【Lu Shiying, my very best brother, my dearest brother. If I die, just tell Grandpa that I went somewhere very far away to study and tell him not to worry and you mustn’t miss me too much either, okay?】
【I’m sure I’ll be able to find Dad and Mom. I’ll be with them in the sky, watching over you and protecting you and, Brother, don’t stay up late studying anymore. Staying up late is bad for your health. If you can’t sleep, don’t just take medicine carelessly. Take good care of yourself. I’ll definitely watch over you and make sure you live to be a hundred years old.】
【Brother, if I really do become a star, then find yourself another little brother. I still hope there’ll be someone to keep you company. I don’t want you to be alone like you were when Uncle and Auntie always neglected you. I’ll miss you forever. In my next life, I’ll still find you. Xiao Ci loves you. He really, really loves you. OvO】
【Brother, if I really disappear, don’t be too sad, okay? You have to live well, no matter what. Do you understand? Xiao Ci’s greatest wish is for Lu Shiying to live a happy, healthy and peaceful life for the rest of his days.】
【If I didn’t die, then Brother, you absolutely have to throw this letter away! You’re not allowed to let me see it! Mua~~】
The final line of writing was crooked and uneven, with several places visibly crossed out and rewritten. It was obvious that the child had become embarrassed as he continued writing.
Lu Shiying carefully studied the letter, his eyes lingering over those familiar lines of handwriting. Then, without the slightest warning, tears came crashing down from his eyes. With a soft plop, one landed on the paper, making the ink bleed and blur until the words became indistinct. Before long, the entire sheet was damp and crumpled from his tears.
If Jiang Ci had been even a little bit of a bad child, perhaps Lu Shiying would not have spoiled him so much.
When Jiang Ci had first come home, whenever he got a toy he really liked, he would run over to Lu Shiying before he had even had enough time to play with it himself, eagerly stuffing it into his brother’s palm.
Whenever he saw that Lu Shiying was exhausted after working overtime, he would come running over and use his little hands to gently pound Lu Shiying’s legs, one tap after another. Then he would curl up in his arms, humming and singing a few lines of a children’s song. Somehow, the weariness weighing on Lu Shiying would fade away along with it.
Every time Lu Shiying came home, before he had even pushed the door open, laughter would already drift out from inside. A small figure would be running all over the house, full of energy.
Whenever Lu Shiying merely put on a stern expression and scolded him, the little one would immediately stop whatever he was doing and obediently return to the sofa. He would place both hands neatly on his knees and blink up at Lu Shiying, putting on such a well behaved and adorable expression that it was impossible to remain angry with him.
Lu Shiying often stayed up late studying. Jiang Ci would then pick up the Maine Coon cat and sit beside him, keeping him company. His little head would gradually nod forward as sleep overcame him yet his mouth would still be mumbling softly, “Brother will get bored reading all by himself… I’m staying here to keep you company…”
There were so, so many tiny little things that the child himself had never paid much attention to but Lu Shiying remembered every single one of them.
That little idiot had simply treated him well, little by little. Everything he could do, he had done. He never made a fuss about it, never asked for praise or credit. He had just become more and more obedient, more and more sensible.
But now, Lu Shiying sat outside the operating room, his back pressed against the cold wall. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, while the raw, bitter ache in his throat felt like he had swallowed a blade.
He stared fixedly at the light above the operating room, which had remained on without going out, while that five percent probability kept replaying over and over in his mind. What if the bleeding could not be stopped?
Jiang Ci complained about his joints hurting at the slightest provocation. Even the smallest bump or knock would leave a bruise and his fair, soft skin was so delicate that it could barely withstand being touched.
Whenever Lu Shiying wanted to discipline him, he had to wait until winter, when the child was wearing enough layers of clothing, before he dared to lay a hand on him.
In summer, no matter how much trouble the little one caused, even if he turned the entire house upside down, Lu Shiying could never bring himself to hit him.
Half a year ago, his father had said to him, “Jiang Ci could die at any time. Bringing him back was simply so he could spend his remaining days by your side, living comfortably and without worries. If he leaves this world after that, at least he won’t have suffered for nothing.”
Uncle Jiang had once told Lu Mingyu that Xiao Ci had been born with a weak constitution. This illness had been with him ever since he was little and he had worked desperately hard to make money, all of it for the sake of treating his illness.
If Lu Mingyu had not been a man who valued relationships and loyalty, he would never have brought home such a sickly little child in the first place, much less asked his own son to take care of him.
Lu Shiying did not believe any of it.
Even when the doctor had told him right to his face that there was currently no way to cure the illness completely, that there was no guarantee Jiang Ci would ever recover, Lu Shiying still refused to believe it.
In private, he searched through research papers on gene therapy, thinking that once medicine advanced in the future and his younger brother’s health and physical condition had been properly strengthened, he would search every hospital and find every renowned doctor in the world. There had to be a way.
