In Love With An Idiot

Chapter 14

Jian Suiying was rather depressed. He had no idea what he'd bumped into while drunk the previous night, but a bruise had appeared on his neck, looking extremely unsightly. When he went to the company, the female employees gave him knowing looks. He suspected they'd all got the wrong idea.

 

He didn't arrive until just before the lunch break. Only then did he learn that Little Lin and Li Yu had both been there since morning. Jian Suiying was pleased; neither young man was lazy.

 

He asked Secretary Liang to book Little Lin a flight for that evening and told him not to come back without results.

 

After making two calls, it was lunchtime. Secretary Liang had worked for him for years and was thoughtful and considerate. Whenever Li Yu came to the company, she automatically ordered two lunches and had them delivered to Jian Suiying's office.

 

Jian Suiying waited and waited, but Li Yu didn't come to eat. Nor did he answer his phone. Growing too hungry to sit still but unwilling to start without him, Jian Suiying went out to find him.

 

The office building was another of his properties. His company occupied three floors, with the rest rented out. Finding someone across three floors wasn't especially difficult.

 

When he asked around, someone told him Li Yu and Jian Suilin were in a meeting room. He headed there.

 

One of the two men was sitting, the other standing.

 

Jian Suiying saw Jian Suilin leaning over the table with both hands braced against it, speaking sternly, almost as though interrogating Li Yu. He couldn't see Li Yu's face because his back was turned, but with his arms folded defensively across his chest, he probably wasn't looking pleasant either.

 

As far as Jian Suiying knew, apart from the previous argument over Li Yu's injury, the two had always been close. Why did they now appear to be at odds?

 

Puzzled, Jian Suiying moved nearer. He heard Little Lin say, “You should've explained it clearly to him from the beginning and got him on our side. Then there wouldn't be so much trouble.”

 

Li Yu answered in a low voice, “You don't understand. If I'd told him, he would've stopped us immediately.”

 

Jian Suiying couldn't make the slightest sense of their conversation.

 

Then Jian Suilin spotted him through the glass. He straightened up, his expression turning rather unpleasant.

 

Jian Suiying pushed open the door, leaned against it and frowned. “What are you two arguing about?”

 

Jian Suilin replied, “Work.”

 

Li Yu glanced at Jian Suiying, then turned away.

 

Jian Suiying instinctively sensed they were hiding something from him, but blind guessing wouldn't help. He had no intention of questioning them there. If people were genuinely determined to conceal something, would a direct question really make them confess? Even if he wanted answers, he'd have to tackle them individually. Confronting both at once would only give them the chance to talk their way out of it.

 

He looked from Little Lin to Li Yu. “Lunch has arrived. Come and eat. Whatever it is, you can discuss it afterwards.”

 

Li Yu stood and walked out, his face dark.

 

As he passed Jian Suiying, Jian Suiying deliberately bumped him with his shoulder. Li Yu looked at him in surprise, almost as though he'd only just noticed he was there. His distracted gaze immediately cleared, and he gave a small laugh.

 

“We're often like this. We used to argue all the time when we played ball too. Let's go and eat.”

 

Jian Suiying studied him meaningfully for a couple of moments, then turned and left.

 

Jian Suilin remained rigidly standing in the meeting room, biting down hard as he watched them walk away together.

 

During lunch, Jian Suiying pretended to ask casually, “What were you two talking about just now? It sounded pretty urgent.”

 

Li Yu kept his head down as he ate. “Nothing much. Just company matters.”

 

“Oh, company matters? What company matter is there that I don't know about?”

 

Realising he couldn't brush it aside, Li Yu raised his face and spoke with a mixture of seriousness and sincerity.

 

“Jian-ge, it's a disagreement between the two of us. It isn't really my place to talk about it. Could you not ask?”

 

Li Yu had put it so plainly that Jian Suiying couldn't continue pressing him. He lowered his head unhappily and carried on eating.

 

The meal was subdued. Both men had things on their minds. One was concealing a raging storm beneath a calm exterior; the other was full of doubts.

 

Although Li Yu had rebuffed him, Jian Suiying's curiosity was far from extinguished.

 

After lunch, he spent the entire afternoon discussing a project with Li Yu and several others. By the time they'd finished, it was almost time to leave. Once everyone had gone, Jian Suiying took out his mobile to call Jian Suilin.

 

But the phone was switched off. Only then did he remember that Little Lin was already on his flight to Beihai. He didn't want to interrogate him over the phone anyway, so he decided to wait until he returned. With one thing and another, he soon pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

 

Jian Suilin remained away for an entire week.

 

Jian Suiying was hardly idle in the meantime.

 

Of the company's two major projects, one was nearing completion and the other progressing steadily. Both were due for delivery within the year, so he needed to start preparing actively for the following year's investments.

 

He had several feasible projects in hand and held a number of meetings with senior managers to discuss them. Most were optimistic about the land beside the Fifth Ring Road, but because the risks and investment were so high, nobody dared recommend proceeding outright.

 

Jian Suiying desperately wanted that land. Even if he acquired it and did absolutely nothing before reselling it, the profit could amount to several hundred million yuan. Everyone at the company was tempted by the opportunity, eager to get involved and make something big of it.

 

After several rounds of meetings and research, they understood the property thoroughly.

 

It really was an excellent asset with clear ownership and not the slightest obvious defect. Once paid for, it could be transferred immediately; construction approvals could be sought straight afterwards. Banks would also readily provide loans against such valuable property.

 

Apart from the enormous initial investment, the land was an extraordinarily tempting prize. With proper development, profits could run into billions of yuan. For the company's prospects, it represented a tremendous leap forwards.

 

After repeated assessments and discussions, everyone agreed the project was highly feasible. The sole problem was funding.

 

Because of the capital required, Jian Suiying still couldn't bring himself to make the decision. Nobody beneath him dared push the proposal either. If something went wrong and they were blamed, the responsibility would be more than any of them could bear.

