Chapter 72: Going Crazy Again, Brother

Chapter 72: Going Crazy Again, Brother

Xie Guiluan's knuckles pressed firmly against Cen Wu's lower back as he burrowed deeper into his embrace, hiding beneath his clothes. Cen Wu looked down and found his pajamas stretched out of shape, as if his belly had bulged.

"Xie... Xie Guiluan," Cen Wu pushed him hard, feeling so embarrassed he wished he could die on the spot, yet he couldn't help but think that the real problem was someone else. "Where are you trying to hide? Can you not be so shameless?!"

If he didn't get off soon, he'd be waiting to be hidden as a corpse tonight.

Xie Guiluan gripped his waist, not letting him escape, even as Cen Wu kicked and struggled. His voice, low and laced with laughter, pressed against Cen Wu's abdomen with icy fingers, measuring a long distance.

Cen Wu jolted from the cold touch, but Xie Guiluan's palm held firmly against his lower back, leaving him unable to move.

Cen Wu, unable to bear it any longer, pulled up his shirt and grabbed Xie Guiluan's hair to pull him up.

"I already said," Xie Guiluan was forced to tilt his head back. His face, cold and handsome, with eyes as dark as water, gazed at Cen Wu with a half-smile. "I want to be hidden by my brother."

Cen Wu's lips trembled, his snow-white cheeks flushed crimson, his abdomen tight and tingling from deep within. He slapped Xie Guiluan's hand away, gritting his teeth in anger. "Get off!"

How dare he say such shameless things.

If it were anyone else, they would have been slapped to death by now.

Cen Wu, provoked into anger, pressed his lips together and pushed Xie Guiluan's head, not wanting him to lean on him.

Xie Guiluan shamelessly clung to his waist, neither getting up nor leaving, clinging to him like a persistent ghost, even grabbing Cen Wu's hand to slap his own face.

Cen Wu was startled and tried to pull away, but it was too late. Xie Guiluan's cold, strong fingers gripped his wrist, and with a loud slap, his palm went numb and throbbed.

Xie Guiluan's pale complexion made the red mark on his face stand out. His long lashes lowered, and seeing that Cen Wu was no longer angry, he released his wrist and lay back on Cen Wu's soft belly.

Cen Wu: "..."

I give up.

Going crazy again, brother.

Cen Wu pinched his chin, and Xie Guiluan obediently turned his head to show the injury on his face, faint blood vessels visible beneath his pale skin.

Cen Wu's palm was red and still throbbing from the slap. Xie Guiluan must have been in more pain, with such a hard slap, his mouth probably tasted of blood.

Xie Guiluan acted as if nothing had happened, his high nose bridge rubbing against Cen Wu's palm. When Cen Wu didn't move his hand, Xie Guiluan pressed his lips against it, kissing and licking.

Cen Wu was completely at a loss. If it were anyone else, being humiliated by the Xie Family would leave psychological scars, but Xie Guiluan seemed unaffected, willing to be slapped and even wearing a collar to play along.

The original text didn't mention it, so it was unclear whether he was mentally strong enough to not care or genuinely twisted and pain-seeking.

Xie Guiluan had always been ruthlessly vengeful, the type to retaliate tenfold for even the slightest offense. Before coming here, Cen Wu never imagined Xie Guiluan had such a flaw.

Xie Guiluan's dark Peach Blossom Eyes lifted, filled with a gloomy yet obsessive infatuation, staring at Cen Wu's soft lips. He suddenly propped himself up to kiss him, only to have Cen Wu quickly cover his mouth.

Cen Wu pushed him hard, but it was futile—he couldn't budge him.

Xie Guiluan pressed against his hand, kneeling forward a few steps until Cen Wu's hand was almost against his own lips. Only then did Xie Guiluan relent, lowering his head to tightly hug Cen Wu, burying his face in his neck. The tall young man hunched over, nuzzling him like a child seeking comfort.

Cen Wu's heart melted. Xie Guiluan just wanted his attention to always remain on him, so he acted out, making him blush and get angry, yet fearing he might truly upset him, always anxious about losing him.

Of course, he was also genuinely shameless.

Cen Wu held him, stroked his head, and turned his face, unable to resist muttering, "You... don't do this in the future. I wasn't really angry. If I were..."

"I know," Xie Guiluan lowered his eyes. Cen Wu didn’t finish his sentence, but Xie Guiluan could understand. "If you were really angry, you would have left directly. Nothing I do would help."

