HCILH Ch. 74

Content Warning: Domestic ab*se is mentioned just briefly.

Chapter 74: Jealousy

Hou Mo walked up to Sui Houyu’s door, hesitated for a moment, and, in a particularly sly manner, didn’t bother knocking—he just opened the door and walked in.

This way, he could make it look like he and Sui Houyu were super close!

Though it wouldn’t cause any real trouble, it would make Little Daiyu realize he and Sui Houyu had a unique bond, somehow balancing things out in his mind.

But once inside, Sui Houyu barely looked up, asking: “Came empty-handed?”

“Huh?” Hou Mo was momentarily stunned.

“There’s no ingredients in my home!” Sui Houyu explained.

“Oh, then what do you want to eat? I’ll check at my place.”

Sui Houyu turned to Xu Youyi: “What would you like?”

“I’m okay with anything! I’ll eat whatever you guys plan on.” Xu Youyi replied politely, her tone cautious and gentle.

Hou Mo took a good look at Xu Youyi. She was soft-spoken and innocent-looking—someone you couldn’t easily find fault with. 

As a girlfriend, she’d probably be pretty ideal.

At that thought, Hou Mo felt another pang of discomfort.

Without waiting for a response, Sui Houyu said offhandedly: “Just make whatever you have at home.”

Hou Mo tugged on Sui Houyu’s sleeve, dragging him along: “Come up with me and pick something out yourself.”

Sui Houyu agreed and followed, slipping his shoes back on as they left.

Once outside, and just as the door shut, Hou Mo began muttering: “Sui Houyu, don’t push it too far. I’m cooking for you as a favor, and now you want me to cook for some girl I don’t even know?”

Sui Houyu was caught off guard by his scolding: “Just make a little extra; she doesn’t eat much. I’ll even pay you.”

“This isn’t about money! Why should I be serving her?”

“It’s not that…” Sui Houyu looked at Hou Mo. “Why are you suddenly in such a bad mood?”

“You just don’t play fair!”

If Hou Mo had outright refused, Sui Houyu wouldn’t have said a word. 

But now he agreed to do it and then scolded him without holding back. Can Sui Houyu tolerate it with his bad attitude?

After a long look, Sui Houyu finally said: “Fine, you don’t need to do it. I’ll just take her out to eat, so I don’t have to listen to your ranting.”

He turned to head back, but Hou Mo grabbed his arm: “Where are you going to eat?”

“I’ll go to that same restaurant, have my usual, and order something else for her.”

“Oh, so you’re even taking her out?”

“What’s the big deal if I take her out to eat?”

Hou Mo’s teeth ground together in irritation: “Once you bring her there, people will think she’s your girlfriend! In Xiangjia Alley, that’s basically like making it official!”

“I’m not from Xiangjia Alley. Why would I care about that?”

“Oh, so you know she doesn’t eat much. You two must have had meals together a lot, right? Eating her leftovers—that’s how you trained your appetite? Is she someone who’s been with you for years?”

“Yeah, she has been around longer than you.”

“She’s more important to you than I am? Isn’t Ren Shu enough for you?”

Sui Houyu looked utterly confused at Hou Mo, not getting his point: “Why are you comparing yourself to my little sister?”

“Your…what?” Hou Mo’s anger hit a sudden brake, his expression switching so abruptly it seemed awkward.

“She’s my stepsister. It’s a blended family; you know what that means?”

“…” Hou Mo fell silent, quickly processing the news and mentally retracing everything he had just said.

Sui Houyu gave Hou Mo an eye roll: “If you don’t want to cook, just say so. Why are you throwing a fit? I’ll send over all the past meal payments and add a labor fee. Will 200 per meal cover it?”

Hou Mo immediately blocked him, holding down his phone to stop him from transferring money, while steering him back upstairs to his place: “Why is ‘our sister’ here all of a sudden?”

His change of attitude was faster than flipping pages in a book.

“Our sister? Who’s your sister?” Sui Houyu picked up on the strangeness.

“Your sister is my sister! We’re partners, right? I should be looking out for her.”

“It’s none of your business. Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to cook?”

“Who said that? I love cooking!” After saying this, Hou Mo opened the door for both of them, walked to the fridge, and threw it open to show Sui Houyu: “What do you want to eat? What does our sister like? If it’s not enough, I’ll go downstairs and grab more. I know the market well—I’ll be there and back in a flash.”

Sui Houyu didn’t look at the fridge. Instead, he gave Hou Mo a once-over, feeling that something was off.

After hesitating, he asked: “Are you really willing to cook or just pretending? I don’t want to trouble you.”

“I’m really willing!” Hou Mo patted his chest in assurance and asked again: “So why did she come over?”

Sighing, Sui Houyu lowered his gaze and said: “Talking about it just annoys me. She’s staying at my place tonight, so I’ll come over to yours. I’ll tell you more tonight.”

“Alright. How about two dishes? I don’t want her to wait too long, so I’ll quickly whip up a cucumber salad as a cold side dish to make it three dishes,” Hou Mo said, grabbing ingredients and setting them on the counter.

“Mhm.” Sui Houyu waited beside him.

Seeing that Hou Mo intended to cook at his place, Sui Houyu pulled out his phone to message Xu Youyi, letting her know to wait a bit for them to return.

After putting down his phone, he glanced around.

