ALCSRB Chapter 14

After dinner, Jiang Mingyi obediently went back to his room to study.

He had two exams tomorrow, but since the key points had already been revealed in advance, reviewing wasn’t stressful for him.

Around 10 o’clock, Jiang Mingyi, who had been studying all night, finally stretched and got up, his nose twitching slightly.

“Why hasn’t the smell of the medicated oil (Honghua oil) gone away yet?”
He hadn’t noticed it while focused on studying, but now that he relaxed, the smell became quite unpleasant.

With no other choice, he went into the bathroom to take a shower, carefully washing his hair as well.

After drying his hair, the smell of the Honghua oil finally disappeared.

Jiang Mingyi flopped onto his bed, pulled out his phone, and was just about to ask Pei Shiqing to play a few rounds of a game when someone knocked on the door.

When he opened it, it was Shen Xingyan.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet at this hour?”

The two stood there, one inside the room and one at the doorway. Shen Xingyan noticed how energetic he looked and that he was holding his phone, where the login screen for a popular game could clearly be seen.

Jiang Mingyi glanced at his somewhat serious expression and muttered,
“It’s only eleven, that’s not late.”

“Xiao Yi,”
Shen Xingyan said,
“putting aside the fact that you have exams tomorrow, at your age, sleeping early still gives you room to grow.”

The first part didn’t affect Jiang Mingyi much, but the second part was clearly meant to tease him. Especially when Shen Xingyan’s gaze openly fell on him with a slightly disdainful look—clearly picking on his height.

Jiang Mingyi felt his fists clench involuntarily.

“I’m 178 cm. Not short.”

Shen Xingyan feigned surprise. “So you’re really not 180? I thought I was just tired and seeing things.”

He even annoyingly raised his hand to show the height difference between them.

“You’re half a head shorter than me. Looks like tomorrow we’ll need to ask Aunt Wang to prepare an extra glass of milk for you.”

Now it wasn’t just his fists that were tense—his teeth were grinding too. Jiang Mingyi glared at him, huffing.
“I drink milk every day.”

Shen Xingyan suddenly leaned in and sniffed.
“You didn’t drink it tonight.”

Jiang Mingyi: “…”
He drank walnut milk tonight and forgot about the regular milk.

“Wait here.”
Shen Xingyan turned and went downstairs.

Jiang Mingyi stood at the doorway, confused. Two minutes later, the other came back holding a glass of milk.

“Drink it and go to sleep early,” Shen Xingyan said as he handed it over, adding a reminder.

“You’re so annoying,”
Jiang Mingyi grumbled as he snatched the milk and slammed the door shut.

Whether it was the milk or Shen Xingyan’s words, after playing one round of the game, Jiang Mingyi’s eyelids started to droop.

[Jiang Mingyi]: Not playing anymore, I’m a bit sleepy.
He had a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, when Jiang Mingyi woke up, it wasn’t even 7 o’clock yet.

After washing up and going downstairs, he saw that Shen Jiyao and Shen Xingyan had already left early for the company.

While he was eating breakfast, Su Wanxin’s gaze kept drifting up to the top of his head.

“Mom, stop staring at me. If you keep looking, I’ll really start thinking I’m going bald.”
Jiang Mingyi felt like crawling under the dining table.

“Pfft, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Su Wanxin shot him a glance.
“My little Yi is so pretty and cute, how could he be going bald? I’m just worried about your head. Does it still hurt today?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. My brother gave me a really good massage last night.”
After saying that lie, Jiang Mingyi inwardly gagged at himself.

“I used to worry that you two brothers had grown distant over the years, but it looks like you’re getting along just fine now.”

Jiang Mingyi swallowed a mouthful of fish porridge. Holding the spoon, he absentmindedly poked at the bowl. The brightness in his eyes dimmed slightly.

“Mom, do you think I’m petty?”

Su Wanxin was briefly taken aback.
“Of course not. I know you actually care a lot about your brother.”

“When you were little, you loved clinging to him. You always went on and on about your big brother, following him around.” As she recalled the past, Su Wanxin’s face filled with nostalgia.
“Even though you two aren’t biological brothers, you were closer than most real siblings.”

“But he left me and went abroad…”
Jiang Mingyi’s voice dropped low, clearly still hung up on it even after all these years.

The person who once promised to stay by his side forever had still ended up leaving him one day.

Jiang Mingyi could still remember how hard he cried that day. But no matter how heartbroken he was, Shen Xingyan still left.

Seeing how sad he looked, Su Wanxin gave him a loving hug. “You were so young back then. Even if your brother had wanted to take you with him, your dad and I wouldn’t have agreed.”

After the driver dropped Jiang Mingyi off at school, he drove away.

Pei Shiqing got out of the car behind him. Seeing him walk with his head down, looking drained, he rushed over and bumped him on the shoulder.

“Mingyi, are you nervous about the test today?”

Jiang Mingyi looked up, his pretty, captivating peach blossom eyes locking intensely onto Shiqing’s, making him swallow nervously.

“W-what’s wrong?” Shiqing took a step back.

“Tell me… if your big brother left you and went abroad alone when you were a kid, what would you do?”

The two stood under a large phoenix tree. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on their bodies, forming a unique pattern.