Cen Wu felt a belated resentment. He inexplicably felt guilty and, after holding back, said, "It’s... it’s not that either."

He couldn’t stay angry with Xie Guiluan; just the thought of his name brought comfort. In fact, if Xie Guiluan really wanted to do something with him, he might half-heartedly agree.

Because he was Xie Guiluan, he truly loved him, unmatched by anyone.

The condition was that Xie Guiluan would let him go, not as he is now, not even letting him go in death.

Cen Wu actually knew that even if Xie Guiluan found out about the deception, he probably wouldn’t hate him. Cen’s parents wouldn’t do anything to him in this lifetime.

Yet, he understood better than anyone how convoluted love could be in this world. Xie Guiluan loved him now, couldn’t leave him, because he had never been loved. Once he was no longer the only one, he wouldn’t be so important.

Moreover, young hearts are narrow, capable of holding only one person, wishing to grow old together overnight, never to part, but few can really do it.

He wasn’t the biological child of Cen’s parents. Now they could accept him, but it didn’t mean there would be no barriers in the future.

The best course would be for him to stay with Xie Guiluan for a time, then part ways before things got worse. Maybe many years later they would meet, pass by, and exchange a few words.

He couldn’t accept Xie Guiluan breaking up with him, or still loving him but not as much as now. He couldn’t accept Cen’s parents not treating him as well as they do now. He couldn’t bear the thought of Cen Xiao growing distant, no longer offering to take him home.

He couldn’t bear anyone else leaving him. Not having had it, and having it then losing it, are different.

Otherwise, falling for Xie Guiluan would be the simplest thing in the world. Xie Guiluan wouldn’t even need to try hard to seduce him.

Before, Xie Guiluan was the protagonist of the original story to him, an unreachable moon. Of course, he wouldn’t have any extra thoughts.

But now Xie Guiluan was just Xie Guiluan. The night he saw Xie Guiluan at the horse farm, he really wanted to go with him. He never thought Xie Guiluan would hurt him.

He couldn’t afford to think that way, or else he’d never want to leave. He would rather think Xie Guiluan would kill him than be so attached.

Xie Guiluan’s hair wasn’t very soft, but it felt nice to touch. Cen Wu touched his hair and sniffled softly.

Xie Guiluan buried his nose in his neck, his voice low and hoarse, cooing at him, calling him brother.

Xie Guiluan still hadn’t recovered from his fever, still pale and haggard, only his lips a deep red, making his face look even colder. But he lowered his head to bury into his embrace, as if holding him tight could block out a lifetime of snowstorms.

Cen Wu began to pity the man once more; as long as Xie Guiluan remained silent, he seemed quite pitiful. He lifted the blanket, patted the space beside him, and said, "Let’s... let’s sleep first."

"Mm." Xie Guiluan was obedient now. He lay down next to Cen Wu, then tightly hugged him under the blanket.

Xie Guiluan had been gloomy since childhood, but it was only after the exposure of the fake young master in the original story that Xie Guiluan completely darkened.

The matter of Song Lingwei had caused a few seconds of fluctuation in his heart. It wasn’t that it wasn’t painful, but Xie Guiluan would always weigh the pros and cons.

It was already a fact; pain wouldn’t change it, and he still had to move forward. What he had to do was face it, accept it, and let the past become a part of him.

Until he became invincible.

The darkness within Xie Guiluan’s heart grew, his scant love utterly forsaken, leaving behind nothing but icy ruthlessness.

This wasn’t a bad thing for him. After all, on the path of revenge, it’s best not to have any weaknesses.

The first thing he did was kill Song Lingwei.

Song Lingwei took the child away, causing the Cen family and the Xie family to become completely at odds. Xie Mingcheng was furious and cut off Song Lingwei’s medical expenses. Xie Guiluan had previously saved a few thousand at the hospital, but it couldn’t cover her high medical bills.

Song Lingwei was forced to leave the hospital and rented a very shabby house. She was already seriously ill at that time, lying in bed waiting to die.

Xie Guiluan had been making poison before, originally intending to kill Xie Mingcheng, but he first used it on Song Lingwei. That night, it was pouring rain, and he wore a black raincoat to visit Song Lingwei.

The oversized raincoat allowed him to alter his height by slightly bending his knees. On a stormy night with poor visibility, it was hard to be noticed, making him appear to passersby as a man over 1.7 meters tall with a slight hunch.

