ALCSRB Chapter 44

The relationship between the two returned to how it had been before. Jiang Mingyi once again became clingy with Shen Xingyan.

Su Wanxin nudged Shen Jili, who was scrolling through news on his phone.

“Do you think those two brothers are even more glued together than before?”

Shen Jili was still focused on his phone and took a few seconds to react.

“Honey, what did you just say?”

Su Wanxin gave him a sidelong glance, and when she saw he was still looking down, she snatched his phone away and turned his head toward the side lounge where the two brothers were doing who-knows-what.

“Uh…”

Shen Jili stiffened his neck, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.

“How can you call yourself a father if you don’t even bother to check on your two sons?” Su Wanxin pinched his arm in exasperation.

Shen Jili endured the pain and whispered, “Isn’t that what I have you for, honey?”

“They’re not just my sons.”

“That’s true.” Shen Jili nodded seriously.

“Then what do you need me to do?”

“I need you to clear something up for me.” Su Wanxin looked at his adorably clueless face and sighed, realizing it was pointless to give him any important task. “Do you remember how our younger son was so down the other day? He wouldn’t say a word, just sat alone in the living room until late at night.”

Shen Jili immediately recalled, “Of course! No matter how I tried to comfort him, he wouldn’t listen. I was so worried.”

“…”

Su Wanxin really wanted to say, Worried? That night you got into bed and slept like a dog. You didn’t even look his way once.

“I was worried they might’ve had a fight or something,” she continued, “but then Ah-Yi came back and told me… he’s in love with someone.”

“What?!” Shen Jili shouted in shock, loud enough to shake the roof.

Jiang Mingyi peeked his head out from the side hall in his slippers, looking confused toward the living room. “Mom, what’s wrong with Dad?”

Su Wanxin quickly covered Shen Jili’s mouth and gave her younger son a warm smile. “Nothing, your dad was just overreacting to something he saw on the news. Did we disturb you?”

“Oh, no.” Jiang Mingyi glanced at his dad, who was now winking at him, and added, “But Dad’s getting on in years—maybe he should avoid watching too much dramatic news. It might raise his blood pressure.”

“My sweet boy, always so thoughtful,” Su Wanxin said as she let go of Shen Jili.

As soon as he was free, Shen Jili was about to pout when Su Wanxin pinched a bit of skin on his back.

He instantly straightened his posture. “Such a good son. I’m so proud.”

Jiang Mingyi, praised twice in a row, gave a shy smile and withdrew back into the side hall.

Once he was gone, Shen Jili slumped over again, his handsome mature face filled with a pitiful expression. “Honey, that pinch really hurts.”

“No way, I was being gentle.”

“But it really hurt.” Shen Jili reached back and grabbed the hand she had resting on his knee, guiding it toward his back. “Rub it for me, honey. If you don’t, I’ll die from the pain.”

Su Wanxin blushed at his childish tone, her elegant face tinged with pink. She glanced toward the side hall and nudged him with her shoulder. “You’re too old to be acting like this. What if the boys see us? How embarrassing.”

“They won’t,” Shen Jili leaned in quickly. “And even if they do, all they’ll feel is envy.”

“Envy?”

“Envy that I have a wife who spoils me—and they don’t.”

…

Jiang Mingyi returned to the table, still holding a puzzle piece. He glanced at the table, which was covered with scattered puzzle pieces, and a wave of frustration welled up inside him.

“Ge…”

He called out softly.

Shen Xingyan was working on his laptop and, without lifting his head, asked, “What happened to Dad just now?”

“Dad’s fine,” Jiang Mingyi scooted over to his side, “but I have a problem.”

Shen Xingyan paused his typing and looked up. The younger boy was pouting, his clear eyes now filled with helplessness and a hint of complaint.

Following his gaze to the table, he saw the puzzle pieces still scattered around. “You couldn’t figure it out?”

“Mm.” Jiang Mingyi nodded. “The puzzle you bought is way too hard—it has 888 pieces! No normal person could finish that.”

Shen Xingyan sighed lightly and poked his puffed-up cheek with his index finger, saying with some helplessness, “You insisted on having it, so I bought it.”

“But I wanted to do it with you.”

Otherwise, why would he willingly suffer through it?

Jiang Mingyi continued to scold him, “But look at you—you’re buried in work and won’t even help me. How am I supposed to finish this alone?”

“It’s a day off today, and even Dad is watching TV and chatting with Mom. But you only have eyes for your work, not for me.”

He struck a pose that practically screamed “Baby is mad and needs cuddling,” puffing his cheeks and glaring angrily at his older brother.

Shen Xingyan chuckled, “Dad and Mom are husband and wife…”

But before he could finish, Jiang Mingyi cut in, “And we’re brothers—why can’t we do stuff together?”

On the surface, the words seemed perfectly innocent, but to Shen Xingyan, they carried an inexplicable undertone that made his heart skip a beat.

Jiang Mingyi was still waiting for a response when he noticed his brother momentarily spacing out. He waved a hand in front of his eyes.

But just as he started to wave, a larger hand reached out and caught his.

“…?” Jiang Mingyi frowned, confused as he stared at him.

Why did his brother seem a little… off?

Shen Xingyan suppressed the flutter in his chest and said in a calm voice, “Alright, I’ll help you with the puzzle now.”

Jiang Mingyi instantly beamed. “Yay!”

The laptop was put away, and the wide table was now covered in puzzle pieces—so scattered and disjointed, it was impossible to tell what the image was supposed to be.

Jiang Mingyi studied the picture guide for a long time until his bright eyes started to blur. “This really is hard.”

