn it, Wang Changlin, you bastard—just you wait!”
Even now, whenever Wen Shiqing thought of that scene, she couldn’t help wanting to laugh.
If back then it had been just a “little brother,” now… it really had become a “big brother.”