His boastful little expression matched his dramatically rising and falling voice. Just as Shen Yu was about to keep showing off, he howled in pain and spun around, clutching his lower leg.
"Slow down. Sit here."
Seeing Shen Yu go from high spirits one second to spinning around like a headless fly the next, Cheng Jun hurriedly made room beside him on the bed. Even when he accidentally pulled at his injured leg, he only frowned slightly.
"Jun..." Watching his older brother expertly care for someone else, Cheng Jin bit his lip and said nothing, not wanting to ruin his image in his brother's eyes.
Once the sudden pain passed, Shen Yu sat sheepishly on the edge of the bed. Seeing that Cheng Jun practically wanted to give him the whole bed, he shook his head like a rattle drum. "I'm fine, really."
[Aww~ How is this little brother so sweet? My heart aches for him.]
Shen Yu's muttering did nothing to improve Cheng Jin's expression. On the contrary, every time the boy spoke, he drew his brother's attention, making the jealousy in Cheng Jin's heart impossible to hold back.
The family doctor came whenever called. After confirming that Cheng Jun's injury had not worsened, he carefully explained the precautions, particularly stressing that he must not move around recklessly.
At that, Shen Yu hung his head low and stood in the corner, not daring to speak. When he met Cheng Jin's passing glance, he felt even more ashamed.
The doctor arrived in a hurry and left just as quickly. Soon, only the three of them remained in the room. Seeing Cheng Jun yawn tiredly, tears welling at the corners of his eyes, Shen Yu tactfully left.
Sunlight filled the room. Before leaving, Shen Yu saw Cheng Jin silently tuck the blanket around his brother, then draw the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.
Seemingly unwilling to wander around an unfamiliar place, the Cheng brothers had not left the room even by the time Shen Changgeng and Lin Yujing arrived home. They simply stayed quietly in the guest room.
When Lin Yujing heard that the children had been found, she wanted nothing more than to go inside, hold them, and have a good cry. But her husband and son both urged her not to make anything public before the test results came back.
As everyone discussed who should call them to dinner, Shen Yu sat on the couch with his head propped on his hand. Remembering Cheng Jin's indifferent expression before he left, he could not help feeling a little sad.
I was too careless. I almost got Cheng Jun hurt again. Even good-tempered Cheng Jin doesn't want to talk to me anymore.
Shen Xingshuo glanced left at his gloomy younger brother, then right at his excited parents. He sighed helplessly and walked to the room, ready to knock.
The next second, the door opened from inside. Cheng Jin, standing in the doorway, and Shen Xingshuo, his hand raised, stared at each other. Those eyes that saw through everything made Second Shen shudder involuntarily.
Cheng Jin quickly blinked, restoring the innocent, friendly look in his eyes. In the little alley where the Cheng Family lived, they habitually kept their ears pricked, knowing every slight movement around them.
"Dinner's ready." Though Shen Xingshuo was not used to having more people in the house, the slender boy before him looked just like the sickly Shen Yu, and his voice softened involuntarily.
"I'll carry him..."
"There's a powered chair here." Shen Yu, who had secretly hurried over, interrupted Shen Xingshuo. He pushed the powered chair he had found in a room, looking everywhere except at Cheng Jin.
"All right, Little Jin." Cheng Jun woke groggily and saw his younger brother's stubborn figure. The corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously.
Suddenly realizing that he had smiled far too many times that day, Cheng Jun carefully sat upright. "Come in."
Only then did Shen Xingshuo realize that he had actually been intimidated by a young boy.
Shaking out his slightly stiff body, Shen Xingshuo strode into the room, then picked Cheng Jun up under Cheng Jin's watchful gaze.
"You're about the same build as Little Yu. The chair's just right." Even the usually carefree Shen Xingshuo avoided saying "wheelchair." After carefully settling Cheng Jun into the powered chair, he pushed him out.
Shen Yu and Cheng Jin stared at each other in the room. Seeing that his younger brother said nothing, Shen Yu involuntarily scratched at the seam of his trousers with the fingers at his side, his body unconsciously swaying from side to side.
"Let's go." Cheng Jin, by contrast, was very composed. He even reminded the dazed Shen Yu like the host of the house, "Be careful not to hurt yourself."
The two brothers arrived at the dining table one after the other. Though Cheng Jun felt awkward facing so many people, he still forced himself to remain composed and thanked them.
Cheng Jin helped Shen Yu sit down, then went to his own older brother's side, looking as though he would follow his brother's every lead.
"Little Jin and Little Jun are both so quiet." Lin Yujing gazed lovingly at the brothers, desperately suppressing her excitement.
As a mother, she had a firm intuition and confidence that the two boys before her were her children, the children she had carried for ten months and given birth to.
The "quiet" Cheng Jin lowered his head and silently squeezed in beside his brother, demonstrating to everyone what it meant to be a brother-dependent little brother.
"Let's eat. The food's getting cold." With Shen Changgeng holding her hand, Lin Yujing reined in her excitement, but she could not stop glancing at the brothers.
Cheng Jun was somewhat reserved, silently taking food from the dishes in front of him. The others watched anxiously but did not dare act, afraid of frightening the child.
Shen Yu, who had his head down gnawing on a chicken foot, instinctively looked up and met his parents' eager gazes. He turned to look at the restrained brothers, then clenched his fist as though entrusted with a great responsibility.
"These ribs are delicious." Remembering how his offering had been rejected last time, Shen Yu deliberately picked up a rib with the serving chopsticks and slowly moved it toward Cheng Jun.
"You don't need to get me any. Eat some yourself." Shen Xingshuo naturally held out his bowl and caught the rib. Just as he was about to look up happily and dig in, he discovered that everyone at the table was staring at him.
Shen Yu stared dumbfounded at the shameless Second Shen and voiced a soul-searching question. "Xingshuo, our family can afford glasses, right?"
"All I did was eat one of your ribs." Slow on the uptake, Shen Xingshuo was puzzled. After muttering his complaint, he did not forget to give Shen Yu a piece in return.
"This is ginger!" Puffing with anger, Shen Yu picked up the large chunk of ginger in his bowl and huffed as he tossed it onto his bone plate.
"I'm done for..." Shen Xingshuo stared wide-eyed at the chunk of ginger that looked almost exactly like a rib, then shook his head, questioning his life. "I really am blind!"
Watching the bickering brothers, Cheng Jun, whose lips had been curving upward all day, could not hold back a laugh. The way his eyes narrowed as he smiled shocked even Shen Xubai.
When the boy smiled, he looked exactly like Lin Yujing. Even his dimples matched perfectly, as though they had been carved from the same mold down to their bones.
Feeling the Shen Family's eyes on him, Cheng Jun shyly shook his head and apologized. "Sorry, I..."
"Little Jun looks so nice when he smiles!" Ignoring his older brother's inward tears, Shen Yu turned and gazed eagerly at Cheng Jun. "I'll get you something tasty."
Perhaps he was too excited. Shen Yu stared wide-eyed at the tomato and tender pork, but three times in a row, the piece he picked up slipped back into the pot.
"Well, well, what a sight." Shen Xingshuo watched the spectacle, happy to stir up more trouble. Looking at Shen Yu, who seemed to be nursing a bitter grudge, he teased, "This pig's still alive! It wants to grow legs and run away!"