Younger Brother

Knock, knock—

A knock sounded at the door.

Shen Yu looked toward the sound and met the gaze of Lu Yanjin, who was standing guard at the little window in the door. Lu Yanjin pushed the door open. "Xiao Yu, I'm Lu Yanjin. I'm here to change your dressing."

Shen Yu nodded.

The group took turns keeping watch over him, and each one introduced himself when he arrived, as though terrified Shen Yu would forget him. Even when changing his dressing, though, they wouldn't come close to him. Lu Yanjin was the quietest of them all.

Lin Xinluo and Xu Shenzheng, on the other hand, chatted with him whenever they could find the time. Whether he could respond or not, they could sit beside him and talk for ages.

Luo Ningsang and Lu Xianchang took turns bringing him meals, though they were all things he disliked eating...

Once Lu Yanjin finished changing the dressing, he was about to go crouch by the door. But as soon as he turned around, someone tugged on his sleeve. The pull was light, yet it pinned him rooted to the spot.

He didn't dare move at all. He turned his head stiffly and looked at the hand, which still bore needle marks. Following it upward, he saw the bandage around the wrist. He had read the report: Shen Yu had cut himself there to stay conscious. Now he dared move even less.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanjin tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible. "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Should I call Dr. Xie to come take a look?"

Shen Yu shook his head. His long lashes trembled, but they couldn't conceal the emotions churning in his eyes.

Only then did Lu Yanjin notice that even Shen Yu's eyelashes were light blue.

They were beautiful.

Like a doll's.

He wasn't uncomfortable, but he didn't want Lu Yanjin to leave.

Somehow, Lu Yanjin found himself following Shen Yu's train of thought. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

Shen Yu nodded obediently and let go of Lu Yanjin's sleeve.

Lu Yanjin said nothing more. He brought over a stool and sat down beside the bed, neither speaking nor looking around, simply keeping him company.

For some reason, Shen Yu felt at ease.

The sound of another person's breathing filled the hospital room.

Along with the music the system was still playing.

The silence lasted until Lu Xianchang arrived. He carried a panda lunch box Shen Yu recognized, and his complaints could be heard even through the hospital room door.

"How did Lu Yanjin become unreliable too? He was supposed to watch someone, and now he's lost himself? If the boss finds out and doesn't punish him with ten laps outside, I'll eat shit standing on my head!"

"Xiaoyan wouldn't, would he? Where else could that one-track mind of his have wandered off to? But leaving Xiao Yu alone is unforgivable. The boss has a right to know about this!" another voice called from the doorway, eager to stir up trouble, practically broadcasting that he was going to tell on him.

Lu Yanjin heard them.

Lu Yanjin deliberately picked up his chair and moved it to Shen Yu's other side, facing the hospital room door. Then he met the gazes of the two men who pushed the door open and entered.

Lu Xianchang: ?!

Xu Shenzheng: ???

Xu Shenzheng even stepped back out to check the room number. The shock in his eyes was no act.

"You! You... how are you in here?"

Heaven knew that after Shen Yu's stress reaction, Luo Ningsang hadn't let anyone in at all. How had Lu Yanjin been allowed to sit in here?! And so close to him?

Lu Xianchang appeared to walk over normally, but he was already swinging his arms and legs on the same side in unison.

"Xiao Yu invited me in, of course."

Lu Yanjin gave a "hmph," lifted his eyelids, and repeated sarcastically, "Eat shit standing on your head?"

Then he looked at Xu Shenzheng. "A right to know?"

The two immediately looked at the ceiling and the floor, anywhere but at Lu Yanjin.

Shen Yu couldn't hold back a laugh.

His brows curved, and his sapphire-blue eyes became crescent moons.

He bore no resemblance at all to the guarded person who had bristled with spikes a few days ago.

"Xiao Yu, you look really good when you smile." Xu Shenzheng found himself at a loss for words and managed to squeeze out that dry sentence.

