In the morning, Lu Min sat at the dining table. He sliced his steak with a knife while sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.
As he took a bite, he noticed the meat was softer and more tender than usual. The sauce had changed as well; it was now the black pepper sauce he preferred. Lu Min’s brows furrowed slightly. He was not particularly picky about food. When he handled cases at the police station, he often forgot to eat or would grab whatever was available to satisfy his hunger.
Even now, having left the front lines of the police force to hold a nominal idle position and hiring a domestic helper to cook at home, he did so purely for convenience. He never made demands of Auntie Ling; he simply ate whatever she prepared. He wondered why today’s meal did not taste like Auntie Ling’s handiwork.
“Auntie Ling, did you cook today’s meal?” Lu Min looked toward the kitchen with doubt as Auntie Ling walked out.
“Oh my, Xiao Lian, I told you Mr. Lu would be able to taste the difference, but you insisted he would not.” Auntie Ling gave a playful wink and pulled Ying Yulian out from behind her.
Ying Yulian squirmed like a slippery fish. Taking advantage of a moment when Auntie Ling was not paying attention, he tried to bolt. Unfortunately, he did not get far. Lu Min lightly extended his leg, hooking the boy’s calf with his toe while his other hand clamped firmly around Ying Yulian’s wrist.
Lu Min acted like an experienced hunter, while Ying Yulian was like a listless little rabbit. He was lively before being caught, but he instantly went limp once captured.
“Auntie Ling wanted you to come over. Why did you run away from her?”
Lu Min’s voice and expression held a hint of sternness. Ying Yulian lifted his gaze to cautiously steal a glance at the man. The lingering ache on his backside served as a faint reminder of what had happened not long ago. Hearing his brother speak this way, Ying Yulian could not help but swallow hard. His eyes remained fixed on his toes, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on the tip of his nose.
The boy licked his lips, his mind racing. Just as he came up with a reasonable explanation and prepared to speak, Lu Min beat him to it. He pulled out a chair and tapped the seat with his fingertip, signaling for the boy to sit.
Ying Yulian sat down slowly. The cool ointment made his clothes stick to him, and the damp sensation felt uncomfortable. He shifted his hips slightly, trying to find a better position. Lu Min caught these small movements out of the corner of his eye. He reached to the side for a soft cushion and handed it to Ying Yulian.
“Use this.”
Seeing the cushion, Ying Yulian’s face instantly flushed. Heat crawled up his cheeks, and the corners of his eyes turned a peach-blossom red. He lowered his head and took the cushion from Lu Min.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“Does it still hurt?” Lu Min asked, frowning slightly as he watched him.
He had not hit him that hard, yet he had not expected the aftereffects on Ying Yulian’s body to be so severe that he would not be fully recovered after several days. The medicine Lu Min gave him was the same he used for himself. Whenever he suffered bruises or injuries in the police force, this medicine always worked immediately. He had not expected that Ying Yulian would still be hurting after all this time.
Even though his intention for bringing Ying Yulian back was merely to raise him and correct the wrong path he had taken in his previous life, he had the mindset that if he could not be raised well, he would be discarded. However, it felt wrong if his punishment had caused physical harm to the current version of the boy. A faint sense of guilt clouded Lu Min’s heart.
“Does it still hurt?”
Upon hearing the question, Ying Yulian’s whole body trembled. The crimson flush spread across his skin. His memory involuntarily returned to that day. He had originally intended to offer his body as proof of his usefulness, only to be met with a harsh lecture and a series of slaps from his brother.
His own body was so useless because it actually produced an inappropriate reaction under those painful strikes. He even felt a craving for his violent brother. It felt as though he only truly felt noticed by Lu Min when those palms landed on him. Perhaps being a tool for his brother to vent his anger would not be so bad. At least then he would be of some use, rather than being a useless person in the house who lived off someone else’s labor.
“Is Xiao Lian injured somewhere?” Auntie Ling walked over, asking with concern.
She had watched Lu Min bring Ying Yulian home. Before the incident with Ying Guiquan, Lu Min had been busy taking over the family company. Most of the time, she was the one responsible for cooking for Ying Yulian. Aside from Lu Min, she was the person who spent the most time with the boy.
On her last birthday, besides the gift Lu Min gave her, she was surprised to receive one from Ying Yulian as well. Though he looked incredibly awkward, his ears turning deep red and his voice so quiet from shyness that he was almost inaudible when he said, “Happy Birthday, Auntie Ling,” she still could not help but tear up. Her own child had passed away long ago. Seeing Ying Yulian reminded her of her own child, and from then on, she treated him as her own.
“It does not hurt anymore. I just accidentally fell while running earlier. It is no big deal, do not worry, Auntie Ling.” Seeing Auntie Ling’s worried face, Ying Yulian gave her a reassuring smile.
“A fall? How did you fall? Where?”
Hearing the boy’s cover-up, Lu Min raised an eyebrow with interest. Propping one hand on the table, he tilted his head and watched as the boy, who was terrible at lying, turned increasingly red. A smirk played on Lu Min’s lips.
“Brother, hurry and try what I made.”
