Brother, Are You Taking Qingqing to Elope?

After washing up, Xia Wanqing went downstairs and found Xia Yu sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.

"Morning, little brother." Xia Yu walked over, pulled out the chair beside him, and sat down.

Hearing his voice, Zhao Jie hurried out of the kitchen. "Qingqing..."

"Morning, Third Aunt. You're not going to work today?"

She gritted her teeth, remembering Xia Lang's instructions, and forced out an unpleasant smile. "Morning, Xiaoyu..."

"Is little brother feeling better?"

Xia Wanqing smiled obediently. "Much better already. Thank you for caring, Brother."

"That's good."

The three of them ate breakfast at the same table. It looked harmonious, but the atmosphere was indescribably strange.

Zhao Jie stayed glued to Xia Wanqing's side, while Liu Ling stood beside her young master. Her sharp little eyes watched the mother and son like a scout's. The message was clear: You may be guarding your chick like a mother hen, but I'm guarding against you hurting my young master.

Over the next two days, Xia Yu perfectly demonstrated what it meant for brothers to be friendly and respectful. Morning, noon, and night, he showed concern for Xia Wanqing, watched replays of their boy band concerts with him, praised his singing and dancing, and even specifically told Liu Ling to cook Xia Wanqing's favorite dishes every day and make medicinal meals to nourish him.

Both Xia Lang and Zhao Jie were utterly baffled by his behavior. Zhao Jie in particular became even more on edge. She could not believe Xia Yu had suddenly become so kind-hearted, repenting after harming Xia Wanqing. She was afraid he was holding back some other big move.

"Qingqing." She took Xia Wanqing to the small garden, avoiding the person in the living room petting a cat and watching TV. Hesitantly, she said, "You're almost fully recovered. When are you planning to move into the company dorm with Chu Lan? Mom isn't trying to drive you away. I'm just worried about Xia Yu..."

Xia Wanqing smiled. "I know what you're worried about. I'll go upstairs and pack in a moment. I already arranged with Brother Lan for him to pick me up tonight, and we'll go to the dorm together."

The stone hanging over her heart finally dropped. "That's good. Mom will help you pack in a while. You have to be careful when living outside. If you run into anything you can't handle, call home anytime."

"I know. You've said it several times already. I'm not a child anymore. I'll take good care of myself."

"Ah, it's just that I can't stop worrying. You've followed Mom for so many years and suffered too much, endured too many grievances."

"Oh, that's all in the past. Everything is getting better, and it'll keep getting better."

Zhao Jie wiped away her tears. "Yes, it'll keep getting better..."

That evening, Xia Yu sat in the living room watching TV after dinner when Xia Wanqing came downstairs with a suitcase. Zhao Jie happened to be opening the door and ushering Chu Lan inside.

"Good evening, Brother." He held Pomelo and raised the cat's paw in a little wave.

Chu Lan nodded. "Good evening."

"Brother Lan." Xia Wanqing naturally pushed his suitcase toward him, his smiling eyes curving. "I've packed everything. Let's go."

Zhao Jie was still reluctant to let him go. "Chu Lan, Qingqing is in your care. Please take good care of him for me."

"Auntie, I will."

Xia Yu burst out laughing and asked curiously, "Brother, are you taking Qingqing to elope?"

Chu Lan looked slightly embarrassed. "We have to record a show on Sunday, so we're staying in the company dorm for the next two days."

"Oh, Qingqing, is living at home uncomfortable? Why are you moving out?"

The smile in Xia Wanqing's eyes faded slightly as he replied gently, "Living at home is nice, but everyone has to leave together on Sunday. It's more convenient to stay at the dorm."

Xia Yu stroked the cat's fluffy fur and nodded. "So that's how it is. I thought you felt uncomfortable living with me. I almost thought the brotherly bond we built these past two days had been for nothing."

"Hehe."

If the incident at the hospital had never happened, he really might have believed that Xia Yu sincerely wanted to get along with him these past two days. But he had seen through him. This person was far too hypocritical, far too good at pretending—a wolf in sheep's clothing.

If Xia Yu wanted to pretend, then he would play along. But if Xia Yu could no longer keep it up, he was not afraid to tear off all pretense.

