Chapter 41: Bro

Boss… Boss, after all, is Xie Jing’s father? Or is he the husband-slave??

Jian Mingzhou stared blankly at the person for two seconds, then suddenly realized: He’s the alter ego of the Danmei editor!

An alarm bell rang in his mind, and the person across from him blinked, giving him a look: Shh.

Jian Mingzhou:?

Then a hand reached over and shook his hand; he shook it again, like Morse code.

“Mr. Jian, nice to meet you. Pleasure.”

Their eyes met, and their brainwaves connected in an instant!

Unimaginably, at this moment, they have tacitly reached an unspoken understanding—

Pretend not to know each other first!

While shaking hands, a voice from the side interrupted,

“Dad, how much longer are you going to shake hands?”

Jian Mingzhou turned his head and saw Xie Jing’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. His gaze fell, and he asked, “Also, what is this pile of firewood?”

Lin Jinshi, in a domineering manner, stretched his clothes and dropped them with a snap.

“Apology.”

Xie Jing looked at the scattered apologies all over the place, moved his lips, and uttered a series of beautiful Chinese words on his lips, then swallowed them back and said, “No need.”

At the door, “…”

Jian Mingzhou took a deep breath, took control, and said, “Come in and sit.”

…

This time, they came with two boxes of supplements.

Jian Mingzhou took them first, and Xie Xiyun directed Lin Jinshi to pick up the scattered apologies.

He turned his head and whispered, “Did you notice before that Xiaojing and his mother share the same last name?”

Beside him, “Hmm.”

Jian Mingzhou lowered his eyes and thought, After all, the family background is prominent, and there are inevitably some complications…

Xie Jing: “Rock-paper-scissors, my mom won.”

Jian Mingzhou raised his eyes with a swish: Too hasty!

Feeling his gaze, Xie Jing thought for a moment and added, “It’s a best-of-five match.”

“…” It’s not about how many rounds!

After closing the door, Lin Jinshi came back.

The hasty topic was temporarily interrupted, and Jian Mingzhou relaxed his mind and greeted, “Sit in the living room. Can I offer you some tea?”

Xie Xiyun nodded. “Sorry for the trouble.”

With a few words, they entered the living room.

Xie Jing turned his head and said, “I’ll do it; you sit.”

Jian Mingzhou inexplicably felt a sense of guilt. “No, let me…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a long arm reached out.

He was pressed onto the sofa, and Xie Jing turned and went to the other end of the kitchen. His broad shoulders and narrow back swayed, skillfully taking out tea from the cabinet, boiling water, and pouring water.

“…”

Jian Mingzhou sat stiffly on the sofa.

This scene was too strange. Xie Jing looked more like the host than him, and he looked more like a guest than the guest.

Beside him, Xie Xiyun had already glanced at them several times.

Jian Mingzhou was about to start a conversation when suddenly Lin Jinshi said, “Huh? Wife, look…”

He followed the person’s gaze and raised his head.

He saw his and Xie Jing’s matching pajamas hanging side by side on the clothes rack, gently swaying in the wind.

Damn! I forgot to put them away.

Jian Mingzhou’s heart tightened instantly. How should he explain? Will there be any misunderstandings?

“It’s parent-child outfits.”

Lin Jinshi leaned down and whispered, “Xiaojing, you’re too lacking in love…”

Xie Xiyun opened her phone’s memo and said, “Add it to the reflection regulations.”

Jian Mingzhou, “…”

–

Soon, Xie Jing made tea and brought it over.

After Xie Xiyun took a sip of tea, the air quieted for a few seconds. She said, “How is life here, and how is the training going?”

Xie Jing sat on the sofa and said, “It’s good.”

“Is there anything you need?”

“Nothing.”

After a brief chat, the living room fell silent again.

Jian Mingzhou sat in the middle, feeling that Xie Jing spoke much less than usual. Xie Xiyun also seemed unsure of where to start the conversation. Jian Mingzhou thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

“The training is seven days a week, and we get off earlier on Saturdays. We usually eat at home and occasionally go out for dinner with friends. You can rest assured.”

He paused and said, “…parents.”

In the living room, “…”

Finally, Xie Jing couldn’t help it: “Uncle, you can call my mom Aunt.”

As soon as the address was mentioned, the situation became complicated.

Xie Xiyun looked over and said, “Why are you calling each other so confusingly? I was just about to say, Mr. Jian looks young, so you should call him brother.”

“Isn’t he from a different generation than Uncle?”

