Flower House

"You saw it yourself. There's only one room. Don't tell me you want to squeeze in with me?"

Shi Yuan shamelessly said, "I wouldn't mind. I'm short. I don't take up much space."

Wei Zelin lowered his head slightly. The bandages on Shi Yuan's head had just been removed, revealing a fuzzy crop of newly grown hair. His little face was fair and soft, his almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed, and the top of his head barely reached Wei Zelin's shoulder.

Contrary to his usual behavior, Wei Zelin didn't snap at him. Instead, he smiled?

"Heh. Come in, then."

Wei Zelin pushed open the door and entered, with Shi Yuan brazenly following behind. The room was a fairly ordinary size, about ten square meters. A bed roughly a meter and a half wide stood against the wall, with no bedside table. At its foot was a simple wardrobe with a piece of cloth for a door. By the window sat a desk and a plastic chair.

The floor was bare concrete, just like outside. Shi Yuan glanced at the walls, too. They were white.

Perhaps guessing what he was thinking, Wei Zelin said, "I painted them myself."

Shi Yuan fell silent.

"Then why didn't you paint the outside, too?"

"No money."

All... all right, then.

Utterly exhausted, Shi Yuan slowly brought his luggage in from outside and put his things away. The wardrobe was fairly large, but Wei Zelin only had a few pieces of clothing.

The original owner's taste in clothes wasn't something Shi Yuan could appreciate. He took out the plainer pieces and hung them in the wardrobe, then stuffed the rest back into his suitcase. They were all expensive brands. He planned to sell them secondhand online. Whatever he could earn would help.

Wei Zelin stood beside the bed, watching thoughtfully as Shi Yuan slowly unpacked, gradually filling the room with things that didn't belong there.

In truth, if he hadn't overheard Shi Yuan defying Wei Zexuan outside, so unlike his usual self, he wouldn't even have spared him a glance.

Shi Yuan?

That lackey of Wei Zexuan's, with his model-student face and his disgusting behavior, actually dared to stand up to Wei Zexuan now?

Had the beating Wei Zexuan gave him the night before the wedding finally put some backbone into him?

Or had his dear little brother dreamed up another clever way to torment him, with the two of them putting on an act? If it really was an act, they were doing a convincing job. Even he couldn't see through it.

By the time Shi Yuan finished unpacking, his legs could barely hold him up. He pitifully asked Wei Zelin for permission. "Could I sit on the bed for a while?"

Wei Zelin actually answered pleasantly, "Of course."

He even smiled after saying it.

Neither time they had met had Wei Zelin shown him a friendly face. Earlier, he had even abandoned him at the foot of the mountain, where he had nearly failed to make it back up. Shi Yuan had grown accustomed to his cold treatment. Now that Wei Zelin was smiling at him, he suddenly felt that something was off. Things weren't as harmonious as they appeared.

He immediately went on alert. Think about it: could you smile at someone who hurled vicious curses at you every single day? Yet Wei Zelin had actually smiled. True, his characterization in the original novel was that he had no dignity before the Wei Family but was always warm and gracious toward outsiders, but that was all a facade!

Could a man who sent his own father, stepmother, and brother to prison with a wave of his hand possibly be simple? In Shi Yuan's mind, he ranked about as high as Shen Duo from Heavenly Cool, King Shattered.

And now this man was smiling at him. Smiling!

Was I about to die?

Life still seemed pretty good! Was there any chance I could save myself?

That smile instantly jolted Shi Yuan into vigilance.

Pressing his lips together, he neatly folded the clothes he had just hung up and placed them on his suitcase. Then he pointed at the spare quilt in the wardrobe and humbly asked, "Brother Lin, could I borrow that quilt? I'll replace it with a new one in a few days."

Brother Lin?

Was Shi Yuan afraid of him?

Why?

What did he know?

Wei Zelin smiled. "Of course. We're legally married now. There's no need to be so polite. Would you like me to make your bed?"

