66: Why Are You Covering His Eyes?
The setting sun’s residual red fell above the horizon as the entire city slowly entered the starry night.
Shen Xie’an rode his little electric scooter into the villa district. As soon as he reached his gate, he noticed the kitchen light was actually on. His parents were always married to their work, so at this hour, the only one who could be home was…
Excitement lit up Shen Xie’an’s eyes. He hurried inside, and sure enough, he heard the sound of stir-frying from the kitchen. Several finished dishes were already set out on the table.
He had barely taken a few steps when Shen Jin, who had heard the door open, poked his head out. “Wash your hands and come help me carry the dishes.”
Shen Xie’an broke into a huge grin. “Got it!”
Ever since that time his brother left home, he hadn’t come back. The atmosphere in the house had grown heavier by the day. Even Shen Xie’an had started wanting to live on campus.
His parents never said it outright, but Shen Xie’an knew they missed his brother deeply. Why did it take losing him for them to realize that big brother was their child too?
Most of the time, Shen Xie’an video-called Shen Jin online. Occasionally, he could even get firsthand updates about his brother from CAT-ge, so it didn’t feel unfamiliar between them.
Shen Jin had stopped by the market on the way and deliberately made dishes his younger brother loved. Sweet-and-sour pork, sweet-and-sour fish, sour and spicy shredded potatoes. Shen Xie’an loved strong flavors.
Shen Xie’an noticed it too, and his excited expression froze for a moment.
At fifteen, he wasn’t a little kid anymore. He could feel his brother’s attitude.
He ate quietly for once. He had originally wanted to ask about the high school division’s sports meet, but now he didn’t feel like asking anymore.
After the meal, the brothers cleaned up together, and Shen Jin started tutoring him.
As for Shen Jin himself, they had just finished the sports meet. No teacher would be assigning homework at a time like this.
That night, Shen Jin began packing his luggage. He had known this day would come sooner or later, so over the years he had reduced his personal belongings as much as possible. Aside from necessities, there was nothing else. Thus, packing was quick.
Xie Ling was going on a business trip soon. His flight landed tonight, and they had agreed to move the next day.
Leaning against the bed, Shen Jin read messages from Hates Rabbit. His old classmates wanted to invite the students from Class Nine to get together. In Qian Kun’s words, they had already been spiritually acquainted at the sports meet.
Shen Jin forwarded the message directly to Jiang Yifan and the others. After replying, he closed his phone and turned off the bedside lamp.
Right now, his relationship with Qian Kun was balanced on a delicate point. Any small accident could break it.
Why do I always guess things like this? Wouldn’t it be better to be a bit dumber?
Shen Jin questioned his own soul.
A knock sounded outside the door. There were only two brothers in the house, so who it was went without saying.
“The door’s not locked.”
Shen Xie’an opened the door, hugging his pillow as he stood there. “Can I sleep with you tonight, ge?”
It had been a long time since the brothers slept together. Shen Jin asked, “Did you spray the blocker?”
Shen Xie’an nodded.
Shen Jin didn’t say anything more and simply lifted a corner of the blanket.
Shen Xie’an trotted over. Noticing the suitcase in the dim corner, he sped up and burrowed under the blanket, wrapping his arms around his brother’s waist in one smooth motion.
Shen Jin covered him with the blanket. “Stop wriggling around like an earthworm and sleep properly.”
Shen Xie’an squinted happily. “Ge, you smell so good.”
Shen Jin smiled, pinched his soft apple-cheek, and tickled him. They played around on the bed for a bit before finally tiring themselves out.
“Ge, I’ll always be your little brother, right?”
“Of course.”
Under the soft nightlight, Shen Jin looked at his brother’s sleeping face.
He wanted to watch quietly for a while, but Shen Xie’an never stayed still for long, breaking Shen Jin’s melancholy.
Before long, one leg stuck out from the blanket. After a while, half his body rolled out. Then his whole body followed.
Shen Jin was busy covering him back up with the blanket, finally getting annoyed enough to just wrap up this earthworm completely.
This made the sleeping Shen Xie’an burrow into his armpit. Shen Jin poked him away with mild disdain, and the brothers tugged back and forth in a quiet battle.
