ALCSRB Chapter 13

It felt like a long time had passed.
But in reality, it was just a few seconds.
A fleeting, momentary instant.

The warmth behind him faded.
His skin felt slightly warm—he didn’t know if it was from the boy’s breath or the pain from the wound.

That strange, inexplicable feeling was like an illusion—confusing and hard to grasp.

The room suddenly quieted, with only the uneven sound of their breathing filling the space.

Jiang Mingyi pursed his lips.
He felt a bit embarrassed about what he had just done. Seeing Shen Xingyan remain silent, he hesitated for a moment and explained,
“You used to do that for me every time, to help with the pain.”

After saying that, he grew even more self-conscious. His gaze drifted away, not daring to meet Shen Xingyan’s eyes.

Shen Xingyan’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.
He slowly exhaled, and his tensed body gradually relaxed.

“I know,” Shen Xingyan said softly.
“When you were little, you were terrified of pain. Every time you got hurt, you’d cry nonstop. That was the only way I could calm you down.”

That tiny, soft little Jiang Mingyi was the softest part of his heart.

That was his adorable little brother.

Perhaps recalling those childhood memories, a faint smile rose in Shen Xingyan’s dark eyes.

“Now you’ve grown up. You can help your big brother with the pain.”

Jiang Mingyi seemed dazed for a moment upon hearing him talk about their childhood.

“Actually…” he looked back at the man’s bare back, his gaze sweeping over the injured shoulder,
“I knew you were lying to me.”

Pain couldn’t be taken away by such a childish method.
What stopped the pain was the compassion and love the other person gave him.

When the heart is warmed, any physical pain can be endured.

Shen Xingyan paused for a moment, then let out a low chuckle.

“So that means you were lying to me just now too?” he asked, his voice tinged with laughter, making the boy blush.

“I… I was just copying you,” Jiang Mingyi bit the inside of his cheek, his big, pretty peach blossom eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the “culprit.”

Shen Xingyan suppressed his smile, and to avoid making the boy jump in frustration, he gave in and apologized.
“Alright, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

But immediately, he heard a dissatisfied voice from behind,
“That didn’t sound sincere at all—totally perfunctory.”

Shen Xingyan felt a bit helpless, but thankfully, the boy didn’t keep dwelling on the topic.

The bottle of medicated oil had been held for a while and had grown slightly warm. It was Jiang Mingyi’s first time applying medicine for someone else, and he fumbled a bit as he opened the cap.

The strong medicinal smell hit him immediately, and he instinctively furrowed his brows.

Seeing that there was no movement behind him for a while, Shen Xingyan had to ask,
“Do you even know how to apply it?”

“I’ve seen Aunt Wang do it before, so I sort of know,”
Jiang Mingyi answered truthfully. After all, he was the one who offered to help. Backing out now wasn’t an option.

He poured some of the red flower oil onto his hand, recalled how Aunt Wang had done it, rubbed it between his palms to warm it up, then pressed it onto Shen Xingyan’s shoulder.

“Do you feel the heat?”

In that instant, Shen Xingyan regretted agreeing to let him help.

“You have to rub the medicine in. Right now I can only feel the warmth of your palm.”

“Huh? Oh!”

The boy, clearly lacking in technique, paused for a second and then began pressing and rubbing harder.

After a few seconds, he was scolded again,
“Put more strength into it!”

By the time he finished, Jiang Mingyi found that applying the medicine was more exhausting than today’s exam.
He stood there panting, and when he saw how comfortable the man looked, he felt a bit irritated.

“Next time, just have Aunt Wang do it,”
Jiang Mingyi said, tossing the bottle of oil into Shen Xingyan’s lap with disdain. It was tiring, and it smelled strong—definitely not for him.

Watching him shake his hands and walk into the bathroom, Shen Xingyan followed behind and said,
“My dear little brother, your words just now froze the heart you had just warmed up.”

