Chapter 13: We’ll Always Be Brothers!

“I came to pick someone up and bumped into Lin Zhi in the hallway,” Lu Liu looked directly at Yao Wenjing as he answered, then turned his gaze to Lin Qingye. “Lin Zhi mentioned that Uncle Lin was unwell, so I thought I’d come to visit. It was a bit sudden, so I didn’t bring any gifts.”

Lin Qingye waved his hand and smiled. “It’s just a minor issue. Lin Zhi is making too much of a fuss. I’m sorry to trouble you to come visit.”

Lin Zhi pursed his lips but didn’t expose his father’s prideful remark. He grabbed an apple from the small bedside cabinet and handed it to Lu Liu. “Want one?”

“Thank you,” Lu Liu said, accepting it.

“You’re such a kid,” Lin Qingye playfully scolded. “Help your classmate wash it first.”

“There’s a fruit knife here,” Yao Wenjing said, handing it not to Lu Liu directly but to Lin Zhi, who was between them. “Xiao Zhi, give it to Classmate Lu Liu.”

Lu Liu lightly picked at the apple’s skin and tugged the corners of his mouth. “Thanks.”

“You’re called… Xiao Lu, right?” Lin Qingye asked. “I just heard Lin Zhi say you’re in the same class as him? And you’re the class monitor?”

“Yes, Uncle,” Lu Liu replied while peeling the apple.

“How does Lin Zhi perform in class?” Lin Qingye openly inquired, even with Lin Zhi right there. “I just asked Xiao Wenjing, but the two of them aren’t in the same class and seem to cover for each other.”

“Cover for what?” Lin Zhi interjected. “It’s not like we’ve done anything bad.”

“Mm,” Lu Liu chuckled softly. “Lin Zhi is quite well-behaved and well-liked. Both our teachers and classmates like him a lot.”

“You think I’m well-behaved?” Lin Zhi pointed at himself in disbelief.

“Yes,” Lu Liu nodded matter-of-factly. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Of course there is!” Lin Zhi turned to Yao Wenjing for backup. “Xiao Jing, do you think I’m well-behaved?”

Yao Wenjing silently nodded in agreement with Lu Liu’s assessment.

“I’m not well-behaved at all,” Lin Zhi protested, unwilling to accept it. He looked at Lu Liu and argued, “You probably haven’t seen what a truly well-behaved person looks like.”

He patted Yao Wenjing’s shoulder, signaling Lu Liu to look. “See? Someone like Xiao Jing is what you’d call well-behaved.”

Lu Liu’s gaze briefly flickered to Lin Zhi’s hand resting on Yao Wenjing’s shoulder. Without agreeing or disagreeing, he smiled faintly and lowered his head, seemingly engrossed in peeling the apple.

“I agree with that,” Lin Qingye said with a cheerful laugh, picking up where Lin Zhi left off. “Xiao Wenjing is genuinely well-behaved. Lin Zhi has been a troublemaker since he was little, and his grades were awful too. You’ve all been fooled by his surface appearance.”

“Grades aren’t the only measure of a person,” Lu Liu said. “Even though Lin Zhi’s grades might not be great, he has many qualities that make him likable.”

Lin Zhi didn’t care much about how many people liked him, but hearing praise always felt good. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift.

“And Lin Zhi does work pretty hard on his studies,” Lu Liu added.

Lin Zhi: “…”

He knew Lu Liu was saying nice things about him in front of Lin Qingye, but it didn’t feel like something to be proud of. It made him sound like he was dumb—working hard yet still having poor grades.

“You two are just covering for each other,” Lin Qingye said, shaking his head with a smile, fully understanding his own son. “Do you think I wouldn’t know if Lin Zhi was working hard? He’s only recently started studying and writing at home.”

“Oh, come on,” Lin Zhi drawled. “Dad, give me some face in front of my classmate, will you?”

Lu Liu held back a laugh, almost breaking the long strip of apple peel.

“Exactly, Uncle,” Yao Wenjing said earnestly. “Xiao Zhi has already decided to take his studies seriously. With one year of high school left, he’ll definitely improve his grades.”

