Yu Wanlai sighed softly. So, this is what it feels like to have a younger brother, even though he’s not his real brother…

After hesitating for a few seconds, Yu Wanlai finally put on his slippers, went downstairs to the kitchen, and decided to make a hangover soup. It could wait until tomorrow morning when Wang Ma made it, but he preferred to have it now and also thought it would help improve his impression with his younger brother. Maybe if the plot went off track, this person might let him off the hook.

While the soup was simmering, Yu Wanlai’s stomach growled twice. “…”. He turned the stove to low, opened the fridge, and started rummaging to see if there was anything he could eat. Suddenly, he noticed a carton of egg tart filling and pastry at the back of the fridge. He licked his lips; his brother seemed to have enjoyed them last time…

16 minutes later, with a “ding,” the oven light went out. Yu Wanlai opened the oven, and the rich smell of butter and cream filled the room. His stomach growled again. The soup was also ready, so he turned off the heat and covered the small pot with a glass lid to keep it warm.

He grabbed a tray, placed a bowl of instant noodles and two egg tarts on the dining table, and pulled out a chair to sit down. The noodles were still steaming hot, and just as Yu Wanlai took a slurp, he heard a noise at the door. He wiped his mouth with a tissue, chewed on his noodles, and walked toward the door. As he reached the hallway, he ran into two people who had just come in.

Bai Yi had initially thought it was Yu Qingyue’s parents, assuming they hadn’t gone to bed yet, and was startled. When he saw it was Yu Wanlai, he relaxed and, supporting the completely drunk person, intended to walk inside.

Yu Wanlai didn’t recognize Bai Yi and noticed that the man seemed to be ignoring him and trying to drag his brother upstairs. He decided not to be polite and reached out, pulling Yu Qingyue by the waist to bring him over. “I’ll take care of him. You can go back.”

Bai Yi immediately got angry. “It’s not your—”

Yu Wanlai put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. His voice was calm, but there was a chilling undertone as he spoke: “Lower your voice. My parents are still sleeping. Are you planning to come in and leisurely drink tea in the middle of the night?”

Bai Yi was taken aback by the force of Yu Wanlai’s words. He felt as though this illegitimate son was different from what he had expected. Was this person always so assertive? He realized something and rolled his eyes, blurting out, “What do you mean your parents? That’s your mom…”

Yu Wanlai immediately understood that these two had probably been gossiping behind his back. He didn’t want to argue, so he just shoved Bai Yi, slammed the door shut with a loud “bang,” and coldly declared, “Whether it’s my mom or not, this is my home. You’re not allowed to come in!”

Yu Wanlai wasn’t afraid of the male lead, but he wasn’t intimidated by others either. He wasn’t exactly a softhearted person. After closing the door, he looked down at the limp figure in his arms. “Little trash, you’ve probably been badmouthing me behind my back, huh?” As he spoke, he pinched the soft flesh of Yu Qingyue’s face. The touch was surprisingly delicate—this little son of a wealthy family was something else. Even a CEO still had baby fat!

“Now, I have you in my hands… Good little brother, you’ve mysteriously become the villain, and I still have to please you everywhere. You little trash don’t even appreciate my kindness.”

Despite his complaints, Yu Wanlai hadn’t forgotten the few times his younger brother helped him change bandages. He could tell that the person wasn’t really bad in the beginning. The villain had such an ending because he brought it upon himself. But now, the one who had to suffer because of the outcome was Yu Wanlai himself, and that wasn’t so pleasant.

Yu Wanlai supported Yu Qingyue and walked upstairs. He turned on the light in his room, helped him to the bed, and laid him down. Seeing the usually cold person who always treated him with indifference now helpless and lying in bed, Yu Wanlai felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

He bent down at the bedside and muttered, “No wonder you’re the male lead. Even when drunk, you have good manners. You don’t make noise or throw up…”

Just then, Yu Qingyue groaned uncomfortably and suddenly sat up, then threw up all over Yu Wanlai’s pants. Yu Wanlai clenched his fists, his teeth gritting in frustration. He glared at Yu Qingyue, “Why did I even bother to bring you here?”

