HCILH CH. 110

Chapter 110: Good Brother

Hou Mo sat at his desk in his room, pouting as he held a pen between his lips and nose, looking at the message from Sang Xian.

Sang Xian: “Is it expensive?”

Financial Blessings: “Is this thing considered expensive in your eyes?”

Sang Xian: “I think Sui Houyu probably doesn’t lack this kind of thing.”

Financial Blessings: “It’s not about lacking or not, it’s about the thought behind it. After all, it’s the first birthday I spent with him, and it’s also his coming-of-age ceremony.”

Sang Xian: “Alright, I understand. I’ll help you order it.”

Sui Houyu’s birthday is on April 5th.

Today is February 16th, and there’s still a month and a half before Sui Houyu’s birthday, but Hou Mo has already started preparing.

He takes his coming-of-age ceremony very seriously.

Hou Mo put down the pen and transferred money to Sang Xian using his phone.

Then, he opened his computer to look up movement mechanism modifications, and after that, he took the blueprints to discuss with his mother, working on how to modify these things.

As a tech-savvy woman, these little things were like assembling toys to her. After giving Hou Mo ideas on the modifications, she asked: “Aren’t you going to accompany Little Yu today?”

“I was just kicked out.” Hou Mo sat dejectedly on the living room sofa, looking around aimlessly. Then, he reached out to peel some dried fruit and eat. “His art teacher left him homework, asking him to finish a drawing today. Da Ge and I were both kicked out because we were disturbing him while he was drawing.”

“Little Yu draws quite well?”

“He’s okay… I don’t really get it, but when I looked earlier, it was all just color blocks, looking like mashed potatoes that had been flattened with a shovel. It was a waste of paint too. He opened a new box of paint, and after drawing for a day, the light colors mixed with black, green, and blue, all turning into a mess. I felt bad watching it, so I helped him scrape it out little by little, but he complained that I was in the way.”

“When are you going to go back?”

“Maybe later. Don’t want to upset him if he can’t finish his drawing and gets mad at me.” Hou Mo lifted the blueprints and kept looking.

After a while, he looked at the clock. Twenty minutes later, he still couldn’t sit still. He put the blueprints away in his room’s desk drawer and left with new bed linens and a duvet cover.

Mother Hou kept watching, relieved only after the door closed, then she went back to her room with Da Ge.

Sitting down, Mother Hou took a stack of documents from the drawer, opened the desk lamp, and carefully checked them. She casually grabbed her laptop, logged in, and began organizing the PPT with one hand.

Before she got sick, she was a strong woman.

Later, when her health declined, she found opportunities to work. Working at the guesthouse also helped her recover, as she couldn’t sit still and liked to tidy up the house.

Eventually, she became an accountant for a business, gradually building some connections.

Now, she still wanted to make a comeback but was afraid Hou Mo would worry, so she could only do it secretly.

*

Hou Mo entered Sui Houyu’s guesthouse and immediately raised the items in his hands, signaling: “I’m here to change the bed sheets.”

Sui Houyu sat at his easel, watching Hou Mo walk past him and head to the bed to change the sheets.

He continued drawing. After a while, he saw Hou Mo go to boil some water, then enter the kitchen to fiddle with the Chinese medicine Coach Wang had sent over.

He had been drinking the medicine for three days, and each time he smelled it, he felt nauseous. Drinking it was even worse, making him uncomfortable for at least five minutes, unable to speak a word.

The worst part was the lingering aftertaste that could come back up.

He also couldn’t eat sweets, only drinking plain water to alleviate the taste in his mouth.

Soon, the smell of the Chinese medicine wafted from the kitchen, and Sui Houyu suddenly couldn’t continue drawing.

Just as he was sulking, Hou Mo came out of the kitchen and placed some cut fruit beside him.

He looked up at Hou Mo, who also glanced at him, his hands covered in paint, then used a fork to pick up a piece of fruit and feed it to him.

Hou Mo asked: “Can you finish a painting in one night?”

