Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Ling Ting was standing by the study window, watching the person lingering outside the courtyard on the first floor. He had been pacing there for half an hour.

Unable to wait any longer, Ling Ting pushed open the sliding balcony door and stepped outside.

The person below immediately looked up, their gazes locked—and the other looked visibly flustered.

Ling Ting called out, "How much longer will you wander outside before coming in?"

Ling Rui stiffened, embarrassed. Had he been discovered long ago?

With his head down, he shuffled awkwardly into the courtyard.

This was the villa he’d called home for twenty years.

But two years ago, he’d learned he wasn’t their biological son.

His real older brother had returned.

As the "replacement" son, he suddenly felt out of place.

His birth parents were no longer around, and he was already an adult.

He couldn’t shake the thought that he’d lost his place here.

His confidence crumbled, convinced his parents no longer wanted him—though they never said it outright.

Every day, he debated whether to move out.

But where could he even go?

With the capital’s sky-high housing prices, he couldn’t even afford rent.

Lost in his thoughts, Ling Rui didn’t even notice Ling Ting coming downstairs until they met at the landing.

Ling Rui looked up at him.

Ling Ting looked down at him from the stairs.

"Ge," Ling Rui mumbled softly before lowering his head and slipping past him up the stairs.

Just as he reached the corner, Ling Ting’s voice came from behind: "Don’t think this home has no place for you."

Ling Rui halted, his insecurities laid bare, flushing with shame.

Ling Ting continued, "Mom and Dad never intended to drive you away. Family doesn’t end with blood."

Ling Rui turned to watch his retreating back.

"...Okay," he whispered.

Thinking that was the end of it, Ling Rui took another step upward.

But Ling Ting wasn’t done: "Hungry? I’m whipping up a late-night snack. Want some?"

Ling Rui was about to refuse, but after a pause, he nodded.

"Alright."

Ling Ting made his way to the kitchen.

After steadying himself with a few deep breaths, Ling Rui turned and went downstairs, entering the kitchen as well.

"Need a hand? What’re you cooking?"

Ling Ting: "Just dumplings. I’ve got it."

"Oh."

Frozen dumplings don’t take long, ready to eat in less than ten minutes.

With their parents away, it was just the two brothers in the house.

They sat in the dining room, eating the steaming dumplings.

Neither said a word.

After finishing, Ling Rui took it upon himself to wash the dishes.

Ling Ting lingered, waiting for him by the kitchen door.

They only headed upstairs together after he finished.

Ling Rui still lived in his old room, while Ling Ting had moved into the one next door after arriving. Ling Rui had thought about giving up his bigger room,

but Ling Ting declined, saying the smaller room helped him concentrate.

Outside their rooms, Ling Rui said goodnight before entering his room.

Ling Ting echoed the sentiment.

Their brotherly relationship had stayed distant for two years, mostly because Ling Rui had been holding back.

Now that Ling Ting had graduated and joined the military, he would soon move into military barracks.

It wouldn’t be easy to see each other after this.

Ling Rui wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly realized there was no point in being stubborn and simply let it go.

The next morning, Ling Rui decided to make breakfast and knocked on Ling Ting’s door.

"Hey, you awake? I made breakfast."

There was no answer from inside, so he knocked again.

Instead, Ling Ting’s voice came from around the hallway corner.

"Looking for me?"

Ling Rui jumped and turned to see him wearing gray sweatpants, shirtless, with his top draped over his shoulders, his skin still damp from his run.

Clearly, he’d just finished his morning run.

Ling Ting’s toned body made Ling Rui feel out of shape. "You went running this early?"

Ling Ting: "Same as always. What’s up?"

Ling Rui said, his face flushed and heart racing, "Come eat breakfast, I've already cooked it."

Ling Ting gave a noncommittal "Mm."

Ling Rui brushed past him and headed downstairs.

Ling Ting shot him a glance, his expression softening. He went into his room, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then headed downstairs for breakfast.

Ling Rui had already eaten and was ready to head out.

Ling Ting asked, "Where are you going? You’re on break, aren’t you?"

Ling Rui replied, "Yeah, just felt like going out, maybe do some shopping."

Ling Ting said, "Hold on, I’ll come with."

Ling Rui blinked. "Okay."

They’d been housemates for over two years, but this was the first time they went out shopping together.

