Such a Grown-Up Little Brother

"What are you making such a fuss about now?" Liu Ling rushed out again, clearly impatient. "I told you to keep it down and stop disturbing the young master's sleep... Huh? Young Master, you're awake? Did you rest well?"

She had been cursing under her breath, but the moment she saw Xia Yu standing upstairs, her face immediately softened into a kindly expression. "Dinner will be ready soon. I made all your favorite dishes."

"Mm."

He descended the stairs at an unhurried pace. When he passed Chu Lan, he paused and said gently, "Brother, would you like to have dinner with me?"

Though his voice was mild and the way he addressed him sounded intimate, Chu Lan found it chilling. The hand supporting Xia Wanqing nearly slipped away.

"Brother Lan..." Xia Wanqing clung tightly to him. "It hurts..."

"Xiaoyu... I won't eat. I'll take Wanqing to the hospital..." He wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

"I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital."

Xia Yu seemed to have only just noticed the person in his arms. His glass-like eyes held a trace of confusion. "And this is?"

Xia Wanqing sniffled and called softly, "Brother..."

He looked even more puzzled. "Brother? Are you calling me?"

"Mm... I..."

"Xiaoyu, this is Wanqing, your half-brother on your father's side," Chu Lan explained.

"Oh, such a grown-up little brother. Hello, hello. It's our first meeting, and I forgot to bring you a gift."

Neither of them spoke. Chu Lan did not want to, while Xia Wanqing was in too much pain to speak. He had also caught the sarcasm in Xia Yu's words and did not know what to say.

Xia Yu continued downstairs. "Aunt Ling, do we have any medicine at home? My little brother just took a fall. It looks rather serious. See if there's anything for bruises and sprains, and put some on him."

"Oh..." Liu Ling set four dishes and a soup on the table, muttering loudly enough for everyone to hear, "He's such a grown man, yet he can fall just going upstairs. What a nuisance. After falling, he doesn't even know to find medicine himself. Does he really think he's some pampered young master..."

Her sharp, vicious muttering was exactly like the low-ranking cannon fodder villain in a novel who bullied the protagonist by throwing her weight around.

Xia Wanqing tightened his grip on Chu Lan's sleeve and bit his lip. "Brother Lan, I'm fine. Help me back to my room."

"Are you really okay?"

He shook his head through the pain. "I'll be fine after lying down for a while."

"Alright. I'll help you upstairs."

After the two went upstairs, Liu Ling, who had been rummaging through the TV cabinet, stopped. "Young Master, I can't find the first-aid kit."

Sitting at the dining table, Xia Yu slowly drank his soup. "Then stop looking. My little brother doesn't seem to need it anyway. He rolled down half a flight of stairs and can still bounce around. How strong."

"Alright then. Should these two little young masters be fed?" She pointed at the two kittens curled up on the sofa.

"Tangerine gets two dried fish as a reward. As for Pomelo, it's throwing a tantrum, so let him go hungry."

"Alright, alright."

"Meow!" Tangerine was pleasantly surprised. Why was he suddenly getting a reward?

"..." Pomelo, already silent, grew even more dejected. His round little body curled into a ball, making him look pitiful beyond words.

Chu Lan did not stay upstairs for long before coming down. Meeting Xia Yu's gaze, he hesitated before saying softly, "Uncle Xia only brought Aunt Zhao and Wanqing home a year after you went abroad."

Xia Yu nodded with a smile. "I know."

...Then why did you just ask who he was? He really did it on purpose to embarrass him. Remembering the terror of being dominated by him as a child, Chu Lan's hairs stood on end. He hurriedly said, "I'll head back first."

"Alright. Once I've adjusted to the time difference, I'll treat you to dinner, Brother."

"Hehe... alright... goodbye..." Chu Lan hurried off as though some monstrous beast were chasing him from behind.

After serving Tangerine his meal, Liu Ling walked over and said softly, "Young Master Chu Lan has quite a good relationship with that illegitimate child. Lots of people online ship them as a couple."

Xia Yu looked at her with a half-smile. "Aunt Ling is quite trendy. You even know about shipping couples."

