Big Brother Says He Has Someone He Likes
The next morning.
Xie Yun was still in the middle of a dream when he was awakened by Aaron’s knocking. He leaped from the bed, accidentally putting his slippers on the wrong feet.
With a forceful twist of his wrist, he swung the door open, lowering his voice irritably: “Don’t wake my brother up.”
“Huh?”
Seeing his dead-serious expression, Fei Bo’an glanced at the other room and stepped inside. “Is it really that exaggerated?”
The walls of his cousin’s hotel weren’t made of paper; besides, he had specifically chosen the third floor for its prime location and perfect soundproofing.
“Still, it’s a no.”
With his hair looking like a bird’s nest, Xie Yun swiftly fished out the clothes and shoes he planned to change into and headed for the bathroom. “Five minutes.”
Although they were on the island to play, the two of them still had a film project to collaborate on. To avoid cutting into their leisure time, they had agreed to discuss business over breakfast.
Fei Bo’an sat on the sofa playing with his phone. In less than five minutes, Xie Yun walked back out, looking radiant his state was ready for a fashion week runway.
Dressed in a leather jacket and ripped jeans paired with trendy sneakers, accessorized with studs and necklaces, his hairstyle was fixed with styling gel. It looked casual, but every stray strand of hair radiated the aura of meticulous grooming.
Fei Bo’an felt inferior: “Is your image management really this strict?”
“Is it?” Xie Yun muttered. “But it’s not like my brother pays much attention to these things anyway.”
Fei Bo’an scanned him up and down, thinking to himself: Buddy, what kind of nonsense are you talking? That face is already the ultimate fashion accessory; you could succeed in a confession even if you were wearing a burlap sack.
Xie Yun continued: “You don’t understand my brother, he…”
The youth didn’t know how to describe it, but there was a similar character in the ancient idol drama script they were currently working on.
Fei Bo’an pursed his lips slightly, realizing that the high-achieving, low-profile Omega brother placed in the context of the dramas they had been filming lately was essentially the “First Person of the Celestial Realm” who practiced the “Way of Heartlessness.”
Hearing his description, a bucket of cold water was poured over Xie Yun’s heart, yet he couldn’t find a way to refute it.
“You’re right,” Xie Yun’s invisible ears drooped dejectedly. “My brother really does have that kind of personality.”
Fei Bo’an choked for a second, patted his shoulder, and pressed further: “So, are you sure he already knows you’re secretly in love with him?”
Just last night.
About half an hour after Xi Zhiyu left, Fei Bo’an had arrived at the pier and rushed to the hotel.
He was so hungry he could have eaten a bear at the time, but he willingly went up to the third floor to listen to his friend go over and over his speculations until his ears grew callouses.
From the brother’s initiative to visit the room, to the discovery of the pinned account’s secret, and finally the hesitation before leaving.
Xie Yun kept saying the “window paper” was about to be poked through. After hearing all the descriptions and combining them with the image of the “cold top-tier student” he heard from his cousin, Fei Bo’an pointed out the key: “Then that means he’s the proactive party in this relationship.”
That sentence resurfaced in Xie Yun’s mind this morning.
Xie Yun’s eyes were serious, as if they could condense into a ball of flame: “No way.”
“Ge is an Omega, and I’m the Alpha. I definitely have to be the one to take the lead and confess to move the relationship forward.”
After thinking it over, he didn’t want to listen to outsiders’ advice anymore. He decided to follow his heart, took a deep breath, and dropped a bombshell: “I’m going to tell him today that I transferred schools for him.”
Fei Bo’an opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time: “That… is there any difference between that and a confession?”
Xie Yun didn’t respond. He clicked on a link to study a map of the forest, deciding to scout the location ahead of time to make a “confession strategy.”
The youth’s long fingers expanded the map, landing on an area with a special effect indicating deer sightings. His amber eyes sparkled.
“Ge should like the scenery here.”
The youth’s eyelashes trembled as he felt a surge of nervous energy. He made up his mind: “The confession spot will be right there.”
Buzz buzz.
The phone alarm rang. Xi Zhiyu got up and packed his things efficiently.
Dressed in a simple white T-shirt and dark blue jeans, his tall, upright frame made him look as fresh and chillingly elegant as a pine or cypress tree.
Getting up late due to a restless night’s sleep didn’t match his usual habits. After finishing his preparations, Xi Zhiyu walked quickly out of the room.
Going downstairs, he ran into Fei Chuqiong’s Alpha underlings. Seeing him, they greeted him awkwardly.
These “brothers” were secretly sweating buckets, regretting their foolish move of hiding the love letters to the point of nausea. Most painfully, they had ruined the relationship so badly they couldn’t even ask the person involved if the gossip about him and the actor-brother was true or false.
Xi Zhiyu didn’t understand the reason behind it but responded with a calm and polite nod, only to see those guys shivering all over. They started moving like they were doing a “robot dance” and fled toward Fei Chuqiong’s direction.
Was he really that scary of a person?
Walking to the hotel restaurant, Xi Zhiyu scanned the room but didn’t see Xie Yun. Belatedly, he checked his phone messages.
Yun-zai: Ge, Aaron and I have some work to handle. We’ll meet up with you guys after we eat. ^^
Just as he was about to reply, the events of last night flooded his mind, causing his fingertips to pull back as if they were burned.
Yuan Zhoulu popped up from some corner, sounding annoying: “So listless. Did you have insomnia last night?”
“It was okay.” Xi Zhiyu exhaled softly and nodded. “Let’s eat breakfast first.”
Yuan Zhoulu said nothing more. He knew Xi Zhiyu too well; this was the case of a “dense” person finally capturing the truth, experiencing a delayed chemical reaction because the realization arc was too long.
