Chapter 78: He Likes My Eldest Brother

Chapter 78: He's Into My Big Brother

The morning after the heavy rain, the entire city was reborn.

The roads had been washed clean, and the air carried the earthy freshness of soil and grass.

When the first rays of sunlight emerged, the room remained dim, the curtains blocking out every trace of light.

The storm last night had done nothing to disturb the late-night passion inside—the room was still filled with warmth.

After the turbulence, the clouds settled into calm, and the bed held the shape of two bodies tangled together.

A large, veined hand reached out from under the blanket, groping blindly across the nightstand for a while before failing to find a phone. Eventually, the man pushed up and peered over, only to discover that his phone had somehow fallen onto the carpet, far from the bed.

The man got out of bed, his mind still hazy. He rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up.

From behind, several bright red scratch marks could be seen on his back, stark and striking.

Yi Siyu glanced at the clothes he had worn the night before, now scattered messily on the bedroom floor, and couldn’t help but recall the madness of the previous night.

His pup had lost it—and so had he.

When he unlocked his phone, he wasn’t surprised to see Zhuang Yao’s missed calls and pissed-off WeChat messages. Yi Siyu sighed.

"Zhuang Yao": Si Yu, are you here yet?

"Zhuang Yao": Si Yu, why aren’t you coming? Hurry up, get over here!

"Zhuang Yao": Hey! No way. Did you actually end up in bed yourself?

"Zhuang Yao": I’m not waiting anymore. I’m leaving. I’m noting down today’s no-show in my tally of grudges!

"Zhuang Yao": Fuck! It started pouring again halfway, and I got completely drenched! You’re SO dead!! Aaaah!!

"Zhuang Yao": [GIF of a little man losing his mind]

For the first time in his life, Yi Siyu had blown off someone—his best friend, no less—and the reason was…

The man turned to look at the young man curled up under the blankets on the bed and rubbed his forehead again.

…Because he’d been thinking with his dick.

Once they’d finished the first time, he had actually considered telling Zhuang Yao that he wouldn’t be able to make it.

But just as he was about to get up, a certain breathless pup had wrapped his arms around his neck and yanked him back.

All damn night, the two words the boy had repeated most were—

"More."

Yi Siyu had almost wondered if the drinks were spiked at the gathering. Faced with a crazed little dog, he had gone just as feral, sinking deeper into the heat of the moment.

Feeling guilty, Yi Siyu sent a message.

"Yu": Totally sorry, my bad. Something unexpected got... held up yesterday. Let’s reschedule, and I’ll make it up to you in person.

As if that wasn’t enough, he added another line...

“Yu texted: I’ll send you my eldest brother’s private WeChat and help arrange a meetup with him this weekend.

This... should work, right?

There isn’t much he can do. Knowing that what Zhuang Yao wants most right now is another chance with his eldest brother, as his buddy, he can only do his best to create opportunities for them.

Originally, he had planned to secretly bring the puppy back yesterday and prepare some pet supplies in advance, so that when Jian Ye's birthday came, he could place the puppy right by his bedside for him to see the adorable surprise as soon as he woke up.

Capturing the boy’s reaction at that moment would surely be hilarious.

But now, it seemed he wouldn’t have time for that in the next couple of days.

After the first time, he naturally had to take care of the person involved. Last night, in the moment, he clearly sensed the boy’s insecurity—how he held onto him for dear life.

After cleaning up the messy aftermath on the floor, Yi Siyu tossed the dirty clothes into the washing machine. One piece was shredded, so he threw it straight into the trash.

The ruined garment wasn’t Jian Ye’s, but his own smoke-gray shirt.

“You go wild with strength…” the man muttered under his breath.

Then, Yi Siyu went downstairs to put on porridge.

The next few days would call for a light diet. Jian Ye would surely wake up hungry, so he got it ready in advance to personally bring it up later.

Once everything was done, Yi Siyu was wide awake. He grabbed his laptop and returned to the bedroom, sitting right by the bed to review online documents and files.

The worn-out pup slept soundly beside him, but his mind kept wandering. After a moment’s thought, he simply climbed onto the bed, sliding under the blanket and balancing the laptop on his lap.

Closer was better—this way, he could still feel the warmth of the boy’s breath, his body radiating heat and carrying a sweet scent. The disheveled strands of hair brushing against his thigh got him distracted all over again.

Suddenly remembering something, he sent a text to Special Assistant Xu.

“Go buy some adult products for me. As for brands and types, you pick—just make sure they’re the most expensive, highest quality, and reliable.”