"Oh, after you and the eldest miss went abroad, I had nothing much to do after returning to Harbor City. I just played around with young people's things in my spare time. Otherwise, I'd be left behind by society."

"Not bad."

"Young Master, how long are you staying this time? Didn't the eldest miss come back?"

"She went on her honeymoon again. I don't know how long I'll stay yet. We'll see."

"Ah, that's wonderful. The eldest miss has finally found a good man. I hope she can stay happy forever." She felt both relieved and heartbroken. "Sigh, back then, she married beneath herself to your father. She thought that since he had married such a wonderful wife, he would cherish her properly. But before you were even a year old, he had already fathered an illegitimate child. Honestly, if not for your sake, your grandfather would have torn the Xia Household apart long ago."

Xia Yu smiled.

"Young Master, since you're back, take the Xia Household's assets before you leave. If your grandfather hadn't supported them back then, the Xia Household would have collapsed long ago. How could they have their current glory? Your father doesn't know gratitude. It would have been one thing if he merely cheated during the marriage, but the old master and old madam of the Xia Household even turned a blind eye, allowing him to bring the mistress and illegitimate child home and give him the Xia surname. I think they want to steal your inheritance. You can't let them."

"He wouldn't dare."

"I'm only reminding you. Young Master, you're so innocent and kind-hearted, and you're easily persuaded. Don't let them sweet-talk you into anything. Don't give up a single bit of what belongs to you, understand?"

"I understand."

Liu Ling could never stop worrying about the obedient, innocent young master she had watched grow up. She decided she still needed to inform Harbor City. "Young Master, after you finish eating, go upstairs and rest. Adjust to the time difference."

"Alright." As Xia Yu rose and headed upstairs, he glanced at Pomelo, who was looking at him pitifully. "Aunt Ling, give him some cat food later. Not too much. He was only neutered recently, so he can't eat much."

"Sure thing."

"Meow..." Tangerine nudged his companion, who had lost all hope in life, then hopped off the sofa and followed his master upstairs.

*

Xia Wanqing lay on the bed. Aside from the bump on his forehead, he had bruises in several places, and the pain made even turning over uncomfortable. His sense of grievance kept rising, and he grabbed his phone to call his biological mother.

At that moment, Zhao Jie was linking arms with Xia Lang as they moved through the bustling reception. Feeling her phone vibrate, she murmured an excuse and stepped into a corner to answer. "Hello, Qingqing..."

"Mom..." he called gloomily.

"What's wrong?"

"Xia Yu is back."

"Hm? Xia Yu?" Zhao Jie froze for two seconds before realizing who he meant. "He's back?"

"Yes. He changed the locks and brought back two cats. His cat tripped me, and I fell down the stairs. It hurts so much..."

Her heart clenched. "What? You fell down the stairs? Did you hurt any bones? Did you go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine. I bumped my forehead. Mom, when are you coming back?"

"Probably not until after eleven. Where's A-Lan? Didn't you two go to that commercial event together? Didn't he come back with you? Why don't you ask him to come take care of you?"

"He has something to do at home..." At the mention of this, Xia Wanqing felt even more wronged. Chu Lan had helped him upstairs just now, yet he had not even checked whether he was hurt elsewhere. Seeing that he had trouble moving, Chu Lan had not offered to stay and care for him either. He had put him down and run off, faster than a rabbit.

Zhao Jie really wanted to return immediately, but the reception would not be ending anytime soon. "Qingqing, Mommy really can't leave. Can you manage on your own?"

He pursed his lips. "I'm fine, Mom. Go ahead and stay busy. Send me a message when you're coming back, and I'll go downstairs to open the door for you."

"Alright. Rest first. I'm hanging up now."

"Mm, bye..."

When Xia Lang saw her return with a worried expression, he frowned. "What happened?"

"Xiaoyu is back. The cat he brought home tripped Qingqing, and he fell down the stairs. I don't know how badly he's hurt."

"Xia Yu is back? When did he return?"

Zhao Jie clenched her fist. "He probably arrived around noon."

"Why didn't he say anything in advance?" Xia Lang glanced at his watch. "We've met almost everyone we needed to meet. Let's go home."

"Mm."