“If we follow the art exam schedule, I could finish a painting within the required time. But I’m just doing this as a hobby, not taking the exam…”

Hou Mo leaned in to look at the drawing Sui Houyu had done, and he could already see the outline forming.

Then, Hou Mo sat at an angle opposite Sui Houyu and said: “I really think you’re amazing. Look at you—you can take the sports exam and the art exam, in both dance and painting. And the best part is, your academic grades are also great, so you could take the regular college entrance exam with no problem. You’re basically an all-rounder, a monster at exams.”

Sui Houyu thought about it for a moment and suddenly felt that it was quite impressive, so he raised an eyebrow and said: “Your Brother Yu is multi-talented.”

“Right, I’ve hit the jackpot. You’re handsome, cute, smart, strong—perfect boyfriend material.”

Sui Houyu, who had been charmed into a smile, suddenly saw Hou Mo stand up to bring over the Chinese medicine, and he quickly stopped smiling.

Hou Mo continued to flatter him: “Drink it all in one go, and then drink some water. If you really can’t handle it, have some fruit. It’ll only take a moment.”

Reluctantly, Sui Houyu picked up the bowl with the Chinese medicine and drank it all in one go.

Hou Mo had already brought over a glass of cooled boiled water, ready to pass it to him. After taking the water, Sui Houyu didn’t drink it immediately. Instead, he placed it aside and suddenly threw himself into Hou Mo’s arms, cupping his face and kissing him fiercely.

Hou Mo, who had always been unable to refuse him, instinctively tried to push him away this time.

But Sui Houyu didn’t let him, and they kissed for thirty seconds, lips and tongues entwining before they pulled apart. Sui Houyu hastily drank some water, while Hou Mo quickly ate a few pieces of fruit.

Afterward, Hou Mo sat in the chair, catching his breath, muttering: “This really is eye-wateringly bitter.”

“Hmph, serves you right for making sarcastic comments.” Sui Houyu returned to the easel and resumed drawing.

Hou Mo, helpless, said: “If I could drink it with you, I would, but I can’t. I’m already almost 150 pounds. If I gain more, I’ll crush you.”

Sui Houyu glanced at him, and Hou Mo quickly shut up, remembering that they hadn’t yet reached an agreement on their seating arrangement.

“Well…” Sui Houyu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Don’t go overboard. I heard Ran Shu hasn’t left his bed all day…”

“Oh…” Hou Mo didn’t respond at first, then suddenly laughed, excitedly walking over to him. Seeing the pile of paint and the brush-cleaning cup, he didn’t dare make too much noise, so he just squatted beside him and asked, “What made you change your mind?”

“I just didn’t want to give you five minutes of happiness.” Sui Houyu picked up the brush to continue painting, but he could feel the presence of the person next to him, making him restless. If this were a comic, there would definitely be flowers blooming behind Hou Mo at this moment, all incredibly gorgeous.

Sui Houyu’s ears turned red, but he stubbornly kept his serious demeanor.

When Sui Houyu finished the painting, he respectfully moved the easel to the side. After cleaning up the painting tools, his body was swept into the bathroom by Hou Mo.

He came to his senses, his shirt already off.

This guy had become addicted to taking showers together.

Fortunately, tonight, Hou Mo allowed him to wear his underwear to bed.

Lying in bed, Sui Houyu set an alarm on his phone, while Hou Mo chattered beside him: “What should I call you from now on? Baby? YuYu? Does YuYu mean baby? Or maybe obedient wife?”

“If you dare call me that, I’ll make you wait until after the Spring Festival.”

Hou Mo finally quieted down.

Just as Sui Houyu was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard Hou Mo’s excited voice: “I’ve thought of it!”

The loud voice startled him, and for a moment, all sleepiness vanished. It turned out he was still thinking about it.

He muttered an “Mm,” but didn’t respond further.

“I’ll call you ‘Good Brother’ from now on!”

Sui Houyu’s expression instantly resembled an old man on the subway checking his phone. He asked, “What is that? How does being in a relationship feel like we’re swearing an oath together? Why don’t we just buy three peaches tomorrow and find a place to make it official?”