Ying Yulian felt like his entire being was on fire. Feeling both ashamed and annoyed at Lu Min, who clearly knew the truth yet acted as if nothing had happened just to tease him, he stuffed a spoonful of mashed potatoes into the man’s mouth.
“How is it? Is it good?”
Lu Min looked into Ying Yulian’s watery, grape-like large eyes. They were filled with such caution, as if the moment he showed even a hint of displeasure, the boy would instantly dejectedly cast his eyes down, throw the mashed potatoes away, and go remake them.
He wondered why the boy had to be so cautious with him. In his previous life, as a policeman, Lu Min had always been one step behind Ying Yulian. He had wanted to smash that arrogant face with his fists countless times to make him bow his head and kneel in confession.
But in this life, seeing the boy act so carefully, reminiscent of rookie officers who treated him like a monster for fear of being scolded, Lu Min felt an inexplicable surge of irritability. He opened his mouth to say something but ultimately swallowed his words. Seeing those bright, expectant eyes, Lu Min replaced his usual “It is fine” with a better response.
“It is quite delicious.”
“Really, Brother? Then I will cook for you often from now on!”
The corners of Ying Yulian’s mouth immediately curled upward. He ran into the kitchen to bring out the rest of the dishes he had made, which included lotus root strips, braised fish, brown sugar rice cakes, and mango pomelo sago.
“Since you made so much, why did you not bring it out earlier?” Lu Min looked helplessly at Ying Yulian, who was buzzing around like a busy worker bee. He held down Auntie Ling, who was about to get up and help. “Please stay seated. Your waist injury has not fully healed yet. I will help Xiao Lian.”
“Oh, I am the housekeeper, how can I let the masters do the work?”
“Auntie Ling, just sit down. Otherwise, if you get hurt again and cannot come for several days, I will be worried to death.”
“Alright, alright.”
The kitchen was soon left to just Lu Min and Ying Yulian. Usually, the boy was the one to start conversations, but now that he was silent, the kitchen fell into a temporary hush.
“Is it still swollen?” Lu Min was the first to break the silence.
“No, and there are no marks left on the injury,” Ying Yulian replied, his eyelashes lowered.
“I noticed you were still uncomfortable when you sat down today. I was too heavy-handed. I am sorry.”
Watching the boy’s submissive manner, Lu Min ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Technically, he should be feeling a sense of satisfaction right now. He had successfully educated the child, breaking him of that habit, whoever had taught it to him, of using his body to ensure he was not abandoned.
Yet, seeing Ying Yulian acting so subservient only made him feel unpleasant. He was not a feudal lord, and Ying Yulian certainly was not his slave. Furthermore, he had no hobby for mistreating teenagers. Compared to this sense of lowly service, he preferred the Ying Yulian who could speak to him as an equal. Lu Min took a plate from the boy, glanced at him still busying himself, and let out a soft sigh.
“Go eat first. I will carry the plates.”
“But Brother…”
“No buts. Go eat, or the food will get cold.”
Lu Min saw that Ying Yulian looked clearly dejected, like a pitiful little rabbit rejected by its owner, staring with beautiful eyes at the doorway, unwilling to leave. Even the most cold-hearted person would soften at such a sight. Lu Min softened his tone. “Auntie Ling is waiting there alone. I am afraid she will feel awkward if both masters are serving her. Go keep her company.”
Only then did Ying Yulian reluctantly leave. Lu Min sighed, thinking that raising a child was indeed a difficult task. He felt he should seek advice from someone more experienced, and Chen Shen came to mind. Chen Shen had a younger brother; perhaps he knew how to better educate a disobedient kid.
“Alright, the dishes are all out. Let us eat.”
They gathered around the table. Sensing the strange atmosphere between the two, Auntie Ling acted as a buffer. “Mr. Lu, please try this. Xiao Lian made it himself. He got up very early today and handled all the ingredients. I did not help at all.”
“Thank you. It is very good.”
Lu Min lowered his eyes and continued eating. Seeing Ying Yulian’s eyes blinking with expectation, he found it somewhat cute, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward involuntarily. He lifted his chopsticks and placed some food into the boy’s bowl. “Xiao Lian, you are still growing. You should eat more vegetables too.”
Ying Yulian wondered if his brother was caring about him. His eyes could not help but crinkle into a smile. Since the events of a few days ago, he had been constantly worried that his image in his brother’s heart had been ruined. He had only hoped that by offering his body for his brother’s release, he would become more useful, rather than just a waste who lived off of him.
But not only did his brother not take him, he had rejected him and even punished him severely. Though to him, it was not exactly a punishment. He had found pleasure in the pain. To him, the punishment had become a reward. It was only his brother who had spent so much effort on him, unaware that he harbored such foul and wretched thoughts, coveting the position by his side. For someone as useless as him to actually try and use his body to become his brother’s sex toy just to stay was truly lowly.
But his brother was too good. Even though he had done something so disgusting, using his thin and meager body to seduce him and make him so angry, his brother was still giving him food now, telling him to eat more, and even praising his cooking. He knew his skills were no match for Auntie Ling’s decade of experience. But his brother still praised him; perhaps he just wanted to encourage him. Regardless, Ying Yulian felt immense joy because of that sentence. He desperately wanted to find even a shred of value for himself by his brother’s side.
