Lin Song spotted the phone screen at a glance. His expression darkened as he was about to take it and give this “younger sister-in-law” a bit of a show of force, but Lin Zhu lightly dodged aside.
Lin Zhu held the phone, tightening his grip, still standing where he was, the light in his eyes gradually brightening.
“Xiao Zhu, you—”
Lin Song paused slightly, his brows slowly knitting together.
He grabbed Lin Zhu’s arm and helped him sit down on the sofa. “If you’re not ready, let Dage do it.”
“Dage knows you can handle it, and knows the person you chose won’t be wrong… but this is a big deal. You have to prepare first.”
Lin Song half-crouched down, meeting his brother’s eyes without avoiding them. “If you’re tired, rest for a bit first. Big brother won’t tell him. Wait until you’re ready, then tell him.”
Meeting his brother’s solemn gaze, Lin Zhu took a breath, his eyes slowly growing wet.
The corners of Lin Zhu’s lips lifted slightly. He put down the phone and threw himself into his brother’s arms before Lin Song could react.
Lin Song hurriedly caught and held his brother steady, about to speak, but Lin Zhu had already tightened his arms, pressing his forehead to his shoulder. “Ge…”
“Say thanks and I’ll give you a slap.”
Lin Song gave him a light smack on the back, deliberately lowering his tone. “You hid this from me for so many years, suffering all by yourself, and you still want me to praise you? I’ll settle accounts with you later!”
Lin Zhu closed his eyes, forced the moisture back, and nodded against his shoulder.
His little brother’s body was thin and cool, the soft force tapping lightly against his shoulder again and again. Lin Song’s heart softened completely. Just as he was about to take back his words and coax him a bit more, Lin Zhu had already deftly slipped out and smiled at him. “Ge, I’m ready.”
He had been ready for a long time.
Lin Song’s gaze swept over him, and he nodded lightly, standing up and stepping back.
Mr. Lin seemed unable to stay any longer. He frowned and got up to leave, but Lin Song had already raised his hand, closed the door, leaned against the lock, and tilted his head, arms folded.
“Lin Song!” Mr. Lin’s face darkened further as he was about to scold him, but Lin Zhu on the sofa had already connected the video call.
Everyone in the room instantly lowered their breathing.
Lin Zhu, instead, seemed calmer than the rest of his family. Holding the phone, he met the familiar figure on the screen, his eyes curving slightly as he spoke softly, “Ge.”
“At home?”
There was faint background noise in Zhong Yao’s voice, as if he were in a car. He rubbed his temple with one hand, a trace of lingering shock in his eyes. “You scared me. Are you asking me to help sell body pillows?”
Zhong Yao: “I have sold body pillows before, but he probably doesn’t want this kind. I don’t know if anyone would buy it if I put it on Weibo. I just tried. It said it had unhealthy content and got blocked…”
Lin Song: “……”
Lin Zhu: “……”
Lin Zhu’s face burned terribly. He choked and coughed. “No, no— no!”
He almost forgot that he was supposed to confess. He didn’t dare imagine what kind of “unhealthy” poses his big brother had arranged the pillows in. His whole body felt like it was heating up on the spot, his voice so low it was almost a mosquito’s buzz. “Ge, did you hear some rumors about this? Like, for example, something about the wardrobe…”
“A dozen or so… that?”
Seeing how flustered and embarrassed his agent was, Zhong Yao cooperatively lowered his voice too, silently mouthing to him through the video to confirm. “I heard something, but I just took a look. The material doesn’t look like silicone, so it’s probably been exaggerated too much.”
Lin Zhu’s face was practically overcooked. He weakly grinded his teeth. “At least they didn’t get the number wrong.”
Zhong Yao paused briefly, unable to bring himself to tell his agent that he had actually knocked off a zero, and instead nodded to comfort him. “I know it’s all rumors. How could there be that many? Obviously it’s just a few pillows, but they keep spreading it more and more ridiculously…”
The body pillows didn’t sound much better either. Lin Zhu didn’t dare linger on this lethal topic and lightly drew in a breath to interrupt him. “Ge.”
Zhong Yao stopped talking and listened patiently.
The hand hidden in Lin Zhu’s pocket clenched, slowly tightening.
He had been ready for a long time…
He had long since had nothing to lose. Anything he gained now was a bonus. He and Zhong Yao had been happily together for so long; even if it really ended here, he had already accumulated enough memories to treasure for a lifetime, to savor again and again.
At first he didn’t dare say it because of inferiority. Later it was because of fear. After that, it was actually just because… he was too happy.
Too happy, living too blissfully, happy every day to the point of losing all sense of direction, unable even to remember his worries—so he forgot to say it.