“Don’t you think this nickname is special?”

“I don’t think so!”

Hou Mo smiled for a while, leaned over, and hugged him, softly asking in his ear: “Good brother, would you like me to help you?”

When he changed his tone, the three words “good brother” suddenly became ambiguous, and the soft whisper near his ear filled him with warmth, making his ears tingle as if they were charged with static, his body covered in goosebumps.

In the still night, Hou Mo’s voice sounded particularly pleasant, full of youthful energy, teasing him.

He felt Hou Mo’s movements and heard him say once more near his ear: “Good brother, don’t fall asleep.”

He could only bury his face in Hou Mo’s embrace, and just as he was about to drift into sleep, Hou Mo leaned in and bit his ear, making him shiver and snap back awake.

In the end, it was a kiss on his forehead.

*

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, on the way to the training school with Sui Houyu, he kept receiving calls from Ran Shu.

In a hurry when leaving, he hadn’t brought his earphones, and after holding up the phone for so long, his arm was sore by the time he ended the call, leaning back in the chair with a sigh.

Hou Mo could only hear the conversation intermittently and couldn’t help but ask: “What’s wrong?”

“Ran Shu and Sang Xian had an argument.”

“It’s normal for them to argue, they usually fight a lot, don’t worry.” Then, he tapped his fingertip against his, “What was this argument about?”

“Sang Xian has two dogs at home, one Border Collie and one Alaskan Malamute. Ran Shu got into a fight with the Malamute. Sang Xian didn’t separate them and even laughed, which made Ran Shu very angry. He wants to break up with Sang Xian.”

After hearing this, Hou Mo laughed: “Sang Xian’s Alaskan Malamute is really naughty, just like a husky, playful but not vicious. I bet the dog was just playing with him, but he got really mad. Doesn’t he think, if the Malamute actually fought him, would he be able to win? He can’t even beat a poodle.”

Sui Houyu admitted: “Sometimes, Ran Shu can be…a bit dramatic.”

“Focus on your class first, we’ll talk about other things later.”

After arriving at school, Sui Houyu took off his jacket, handed the things he had brought to Hou Mo, and sat at the easel to prepare for class.

He respectfully fixed his work from yesterday on the easel, planning to see it one last time before it was inevitably changed beyond recognition by Teacher Du.

There was one more person sitting on the bench beside Hou Mo today—the boyfriend of Teacher Du.

At first, the two didn’t speak, but after a while of waiting, they began talking in low voices.

They spoke awkwardly at first, for example, discussing Hou Mo’s talent in tennis, while the man practiced Taekwondo. They also talked about how they were about the same height.

In the end, they didn’t even know each other’s surnames.

After class, Sui Houyu walked over to Hou Mo’s side, took his phone from his jacket pocket, and quickly tapped the screen to call Ran Shu.

He was still a bit worried since this was Ran Shu’s first relationship, and he didn’t want things to end badly, leaving bad memories.

Ran Shu answered the phone with a raspier voice than last time and said in a low voice: “Hello… Brother Yu.”

Sui Houyu already had an idea of what had happened, so he only responded: “Alright, I understand. Rest well.”

“Mm, I’ll sleep for a while.” Ran Shu hung up after answering.

Hou Mo raised his phone and showed Sui Houyu the messages: “I asked, and this is what Sang Xian said.”

Sui Houyu took Hou Mo’s phone and looked at the message from Sang Xian: “I suspect he’s been practicing rap at my place.”

Sang Xian: “Why is he so good at cursing? He made my ears go numb.”

Sui Houyu didn’t want to get involved. He was worried, but the two of them were probably passionately in love now.

He then took Hou Mo upstairs to the dance studio. Passing by a room, he suddenly paused and said: “Do you want me to wear a Hanfu for you?”

“Yes!” Hou Mo thought about it, and he nearly drooled.

“I have a performance costume here, custom-made during the last show. I haven’t picked it up yet. I won’t wear the wig though, it’s uncomfortable.”