Lu Xianchang pushed him aside with some disdain. "Did that need saying? Xiao Yu, try today's dishes. The boss got up this morning and made fish soup. It smells amazing."

As he spoke, he raised the hospital bed, set up the little table, and laid several dishes in front of Shen Yu.

It was certainly a generous spread.

But there wasn't a bit of red broth in sight.

Shen Yu drank listlessly.

Mm... it's pretty good.

Lu Xianchang explained from the side, "The boss remembers you prefer spicy food, but you can't eat it lately. So he went to the restaurant you used to love and specifically asked them how to make this fish soup. It's one of the few non-spicy dishes you like."

"Why is he so good to me?"

After these days of recovery, Shen Yu's throat had healed enough for him to say a few simple words, though he couldn't talk often.

The others exchanged glances and began feeding him the story they had prepared.

Xu Shenzheng said seriously, "Because... you're our boss's younger brother!"

Shen Yu: "?"

Shen Yu: "I've lost my memory, not my mind. We don't even have the same surname."

"That's a long story..."

Lu Xianchang patiently explained.

"Actually, you and the boss are blood brothers with different fathers and mothers. Your two families became sworn kin, but after an accident, only you and the boss were left. The boss worked hard to raise you, and when you burned down the school a while back, he was the one who took care of it for you."

Shen Yu: "..."

Stop bringing up the school burning down... I really didn't do that.

"You also know the boss is a famous detective at a private agency in Ancheng, and he works with the Police Bureau too. Some cases inevitably involve people from the underworld. Your kidnapping was their deliberate retaliation, but don't worry, it definitely won't happen a second time!"

Lu Xianchang was practically ready to raise his hand and swear an oath.

Shen Yu was amazed.

They were far too good at making up lies. They could even make that fit?

"The boss says that after you leave the hospital, you can see what you want to do. Anything is fine, but you have to report your whereabouts to him and learn some ways to defend yourself. During this time, you'll need to stay with the captain."

As Lu Xianchang spoke, he watched Shen Yu's expression and found that it didn't change.

Shen Yu had no particular reason to refuse. "Okay."

Even if he wanted to kill Qingjiu, he would have to wait until he recovered. This body wasn't as strong as his previous one; after all, he was a seventeen-year-old youth, weak as hell. Tsk.

Lu Xianchang was still thinking of reasons to persuade him. After all, kids this age refused to be disciplined and wouldn't follow orders. "Huh? You agreed?"

Shen Yu tilted his head. "Yeah. Isn't he my brother? He wouldn't hurt me, so why wouldn't I agree?"

The gesture instantly captured the hearts of the three grown men in the room.

It was unfairly cute.

Xu Shenzheng was eager to try. "Xiao Yu, I'm your Brother Shenzheng. Could you call me that?"

Not to be outdone, Lu Xianchang said, "Me, I'm Brother Xianchang."

Lu Yanjin likewise stared at him with shining eyes. Though he didn't say anything, anyone could see he wanted to hear it too.

Shen Yu: "..." Why do they all like those cutesy repeated names?

Even if he refused, it probably wouldn't matter. At most, they would be a little disappointed. Xu Shenzheng would quickly recover and change the subject, Lu Xianchang would only let a tiny trace of it show in his voice, and Lu Yanjin wouldn't show it at all, continuing to stand guard in silence...

Shen Yu turned his head aside and called each of them in an extremely quiet voice.

"Brother Zheng, Brother Xian, Brother Jin..."

Against the young man's fair, delicate skin, the tips of his ears, hidden beneath his hair, could clearly be seen turning bright red.

Xu Shenzheng had the sharpest ears. "Hey! That's me."

Lu Xianchang followed close behind, a smile gentle enough to drown someone on his face. "Mm, I'm here."

Lu Yanjin responded earnestly, "Xiao Yu."

A closer look would have revealed that the tips of his ears beneath his black hair were slightly red too.