Zhong Yao was his light. From the day he encountered that light, he had been so warm that he had almost forgotten what the darkness and cold in his memories were like.
His ability was meant to protect Zhong Yao… what a thing to be proud of.
Lin Zhu gripped the key tightly. The cool metal had already been warmed by his palm until it was hot.
He raised his head, amber eyes curving into thin crescents. “I’m going to tell you a secret. You’re not allowed to tell anyone…”
The room remained silent. Apart from Lin Zhu’s soft, steady voice as he spoke, it was so quiet one could hardly hear even breathing.
Lin Song stood on the balcony, his fists clenched tight, listening to his brother calmly explain his ability bit by bit, lighting one cigarette after another.
No one knew better than he did… how this matter had tormented his brother over the years.
During the years Lin Zhu had been at home, he had never slept a single full, peaceful night. He never raised his head to meet people’s eyes; apart from with him, he only spoke a bit more with the housekeeper.
The lively, cheerful young master outside became quiet and obedient at home, like a transparent person who only breathed.
He would still act spoiled with him, occasionally throw tantrums and behave willfully like a pampered child… and at those times, Lin Song would even feel gratified, thinking he had spoiled his little brother well.
Lin Song stubbed out a cigarette fiercely, his eyes red.
How had he not noticed earlier?
He didn’t even dare imagine what kind of despair and helplessness his little brother had lived with all these years. Always fearing he might be abandoned again at any moment, carefully treading on thin ice just to satisfy the people who cared about him, to be the young master they expected him to be.
If Zhong Yao dared to treat his darling little brother badly…
Lin Song gritted his teeth and went back into the room to watch over the rest of the video call. Just then, he heard Lin Zhu’s voice stop, and Zhong Yao’s voice came clearly from the phone.
“So amazing?”
Zhong Yao was walking, probably at a brisk pace; the image was a little shaky.
He shook his head in disbelief and smiled. “What kind of luck have I run into…”
Zhong Yao stopped, lightly kissed the phone, his voice unbelievably gentle. “So… from now on, I won’t even need to open my mouth for you to know that I like you?”
Lin Zhu’s figure trembled slightly.
The strange suffocating feeling left him almost unable to make a sound. Lin Zhu opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and nodded.
It was as if his chest had suddenly been hollowed out, a hand reaching in to gently trace over old and new wounds, then protecting them as they settled steadily in a warm current of air.
His nerves, stretched taut to the limit, quietly loosened. Exhaustion swept over him as if he had been drained completely. Lin Zhu’s chest burned hot; he pressed his back hard into the sofa, squeezed his eyes shut, but tears still spilled down uncontrollably.
“No, sti—still have to say it. It sounds better when you say it. I like hearing it.”
Lin Zhu’s hands trembled lightly as he tried to steady his breathing, pushing his luck with his Zhong-laoshi on the other end. “I can’t read it th—through video. I have to see you first, I need to see you, I want to see you… Ge…”
He could barely hold the phone, trembling as he carefully set it on his legs. His tear-streaked face buried into his palms as he tried to suppress his sobbing voice. “I miss you…”
“If you miss me, come down. I’ll say it to you in person.”
Zhong Yao finally stopped walking, his eyes gentle and his voice soft, his chest rising slightly. “Your housekeeper stopped me at the door and won’t let me go in.”
Lin Zhu’s heart leapt violently, and he sprang to his feet.
The study was still silent. Mr. and Mrs. Lin looked at each other without speaking, both subconsciously avoiding their youngest son’s gaze.
Lin Zhu had no mind to care. He hurriedly picked up his phone and looked to his older brother for confirmation.
“Wipe your face before you go. What do you look like?”
Lin Song pretended to scold him with a stern face. He casually ended the video call, pulled his brother — whose legs were shaking — into his arms, and wiped Lin Zhu’s tears clean. “You’re not allowed to rush straight into his arms when you go down. Let him cool off first! Set some rules for him, hear me?”
Lin Zhu’s mind had already flown downstairs. One moment he felt sorry for Zhong Yao having to fly back and forth these past two days, the next he worried whether Zhong Yao’s sudden visit had delayed filming, and then he remembered the rumor about a hundred or so silicone dolls. Leaning on his brother’s arm to steady himself, he nodded vaguely on instinct.
Seeing at a glance that his brother clearly hadn’t listened to a single word, Lin Song sighed helplessly, rubbed Lin Zhu’s head hard, and, unwilling to break up the couple, patted his back. “Go on.”
He straightened Lin Zhu’s collar and went to open the door. “Take your luggage down with you.”
The luggage had already been packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Lin Zhu’s hand trembled slightly as he wanted to speak, but Lin Song cut him off as if he’d anticipated it.