Shen Xie’an cracked one eye open. “Ge?”
Shen Jin couldn’t help pressing a light kiss to his forehead. “Sleep.”
Shen Xie’an drifted back into sleep, hazy and content.
This dream is so nice.
My ge actually kissed me, hehe.
After Xie Yan and Shen Qing returned home, they went to Shen Xie’an’s room as usual, only to find the bed empty. The couple panicked, turning on every light in the house and searching everywhere.
No one was there. In the end, only one room remained, the one they didn’t want to face.
They came to the second-floor door and gently turned the handle.
Under the small nightlight, they saw the brothers curled up together. Tears filled Xie Yan’s eyes as she quietly closed the door again.
The next morning, when Shen Jin got up to make breakfast, he found his parents in the living room, with four servings already laid out on the table.
They were never around at this hour. Shen Jin was a little surprised and simply greeted them.
He had planned to move quietly to avoid awkwardness, but now it was too late.
This was the first time they sat down to eat together since that conflict.
Shen Xie’an came downstairs a bit later and walked into the tense scene, the four of them eating breakfast with thoughts of their own.
Just after breakfast, a sedan arrived at the gate, followed by a moving truck.
Xie Ling knocked on the door. Besides the new head of the Xie family, there was also a group of movers.
Xie Yan stared at Shen Jin in shock. “You’re moving out? Why? You don’t want to get engaged anymore, and we already clearly rejected the Ke family. Even your father’s company has been gradually cutting ties with Ke as a supplier.”
Without the Xie family’s help, they were still constrained in many ways, so they couldn’t truly stand tall in front of Xie Ling.
Only now did Xie Yan understand why Xie Ling, who never contacted the separated branch, had suddenly helped them.
What he wanted was his younger cousin Shen Jin.
As the condition for letting go, Xie Ling would provide some conveniences. As expected of the Xie family’s favored successor, he had calculated everything.
Shen Qing was a hardline Alpha. When it came to his children, he only knew how to reprimand, never how to soften.
After a long pause, he finally forced out, “Xiao Jin, this is your home.”
Only Shen Xie’an kept his head lowered, lost in thought.
Shen Jin felt there was nothing to explain. Anything he wanted to say had already been buried in the past.
He went upstairs, brought down a suitcase, and saw a crowd of movers outside, their uniforms marked with the Xie family logo.
The movers had been ready to show off their strength, expecting a mountain of items. Instead, there was only one suitcase.
Xie Ling hadn’t expected that Shen Jin, after living with the Shen family for so many years, would have so few belongings. Even a short trip would have more.
“Nothing else?”
“Nothing.”
Seeing the movers with nowhere to put their energy, Shen Jin felt awkward for not having more luggage. He could only push his suitcase forward. “Then… sorry to trouble you.”
The movers lit up. “Of course, no problem!”
One person carefully took the suitcase, and four of them escorted the light 24-inch case onto the truck.
They had wanted to perform well in front of their boss. Who knew the boss’s cousin’s move would be this simple? It was ridiculous.
Shen Jin stood at the doorway and bowed deeply to his parents.
Standing at the boundary of light and shadow, he looked even more distant. “Thank you for taking care of me all these years. If you ever need anything in the future, you can always find me.”
His tone was plain and polite, the same way he had always spoken to his parents, like a subordinate addressing a superior.
Xie Yan and Shen Qing were used to it, but today it sounded especially piercing.
They might never see that faintly longing look in Shen Jin’s eyes again.
Shen Jin didn’t see Shen Xie’an. After saying a word to Xie Ling, he went to look for his brother.
Xie Yan grabbed Xie Ling, choking up. “Can you not take him away? When he was born, I nearly gave up half my life.”
If Shen Jin walked out today, their relationship would be completely severed.
Xie Ling looked at her calmly. “For the past ten years, my greatest regret was letting you take him back to the Shen family. Now, I’m just correcting that mistake.”
“You borrowed him for many years. That’s enough. He should return to the home he belongs to.”
“I’m not taking him away. You’re the ones who abandoned him.”
Xie Ling never spoke much, but every sentence struck the heart.
Xie Yan nearly lost her strength and had to lean on Shen Qing to stand.
She seemed to finally understand that after avoiding it for so many years, she had hurt everyone in this family.