 

Li Yu, meanwhile, remained cautious and even opposed to the idea.

 

As a university student, he didn't officially have much of a say at the company. But Jian Suiying, the boss himself, valued him highly, so he could attend important meetings and offer opinions.

 

Despite his youth, Li Yu handled matters reliably and had his own ideas. Jian Suiying took his words seriously.

 

Li Yu's negative attitude was like a bucket of cold water over Jian Suiying's excitement, helping him think more clearly. In the end, he decided they should wait and see. Ideally, the Qinhuangdao project would begin selling first, bringing money into the company and giving them a firmer foundation for the investment.

 

When Jian Suilin returned from Beihai, he went straight to the company. He hadn't told Jian Suiying he was back. Before Jian Suiying could question him about what he'd discovered, he had to see Li Yu first.

 

He called Li Yu and learnt he was at the office. Straight from the airport, without even going home, Jian Suilin headed there.

 

Neither had a private office, so they needed a meeting room. This time they didn't dare use one with translucent walls, where somebody might see them. They found a completely enclosed room instead.

 

Jian Suilin looked worn out from travelling, with a suitcase still in his hand. Sweat showed through the back of his white shirt.

 

Li Yu sat opposite him without expression, watching Jian Suilin set a stack of documents before him. They regarded one another silently, each hoping to find some weakness in the other's eyes.

 

Jian Suilin spoke slowly. “Li Yu, this time you have to help me…”

 

Meanwhile, Jian Suiying was searching the entire company for Li Yu. He had a task to give him. Li Yu had been at his desk half an hour earlier, so how had he suddenly disappeared?

 

Jian Suiying reached Li Yu's desk and noticed his mobile lying there. He casually woke the screen. The most recent call clearly displayed the name “Suilin”.

 

Little Lin? Little Lin had called him?

 

Jian Suiying put the phone back and walked out of the office. He happened to see the cleaner and asked, “Have you seen Li Yu?”

 

“Little Li? Yes, I saw him. He was with your younger brother just now, boss.”

 

“My brother?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Jian Suiying grew even more suspicious. He hadn't known Little Lin had returned. The first thing Suilin had done on coming to the company wasn't report to Jian Suiying but seek out Li Yu. What was going on?

 

He continued, “Where did they go?”

 

“I don't know. I only saw them heading that way.”

 

Each floor of the company covered more than a thousand square metres. A vague gesture towards one side could mean a dozen or more offices. Jian Suiying frowned in that direction, uncertain whether to go looking.

 

He felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. He still didn't know what had caused the argument he'd witnessed earlier. Who was the ‘him’ they'd mentioned? Someone Jian Suiying knew? Li Yu's refusal to explain had only deepened his suspicions.

 

Now Little Lin had returned to Beijing without telling him, come to the company without seeking him out and gone straight to Li Yu. What could they possibly be discussing?

 

Jian Suiying wasn't ordinarily a suspicious person. If he caught someone playing clumsy little games, he would make sure they were removed from his circle immediately. His principle was simple: don't employ someone you distrust, and don't distrust someone you employ.

 

If he had to spend every day guarding against schemes by the people around him, he'd use up all his energy protecting himself rather than doing serious business. There would be no point living like that.

 

But now the two people keeping secrets behind his back were his own younger brother and his little lover. Both were supposed to be on his side. The thought of them forming a united front and concealing something from him made him deeply unhappy.

 

Jian Suiying was domineering and thoroughly traditional in his idea of male authority. Since childhood, he'd seen himself as the head of the household and couldn't tolerate challenges to that position. He might accept Li Yu saying he didn't want to talk about something, but he couldn't accept Little Lin hiding things from him.

 

So he began searching the offices one by one, determined to discover what the pair were plotting.

 

Li Yu could no longer remain seated. He stood, his face ashen, and demanded sharply, “Jian Suilin, have you gone mad?”

 

Jian Suilin replied calmly, “No. I'm thinking very clearly.”

 

“How can you have the nerve to do something like this? If you really go through with it, your brother could beat you to death!”

 

Jian Suilin's mouth curved into a smile. “He won't. By then, it'll be time for someone else to take charge of the Jian family.”

 

Li Yu swept the documents from the table onto the floor. “What makes you think I'd help you? The grievances between you brothers…”

 

“The grievances between us brothers?” Jian Suilin cut in. “You're already caught up in them. Are you only now going to pretend they have nothing to do with you?”

 

Li Yu's expression turned fierce. “That's right, I can't deny my involvement. But I've already done what I agreed to do for you. I will absolutely never agree to this!”

 

Jian Suilin asked with faint mockery, “Li Yu, have you fallen in love with my brother?”

 

Li Yu panicked. “Don't talk nonsense. That's a separate matter. Whatever wrongs he committed before, he's still your own brother. If you do this, how will you answer to your father?”

 

“That's none of your concern. You only need to help me. Once it's done, I'll give you fifteen per cent of the company's shares.”

 

“Impossible!” Li Yu shouted angrily. “Jian Suilin, you've really gone mad! How did you become like this?” Alongside his fury, he felt deeply distressed. Was this still the gentle, timid Jian Suilin he remembered?

 

Behind his back, Jian Suilin's hands clenched into fists and slowly relaxed. His expression gradually became sorrowful.

 

“Li Yu, you've fallen for my brother, haven't you?”

 

Li Yu turned his head stiffly, unable to answer.

 

Suppressing his resentment, Jian Suilin said quietly, “Have you forgotten the promise we made more than ten years ago? You said that when you grew up, you'd beat Jian Suiying so badly that he'd never bully me again. You said you'd help me get everything that should rightfully belong to me.”

 

Li Yu gritted his teeth. “But later you also told me he treated you reasonably well. You said he hadn't deprived you of anything a young master of the Jian family ought to have. Those were your own words.”

 

Jian Suilin defended himself. “By then we'd been apart for years, and I'd grown up. I couldn't go running to someone to complain whenever I was hurt, the way I did as a child. I'd learnt which things I should say and which I shouldn't. If I complained about him and the words eventually reached his ears, my life would only become harder.”