“Mom and Dad need time to think things through. I’ll stay with them and let them think slowly… You go straight back with him to film. I’ll visit you on set later.”
Lin Song smiled and rubbed his head hard again. “Be good.”
Lin Zhu’s breathing quickened, his eyes reddening again despite himself. He nodded hard and turned to run out quickly.
Outside the villa, freezing winter rain was falling. Zhong Yao, dutifully blocked at the gate by the butler, was chilled through, standing there in the cold. He looked up at the young master charging down with his luggage like a thunderbolt and opened his arms with a smile.
……
Because his younger brother still couldn’t help but throw himself straight into Zhong Yao’s arms, the eldest young master of the Lin family, in a fit of rage, kicked both of them out along with their luggage, hot meals, assistant, and nanny car, unreasonably sweeping them out the door.
Lin Zhu cried his heart out in Zhong Yao’s arms. After getting into the car, wrapped warmly in heated air and blankets, coaxed by Zhong Yao into eating a few bites, he finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fell asleep curled in Zhong Yao’s embrace.
Zhong Yao tightened his arms, the smile in his eyes fading little by little.
He brushed aside the stray hair on Lin Zhu’s forehead, lowered his head to look at him quietly for a while, then gently kissed the still-reddened corner of his eye.
Everything was easy to explain now.
Why Lin Zhu was so afraid of being with his parents, why he didn’t like crowded places, why he could see through reporters’ and paparazzi’s traps at a glance, why he could always so confidently secure the best resources for him…
The person in his arms shivered slightly in his dream. Zhong Yao slowly stroked his back and lowered his head to kiss his eyes gently.
Mind-reading… was not without side effects.
Not only did it force one to face overly blunt and real human hearts, there were also more direct physical burdens. His poor sleep, his easy fatigue physique, and his dizziness and headaches that came immediately whenever the ability was overused. All of which truly fell on Lin Zhu.
Thinking of that time when he couldn’t be woken no matter how hard he was called, Zhong Yao felt cold sweat seep into his palm, his lips tightening with lingering fear.
To Lin Zhu, all of this was just normal. He had grown up with this gift, accustomed to naked human nature, accustomed to a world without warmth, and accustomed to these “no big deal” “minor problems.”
Lin Zhu had never thought of letting anyone feel sorry for him because of this.
Zhong Yao slowly exhaled, drew him closer into his arms, gently loosened Lin Zhu’s clenched hand, put the key back into his coat pocket, and carefully examined the bloody marks pressed into his pale, slender palm.
Even in his sleep, Lin Zhu felt the pain. He couldn’t help inhaling sharply, frowning as he shifted uncomfortably.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore, it doesn’t hurt…”
Zhong Yao gently blew on it, soothing him softly while stroking his hair, until Lin Zhu’s brow relaxed again. Only then did he slowly close that hand in his own.
Zhong Yao raised his hand, about to loosen Lin Zhu’s collar to let him breathe more easily, when his gaze suddenly paused.
In the left chest pocket of Lin Zhu’s shirt, neatly folded, was the tie he had thought he’d lost somewhere, carefully hidden inside the coat.
Zhong Yao’s eyes warmed, his heart aching softly. He took a quiet breath and told the driver, “Don’t go to the hotel. Go home.”
Lin Zhu slept restlessly. Vaguely hearing him say “go home,” his heart tightened and he struggled awake instinctively.
He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep. When he woke, he was still a bit dazed, not knowing where he was. Staring at the tie in Zhong Yao’s hand for three seconds, he flushed from head to toe and stammered, “Ge, I—I just—”
“Just what?”
Seeing Lin Zhu’s reaction, Zhong Yao still felt a pang in his heart, but he was already smiling on the surface. He flicked Lin Zhu’s nose lightly. “You just noticed I left my tie at home and helped me keep it?”
Lin Zhu felt greatly relieved and nodded desperately. “Yes, yes, yes…”
He nodded while sneaking glances at Zhong Yao. Seeing Zhong Yao about to put the tie away, he couldn’t help tugging at Zhong Yao’s sleeve.
Zhong Yao raised an eyebrow slightly and looked down at him.
Lin Zhu had little strength after just waking up. With a completely red face, he lowered his head. “Ge, give it to me. I’ll buy you a better one…”
He stared at the tie, full of reluctance. “I—I like this color. This color looks good… goes with clothes. I—”
Before he could finish, Zhong Yao had already supported his back with one hand, gently pulled him up, and lowered his head to kiss him carefully.
They say that at banquets, the young master of the Lin family cut an imposing figure, slaying demons and monsters in a tailored suit with bodyguards and assistants in full array. Yet he wore a half-old, unknown-brand tie. Many people couldn’t help gossiping about it, and the question eventually reached him.