Shen Jin finally found Shen Xie’an curled up along the small garden path by the back door. He took a few steps forward, only to be stopped by Xie Ling, who had rushed over.
Xie Ling shook his head.
Shen Jin was also in a state of confusion from concern, looking at Xie Ling with pleading eyes.
Xie Ling sighed and walked over to Shen Xie’an, squatting down.
Shen Xie’an stared blankly at the ants on the ground until a pair of custom leather shoes appeared in his view.
“Xie… Xie-xiansheng?” Members of the separated branch couldn’t address him familiarly and had to use honorifics.
Xie Ling went straight to the point. “You’re blaming yourself?”
Shen Xie’an wanted to deny it, but under Xie Ling’s gaze, he felt his lie would be seen through instantly. He gave up resisting.
“If I disappeared, ge would probably live really well.”
“Without me, Mom and Dad wouldn’t treat him like that.”
“I have been deceiving myself all along, telling myself to be nicer to ge, to make up for my parents’ share.”
“But love from the winner is something ge doesn’t need at all. How ironic.”
At the end, Shen Xie’an suddenly broke down crying. Shen Jin had endured it for so many years, and Shen Xie’an had suppressed himself for just as long.
He lowered his head, tears dripping onto the back of his hand and the ground.
“Why is it that I’m the favored one, yet ge never hated me? Why does he just keep treating me better and better”
“I don’t like carrots. He’d make them into pastries to trick me into eating them, going all out with different shapes. He was terrible at cooking at first. He improved so fast because of me. I don’t like studying, but no matter how busy he was, he’d always check my homework. Whenever I got sick, the one who stayed with me at the hospital until midnight while I got IV drips was always ge. Afterward, Mom and Dad would still blame him for not taking good care of me. He’s my brother. He needs adults to take care of him too. Why did everything fall on him? There’s so much, so much of it. You have no idea how good ge is to me!”
“My existence itself is a kind of mockery.”
“Ge probably wishes I didn’t exist… it would be better without me.”
Shen Xie’an didn’t need an answer. He was just venting everything after realizing Shen Jin was still leaving.
Xie Ling was now certain. These two were absolutely real brothers.
Shen Jin used to cry a lot too. No one knew who led him astray, turning him into this expressionless shell.
Xie Ling patted Shen Xie’an’s shoulder and told him to look back.
When Shen Xie’an turned around, he saw Shen Jin standing by the flower bushes not far away. No one knew how long he had been listening.
Shen Xie’an was crying so hard that his nose was running too.
He stared with his mouth open, looking a little ridiculous.
Shen Jin hurried over, pulled his brother up, and held him tightly.
Shen Xie’an sniffed, feeling awkward.
In the novel, Shen Xie’an didn’t exist. He only appeared in a few paragraphs as part of the original owner’s memories.
Ten years ago, during a kidnapping case, Shen Xie’an had been murdered by the kidnappers. Later forensic reports showed he had been tortured before death. His body was mutilated beyond recognition.
Neither the parents nor the original owner could accept it. Shen Xie’an’s death shattered the family.
The original owner, who had secretly taken his brother out and then failed to report it out of fear, was blamed from all sides.
His parents’ silent accusations and hatred crushed him, and he moved out of the Shen family entirely.
The original owner didn’t know Xie Ling and had no savings. In the end, he stayed at his fiancé Ke Minghuai’s home.
Living under someone else’s roof wasn’t easy, but he had nowhere better to go.
Ke Minghuai’s mother was only the final straw. The most important reason was Ke Minghuai’s coldness, his eyes holding nothing but study and research.
After years of unsuccessfully trying to seduce his fiancé, the insecure original owner completely gave up on himself.
The character [Shen Jin], in the original work, had a vivid and striking personality, a stunning beauty that overshadowed everyone around him, perfect as a pretty cannon fodder. His fate had already been decided.
Though the kidnapping still happened as dictated by the plot, the ending had changed.
Shen Jin gently patted his brother’s back. His dark eyes were calm and soft. “I’m really glad you exist. You’ve always been here, and that’s good.”
Being able to save you is wonderful.
Being your big brother is also wonderful.
After finally saying everything, they hugged for a while before letting go.
