Lu Xun’s eyes carried the same forest green hue with an amber tint yet unlike Lu Pei’s softer, rounder eye shape with larger pupils, his were sharper, with more visible white, lending him a naturally cold and austere air.
The thin framed glasses resting on his nose added a touch of refinement, softening that severity just enough.
An innate sense of superiority clung to him.
A man from the surface.
“Who are you?” Yuan Que asked.
The moment the words left his mouth, he had already guessed the man’s identity.
“I’m Ruby’s guest,” Lu Xun said. “You may call me Mr. Francis.”
Yuan Que’s expression gradually turned cold.
So, he had still come.
From the second floor window, Lu Pei stood frozen for a solid few seconds before letting out an “Ahhhh!” and bolting downstairs.
He rushed down the steps, hurried to the back door and stopped in front of Lu Xun.
“You…” Lu Pei was still staring in disbelief.
How could someone who was supposed to be serving years in prison be here? Was he hallucinating?
He reached out and touched Lu Xun’s face with the back of his hand. Slightly cool, soft, undeniably human skin.
Lu Xun bent down, leaning forward so that his eyes were level with Lu Pei’s, making it easier for his younger brother to touch his face.
“What is it?” Lu Xun asked. “Have you already forgotten me after just half a year?”
Only then did Lu Pei dare to believe he was real. He pulled his hand back, shock spilling over.
“Geee!”
“Mm.”
“You… How are you really here? Is it okay?”
“I had business nearby. Came to take a look at you.” Lu Xun straightened. “I’ll be leaving soon.”
One of Yuan Que’s assumptions shattered. Even if it was merely a marriage alliance, the surface dweller and this man shared a familial closeness. He even affectionately called him “Ge.”
Standing by the door, Yuan Que watched them coldly, as if witnessing a display of intimacy.
The wind brushed fallen leaves across the ground, like the strike of a match against red phosphorus, scratch, igniting a spark.
That tiny spark flickered to life in Yuan Que’s dark, cold eyes.
His gaze lingered particularly on Lu Xun, like a python measuring its prey, deciding whether to swallow it whole or crush it to death.
“Ge, this is Yuan Que, a friend I just met. You have no idea how thrilling things have been for us lately…” Lu Pei said.
Lu Xun followed his words and looked toward Yuan Que, nodding in acknowledgment. Before Lu Pei could launch into his endless chatter, he cut in, “Go put on a jacket.”
“Alright.”
Lu Pei went upstairs to get his clothes. Lu Xun stepped inside, surveying the small courtyard, then moved from the back kitchen into the front seating area.
He had long been aware of Yuan Que’s hostile gaze fixed on him yet he paid it no mind.
On the table lay a stack of draft papers, Yuan Que’s learning results for the day, filled with handwriting that could hardly be called pleasing.
“You’re practicing writing?” Lu Xun asked casually.
Yuan Que was on high alert. He was convinced this man enjoyed outshining others in certain areas, using it to assert some kind of superiority or charm. Now, Francis was surely looking for such an opportunity. Yuan Que refused to give it to him.
Met with silence, Lu Xun merely curled his lips faintly, neither warm nor cold.
Francis didn’t seem to intend any mockery. The atmosphere remained calm yet that only made Yuan Que more irritated.
On what grounds did this man refrain from provoking him?
Was it because he believed himself superior in every way?
“Phew…” Lu Pei returned quickly, now wearing a long black jacket that was clearly too big for him. “Sit.”
“I’ll leave in ten minutes.” Lu Xun raised his wrist; a countdown was visible on his watch.
“So soon?!”
Seeing them about to slip back into that intimate atmosphere again, Yuan Que could no longer endure it and abruptly cut in:
“You’re wearing my jacket.”
It was Lu Pei who had grabbed the wrong one in his rush but when Yuan Que spoke, his gaze was fixed directly on Lu Xun.
The dim flame in his eyes burned even brighter.
He believed this sentence would officially initiate a confrontation, force that aloof, self assured victor to reassess the situation.
Yet Lu Xun didn’t show the slightest hint of surprise. He only said, “You’re always in such a hurry. Mistakes are inevitable.”
“So stingy. Let me borrow it for a bit,” Lu Pei complained.
“When did you and Yuan Que meet?”
“Right when I first came underground…”
That man still didn’t acknowledge him directly.
Yuan Que lowered his eyes, his irritation steadily intensifying.
The agitation in his mind clashed into discordant noise, like a hand saw grinding back and forth against a hard block of wood, no matter how tightly he clenched his teeth, it was unbearable.
With limited time, Lu Pei had no choice but to suppress his urge to ramble and asked, “What are you doing today?”
“Handling business.”
Lu Pei cut straight to the point. “Does it have something to do with Forget Me Water?”
“You’ve learned to clean now?”
“I always could!” He wasn’t diverted. “Still trying to mess around? Your wounds aren’t even healed and you’ve already forgotten the pain? At least for now, you can’t touch that stuff again.”