 

He seized Li Yu's hand. His beautiful face looked pleading.

 

“Have you forgotten how he treated me? Have you forgotten how we first met? Have you forgotten your promises? You're the only person in the world who can help me. Otherwise, my mother and I will spend our whole lives living at his mercy!”

 

Li Yu closed his eyes and sighed. “Suilin, by my reckoning, you've already taken tens of millions of yuan from your brother. Our company can list on the Hong Kong stock exchange next year, and its prospects are excellent. If we manage it properly, you could eventually do just as well as your brother. Isn't that enough? How much more do you want?”

 

He continued, “Do you understand what a family is? It's a community of shared interests. When one member prospers, they all benefit; when one suffers, they all suffer. Have you considered what your fighting could do to the Jian family?”

 

Jian Suilin gently laid a hand against Li Yu's cheek.

 

Li Yu opened his eyes in surprise, staring at him with suspicion and caution.

 

Jian Suilin said softly, “Of course I understand all that. That's why I'm only transferring my brother's assets into my own hands. Either way, they'll still belong to the Jian family, won't they? I only want my mother and me to be able to hold our heads high in that family.”

 

“But you still shouldn't use a method like this.”

 

Jian Suilin leaned close and murmured, “Li Yu, you like me, don't you?”

 

Li Yu stared at him as though struck by lightning.

 

“You might have forgotten, but that night in Beihai, you were drunk. You told me you liked me.”

 

Li Yu's expression changed repeatedly. He pressed his lips together and remained silent.

 

Jian Suilin continued coaxingly, “The person you like isn't Jian Suiying. It's me. You know that yourself, don't you?”

 

Li Yu felt a wave of desolation.

 

The little boy who'd been forced into girls' clothes by Jian Suiying more than ten years ago, who'd hidden in a corner and cried, was the person he'd liked and wanted to protect all his life. Not this calculating man before him, plotting against his own older brother.

 

When Li Yu returned after transferring schools and met Jian Suilin again, Suilin had seemed exactly as he'd imagined: beautiful, clever, always wearing a gentle smile. Li Yu had been overjoyed. He'd thought someone as wonderful as Suilin was worth loving for a lifetime.

 

Perhaps Suilin had changed, or perhaps Li Yu had never really known him. Who could have imagined that in a little more than a year, he would become almost unrecognisable?

 

Li Yu was confused and couldn't determine what feelings he now held for Jian Suiying. But no matter how deeply he searched himself, he could no longer find the fondness and protective tenderness he'd once felt for Jian Suilin.

 

Nor would he ever agree to what Jian Suilin was asking now. He took Suilin's hand, still wanting to dissuade him.

 

“Suilin, you're right. I did like you, but that was because…”

 

A tremendous bang exploded beside them. The quiet meeting room seemed to have been struck by a bomb as its solid wooden door was kicked violently open.

 

Jian Suiying stood there like a demon, his face dark, eyes bulging with fury as he stared at the two men standing so close together, holding hands.

 

Li Yu and Jian Suilin both went pale.

 

Jian Suiying couldn't describe what he was feeling. He had searched from the top floor all the way to the most remote corner of the company, only to hear the two of them exchanging that bullshit about liking each other through the door. Every drop of blood in his body seemed to rush straight to his head.

 

And when he kicked open the door, the scene before his eyes nearly made him explode. Two handsome young men stood gazing at each other affectionately, holding hands and apparently confessing their feelings. He wished he could go blind on the spot.

 

No wonder Li Yu had been as cold as winter towards him when they first met, yet as warm as spring towards Jian Suilin. He'd spent his days wearing a miserable expression around Jian Suiying because all his warmth and enthusiasm had been reserved for Suilin.

 

How could Jian Suiying have been so stupid? How could he have assumed their friendship was entirely innocent? He must have been so blinded by Li Yu's looks that he'd failed to notice his feelings for Jian Suilin.

 

Jian Suiying rushed forwards in a few long strides and slapped Jian Suilin hard across the face.

 

Li Yu hurried to restrain him. “Calm down! You've misunderstood!”

 

With Jian Suiying's impulsive, self-centred nature, there was little chance of him listening at a moment like this. Li Yu's attempt to stop him only made him more furious.

 

He'd never been so angry in his life. He felt as though both brats had made a complete fool of him from the beginning.

 

Li Yu, whom he'd regarded as proud and aloof, had apparently hated his advances from the outset because he already loved someone else—and that someone was the effeminate, weak, timid younger brother Jian Suiying had always looked down upon.

 

No wonder Li Yu had disliked him at first. Jian Suiying had continually insulted the person Li Yu loved. How could Li Yu have treated him kindly?

 

Every negative emotion imaginable filled Jian Suiying until his fury overwhelmed him. When Li Yu held his arm to stop him hitting Jian Suilin, Jian Suiying turned and punched Li Yu in the face.

 

The blow knocked Li Yu straight to the floor.

 

Jian Suiying kicked him in the stomach, then turned and kicked Jian Suilin. If he didn't beat these two idiots half to death today, his name wasn't Jian Suiying.

 

Both men ended up on the floor beneath his furious punches and kicks.

 

Jian Suilin never fought back against his brother. Li Yu, feeling guilty, held back as well, allowing Jian Suiying to land several vicious blows.

 

Jian Suiying pointed at Jian Suilin and cursed, “You dare steal what's mine? Have you got a fucking death wish?”

 

Then he turned on Li Yu. “So the reason you've been dragging your feet and rejecting me all along was him! You might as well donate those fucking eyes of yours!”

 

Li Yu wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and got up. His face was dark. He wasn't without a temper, and being beaten and insulted like this had made him furious too.

 

“Have you finished making a scene? Aren't you embarrassed?” he demanded quietly.

 

Jian Suiying kicked a nearby rubbish bin into the air. Scraps of paper, fruit peel and cigarette ash fluttered down like snow, covering Li Yu and Jian Suilin.