In the mirror, the man’s face reflected with a teasing smile.
Jiang Mingyi paused as he turned on the tap.

Splash—cold water flowed out.

Jiang Mingyi quickly collected himself and let the cold water wash over his hands.
“At least I warmed you up. You can’t say I didn’t.”

Shen Xingyan hadn’t expected such a comeback, and now it was his turn to freeze.

Moments later, laughter rang out in the bathroom.

After washing his hands and turning off the faucet, Jiang Mingyi turned to look at the man leaning against the door, still chuckling.

He tilted his head, brows scrunched up, confused at what was so funny.

“No wonder you’re my brother,” Shen Xingyan said, still amused.
“You’re good at calculating value. But…”
He changed his tone,
“This injury was for my beloved little brother. Don’t you think it deserves a few more rounds of warming?”

“…”

Jiang Mingyi thought this guy was seriously annoying. Not wearing a shirt and purposely showing off the injured shoulder—just to make him feel guilty.

Fine. He did feel guilty.

His gaze lingered on the shoulder covered in medicated oil for a few seconds before he reluctantly said,
“Then I’ll help you apply the medicine again tomorrow.”

Shen Xingyan smiled, satisfied.
“Thanks for your hard work, little brother.”

As they were leaving the bathroom, Shen Xingyan reminded him,
“We both smell like medicated oil. Going downstairs like this—doesn’t it seem a bit like we’re admitting something?”

Jiang Mingyi froze in his tracks.

Oh right—he had promised not to tell their parents about Shen Xingyan’s injury.

And they couldn’t possibly wash off the freshly applied medicine now, could they?!

“What should we do then?” A small wrinkle formed between his brows.

Shen Xingyan glanced at the soft black hair covering his little brother’s head and said with a smile,
“I wonder if my dear little brother could make a small sacrifice for his big brother?”

Jiang Mingyi shivered at his smile—it gave him the distinct feeling of Little Red Riding Hood being stared down by the Big Bad Wolf.

---

At dinner, the two of them came downstairs.

As they approached, Su Wanxin suddenly sniffed the air and said,
“Xiao Yi, why do you smell like Red Flower Oil?”
Not only did her younger son smell like it, but her older son did too.

Su Wanxin’s suspicious gaze bounced between the two of them.

Jiang Mingyi pursed his lips and snuck a glance at Shen Xingyan, looking exactly like someone with a guilty conscience.

Shen Xingyan had to hold back his laughter, curling his lips as he explained,
“Just now, Xiao Yi helped me with something, and accidentally bumped his head. I rubbed some Red Flower Oil on the bump for him.”

“What? How could the child be so careless? He just hit his head yesterday, and now again today? It’s not the same spot, is it?”
Su Wanxin gasped in worry and came over, wanting to part his hair to see where he was hurt.

Jiang Mingyi quickly hid behind Shen Xingyan, silently mourning his poor head.
This was all Shen Xingyan’s fault.

“Mom, don’t look. It’s not the same spot.”

“Even if it’s not the same spot, it’s still the head,” Su Wanxin said worriedly.
“Maybe we should go to the hospital for a check?”

Just then, Shen Jili walked over and heard the tail end of the conversation.
“What happened?”
He also smelled the strong scent of Red Flower Oil.

“Xiao Yi hit his head again,” Su Wanxin told him.

Jiang Mingyi: “…”
That word “again” was unnecessarily accurate.

He glared at Shen Xingyan furiously. Shen Xingyan, sensing the grudge in his gaze, quickly stepped in to soothe the situation.

“No need for the hospital. Just have Auntie Wang make some walnut milk to nourish his brain. We don’t want it to affect his exams these next few days.”
What a caring big brother he was.

Su Wanxin thought it was a good idea and immediately told Auntie Wang to start making it.

Shen Jili added from the side, “Walnut milk is good. Very nourishing.”

Jiang Mingyi ground his teeth. I don’t need to nourish my brain.