Sui Houyu took him to the changing room, opened his small locker, and took out the Hanfu.

The Hanfu wasn’t the most traditional, but a style from the Jin period, with a cross-collar, wide sleeves, and delicate embroidery.

As Sui Houyu was putting it on, he explained: “Everyone else’s costumes are silver-gray with misty blue, but since I’m the lead, they forced me to wear a dark red one. I actually prefer the misty blue, so I bought one for myself, but the delivery took six months and still hasn’t arrived.”

“Mm, I know you like blue and green.”

While waiting for Sui Houyu to finish changing, Hou Mo stared at his own flaxen hair in the mirror and suddenly pointed at it: “I want to dye it green.”

Sui Houyu glanced back at him: “Are you out of your mind?”

“You like it.”

“I like marinated eggs. Are you going to shave it? While you’re at it, why not pickle yourself too?”

“…”

“You’re insane…” Sui Houyu swore under his breath.

Once Sui Houyu finished getting dressed and adjusted his sleeves, he came over, wearing the softest clothes but with the fiercest expression. He shook his fist at Hou Mo and teased: “What are you always thinking? If you touch a hair, I’ll punch you.”

Hou Mo stepped back a little, nodding repeatedly, while observing Sui Houyu in his Hanfu, approving: “It looks good.”

Sui Houyu’s appearance was delicate, seemingly made for traditional Chinese clothing. His face carried the refined elegance of an ancient nobleman.

Hou Mo asked, following him: “Have you ever tried straightening your hair?”

He was suddenly curious about how Sui Houyu would look with straight hair.

Sui Houyu shook his head: “No, straightening takes a long time, and I can’t sit still.”

After a moment, he recalled a bad memory: “Once during a dance performance, we were all supposed to have dreadlocks. I let my hair grow a bit during the summer for it, but the stylist was so annoyed that he said he didn’t even want the money.”

Hou Mo laughed for a long time before calming down.

They finally made it to the main dance studio, which was brighter than the other one.

Hou Mo sat in front of the mirror, holding the things they brought, waiting for Sui Houyu to begin.

Sui Houyu, after searching for a while, found the accompaniment music.

This time, Sui Houyu chose a traditional Chinese song, one with movements from Chinese dance.

Chinese dance incorporates aspects of ballet training and even techniques from traditional opera and martial arts, focusing on the beauty of the body. Movements are often long and flowing, particularly in spins, requiring a sense of extension.

Hou Mo watched Sui Houyu’s dance moves, unable to resist tugging at his sleeve—his body… is so flexible!

He was practically drooling.

After finishing the dance, Sui Houyu squatted in front of him, looking like a nobleman on one knee, his robes fluttering with a touch of celestial elegance.

Hou Mo stared at him and said: “You dance beautifully!”

“What should we eat for lunch?” Sui Houyu, aware that he looked good dancing, shifted the focus to food.

The celestial aura faded instantly.

Hou Mo leaned in and whispered: “I want to eat good brother…”

“Oh, so you still used your hand last night, but today you want to use your mouth?”

Hou Mo took a moment to realize that Sui Houyu had made a suggestive comment, and then laughed and nodded: “Sure, I’ll try it next time.”

Sui Houyu instinctively covered his mouth, embarrassed even though he was the one who started it.

Hou Mo removed Sui Houyu’s hand, then pressed his hand to the back of Sui Houyu’s head and leaned in to kiss him on the lips.

Just as they were about to get lost in the moment, the door suddenly opened, and they quickly pulled away.

During the Spring Festival, the school was mostly empty, with only art students coming in for their classes before leaving.

Among all the students, only Sui Houyu felt like the school was his second home, freely entering and exiting classrooms. So, it was a surprise when someone suddenly came in and caught them off guard.

When he saw who it was, Sui Houyu’s eyes went wide.

It was Yang Xiangyu.

His heart skipped a beat.

He knew that Yang Xiangyu would go crazy, shouting at him and definitely wouldn’t accept that he had a boyfriend.