Xi Zhiyu’s heart was indeed in a mess, like a sandcastle being drenched by a storm, damp and heavy.
Yet, despite it being October, the island breeze felt like it was lingering in the warm season—comforting, cozy, and full of the spirit of spring.
Coming out of the restaurant, Xi Zhiyu habitually accepted Yuan Zhoulü’s arm around his shoulder.
He looked up and froze slightly. He hadn’t expected to bump into Xie Yun and Fei Bo’an coming out of the elevator.
They were also in an “intimate and inseparable” state.
All four of them were stunned at the same time. The one with the biggest reaction was Xie Yun. The youth, who had been lazily keeping his hands in his pockets while leaning close to Fei Bo’an, quickly stepped forward as if to distance himself and introduced his friend.
“Ge.” Xie Yun smiled brightly. “This is a friend I met while filming. Just call him Aaron.”
His reversal in attitude was comparable to a meteorite hitting the earth—completely different from the cold and arrogant Alpha star on TV. He was simply as cute and docile as could be.
At that moment, Fei Chuqiong and the Alpha underlings seriously questioned their lives. Their internal thoughts were no longer “Xie Yun actually likes Xi Zhiyu,” but rather: Idol-bro, you’ve actually fallen in love to this extent!
The atmosphere was ambiguous. As the group got on the sightseeing bus, everyone silently and tacitly left the seat next to Xi Zhiyu for Xie Yun.
Even Xi Zhiyu caught that subtle shift and asked softly, “Is the work handled?”
“Yeah.” Xie Yun looked at him and couldn’t help but pause. “Did you not sleep well last night, Ge?”
He didn’t ask on purpose; he just noticed the faint dark circles under Xi Zhiyu’s eyes, and a surge of self-blame rose within him.
“It was okay. It wasn’t too late.” Xi Zhiyu paused, skillfully changing the subject. He asked back, “What about you, Yun-zai?”
Xie Yun: “…”
“I… I slept pretty well too.”
They were both faking it to a certain degree, as if the insomnia didn’t exist.
Upon arriving at the island’s wetland forest park, that sense of subtle ambiguity still hadn’t dissipated.
The park was filled with lush greenery, the scent of herbs wafting through the air. A pale green lake flowed past the winding boardwalks, covered in duckweed, with black swans visible everywhere.
It was quiet, with light and shadow interlaced, looking like a world from a fairy tale.
At the entrance, there were paddleboards and oars. In the park’s trial operation phase, staff members were already on duty to provide safety services, equipped with drone security monitoring.
Because her cousin had arrived, Fei Chuqiong, now in contact with her idol, was more uninhibited and talked non-stop.
Xie Yun chatted with her for a few words before the fan finally stopped, swaggering in front of Fei Bo’an and saying she would graciously pair up with him to row a boat.
“No way,” Fei Bo’an said, his eyes entirely focused on his friend and his “secret crush” brother. “Rowing with you would get in the way of serious business.”
Fei Chuqiong was so angry she wanted to punch him: “What serious business? Then I’ll go find President Pai!”
Who would have thought Yuan Zhoulü would also decline, explaining he had important matters to attend to. He smiled: “I heard the park provides robot companion services. Why don’t you try that, Qiong-jie? Seems like there have been a lot of movies with that theme lately.”
Fei Chuqiong: “…That makes sense!”
While the “bluffing tactics” over here were maturing, on the other side, the two main characters being watched by their “wingmen”carried an intimate aura that outsiders couldn’t approach.
Inside the small wooden hut at the entrance, there were countless cartoon-themed life jackets, overflowing with cuteness.
Xi Zhiyu and Xie Yun finished their selection. One was a big black cat, the other a little brown tiger a rare combination that was unexpectedly harmonious.
With rapid technological development, the life jackets were embedded with chip systems for GPS positioning and safety monitoring, though they felt the same as the ordinary versions when worn.
Xi Zhiyu put on his safety gear and buckled it behind him. He glanced over and saw Xie Yun still standing there, unable to fasten his safety belt.
Xie Yun’s nature was somewhat reckless and not very meticulous. As a child, he was clumsy and couldn’t even pack a suitcase properly. Xi Zhiyu was always used to approaching him gently to solve his little troubles.
Xie Yun, with his head lowered, held the safety buckle and tried to poke it in several times, wondering if the button was broken since he couldn’t get it to snap.
Just as he was about to change the safety vest, a familiar scent approached. He looked up to find the black-haired youth standing in front of him, taking the initiative to lightly hold the buckle and help him align it.
Click.
Xie Yun’s heart was suddenly pierced by an arrow at the exact same time as the sound.
“Yun-zai.”
He felt as if he were hallucinating, hearing his brother’s voice so close and feeling that warm breath. “Are you still curious about that question?”
Xie Yun couldn’t hear the content of the words clearly at all.
He followed his instincts and nodded. His gaze fell on the mole near his brother’s ear, and he even wanted to lean closer.
“I stayed awake a long time thinking about it last night,” Xi Zhiyu said in a deep voice. “In the past, there wasn’t.”
“…Huh?”
There wasn’t what?
Xie Yun was dazed. His gaze moved to his brother’s thick eyelashes, the high bridge of his nose, and finally those beautiful, moist, thin lips.
Xi Zhiyu’s voice grew lower: “But now is not quite the same as before.”
“Huh? What?”
What was different?
Xie Yun felt like he was wandering through a maze, when suddenly, like a heavy blow to the brain, the question he had asked in his sleep on the yacht popped out.
Ge. Do you have someone you like?
Wait.
Could it be that his brother meant he had someone he liked now?!