Lin Zhu: “…”
Zhong Yao was momentarily rendered speechless by Lin Song’s grand ambition. After recovering slightly, he cautiously looked at his threatened manager. “Who’s Xiao Lanlan? A friend of yours?”
“No—” Lin Zhu denied instinctively, then paused. His face reddened uncontrollably. “For a while, they kind of… kind of were. Dage just makes up random names. They’re not actually called that…”
In his hurry to swipe away the message, he fumbled and tapped it instead. The chat window immediately expanded and occupied the entire screen in all its glory.
The photo Lin Song had attached popped up.
Three body pillows. They looked a little old now, slightly faded with age, but they had been kept remarkably clean and intact.
One wore a blue athletic T-shirt, one wore bright red historical costume robes, and the last wore an ostentatious dark-patterned black suit.
Each had a cool expression and domineering pose, radiating abstinent, aloof charisma.
Unable to help himself, Zhong Yao commented, “I’ve never worn something this—”
Accustomed to being dignified, he couldn’t bring himself to offer a harsher evaluation. Besides, these belonged to Lin Zhu. He carefully chose his words: “…this complicated.”
His wording was too gentle. Lin Zhu failed to catch the unspoken meaning and hurriedly swiped the photo away. “They have other names!”
Every pillow had once been a treasured possession. Lin Zhu was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. Afraid Zhong Yao might misunderstand, he struggled to explain. “They’re not called— not called such terrible names…”
Zhong Yao had not expected that to be the part Lin Zhu focused on. Slightly startled, he watched his agent crouch in a corner hugging his phone, desperately negotiating with his older brother. Something in his heart quietly softened.
In those years they had missed each other, years they were now trying to fill back in through memories and stories… those pillows had once been little Lin Zhu’s friends.
Friends with names.
Still crouching in the corner and locked in tense negotiations with his brother, Lin Zhu suddenly felt someone gently scoop up the backs of his knees. The next moment, he was lifted into the air.
Startled, he hurriedly hid his phone. “Ge, I—”
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to your big brother.”
Zhong Yao rubbed his head, carried him over, and carefully set him down on the edge of the bed. Then he exchanged the remaining half of the cake for the phone in Lin Zhu’s hands.
Holding the cake, Lin Zhu could only stare helplessly as Zhong Yao directly called Lin Song.
With the phone in hand, Zhong Yao seriously discussed the issue of “making it impossible to get out of bed” with Lin Song, sounding as formal and earnest as if he were negotiating with a vicious kidnapper.
“Tomorrow probably won’t work. There’s filming… In a few days there’s something important. We need to catch up on progress beforehand.”
Good-tempered as always, Zhong Yao patiently responded to the demands coming from the other end of the line. “Yes, I know. That’s fine…”
Lin Zhu couldn’t imagine what common language the two of them could possibly have on this subject. Holding his cake, his heart raced as he watched blankly while Zhong Yao ended the call and handed the phone back.
“I talked with Dage. Tomorrow would be difficult. We’ll carry out this plan in a few days instead.”
Having temporarily rescued his agent’s body pillows, Zhong Yao smiled. “Besides, making it impossible to get out of bed in the morning isn’t actually that difficult.”
Lin Zhu was quite certain his brother had not merely meant sleeping in. He nodded gravely, unable to stop worrying about how much effort he might have to contribute if they were really going to make Zhong Yao unable to get out of bed under current conditions.
Unaware of his concerns, Zhong Yao took the cake and finished it with him before rubbing his head. “Want to go look at churches later?”
After Lin Song’s interruption, Lin Zhu had almost forgotten about it entirely. At the reminder, his little bamboo-shoot soul practically trembled. “Yes, yes!”
Afraid Zhong Yao might leave without him, Lin Zhu sprang up with remarkable agility, changed clothes, washed up at top speed, and returned carrying the fresh scent of water straight into Zhong Yao’s arms.
Zhong Yao smiled, carefully wiped the droplets from his face, and kissed his forehead. “Let’s go, my Coolest Kid.”
Finally hearing that title spoken by Zhong Yao himself, clearly and unmistakably, Lin Zhu felt warmth bloom in his chest. He nodded vigorously and tightened his grip on Zhong Yao’s hand.
…
Over the next three days, the two of them visited nearly every church in New York City.
In the end, Lin Zhu made the final decision. Ignoring countless officially recommended options, he chose a small church that was not especially eye-catching.