 

Jian Suilin's face was white as paper, the red handprint on his cheek standing out sharply. Li Yu's eyes reddened with anger, and he trembled for a long while without managing to speak.

 

“Go to hell, both of you!” Jian Suiying said through gritted teeth.

 

He felt terribly exhausted. He had no strength left to confront them, and merely looking at either man made him feel sick. He stuffed his numb fists into his trouser pockets and delivered one final order.

 

“Get out. I don't want to see either of you at this company again.”

 

Then he turned and hurried away, almost fleeing.

 

Li Yu and Jian Suilin remained standing stiffly in the wrecked meeting room, both silent.

 

Jian Suiying returned to his office, grabbed his car keys and wallet, went downstairs and drove away. He didn't know where he was going. He simply couldn't bear to remain in the same building as those two.

 

He'd never imagined he'd experience something so humiliating and sickening: the person he loved was in love with his own younger brother.

 

Just thinking about the two of them together made him so furious he could almost cough up blood.

 

He couldn't accept that Li Yu preferred Little Lin, who in Jian Suiying's eyes was inferior to him in every respect. For someone as proud as Jian Suiying, the humiliation was unbearable.

 

And Little Lin—his timid younger brother, who'd obeyed him since childhood—knew perfectly well about Jian Suiying and Li Yu, yet still dared try to steal his lover behind his back. Had it been so long since the brat was last beaten that his skin was itching for another thrashing?

 

Only the fact that Suilin was his own brother saved him. If anyone else dared lay hands on his Li Yu, Jian Suiying would destroy them.

 

Their deception and mockery were unforgivable. Every time he remembered Li Yu telling Little Lin, ‘I like you’, his heart felt as though someone had stabbed it.

 

All the defeat and heartbreak Jian Suiying had experienced in his life seemed to have come from Li Yu. Had he known love would cause such trouble and pain, he'd have stayed well away from Li Yu from the moment they met.

 

He'd had a perfectly carefree life, yet insisted on getting mixed up in romance like everyone else. What good was it? Could he eat it or drink it? In the end, the other person didn't even care about him. Fucking hell.

 

After running two red lights and making an illegal U-turn, Jian Suiying was stopped by a traffic policeman on a motorbike.

 

He lowered the window and handed over his driving licence before the young officer could even speak. Then he collapsed wearily against the steering wheel.

 

While writing the ticket, the policeman noticed his half-dead appearance and asked with concern, “Sir, are you feeling unwell?”

 

Jian Suiying said, “I've been cheated on. Do you think I feel well?”

 

The young officer looked sympathetic. “Ah, that isn't your fault. You're handsome and you've got such a nice car. Just break up with whoever it is.”

 

Jian Suiying felt more pathetic than ever. He'd sunk so low that he needed sympathy from a complete stranger. He took back his licence and the ticket, tossed them onto the passenger seat and wound up the window.

 

The kindly traffic officer was still calling something after him when Jian Suiying accelerated away.

 

In a state of utter misery, he drove home, where everything reminded him of Li Yu.

 

Although he was angry enough to want to beat both men senseless, he couldn't think how to act in a way that would ease his hatred. After all, he couldn't truly bring himself to hurt either of them severely. But if he did nothing, he couldn't swallow the insult.

 

He opened the fridge, took out every beer and set the cans and bottles on the coffee table with a clatter. Then he sprawled on the sofa and began drinking.

 

It was barely four in the afternoon, still bright outside and hardly a suitable time to drink away his sorrows. But he knew that without alcohol he'd be restless and frantic, pacing like a headless fly while the recent events ran endlessly through his mind. He wouldn't have a moment's peace.

 

After several beers, his phone seemed to ring. He picked it up in a haze and tried to focus on the doubled image on the screen. The characters appeared to spell ‘Li Yu’.

 

Jian Suiying shouted incoherently, “Fuck off, pretty boy!”

 

Then he hurled the phone against the wall with all his strength.

 

While Young Master Jian discovered that drinking to drown sorrow only deepened it, Li Yu and Jian Suilin were also anxious, each lost in his own thoughts. They kept replaying what had happened and worrying about the consequences. Neither felt much better than Jian Suiying.

 

Jian Suiying had no idea how much he drank that day before falling asleep on the sofa. He woke late the following morning, holding his pounding head.

 

Before meeting Li Yu, he'd rarely allowed personal matters to interfere with work. Although he was the boss, he went to the office almost every weekday. Since meeting Li Yu, however, he'd been either too happy or too distressed, and missing work had become commonplace. Pretty boys really were a disaster.

 

He was deeply frustrated by his own inability to handle things, leaving him hiding at home drinking instead.

 

By now he'd sobered up enough to realise that drinking and avoiding the problem wouldn't solve anything. The matter had to be dealt with eventually.

 

In his eyes, Li Yu already belonged to him. Nobody was going to steal him away. Anyone who tried would have Jian Suiying to answer to.

 

Before confronting any rivals, however, he needed to understand what Li Yu himself was thinking.

 

For a man who had always cared chiefly about himself, Jian Suiying had already given Li Yu everything he could. When had he ever been so tolerant and considerate towards another person? If even that couldn't warm Li Yu's heart, there was no need to keep treating the little wolf cub gently.

 

As he'd always said, whoever made Jian Suiying suffer would pay back twice as much.

 

He showered to wash away the smell of alcohol, then called a cleaner to come and tidy the flat.

 

Half an hour later, he heard a key turning in the door. The cleaning company had a spare key, though a building security guard always accompanied its employees upstairs to register their arrival. Jian Suiying paid no attention, assuming the cleaner had come.

 

But when he turned, the person entering was a handsome young man. Who else could it be but Li Yu?

 

Without a word, Jian Suiying hurled the teacup in his hand at him and shouted, “Who the fuck let you into my home? Get out!”

 

Li Yu stepped aside and avoided the cup. It smashed against the security door behind him, splashing water onto his clothes. He didn't care.