“Using your uncle as a reference for everything is not enough.”

“Oh… then whose reference is it for apologizing?”

Their conversation revolved around him, suddenly becoming more lively. Jian Mingzhou sat in the middle with wide eyes, like a ship swaying in the storm.

What’s going on? Weren’t you able to chat just fine?

He was quietly pondering when he suddenly felt a gaze.

Beyond Xie Xiyun leaning forward, Jian Mingzhou turned his head and met the eyes of Lin Ba, who was on the side.

Lin Jinshi looked at him, as if wanting to say something.

But constrained by the intense battle between the two in front, he could only move his eyes, then move them again.

Jian Mingzhou, “?”

…

After finishing a pot of tea, Xie Xiyun stood up to suggest going out for dinner.

As the group prepared to leave, Jian Mingzhou lagged behind. Just as he caught up, his clothes were suddenly pulled down.

He turned, “?”

He saw Lin Ba approaching silently, and that mature and handsome face became a bit more approachable. Trying to get closer to him, Lin Jinshi whispered,

“Brother Zhou, Xiaojing calls you Uncle, and I’m Xiaojing’s dad. Round it off, and we’re quasi-brothers from different mothers.”

Jian Mingzhou widened his eyes: Who is Zhou?

Lin Jinshi hinted, “So, about being a henpecked husband and apologizing…”

He really cared about that…!

Jian Mingzhou took a deep breath and said, “I’ll keep it a secret.”

He received a pat on the shoulder and said, “Your matters; I won’t mention them either.”

“…”

–

Fortunately, the background music in the restaurant drowned out the vibrations.

They ordered their meals, and the dishes were soon brought to the table.

The interrupted conversation topics resumed.

This time, after two seconds of silence, Xie Xiyun turned her gaze towards Jian Mingzhou.

“Hearing from Xie Chi, Mr. Jian is an editor.”

Jian Mingzhou’s fingertips tightened suddenly. “Yes.”

“A magazine? Literature?”

… No, it’s BL manga.

He swallowed gently and was about to figure out how to answer when Lin Jinshi spoke up with a dignified tone.

“By the looks of it, it seems to be something in the arts.”

Xie Xiyun nodded in agreement. “Indeed.”

The topic changed, and Jian Mingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

He lifted his eyes and met Lin Ba’s reliable and tacit understanding gaze: I’ve got your back, bro.

“…” Oh no, how did he suddenly start reading English?

“Uncle,” suddenly someone called him.

Jian Mingzhou turned his head and saw Xie Jing looking at him.

After looking at him for two seconds, Xie Jing lifted his bowl and said, “I want the shrimp over there.”

“Oh, shrimp?” Jian Mingzhou reached over and picked a few for him. Seeing Xie Jing eagerly waiting for his food, he inexplicably replaced the [rolling puppy] expression in his mind. “Xiaojing, this is delicious too.”

Xie Jing rested his arm on the table contentedly and said, “Hmm, thanks, Uncle.”

On the other side, Xie Xiyun was stunned for a moment.

Lin Jinshi’s gaze moved back and forth, understanding. He leaned in to ask, “Wife, do you want some too?”

“…” Xie Xiyun came to her senses. “Sure, get some.”

…

Midway through the meal, Jian Mingzhou excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Walking through half of the restaurant, just as he entered the bathroom, his phone vibrated. He opened it and saw a message from Xie Jing.

【Jing】: Uncle, is my dad handsome?

Jian Mingzhou: ?

【Jing】: You’ve been looking at him all day.

【Jing】: More mature and stable than me.

“…”

The surrounding walls were covered in black tiles, and a beam of white light fell, illuminating this quiet and dim corner. In this environment, it seemed like something was quietly brewing in the darkness…

Jian Mingzhou looked at the phone screen, feeling an inexplicable warmth in his heart.

Xie Jing, comparing him with his own father?

And sending messages like this, it was just like…

He cleared his throat and said, “Your whole family is outstanding, and your mom is beautiful too.”

【Jing】: What about me? ^^

【Mingzhou】: The epitome.

After replying to the messages, Jian Mingzhou went to the restroom.

When he came out, a few steps closer to the dining table, Xie Jing’s back was facing him. Xie Xiyun lifted her eyes and said, “Mr. Jian is back; stop looking at your phone.”

Jian Mingzhou walked to the side and sat down. He heard Xie Jing put away his phone and laughingly say, “Hmm, I’ll stop playing when Uncle comes back.”

…

Dinner came to an end, and it was time for the soup.

