Study room.

Finally, with some quiet, Cen Shengli had just taken a sip of tea when he looked up to see Cen Zhisen and Ning Zhiyuan coming in together. He asked them, “You haven’t left yet? Planning to stay at home today?”

Cen Zhe had actually left earlier, leaving only the two of them.

“We’ll leave in a while,” Cen Zhisen said, “We have things to do tomorrow, and so does Zhiyuan. We won’t stay at home.”

“Alright, you’re both busy people.”

Cen Shengli continued to fiddle with his teapot, all of which were top-quality tea sets and tea. Unfortunately, his siblings had been sitting here for half a day, only concerned about asking for money, and even drinking tea seemed like a waste of his good tea.

“Do you want to taste this tea? It was just delivered from the south this afternoon.” Cen Shengli gestured for them to sit, changed two clean teacups, and poured tea for them.

Ning Zhiyuan took a sip and said, “It’s quite good, very refreshing.”

Cen Shengli was quite pleased. “Then drink more.”

Ning Zhiyuan nodded. They didn’t immediately bring up the matter at hand, accompanying Cen Shengli to drink tea and chat casually about family matters.

“The first time I drank this tea when I was young, there was only someone as old as you, Zhiyuan, with me. I accompanied the boss to meet with leaders to discuss business. We had a cup in the leader’s office, and I’ve remembered the taste ever since. Later, when I could afford it, I could drink it casually. It didn’t seem as amazing as the first time I drank it.”

Cen Shengli reminisced about the past. He spoke of tea, but what he missed was his glorious youth.

He came to this area to make a name for himself when he was in his twenties. Initially, he followed others and worked his way up from a low-level employee to the boss’s personal assistant. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was an era filled with opportunities and temptations. He witnessed the boss go from overnight riches to bankruptcy. After the boss returned home disheartened, he took over the social connections left by the boss and founded Cen An. He made his first fortune by selling the popular handle game consoles of that time, and that laid the foundation for what he had today.

It was the most brilliant and splendid period of his life, but as he grew older, many things became more challenging. Whether it was his career or family, he couldn’t defy aging.

“If the quality of tea nowadays isn’t as good as before,” Ning Zhiyuan laughed, “dad, you have been drinking this tea for decades. Occasionally changing to a different taste might be good.”

Cen Shengli shook his head. “I’ve gotten used to it. Drinking anything else doesn’t feel right.”

“Habits can be changed,” Cen Zhisen added, “Nothing stays the same. People’s tastes change, and so do relationships between people.”

Cen Shengli seemed to sense that there was more to their words than met the eye. He asked, “Did you deliberately stay back to tell me something?”

Ning Zhiyuan wanted to speak but was preempted by Cen Zhisen. “Dad, there’s indeed something we want to tell you. We hope you can stay as calm as possible after hearing it, consider your health, and try not to get angry.”

Cen Shengli frowned. “What do you want to say?”

Seeing Cen Zhisen’s hand reaching for Ning Zhiyuan’s side and clasping it, Cen Shengli was momentarily puzzled, as if he didn’t understand the meaning behind this gesture. He then heard Cen Zhisen say, “Dad, as I told you before, I like men. It’s innate and unchangeable. I know you’re curious about the ring I wear and if it has a special meaning. I don’t want to lie to you. It does have a special meaning. The rings come in a pair, one for me and one for Zhiyuan. I bought them, and the person I like is not someone else; it’s Zhiyuan.”

Cen Shengli’s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the teacup fell onto the coffee table, with hot tea splashing onto his hand.

However, he seemed completely unaware, looking at Cen Zhisen in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

Ning Zhiyuan immediately stepped forward, grabbed a tissue, and quickly wiped off the hot tea that had splashed on his hand.

“Dad, stay calm,” Cen Zhisen said, holding his arm in a soothing manner, looking into his eyes, and repeating, “Dad, I’m in a relationship with Zhiyuan. We’re in love.”

Cen Shengli’s face turned red and then white in an instant. Subconsciously, he looked at Ning Zhiyuan, who was still helping him wipe off the tea.

After confirming that Cen Shengli wasn’t scalded, Ning Zhiyuan sat back down without avoiding his gaze and calmly said, “Dad, it’s true.”

“You two… are in a relationship?” Cen Shengli finally reacted, struggling to control the stormy emotions within him. “You two are brothers. How can you be in love?”

“We’re not,” Cen Zhisen emphasized, “Dad, as you know, we’re not.”

“Why not?” Cen Shengli was still angry. 

“Dad,” Ning Zhiyuan attempted to explain, “Calm down. What Zhisen said is true. We’re not brothers.”

