Brothers Conflict 17

At this moment, Cheng Ze was still unaware that Cheng Qian had coaxed and carried away the person he cared about.

Had he known, he would never have been able to sit still.

Over the phone, Cheng Qian’s tone sounded utterly innocent. "What could I possibly have fed her? The exact same thing I eat. Just regular bread, milk, and a sunny-side-up egg."

"There is a nourishing soup I kept warm for her in the kitchen. If you go and bring it to her, spoon-feeding her a little will make her feel better. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Cheng Qian frowned and said nothing.

On the other end, Cheng Ze fell silent for a fraction of a second, and his voice dropped by several degrees.

"You took her out."

It was a statement, not a question.

And Cheng Qian’s silence served as tacit confirmation.

"Hah... Then just watch her. Once she's vomited enough, it will naturally stop."

Cheng Ze abruptly ended the call with a sharp click, and a few seconds later, he stood up abruptly. "Prepare the car."

Meanwhile, on Cheng Qian's side.

Si Jiu honestly doubted whether she had just managed to vomit out her own lungs.

In truth, after the initial purging of the tiny bit of food she had consumed, there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up.

Yet her stomach continued to spasm and contract violently. Rather than a mere physical reaction, she felt as though it were a conditioned reflex rooted in her subconscious—her body's instinctive memory taking over.

She had ingested "foreign" food that did not belong to her, food that had been touched by someone else, food deemed "unclean." Every fiber of her being resisted the presence of such things remaining in her stomach, and she felt a frantic, overwhelming longing for the soup Cheng Ze brewed.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to retch.

Now, she couldn't even bring up any bitter stomach acid; she was left with only dry heaving, an endless stream of tears, and eyes burned raw and red.

Cheng Qian’s expression was as grim as if he were attending a funeral.

He had considered countless possibilities.

When he secretly threw obstacles in Cheng Ze's path, executing a diversion to force him to leave temporarily, and planned to "abduct" Cheng Yinyin, he had already factored in every worst-case scenario.

Yet none of them made the current outcome feel any less absurd to Cheng Qian.

"Could it be that apart from anything Cheng Ze personally makes, the mere thought of swallowing anything else is utterly unbearable to you?"

He refused to send her back just like this.

He simply would not admit defeat so easily.

"I don't believe it!"

Her only response was the girl's even more heartbreaking, chest-rending bout of dry heaving.

Her body even trembled faintly with spasms.

Cheng Qian tightened his fingers into a fierce grip.

From taking her out to bringing her back, the entire excursion had taken less than two hours total.

Si Jiu was carried through the main gates in Cheng Qian's arms.

Because aside from trembling and dry heaving, she no longer had the strength to walk on her own.

At this time, Cheng Cheng had already finished his morning run and had not yet returned to his room to shower and change.

He was already astonished enough to see Cheng Qian carrying Si Jiu back from outside, but then he noticed that something was terribly wrong with her condition.

"What's wrong with her?" He stepped forward, blocking Cheng Qian's path.

"She ate something bad." Cheng Qian's expression was unsightly. "Cheng, don't block the way."

Cheng Cheng had barely shifted his foot when a pale, slender fingertip suddenly caught and tugged slightly at the fabric over his chest.

Lowering his gaze, he saw the young woman looking up at him with tearful, reddened eyes.

Because of her discomfort, her brows remained furrowed, the tip of her nose was flushed red, and her complexion was remarkably pale. When she parted her lips, her voice came out weak and delicate: "It hurts... Fifth Brother, I feel so unwell."

She looked as pitiful as humanly possible.

For some inexplicable reason, he found himself unable to take another step.

Cheng Qian wore an expression that suggested he dearly wished to toss her straight onto the ground.

*I went through all the back-breaking trouble of carrying you and running around all this time, only for you to act spoiled toward someone else in the end?*

"Be a good girl, Yinyin. Aren't you feeling unwell? Third Brother will take you back to your room, so let go of my clothes."

Si Jiu refused to let go.

Cheng Cheng said, "Then let me carry her."

"Ha..."

Cheng Qian's tone was as good as saying, *And just what do you think you are?*

"She's suffering, isn't she?" Cheng Cheng reached out to take Si Jiu.

Watching the ungrateful girl in his arms promptly reach both hands out toward Cheng Cheng, practically eager to plaster herself against him like a koala, Cheng Qian felt a surge of stifled frustration.

"So what if she is?" He gave a malicious smile. "Is Cheng planning to use force against your Third Brother?"

"Unwell... sob..."

Cheng Cheng took a step forward, his advantages in height and strength allowing him to effortlessly peel Si Jiu away from Cheng Qian's embrace.

The moment the young woman was transferred to his care, she obediently curled up in his arms. Fragrant and soft, she was unexpectedly pleasant to hold.

And far lighter than he had imagined.