It’s a red-brick church with a pure white dome, sitting quietly at the end of a tree-lined avenue. Though wrapped in the bleakness of winter, evergreen pines and hollies still surrounded it, and from time to time plump squirrels could be seen darting and leaping among the fallen leaves.
When Zhong Yao saw the photo of the church Lin Zhu had chosen, he was somewhat surprised. Meeting his agent’s gaze, however, he only smiled, shook his head, and signed his name alongside Lin Zhu’s.
What Lin Zhu didn’t know was that Zhong Yao had been to this church before, even more than once.
Zhong Yao wasn’t religious. Nor did he expect some god to reach down and pull him out of his lowest moments. He had simply wanted a quiet place to sit, watching pigeons take flight when startled by a gust of wind, or watching people hurrying home as evening approached.
Many times he had walked down this tree-lined path, feeding the fearless squirrels. And as he held his agent’s hand and taught him how to scatter a handful of pine nuts onto the grass, Zhong Yao suddenly found himself half-believing in the fate Lin Zhu had once talked about.
If they had never met, perhaps one day they would have run into each other outside this church by chance.
One busy helping squirrels prepare food for winter, the other focused on feeding passing flocks of pigeons.
And somehow, accidentally, they would have become lifelong lovers.
After signing his name, Zhong Yao looked at their two names written side by side. Holding Lin Zhu’s hand, he lowered his head and kissed it carefully.
For the first time, he began to believe that some things were truly destined.
Zhong Yao did not immediately tell Lin Zhu any of this. He waited until the day they officially registered their marriage before telling the entire story together with his vows to his elegantly suited lover.
The result was entirely predictable. The agent, now one year older, was moved to tears. Under the sharp gaze of his older brother, who looked ready to start throwing knives at any moment, he unhesitatingly planted himself in Zhong Yao’s arms.
“Starting today, we’re officially and legally lovers.”
Smiling, Zhong Yao rubbed Lin Zhu’s head, his voice was impossibly gentle. “Xiao Zhu, happy birthday.”
Over the past few days, Lin Zhu had been running around nonstop. He had to help his brother transfer ownership of Huaying Entertainment while simultaneously fussing over every detail of the wedding. He had practically forgotten his own birthday. Hearing the words, he blinked in surprise.
Zhong Yao had known he would forget. Smiling, he lowered his head and kissed him before gently letting go. “Do you want to see your birthday present now?”
Lin Zhu had already been wondering for quite some time why Zhong Yao had brought such a large suitcase to a wedding. The moment he heard those words, his heartbeat sped up. Unable to contain his excitement, he nodded vigorously. “Yes!”
There was still some time before the ceremony began, so not all the guests had arrived yet. The orchestra was dutifully playing a magnificent overture while people chatted with smiles on their faces.
Leading him to an inconspicuous corner, Zhong Yao’s eyes softened with warmth. “Open it.”
Unable to wait any longer, Lin Zhu pounced forward and opened the suitcase. His heart suddenly clenched.
Staring at what lay inside, his breathing grew more and more uneven. He looked up at Zhong Yao, chest rising and falling.
“They’re all yours.” Zhong Yao crouched beside him. “Not a single thing is missing… They’re all yours.”
Lin Zhu’s hands trembled slightly. Only after taking several deep breaths did he calm down enough to carefully touch the contents.
A yo-yo, a miniature racing car, several Transformer models, a remote-controlled airplane, a battleship model, basketball shoes, windbreakers, handwritten greeting cards…
Kneeling before the suitcase, Lin Zhu hugged the items tightly and closed his eyes as he breathed deeply.
Some of the things Zhong Yao had once mailed him appeared in the documents he had seen, others had not.
Lin Song had investigated the matter. The orphanage director had been obsessed with money. He resold the valuable items, like the basketball shoes and windbreakers, and casually handed out the inexpensive toys to the children at the orphanage. They had all been damaged and tattered.
The expensive toys that were difficult to resell had met different fates. Some had become piles of scrap metal in the director’s son’s hands. Others, because of a message Zhong Yao had once sent back — that he would “come back to check whether he liked playing with them” — had simply been left in storage gathering dust until now.
And now every single item had been restored, completely brand new.
Lin Zhu treasured them beyond words, touching one, then another. If the wedding weren’t about to begin, he might have wanted to carry the entire suitcase home immediately and spend the whole day doting on his treasures.