The wind blew, brushing aside the fringe on Jiang Mingyi’s forehead, revealing his delicate features and the faint melancholy between his brows.

Pei Shiqing froze for a few seconds, then suddenly reacted like a firecracker, angrily saying, “I’d definitely be furious. So angry I wouldn’t even acknowledge him as my brother anymore!”

“You know, my parents aren’t as doting as Uncle Shen and Auntie Su are with you. Ever since I was little, it’s been my big brother taking care of me. If something like that really happened, I’d feel like the whole world abandoned me.”

Luckily, even though his brother was strict with him, he had never once left.

“I know you’ve always held a grudge about your brother going abroad back then. But my big brother told me… your brother didn’t have it easy either.”

Jiang Mingyi glared at him.
“Are you taking his side now?”

He had never really tried to find out what Shen Xingyan had been up to after going abroad. Occasionally, he’d hear bits and pieces about him from Shen Jili.

They were fragmented stories, but he never wanted to ask for more.

“It’s not like I didn’t want to tell you,” Pei Shiqing chuckled.
“It’s just that you never wanted to hear anything about him, so I held all this back.”

Jiang Mingyi curled his lips. “Then tell me now.”

“I just heard from my big brother that your brother went abroad to study when he was just eighteen. He was about our age, but not only was he good at studying, he was also really smart. He and a few friends started a business while still overseas—”

Pei Shiqing began to excitedly rattle off Shen Xingyan’s many achievements, practically worshipping him as he spoke. “Your brother is seriously amazing. In less than ten years, he built a business empire from scratch. He’d totally be the male lead in any novel.”

“Oh, really?”
Too bad the male lead isn’t me.

“Don’t be so cold.”
Pei Shiqing bumped him with his shoulder.
“Sometimes I’m actually jealous of you.”

Jiang Mingyi pulled his hand back, the corner of his eye arching up.
“Then let’s switch lives.”

“You’re always badmouthing your brother, but now you can’t let go?” Seeing him sulk, Pei Shiqing’s mood lightened a little.

Pei Shiqing pursed his lips, a faint blush appearing on his pale cheeks.

He said, “Still… I really like my big brother.”

It was getting late, and the two walked away from under the phoenix tree.

Just before entering the classroom, Jiang Mingyi stopped in his tracks.
“I’ve been mad at him for so many years. Should I forgive him?”

“You didn’t just stay mad—you avoided him for years too. Every time he came back, you’d run over to steal my bed.”

How many times had he been kicked out of his own bed? Sob sob.

“But I’ve been mad for so long… If I forgive him that easily, wouldn’t it make me look petty?”
Like I was mad all those years for nothing.

“Well, kind of.”

The two frowned in sync and fell into silence.

Other classmates were entering the classroom, shooting them odd looks, but no one dared to mess with the two young masters.

After a few minutes, Jiang Mingyi figured it out and clapped his hands.

His peach blossom eyes sparkled with clarity.
“I’m going to wait for Shen Xingyan to coax me.”

After the afternoon exam ended, students gradually started to leave.

Bai Yumo followed behind Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing, looking like he wanted to say something but was holding back.

Jiang Mingyi gave him a disdainful glare.
“Do you know why Lu Jingze is still lying in bed, unable to get up?”

Bai Yumo hadn’t expected that and stared blankly.
“Why?”

“Because he thought of me.” Jiang Mingyi said arrogantly. “And if you don’t disappear from my sight right now, I’ll let you experience how ‘amazing’ it feels to be stuck in bed too.”

Bai Yumo shrank his neck and quickly left.

Pei Shiqing looked a little amazed.
“Mingyi, you’re so gentle now. You used to throw punches before you even said a word.”

Cough cough. Jiang Mingyi cleared his throat.
“People change.”

They left the school building and walked toward the parking lot.

Before they could get close, they heard some students whispering.

Following their gazes, they saw a black luxury SUV parked nearby, and beside it stood a tall, upright man with a mature air.

The man wore dark gray suit pants that perfectly outlined the shape of his hips and legs, making his long legs appear straight and elegant. A crisp white shirt hugged his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the sleeves casually rolled up to reveal a well-shaped forearm.

He lifted his head slightly, his entire figure enveloped in the golden light of the setting sun. It made him irresistibly eye-catching while also exuding a holy, untouchable aura that made people only dare to watch from afar, not approach.

“That’s… your brother, right?” Pei Shiqing asked, his tone filled with uncertainty.

Jiang Mingyi nodded.

Everyone around was curious about the man’s identity, and then they saw Jiang Mingyi walk straight toward him. The man, who had been speaking sternly on the phone just moments ago, suddenly revealed a faint smile.

Jiang Mingyi thought of the decision he had made earlier today: as long as Shen Xingyan coaxed him, he would forgive him and allow him to be his brother again.

So, he walked up to the man, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Shen Xingyan.

Shen Xingyan ended the call and looked down slightly.
“Mom asked me to pick you up.”

As those words fell, the light in Jiang Mingyi’s eyes seemed to dim.

He frowned, unwilling to give up, and asked,
“If Mom hadn’t asked you to come, you wouldn’t have come?”

“Mm. Things at work were a bit busy today.”

The moment those words were spoken, someone kicked him hard in the shin, followed by an angry voice shouting—

“Shen Xingyan, you bastard!”