Chu Lan pulled the suitcase, unwilling to linger any longer. "Auntie, it's getting late. We'll be leaving now."

"Alright. Qingqing, listen to Brother Lan."

"I know, Mom. Goodbye."

Before heading out, he looked toward the sofa and met Xia Yu's half-smiling gaze. Curling his lips, he said, "Goodbye, Brother."

Xia Yu smiled and waved. "Goodbye, Brother. Goodbye, little brother. Safe travels."

At last, Zhao Jie completely relaxed after seeing him off. Even when facing Xia Yu, she was no longer quite so restrained. "Xiaoyu, I'll go upstairs and rest first."

"Alright, Third Aunt. Good night."

"...Good night." After the past two days, she had become numb to that form of address.

In the car to the dorm apartment, Chu Lan and Xia Wanqing sat in the back seat. Hearing him hum cheerfully, Chu Lan could not help lifting the corners of his lips. "You're this happy about moving from a huge villa to a small apartment?"

Xia Wanqing nodded eagerly. "Of course I'm happy. I get to live with Brother Lan."

"Isn't it because you finally don't have to see Xia Yu anymore?"

His mood instantly sank. "No. Brother has treated me quite well these past two days..."

How could Chu Lan not know what Xia Yu was like? Xia Wanqing had probably suffered plenty of hidden losses without saying anything, which only made Chu Lan feel more protective of him. "After moving out, we'll be doing variety shows and preparing the new album. You basically won't have to spend time with him anymore."

Xia Wanqing's eyes sparkled. "Brother Lan, do you also feel uncomfortable around him?"

"He's the sort of spoiled young master who's moody and unpredictable. If even one little thing displeases him, he turns hostile. He's hard to get along with. It's better to stay away from him."

That was putting it mildly. It was more than difficult to get along with him—it was like risking one's life.

The light in Xia Wanqing's eyes dimmed. "Brother Lan, you seem really afraid of making him unhappy. To placate him, you even agreed with what he said and said that I..."

Chu Lan put an arm around his shoulders. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I wasn't trying to placate him, either. His maternal grandfather is the one in charge of the Qi Household in Harbor City. Even our family has to show them some respect. Better to avoid trouble whenever possible."

Xia Yu's temper was not something they could afford to provoke, and the Qi Household behind him was even less so.

Leaning against his shoulder, Xia Wanqing lightly bit his lip. A trace of darkness flashed through his eyes. Because of his family background, no one dared make Xia Yu unhappy, right? Chu Lan was like that, and so were the people of the Xia Household.

"Host~" Having risen to level fifty in just two days, 105 had completely turned into a sycophant. Even its electronic voice had become sugary. "Are you going to keep helping me complete missions?"

Xia Yu listlessly flipped through TV channels. "Sounds awful."

"..."

Having cast off its burden, 001 had spent the past two days eating and drinking to its heart's content, practically forgetting everything else. "Boss, now that the protagonist is gone, can we go traveling?"

"Do we have enough points?"

"How could we? These past two days, you and the protagonist have been as close as brothers, so the negative emotion value hasn't increased at all. Where would the points come from? Little Five has leveled up quite a bit, but it's still one Mount Everest away from unlocking the system store. It calculates favorability. The protagonist doesn't have much goodwill toward you, so even if the store opens, we won't get many points."

"Then next, we'll do your main quest."

"What?!" It sprang up like a carp, only to fall off its comfortable little sofa. "Do-do-do... do my main quest?! Maybe not. It's better to keep helping Little Five level up..."

Xia Yu smiled sinisterly. "Isn't it good that I'm helping you level up? Aren't you happy?"

"...Happy. Thank you, Host." It wanted to cry but had no tears. The golden LV9999 above its head was already high enough. It really did not need to level up anymore. It was more afraid that the host would misjudge how far to push things and accidentally get the protagonist killed, forcing them to start all over again. It was exhausting—mentally exhausting!

"Watch yourself. Just because I don't mind you secretly buying snacks doesn't mean you can squander points however you like. I can check the store interface myself."

He had just taken a look. Their points had dropped from over twenty thousand to nineteen thousand.

001 dropped to its knees and slid across the floor. "I'm sorry, Boss! I was wrong! I'll never spend points recklessly again!"

"Hmph."