He remained crouched before the suitcase, unable to pull himself away. Zhong Yao patiently stayed beside him the entire time. Only when the guests had nearly all arrived and the orchestra’s guiding music gradually came to an end did he take Lin Zhu’s hand and help him stand, then he led him onto the stage.
After positioning Lin Zhu in place, Zhong Yao returned to speak with the orchestra about something.
Lin Zhu stood on the stage with the pastor, staring blankly as Zhong Yao — who was supposed to come up and give a speech — thanked the conductor, then borrowed a violin from one of the musicians and returned.
“I originally wanted to play guitar for you. I even brought it with me… Your big brother said that if I dared play guitar during the livestream of our wedding, he’d kidnap you.”
Zhong Yao still felt rather regretful about not being able to fulfill his agent’s old dream. Holding the violin, he stepped back slightly. “This is the last birthday present. It’ll take up a little time, and it’s also… something I’ve really wanted to say to you.”
Lowering his head, Zhong Yao gently kissed Lin Zhu’s already-heating earlobe.
One surprise had followed another today. Lin Zhu was beginning to find it hard to believe any of it. Instead, a faint anxiety arose in him, afraid that it might all be a dream. He grabbed Zhong Yao’s arm. “Ge…”
“It’s not a dream.” As if he knew exactly what Lin Zhu was thinking, Zhong Yao spread his arms and gently drew him into an embrace. “I need to make up everything I owed you before, as soon as possible.”
Lin Zhu’s breathing quickened, and he instinctively looked up.
Zhong Yao bent down and kissed his eyelid.
A gentle smile rested in Zhong Yao’s gaze as he looked at him earnestly. “Once I’ve made up for everything… then I can give you new things.”
Lin Zhu’s lips parted, unable to make a sound. His heart hammered against his chest like a drum.
Steadying him in his arms, Zhong Yao turned and walked toward the center of the stage.
Before they had confessed their feelings to each other, Lin Zhu had once said that he wanted to hear him sing.
The problem was that he practically only knew musical theater songs. They weren’t exactly suitable for such a solemn occasion, so this was the next best thing. They still had plenty of time ahead of them. He could slowly learn the songs young people liked and sing them for his darling agent.
Zhong Yao raised the violin and tested the tuning.
A melodious tune began to ring out.
Tall and straight-backed, with the violin in his hands, Zhong Yao effortlessly became the focus of everyone’s attention. Even the livestream cameras immediately turned toward him.
Yet Zhong Yao seemed completely unaware of it all. Following the melody, he hummed softly, his gaze falling upon Lin Zhu.
The weather was a little cold. Snowflakes drifted against the windows illuminated by the lights. Lin Zhu instinctively held his breath. Meeting those calm and gentle eyes, he blinked hard, trying to clear away the moisture gathering in his own.
He had heard this song several times before. Aside from “O Sole Mio,” he had never really looked into the meaning of the lyrics. But now, meeting Zhong Yao’s eyes, he no longer needed any translation.
The violin’s melody flowed on, bright and graceful, like streaks of warm golden light illuminating the peaceful snowy night.
Zhong Yao’s gaze was gently kissing his eyes.
The snowy night was quiet. The river of stars stretched vast overhead. Pine trees searched for lively new tenants, while flocks of doves circled and settled into the darkness.
They are in love.
“I’ll sing whatever you like in the future…”
When the song ended, Zhong Yao returned the violin and ruffled Lin Zhu’s hair. “You can listen to anything you want.”
Holding back tears, Lin Zhu nodded vigorously. When he saw the master of ceremonies approaching, he still couldn’t help edging closer into Zhong Yao’s arms, instinctively clutching his clothes.
According to the schedule, they should now be led off separately. The officiant would come up to speak, after which the older brother would bring his younger brother over and hand him to Zhong Yao for the vows.
Even though they had rehearsed this part several times with Lin Song, Lin Zhu still couldn’t help worrying whether his brother might suddenly leap up and grab Zhong Yao by the neck, shaking him violently while demanding that he acknowledge their absurd new relationship.
Zhong Yao was clearly still completely unaware of the danger ahead. Smiling, he kissed him and comforted him softly. “Don’t worry. We’ll be together again in just a moment.”
Lin Zhu couldn’t help worrying. He looked at him anxiously before the two of them were led offstage by the emcee, watching nervously as his brother strode onto the stage radiating murderous intent.