He had inherited Cen Junshan's calm restraint and Guan Xingxue's knack for acting, coupled with high intelligence and a cold-blooded, cruel nature, making him almost a born killer.

When Song Lingwei first saw Xie Guiluan coming to her, she was so frightened that she couldn't even scream, but tears immediately started to fall. She thought Xie Guiluan couldn't bear to part with her and had come to save her.

"Xiao Lan," Song Lingwei grabbed him, crying and complaining, "It's so cold here, Mom, I'm really scared."

After coming to Huaijing, she hadn't suffered like this for many years. At the end of her life, she felt as desperate as she had at the beginning.

Xie Guiluan's cold, peach blossom eyes gazed downward, the thin, cold light of the rainy night reflecting on his pale, handsome face, with deep hollows under his eyes. He wore black gloves and, without a hint of emotion, grabbed Song Lingwei's neck, forcing the poison down her throat.

Song Lingwei couldn't break free. Even when Xie Guiluan had protected her before, she had already felt the terror of his strength.

Song Lingwei's abdomen began to feel as if it was being torn apart, with blood gushing from her mouth, nose, and eyes. Already reduced to a pale skeleton by illness, she now resembled a ghost that had met a violent end.

Her eyes were wide open, filled with extreme terror, but she couldn't make a sound, dying in excruciating pain.

Xie Guiluan let go, not even closing her eyes, then took a knife and slashed the marks on her neck until they were unrecognizable, erasing all traces. He planted a strand of Xie Mingcheng's hair on her long hair before leaving.

The Cen family was seeking revenge against Xie Mingcheng, who was already overwhelmed and further implicated by Xie Guiluan's framing. Having dominated Huaijing for over a decade, he found himself in such a predicament for the first time.

Xie Guiluan still pretended at that time, not letting the Cen family discover his murders. He killed Song Lingwei mainly because he believed her living would only cause him trouble, and she knew him too well.

He didn't want Song Lingwei to tell the Cen family about Chen Weiguo, which would affect their view of him. Before he was strong enough, he needed the Cen family to willingly become his blade for revenge.

After all, Song Lingwei had been his mother for eighteen years. Killing her might make Guan Xingxue think him cruel and hold a grudge, so Xie Guiluan feigned innocence and kept the matter hidden.

Later, when he gained power, he no longer hid his actions, unleashing a killing spree in Huaijing.

Only then did Guan Xingxue learn what he had been doing all these years. Heartbroken, the once well-preserved woman in her fifties now had completely white hair.

She couldn't stop him, couldn't save him from his pain and hatred, and could only watch him flounder in a sea of blood.

Who could save her child?

Once, Guan Xingxue showed Xie Guiluan a prenatal ultrasound from before he was born. Holding a little bear, she said gently, "This bear was bought by Mom after the ultrasound because this picture looked like a little bear."

At that time, it wasn't fully formed, just an outline that looked like it had two round little ears. Every time Guan Xingxue saw this ultrasound, her heart melted, not knowing how to love him enough.

Xie Guiluan's dark eyes lifted, in a scene of maternal and filial warmth, smiling at her, "Really?"

He placed the little bear in his bedroom, appearing to cherish it, but by then Guan Xingxue already knew him well. She knew Xie Guiluan was just pretending; he didn't love them at all.

Guan Xingxue's tears fell silently. This child was born on a stormy night, as if destined to make her shed many tears for him.

Cen Wu lay for a while, hearing Xie Guiluan's breathing, knowing he wasn't asleep either. He looked up, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering randomly, blinking at Xie Guiluan.

Xie Guiluan reached out and pinched his thin lips. He had never considered that he wasn't Song Lingwei's biological child, but accepting this fact, he realized it wasn't bad for him.

Neither Song Lingwei nor Xie Mingcheng had raised Cen Wu, so why should they compete with him? The Cen family and Cen Wu had no blood relation either, so they had no right to compete. Cen Wu was his alone.

Song Lingwei would probably want her own child, and Xie Mingcheng, to spite the Cen family, might also want to fight for Cen Wu's custody.

As long as he killed Song Lingwei and then replaced Xie Mingcheng, making the Xie family, which dominated half of Huaijing, no longer Xie Mingcheng's Xie, Cen Wu would always belong to him. They would be together for a long time, until death parted them.

Cen Wu still loved him, never wanting to leave him. He didn't believe that if Song Lingwei cried, Cen Wu would also feel heartache.