Shi Yuan couldn't bear seeing him smile now. Every time he did, Shi Yuan felt as though he might ascend to paradise the very next second.

"N-no, don't trouble yourself. Please go about your business. I can manage."

Wei Zelin watched him carry the quilt into the living room, clear a patch of floor in the middle, lay down a few garishly patterned pieces of clothing, then spread the quilt neatly over them.

"What are you doing? Didn't you say you wanted to squeeze in with me?"

Shi Yuan cautiously entered the bedroom and dragged his freshly unpacked suitcase back out to arrange his sleeping space.

"Look, Brother Lin, we may have registered our marriage, but we don't really know each other. Wouldn't it be a little inappropriate to sleep together right away? I wouldn't want to overstep." Shi Yuan had come to his senses. Everyone wanted to sleep with a handsome man, but first you had to consider whether you'd live to do it.

After saying that, he even found a thick coat, draped it over himself, and lay peacefully down on the quilt to rest.

Wei Zelin quietly watched his performance.

Shi Yuan had only just recovered from a serious illness and had spent half the day running around. He really was tired. But with Wei Zelin standing in the bedroom doorway, staring down at him like that, even an immortal wouldn't have been able to sleep.

"Um... Brother Lin, don't you have to go to work?" Wei Zelin also worked at the Wei Corporation's headquarters.

"Didn't you know? Uncle Shi called Chairman Wei and asked him to have me pick you up from the hospital. I was given the day off."

Shi Yuan's face twisted. Shi Guohua, that old bastard!

Shi Yuan was simply too exhausted. He had no energy left to deal with Wei Zelin. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment and actually fell asleep.

When he woke again, a broad wash of soft orange-red light shone through the curtainless window.

I was so hungry.

I had somewhere to live now, but what was I going to do about food? The Wei Family were such assholes. Would they refuse to feed me?

The more he thought about it, the likelier it seemed. Shi Yuan realized that finding a job was now an urgent priority!

"You're awake? Come on. Dad's asked us over for dinner."

Wei Zelin's voice came from beside the window. The lights were off, and the sunset's lingering glow fell over him, gilding even his hair with soft light. His sharply defined face was half hidden in light and shadow. Holding a coat, he stood there as though waiting for Shi Yuan. There was no telling how long he had been there.

If Shi Yuan hadn't been fully awake by now, he might have been bewitched the moment he opened his eyes. This man had been icy cold that morning, and now they had already progressed to going hand in hand to dinner?

Wei Zelin really had been warm in the early part of the story. He silently endured the Wei Family's mistreatment and even comforted the bottom protagonist when he was bullied. Without reading the ending, Shi Yuan would have kept thinking he was the traditional supporting male character who quietly gave everything for the bottom protagonist. Who could have known he was rotten inside?

Don't overthink anything you can't understand. My IQ can't keep up with the way these big shots' minds work.

Shi Yuan reminded himself not to get lost in a handsome face. Filling his stomach mattered more than anything!

He washed his face, put on a coat, and went out with Wei Zelin.

They walked all the way to the pretty Western-style house, and Shi Yuan couldn't resist stealing a couple more looks.

Wei Zelin softly asked him, "Like it?"

When Shi Yuan nodded, he smiled again. "It is beautiful."

The emotions in his eyes were unfathomable. Even through his glasses, Shi Yuan didn't dare meet his gaze.

The butler stood at the entrance and welcomed them inside. This time, he said nothing about only members of the Wei Family being allowed in.

The house's interior was lavish beyond anything Shi Yuan could have imagined. Father Wei and Mother Wei hadn't come downstairs yet. Only Wei Zexuan and the servants bringing out the dishes were in the dining room.

As always, Wei Zexuan looked down his nose at everyone, whether standing or sitting. "Well, Shi Yuan? Are you getting used to where my older brother lives?"

Shi Yuan slowly pulled out a chair far from the head of the table and sat down. "It's fine. The bed's big enough for both of us."

He secretly blushed. That was so fucking shameless!