He was determined to make sure Jiang Ci lived to be a hundred years old.
“Mr. Lu.”
Lu Shiying’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, trickling down from his temples. His face was as pale as paper. When he heard someone calling him, he raised his head dazedly, only then being pulled out of his memories.
A man dressed in a black suit was standing beside him, holding out a small white round bottle. “Your medicine.”
Lu Shiying lowered his head and glanced at himself. His hands were trembling violently, his shoulders shaking and his chest felt so tight that he could barely breathe. His vision kept going dark in waves.
Only then did he realize that he might have developed a mild anxiety disorder because of Jiang Ci’s illness.
“Take some medicine quickly. Don’t pass out.”
Lu Shiying raised his eyes and studied the man for several seconds. He looked vaguely familiar. He reached out and took the bottle, twisted off the cap, poured two pills into his palm and swallowed them. Then, in a hoarse voice, he asked, “You’re… my father’s assistant?”
“Yes. I’m yours now. My name is Ji Ancheng. I’m twenty eight this year and I know a little about medicine. I’ve been with the company for ten years and have always worked under the chairman. I just returned to the country yesterday. The chairman instructed me to assist you from now on. I’m familiar with all the business matters on the company side.”
Lu Shiying’s expression remained cold and he did not answer.
Yesterday, two assistants had just been shoved into his hands. Today, another one had been added. Were these people actually here to help him with his work, or had his father simply been planting informants around him?
Ji Ancheng, however, seemed to have seen straight through his thoughts. The corners of his lips lifted slightly. “Mr. Lu, there’s no need to worry. I’m not a spy.”
Lu Shiying could not be bothered to respond. He turned his head away, his gaze returning to the operating room door.
Not long afterward, the light went out.
The director of the dental department pushed open the door and walked out. He had performed this kind of minor operation no fewer than a thousand times, so even the movement with which he removed his gloves was calm and unhurried, his expression showing not the slightest ripple of emotion.
When he saw Lu Shiying coming toward him, the director spoke in a courteous and reassuring tone. “Young Master Lu, everything is fine. After the operation, he just needs regular infusions of Factor VIII. He’ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.”
“Okay. Thank you, Doctor.” Lu Shiying’s voice was slightly hoarse but the tightly wound nerves inside him finally began to loosen.
Jiang Ci did not wake up until evening.
The hospital room was quiet and still. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Lu Shiying sitting beside the nightstand, his chin propped in one hand as he dozed. The IV needle was still embedded in the back of Jiang Ci’s hand, the transparent tube carrying the fluid downward, one drop after another.
He was still alive.
As the effects of the anesthesia gradually wore off, a dull, throbbing pain began to spread through the wound. Jiang Ci’s eyes immediately turned red. He tried to turn over but the moment he moved twice, Lu Shiying’s eyes snapped open. One hand immediately pressed down on him.
“Don’t move! You can’t talk right now and you can’t laugh either. If the wound opens up again, you’ll have to suffer through all of this a second time.”
Jiang Ci instantly froze. He even softened his breathing, barely daring to breathe at all.
“Are you hungry? I’ll have someone prepare some liquid food and bring it over. You need to eat slowly.” Lu Shiying lowered his voice as much as possible and leaned closer to look at him.
Jiang Ci nodded.
His face was deathly pale, his lips almost completely devoid of color. His entire body lay weakly sunk into the pillow, soft and fragile looking in a way that made the sight of him unbearably painful to see.
Lu Shiying lowered his head and kissed his forehead, quietly soothing him. “Good boy. It’s all right now.”
Lu Shiying took out his phone and made a call, telling someone to send some food over.
After hanging up, he pulled the sheet of white paper covered in black ink from his pocket and waved it in front of Jiang Ci’s eyes.
Jiang Ci froze for a moment. The instant he realized what it was, his right hand immediately flew up to cover his eyes, pretending that he could not see anything but when he secretly peeked through the gaps between his fingers, he noticed that a lot of the handwriting on the letter had been blurred by water.
Had Brother actually cried when he read it?
“Who told you to write this damn thing? A suicide note, too. Where did you even learn how to write one? And you want me to find myself a new little brother, huh? Fine. That works out perfectly. I’ll just bring my distant cousin over to live with me.”
Jiang Ci anxiously shook his head. He did not dare move too vigorously, so he carefully and cautiously swayed his head from side to side before reaching out and snatching the sheet of paper back from Lu Shiying’s hand. He quietly stuffed it underneath his pillow.
The little one mumbled indistinctly, “Bad Brother…….”
Lu Shiying could not help laughing. He reached out and took hold of the hand Jiang Ci was using to cover his eyes, gently pressing it against his own cheek. “Silly. Brother only has you.”
Jiang Ci lifted his chin slightly, wanting to say something. His lips moved but he still did not dare open his mouth.
Lu Shiying understood immediately. He bent down and brought his ear close to Jiang Ci’s lips, hearing the child mumble softly, “Which…… little brother?”