Xie Guiluan's eyes were deep and cold, and he remained silent for several minutes. Cen Wu, whose lips Xie Guiluan had pinched into a small beak, slapped Xie Guiluan's hand away and asked, "What... what are you thinking about?"

Bro, what are you thinking about that could get you locked up?

"Nothing," Xie Guiluan lowered his head, nuzzling against Cen Wu's neck, as if he were the most obedient person.

Oh well, Cen Wu is such a softie.

After all, Song Lingwei was his birth mother, and Xie Guiluan wasn't sure if Cen Wu would be sad if Song Lingwei died. Anyway, Guan Xingxue wouldn't let Song Lingwei go, so he didn't need to do it himself.

As for Xie Mingcheng, he must die, but there are many ways to make him die, and it's not necessary to dirty his own hands.

Xie Guiluan's phone rang a few more times, still a call from Cen Xiao. Xie Guiluan didn't answer, and Cen Wu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it. Xie Guiluan had been out for so long, Cen Xiao must be very worried.

However, as soon as he picked it up, Xie Guiluan slapped it away, hugging his hand like a naughty child.

Cen Wu: "..."

What a brat.

Xie Guiluan's eyes were dark and gloomy, filled with suppressed rage, hidden by his long lashes.

Cen Wu always insisted he stay with the Cen family, making him feel like Cen Wu was trying to push him away. He should be the one going to the Cen family, calling Cen Wu, and telling him what time he would be home at night.

Clearly, they were the most important to each other, and he wanted to be his only family.

Cen Wu grabbed Xie Guiluan's ear and threatened him, saying that if he didn't answer the phone, he would kick him out and not let him sleep with him. Only then did Xie Guiluan reluctantly answer.

Who knows what Cen Xiao said on the other end of the phone, Xie Guiluan lowered his eyes, his expression very cold, just grunted to indicate he was still alive, then hung up and threw it aside, wrapping himself around Cen Wu like a clingy ghost draining his energy.

Cen Wu: "..."

Enough!!!

Cen Wu's face went blank, completely giving up on resisting, and just slept like that, entangled.

Cen Wu hadn't slept well these past few nights. This apartment building was particularly dark, and he was scared at night, unable to stop his mind from wandering. Only in Xie Guiluan's arms did he finally get a good night's sleep.

The next day, Cen Wu woke up at noon. He kicked off the blanket and found Xie Guiluan's arm still wrapped around his waist, but Xie Guiluan was already awake, holding Cen Wu's phone.

Seeing Cen Wu open his eyes, Xie Guiluan leaned on his shoulder, his eyes calm but with a hint of resentment.

Cen Wu was like a guilty husband caught red-handed, blinking innocently, "Wh... what's wrong?"

Xie Guiluan didn't speak, so Cen Wu took the phone and opened it, immediately freezing.

Xie Guiluan had wanted to secretly turn it on and delete the messages he had sent to Cen Wu earlier. He wanted Cen Wu to feel sorry for him, but he didn't want Cen Wu to worry too much. He had gone crazy earlier, sending Cen Wu hundreds of messages and making hundreds of calls.

He knew Cen Wu wouldn't be annoyed, just concerned.

However, as soon as he turned it on and unlocked it with Cen Wu's fingerprint, he found a message from a male model to Cen Wu.

Before Cen Wu ran away, he hadn't sent Xie Guiluan any messages, but he had liked a photo of abs posted by that male model on his social media.

"You... you you you," Cen Wu quickly grabbed the phone, his face red, "Listen to my explanation."

There's nothing to explain.

He wasn't the Cen family's second young master anymore, and no one would send him photos of abs in the future. He just took one last look.

Cen Wu: "..."

He's craving Xie Guiluan's body.

He's being naughty!

Xie Guiluan lowered his eyes, unsure if he was really angry, and got out of bed to make lunch for him first.

Cen Wu clung to him, but Xie Guiluan paid him no mind, so Cen Wu trailed behind him like a shadow.

Xie Guiluan's phone suddenly rang, and when he picked it up to look, his expression froze for a moment. Cen Wu had replied to all his messages.

"Xie Guiluan: I'm back, aren't you coming to pick me up?"

"Cen Wu: Kitten running wildly.jpg"

"Xie Guiluan: It's cold at night, did you bring clothes? Do you have enough money? Have you eaten dinner?"

"Cen Wu: Eating spicy soup, it's so cold, didn't bring clothes, and didn't bring much money."