 

He'd spent the entire night wrestling with himself before finding the courage to come. Knowing Jian Suiying as he did, he'd prepared himself to be beaten and cursed at. If Jian Suiying didn't give him a thorough thrashing, would he still be Jian Suiying?

 

Li Yu's expression remained calm. He set the supermarket bag he was carrying on the floor.

 

“I've come to talk.”

 

Jian Suiying's face twisted with fury. “Who wants to talk to you? Don't you like Little Lin? Go and talk to him! Talk to whoever the hell you want, but get out of my house!”

 

Li Yu sighed and spoke as though educating a child. “How old are you? Why do you still deal with everything so impulsively? Can't you listen to my explanation?”

 

Jian Suiying wasn't stupid. Seeing Li Yu's expression and hearing his conciliatory tone, he immediately felt a little more secure. He suspected Li Yu had come to make up with him.

 

Sure enough, Li Yu walked calmly over, picked up the towel lying on the table and reached to dry Jian Suiying's hair.

 

“You haven't even dried your hair, and you've got the air conditioning turned up this high. Aren't you afraid you'll catch a cold?”

 

Jian Suiying shoved him away and glared viciously. “Spit out whatever the fuck you've got to say. Stop pretending.”

 

Li Yu lowered his hands and sat on the sofa opposite, looking into his eyes with sincerity.

 

“You didn't hear everything I said yesterday…”

 

Jian Suiying snapped, “If I'd listened any longer, you'd have been swearing eternal love to each other, wouldn't you? Fuck.”

 

Li Yu frowned. “Stop interrupting and hear me out. When I was a child, I did like him. But that's in the past. Now we're only friends.”

 

Although Jian Suiying looked angry, secret delight was already rising within him. He wasn't entirely sure he believed Li Yu, but the temptation of hearing Li Yu confess his feelings for him was so strong that he wanted to believe.

 

He reached out with slender fingers, pinched Li Yu's chin and asked bluntly, “Then who do you like now? Do you like me?”

 

As soon as he asked, his heart began pounding. It felt as though something he'd longed for desperately was finally right before him, almost within reach. All he had to do was stretch out his hand…

 

Li Yu caught his hand, looking hesitant. “Jian-ge, I…”

 

Those one or two seconds of hesitation gave Jian Suiying a taste of his hopes collapsing. An indescribable pain filled him. He pulled his hand away, turned his head and said heavily, “Just get out.”

 

Li Yu moved beside him and embraced him tightly, murmuring into his ear.

 

“Give me some time… Jian-ge, you don't understand. Please give me some time.”

 

“Time for what? Are you a bloody woman? Just say how you feel about me. What's so difficult about that? Why do you have to agonise over something so simple?”

 

Li Yu held his trembling shoulders even tighter and gave a bitter smile.

 

“It's harder than you think. I liked Suilin for more than ten years. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still like him. But because of you, I… I'm confused too, Jian-ge. Please give me some time.”

 

Li Yu really was in complete turmoil.

 

He knew he didn't want to be separated from Jian Suiying, but he couldn't determine exactly how he liked him. In his mind, the feelings he'd once had for Jian Suilin were what liking someone was supposed to mean. What he felt for Jian Suiying was entirely different. Did that mean he liked Jian Suiying or not? He himself didn't know.

 

Li Yu was the sort of person who considered every word carefully before speaking. Even a promise as simple as ‘I like you’ carried tremendous weight for him. He was selfish and strongly protective of himself, and saying something without considering the consequences could leave him vulnerable—especially when the person receiving the promise was someone as relentless as Jian Suiying.

 

Until he sorted out his feelings, he wouldn't make any declarations.

 

Listening to those words beside his ear, Jian Suiying couldn't identify what he was feeling.

 

Li Yu rarely spoke to him in such a pleading tone. Despite his resentment and the insults he still wanted to hurl, Jian Suiying discovered he couldn't bear to make things difficult for him.

 

Liking someone was a bloody curse. If anybody else repeatedly upset him, he'd have slapped them away long ago. But with Li Yu, he kept humbling himself to get close, then feeling happy for ages over the smallest moment of tenderness.

 

Unless he'd owed Li Yu something in a previous life, there was no explanation for why such a worldly man made himself so pathetic over him. Even after that ambiguous response, he still hoped that one day Li Yu would look him in the eye and say clearly and properly that he liked him.

 

He no longer knew whether to feel happy or sad.

 

“Jian-ge, is everything between us settled now?” Li Yu asked.

 

Jian Suiying curled his lip. “In your dreams.”

 

Li Yu sighed. “What more do you want? I've explained everything.”

 

Although Jian Suiying could no longer order him out of the house, he didn't intend to let him off so easily.

 

Li Yu sighed again. “Jian-ge…”

 

Seeing how troubled he looked made Jian Suiying angry all over again.

 

“All right, enough. Go and find somewhere else to sit. Stop annoying me.”

 

Li Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He leaned close and bit Jian Suiying gently on the ear.

 

“I'll fucking make that sacrifice just this once. Will that satisfy you?”

 

Jian Suiying's eyes suddenly lit up. “Really?”

 

Li Yu nodded. “Really. Happy now?”

 

Jian Suiying threw himself onto him, beaming. “Little Li, your big brother hasn't cared for you all this time for nothing!”

 

He began showering Li Yu's face with kisses.

 

Li Yu wrapped an arm around his waist and muttered, “But not right now…”

 

Jian Suiying raised his head and frowned. “What do you mean? Are you planning to go for a beauty treatment first, or train your waist muscles?”

 

Li Yu looked at him helplessly. “Can you give me some time to prepare?”

 

Jian Suiying muttered, “I swear you must've been a woman in your last life. I've never met anyone so fussy.”

 

Li Yu had no idea how much determination it had taken him to agree. To submit on the spot was more than he could manage. He needed time to prepare himself mentally.

 

He could only force himself to say, “On your birthday. I'll do it on your birthday, all right?”

