Page 39

Shi Jihan rummaged through the pile of supplies, found the pump, and handed it to Zhou Jingcheng. "Here. Don't you dare blow them up. These are balloons I specially customized for my second brother—they cost a fortune."

Zhou Jingcheng took the balloons and looked at them. All he saw was a dark blot printed on them. Without thinking much of it, he sat beside Shi Jihan and started pumping them up.

The thought of joining in on pranking the next victim filled him with enthusiasm. He was more motivated than when signing contracts worth tens of millions in the office.

Zhou Jingcheng pumped steadily, a smile on his lips.

Then he watched Shi Zhongye's head slowly inflate.

It grew bigger and bigger with every pump.

Zhou Jingcheng:?

Refusing to believe it, he pumped several more times with force.

The head became clearer.

Shi Jihan had printed his second brother's face on the balloons.

Specially customized. Expensive.

Zhou Jingcheng's soul took a brutal hit. His fingers loosened, and the balloon flew off.

With a "pfft."

Shi Zhongye's head spun through the air before landing face-first with a smack.

Zhou Jingcheng: "..."

Zhou Jingcheng: "..."

Somehow, he sensed a certain kind of fun in it.

He inflated five balloons in a row and released them all at once.

The living room filled with a series of indescribable pff-pff-pff sounds as Shi Zhongye's heads spun wildly through the air.

Once they ran out of air, they smacked down one after another, every single one landing face-first.

Zhou Jingcheng: XD

Kind of fun.

When Shi Jihan came downstairs carrying an entire box of banners, he saw this scene.

He put down the box and rushed over to punch Zhou Jingcheng. "Don't waste my balloons!"

"...Fine." Zhou Jingcheng looked regretfully at the row of balloons that had braked with their faces, then started working seriously under Shi Jihan's supervision.

Zhou Zeyang, who had watched the entire thing: ...

He silently turned away, unable to bear the sight.

They were so sick. How could they be this sick?

Had the two of them been dug out of the same mine or something?

After that, Zhou Jingcheng behaved quite normally, because Shi Jihan genuinely wanted to split the two brothers into ten people each and worked them in circles.

Rest? Not a chance.

The wise did not fall in love, and workhorses did not get compensatory leave.

Zhou Jingcheng stood on a ladder, hanging a banner from the ceiling. "Here?"

Shi Jihan hurriedly directed him from below. "Yes, yes, yes. Ah, no, it needs to go a little more to the right."

"Very good, very good... Hmm, maybe a little more to the left instead. It doesn't look good there."

Holding the banner high with both hands, Zhou Jingcheng shifted left and right for a long time, beginning to suspect he was a Tetris block that could never be cleared.

"Shi Jihan," he said, sweat beading at his temple, "do you think I'm going to stand up here for the rest of my life and won't be able to come down and beat you up?"

Shi Jihan rubbed his nose. "How about we just put it where we placed it the first time?"

Zhou Jingcheng took a deep breath, then another. Through clenched teeth, he forced out, "...Fine." His back teeth ground viciously together.

[Today's extra task: Randomly Ruin Zhou Jingcheng, 1/1, completed]

After finally climbing down, Zhou Jingcheng felt a surge of relief the moment both feet touched the ground again, as if he had survived a disaster.

He could even hear the pleasant imaginary sound of clearing a game level.

Zhou Zeyang called to him from the other side. "Bro, bring the ladder over and help me hang this."

"No." Zhou Jingcheng refused coldly. "I'm afraid of heights."

Zhou Zeyang looked at the two-meter-tall ladder and asked from the depths of his soul, "Huh? Since when?"

Zhou Jingcheng said, "Two minutes ago. It's your brother's new persona."

Ignoring his younger brother's utterly speechless expression, he took off his jacket because of the heat.

Shi Jihan whispered to Zhou Zeyang, "Your brother wore a suit to come work in the middle of summer. Isn't that pretentious?"

Zhou Zeyang nodded. "A little."

The two exchanged a look and simultaneously clicked their tongues.

The Pretentious Bro.

[Ding, Malice Points +4]

"Shi Jihan." A vein throbbed at Zhou Jingcheng's temple. "I can hear you."

Shi Jihan theatrically covered his mouth as though frightened, watching Zhou Jingcheng undo his buttons.

After standing on the ladder for so long while being ordered around by someone, Zhou Jingcheng had worked up a layer of sweat despite the central air conditioning. The hairstyle he had just gotten done that morning was no longer as perfect as before. Several loose strands had fallen across his deep brow ridge, giving him a slightly disheveled look.

After taking off his suit jacket, he hooked a finger around his tie and loosened it. After pausing for a second, he removed it completely and draped it over the back of the sofa with his jacket. He raised a hand to undo the button around his Adam's apple, then undid three more in succession. After that, he folded his shirt cuffs three times and rolled them up to his elbows, revealing a section of forearm with smooth, defined muscles.

The shirt fit snugly around his lean waist. Damp with sweat, it faintly outlined the contours of his chest and abs, along with the broad stretch of collarbone exposed by his unbuttoned shirt.

Shi Jihan glanced at his pecs.