Ling Ting had a more model-like build, so anything he wore looked like a model's outfit.

So shopping was a breeze for him—basically, anything he liked would look good on him.

Ling Rui wasn’t so lucky. He had narrower shoulders, so many clothes that fit in length didn’t fit his shoulders, and vice versa.

Watching Ling Rui struggle, Ling Ting dragged him into a tailor’s shop.

Ling Rui balked at the fancy interior. "This place is expensive. One suit here costs three off the rack."

Ling Ting said, "Don’t worry, it’s on me."

Ling Rui replied, "But that’s still their money, isn’t it?"

Ling Ting countered, "Might as well put it to use. If you don’t work hard to spend their money, what motivation do they have to work and earn more?"

Ling Rui was momentarily speechless—it did make some sense.

Still felt kinda shameless, though.

In the end, Ling Rui walked out with three tailored outfits, no regrets.

Ling Ting remarked, "You’ll be a senior soon. Time to dress like an adult—people take you more seriously."

Ling Rui nodded.

But he wasn’t buying it. No amount of dressing up could make a college kid seem legit.

Everyone knew that.

Yet, to Ling Rui’s utter surprise, on the first day of the new semester, he saw the class monitor walk into the lecture hall wearing a black suit.

Suddenly, his hoodie and jeans felt hopelessly juvenile.

He even made a point of snapping a selfie with the guy.

Then he sent it to Ling Ting.

Ling Ting came back from training and took out his phone to check.

He saw this photo.

His roommate peeked over his shoulder.

"Boyfriend? Which one is it?"

Ling Ting: "Nah, this is my brother."

His roommate grinned: "You guys look nothing alike."

Ling Ting: "No blood relation—my parents adopted him."

Ling Ting didn’t want to explain too much. With that, the roommate understood.

Either way, they were brothers, just not by blood.

——

Two weeks later, Ling Rui received a package at home.

Curious, he opened it to find a suit inside.

Ling Rui snapped a photo with his phone and sent it to Ling Ting—the only person he could imagine sending him a suit.

"Did you have this made for me, bro?"

Ling Ting: "You said you wanted one."

Ling Rui: "When did I say I wanted one?"

Ling Ting: "Then why’d you send me that pic?"

Ling Rui: "I just meant that guy *seemed* reliable, but our class monitor isn’t either. Turns out, looking reliable doesn’t mean anything."

Ling Ting: "So, not a fan of the color?"

Ling Rui blinked at the reply, speechless.

When did I say I didn’t like it?

Ling Rui: "Nah, I like it. Black matches everything. I’ll wear it for graduation."

Ling Ting: "Wear it now if you want. I can buy you another one for graduation."

Ling Rui: "Bro, you rolling in cash now?"

Ling Ting: "I can afford a couple of outfits."

Ling Rui laughed at the text. Having a brother had its perks.

Only children miss out on this kind of joy.

Looking back, those two years he spent sulking were ridiculous. He should’ve befriended his brother earlier—might’ve scored half his allowance.

＊

After joining the military, Ling Ting hardly ever returned home.

Ling Rui’s life went back to normal.

His parents were swamped with work and only came back once or twice a month.

Senior year was pretty hectic.

Everyone in class was figuring out what to do after graduation.

Those who could land cushy jobs went all out for them, while those who couldn’t had to find other paths.

Jobs for grads were hard to come by these days.

Luckily, they were Imperial Military Academy grads.

Unless their grades were total garbage, most could land suitable jobs.

Ling Rui had decent grades and S-tier mental strength.

No innate powers, though.

He and the class monitor shared the same goal—scoring an easy gig to coast in.

So, they set their sights on the newly established Smart Mech Warrior R&D and Maintenance Division.

Before graduation even hit, both of them successfully secured positions.

They rolled up in their sharpest suits, only to find Xu Sining dressed down.

"Lao Ning, the hell are you doing here?" Song Yi looked utterly surprised.

Xu Sining smirked. "I’m here waiting for my new hires to check in."

Song Yi and Ling Rui exchanged glances.

"You’re the boss?"

Xu Sining spread his hands and laughed. "Who else?"

Song Yi: "Damn, Lao Ning, you hit the jackpot. We all graduated together—how’d you become the head already?"

Ling Rui nodded. Some guys have all the luck.

Hard work’s got nothing on dumb luck.