Hou Mo’s home had an older decor, unlike his own place, which had a more modern feel. Hou Mo’s home was full of solid wood furniture and exuded warmth; it was meticulously tidy, showing that Hou Mo and his mother were people who valued cleanliness.

After taking a quick look around, he pulled over a chair to sit by the kitchen door: “Do you have any ointment here?”

“What kind of ointment?” Hou Mo asked as he chopped vegetables.

“A bruise ointment or something like that.”

“Did you get hurt in the escape room?” Hou Mo asked, coming over to check Sui Houyu’s arm.

Sui Houyu quickly pulled his arm back: “No, it’s for my sister.”

“Did she get bullied again?” He remembered Xu Youyi had been ostracized by some first-year students.

“My stepfather hits her.”

“Your stepfather hits people?” Hou Mo’s voice rose slightly, afraid that Sui Houyu might have been hit too.

Sui Houyu nodded, then explained: “It’s the first time he hit someone. He used a feather duster and hit her a few times before she ran away.”

“For what reason?”

“I’ll tell you tonight.”

Hou Mo stopped asking and went back to cooking.

When Hou Mo and Sui Houyu returned downstairs carrying the food container, Hou Mo’s attitude had suddenly changed, making Xu Youyi feel uncomfortable.

Hou Mo was now extra friendly; before, he had barely given her a glance when he came in, and now he was suddenly calling her “sister,” which startled Xu Youyi enough to hide behind Sui Houyu.

Sui Houyu explained: “He’s my doubles partner. We competed together recently.”

“Mhm, I heard you two even took second place, right?” Xu Youyi’s voice was soft as she smiled sweetly at Sui Houyu.

Hou Mo handed her chopsticks: “Yes, that’s right. If you ever need help and can’t find Sui Houyu, you can come to me too. I’m your big brother now.”

Sui Houyu cut in coldly: “All she’ll ask you is ‘where’s my brother?’ She won’t say a word more.”

Hou Mo, while placing food on Sui Houyu’s plate, asked: “Does Ren Shu get this same treatment?”

“Mhm.”

“Then I feel better.” Hou Mo was set on comparing himself to Ren Shu.

“Brother, are you always going to be an athlete?” Xu Youyi asked Sui Houyu.

Sui Houyu replied casually: “Haven’t thought about it much, but I won’t give up for now. I want to take first place at least once.”

Xu Youyi continued: “Then what about after you take first?”

Sui Houyu glanced at Hou Mo.

Hou Mo smiled at him: “Your college entrance exam is even more important.”

Sui Houyu only replied: “We’ll see.”

After they finished eating, Xu Youyi kept stealing glances at Hou Mo, then at Sui Houyu.

Seeing her behavior, Sui Houyu reassured her: “Don’t worry about him. You can speak up if you need anything.”

Xu Youyi nodded slightly before asking: “Are you going home?”

“I don’t want to go back.” Sui Houyu moved around the room, packing his things, intending to stay over at Hou Mo’s place.

“Are you… still mad at me?” she asked.

Sui Houyu paused slightly before answering honestly: “I’m still angry, but I guess now I understand you. This is something that neither of us could really control.”

After packing his things, he was just about to shoulder his bag when Hou Mo took it and carried it for him.

Sui Houyu didn’t mind and went to the door to change his shoes: “I’m going to stay at his place. Feel free to make yourself at home, use anything you need. There are disposable toiletries in the cabinet.”

“Okay.” Xu Youyi glanced at the two of them.

She remembered how Sui Houyu usually didn’t let people get close, yet now, while changing his shoes, he let Hou Mo casually hold his waist without a second thought.

The two left together, leaving Xu Youyi in silence. She looked around thoughtfully, then settled down.

Has my brother been staying here all this time?

*

Sui Houyu followed Hou Mo to his home again, entering his room. The room wasn’t very large, and a summer mat was still laid out on the bed.

“Why is the mat still on the bed?” Sui Houyu asked, sitting down on the chair by the desk.

“I was busy with the competition, and whenever I wasn’t competing, I barely stayed here.” Hou Mo set down the bag, lifted the mat, put it away, and started changing the sheets and covers.

“I didn’t bring a pillow up.”

“No problem; we can share one.”

“It’s too cramped.”

“Haven’t you leaned on my shoulder to sleep so many times before? Now you think it’s cramped?”

“…”

As Hou Mo finished tidying up, he turned to Sui Houyu: “So, what’s going on at home? You look like you don’t really want to talk about it.”

“My mom remarried. I don’t need to spell that out, right?”

“Yeah, I’d figured as much.”

Leaning back in his chair, Sui Houyu lazily continued: “At one point, my mom suddenly had me sent to a mental hospital for closed treatment for several months. During that time, she never once visited me. When she picked me up, she told me to wash up, get a haircut, and put on proper clothes, and the whole way, she kept reminding me to behave, to not cause trouble.”

“Took you to meet your stepfather?”

Sui Houyu let out a cold chuckle: “Not entirely. She took me to my new home. It wasn’t until I got there that I realized she’d married him while I was in the hospital. Sending me to the hospital was probably just a way to keep my medical history from my stepfather or to make sure I didn’t interfere with their wedding.”

He spoke calmly, but Hou Mo noticed the way his hand clenched into a fist as he spoke.

Even after all these years, Sui Houyu still hated it.

He knew that his own mother saw him as nothing but a burden.

A crazy child.

A mentally ill one.