The pharmaceutical company producing Forget Me Water had been a major contributor to Lu Xun earning himself a comfortable seat in Sinkport Prison.
“Some things need to be done by someone.” Lu Xun glanced at his watch again. “Wen Tiannan is reliable. He can be trusted.”
Lu Pei’s mind worked quickly. “So Zhou Zu isn’t? Did you go after Zhou Zu today?”
“…I should go.” Lu Xun adjusted his collar.
As he reached the door, he turned to Yuan Que and gave a polite nod. For the first time since they met that night, he offered a courteous yet distant smile.
“Thank you for taking care of Ruby.”
Yuan Que: “……”
……..
That night, neither of them slept well.
Although Lu Pei had long known about the confiscation of his family’s assets and had prepared himself mentally, going from a wealthy young master to someone who couldn’t even afford meat overnight still weighed heavily on him.
Lu Xun had only been imprisoned for a few days before starting up those activities again. Inevitably, Lu Pei’s thoughts spiraled, fearing the worst.
He turned over and saw Yuan Que lying on the adjacent bed with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. The sight gave him a small sense of security in companionship.
He thought, You must protect me.
But Yuan Que wasn’t asleep at all.
That man’s final words had been thanks.
The nameless fury it sparked burned violently in his chest all night, with no outlet for release.
Yuan Que replayed every move Mr. Francis had made, realizing that this was the first time he had encountered such a high level provocation, subtle, composed yet devastatingly effective and he had no way to deal with it.
But Yuan Que had his universal solution. Deep into the night, he calmed himself and thought, If he tries to break the agreement, I’ll kill him. A clean end to everything.
Each convinced themselves in their own way, both fell asleep burdened with heavy thoughts.
……..
The next day, Lu Pei remembered teaching Yuan Que to write. He figured Yuan Que’s lack of enthusiasm might stem from lacking proper tools, so he took him out to buy stationery.
The shop was quite far and very small, its goods old and worn.
After buying what they needed, they passed by Echo Tavern on the way back. The door was slightly ajar and Lu Pei pushed it open and stepped inside.
Jiang Gelei was behind the bar, while Weilang was watching television.
At one of the bar stools sat a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with a ponytail. She was hunched over the counter, seemingly doing her homework.
“How come you’re the one watching the place?” Lu Pei asked.
“Whoever’s free does it,” Jiang Gelei replied.
“I thought this was Lin Qiuge’s bar.”
“He has a day job,” Jiang Gelei said.
Only then did Lu Pei learn that the so called chemical madman worked at a hospital by day and dabbled in the underworld as a side gig.
As for the little girl bent over her homework, her name was Jiang Nina, Jiang Gelei’s younger sister.
“Just write here. You’ll have company,” Lu Pei said.
Yuan Que silently set down his things and opened his notebook.
Starting today, he seemed less resistant to learning, though his mood was slightly low. From Lu Pei’s observation, Yuan Que would usually respond with an “Oh” when given instructions but when he was upset, he wouldn’t say a single word, just comply in sullen silence.
He opened his squared practice notebook and began copying characters stroke by stroke.
It was Lu Pei’s first time meeting Jiang Nina. He leaned over beside her and the little girl asked, “Gege, do you know math?”
“Of course,” Lu Pei replied.
Jiang Nina pushed her workbook toward him. The page was filled with calculus.
Lu Pei: “…………”
What is this?
Since it was actually a relatively basic problem, Lu Pei did know how to solve it. He gave her a simple explanation. Seven year old Jiang Nina was astonished and deeply moved. “Gege, only you are willing to explain it to me. None of the other adults will teach me. They say they can’t understand problems like this and tell me to learn it on my own.”
Jiang Gelei cast a guilty sideways glance.
Lu Pei: “……” Oh no, maybe they really can’t.
“Do your best to study it yourself then. I need to go teach that gege over there,” Lu Pei said.
Afraid Jiang Nina might ask more advanced math questions, he quickly returned to sit across from Yuan Que.
Yuan Que wasn’t writing. His eyes were fixed on the television in the upper right corner. Lu Pei was about to knock on him to bring him back to focus when he realized the TV was broadcasting news about Lu Xun.
“Lu Xun has suffered a genetic illness flare up and has lost his vision. He has now been transferred to Sunny Day Hospital for treatment…”
“Major General! Ah! Major General!”
Weilang slammed his fist onto the table indignantly, speaking in a tone as if a rival faction were scheming against his idol. “The Major General must have been harmed by spies planted by his political enemies! Damn it!”
The host cut in with the next report: “Sunny Day Hospital is fully qualified and has also become the first designated hospital in the underground district to receive approval for the use of Seracibin…”
Seracibin, the scientific name for Forget Me Water.
Although medical Seracibin had an extremely low concentration…
Under the obstruction of various factions, it was still about to be given a legitimate and reasonable facade within underground hospitals and gradually promoted on a trial basis.