Shen Jin wiped his brother’s nose. Shen Xie’an took the tissue himself, embarrassed.
He quickly returned to his usual self. He wasn’t used to such a gentle big brother. He was more used to the cold one.
As they were about to get in the car, Shen Jin asked Xie Ling, “Can Xiao An come visit me at home?”
Xie Ling was pleased by the word “home.” He looked at the kid nearby, his eyes swollen like walnuts.
“You can call me ge too.”
This was Xie Ling’s indirect acknowledgment of Shen Xie’an.
The kid stammered, “Ge… ge.”
Over the years, only Shen Jin had ever been allowed to call Xie Ling that.
Shen Xie’an waved. “Ge, then wait for me to come find you!”
The car drove away from the Shen family home. Shen Jin turned back for one last look.
On the second-floor balcony, two figures stood silently watching him.
After arriving at the Xie family home, Shen Jin’s room was still the one from his childhood.
The biggest difference was that the adjacent guest room had been knocked through, merging the two rooms into one.
According to Xie Ling, his little cousin was growing up. Why should his room stay the same size forever? So before Shen Jin moved in, he urgently expanded it.
Xie Ling said, “Tomorrow I’ll take you out to pick more home furnishings. By the way, do you like pink?”
Assistant Zhou Xiang reminded him that he couldn’t choose from an Alpha perspective. Who said an Omega had to like pink? He could like light blue, pale yellow, light green. As a brother, he shouldn’t be so overbearing.
Xie Ling felt that made sense.
Shen Jin had no particular preference for colors. He was a pragmatist. As long as it worked, it was fine.
He had used pink for so many years that he was used to it. He didn’t dislike it.
Recently, because someone had deliberately given his car a new look, he had even started to like the color a bit.
“It’s fine, as long as it’s not lace.”
Xie Ling glanced at the room. The cute wallpaper and toys from back then had all been replaced with minimalist decor. The only thing unchanged was the lace princess bed.
They planned to choose bedding in the next few days. However, on the agreed day, the Xie family’s hotel, Xielier, needed to receive the daughter of a foreign leader. It had only been a spontaneous trip and shouldn’t have required Xie Ling’s involvement.
The problem was that the guest disliked a certain dish and demanded to see the person in charge.
After arriving at Xielier, Xie Ling told his brother to wait in the lobby. Seeing Shen Jin sitting obediently, he gave a few instructions before striding away.
Shen Jin waited in the lobby, scrolling through his phone out of boredom. Two pretty girls sat nearby. One of them looked nervous and asked her companion, “How do I look today? Do I look pretty?”
Her friend praised her. “My eyes are about to be blinded. You’re so beautiful I want to marry you.”
Ji Zhen shook her head. “What’s the use of being pretty if he can’t see it? What do you think the Qian family really means? I keep worrying it’s not what I think.”
“Inviting your family so formally is probably about the engagement. The Qian family really knows how to pick. They’ve made our Zhen Zhen wait so many years. What Omega at this age can avoid dating without worrying about turning into an old O? Besides, no one with a better background than you is prettier than you, and no one prettier loves him more than you do. What more does he want?”
“He just hasn’t met someone who makes his heart move. I like him, but he’s not obligated to return my feelings.”
“Tsk, you’re not even married yet and you’re already defending him?”
“You don’t understand. He’s stubborn. If he doesn’t want to do something, even the old master’s orders won’t work. Remember that summer he came back? He hadn’t even stayed a few days before he went to military academy. The old master wanted him to meet Omegas his age. He didn’t like it, so he sent himself to the strictest academy and endured inhuman training.”
“Seriously? He’s that hard on himself? Still, maybe his thinking has changed after all these years. And you only saw a boy sitting in the back seat of his car. That doesn’t mean anything. He said himself it was his roommate. I don’t get why you’re worried.”
“You don’t know. The way he looked at that young man…” It was warm enough to drown someone.
“Enough. Engagements are between families. Personal wishes barely count. Before this, the Qian family never took the initiative to invite anyone. Just get ready to be proposed to.”
Ji Zhen nervously bit her freshly done nails, only to be stopped by her friend.
Her state had been terrible lately. She hadn’t left her room for days.
