Shen Yu rubbed his round belly, then looked at Shen Xingshuo's stomach, which was still flat after three bowls of rice, wondering where all the food his second brother ate had gone.
The young boy made no effort to hide his confusion. Shen Xingshuo curled his lips smugly. "That's why I'm destined to debut. Everything tastes great, and I never get fat."
Shen Yu pouted, then lowered his head and sucked in his stomach hard. Before long, he was panting from the effort, and his round little belly stuck out even farther.
"Hahaha." Shen Xingshuo couldn't resist reaching out to rub it, adding, "Good grief, it really is solid."
Meeting Shen Yu's wide, angry eyes, Shen Xingshuo offered a perfunctory consolation. "It's fine. I'll buy you milk tea in a bit to fill in the gaps."
Now Shen Yu was truly angry. Forgetting that running after a meal would give him a stomachache, he went to land two thumping punches on his second brother.
"Easy, easy. You'll be the one suffering afterward." Knowing he was in the wrong, Shen Xingshuo stood there indulgently, pinching the flesh on Shen Yu's arm as he remarked on it.
"You're too skinny, like a little kitten. Your belly puffs up as soon as you eat something." Shen Xingshuo "casually" showed off his arm muscles, his tone rather punchable. "I worked out for these."
"Hmph, you sure did. Three of you together still couldn't catch him." Having taken his revenge, Shen Yu wore a sullen expression and spitefully dredged up Shen Xingshuo's embarrassing past.
"Wait, how do you know everything?" Shen Xingshuo narrowed his eyes at Shen Yu, feeling that the little guy had done something remarkable behind his back.
"Hehe, our eldest brother told me everything." Shen Yu proudly puffed out his chest and smugly waved his phone in front of Shen Xingshuo. "We chat every day."
"Holy crap!" Looking at "Dearest big brother" at the top of the contact list, Shen Xingshuo angrily cursed his sneakiness inwardly.
Ever since their youngest brother had damaged his brain in a fall, the bond between the brothers had grown weaker and weaker. During this stretch when Shen Yu had finally returned to normal, everyone had been busy looking for their two biological younger brothers.
Shen Xingshuo had wanted to use the talent competition to strengthen their brotherly bond, but he hadn't expected their eldest brother to have already made his move, even claiming the title of "Dearest big brother."
"Don't I treat you well?" Shen Xingshuo demanded "fiercely," his face full of hurt at being treated differently.
"What do you think?" Shen Yu, who had been on the receiving end of his jabs, planted his hands on his hips and fearlessly shot the question back.
Please. He was no longer Shen Yu, the timid little poor kid who had just arrived home. He was now Shen Niohuru Yu, doted on by his parents, older brothers, and younger brothers all at once.
The proud little boy patted his pocket, revealing a corner of the little notebook used to record the restaurant bill. Even the usually easygoing Shen Xingshuo laughed in exasperation.
"Shen Xiaoyu, that's about all you amount to." Tapping his little brother's head, Shen Xingshuo shook his head with a smile, then told him to wait while he went to buy milk tea.
As the Shen Family's most rebellious kid, Shen Xingshuo had never cared about so-called "rules." Whether at a noisy street-food stall or an elegant drinking gathering, Second Young Master Shen could always handle everything with ease.
While waiting for the milk tea to be made, Shen Xingshuo worried that his little brother would be abducted from the roadside, so he frowned and went to bring Shen Yu over.
"You could've just called me, and I would've come over." Though Shen Yu didn't understand why his second brother had gone back and forth, he still skipped along happily. Walking side by side always made him inexplicably happy.
"Mm-hmm." Shen Xingshuo said nothing else. He knew Shen Yu liked lively surroundings, and the lonely little figure by the roadside just now had suddenly reminded him of the hardships the little guy had endured over the years.
"Wow, wow, so many kinds." Shen Yu leaned his head against the menu display, astonished that the milk tea shop had so many varieties, each cup with a lovely name.
"No matter how many there are, you can only have one today." Shen Xingshuo vigorously ruffled Shen Yu's hair, then, unable to bear the slight disappointment in his little brother's eyes, instinctively promised, "I'll buy you more another time."