“It’s fine,” Lin Qingye, who had become much gentler and calmer since his diagnosis, smiled as he looked at Lin Zhi. “It’s okay if your grades aren’t great. Back when I was in school, my grades weren’t good either. I don’t expect you to become wealthy or powerful. As long as you can support yourself and the person you love in the future, that’s enough. Staying healthy and happy is what matters most. If you really can’t manage, just let it go. Don’t force yourself.”

“Mm,” Lin Zhi blinked, “Thanks, Dad.”

The apple was finally peeled. Lu Liu handed the clean, white fruit to Lin Qingye to lighten the increasingly sentimental atmosphere. “Uncle, have an apple.”

“Thanks, but you have it,” Lin Qingye replied with a slightly embarrassed smile, feeling touched. “I’ll peel a fresh one.”

“I’ll do it.” Lin Zhi quickly took the knife handle from Lu Liu.

Lu Liu stayed in Lin Qingye’s hospital room for nearly an hour before suggesting it was time to leave.

“I’ll walk you downstairs,” Lin Zhi offered casually.

He had assumed Lu Liu would decline, but to his surprise, Lu Liu responded uncharacteristically straightforwardly, “Sure.”

“Wait,” Lin Qingye called out to them. “Lin Zhi, you and Xiao Wenjing might as well leave with Xiao Lu. It’s getting late. There’s no space here for you to stay overnight. Go home and rest, or book a nearby hotel if you think it’s too far. You can come back tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to,” Lin Zhi refused outright. “I’ll stay here with you. Isn’t there an empty bed now? I can just lie down on it.”

“Listen to me,” Lin Qingye said firmly. “I’ll need to stay in the hospital for a while—it’s not just a day or two. Empty beds aren’t always available.”

“I don’t care,” Lin Zhi insisted, then changed the subject. “I’ll bring you dinner later. Xiao Jing, let’s go get some food.”

Lin Zhi’s abrupt topic shift left Lu Liu and Yao Wenjing without much to say. It wasn’t until they exited the hospital that Yao Wenjing broke the silence. “Weren’t you here to pick someone up, Classmate Lu Liu?”

“The person has already been picked up,” Lu Liu replied.

“Are you joining us for dinner?” Lin Zhi asked politely.

Lu Liu touched his pocket through the fabric, feeling his phone inside, which held a few messages from Feng Shuyun urging him to have dinner at his cousin’s house. He smiled. “Sure.”

Lin Zhi: “…”

He regretted speaking. He should have just said goodbye.

The three of them sat at a four-person table. Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing sat on one side, while Lu Liu naturally took the seat across from Lin Zhi. They ate in silence.

The “let’s eat together” turned out to be just that—purely eating together. For the first time, Lin Zhi maintained a strict “no talking during meals” rule. Afterward, he dutifully packed a light meal for Lin Qingye.

“We’re heading back up,” Lin Zhi said, holding the takeout container and gesturing toward the hospital. He turned to Lu Liu. “Take care on your way home.”

“Isn’t Classmate Yao going home?” Lu Liu suddenly asked, extending an invitation. “Why not come along?”

“Huh?” Yao Wenjing hadn’t expected this turn of events. He shook his head quickly. “No, I-I’m not going home. I’m staying to keep Xiao Zhi company.”

Lu Liu’s expression turned slightly sharp for a moment, though his tone became even gentler. “You’re staying with Lin Zhi tonight?”

“Mm.” Yao Wenjing nodded.

Yao Wenjing had taken three days off to stay at the hospital until Lin Qingye’s post-surgery recovery on the second day. He had already told Lin Zhi he would be there the whole time to help take care of Lin Qingye.

Lu Liu’s face suddenly turned cold, and he spoke faster. “Then I’ll leave. Lin Zhi, I’ll come back another day to see Uncle Lin.”

“No need to trouble yourself,” Lin Zhi replied with a polite smile. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye.” Lu Liu ignored Yao Wenjing’s wave goodbye, turned, and walked straight to a nearby taxi stand, getting into one of the taxis always parked near the hospital.

From as far back as Lu Liu could remember, he had rarely been so impolite.

Lu Liu eventually went to his cousin’s house. The meal he had with Lin Zhi had been so quick that the family gathering at his cousin’s house hadn’t ended by the time he arrived.