He hadn’t slept all night. By accident he caught his equally sleepless agent, dragged him back into their nest, coaxed him into talking about his grievances, and ended up not closing his eyes for the entire night.
Today’s filming wasn’t heavy, just running up those ninety-nine palace steps was tiring. Coincidentally, Jin Zhenbo was returning to attend the final discussion at the Film Association conference. He spent the morning running ten-odd takes without rest, finished his scenes early, paid for his own ticket, and flew back with Director Jin.
Jin Zhenbo even thought he was striving to improve himself, his expression brightening a lot as he praised him all the way.
Zhong Yao kissed Lin Zhu carefully until the person in his arms went soft and flushed, then finally pulled back slightly, wiped the moisture from the corner of Lin Zhu’s eyes, and smiled. “Then did you notice… you’re missing six pieces of candy?”
Lin Zhu was dizzy for a long while before understanding what he meant. “……”
Compared to stealing his agent’s candy like a famous movie star, taking a tie really didn’t seem like much.
His face still hot, Lin Zhu quickly wiped his mouth, trying to hide the curve of his lips. “Why… six pieces?”
“One yesterday morning, one at noon, one before bed. One this morning, one at noon…”
Zhong Yao counted seriously, then suddenly smiled and took out the last piece of candy, carefully peeling the wrapper.
Lin Zhu pressed his lips together, about to lean forward to take it, only to watch Zhong Yao shake the candy lightly and leisurely put it into his own mouth.
Lin Zhu: “?!”
Lin Zhu couldn’t help grabbing at Zhong Yao’s arm, wanting to see if he’d hidden the candy in his palm again to tease him, but Zhong Yao caught him neatly and pulled him firmly against his chest.
The heartbeat from the opposite man’s chest was also slightly fast. Lin Zhu held his breath unconsciously and looked up, watching Zhong Yao’s ears turn red little by little.
With the driver still there, it wasn’t good to go too far. Zhong Yao lowered the partition, met Lin Zhu’s gaze, and with red ears held the candy between his lips, smiling.
Gentle heartbeats seeped into his mind little by little. Lin Zhu’s breathing stalled, his face flaring hot. Clutching Zhong Yao’s sleeve, he glanced around, steeled himself, and主动 leaned up to kiss him.
Zhong Yao kissed him, biting off half the candy and feeding it into his mouth.
Outside the car, the streetlights were gentle, quietly spilling down a wash of light.
To avoid tiring Zhong Yao too much, Lin Zhu had deliberately booked the flight for the evening. With a few hours still before departure, they could stay at home a bit longer.
The house had been cleaned spotless by Lin Zhu. Zhong Yao put on an apron and went into the kitchen, checking the empty fridge. “All eaten?”
Lin Zhu lay on the table, pressing a popsicle to his face. “All eaten. The last meal was this morning.”
He still had that half piece of candy in his mouth, reluctant to swallow, speaking indistinctly. “I originally wanted to eat it until tonight, but Dage called me to go home. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to come back…”
He was cut off halfway through by a freshly fried French fry being fed into his mouth. Lin Zhu’s eyes lit up. He happily finished chewing and followed Zhong Yao around.
“You’re so tired you can barely open your eyes. Hurry and go sleep for a while. You still have to catch a flight tonight.”
Zhong Yao nearly stepped on his agent several times when turning around, unable to suppress his smile. He knocked him lightly on the head. “I’ll make something to eat. We’ll go after eating.”
Lin Zhu was unwilling and kept circling after him.
A hint of laughter showed in Zhong Yao’s eyes. He simply threw down the spatula, picked Lin Zhu up on the spot, and carried him back to the bedroom.
“Ge, I’m not tired, really—”
Lin Zhu didn’t want to stay alone in the bedroom and tugged at his clothes. Zhong Yao wrapped his entire hand in his own and rubbed it. “I’ll work here. If you want to talk, talk to me. Lying down to rest is more comfortable.”
Lin Zhu froze slightly, not yet able to speak, when Zhong Yao had already gone back to the kitchen and brought everything over, actually sitting by the bed to pick vegetables.
The air conditioner hummed softly in the room, rain quiet outside the window. No one hurried to speak, yet it wasn’t lonely at all.
Lin Zhu curled under the blanket, watching Zhong Yao casually sit on the carpet picking vegetables patiently. After staring blankly for a long time, he still couldn’t help secretly pinching himself.
He curled further into the blanket, his voice light and slow. “Ge, I really feel like I’m dreaming…”
His gaze wavered slightly, unsure if he was even looking at him, cautious and tentative. “How can there still be something this good?”
![Third-rate Thriller Novelist [Infinite Stream]](https://novels.space/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/193844s.jpg "Third-rate Thriller Novelist [Infinite Stream]")