Lu Shiying pinched his ear lightly. “I have another uncle. His whole family immigrated overseas. His son is two years younger than me. I met him a few times when we were children but I haven’t seen him since we grew up.”
The moment Jiang Ci heard this, his brows immediately drew together.
So Lu Shiying had another little brother after all and one who was actually related to him by blood. Worse, he had known Brother before Jiang Ci ever did.
Oh, no.
Seeing through the little thoughts running through his mind, Lu Shiying reached out and lightly poked him on the forehead with his index finger. “Not happy? He’s nowhere near as obedient as you are. I find him so annoying that I could, ”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Ci only dared open his mouth a tiny crack, his voice still coming out in a muffled little hum. “Brother……. you have a little brother you dislike too? What did he do?”
He genuinely wanted to know, so that he could make sure he never made the same mistakes.
Lu Shiying frowned and thought about it for a moment.
Back then, Jiang Ci had not even been born yet.
He had been eight years old, while his little cousin had been six. During New Year’s, the little devil had burned the curtains with firecrackers, released lobsters into the fountain, torn up Lu Shiying’s summer homework, stuffed a toy snake underneath his pillow, mixed chili water into his bottle of shower gel, secretly sprinkled an entire handful of salt into his bowl whenever he served him food and, when they were learning how to swim, had stuffed two live goldfish into his swimming trunks,
The moment Lu Shiying thought of those old incidents, he wanted nothing more than to beat that cousin to death but remembering that the boy was his maternal uncle’s only son, he had ultimately restrained himself.
Compared with Jiang Ci, that kid was practically a little demon from hell, while Jiang Ci was a pearl from heaven.
“Forget it. Let’s not talk about him. If you want to meet him, there’ll be a chance later. Go to sleep for now. I’ll wake you when the food arrives. Once you fall asleep, it won’t hurt anymore.”
Jiang Ci obediently nodded and closed his eyes. His right hand was still holding onto Lu Shiying’s hand. It did not take long before his breathing gradually became even and steady.
Lu Shiying waited for several minutes, making sure that he was sound asleep, before carefully reaching beneath the pillow and pulling out the suicide note.
Without looking at it a second time, he tore the letter into thin scraps and threw every last piece into the trash can.
He hoped that this was something he would never have any use for in this lifetime.
….
A week later.
The operation had gone off without any dangerous complications and Jiang Ci was finally able to leave the hospital safely.
Standing at the hospital entrance, he saw that the Bentley sent to pick them up had a different person behind the wheel this time. It was a young man wearing glasses. His crisp white shirt was neat and immaculate, his bow tie perfectly arranged and his overall appearance was refined and scholarly.
The driver opened the rear door for them. The two of them got into the back seat together and only after they were settled did he walk around the car and return to the driver’s seat.
Jiang Ci leaned over the back of the seat, poking his head forward as he looked toward the front. He muttered quietly, “Is he the new driver? This brother is pretty handsome.”
The moment Lu Shiying had settled into the car, he heard those words. His eyelid twitched once and his reddish eyes slowly turned toward Jiang Ci.
Every time he heard this child call someone else “Brother,” that possessiveness buried deep inside him would immediately rise up, stirring an inexplicable irritation in his heart.
He called everyone Brother. Just what did he take Lu Shiying for?
Up front, Ji Ancheng pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and turned his head slightly. His tone was polite yet distant. “Young Master, I’m President Lu’s special assistant. You can just call me Special Assistant Ji. President Lu has only just taken over the company, so there’s a lot for him to deal with. The chairman asked me to come back and help him.”
“Oh, okay.” Jiang Ci nodded.
In truth, he had absolutely no idea what a special assistant actually did but he put on an earnest expression and pretended that he understood everything.
Lu Shiying suddenly spoke, his voice calm and indifferent. “The company already has enough assistants. You can go back to my father.”
Ji Ancheng froze.
Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at Lu Shiying. The young man’s face was cold as frost.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
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☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Even He, an outsider, couldn’t stand itChapter 2 · DaddyChapter 3 · Thank you for the gift!Chapter 4 · Do You want to sleep with your brother?Chapter 5 · Smart BabyChapter 6 · Life in a Wealthy FamilyChapter 7 · Genius BrotherChapter 8 · Brother’s giftChapter 9 · Xiao Ci was injured.Chapter 10 · ThoughtfulChapter 11 · Treat as treasureChapter 12 · Only recognized oneChapter 13 · Lu family coupleChapter 14 · A closed heartChapter 15 · Understanding my brotherChapter 16 · Reluctant to hitChapter 17 · UneasyChapter 18 · PossessiveChapter 19 · Teenage RebelChapter 20 Part 1 · The car accidentChapter 20 Part 2 · The car accidentChapter 20 Part 3 · The car accidentChapter 21 · My heart is racingChapter 22 · Physiological Knowledge