“Sui Houyu!” Yang Xiangyu suddenly screamed, “You’re shameless, you’re a disgusting gay, and you even slandered your uncle Xu. How can you be so vile?!”

She pointed at Hou Mo and continued: “Look at the kind of boyfriend you’ve found—vulgar, young, and dyed hair. He doesn’t look like a decent person.”

Hou Mo noticed that Sui Houyu’s expression dropped visibly and quickly, and he seemed ready to explode.

If this mother and son start arguing, it would definitely have the impact of Mars colliding with Earth.

He quickly stood up and said: “Hello, Auntie, I am An Nanxi.”

“I don’t care who you are!” Yang Xiangyu yelled at Hou Mo. After yelling, she suddenly seemed to remember something and muttered, “The name sounds familiar.”

He reminded her: “I’m the son of Uncle Sui’s comrade-in-arms. I practiced piano with Yu Ge.”

Yang Xiangyu remembered then. She had seen Hou Mo a few times and had thought he was a mixed-race child.

What she clearly remembered was Hou Mo’s father, a very heroic man, who was especially gentle with his son. This made her feel that the contrast between Sui Lin and Hou Mo’s father was too strong. Although they were comrades, Sui Lin and Hou Mo’s father were worlds apart.

The contrast was so striking that it left a deep impression.

While Yang Xiangyu was in a daze, Hou Mo pointed at his hair: “My hair color has been like this since I was little. It’s not dyed.”

Then he smiled at Yang Xiangyu, smiling like an angel. His smile was pure and untainted, and he seemed completely unafraid of her yelling.

Yang Xiangyu had planned to scold him, but her words got stuck.

Hou Mo continued to smile: “We haven’t seen each other for a long time. We really should talk properly. This isn’t the right place. Let’s find somewhere else.”

“Talk properly with you? You and my son…” Yang Xiangyu pointed at Sui Houyu and was about to scold him, but Hou Mo interrupted her.

“Well, I’m his boyfriend. We’ll all be one family from now on!”

“Who’s going to be your family?!”

Hou Mo quickly comforted Yang Xiangyu: “Alright, alright, Auntie, don’t be angry. You won’t look pretty when you’re mad.”

Hou Mo knew that the training school had a soundproof room, which was usually used for discussions with new students. When inside, passing students couldn’t hear about the new offers.

He knew about it because Sui Houyu had once pointed at the room and said to him: “In there, no matter how much you scream, no one will come to your rescue.”

He was actually quite excited and had replied: “Oh, I really like that!”

Yang Xiangyu, originally trembling with anger, was coaxed and tricked by Hou Mo into the soundproof room. Now, no matter how loudly she screamed, no one would gather around to watch.

Sui Houyu, initially very worried, suddenly found the scene amusing as he watched Hou Mo push his mother into the soundproof room. It seemed like Hou Mo was born with a knack for getting on people’s good side.

Once inside, Hou Mo let Yang Xiangyu sit down first and even poured her a glass of water.

“I’m not drinking!” She directly refused.

“You should drink a little. Otherwise, if we talk later, it might make you angry.”

Her mood immediately became more intense as she questioned: “What, you really think you’re something? If I get angry, I’ll make sure you two break up!”

Hou Mo reached out and pulled Sui Houyu to sit beside him. Once they were seated, they exchanged a glance, seemingly not afraid at all.

Then, Hou Mo looked at Yang Xiangyu calmly and replied indifferently: “I’ve heard about the situation between you and my boyfriend. I believe he won’t listen to you and break up with me because your relationship with him is quite ordinary. Also, given the way you treated him in the past, I don’t think I’ll respect your opinion about our relationship. You can’t separate us, so let’s just have a calm chat, shall we?”

Important notes from the author:

Chinese dance actually adopts some training systems from ballet, with certain movements also integrating classical Chinese opera and martial arts techniques, such as hand, eye, body, and foot techniques. It emphasizes bodily beauty, especially when turning, where the movements are long and extremely stretched, requiring a sense of extension.