A crowd had come to the celebration. Even though the sun was only just sinking, the deck was already buzzing with voices and activity.
The evening party hadn't even started yet.
Most of the people who were usually busy hadn't arrived, but the ones who loved a good time had all shown up ages ago.
He wasn't one of them!
It was just that when his parents heard they were going out to have fun, they had promptly kicked him and Momo out. They had even thoughtfully told them to take Xu Chen along and enjoy themselves.
The two of them were leaving on a trip next week, so they wanted the kids to have their fill of fun over the next couple of days.
Then they could take over the work their parents left behind.
"Mom and Dad are so mean." He bit down hard on his straw as he sat with the others in the second-floor restaurant, enjoying the food.
Lin Xingmo cut off a big piece of steak and held it out to him. "Enough already. Even food won't shut you up."
He bit into the beef, crisp on the outside and tender within, and its rich flavor burst across his tongue. "Mmm, sho good!"
[Absolutely divine!!!]
It was just a little hot.
But that wasn't a big deal. He chomped down again, happily letting his younger brother feed him.
Xu Chen, who was sitting beside him, brought over a plate of crispy fried lotus root strips. Before he could even sit down, the wafting aroma had already stolen Lin Xingye's soul.
"Ahh~"
Xu Chen fed him with practiced ease. He had always known what Lin Xingye liked, and everything he brought was a favorite.
Lin Xingye clapped his hands in delight, leaned against Xu Chen's shoulder like a delicate little bird, and pretended to wipe away tears. "Chen, you're amazing. You actually managed to find home-style food on a fancy ship like this."
[Chen, I'm so lucky to have you~]
Xu Chen: Hehe.
He had actually found the kitchen and asked someone to make it.
The moment Qi Sinian reached the second floor, she saw this scene and gave a disdainful snort. "I really don't know what my brother is thinking. Of all the people he could like, why him?"
"Isn't he openly cuddling up to someone else?"
"Star!"
Cheng Yu had just finished his work and rushed over. He wedged himself firmly between the two of them, then turned to Xu Chen with a smile. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
Xu Chen: I do mind.
Lin Xingye viciously bit into the beef that had just entered his mouth.
[Cheng, you baka. Shameless bastard.]
Cheng Yu: ?
Since when had he acquired another nickname?
Qi Sinian watched Cheng Yu walk straight over to Lin Xingye without so much as a glance elsewhere, sit beside him, and start laughing and joking with him.
She was about to fall apart.
What was going on?
Ever since he had gotten to know these lunatics during his hospital stay, Lin Xingye had felt a nostalgia he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Perhaps they had played together like this as children, too.
If that incident had never happened, would they have grown up together instead of being separated for decades without seeing one another again?
They were surprisingly practiced at looking after him. Whatever he did, they never gave him attitude, and he became increasingly uninhibited in what he said and did.
Lin Xingye jabbed him with his elbow. "Move, move. You're blocking my feeder."
Cheng Yu glanced at the delicate-featured Xu Chen, who had gotten some washed lettuce from nearby and quickly made a lettuce wrap, ready to hold it to Lin Xingye's mouth.
He snatched it away.
Xu Chen: Are you okay?
"I can be your feeder, too." A little jealous, Cheng Yu held the lovely lettuce wrap he had stolen up to Lin Xingye's mouth.
Lin Xingye didn't understand, but that didn't stop him from eating.
He munched away, taking bite after bite from Cheng Yu's hand.
His soft lips brushed Cheng Yu's palm now and then. Cheng Yu's ears flushed bright red, and he wished he could take the lettuce wrap's place.
Sitting opposite them, Lin Xingmo watched Xu Chen make a wrap, Cheng Yu steal it, and then feed it to his older brother.
Why did this look like an assembly line?
One wrapped, one fed, one ate, and another watched.
Not far away, Qi Sinian still stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly as Cheng Yu fed Lin Xingye with his own hands.
He didn't even notice the juices and chili oil running onto his hand. He held his palm beneath the food to catch the drips, afraid they would stain Lin Xingye's clothes.
When Lin Xingye got food around his mouth, Cheng Yu even took a napkin and wiped it for him. Though she couldn't tell what they were saying, their movements looked terribly intimate.
She couldn't believe it.