“Why are you so late?” Feng Shuyun scolded. “You didn’t even reply to my messages.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” his cousin said gently, cradling a newborn baby in her arms. “Adding an extra pair of chopsticks is no trouble. Xiao Liu, go grab some from the kitchen yourself. I’m holding the baby, so it’s not convenient for me.”

“No need, Cousin,” Lu Liu said, lowering his voice instinctively as he looked down at the baby’s tiny face. “I’ve already eaten. Let me hold the baby for you so you can eat.”

“Are you sure you can manage?” Feng Shuyun asked cautiously. “Be careful not to drop him.”

“I can handle it.” Lu Liu carefully took the baby from his cousin’s arms.

“Xiao Liu has always been meticulous. It’ll be fine,” his cousin reassured, adjusting his posture as she spoke soothingly to the baby, who couldn’t possibly understand her words. “Let your uncle hold you, okay?”

The baby’s soft, milk-scented body instantly dispelled the unhappiness lingering in Lu Liu’s heart.

—

Lin Qingye’s surgery was scheduled for 10:30 in the morning but Lin Zhi hadn’t slept well the entire night.

He gave the empty hospital bed to Yao Wenjing and spent the night making do on a long bench in the hallway.

Of course, his poor sleep wasn’t due to the bench—he’d often solved his sleeping problems that way in his previous life. It was the worry over the surgery that kept him awake. Even though he believed there wouldn’t be any complications, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Perhaps it was the unpleasant memories from his previous life.

Lin Zhi knew that Lin Qingye hadn’t slept well either. Several times, when he quietly entered the hospital room, he could hear Lin Qingye tossing and turning.

Yao Wenjing, however, slept soundly, his breathing steady.

Before sleeping, Yao Wenjing had repeatedly asked Lin Zhi to squeeze into the bed with him. Although it was a single bed and narrow, it could still fit two teenagers if they squeezed.

But Lin Zhi firmly refused. After all, he was a “man with a boyfriend.” Moreover, from his memories of his past life, Yao Wenjing seemed to be…

It was strange. He had never noticed any inclination in Yao Wenjing to like boys before. He was certain that Yao Wenjing didn’t know about his own preferences either, as they had never discussed any boy with unusual emotions.

Thinking about this, Lin Zhi suddenly felt there might be some basis for his and Yao Wenjing’s orientation issues. He had just never thought much about it before, mainly because they had never discussed girls with any particular feelings either—a topic most teenage boys would inevitably talk about among friends.

So that’s how it is. Lin Zhi had a sudden realization while washing up in the hospital bathroom. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he nodded to himself in enlightenment.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yao Wenjing walked in, his hair a messy mop, and asked blankly.

“Nothing,” Lin Zhi said with a smile. “I just suddenly figured out something random and weird.”

Yao Wenjing looked even more confused.

“Xiao Jing,” Lin Zhi, feeling playful, patted Yao Wenjing on the shoulder and said with a laugh, “We’ll always be good brothers!”

And then he silently added in his heart: If not, we could always be besties.

“Mm.” Yao Wenjing nodded dumbly. “Okay.”

Lin Zhi burst out laughing.

When he returned to the hospital room, he was still smiling.

“What’s made you so happy?” Lin Qingye asked.

“There’s so much to be happy about,” Lin Zhi said, rare sweetness in his tone as he indulged in a bit of playful affection. “My dad is about to get healthy and live a long life. My friends are by my side. The people I care about are all doing well. How could I not be happy?”

At 10:30 a.m., Lin Qingye was wheeled into the operating room on schedule.

When the “Under Surgery” light came on, Lin Zhi suddenly felt calm. Those three words no longer represented a nightmare for him but rather hope.

The fear and worry he’d felt in his past life, waiting alone outside the operating room, had been replaced by anticipation. This time, he wasn’t alone. Beside him were Yao Wenjing and…

“Classmate Lu Liu—” Yao Wenjing’s voice drew his attention to the other end of the hallway.

Lin Zhi turned his head to see Lu Liu walking toward them with steady steps, getting closer and closer until he could clearly see the bouquet in Lu Liu’s hands: a mix of red and pink carnations.