 

Jian Suiying calculated that his birthday was only two months away. That wasn't such a long wait. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Li Yu eagerly.

 

“Fine. You'd better be ready.”

 

On the surface, the storm between them had passed.

 

Jian Suilin deliberately avoided Jian Suiying, and Jian Suiying didn't go out of his way to cause him trouble. For the moment, they remained at peace.

 

The Beihai matter still worried him, though. He'd sent Little Lin to investigate but had no idea what results he'd obtained. After that embarrassing scene, Jian Suiying couldn't bring himself to contact him, so he'd have to find another way to pursue the matter.

 

Although he and Li Yu had apparently reconciled, the incident had left a barrier in Jian Suiying's heart. Whenever he remembered what Li Yu had said, he didn't know whether to believe him.

 

Originally, he'd thought that even if Li Yu was lying, as long as he kept up the lie Jian Suiying would accept it as truth. He didn't want to waste time worrying over exactly how sincerely Li Yu loved him. Being happy together ought to be enough.

 

It was a wonderfully broad-minded idea in theory, but much harder to put into practice. He couldn't stop wondering whether Li Yu still liked Little Lin and how Little Lin felt about Li Yu. The possibility that Jian Suilin also liked Li Yu made him unbearably restless.

 

In fact, he found the idea of his younger brother being attracted to a man even harder to accept than the idea of his brother wanting someone who belonged to him.

 

And so Jian Suiying continued his relationship with Li Yu despite his unease.

 

Time passed quickly. Before long, Li Yu returned to university. Busy with his studies, he came to the company less frequently. Jian Suiying, meanwhile, was preparing a shareholders' meeting to discuss whether they should invest in the land beside the Fifth Ring Road.

 

Although Jian Suiying controlled most of the company's shares and could make decisions about the majority of projects himself, an investment of this size required a shareholders' decision.

 

Personally, he favoured proceeding boldly. Although it involved substantial capital, the risks seemed manageable and the returns extremely attractive. Completing the project would take the company to an entirely new level.

 

But he didn't reveal his preference.

 

Several senior executives owned small shareholdings and knew the company's operations intimately. Although they couldn't vote at the shareholders' meeting, they had the right to speak.

 

Jian Suiying didn't want them to know his position beforehand. He wanted to hear a range of considered, constructive opinions. He was bold but not reckless. If most people genuinely opposed the investment, he wouldn't stubbornly insist on proceeding.

 

Life had been fairly pleasant lately. Perhaps because of their previous quarrel, Li Yu had become much warmer towards him. Jian Suiying was doing well in business and love, leaving him a little carried away with himself.

 

He'd even begun to lose interest in the Beihai affair that had previously disgusted him so much. His temper had cooled, and he'd thought it through enough that he could barely be bothered pursuing it.

 

He hadn't seen Jian Suilin for more than a month, and Li Yu never mentioned him. Previously, Little Lin had called every few days, whether he needed something or not. Now he didn't dare send so much as a text.

 

On reflection, Jian Suiying thought he'd probably frightened the brat badly that day. They couldn't continue like this forever. He needed to have a proper conversation with Little Lin.

 

The image of the two young men holding hands still flashed before his eyes. In truth, he was more afraid that Little Lin liked Li Yu than that Li Yu liked Little Lin.

 

So he chose a day when he was in a good mood and confident he could speak pleasantly to Little Lin. He called and stated directly that they needed to talk.

 

Jian Suilin had no grounds to refuse and could only agree uneasily.

 

Jian Suiying checked his diary. “This Friday. I'll come home for dinner.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Jian Suiying said lazily, “Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to hit you.”

 

Jian Suilin clenched his fist. “Ge, there's nothing between Li Yu and me.”

 

“I should hope you wouldn't dare. And you can't be like me. You need to follow the proper path: marry a woman, have children and carry on the family line. Otherwise, what was the point of the family raising you? Anyway, we won't discuss it on the phone. We'll talk at home.”

 

After hanging up, Jian Suiying recalled the scene from that day and reckoned he'd frightened the young man considerably. Little Lin was grown up now, no longer a child who would forget a beating or an insult. Adults had pride and held grudges, so he couldn't simply hit and scold him whenever he felt like it.

 

He would never treat Little Lin's mother kindly, but he didn't want his relationship with his brother to become too hostile. No matter how he considered it, that would bring no benefit.

 

At lunchtime on Friday, Young Master Jian was napping in his office when his mobile suddenly rang. He hated being interrupted while sleeping and answered irritably.

 

The instant the call connected, an anguished howl burst through the receiver, nearly frightening him off the bed.

 

“Ge—save me!”

 

Jian Suiying pulled the phone away from his ear and grimaced, trying to recognise the sobbing voice. It sounded like Bai Xinyu.

 

“Ge, please save me! I was wrong! I can't stand another day in this place! I'm going mad, ge!”

 

Jian Suiying almost burst out laughing at the sound.

 

Bai Xinyu kept shrieking “Ge, ge, ge!” like someone calling for his life.

 

Jian Suiying roared into the phone, “Shut up! Are you trying to summon a bloody ghost?”

 

The other end immediately went quiet, followed by a trembling sniffle.

 

Jian Suiying snorted. “You've still got the nerve to call me? What were you thinking before? Having fun over there?”

 

“Ge, I'm sorry! Please let me off. I'll never dare do it again!”

 

“Let you off? Fine. Give me back those three flats and I'll bring you home immediately.”

 

Bai Xinyu's crying grew so distorted his voice was barely recognisable.

 

“Ge, this place is in the middle of bloody nowhere! There's no phone signal, I have to get up at five every morning, there aren't even any women, and they keep bullying me! Everybody looks down on me! Waaaah, ge, please let me come back! I'm begging you!”

 

The brat was babbling incoherently. Jian Suiying's cheeks ached from trying not to laugh.