Lu Pei’s heart sank. The situation was not progressing in a favorable direction at all.
He noticed Yuan Que staring at him and turned his gaze back.
Their eyes met. Yuan Que suddenly said, “That is Lu Xun.”
Lu Pei froze for a moment, then replied, “…Yes.”
Yuan Que lowered his head and resumed writing.
On the television, the female anchor continued delivering the news with crisp diction. Yuan Que’s pen scratched across the paper, his lips pressed tightly together, his jawline drawn inward into a tense line.
An inexplicable silence filled the air, as though heavy clouds had gathered overhead.
Lu Pei suddenly reacted and lowered his voice. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I just didn’t find the right chance to tell you.”
There were other people in the tavern, it wasn’t a place suitable for openly discussing secrets.
Still, Lu Pei thought Yuan Que should already understand. Even without deliberate explanation, their similar appearances, the same hair and eye color and the way he had called him “ge” last night were enough to explain everything.
In truth, aside from the coloring, Yuan Que had not seen any resemblance between them at all, not in that ugly appearance, affected behavior, or arrogant display of that so called Mr. Francis.
So Yuan Que maintained his icy silence.
“We… we agreed that we’d stick together in the future.”
Lu Pei grabbed his arm and shook it, again and again, not letting him continue writing, forcing him to pay attention. He lowered his voice further. “If I ever go to join Lu Xun, I’ll definitely take you with me.”
The moment those words fell, Yuan Que’s gaze shot toward him like a blade.
“You’re going to him.”
“That would be far in the future, not now.” Lu Pei estimated it would still take years before his brother got out of prison.
First make a promise to go together, then figure out a way to shake him off later.
Yuan Que was familiar with this pattern. This was how betrayal began.
He pulled his arm out of Lu Pei’s grasp.
The dim lighting remained unchanged but Yuan Que’s expression gradually darkened.
The calmness and anger in his eyes froze together, condensing into a clear, impenetrable black that seemed to absorb all visible light.
An invisible yet heavy pressure spread outward from him.
Under his gaze, Lu Pei suddenly shivered, a piercing chill running through him.
It was as if the tavern’s décor had been stripped away, the walls collapsed, the ground leveled, leaving behind an endless ice field and he had been dragged into a place of biting cold to stand trial.
Yuan Que decided to give the surface dweller one more chance.
“Is that what you think?” Yuan Que asked slowly. “Or is that what he invited you to do?”
Lu Pei couldn’t understand why he seemed even angrier now. A bit bewildered, he answered honestly, “He does hope I’ll go to him.”
Afraid Yuan Que might overthink it, Lu Pei emphasized again, “But I already refused him. If things ever change, we’ll go together.”
Yuan Que nodded. He knew what he would do now.
“Let’s talk about it carefully tonight,” Lu Pei said.
“Mm.”
…………….
Unfortunately, that evening, Yuan Que received a sudden mission assignment.
“I’ll go with you,” Lu Pei said.
Jiang Gelei replied, “Only one car is going. He and Weilang will go. They’ll be back soon.”
Lu Pei accepted that explanation. “Then come back early. I’ll wait for you.”
“Mm.”
A faint unease settled over Lu Pei. Even feeding the fish in the shop couldn’t calm him. It felt as though something was about to happen.
As he fed them, he suddenly noticed that one of the betta fish with a white tail had flipped over, floating belly up.
An ominous feeling…
Lu Pei decided that no matter what, he had to have a proper talk with Yuan Que tonight. So even though he was exhausted, he forced himself to stay awake and wait.
He passed the time with a book. Gradually, in his drowsiness, he lost the ability to read, leaning against the headboard, his head nodding again and again.
Tilting to one side, a dreamlike scene appeared before his eyes.
“It’s over. Aren’t you going back?” Weilang asked, puzzled.
“I’m going out,” Yuan Que said.
“Where are you going?”
“Sunny Day Hospital.”
“!!” Weilang suddenly grew excited. “What a coincidence! I was thinking of sneaking a look at Lu Xun there. I’ll go with you! Go go go, let’s move, brother!”
Yuan Que quietly wiped down his gun and organized his ammunition.
This really was quite the coincidence, because Yuan Que’s objective was to kill Lu Xun, (Francis) and send Weilang’s idol to an early grave underground.
The narration stated it plainly.
Lu Xun, Francis… what kind of strange, forced name is that? It sounded so ridiculous that, in his dazed state, Lu Pei almost thought he was dreaming rather than glimpsing a spoiler.
The scene shifted.
[Lu Xun lay on a mobile hospital bed, surrounded by a group of doctors and nurses pushing him hurriedly forward, almost at a run, into a passageway.]
[The automatic doors at the entrance slid shut and the light above them lit up: Intensive Care Unit.]
Lu Pei jolted awake.
“…What?!!!!!”
Author’s Note:
Current Lu Pei: Husband, don’t hit my brother!!
Future Lu Pei: Brother, don’t hit my husband!!
Poor little Lu Pei 🙁