Shen Shuangjian's thinking really was difficult to reconcile with Shen Sixian's. Often, he would even rather not see him, because he truly did not understand why Shen Sixian was unhappy every day.
For instance, when Shen Sixian asked whether he was not allowed to come, Shen Shuangjian naturally looked back at him and silently thought,
Were you supposed to come?
But Shen Sixian looked awful, and his temper was not particularly good either. Not wanting to argue with him, Shen Shuangjian merely furrowed his brows slightly, expressing his displeasure in his usual way.
To Shen Sixian, this way of resisting was like a sulking child in an ordinary family, keeping silent over dinner or answering their parents coldly. It was just as monotonous, just as utterly unintimidating.
Yet Shen Sixian could do nothing about him.
He rested a hand against his forehead and rubbed at the throbbing ache from a sleepless night. Relenting, he said, "Forget it."
"You're only filming this show for fifteen days anyway. Filming ends tomorrow, and I'll take you home with me then."
When Shen Shuangjian left home, he had already explained that filming for this installment would last fifteen days. Counting it all up, today was precisely the fourteenth day.
Tomorrow, once filming ended, everyone would begin leaving one after another. In any case, Shen Sixian had already made up his mind: once they got home, no matter what, he would not let Shen Shuangjian take part in the next installment.
"Will that do? Can you be good and go eat breakfast now, then come over here so I can get some rest without worrying?"
Shen Sixian probably could not bring himself to be stern anymore.
Whenever he was stern, Shen Shuangjian would lower his eyes and say nothing, keeping every grievance and thought inside. Then he would become a little turtle facing danger, refusing to poke his head out again no matter how much you called.
Shen Shuangjian had been drunk last night, and his head still felt unpleasantly foggy, so naturally he had little appetite.
He slowly and laboriously swallowed two mouthfuls of congee and drank some warm water, then could not eat another bite, no matter what.
Faced with this, the people in the dining room who had been doing their utmost to coax him into eating more had no choice but to give up.
Shen Sixian was still only pretending to sleep. He sat leaning back against the left side of the long sofa, only opening his eyes to look toward the dining table after Shen Shuangjian finished breakfast.
One cursory glance was enough to make him frown, because he noticed that these people always liked to move closer to Shen Shuangjian as they talked.
If they wanted to talk, they could talk. Why did they have to look at Shen Shuangjian's face? Why did they have to inch closer? Why did they have to feign concern and try to attend to his daily habits?
"Shen Shuangjian."
And so Shen Sixian, who could not bear to watch after a single glance, suddenly spoke up, patting the long stretch of empty sofa to his right.
"Come sit here."
He refused to believe that once Shen Shuangjian was beside him, this bunch would still dare court death by crowding around.
So, to keep Shen Sixian and his hair-trigger temper from flaring up again, Shen Shuangjian could only go sit over there. Shen Sixian was on the left, so he sat on the right.
"Why are you sitting so far away?"
Shen Sixian frowned slightly, seemingly displeased by the distance Shen Shuangjian kept as though he were some ferocious beast. He reached out, taking Shen Shuangjian by the waist and arm, and effortlessly drew him to his side.
He picked up the phone that had fallen into a corner of the sofa and slipped it into Shen Shuangjian's hand with perfect ease, stopping the little gesture of displeasure Shen Shuangjian was about to make.
"Behave yourself. Don't go anywhere."
And he certainly was not to exchange flirtatious looks or carry on secret affairs with this shady bunch right under his nose.
Shen Shuangjian: "..."
He lightly pressed his lips together, drawing up his knees and sinking into the soft cushions behind him.
[Hmm... if it's incest, though.]
[Fuck you, get out! Anyone shipping incest can fucking die!]
[Pant, pant, wifey is so well-behaved and weightless. It felt like Shen Sixian just lifted him over.]
[Waaah, those fluffy white lounge clothes are as soft as a kitten. He looks so cute curled up on the sofa with his head down, playing on his phone.]
[Where's my aloof, unattainable wifey? Why does he turn into a cutie kept under his big brother's thumb whenever he's around Shen Sixian?!!!]
[One word from his brother and he obediently went over. Even when they're arguing, he still has to listen to his brother, sob sob.]
[I'm not getting cute. All I'm getting is Shen Sixian's terror filling the screen. Someone hug him already, he's about to shatter.]
[A room full of delinquents, all wanting to get with his little brother. How could Shen Sixian not be terrified?]
[Shen Shuangjian: Big brother~ he's not some rotten brat. Once he tricks me into being his, I'll let him ride roughshod over you and manage the family business with me.]
[Shen Sixian: Believe me, he'll be a dead brat in a second.]
[Hahahahaha, every day Shen Sixian opens his eyes and sees the videos online, he feels like the sky is falling.]
[Oi, old geezer, I parked my souped-up scooter outside your villa. Where's your gorgeous little brother? Hurry up and let me take him out.]
[Yu Sheng: Who are you insulting?!]
[Yu Sheng is a delinquent who isn't even fully grown but drinks, goes clubbing, and flashes his abs. It's normal for our brother not to approve.]
[Yu Sheng has already reformed. He even wears pajamas to bed now.]
[Looking at it this way, Xie Jinghui seems a little better after all. Rich, mature, and good at looking after people. Plus, apparently he's been single since birth.]
[That's why they say older men know how to cherish someone.]
[Men turn ravenous at thirty. I'm not agreeing to this.]
[Never mind you, Shen Sixian doesn't agree either. If his beautiful little brother got together with Xie Jinghui, he really would be marrying an old geezer.]
[Xie Jinghui: Young geezer, I've parked my Maybach downstairs. I'm taking your beautiful little brother to my thirty-thousand-square-meter villa now, to tumble around in my three-hundred-square-meter bed. This is a notice, not a request.]
[Shen Sixian: Seeking a tutorial on making my little brother listen. Generous reward offered.]
Shen Shuangjian's head was already foggy, and there was little entertainment on his phone. After looking at it for barely a few minutes, he tiredly closed his eyes.
He tilted his head against a sofa cushion, but had barely dozed for a moment before he unwittingly tipped over onto Shen Sixian's shoulder.
Shen Sixian had only been resting with his eyes closed to begin with. The instant Shen Shuangjian leaned against him, he noticed and opened his eyes.
Most of Shen Shuangjian's lounge clothes were made from soft, fluffy fabrics in pale colors. On him, they made his skin look even fairer than snow. His cool aloofness faded, leaving only a softness that seemed it would shatter at a touch.
His brow relaxed, and he stretched his legs out flat. As he moved, Shen Shuangjian frowned and looked over in some bewilderment.
Meeting Shen Shuangjian's eyes, which seemed to shimmer with moisture in the sunlight, Shen Sixian suddenly felt a wave of tenderness well up inside.
He gently squeezed Shen Shuangjian's earlobe, making him instinctively shrink back. His low voice sounded, warm and gentle with a tranquil softness.
"Sleep with your head on my lap."
The spoken words "big brother" were the very proof that one could indulge one's whims.
Shen Shuangjian groggily closed his eyes and, following his curled-up posture, rested his head on Shen Sixian's lap.
Shen Shuangjian's long hair tangled around his fingertips, so Shen Sixian naturally rested his hand against the side of his neck and stroked it.
The movement was gentle, filled with boundless tenderness that he himself had yet to notice.