 

“I'm talking about the flats, you fucking idiot! Why are you telling me all this? You brought this on yourself. When have I ever treated you badly growing up? You went behind my back and stole my money! Did a dog eat your conscience, or is your head full of shit? Huh?”

 

“Waaaah, ge, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't want to, but I owed someone money. They practically had a knife to my throat. How could I dare not repay them? Besides, Little Lin was the one who talked me into it. Otherwise, where would I have got the nerve—”

 

“What did you say?”

 

Jian Suiying sprang upright as though struck by lightning.

 

“What did you just say?”

 

Bai Xinyu sobbed. “Ge, the reason I've been hiding from you isn't just that I'm afraid you'll beat me… Well, I am afraid you'll beat me. But mostly, when I see you I can't bring myself to lie, and I don't dare tell you the truth either. I'm frightened.”

 

“Stop fucking rambling! What did you just say about Little Lin?”

 

Jian Suiying's heart pounded, and cold sweat trickled down his spine. From the beginning he'd wondered where someone as brainless as Bai Xinyu had found the courage and intelligence to steal from him. Could he really have managed without help?

 

He'd suspected Jian Suilin before, but never seriously pursued the suspicion.

 

Now Bai Xinyu's words exploded like a bomb in his heart, raising a storm of emotion. It was as though he'd raised an obedient little dog for years, only to discover it was actually a wolf, ready to bite him at any moment. How could he accept that?

 

“Little Lin. It was Little Lin who told me how to do it. I owed gambling debts and couldn't repay them. I didn't dare tell you or my parents. When he found out, he said he could help me, but I mustn't tell you…”

 

Bai Xinyu faltered between sobs.

 

“The flats never passed through my hands. He just gave me three million yuan to pay off my debts, then he took the flats himself. Afterwards I was afraid you'd come looking for me, so I ran abroad. I didn't dare return. It wasn't only that I was scared you'd blame me. I was afraid… afraid that if I told you this, you wouldn't be able to bear it.”

 

“Fuck you!” Jian Suiying roared. “Bai Xinyu! If you had even the tiniest scrap of a human brain, you'd have fucking told me sooner!”

 

Bai Xinyu's heart quivered with fear. “Ge, I'm sorry…”

 

Jian Suiying felt cold all over. Even the lightweight mobile was becoming difficult to hold.

 

What Bai Xinyu had told him was too shocking. He simply couldn't absorb it. His head buzzed as though electricity were coursing through it, and for a long time he couldn't recover his senses.

 

Bai Xinyu was still crying at the other end. “Ge, I'm begging you! I've told you everything. Please forgive me. I'll never dare do it again. Let me come home! Ge, waaaah…”

 

Jian Suiying forced a few words through his teeth. “You stupid bastard can stay there for the rest of your life!”

 

His hands were still trembling as he drove.

 

Bai Xinyu was a brainless idiot who ran crying to his mother whenever trouble arose. He didn't have the cleverness required to invent such a lie. Besides, given how desperately he'd been crying, he wouldn't dare deceive Jian Suiying now.

 

Yet thinking about what he'd said sent a chill down Jian Suiying's spine.

 

When Jian Suilin first arrived in the family home, he'd had hair of an awkward length and was so shy he hid behind his mother like a little girl.

 

Throughout his life, Jian Suiying had seen him as weak, submissive and utterly incapable of resisting his older brother, no matter what Jian Suiying said or did.

 

If such a person had truly dared do these things behind his back, Jian Suiying had to wonder whether he'd spent his life looking at him with useless eyes.

 

Gritting his teeth, he drove straight to the family house. He wanted to hear how Jian Suilin would explain everything Bai Xinyu had told him.

 

It was only a little after three in the afternoon when he arrived.

 

Jian Suilin had just returned from university and hadn't even changed his clothes.

 

Ordinarily, Jian Suiying only came home at mealtimes and never stayed a moment longer than necessary. Jian Suilin was surprised to see him so early, and when he noticed his dark expression, uneasiness stirred within him.

 

Even Zhao Yan realised something was wrong. She looked nervously from Jian Suiying to her son. Jian Dongyuan hadn't returned home yet, so she had nobody to rely on. That made her even more frightened of Jian Suiying.

 

Jian Suilin asked, “Ge, why have you come home so early today?”

 

Jian Suiying stood with his hands in his pockets, back perfectly straight and chin slightly raised. He studied his brother without expression.

 

Jian Suilin looked exactly as he always had: delicate and handsome like a girl, gentle and harmless, apparently someone Jian Suiying could shape and push around however he wanted without fear of resistance.

 

Because Jian Suiying had been so confident in his authority, because Jian Suilin had never once dared stand up to him throughout their lives, he'd never even considered that his younger brother might do something against his wishes.

 

Jian Suilin grew uneasy beneath his stare. His instincts told him something had happened—and not something related to Li Yu. When Jian Suiying called him earlier, he'd sounded quite normal, even reassuring.

 

His brother had never bothered hiding his emotions from him. Something must therefore have occurred in the past few days. No, it must have happened today. Otherwise, Jian Suiying wouldn't be here at this hour.

 

Jian Suilin forced himself to remain calm and tried again. “Ge?”

 

Jian Suiying started upstairs. “Come up. I have something to say to you.”

 

Panic flickered in Zhao Yan's eyes as she looked at Jian Suilin with concern.

 

He gave her a reassuring look and shook his head before following Jian Suiying upstairs.

 

Jian Suiying opened the door to Jian Suilin's bedroom and went in first.

 

Looking at the open doorway waiting for him, Jian Suilin seemed suddenly to realise something. He drew a breath, calmed himself, straightened his back and walked inside with his head held high. Then he closed the door behind him.

 

Thinking of his anxious mother downstairs, he quietly turned the lock.

 

Jian Suiying sat against Little Lin's desk with his legs crossed. He took a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one and inhaled slowly.

 

Jian Suilin said gently, “Ge, you should smoke less.” His tone was as tender and concerned as ever.

 

Jian Suiying raised his head. “Come here.”

 

Jian Suilin stepped towards him.