Xu Sining said, "Same dream—get paid to slack off. This department is perfect for that."

What Xu Sining didn’t tell them was that all these robots were products of his Spirit Possession.

Each robot possessed fire-elemental abilities.

These robots that shot flames without fuel could instantly boost the empire’s firepower big-time.

In the past, real soldiers had to take the hits.

Now, robots could take the front lines—keep the factories humming, and they’d churn out bots nonstop.

Most importantly, every 5,000 robots he Spirit-Possessed, he could create one healing robot.

The marshal had him keep channeling spirits nonstop to obtain more healing robots.

These healing robots could regenerate a severed arm within an hour.

Superficial wounds would heal in just a minute or two.

Having these robots on the frontlines would be a game-changer for every soldier.

Ling Rui and Song Yi were speechless after Xu Sining's explanation of the robots' capabilities.

They had envied many people's Innate Abilities before, but they'd never been this jealous of Xu Sining's Innate Ability as they did now.

Ling Rui couldn't help but sigh, "Old Ning, I think you're the most perfect man in the world."

Xu Sining: "Huh?"

Ling Rui: "You're so incredible—you can have babies and create life-saving robots like these. I feel like as long as you're around, the world will be filled with light and hope."

Xu Sining cracked up at his straight-faced praise.

"Don't praise me so seriously, or I might get a big head."

Song Yi threw up a thumb: "You really are amazing!"

Xu Sining grinned: "Got it, got it. I’m the most awesome person in the world—even Gu Xi can't quite measure up."

Song Yi and Ling Rui nodded in unison.

Both put up four thumbs each.

"You're the best!"

＊

The year after Ling Rui graduated from university, he scraped together a down payment on a house.

His parents didn’t want him to struggle as a house-poor homeowner, so they paid off the rest for him.

Ling Rui felt a little guilty when he saw the bank alert.

But then his mother sent him a message that made him feel better.

"Son, blood or not, after living together all these years, you’ve long been my real son. This money was always meant for you—to buy you a home when you grew up. Now that you want to move out on your own, we won’t stand in your way. Use this to get yourself something nice, but don’t think independence means abandoning us. We’re still counting on you and your brother to take care of us in our old age."

Ling Rui’s eyes reddened as he read the message, chuckling softly.

He replied: "I’ll work hard to give you both a comfortable retirement."

Mom: "Just do what you can. We're doing just fine."

Ling Rui: "Got it!"

With the funds secured, Ling Rui paid cash and went for a bigger place, no mortgage.

After the purchase, he changed his official residence to his new home, making it official.

Not even a day later after he set up his own place—

Ling Ting showed up out of nowhere.

Mom and Dad weren’t home.

Ling Ting saw Ling Rui and, in frustration, grabbed him, saying, "Why did you move your *hukou* out? Didn’t you listen to what I told you before?"

Ling Rui looked at him in confusion. "Why are you so mad? What’s the big deal? I bought my own place—why shouldn’t I have my own *hukou*?"

Ling Ting: "Why can’t we stay on the same *hukou*? I said even if we’re not blood-related, we can still be family forever."

Ling Rui pulled his hand back.

"We’re still family now. Our family ties aren’t tied to a *hukou*. I just want my own household register to make things more convenient in the future."

Ling Ting: "What things?"

Ling Rui floundered for an answer. He simply felt that since he had his own place now, he was a real adult.

The first step to independence was naturally having his own household register.

But with Ling Ting pressing him, he had to come up with a convincing excuse.

"In case I wanna elope on a whim?"

Ling Rui barely believed his own excuse.

Ling Ting’s grip slackened.

"Do you have someone you like?"

"Not yet." Ling Rui shook his head. "But what if I meet someone? It’s just paperwork—it won’t affect our relationship. Mom and Dad will always be my parents, and you’ll always be my brother. That won’t change."

Ling Ting suddenly said, "One thing *could* change."

"What thing?"

"I don’t have to be your brother."

"Wait—you got another brother I don’t know about?"

"No. There’ll never be another brother."

"Then what do you mean?"

Ling Ting stepped closer, invading his space.

Ling Rui caught his scent—all musk and raw masculinity. Pheromones hitting like a truck.

His heart hammered. No reason. None at all.

Ling Ting loomed over him and said, "I’d rather be your husband."

Ling Rui’s eyes widened, and he recoiled like he’d been burned.