Maybe Cen Shengli was provoked by Cen Zhisen’s “not.” His voice rose again as he questioned him, “Even if Zhiyuan isn’t my biological son, I’ve raised him for over twenty years. How can you say you like him? You grew up together as brothers. How can you be in love?!”

“Dad,” Ning Zhiyuan tried to express, “I also like him. Because we grew up together, we understand each other the most. That’s why we’re together. Besides him, I won’t like anyone else.”

“You’re not even thirty yet. How do you know you won’t like someone else?” Cen Shengli regarded his words as sophistry. “You’ve been seen with different girls several times before. Why are you dating your brother now? He said he likes men and can’t change, what about you? Didn’t you like girls before? Why are you dating your brother now? Is he possessed, and are you possessed too?”

Ning Zhiyuan: “Dad, he is different from others. It has nothing to do with being a man or a woman.”

“How does it have nothing to do with it?” Cen Shengli couldn’t comprehend, “You clearly can like girls, so why mess around with your brother now?”

“It’s me who tempted Zhiyuan,” Cen Zhisen interjected, “I took the initiative. Zhiyuan hesitated for a long time and only recently decided to be with me.”

“How can you do such a reckless thing?” Cen Shengli angrily slapped the coffee table twice and turned to him, “If you like men, I didn’t stop you, but why choose someone around you, and your younger brother at that?”

“I am reckless,” Cen Zhisen admitted candidly, “But Zhiyuan is special to me. I just want him.”

“You want him. How can you want him?” Cen Shengli, filled with anger, said, “You are brothers, even if you’re not blood-related, that’s how outsiders see it. If people find out you are in a romantic relationship, how will they talk about you? I’m at an age where I don’t care about face, but what about you? And Zhiyuan’s biological parents, do they know about your affairs? They are traditional intellectuals. Can they accept it?”

Without waiting for their answer, Cen Shengli looked at them with sadness. “Teacher Ning and his wife have raised Cen Zhe so well. How can I face them with what you two are doing?”

“Dad,” Cen Zhisen helplessly said, “these are two separate matters.”

“Where are they separate?” Cen Shengli became increasingly furious. “Being with Zhiyuan, don’t you need to consider his biological parents? What about Teacher Ning and his wife? Can’t they accept it either? You still want to be together? You said you tempted him. Do you even realize you were tempting him? Facing your younger brother, who grew up with you, you could make a move on him. Are you still human?”

Cen Zhisen: “I’m sorry, Dad.”

Cen Shengli: “What are you apologizing to me for? I don’t need your apologies. If you really are sorry, just break up!”

Ning Zhiyuan sighed inwardly and spoke again, “Dad, I’m willing to do this. Ge didn’t tempt me; I willingly chose to be with him.”

Cen Zhisen wanted to say more, but Ning Zhiyuan pressed his knee and silently reminded him, stopping him from saying more.

Cen Zhisen could only stop.

Cen Shengli glared at them. Both Ning Zhiyuan and Cen Zhisen maintained a low posture, admitting fault and blame, but they refused to back down.

“You two… you two are really causing trouble…”

“Sorry, Dad,” Ning Zhiyuan also said this.

Cen Shengli: “Since when did this start?”

Ning Zhiyuan truthfully said, “After we found out we weren’t blood brothers.”

“So you came to tell me today, what does it mean? Want me to support you? What if I absolutely refuse? Or are you just notifying me, and it doesn’t matter what I think?” Cen Shengli angrily asked.

“If we really don’t care about what you think, there’s no need to tell you at all. We could have kept it a secret,” Ning Zhiyuan sincerely said, “It’s precisely because we don’t want to deceive you that we came to tell you. Indeed, we hope you can support us.”

“Impossible,” Cen Shengli asserted decisively, “I can’t support you. You are both my sons, and I won’t agree to something like this.”

There was no room for negotiation, and Ning Zhiyuan, who was usually eloquent, was at a loss for words for the first time.

He really didn’t care about what the parents thought, especially after understanding what love was. Gradually, he began to appreciate the value of family love. If possible, he wanted to have both.

However, he wouldn’t compromise, and neither would Cen Zhisen.

“Dad, let me talk to you alone,” Cen Zhisen suddenly said.

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him in confusion, but Cen Zhisen didn’t explain. Instead, he gave a reassuring squeeze to the hand that had been on his knee all along and asked Cen Shengli, “Is it okay?”

Half a minute later, Ning Zhiyuan stood up and left the study.

Before leaving, the last thing he saw was Cen Zhisen’s unusually calm and resolute profile.

Xu Lan was still arranging flowers in the living room, occasionally glancing towards the study.

Ning Zhiyuan sensed her gaze as soon as he came out, but he was too lazy to deal with it. He went to the garden.