Then glanced again.

When Zhou Jingcheng turned around, he still could not resist reaching out to touch them.

He pressed them.

Zhou Jingcheng jolted.

"Oh my god, they're soft." Shi Jihan exclaimed, poking them again.

"Shi Jihan!" After freezing for a few seconds, Zhou Jingcheng called his name.

He asked indignantly, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Jingcheng grabbed his wrist. Shi Jihan stared at the tips of his ears, which were gradually turning red, and declared righteously, "It was just one touch. When you go to the gym, does no one touch you? Anyone would be unable to resist."

Dianjia Bro really had an incredible body.

Zhou Jingcheng gritted his teeth. His Adam's apple bobbed again and again before he finally squeezed out, "...I go to the gym, not to sell myself."

"Oh, don't be so stingy. A body like that should be shared generously," Shi Jihan said. He tried to pull his wrist free but could not, and Zhou Jingcheng only gripped him tighter. "If my body looked as good as yours, I wouldn't wear clothes when I went out."

Zhou Jingcheng: "..."

He was so shocked that, for a moment, he did not know how to respond to this hooligan.

Shi Jihan tilted his head and studied his expression. Only then did he realize, "Don't tell me... you're embarrassed?"

[Ding, Malice Points +7]

Oh my god, is Dianjia Bro really this innocent? Shi Jihan said. I only touched him once.

000 commented, If he weren't holding you back, would you be touching him over and over like you were painting a wall?

Hehe.

After a long while.

Zhou Jingcheng exhaled and released the fingers wrapped around Shi Jihan's wrist. He said coldly, "Why would I be embarrassed? What do I have to be embarrassed about?"

Then he turned and returned to the sofa, continuing to inflate balloons.

Having witnessed the entire scene again, Zhou Zeyang's first thought was: Had his brother just been taken advantage of right in front of him?

His second thought was: If you weren't embarrassed, why were you moving your arms and legs on the same side?

With a bang, Shi Zhongye exploded.

Zhou Jingcheng looked at the balloon fragments in his hand, which had burst from too much air. Under the scrutiny of two pairs of eyes, he calmly lowered his head and picked up another one. "Too much air. I didn't notice."

After that came a series of bangs, one every so often.

Shi Zhongye flew everywhere.

Shi Jihan's heart bled.

Those were balloons he had customized at a high price!

But hearing the repeated chimes of Malice Points increasing by his ear, he did not dare stop Zhou Jingcheng.

Forget it. He had still made a profit.

Even so, he secretly looked at Zhou Jingcheng several times, wondering if Peacock Man was actually embarrassed. He seemed distracted.

As he opened the daily task list.

It clearly displayed:

[Randomly Ruin Zhou Jingcheng: 15/1, completed beyond quota]

Shi Jihan immediately felt guilty.

He hurried into the kitchen and brought out two glasses of water.

When Zhou Zeyang saw them, he stepped forward to take one. "Thanks, thanks, I've been thirsty for ages..."

His hands stopped in midair as he watched helplessly while that glass of water was offered to his brother's lips.

Shi Jihan was as gentle as Snow White's stepmother. "Here, President Zhou. Have some water."

Only after saying that did he notice Zhou Zeyang's hands. "Huh? Oh right, I forgot about you. That cup is mine. If you want water, you can pour yourself some in the kitchen."

"...No." Zhou Zeyang sat back down, pretending to be strong. "I'm not thirsty."

He was neither tired nor thirsty. He was just a little cabbage no one loved.

Haha, what a clown.

When Shi Zhongye arrived in City A that afternoon, he suddenly realized in a daze that he had not returned in half a year.

The last time he had come back was to ask Zhou Jingcheng for money.

Thinking of that, he contacted his good friend. I've landed in City A. Are you free tomorrow? Let's grab a drink.

Zhou Jingcheng replied, No need. Your younger brother prepared a welcome party for you. I'm here too.

Shi Zhongye did not understand. "He's there too? What's he going there for?"

To discuss cooperation with Shi Bochuan? But their relationship was nowhere near good enough to discuss business at home. Didn't they always negotiate at business gatherings outside?

And Shi Jihan had prepared a welcome party?

Shi Zhongye's teeth ached. More fake posturing. Shi Jihan wanted to use him as a prop and pretend they were loving brothers again.

He did not even want to attend. It would be nothing more than a meal, raising glasses together at the table, and exchanging some sour, perfunctory pleasantries.

Boring beyond measure.

But Shi Jihan must have known he would not want to attend, which was why he had deliberately held it at home, forcing Shi Zhongye to come.

Sitting in the car from the airport to the Shi Family home, Shi Zhongye grew increasingly furious the more he thought about it.

By the time he arrived, even the motion of shoving open the Shi Family's front door was exceedingly rough.

Bang!

Pop!

Whoosh!

The party poppers shooting toward him startled Shi Zhongye. He raised a hand to wipe the streamers from his face and was about to curse when he saw what he was holding, causing him to pause strangely for a second.

What sprayed from the party poppers were not streamers, but strips of paper bearing giant photos of his face.

"The global ceiling of good looks is here."