Qin Ke had been nothing more than a clown, and she had never taken him seriously. She knew Cheng Yu had personally beaten him up, so she figured there was nothing special between them.
Once, following her best friend's advice, she had blushed at a banquet and asked Cheng Yu to get her some food from a dish a little beyond her reach. He had simply brought the entire plate over.
When she asked him to play the flirtatious biscuit game, he had refused with nothing more than, "I'm a germaphobe."
She had always known Cheng Yu's public playboy persona was fake. His germaphobia was actually quite severe; the persona was merely a cover for his status.
She had been overjoyed when she heard he had secured the position of heir. That meant her father would no longer stand in the way of her feelings for Cheng Yu because of his status.
But what was this now?
Lin Xingye had taken a bite of something and decided he didn't want any more, and Cheng Yu had casually eaten the rest himself? What happened to his germaphobia?
Her best friend, Ren Ruoxi, saw that she had been standing there motionless for ages and came over to tug at her in confusion. "Nian, why are you still standing here? I got some delicious desserts..."
"Ruoxi, look."
Ren Ruoxi looked where she was pointing and saw the two of them being intimate. She gave a couple of awkward laughs and tried to reassure her. "Maybe they're just close."
Qi Sinian didn't believe that at all. She had liked Cheng Yu for years. There was no way she could fail to recognize the look in his eyes as he watched Lin Xingye.
It was exactly the same as the way she looked at Cheng Yu.
The affection in those eyes was something she had longed for for so long, and Lin Xingye's complete obliviousness only wounded her more deeply.
Ren Ruoxi didn't know how to comfort her. Who could have guessed Cheng Yu would like a man? The thought made her angry, too. "If he doesn't like girls, he should just turn you down. Why would he still-!"
Deeply upset, Qi Sinian finally couldn't stop herself from walking over. "Cheng Yu! You, come out and talk to me!"
Cheng Yu paused in the middle of feeding Lin Xingye. Seeing Qi Sinian looking so wronged, he felt rather baffled and was about to refuse when Lin Xingye nudged him.
[Go on, a pretty girl is asking you out.]
[She's obviously upset. Go cheer her up.]
Cheng Yu felt aggrieved, but Qi Sinian looked as though she wouldn't give up unless he came, so he stood. "Wait for me a moment."
Xu Chen quietly returned to his original seat and continued feeding Lin Xingye.
Lin Xingye didn't pay it much mind. Everyone knew Qi Sinian liked Cheng Yu, so it wasn't surprising that she had come looking for him. But why had she looked at him just now as though he were a romantic rival?
Cheng Yu had never told him he liked him.
What they had was pure brotherly affection.
Qi Sinian led him to a deserted corner. The sky was gradually darkening, and the sea breeze carried a chill. It was getting a little cold.
Qi Sinian wore a pretty little evening dress, and the cold raised goosebumps over her exposed skin.
A roomy black suit jacket settled over her shoulders. It was very large, and she pulled it close, burying her head in it. There was a faint scent of tobacco.
She knew Cheng Yu smoked sometimes, but the stronger scent enveloping her was his own.
She held back her tears, looking like a proud, beautiful white swan. "Cheng Yu, do you like Lin Xingye?"
She refused to believe it. She just wanted to hear him say it himself.
"Yes."
His answer was so decisive, and so heartbreaking.
A hint of accusation crept into Qi Sinian's voice. "If you like men, why have I never heard you say so?"
Cheng Yu looked down at her. The wind had reddened her delicate face, and tears glimmered in her eyes. He shifted to shield her from the wind. "I don't like men."
"I just like him."
That answer hurt her even more than if he had liked men.
It had nothing to do with men or women. He simply liked him.
Unable to rein in her spoiled temper, Qi Sinian grabbed his shirt and demanded, "Cheng Yu! I like you so much. Do you really not know?"
"What exactly is wrong with me that you just won't want me?!"
Her voice grew rather loud. People nearby kept glancing over, but none dared approach to watch the drama.
Cheng Yu didn't move, letting her stand before him and cry in distress. "Qi Sinian, it's because we're not the same kind of people."
"In your eyes, and in your parents' eyes, no matter what I am now, I'll always be nothing but an illegitimate son."
Before you continue