When the lid of the soup bowl was lifted, it revealed a thick beef stew.

The orange light from the ceiling reflected on the dining table, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed than at the beginning. The four people sat around the table, giving a sense of warmth and harmony.

After a moment of silence, Xie Xiyun spoke up, “I still remember; you used to love eating potato and beef stew when you were little.”

Beside her, Xie Jing seemed to pause.

Jian Mingzhou’s heart suddenly moved. Xie Jing’s mother was…

“So, I told the servants that as long as you come home, they should make it for you every time.”

“…”

Jian Mingzhou paused, and Xie Jing suddenly raised his eyes!

White smoke lingered in the warm light, and the air seemed to freeze for several seconds on the cozy dining table.

After a moment, Lin Jinshi cautiously spoke, “Wife, maybe not every time.”

“Hmm? Why not?” Xie Xiyun asked.

Jian Mingzhou’s heart shook: “Not every time!!!

Xie Jing, could it be that he didn’t come home because of this? No, the immersion was too strong, and even the beef stew suddenly seemed tasteless.

In the somewhat silent atmosphere, a soft voice said, “You said it was when he was a child.”

Xie Xiyun seemed to be stunned.

She wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat.

The soup spoon lightly touched the edge of the bowl, and suddenly Xie Jing casually said, “Now I like seafood risotto, home-cooked dishes, and fried chicken burgers.”

Xie Xiyun’s shoulders relaxed, and she hooked her hair and replied, “Oh, got it.”

–

Dinner was finished by 8 p.m.

Leaving the restaurant, the night wind rustled through the green plants on the roadside, and the streetlights had already lit up.

There was a river-view promenade on the way back from here.

Jian Mingzhou and Xie Jing didn’t let Xie Xiyun and others accompany them. They were preparing to say goodbye at the door and slowly walk back.

“Let’s exchange contact information, Mr. Jian.”

“Sure.”

Jian Mingzhou, and they added each other on WeChat. After the verification, Lin Jinshi’s greeting popped up:

——Bro. [BraveBull]

…That English sentence was indeed not misread by him!

Jian Mingzhou glanced at Lin Jinshi, who was casually putting his hands in his pockets, and his eyes moved slightly.

He was hesitating whether to politely go back when his arm was suddenly pulled down. He leaned against Xie Jing’s side, and a voice came from above.

“We should go back now.”

Jian Mingzhou reacted and bid farewell, “Thank you for your hospitality today.”

After exchanging greetings, the two sides parted ways.

They turned and walked back along the promenade.

The long promenade along the river stretched all the way to the lights under the night sky in the distance. The night wind brushed against their faces, and Jian Mingzhou listened to the murmuring sound of the river below, with streetlights casting alternating shades on his face.

After walking for a while, there was silence beside him.

He recalled the scenes of tonight, unsure if it was because it was too dramatic or because he suddenly met Xie Jing’s parents, and his thoughts hadn’t settled yet.

Jian Mingzhou refocused and spoke, “Xiaojing, did you feel happy today?”

“I can’t say,” Xie Jing’s voice mixed with the vague night. “But it should be okay.”

“It seems like a lot of things have gotten better since you moved to Uncle’s house.”

Jian Mingzhou felt his heart beat faster for a moment.

He tried to speak objectively: “They just haven’t found a way to care for you. Did no one around them mention these things before?”

Xie Jing remained silent, looking at him.

Jian Mingzhou suddenly remembered Xie Chi’s “Which dim sum place” and fell silent for a moment, “…”

The two remained in silence for a while.

Jian Mingzhou initiated the conversation again, speaking softly, “It’s okay; things will get better in the future.”

Next to him, there was a soft “Hmm.”

He looked up at Xie Jing, and the light from the streetlamp next to him refracted, illuminating the bottom of the other’s eyes. The low gaze seemed gentle, and in the warm and quiet atmosphere, Xie Jing’s voice was soft.

“So, why were you staring at my dad today?”

Jian Mingzhou, “…”

“Just now, when we were parting, you stared at him again.”

How could he remember this?

He felt that if he didn’t explain, it would be hard to get through. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Your dad said he wanted to become my quasi-brother from a different mother.”

Jian Mingzhou suddenly found himself saying something amusing.

“I might really become your brother-in-law…

There seemed to be a sudden silence beside him.

He turned his head and saw Xie Jing stopping in place, his deep eyes blending into the night.

Not knowing what he was thinking, storms were gathering in his eyes.