Auntie Wang, already making walnut milk, asked,
“How about fish porridge for breakfast tomorrow? Fish is brain food too.”

Su Wanxin and Shen Jili both agreed,
“Yes, make more brain-boosting meals in the next few days.”

Auntie Wang responded cheerfully, “Got it!” and headed back to the kitchen.

Jiang Mingyi rolled his eyes speechlessly. If he didn’t do well on this exam, it’d be a waste of all this “brain nourishment.”

At the dinner table, a cup of warm walnut milk was placed beside Jiang Mingyi’s left hand. The light aroma of walnuts lingered in the air.

Under the concerned gazes of the whole family, Jiang Mingyi took a small sip.

“I’ll save it for after the meal. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll be too full to eat.”

The three pairs of eyes finally shifted away and began eating.

Jiang Mingyi let out a soft breath of relief and nudged his foot under the table toward Shen Xingyan.

Shen Xingyan’s hand trembled as he was picking up some food, and the piece fell onto the table.

Shen Jili and Su Wanxin both looked over, as if silently saying: You’re a grown man and still can’t pick up food properly?

From the corner of his eye, Shen Xingyan saw Jiang Mingyi with his head down, trying hard not to laugh. He put down his chopsticks and let out a soft sigh.
“Maybe I rubbed Xiao Yi’s head too hard earlier. My hand feels a bit weak now.”

Two gazes immediately landed back on Jiang Mingyi’s head.

What!!!
What are you saying???
It was me who rubbed your head, not the other way around!

The smile on Jiang Mingyi’s face instantly froze. He was left completely speechless.

He stared blankly at the man. His hand, hovering mid-air, didn’t know whether to go forward or back—until he finally picked up a slice of stir-fried bitter melon.

“My brother, have some vegetables.”

The bright green bitter melon was dropped into Shen Xingyan’s bowl.

Shen Xingyan’s brow twitched, almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Mingyi looked at him with a wide, innocent smile.
“You wouldn’t dislike the food your little brother gave you, right?”

Thanks to the original novel, he was probably the only one who knew the secret that Shen Xingyan hated bitter melon.

Seeing Shen Xingyan still hadn’t touched his chopsticks, Jiang Mingyi felt a small sense of triumph.

Serves you right!

Shen Jili and Su Wanxin both looked at their eldest son again. Their eyes seemed to silently urge him: Hurry up and eat it—don’t let your little brother’s kindness go to waste.

Shen Xingyan raised his hand, picked up the bitter melon slice, put it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

Jiang Mingyi watched him smugly—only to see that Shen Xingyan’s expression didn’t change at all. He even seemed to enjoy it. Instantly, Jiang felt a bit disappointed.

Shen Xingyan saw the disappointment in his eyes and smiled.
“Thank you, Xiao Yi, for being so thoughtful.”

Jiang Mingyi let out a dry laugh and continued to serve him more bitter melon slices.

Before long, the whole bowl of stir-fried bitter melon had made its way into Shen Xingyan’s stomach.

Shen Xingyan put down his chopsticks.
“Aunt Wang, bring me a glass of water.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll do it!”

Su Wanxin looked at her younger son, eagerly going to pour water, and said to Shen Xingyan,
“Look how sweet your little brother is.”

Jiang Mingyi walked into the kitchen with the glass and asked Aunt Wang which one was the blue bottle.

Aunt Wang pointed at one of the seasonings.
“What are you doing, young master?”

Jiang Mingyi put his finger to his lips. “Shhh.”

After pouring the water, Jiang Mingyi returned and placed the cup in front of Shen Xingyan. His beautiful peach blossom eyes blinked cutely.

“Brother, your water.”

His overly eager appearance made Shen Xingyan pause as he reached for the cup, sensing something was off. He took a light sip.

Jiang Mingyi observed his expression carefully.
“How does it taste?”

Shen Xingyan put down the cup, smiling with an unreadable expression.

“Water poured by Xiao Yi… has a very special flavor.”