This was the consequence of his own doing. He had simply felt a little uneasy seeing the usually unattainable male lead suddenly lean on someone else, relying on them fully.

Yu Wanlai stood under the shower, combing his wet hair back, revealing his smooth, shiny forehead. He recalled the characters from the original plot and realized how tragic their lives were. His cheap father had raised someone else’s son for years, only to discover he had a biological son. Who could have guessed that this was just the beginning of the real tragedy? In the end, his wife left, the son he had raised became disabled, and his biological son met a bad end. In his old age, he had to run a company and take care of his disabled, gloomy son. The author must have been severely traumatized to write such a shocking and tragic story with no happy endings for anyone!

Yu Wanlai washed off the smell and turned off the shower. He dried his hair and came out of the bathroom. He was about to lie down, but then turned around with a click of his tongue. Resigned, he walked out of the room to get the hangover soup he had made. He just couldn’t bear to waste food—he absolutely didn’t feel sorry for them! After all, he was the real victim here! Even though all of this chaos had started because of him…

Passing by the dining room, Yu Wanlai saw the half-eaten instant noodles on the table. He quickly finished the remaining noodles in a few bites, threw the bowl into the sink, and then took the hangover soup and the now lukewarm egg tarts upstairs.

He placed the tray next to Yu Qingyue’s bedside table and glanced at him. The way Yu Qingyue had looked before he left was the same as how he looked now. Yu Wanlai couldn’t stand it anymore. He reached out and stripped Yu Qingyue of his clothes, leaving him in just a pair of shorts. The dirty clothes reeked of alcohol and had some vomit stains on them. Yu Wanlai grabbed the clothes with two fingers and threw them into the laundry basket. He wasn’t planning to wash them; Yu Qingyue always criticized him, so it was time for him to know who the dirty one really was!

Not wanting to see Yu Qingyue’s bare body, Yu Wanlai leaned over to the other side of the bed, pulled the blanket over, and wrapped Yu Qingyue up tightly. How could a man be this pale? The light reflected off his body, and if it weren’t for the few abdominal muscles on his stomach, Yu Wanlai might have mistaken him for a girl. His eyes caught sight of the pajamas on the pillow, and he couldn’t help but look at them again. He couldn’t suppress a laugh. His younger brother was really interesting. His pajamas were SpongeBob-themed! He looked like he disliked everyone during the day but secretly said, “Patrick, let’s go play together!” at night, hiding in his room.

Yu Wanlai reached out and touched himself. He clicked his tongue—he was in a bathrobe and had no phone. He glanced regretfully at Yu Qingyue’s pajamas, wishing he could see how he looked in them. He had initially thought about feeding Yu Qingyue some hangover soup before bed, but after calling out to him for a long time and getting no response, he gave up.

Yu Wanlai grabbed an egg tart, ate it in a few bites, and then turned off the lights and closed the door, heading back to his room to rest. He lay on the soft bed with a satisfied sigh, pulling the covers over himself, and quickly fell into a deep sleep. He hoped his younger brother would remember the good he did for him now, forget the past bad moments, and eventually leave him a way out.

——Yu Wanlai’s wish before sleep

The next morning, Yu Qingyue was woken by a series of notification sounds. He rubbed his throbbing head from the hangover and reached out to grab his phone from the bedside table. However, his hand got wet, and he thought, Who put a water basin by my head?!

Yu Qingyue quickly sat up, turned to look at the bedside table, and saw a bowl of soup and an egg tart. Not caring about where the egg tart came from, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. His hands were sticky and uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a chill ran through him. Looking down, Yu Qingyue saw that he was essentially wearing nothing but shorts, and his face turned red with embarrassment! Bai Yi!