 

Holding the cigarette between his fingers, Jian Suiying let its tiny glowing tip pass before Suilin's face.

 

“I got a call from Brother Yu today. Guess what he told me?”

 

“He was begging you to let him come home, wasn't he?”

 

“That's right. But there was something else.”

 

“Oh? What?”

 

Jian Suiying's sharp gaze bored into his eyes.

 

“He told me you pocketed the three flats that were supposed to go to Director Fan and the others. Is that true?”

 

Jian Suilin didn't show a trace of surprise. Instead, he gave a faint smile.

 

“Ge…”

 

Before he could continue, a burning pain shot through his shoulder.

 

Jian Suiying had pressed the lit cigarette against it. A hole burnt instantly through the shirt, and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

 

Jian Suiying said coldly, “Yes or no?”

 

Jian Suilin endured the pain without flinching. He knew there was no concealing the truth any longer. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

 

Jian Suiying threw away the cigarette, seized his collar and turned sharply, slamming Jian Suilin against the bookcase.

 

There was a tremendous bang, and several books fell from the shelves onto their shoulders.

 

Jian Suiying glared viciously at him. “Are you tired of living?”

 

Jian Suilin regarded him with a complicated expression.

 

“Ge, even I thought the whole thing was full of holes. Yet you never suspected me. I'm genuinely touched by how much you trusted me.”

 

Jian Suiying punched him hard in the stomach. Jian Suilin doubled over, his face twisting with pain. Jian Suiying gripped his collar and forced him upright again.

 

“Who gave you the fucking nerve? Huh?”

 

Jian Suilin smiled faintly. “Ge, I only wanted to earn a little pocket money. Please forgive me.”

 

Although he spoke words of apology, his face was open and utterly without remorse. The words sounded more like a taunt.

 

Fury surged through Jian Suiying like a stormy sea. He raised his fist and swung it viciously towards Jian Suilin's face.

 

He had beaten Jian Suilin many times over the past ten-odd years.

 

From the moment Jian Suilin was born, their relationship had been destined never to be affectionate. Only when Jian Suiying grew mature enough had he stopped using violence to vent his resentment.

 

He hadn't imagined that after all these years, he would once again need his fists to release the anger and humiliation of being deceived.

 

What he hadn't expected was that, unlike countless previous occasions, his fist didn't land on Jian Suilin. It was stopped in mid-air.

 

Jian Suiying froze, staring at the wrist Jian Suilin was gripping so painfully.

 

He'd never imagined Jian Suilin would resist him. He'd never imagined his younger brother had become capable of resisting.

 

Jian Suilin smiled mockingly. “Ge, you never expected I'd grown up, did you?”

 

Looking at his challenging, derisive expression, Jian Suiying suddenly found the person before him extraordinarily unfamiliar.

 

Taking advantage of his shock, Jian Suilin exerted his strength and twisted Jian Suiying's arm behind him.

 

Jian Suiying gave a muffled grunt as a powerful punch struck his waist, making half his body go weak.

 

Jian Suilin stepped backwards and looked down at him.

 

Jian Suiying endured the pain, straightened and glared at his brother with eyes as cold as ice.

 

Jian Suilin bared his white teeth in a smile. “Ge, that expression of yours has always been my favourite. It's as though everyone else in the world is shit in your eyes.”

 

Jian Suiying had suffered too many shocks that day. When he finally recovered his senses, he roared and threw himself at Jian Suilin.

 

For the first time, it was no longer a case of one brother hitting and insulting the other while the other dared not fight back. They were now trading punches like two grown men.

 

Just as Jian Suilin had said, Jian Suiying had never realised that the younger brother he remembered as timid had grown up—and become someone entirely different from the person he thought he knew.

 

Every punch Jian Suilin landed was heavy and vicious, carrying the genuine strength of a man, not the weakness of the little boy in Jian Suiying's memories.

 

Within moments, Jian Suilin's spacious, tidy room was in ruins. Wherever the fight moved, objects fell to the floor. The whole room clattered as though it were being demolished.

 

Both men's faces and bodies were bruised and bloodied, but they continued grappling fiercely, each trying to inflict greater harm.

 

They were so absorbed in fighting that they barely noticed the thunderous pounding on the door.

 

“Suiying! Suilin! Open the door! Both of you, open it! Stop fighting! Open up!”

 

Jian Dongyuan, called home urgently by Zhao Yan, was sweating heavily as he hammered against the door.

 

After a long while, a servant finally found the spare key to Jian Suilin's room. Jian Dongyuan hurriedly unlocked the door and saw his sons rolling around on the floor, fighting savagely.

 

He stood stunned for several seconds before roaring, “You two bastards! Stop it right now!”

 

His driver and bodyguard rushed forwards from either side. Risking stray punches themselves, they dragged the two men apart.

 

Seeing Jian Suilin's battered, swollen face, Zhao Yan burst into tears.

 

Jian Dongyuan stepped up and slapped each son across the face.

 

“What is going on? Huh? What's happened? How old are you two? How old?”

 

Jian Suilin's mouth trembled, and he began choking back tears.

 

“Dad, I'm sorry…”

 

Jian Dongyuan felt as though his head might split. He shouted at Jian Suiying, “Have you been bullying your younger brother again? Huh? Tell me!”

 

Jian Suiying looked at Jian Suilin with contempt, spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the floor and turned to leave.

 

Jian Dongyuan stamped his feet in fury.

 

“Suiying! Stop right there! You rebellious bastard! Just how old do you think you are? You're nearly thirty!”

 

Jian Suiying ignored him completely. The place sickened him, and all he wanted was to get outside and breathe some fresh air.

 

But just as he stepped through the doorway, Jian Suilin dropped an even more devastating revelation.

 

Standing with his head bowed as his mother held him protectively, Jian Suilin's eyes glittered with malice. He opened his mouth and spoke hesitantly.

 

“Ge, if you still misunderstand me, why don't you ask Li Yu?”