Why did he have to be so dumb and pick such a complicated puzzle? If even Shen Xingyan couldn’t figure it out, wouldn’t that make him look bad?

He started thinking of ways to comfort his brother in case he failed.

“Ge, you’re the best.”

“It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s the puzzle that’s too unreasonable.”

“888 pieces is just too much. No normal person could finish that in one afternoon.”

“We can work on it over several days. I’ll help you.”

Jiang Mingyi thought up a whole bunch of comforting phrases, but felt they all sounded too shallow. He had to come up with something better.

Just when he finally thought of the perfect line to cheer Shen Xingyan up, he looked down—and realized that the puzzle he had only just started had already formed a visible outline.

“No way, that fast?”

He blinked and stared at the puzzle, only to see Shen Xingyan holding a few small pieces, comparing them briefly before placing them into the puzzle with hardly any hesitation.

Three hours later, the scattered pieces on the table had all vanished, replaced by a nearly completed puzzle.

He stared at Shen Xingyan’s hands—long and elegant fingers—picking up one piece after another and fitting them into place, gradually filling in the empty spaces, revealing more and more of the complete image before his eyes.

By the time they finished, a strong sense of accomplishment filled him with pride.

“Ge, you’re amazing! The most, most, most incredible person I’ve ever seen!”

Jiang Mingyi gave him a big thumbs-up, sincerely praising him, his beautiful face glowing with a radiant smile.

Shen Xingyan was briefly stunned by that smile, then looked away. “Now that the puzzle’s done, you don’t need to obsess over it anymore.”

Jiang Mingyi admired the finished picture. “I’m not obsessed with the puzzle anymore—now I’m obsessed with your brain and hands, ge.”

“If I had your brain and hands, beating 888 would be no problem.”

Hmph, it’s not that 888 is too strong—it’s just that nothing can beat his ge.

Excited, he suddenly grabbed Shen Xingyan’s left hand, which was resting on the table, and pressed it against his own cheek before Shen Xingyan could react.

“I can’t see your brain, so I’ll just steal some luck from your hands.”

The rough texture of the palm brushed against his delicate cheek, making it a bit itchy. Jiang Mingyi giggled, “Ge, why are your hands kind of rough? It tickles when you touch me.”

Shen Xingyan’s dark eyes dimmed, and he instantly pulled his hand back. “If it tickles, don’t touch.”

But the softness of the boy’s skin still lingered in his palm—smooth and silky, an amazing sensation.

“Don’t be like that.” Jiang Mingyi pouted. “I don’t mind, ge.”

He reached out, wanting to grab his hand again, but Shen Xingyan tucked it behind his back and said in a low voice, “Don’t mess around.”

“I’m not messing around!” Jiang Mingyi protested immediately, his eyes swirling with mischief. “If you won’t let me touch your hand, I’ll just touch something else.”

As he said that, he lunged straight at Shen Xingyan.

Shen Xingyan instinctively raised his arm and caught him in an embrace. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Mingyi wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed his warm head against him.

At that moment, if anyone else were to walk into the side hall, they’d definitely be shocked by the scene before them.

Shen Xingyan’s heart pounded—this cheek-to-cheek closeness was far too intimate, too ambiguous. Especially with Jiang Mingyi’s face flushed slightly from excitement, it was subtly alluring and all too easy to be misunderstood.

At least, every time the other got this close, he couldn’t help but think—if only they were lovers right now, how wonderful that would be.

If that were the case, he could press the boy into his arms, kiss him freely, caress him, and make him show even more tempting, captivating expressions.

But in the boy’s pure and clear eyes, there wasn’t a trace of the same hidden feelings he had. That made Shen Xingyan’s heart flutter, yet he had to restrain himself.

“Xiao Yi.”

His deep voice sounded by the boy’s ear. Jiang Mingyi gave a soft “mm” in response through his nose.

“You’re sitting on my leg,” Shen Xingyan said after holding back for a while, finally pulling him off and drawing his legs together.

Jiang Mingyi froze, then lowered his head a bit sheepishly. “Sorry, ge. Let me massage it for you.”

Just as he reached out, his wrist was swiftly caught by another hand.

Shen Xingyan turned slightly to the side, a slight furrow between his brows. He reined in the agitation in his body and replied calmly, “No need.”

“Alright then.”

—

Before dinner, Shen Xingyan had to step out to handle something urgent.

Only three people remained at the dining table.

Jiang Mingyi was happily eating, even picking up pieces of sweet and sour ribs for Su Wanxin and Shen Jili.

“Dad, Mom, this is really good—you two should have more.”

Su Wanxin took a bite and, seeing how cheerful he looked, casually asked, “So you and your brother spent the whole afternoon working on the puzzle?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Mingyi nodded. “Ge is amazing. I only did a few dozen pieces in an hour, and he finished the whole thing in three. It’s almost superhuman.”

Seeing the surprised looks on Su Wanxin and Shen Jili’s faces, he quickly added, “Like a superhero—nothing can stump him.”

“Your brother really is something,” Su Wanxin agreed, then subtly shifted the topic. “But he’s been a little troubled lately. I think he’s trying to sort something out, and I’m a bit worried.”

Jiang Mingyi looked up in confusion, and Su Wanxin continued, “Xiao Yi, you’re close to your brother—why don’t you help Mom ask? Your brother said he likes someone. You should ask who it is, maybe we can…”

Clang!

The bowl in his hand slammed onto the table, cutting off Su Wanxin mid-sentence.

“Mom, say that again? Who said they liked someone?”

Jiang Mingyi felt like he’d eaten too much—his brain was foggy. He must have misheard.