Everyone ate quickly. Auntie Ling had to leave early for a family matter, leaving only Lu Min and Ying Yulian in the room.
“How did you know I prefer my steak softer and with black pepper sauce? I never even told Auntie Ling.” Lu Min looked at him calmly.
“I just noticed that when there was black pepper sauce, you would eat a bit more. A few times when Auntie Ling overcooked the meat, you ate less. Even though you never said it, I have been observing. If I guessed wrong, I will not do it next time.” Ying Yulian nervously gripped the hem of his shirt. In truth, he was not certain; he had simply used the observation skills he had honed as a child in the shanty towns to avoid Ying Guiquan’s beatings.
“You did not guess wrong. But there is no need for you to do these things for me.” Lu Min’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. Each soft sound seemed to land on Ying Yulian’s heart, making him uneasy.
“If I did not guess wrong, then it must be that my cooking is not good, Brother…”
Before he could finish, Lu Min interrupted him. “It is neither of those, Xiao Lian. I am a normal person with hands and feet; I can do these things myself. I do not need someone to wash my clothes and cook for me. Even if I do not do it, there is Auntie Ling. I also do not need you to be so subservient. Regarding what happened before, I will treat it as you being momentarily confused by someone’s instigation. Let it be in the past.”
“But I know I went too far. No matter how Brother punishes me, I will not have any complaints.”
Looking at the perfect good boy in front of him, Lu Min rubbed his brow in exasperation. He thought a child this age should get angry and talk back after being physically punished, or at least give the parent the cold shoulder. How could he instead say the punishment was good and then respectfully cook a meal to compensate him?
Lu Min’s own teenage years were far more rebellious because he had not feared heaven or earth. He wondered why there was nothing but obedient submissiveness left in Ying Yulian.
“I was only angry at how you were devaluing yourself. Just correct that behavior. Do not use your body as a tool to keep anyone, not even me. I do not need you to be a housekeeper to repay me. You have just finished the Gaokao; you should go out and have fun. When the scores come out, choose a good school, go to university, or do something you find beneficial and meaningful for yourself. Prepare for the CET-4 or CET-6, get a summer job, do anything instead of spinning around me all day or staying cooped up at home.”
Ying Yulian felt the most meaningful thing was washing clothes and cooking for him. He lowered his lashes. It was not as if no one had asked him to go out after the Gaokao, but he did not like those stupid classmates or their activities. He preferred staying with his brother. Even if he was just quietly by his side, watching him and counting his eyelashes while he napped, he felt happy. But since his brother wanted him to go out and do something meaningful, he would listen. As long as it made Lu Min happy, Ying Yulian would do anything.
“Okay, I will listen to Brother.”
Seeing Ying Yulian’s eyes crinkle as he hugged his arm, two honey-sweet dimples blooming on his cheeks, Lu Min’s heart softened. His feelings for Ying Yulian were not pure, so he could not enjoy the boy’s kindness with a clear conscience. Even though they called each other brothers now, Lu Min had not forgotten that he had brought the boy back with the intention of dealing with him the moment he grew crooked.
The innocent, naive Ying Yulian had no idea that at their first meeting, Lu Min’s first thought was to kill him to stay one step ahead before he turned bad, even if it meant a life sentence for murdering a child. But now, looking at the obedient and well-behaved Ying Yulian he had raised, he thought that perhaps not killing him was indeed the right decision.
“Alright. I have a banquet to attend this afternoon. You can go out or stay home, whichever you like.” Lu Min ruffled the boy’s soft hair and pulled a card from his bag, placing it in his palm. “If you need money while you are out, just use this card.”
“Brother, I will not need this much money to go out.” The card felt so hot in his palm that he could barely hold it steady. He stared at it in a daze. The better Lu Min treated him, the more uneasy he felt. His brother provided him with wealth and resources, yet he was too useless to give anything back. Perhaps he should find a part-time job, earn some money himself, and then buy something for his brother.
While thinking about how to make money, Ying Yulian walked to the balcony, watching his brother’s back as he went down to the garage. He picked up his phone, intending to look for a bubble tea shop job on a recruitment site. Unexpectedly, he received a text from someone he did not anticipate.
“Academic God, I am looking for a math tutor for my sister. I really cannot teach her. Can you come?”
Ying Yulian hesitated for a moment before replying: “Sure.”
Inside the banquet hall, the room was filled with the rustle of silk and the shimmer of elegance. Satin gowns brushed against the floor, and the faint scent of perfume mingled with the music, creating ripples in the air.
“I finally get a day off and come to find you, and you bring me to a place like this? I turned down my old man’s business elite gathering for this!” Chen Shen looked at the tuxedo-clad, cold-eyed Lu Min with exasperation.
“Thank you.” Lu Min nodded slightly to a blonde woman who handed him a drink. Seeing the card with contact information tucked between her fingers, he helplessly raised his hand to show the ring on his pinky finger. “Sorry, I am a non-marriage advocate.”