"Xie Guiluan: It's freezing, don't go out. Just tell me where you are, and I'll come get you, alright?"

"Cen Wu: Cat secretly observing.jpg"

Xie Guiluan turned around, and Cen Wu was peeking at him from behind. His lips twitched into a smile despite himself as he reached out to hug Cen Wu, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, "Found you."

Cen Wu patted his back, replying to Xie Guiluan's messages one by one, and only finished by bedtime.

Cen Wu couldn't go out and stayed home with Xie Guiluan for several days. He originally didn't plan to take the final exams, thinking of transferring out of Huai Jing after the winter break.

But now Xie Guiluan wouldn't let him leave, so he had to take the final exams. And if he didn't go to school, Xie Guiluan wouldn't go either. What if he didn't get the top provincial exam score?

"Tomorrow... you have to push me out," Cen Wu whispered to Xie Guiluan at night, "No matter if I... want to go or not."

"Mm," Xie Guiluan responded, but he actually wanted to stay even more than Cen Wu. Just being with Cen Wu like this, where Cen Wu couldn't see anyone else, having nothing but him.

How pitiful.

Kissed until his lips turned red, trembling under his touch, with no one to rescue him, his actions unnoticed by anyone.

Xie Guiluan closed his eyes, holding Cen Wu. No matter how dirty and chaotic his heart was, his embrace was gentle.

A monster disguised in the cloak of love, Cen Wu unaware, sleeping in his lair.

Cen Wu knew he didn't want to go out. The next day, he dawdled as he put on his school uniform, and by the time he reached the door, he was already regretting it, whining, "I didn't... say I was going to school."

He only asked Xie Guiluan to push him out, not specifying where he should go afterward.

Xie Guiluan didn't coax or persuade him, just picked him up like a child, holding his buttocks and carrying him face-to-face. Cen Wu, startled, wrapped his arms around Xie Guiluan's neck, instinctively hooking his legs tightly around Xie Guiluan's waist, his face flushing as he angrily shouted, "Put... put me down!"

Xie Guiluan held his buttocks with one hand, locked the door with the other, a sly grin playing on his lips, and carried him downstairs like this.

Cen Wu was terrified. There were many people in this apartment building, and if anyone saw him and Xie Guiluan like this, how could he live?

But Huai Jing No.1 High School was over two hours away by car. They had gotten up early, earlier than other students and commuters, and now, under the pitch-black night sky, they went unnoticed.

Xie Guiluan had come on a motorcycle. He directly carried Cen Wu to the back seat, put a helmet on him, and started the engine.

It was too cold to ride the motorcycle all the way to school, but at least they could get to a place where it was easier to catch a taxi.

Cen Wu, wearing a mask and scarf, hardly spoke a word as soon as he stepped outside, hiding beside Xie Guiluan whenever he saw someone. He got even more nervous when he walked into the classroom, even though it was filled with classmates he knew.

The Cen family had suppressed the news, and the matter of the adopted second young master hadn’t spread yet. Lu Wang had no idea what had happened; he thought Cen Wu had been sick these past few days, otherwise why wouldn’t he reply to his messages?

Cen Wu spent the whole day slumped listlessly, only feeling at ease when he saw Xie Guiluan. The rest of the time, he was just stressed out. When Lu Wang spoke to him, he opened his mouth, but his mind went blank.

Cen Wu remained shaky and nervous until evening study hall, but he didn’t want Xie Guiluan to notice, so he kept lying down.

After school, he had planned to go back to his rented apartment, but as soon as he looked up, he found Cen’s father, mother, and Cen Xiao all there.

They had caught him at the school gate, and there was no way to escape.

Cen Wu’s body immediately tensed up, like a scared little animal caught by the scruff of its neck, wanting to run but not daring to.

Guan Xingxue, upon seeing his pale and thin face, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she reached out to hug him, saying, "Even if Xiao Lan has returned, you will always be our child. How silly of you to run off like that, why didn’t you come home with mom?"

Cen Xiao felt like a fool; he treated his younger brother as his own, but his younger brother treated him like a cousin.

Cen Xiao roughly ruffled Cen Wu’s hair and threw him a black card, scolding him angrily, "What are you acting like a spoiled brat for? Didn’t you like the yacht I bought you last month? Then buy another one yourself."

Xie Guiluan stood behind him, his cold, firm hand pressing down on his shoulder, giving him no way out.

Cen Wu: "..."

Help! Don’t come any closer!