Qian Kun had blocked her calls, and whenever friends mentioned her, he refused to talk. Her parents couldn’t stand it and contacted the Qian family, bringing up the engagement again. Soon after, the Qian family proposed this dinner.
Her friend glanced toward the entrance and exclaimed excitedly, “Ah, he’s here!”
Shen Jin had been behind them and looked over as well. A young man entered, surrounded by others. He wasn’t wearing casual or sportswear like usual but a shirt and slacks, looking more mature than his age, a faint smile at his lips.
Several older people stood around him, yet he remained the center.
The young man suddenly glanced this way. Shen Jin startled and instinctively crouched down.
The two girls behind him had already gone up to greet him. After a while, Shen Jin looked again and saw them entering the elevator.
Shen Jin frowned. That’s not right. Why did I hide?
He sat back down and opened their chat history.
Hates Rabbit: [Ancestor, when are you coming back to the dorm? Want me to pick you up?]
As long as it wasn’t a confession showdown, Shen Jin didn’t feel too nervous.
He just couldn’t reconcile the difference between these messages and the noble-looking young master he had just seen.
Before long, Shen Jin saw another group of familiar faces enter. It was Liu Qimai and the others.
Liu Qimai had organized a dinner as usual that night. As the culprit behind his heartbreak, he naturally invited Qian Kun too.
The big boss said he had something to deal with but would finish quickly and sent the address.
Zhou You mentioned the hotel’s hot springs were nice. After some discussion, they decided to come.
Shen Jin waited for a bit, grew bored, and wandered around.
He walked into the garden outside, strolling under the moonlight.
He was distracted, checking his phone now and then, his expression lacking its usual calm.
He noticed lights and steam in the distance, along with the sound of flowing water. Each hot spring was separated by artificial rockery, ensuring privacy. None of the pools were public.
After taking a few steps away, Shen Jin noticed a staff member being scolded.
You Jia had accidentally splashed a guest while walking and slipped, ending up in a sorry state as a coworker berated him. The coworker had worked at the hotel for many years and initially wanted to curry favor because You Jia was a connection hire.
Later, he realized You Jia was just lucky to be introduced here with no further backing, which made him especially annoyed. Everyone was at the bottom. Why did you get special treatment?
“Are you stupid? You can’t even serve tea properly. What can you do?”
“If they complain, you’ll be screwed tonight.”
“Why am I always stuck on shift with you? You mess up and drag everyone down!”
As he spoke, he raised his hand to slap him.
A hand grabbed his arm from behind. When the coworker turned around, he saw a cold, indifferent face, even colder under the moonlight.
Shen Jin held the arm meant to strike. The coworker tried to move but couldn’t budge at all. The force was precise.
Once he was restrained, Shen Jin spoke. “If he did something wrong, his superior will deal with it.”
“Besides, even if it’s a mistake, no place uses corporal punishment.”
“What does it have to do with you?” the coworker snapped.
“He’s my classmate. I could overlook it if I didn’t see it, but I saw it.” Shen Jin pointed nearby. “And you might not know this, but there are cameras here.”
The coworker saw the red light hidden in the bushes, panicked, and ran off.
You Jia said gratefully, “Thank you, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been hit.”
“If you stand there doing nothing, of course you’ll get hit. Didn’t you think about resisting?”
“But I’m an Omega!” You Jia said it matter-of-factly. Omegas were supposed to be protected.
“No one says Omegas can’t be strong or protect themselves.”
“C-can I? I feel like I can’t do anything. I’m really stupid…” You Jia had always admired Shen Jin. Shen Jin used to be an Omega too, yet no matter his gender, no one in class ever looked down on him.
He was what all Omegas wanted to be, calm and confident, as if nothing could stump him.
Seeing You Jia hesitate, Shen Jin knew hesitation meant possibility.
If someone believed protection was a given, he wouldn’t bother persuading them.
“If you’re interested, I can recommend a place for you to learn. It’s not expensive.” Considering You Jia’s finances, Shen Jin planned to cover the cost if he truly wanted to resist.
This main character shou was quite popular in the original work. Also, some harm could have been avoided.
“Can I think about it a bit more?”
“No rush.”
Shen Jin understood that taking the first step wasn’t easy.
