At dinnertime, Shen Shuangjian finally turned his phone back on.
He did not check how many calls from unknown numbers his phone had received over the past hour, nor did he want to see how many texts Xie Qingchi had sent him.
At five thirty, Shen Shuangjian went downstairs for dinner right on time. He had not eaten a single bite all day, and now his stomach had begun to ache faintly.
So if he waited nearly another hour before eating a dinner that had already gone slightly cold...
Shen Shuangjian thought that if that happened, he would probably end up in the hospital again.
"Young Master Shen."
When Shen Shuangjian reached the dining room, Shen Sixian, who had just returned from the office, was already seated at the head of the table.
Perhaps all the servants working for the Shen Family were adept at reading the room. They seemed to know who truly held an exalted position in the family.
That was why, whenever Shen Sixian was present, they never addressed Shen Shuangjian as the younger young master, instead concealing the distinction behind "Young Master Shen."
"Brother."
Out of courtesy, Shen Shuangjian still greeted Shen Sixian as he sat down, rather than behaving like him and adopting an air of indifference at all times.
Shen Sixian had been reading his assistant's work report on his phone. Had Shen Shuangjian not sat down and addressed him as his brother, it probably would not even have occurred to him that Shen Shuangjian might come downstairs to eat.
Shen Sixian lifted his eyelids, his gaze settling on Shen Shuangjian, who sat to his left.
He must have just bathed not long ago. His long, silky hair was still slightly damp, and his pure white loungewear was made of a very soft fabric, which somehow lent its wearer a little more softness and delicate vulnerability as well.
And so Shen Sixian gave a mild "Mm," which barely counted as a response.
Since their parents had passed away, Shen Sixian had rarely seen Shen Shuangjian at the dining table, as though he were deliberately avoiding him.
Thinking it over, Shen Sixian had not shared a dining table with Shen Shuangjian in a very long time.
Today was truly unusual. On top of that, the internet was now full of comments about Shen Shuangjian's appearance, with those photos and videos spreading like wildfire. Even if Shen Sixian had wanted to ignore them, it would have been difficult.
So, for once, Shen Sixian gave him a few more looks.
In just two short days, his face had sparked such heated discussion online. Shen Shuangjian was indeed so beautiful that he hardly seemed to belong in the mortal world.
But compared with his otherworldly, cool detachment on camera, Shen Shuangjian at home felt a little more real than he did outside.
When he ate, he always chewed each mouthful for a long time, slowly and carefully, as though afraid of choking. Yet chewing so much was tiring, which only made him eat even more slowly.
Long hair could sometimes be inconvenient, too. Whenever a wayward lock slipped over his shoulder, he would purse his lips fussily and gather it back.
He also seemed to be a very picky eater. He would not eat anything too hard or troublesome, nor anything too oily or strongly flavored.
Over the course of the meal, Shen Sixian barely saw him help himself to any dishes, as though the Shen Family were treating him poorly.
"There's a lot of discussion online now about you being a child of the Shen Family."
Halfway through the meal, Shen Sixian suddenly spoke. No pleasure or anger could be heard in his tone, and it was even harder to discern what he meant.
The spoon made a faint sound as it fell back into the bowl. Shen Shuangjian's long lashes trembled, and he instinctively looked up at Shen Sixian.
Shen Sixian had always shunned the subject of their father's infidelity, and of how he had even had a child with another woman.
Who in the capital's elite circles did not know that Shen Sixian never spoke of this younger half-brother, and had never publicly acknowledged their relationship?
"You should never have gone out and put yourself on display."
Shen Sixian set down his long chopsticks, picked up the napkin beside him, and casually pressed it to his lips.
Going out to put himself on display, letting people judge and insult him, then coming home looking so pitiful-as though his older brother were dead.
"..."
What little appetite Shen Shuangjian had vanished in an instant. He set down his utensils and casually answered with the truth.
"I've already joined. I can't pull out halfway."
If Shen Shuangjian had a choice, he would withdraw from the show without hesitation and stay far away from Xie Qingchi, who had no sense of boundaries and was overbearing and domineering.
But there were still many episodes left to record. Filming could not possibly be finished in less than a few months, and today he had thoroughly offended Xie Qingchi.
He feared Xie Qingchi would only go further with him next time.
"Why can't you?"
Shen Sixian frowned slightly. His gaze had remained on Shen Shuangjian's face, so naturally he did not miss those little movements as he frowned and pressed his lips together.
He could also see that, whatever Shen Shuangjian had thought of, even his eyes had dimmed, faintly revealing a worried timidity.
"If I pull out halfway, I'll have to pay three million in damages for breach of contract."
Before Shen Shuangjian spoke, Shen Sixian had guessed at what he might say. Perhaps it would be an evasive lie because of Xie Qingchi, or perhaps the truth that he was attached to being the center of attention.
But he had never imagined that Shen Shuangjian's reason would be so absurd.
Clear bewilderment touched Shen Sixian's features. If Shen Shuangjian had not said this to him today, he probably would never have imagined in his lifetime that someone around him would trap himself over a mere three million.
"Just because of three million?"
The Shen Family was an established family with a century of history. Even if Shen Shuangjian's mother had come into the picture improperly, he was still a child their father had brought home and acknowledged as his own flesh and blood.
Shen Sixian's brow furrowed slightly, and even his voice unconsciously grew a little cold and hard.
"If it's only because of three million, you should have asked me, rather than putting yourself on display outside for everyone to judge."
Because of Xie Qingchi's presence, Shen Shuangjian had, in fact, wavered a little.
With Shen Sixian's wealth and power, that three million might truly be a drop in the bucket to him. Even if it fell on the ground, he might not deign to bend down and pick it up.
But in Shen Shuangjian's heart, he was not his true older brother. So he would not ask, much less have Shen Sixian put up three million to help pay his breach-of-contract damages.
"Brother, there's no need."
Shen Shuangjian shook his head and braced both hands against the tabletop to rise. Before his chair had moved very far, a trace of impatience came over Shen Sixian, who had been sitting upright.
He seized Shen Shuangjian's wrist and pulled him back into place with a measure of force.
"It's only three million. Why are you forcing yourself to hold on?"
Shen Sixian had merely been unable to understand Shen Shuangjian's behavior, and was even more displeased that he had still chosen to evade him after he had made his position clear.
But he had no idea how frail Shen Shuangjian's sickly body was, nor had he expected him to be so wholly unprepared and so slow to react.
As Shen Shuangjian was pulled back, his forearm struck the edge of the dining table hard. When such fair, delicate, lustrous flesh took a blow, it naturally had to pitifully take on a little color to express its displeasure.
"Ngh-"
A faint whimper of pain escaped Shen Shuangjian's throat, and the intense physical pain also made the rims of his eyes involuntarily flush a faint red.
His long hair fell across the dining table and Shen Sixian's forearm, his body forced to lean forward. Even his eyes widened slightly in astonishment, holding bewildered wariness and timid resistance.