Lin Song’s speech was brief and entirely proper.
Wedding officiant speeches were written beforehand. No matter how angry he was, Lin Song couldn’t bear to ruin the most precious memory of his younger brother. He recited every word flawlessly, then strode off the stage with imposing momentum and hooked an arm around his brother’s.
Lin Zhu stumbled from being yanked forward. “Dage…”
Lin Song stared at the stage ahead, taking deep breaths in and out.
Suddenly, Lin Zhu’s eyes stung. He wrapped his arms tightly around his brother’s rigid body and leaned gently against his neck.
The moment his younger brother’s warm body hugged him, Lin Song shivered slightly and suddenly lost all his resolve.
Lin Zhu held him just as he had when they were children, without the slightest reservation, tightening his arms and calling to him again and again.
Back then, Lin Zhu had not yet discovered that his eyes were different. He had not yet been lost. He had still been the treasured young master of the Lin family, doted upon by everyone. Whenever someone bullied him, he would run home crying, and Lin Song would take him by the hand and beat up every child from the neighboring families one by one. Afterwards, Lin Zhu would happily cling to him and refuse to let go.
Twenty years had passed before they knew it.
Lin Song gradually relaxed. He sniffed hard and tightened his arms around him. “If Zhong Yao ever dares bully you, tell Dage. Dage will beat him up for you…”
Lin Zhu nodded gently against his neck.
Letting out a long breath, Lin Song finally suppressed the last trace of unwillingness. Linking arms with his brother, he led him back onto the stage.
…
The two brothers’ footsteps halted simultaneously.
According to tradition, once Lin Zhu was brought up, Zhong Yao only needed to wait onstage and receive him.
But the stage was empty.
Lin Song frowned. Before he could react, two figures had already appeared at the other end of the stairs.
Neither of the Zhong brothers wanted to link arms with the other. They had probably spent ages arguing about it backstage. In the end, Zhong Ming settled for grabbing his second brother by the elbow and dragging him onto the stage like a reluctant hostage.
Everyone in the Zhong family was busy. Zhong Yao had never mentioned that his family would be attending. Lin Zhu’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and he instinctively looked toward the audience.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhong sat together below the stage in formal attire.
Mrs. Zhong waved enthusiastically at him, silently mouthing a greeting. Mr. Zhong, who had never been particularly expressive, pushed up his glasses and smiled as he gave him a thumbs-up.
Heat surged through Lin Zhu’s chest, and tears suddenly spilled down his cheeks.
Lin Song affectionately linked arms with his younger brother. Looking at the pair of brothers opposite them — who seemed unwilling even to stand close to each other — he suddenly found a strange sense of superiority. His last bit of displeasure vanished entirely.
Lin Song was delighted. Leading his brother forward, he whispered quietly, “Look, someone’s handing him over to you too…”
Lin Zhu hurriedly wiped away his tears. “I… didn’t know.”
Being able to hand himself over to Zhong Yao had already made him deeply content. He had never imagined that someone would also hand Zhong Yao over to him.
Lin Zhu opened his eyes wide, determined to remember every detail before him.
The Zhong family generally carried an air of strict dignity. One glance was enough to make them seem like the sort of successful people featured in magazine interviews. The guests watched helplessly as the two stern men in suits spent the entire walk alternately pulling and dragging each other forward — one complaining the other was too fast, the other complaining he was too slow. Everyone couldn’t help secretly breathing a sigh of relief when they finally reached the end.
Lin Song was thoroughly pleased now. He placed his brother’s hand into the crook of Zhong Yao’s arm. “I leave my little brother to you… Treat him well.”
Looking at Lin Zhu, Zhong Yao smiled gently and nodded with complete sincerity.
Normally, the pastor would now proceed with the vows. Unfortunately, Zhong Ming believed that since he had also escorted his younger brother up here, he ought to say something as well, and so he remained standing there with solemn dignity.
The pastor was still debating whether to step forward when Zhong Ming had already turned toward the couple.
Only then did Lin Zhu catch up with his train of thought. His heartbeat quickened. Straightening up, he waited for Zhong Ming’s instructions. “Zhong-dage…”
“They handed their little brother over to you.”
Glancing at Lin Song, Zhong Ming felt that he had learned the procedure. Turning back to the couple, he educated his younger brother, “Treat him well.”
Lin Zhu: “…”
