Brothers Conflict (21)

Cheng Ze prepared a fresh bowl of soup and brought it into the bedroom to feed Si Jiu.
He fed her with great patience, and Si Jiu drank it quite obediently.
After finishing the soup, her icy hands and feet gradually warmed up, the cold sweats stopped, and the turbulent, churning sensation in her stomach subsided.

"Are you feeling better?"
Seeing Si Jiu nod, Cheng Ze added, "Let's see if you dare to eat random things again next time."
"Why did you follow Cheng Qian and run out?"
Si Jiu lowered her head and nervously picked at her fingers. "I... wanted to go find Wang Zirui."
Cheng Ze's expression did not change at all. "Then why didn't you go with me?"
"Because... because..."
"Because you wouldn't have let her see him." Cheng Qian leaned against the doorway, turning an ugly-looking keychain around and around on his finger.
"Cheng Qian, this is my room. Get out."
Cheng Qian smiled with his eyes curved into crescents. "I didn't step inside."
He gestured with the tip of his shoe. "I'm still outside."
"Third Brother, the keychain..."
"Such a lousy keychain." Cheng Qian sneered, flicking his wrist and tossing it to Si Jiu. "Here, your precious.
Making such a big fuss over it as if it were some token of eternal love.
Oh, haha... maybe it really is a token of love."

He glanced sideways at Cheng Qian, smiling with malicious intent. "Yinyin, Third Brother isn't as overbearing and tyrannical as certain people; I would never tear apart a pair of mandarin ducks.
Your boyfriend is right outside now. Do you want to go see him, hmm?"

Si Jiu immediately straightened up. "Zirui? Is he here?"
Her eagerness was so obvious that the smile at the corner of Cheng Qian's lips deepened.
"Yeah, we made plans to meet up after all. Did you think Third Brother was lying to you?"
"I... Second Brother, I want to go see Zirui." She looked at Cheng Ze with a pleading gaze. "Can I?"
Cheng Ze let out a helpless sigh. "Since you're like this, how can Second Brother say no?"

The expression on the young girl's face cleared up like the sky after a rain. "Second Brother is the best."
With a lingering smile, Cheng Ze patted her head. "Put on a proper coat, look at the state of you.
Come on, Second Brother will brush your hair for you."
"No need, Second Brother, I want to get down there quickly."
Like a gust of wind, Si Jiu slipped away from Cheng Ze's fingertips.

The smile on Cheng Ze's lips froze slightly, accompanied by a clearly audible, light chuckle from beside him.
"Second Brother, after all, she isn't your porcelain doll."
"That Wang Zirui was supposed to leave the city last night."
Cheng Qian raised an eyebrow. "That's right, I interfered."
"You'll regret this."
"Heh... then I'll really have something to look forward to." Cheng Qian took a few steps before turning back. "Aren't you coming to take a look, Second Brother?
I'm quite curious about how our princess's special someone interacts with her."

In the spacious first-floor living room, a young man radiating palpable anxiety sat on one end of the sofa. Seated squarely at the other end was Lin Su, the eldest brother, who exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Si Jiu's hurried footsteps came to an abrupt, screeching halt as she crashed straight into Cheng Cheng, who was carrying a tray of drinks over.
"Damn it..." Cheng Cheng had barely uttered the curse when he caught a cold, indifferent glare from the eldest brother. Frightened, he shrank his neck and immediately shut his mouth.
"Why is Eldest Brother here? When did he get back?"
"Just now," Cheng Cheng whispered through clenched teeth, giving Si Jiu a nudge. "Go on over. What are you chickening out for?"

Staggered by the push, Si Jiu managed to steady herself in front of Lin Su, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum: "Eldest Brother."
Lin Su glanced at Si Jiu, stood up, and said, "Alright, you guys talk."
Astonishingly, he simply left the space to Si Jiu and Wang Zirui and headed upstairs.

Wang Zirui let out a long breath of relief and looked at Si Jiu excitedly. "Yinyin, your eldest brother... is so terrifying. I didn't even dare to breathe just now."
The young man had a pair of charming dimples, making his smile look exceptionally sweet.
"You make it sound like my eldest brother is a man-eating monster.
Are you really blaming his strong aura just because you're a coward?"
"Uh... and this is? Oh, the younger brother you mentioned?" Wang Zirui reached out a hand toward Cheng Cheng. "Hello, younger brother, I'm Wang Zirui."
"Who's a younger brother? You're the younger brother."
Cheng Cheng slammed the drink down with a loud thud, rolled his eyes, and walked away.

Only Si Jiu and Wang Zirui were left in the living room.