Chapter 16

Once Shen Yi handed the initiative over to him, Fu Cheng became unsure instead. "Then why don't we do it your way? I think your idea is... is pretty good too."

"We can buy this online," Shen Yi said. "Do you like big ones?"

Fu Cheng murmured a quiet "Mm," his voice shy. "The big ones look nicer, I think."

The description "shy" was the product of the person eavesdropping outside automatically processing what he heard in his head.

"Then take a look at mine..."

Seeing that the conversation was about to take a steamy turn, Fu Yuhe could bear it no longer. He pushed open the door, his voice low. "Fu Cheng."

The open door revealed two boys by the desk, one standing and one sitting, their heads close together as they looked at the phone in Shen Yi's hand. It was not the scene Fu Yuhe had imagined.

The bed was perfectly neat, with no sign that anyone had touched it.

"Brother!" Fu Cheng cried out, a flash of panic appearing on his face.

Fu Yuhe stood by the door, watching the two of them without showing any emotion. The fleeting panic on Fu Cheng's face did not escape his notice.

Shen Yi casually put a hand on Fu Cheng's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Fu Cheng turned his head to glance at his profile.

Shen Yi sat on the edge of the desk, one foot touching the floor and the other dangling in the air, swinging it leisurely. "Brother Fu, you're back."

Fu Yuhe said only, "I heard voices in the room-it's so late. Aren't you going home?"

"I'll go in a bit," Shen Yi volunteered. "Fu Cheng and I were just talking about going to the amusement park to see the fireworks in November. Fu Cheng was worried you wouldn't agree, and that you'd be angry if he went behind your back and you found out."

It was unclear whether Fu Yuhe believed him.

Shen Yi waved his phone again. There was a promotional photo of fireworks on the screen. His lips curved up, revealing small white teeth, one on the left slightly sharper than the others, giving him a mischievous look. "You can buy tickets online-what did you think it was, Brother Fu?"

Fu Yuhe said, "...Nothing."

A mature man's mind was having some trouble keeping up with these youngsters in the prime of their youth. Was his mind really in the gutter?

His attention was drawn to Shen Yi just then, or he would certainly have noticed that something was off about Fu Cheng's expression.

Fu Cheng was surprised that Shen Yi had come up with an excuse so quickly, and one that sounded quite reasonable at that.

"As long as you didn't misunderstand, Brother Fu. Going out with friends isn't a bad thing, is it?" Shen Yi's smile was harmless.

Fu Yuhe said, "It isn't."

"Good-then it's settled, Fu Cheng. We'll go together that day. I told you Brother Fu wouldn't be angry," Shen Yi said.

Bewildered by Shen Yi's string of maneuvers, Fu Cheng said, "Ah... oh, okay."

Shen Yi jumped down from the desk. "I won't stay any longer. If I leave any later, there won't be any rides left. I'm off."

"I'll see you out," Fu Cheng hurriedly said.

"The driver is still downstairs," Fu Yuhe said. "I'll have him take you."

"Then... I'll take you up on that. Thanks, Brother Fu." Shen Yi cheerfully accepted. The way he said "Brother Fu" was like honey laced with poison, sweetly tempting someone to take a bite before they realized they'd been tricked.

At least, that was how it sounded to Fu Yuhe.

When a disguise seeped into everyday life and became a habit, it was no longer a disguise. That was Shen Yi's true nature: he was a contradiction, both sunny and wicked, an angel on the outside and a devil within. He was like a... sesame-filled tangyuan: bite through the soft, chewy white skin, and there was black filling inside.

He would never be fooled by Shen Yi's facade.

Fu Yuhe watched them leave, then closed his eyes and frowned. He turned and went to the study.

Leaving aside whether Shen Yi's words were true, Fu Yuhe's act of pushing through the door today was at odds with his usual composure. Shen Yi always managed to do things that felt like provocations to him.

Perhaps it wasn't the things he was reacting to, but the person.

Shen Yi made him impulsive.

That was a grave mistake for Fu Yuhe. Whoever lost his composure first was more likely to be the loser. Still, the speed at which Fu Cheng and Shen Yi had grown closer had taken him by surprise.

Fu Yuhe had been looking at a document for quite a while when he remembered that he had originally planned to return to his room and take a shower first. Irritated, he undid the top two buttons of his shirt, his collarbones intermittently visible under the light.

Knock, knock, knock...

A knock sounded at the door.

At this hour, there was only one person who would come knocking on his door.

Fu Yuhe said, "Come in."

The door was gently pushed open, and a head peeked in from outside. It was Fu Cheng.

"Brother," Fu Cheng said. He turned to close the door, then walked to the other side of the desk.

Fu Cheng rarely came to Fu Yuhe's study, much less when Fu Yuhe was in it.

Although the brothers depended on each other, their relationship mostly followed a pattern of Fu Yuhe disciplining Fu Cheng and Fu Cheng obeying him most of the time.

Fu Yuhe had been busy before, and he was busy now. Back then, he had been busy protecting the family assets with threats on all sides, studying at university and starting a business. Now that his career had taken off, he was still busy with work.

Neither of them was good at expressing his feelings. Although Fu Cheng respected and loved his older brother and looked up to him, and Fu Yuhe cared about his younger brother, there was still some distance between them as family.

Fu Yuhe was naturally aware that Fu Cheng both respected and feared him. His younger brother had never been particularly bold.

"What is it?" Fu Yuhe asked.

Fu Cheng hesitated for a few moments, but said what was on his mind in the end. "Brother, do you... dislike Shen Yi?"

"No," Fu Yuhe said mildly.

Fu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Brother, Shen Yi is actually... a really good person. You'll see that someday."