Wei Zexuan froze. He finally looked Shi Yuan properly in the eye. "Have you lost your mind?" He was actually speaking up for Wei Zelin, instead of setting him up to help humiliate him?

And he even dared to sit down? Dad and Mom weren't here yet. Who gave him the right to sit? Couldn't he see that even Wei Zelin was obediently standing?

Wei Zexuan's expression twisted, and he sneered, "So your dad's debts are all paid off, are they? Have you forgotten how you cried and begged me back then?"

Shi Yuan calmly said, "My dad's moved my household registration out. He might even have drawn up his will already. He intends to leave the Shi Family's money and company to my younger sister and stepmother. None of it has anything to do with me, so why should I slave away for him?"

Pointedly, he added, "I don't know why you lent the Shi Family money, but you're not the type to take a loss. Stop acting like I owe you something every single day. If you want someone to be grateful, go find my stepmother."

Wei Zexuan had grown up pampered and adored. No one had ever talked back to him like that, especially not the idiot lackey who used to trail after him, catering to his every whim. His eyes immediately reddened with anger.

He was just about to lash out when the butler ushered Wei Ming and his wife inside.

Wei Zexuan and Shi Yuan rose from their chairs. Wei Zelin had never sat down.

"Zexuan, what's the matter? I could hear someone shouting from far away. Where are your manners?" Mother Wei said affectedly, casting a sideways glance at Wei Zelin.

"Mom, it's all because..."

Wei Zexuan changed his explanation just as it reached his lips. "It's my older brother! Now that he's got himself a wife, he thinks his place is too small. Shi Yuan was just complaining to me that the bed wasn't big enough."

Shi Yuan was furious at his blatant distortion of the truth. Wei Zelin, on the other hand, was accustomed to being treated this way.

Mother Wei privately scorned the pair for their shamelessness and said indifferently, "Zelin, this Flower House was left behind by Zexuan's grandfather. Back then, he wouldn't allow you to move in, so I arranged for you to stay in the servants' quarters out back. He's only been gone a few years. We can hardly go against his last wishes. I'm afraid you newlyweds will have to put up with it."

Shi Yuan discreetly rolled his eyes. Ha. Who would believe that bullshit? The Wei Family had vast wealth and countless properties elsewhere. Wei Zexuan alone owned everything from villas to luxury apartments. He hardly ever stayed at the old family home, and had probably only returned today because Wei Ming had summoned him. If this family wanted to mistreat Wei Zelin, they should just do it. Why put on this loving-family act?

Wei Zelin remained standing beside the table, smiling without answering. They each kept up their own act. What a fake family.

Feeling that he had regained the upper hand, Wei Zexuan said sarcastically, "How about this? Let's stop making my older brother eat with the servants. He can have dinner with Mom and Dad in the Flower House from now on."

Shi Yuan was stunned! So Wei Zelin hadn't just been living in the servants' quarters; he had been eating with them, too. What did the Wei Family think he was?

Mother Wei frowned slightly at his words and said unhappily, "Zexuan, what are you saying?" As if that bastard Wei Zelin deserved to eat at the same table as her!

All their back-and-forth revolved around a single purpose: humiliating Wei Zelin. Yet Wei Zelin acted as if he couldn't hear the mockery in the mother and son's words, remaining silent throughout. Calling him spineless really was no exaggeration...

(The Wei Family Patriarch had ruled the Wei Family for decades, displaying the full authority of a man in power. At only eighteen, Wei Zelin stood before him feeling as though every hidden emotion had been laid bare by a single glance. Yet when the old man declared, in a voice that brooked no argument, that he was never to set foot in the Flower House for as long as he lived, Wei Zelin smiled. Even a ruthless titan would eventually grow old. Besides, this man was no titan, for he had misjudged Wei Zelin at the end of his life. What Wei Zelin wanted wasn't to enter the Flower House and become part of it, but to utterly destroy those beautiful flowers.)

-Thorn