Xu Lan touched her chest. After being in the Cen family for so many years, she was unexpectedly intimidated by the imposing manner of these two brothers. It was an unpleasant feeling.

Back then, she wanted to pursue Cen Zhisen. Several times, she tried to get close by attending various business banquets, charity galas, and even those tedious industry summits. She had even done things like causing a car accident to claim compensation in front of Cen Zhisen’s car. However, Cen Zhisen never looked at her once.

Until one time, at the end of a party, she complained to her friends that she had come in vain again today. She mentioned that there was a second young master in the Cen family abroad, suggesting they could try pursuing him. As she finished speaking, she sensed an inexplicable chill and subconsciously turned her head. She met Cen Zhisen’s exceptionally cold and warning gaze.

Just like the disdainful look he gave her when he entered the study just now.

Before, she couldn’t figure it out. It seemed that today she finally understood the meaning of Cen Zhisen’s gaze back then.

—So, these two brothers have such a hidden relationship.

After midnight, the outdoor temperature was very low. Ning Zhiyuan strolled among the frosted flowers and plants, occasionally reaching out to touch them.

After clearing his mind, he didn’t feel like thinking about anything.

Half an hour later, Cen Zhisen came out and stopped on the other side of the flower bed, calling him, “Zhiyuan.”

Ning Zhiyuan turned around, and Cen Zhisen saw his reddened nose. “Aren’t you cold?”

Ning Zhiyuan put his hands back into his pockets, realizing the cold of the winter night just now. He smiled, “It’s quite cold.”

Cen Zhisen walked through the flower path towards him, raised his hand to touch his icy face, then dropped it, holding the hand in his pocket. “Let’s go back home.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked back, and the light in the study was already off.

As the car pulled out, Ning Zhiyuan leaned against the seat and looked out at the night scenery for a moment before asking the person beside him, “What did you say to Dad?”

“I talked about some things from our childhood,” Cen Zhisen said.

“Our childhood?” Ning Zhiyuan asked.

“Yeah,” Cen Zhisen nodded casually while driving, “I told you before, asking you not to blame him. I wanted you to feel better, but in the role of a father, he really is incompetent, both for you and me, especially for you. He should know that.”

Ning Zhiyuan understood, “Did you help me make a pitiful case in front of Dad?”

“I just told him about the grievances you’ve suffered since childhood,” Cen Zhisen said lightly. “I told Dad that if he thinks it’s wrong for us to be together, then he also has some responsibility. If we could grow up in a normal family atmosphere, be ordinary brothers who coexist harmoniously, without being too eager for love at the age of ten, perhaps family love would remain family love and wouldn’t deteriorate.”

Ning Zhiyuan was slightly surprised, “Is that what you think?”

“Not really,” Cen Zhisen turned his head and blinked at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Zhiyuan, under the premise of loving you, saying that I might not love you, can fool others but not myself.”

“Oh,” Ning Zhiyuan understood, “Did you convince him?”

“I don’t know,” Cen Zhisen said, “but I should have persuaded him.”

“Cen Zhisen, you’re quite amazing. You actually thought of using this method to convince Dad,” Ning Zhiyuan admired.

Cen Zhisen smiled, but it wasn’t that he was impressive; he had been thinking about these things for a long time and made preparations in advance.

“I will go to my parents too, but let’s wait until after New Year’s,” Ning Zhiyuan felt a bit relieved. He wanted to receive the birthday gift his father promised, whether there would be another chance or not.

Cen Zhisen: “I’ll accompany you. Your parents seem quite reasonable; you don’t need to worry too much.”

“You can come with, but in front of my parents, don’t take all the responsibility upon yourself. Let me handle it this time,” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him.

“Alright.”

“And about the grievances you mentioned just now,” Ning Zhiyuan asked, “I misunderstood you before. Were you also quite aggrieved?”

Cen Zhisen raised his eyebrows, “It’s not all a misunderstanding. I did have some shortcomings as an older brother, at least I ignored your birthday all these years.”

“Ge, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you for so many years,” Ning Zhiyuan said seriously.

Cen Zhisen turned his head again, nodded in the gaze that Ning Zhiyuan looked over, and smiled, “Forget it.”

The car stopped at a traffic light at the intersection, and he reached over, took the ring from Ning Zhiyuan’s coat pocket, and slid it onto his little finger.

Ning Zhiyuan did the same, took out Cen Zhisen’s ring, and solemnly put it on for him.

“You put it on by yourself last time, so I’m replenishing it for you. Keep wearing it from now on,” Cen Zhisen said.

Cen Zhisen looked down at his hand, flicked his thumb lightly, and the red light had turned green. He smiled as he stepped on the gas again.