The older and younger brothers leaned against the counter. The older one's freewheeling air carried an elder brother's steadiness, while the younger one bounced around, looking like a pampered little magpie.
"You brothers are so close." The girl at the milk tea shop thoughtfully inserted the straws, her tone carrying genuine envy.
"Thank you." Shen Xingshuo politely took the milk tea, his lips curling at her words. "Wishing you a thriving business."
Shen Yu also turned his head to follow his example, his childish voice carrying a hint of shyness. "Thank you, miss."
"You're welcome." With two handsome guys smiling at her, even the young woman who spent all day grumbling about her job couldn't help smiling, wishing she could give them extra toppings.
The hotel was very close to the talent competition venue. The production team had even booked an entire floor specifically for investors and guest mentors to rest.
Thinking of Chu Yao, who was staying in the same hotel, Shen Yu could only pout and refuse his second brother's offer to escort him personally.
"He doesn't seem right in the head. Don't let him fool you." Shen Xingshuo felt that, although they were both university students and he had yet to get involved in the Shen Family's affairs, he had still been forced to grow up by his older brother.
But Chu Yao was excessively simple-minded. In other words, he had been spoiled into being far too naive and self-centered. He had never suffered hardship and didn't know how to be considerate of others.
Shen Yu nodded in agreement, fully endorsing the first half of his second brother's statement. But being fooled was impossible; Chu Yao's brain wasn't even as good as his own.
As he waved goodbye, Shen Yu sucked hard on his milk tea. Only after making sure not a single drop remained did he return to his room at ease.
Strangely, Chu Yao, who always liked to sit in the living room yammering away, wasn't there.
After taking his little brother back to the hotel, Shen Xingshuo didn't return straight to the dormitory. Instead, he found a café and quietly sorted through the predictions and reality.
In Shen Yu's inner thoughts, Qiao Luo and Chu Yao were the protagonists, while he had been turned into cannon fodder for some unknown reason, leading to the downfall of the Shen Family as well.
In reality, Qiao Luo did seem to have something of a protagonist's halo, but he wasn't as overbearing as imagined. Although Chu Yao was brainless, he hadn't reached the point of casually harming others.
Then how did I end up as cannon fodder?
And why did Yang Yi harbor so much malice toward me? Was he simply annoyed by me and Qiao Luo, or did his dislike of Qiao Luo drag me into becoming cannon fodder?
Growing more irritated the more he thought, Shen Xingshuo downed his coffee in one gulp. Grimacing at the bitterness, he was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice from the neighboring booth. Qiao Luo's tone was restrained and calm, with an undercurrent of sadness.
"I study music. Choosing to debut is only natural."
"Why work so hard? I'm going traveling with my classmates. Come with me." Chu Yao enthusiastically discussed his plans. "My dad gave me a really generous budget."
"No, I have my own plans." Qiao Luo seemed unwilling to speak to Chu Yao, yet was still considering his feelings. "Go back first. I'll come find you if I have time."
Rejected time and again, Chu Yao seemed somewhat shocked by how cold Qiao Luo was and had no chance to argue for a moment.
Seeing that he had been held up for a long time and remembering the training session early the next morning, Qiao Luo offered the dejected Chu Yao a few words of comfort, then hurried away.
Shen Xingshuo sat awkwardly in his seat, marveling that Qiao Luo could lose his temper too while agonizing over when to leave.
Just as Qiao Luo had said, there was training early the next morning, and he was eager to leave too. But if he left now and ran into Chu Yao, wouldn't Chu Yao think he had deliberately been lying in wait?
In the neighboring booth, Chu Yao acted as though he had been dumped, asking the server for more coffee and somehow drinking it with the air of someone knocking back liquor.
Watching Chu Yao get more worked up the more he drank, even reaching out to ask for a third cup of coffee, Shen Xingshuo couldn't take it anymore.
To hell with awkwardness! If I keep waiting, I'll be spending the night in this café.
He abruptly stood up and walked past without hesitation, only for Chu Yao to grab him.
Chu Yao cried like a complete fool, tears streaming down his face. "Bro, I've been dumped."