“Um, why are you here?”
“My ge works here.”
You Jia nodded, remembering he had come to apologize to a guest. He was still holding a hot spring towel.
Earlier, he had been delivering red wine to a group of guests. The outdoor hot springs were dark at night, and he accidentally bumped into someone. That person happened to be Qian Kun.
He still remembered Qian Kun’s expressionless face. Qian Kun didn’t say a word and just left.
That silence scared him half to death.
It really wasn’t intentional. He didn’t know Qian Kun would be using the hot springs here. He had even checked beforehand. The owner of this seven-star hotel was surnamed Xie and had nothing to do with the Qian family.
He thought of that rainy day when he and his mother were driven out, vaguely seeing two figures standing quietly across the street.
The heavy rain blurred his vision, so he didn’t know if it was them.
After thinking it over, he handed the clean towel to Shen Jin.
“Can I trouble you to give this to the guest? It’ll be quick. Just put it down and leave.” Afraid Shen Jin would refuse, he added, “The person I bumped into earlier was Qian Kun. I’m… kind of scared of him.”
Shen Jin remembered seeing Qian Kun at the elevator an hour ago. Had the family gathering ended that quickly?
You Jia said, “My leg hurts a bit. Shen Jin, please…”
Before Shen Jin could refuse, You Jia limped away.
Holding the towel, Shen Jin saw someone supporting You Jia. It seemed to be Yan Bin, the person he had seen in the alley that day.
Shen Jin wound his way to the pool You Jia pointed out. The towel just needed to be placed on the rack by the pool. Laughter and splashing voices echoed from inside.
“Kun-ge, didn’t you say it’d be quick? A simple dinner took over an hour. We waited forever!”
“Were there beauties at the dinner? Why didn’t you bring one back?”
“Did you fall into a nest of beauties and forget to come home?”
“I want to touch your eight-pack abs!”
Qian Kun ignored the shouting behind him and braced his hands on the edge of the pool.
Splash.
He sprang out of the water in one motion, landing on the edge in a spray of droplets.
The moment he lifted his head, he saw Shen Jin appear from around the rockery.
They locked eyes, one startled, the other realizing he’d seen something he shouldn’t and wanting to flee.
Qian Kun glanced back at the pool full of Alphas who could come out at any moment and cursed under his breath.
He strode forward and covered Shen Jin’s eyes before he could react, pinning him against the rockery and using his body to block the half-naked Alphas behind him.
The people in the pool exchanged looks.
“Who was that? Too fast, didn’t see.”
“I saw him. Looks like Boss Shen!”
“Damn, Boss Shen got called over too?”
“Wait, isn’t Shen Jin a Beta? What’s there he can’t see?”
Shen Jin’s vision was covered. The warmth against his eyelids was strikingly clear. He was surrounded by the faint scent of alcohol and hot spring water from the Alpha.
His whole body tensed. He pushed the other away. When his hand touched warm skin and brushed against something, his entire body felt like it was on fire. He quickly withdrew his hand.
Flustered and embarrassed, Shen Jin snapped, “Why are you covering my eyes?”
The crowd nodded.
Yeah. Why are you covering his eyes?
Qian Kun didn’t speak. He looked down at the spot that had been touched, a faint tingling spreading.
He looked back at the person under his palm. From the slender neck to the jawline, to those soft lips, his gaze darkened.
The silence made Shen Jin uneasy.
“Did you drink?”
Qian Kun thought of the red wine You Jia had spilled on him earlier. He had rinsed off, but some scent remained.
After enough times, he could tell it was another plot point. As long as You Jia didn’t cling to him, he couldn’t be bothered.
Hearing the teasing behind him, Qian Kun forced his gaze away from Shen Jin’s lips.
“Yeah. You’ve always wanted to break up, right?”
“…Not really. I only mentioned it once.”
So everyone saw their Kun-ge corner the aloof boy in the dim corner by the artificial rocks.
They couldn’t hear what was said. The Alpha’s voice was too soft, clearly meant only for the person in his arms.
“I agree to break up,” his voice gentle yet, tempting. “Then how about a contract marriage instead? I’m very well-behaved.”
Author’s Note:
Qianqian: wants to kiss.
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