"What are you saying?"

Ling Ting had held back, thinking he wasn’t ready, but now that Ling Rui was talking about marriage, if he didn’t speak up now, he might lose him to someone else.

"I want to marry you, I want us to be on the same family register, I want to be with you forever.

Not like brothers—like partners.

Of course, I won’t force you. I respect your choice. You can think it over and tell me later. I can wait."

Ling Rui was totally floored.

But he was overjoyed, exhilarated, as if he had been waiting for these words all along—yet how had he never realized it before?

Ling Ting waited for a response but got none, thinking Ling Rui wasn’t interested.

"If you don’t want to be with me, just say it. I promise our brotherhood won’t change. I only got two hours of leave, and time’s almost up. Just tell me once you decide."

With that, Ling Ting turned to leave.

Ling Rui’s mind was racing, but his body moved before his brain caught up.

"How much time do you have left?"

Ling Ting paused, glanced at his watch, and turned back. "About 80 minutes."

Ling Rui: "Can we get married in that time?"

Now Ling Ting was the one stunned.

He turned on his heel and marched back.

Ling Rui’s toes clenched in his shoes.

Ling Ting grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

Ling Rui: "Where are we going?"

Ling Ting: "To register."

Yanked forward, Ling Rui’s thoughts scrambled to keep up.

By the time he processed what was happening, they were already at the marriage registration office.

Both Ling Ting and Ling Rui were military personnel, so marriage procedures were quick—no extra paperwork required.

In just 10 minutes, they became legally married.

Clutching the red booklet, Ling Rui was at a loss for words. He felt impulsive yet weirdly okay with the outcome.

Ling Ting: "I’ll put in for honeymoon leave. Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?"

Ling Rui stared at Ling Ting, blinking in shock.

"Honeymoon?"

Ling Ting: "Not your thing? If you don’t feel like traveling, we can use the time to set up your new place. You still need furniture, right?"

Ling Rui thought about it. Using the time to get things done sounded more like him.

"Then let's take time off and go to the furniture store."

Ling Ting: "Okay."

Ling Rui had always been on the receiving end of Xu Sining’s relationship PDA, and now he finally had the chance to enjoy his own turn. Eagerly, he took a picture of their marriage certificate and sent it to Xu Sining.

Xu Sining quickly replied: "Congratulations! I knew you two had a thing, but I never expected you’d take this long to get married!"

Just as Ling Rui was feeling smug, Xu Sining sent him a photo of two little kids eating chicken legs.

At that moment, Ling Rui felt one-upped—after all, the other man already had children.

＊

Ling Rui’s new home was 1,600 square feet, a move-in ready three-bedroom, two common areas, one-kitchen, two-bathroom layout with a large balcony and a small one.

Neither of them was picky or ones to fuss, so they finished buying all the furniture in just two days.

It happened to be the weekend.

When their parents returned, Ling Rui invited them over for dinner at his new place, where he and Ling Ting cooked personally.

As their parents admired the new home with satisfaction, they even mentioned turning one room into a nursery in the future.

Then, Ling Ting held out their two red marriage booklets in front of them.

"Mom, Dad, we got married."

Their parents were dumbfounded, thinking it was some kind of joke.

But when they took the certificates and opened them, they saw the government seals.

"Today isn’t April Fool’s Day, is it?"

Ling Ting: "No, we’re serious."

Their parents went silent for a solid ten minutes, as if they were statues.

With the facts right in front of them, there was nothing left to say.

Their mother was the first to speak: "Well, this is good too. We’re family for life."

Ling Rui had been worried, but hearing his mother’s words put him at ease.

His father, a good sport, quickly recovered and threw an arm around each of them. "Then tonight, we’re cracking open at least two bottles!"

Ling Rui and Ling Ting both laughed as the three men toasted and started drinking.

＊

After their parents left that night, Ling Rui and Ling Ting looked at each other, their faces growing hot. When night falls, it’s time for activities best left to the imagination.

"You wanna go first, or should we hop in together?" Ling Rui asked.

Ling Ting grinned and pulled him into the bathroom. "I’ll wash you."

The moment the bathroom door closed, Ling Ting’s proper demeanor went out the window as he pushed Ling Rui up against the wall.

Leaning close to his ear, he whispered, "Enjoy what’s yours."

—Bonus Chapter End

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