Twirling the ring between his fingers, Xie Jinghui's eyes held a hint of pleasure. He slowly rose and said gently, "Given our relationship, this is no trouble at all."
Xie Jinghui naturally didn't want to linger any longer. He estimated the time; if he didn't leave soon, he feared he might run into Shen Sixian.
After all, the Shen Family also owns private airlines.
" Shuangjian, Huijian."
Shen Sixian returned a little later than usual. When he changed his coat and walked into the dining room, Shen Shuangjian was already sitting at the table, eating small bites.
Shen Shuangjian always liked to chew his food very slowly and thoroughly before swallowing. When Shen Sixian came in, he had just put the food in his mouth.
So, out of politeness, Shen Shuangjian was forced to speed up her swallowing and spoke softly a few seconds later.
"Brother."
These two seemingly casual words once again stung Shen Sixian, who had been lost in thought all night.
He avoided eye contact, not wanting to speak, but having no choice but to respond, Xie Jinghui became the perfect excuse.
"Did Xie Jinghui today?"
Shen Sixian was dissatisfied, but the dissatisfaction was chaotic, incoherent, and inexplicable. However, if he had to pinpoint the cause, it would be the three words he wrote extensively, " Shen Shuangjian."
He admitted that he was bothered by Shen Shuangjian's words yesterday. The phrase "we don't necessarily have to be family" had stirred up a lot of emotions in him, but he himself was able to call him "brother" calmly and naturally the next day as if nothing had happened.
He was also bothered by Xie Jinghui's trespassing into his home with ill intentions, and how Xie Jinghui, out of his sight, dressed up and acted like a peacock in front of his younger brother.
He didn't mind scrutinizing Xie Jinghui with the dirtiest and most cynical eyes, because he had too many and too complicated grievances, all secretly piled up together, making him unable to breathe properly, yet with nowhere to vent them.
"Um."
To him, Shen Shuangjian's nonchalant tone became the fuse that ignited the conflict.
"What's he doing here?" Shen Sixian's face turned cold, his tone carrying a hint of hostility and displeasure. He turned to the maid serving the dishes and questioned, "Who let him in? Did they get my permission?"
The maid who was serving the food didn't usually handle these matters, but she happened to know, so she nervously replied, "They said they were looking for the young master, so we let them in."
"..."
Shen Sixian suppressed his displeasure and asked Shen Shuangjian in as calm a tone as possible, "What does he want with you?"
Shen Shuangjian hear the change in his tone, but she still didn't know why Shen Sixian was angry every day. Compared to the indifference she remembered, he was even more unpredictable.
Shen Shuangjian hesitated for a moment before saying, "The show is being filmed in the Northwest tomorrow, and he said the airport is too crowded, so he wants me to travel with him on a private jet..."
Before the last syllable could even finish, Shen Sixian suddenly raised his voice to interrupt.
"You don't have a private airline, right?"
Shen Shuangjian Shen Shuangjian startled by his suddenly increased volume. Her eyes widened slightly, revealing a hint of hesitation, confusion, and timid resistance...
Shen Sixian suddenly stopped. He put down his cutlery with a light touch, unable to lower his proud head, yet also unable to let go of the slight pity that had arisen within him.
What should he do with Shen Shuangjian...?
"Fine, do whatever you want."
Shen Sixian gently rubbed his forehead, his gaze lowered to the silver cutlery, the gleaming light reflecting into his dark, deep eyes.
Just as Shen Shuangjian said, they didn't necessarily have to be family. If he didn't want her as his older brother, why should she shamelessly fawn over him like a dog?
Shen Shuangjian she didn't want him to interfere, so she let him ignore it.
The next morning at nine o'clock sharp, a servant pushed Shen Shuangjian's two suitcases and followed him toward the courtyard.
Shen Sixian had already gone to the company. When Xie Jinghui pick up Shen Shuangjian, besides countless servants, only Shen Shuangjian remained in the Shen Residence.
"I'll do it."
Xie Jinghui personally drove to pick up Shen Shuangjian this time. He took the suitcase from the middle-aged maid and put it in the trunk himself.
"Young Master."
Xie Jinghui opened the passenger door, preparing to welcome Shen Shuangjian get in, when suddenly the nearly fifty-year-old butler came running out from the entrance hall.
"Young master, you should take this suitcase with you too. The master instructed someone to prepare it last night. It's a trip to the desert, so it's always better to be prepared than not."
This jet-black suitcase was larger than both of the suitcases Shen Shuangjian had brought, and judging from how difficult she was to lift it, it was quite heavy.
Last night, while Shen Shuangjian asleep, it was gradually filled by the servants who stayed up Shen Sixian. Over the course of several hours, it contained all the speculations in Shen Sixian's mind, who did not understand Shen Shuangjian.
"Leave it in the car." Xie Jinghui didn't reach out to take it. He gently pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses and closed the passenger door. "It's almost time; we should leave."
The plane took off from the Xie Family's private airport, flew directly to the northwest, and landed very close to the meeting point set by the production team.
Shen Shuangjian had never actually flown before, but because he had memories of flying, he felt comfortable accepting Xie Jinghui's invitation.
Because there is no direct high-speed rail from Capital to the Northwest, and driving would take several days, it was really difficult for Shen Shuangjian, who was physically weak and could not withstand the hardship.
Shen Shuangjian's heart condition was not in a high-risk state; the long-term medication had stabilized his body, allowing him to withstand the air pressure during takeoff.
Even so, the body's resistance and misbehavior caused Shen Shuangjian to curl up uncontrollably, her face pale, and she gripped the hand Xie Jinghui offered from beside her.
Before takeoff, Shen Shuangjian took medication to stabilize her heart and prevent motion sickness, while Xie Jinghui's plane was also equipped with a private medical team.
" Shuangjian, Shuangjian?"
Xie Jinghui frowned deeply. He half-embraced Shen Shuangjian's back, lowered his head to Shen Shuangjian's ear, and whispered repeatedly.
"I... I'm fine."
Shen Shuangjian nervously gripped Xie Jinghui's hand, and it took him a long time to realize he wanted to let go.
The plane suddenly lurched for a moment, barely noticeable, but it was extremely noticeable to the tense Shen Shuangjian.
Mr. Xie...
Shen Shuangjian frowned and looked up uneasily, but Xie Jinghui was too close, so Xie Jinghui's cool lips gently brushed against Shen Shuangjian's ear.
Warm breaths mingled with the slightly cool fragrance, and Xie Jinghui subconsciously startled. At this moment, his reaction to physical touch was even more pronounced than Shen Shuangjian's.
I feel a little... unwell...
Shen Shuangjian's eyes trembled slightly. He couldn't tell whether it was the anxiety and tension that were causing this, or whether his fragile heart had truly exceeded its capacity.
He could only weakly hold Xie Jinghui's hand until the other... gripped it back with equal force.