Special Assistant Xu was stunned for a sec. Was this really their CEO’s number?

After double-checking and confirming he hadn’t misread it, he quickly switched to work mode, powering through the awkwardness.

“Understood.”

“Uh, Third Young Master… condoms… any flavor preference?”

“…” Recalling the ones used last night, the man bit his lip.

He typed—

“Fruit. Whatever’s good.”

The reply came instantly—

“On it. Right away, Third Young Master.”

……

Jian Ye slept deeply, his consciousness adrift as if floating on the sea.

Like a lone boat, carried by the waves.

His body felt weightless, as though there was no resistance, easily swept away by anything.

It was strange—he could hear the sound of typing nearby, but his eyes simply wouldn't open.

Knowing Yi Siyu was right beside him brought him a great sense of comfort.

Last night, he had finally taken that step with Yi Siyu. It had been intense, exhausting, but unbelievably good.

Wasn’t the first time supposed to hurt? Maybe it was the alcohol dulling the pain, but he hadn’t felt any discomfort at all.

On top of that, Yi Siyu had been patient, guiding him gently at first before turning overwhelmingly rough.

Each time, he saw stars, his vision swimming.

System 748: *That’s because after achieving the second-stage milestone, the host’s body underwent modifications that enhanced its flexibility.*

Jian Ye: *"..."*

Jian Ye: *"Holy shit, you freaked me out again! Don’t tell me you were watching last night—"*

System 748: *"No! This system is equipped with a clean, family-friendly program. Whenever the host engages in unspeakable private activities, the system is automatically shoved into a blackout mode until the session concludes."*

Jian Ye: *"Yeah, right, you’re a saint. A real saint."*

System 748: *"Hehe, so, how was the main guy? By the time I was released from the black box, you were already unconscious—oh wait, you still haven’t regained consciousness now."*

Jian Ye: *"Fuck you! Was that hangover cure you gave me fake? Why did I get dizzier and dizzier afterward?"*

Jian Ye distinctly remembered that his dizziness hadn’t been caused by Yi Siyu—it was the alcohol hitting him all at once.

System 748: *"Well, that’s because the host refused to spend Green Tea Coins and opted for the freebie from the shop. Free items come with time limits—once the effect expires, you go right back to square one."*

System 748: *"To put it in human terms: there's no such thing as a free lunch."*

Jian Ye: *"..."*

What the hell. Never using free items again!

So the reason he still couldn’t open his eyes was probably because he was still drunk—this was the nasty hangover of downing two bottles.

If only he hadn’t been so stubborn. Really, he’d just been his own worst enemy.

Jian Ye could tell Yi Siyu had no interest in Zhuang Yao. The insecurity was all in his own head—just insecurity, pure and simple.

It was the same with this world, the same with people’s hearts.

Back in his original world, when his parents abandoned him, he’d wondered—was there really such a thing as everlasting love? It seemed most love goes stale eventually.

Luckily, he’d been just a baby when they left, too young to feel much sorrow. The head of the orphanage had been kind, raising him until adulthood.

Honestly, he’d always been fortunate—including the fact that he’d ended up with Yi Siyu.

Countless people would kill to be in his shoes, yet here he was, stuck in his own head.

Yesterday, he’d recklessly torn the man’s clothes and done such filthy things to him…

Worst of all, near the end, just to keep Yi Siyu from leaving the bed, he’d struggled and swatted the man’s phone away, sending it flying across the room.

And then he’d begged for it again and again, so fucking shameless it’s embarrassing now.

Everything he’d done had been him acting out—he hadn’t wanted Yi Siyu to contact Zhuang Yao, hadn’t wanted the man to leave him when they were wrapped up in each other.

People always realize how cringeworthy their past foolish actions were only when reviewing them afterward—so cringeworthy they could dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

Luckily, he can't open his eyes right now and isn’t ready to meet Yi Siyu’s eyes yet. Let him escape reality for a little while longer.

"System 748: Host, I forgot to mention earlier—that free medicine has a tiny side effect, but it won’t actually harm your body."

"Jian Ye: What? There’s a side effect?"

"System 748: You can think of it as leftover data traces after uninstalling software. The hangover medicine you took is essentially a string of system data. It lingers as a sensation that will make your body heat up for a while, but it’s only skin-deep and won’t damage your brain."

"Jian Ye: Oh, so others might notice my temperature change, but I won’t feel it myself."

"System 748: Exactly, Host."

"Jian Ye: Then it’s fine. After I get a fever, it’ll be good to give that guy a good scare. He drove me up the wall yesterday."

"System 748: Host can take this chance to earn more Green Tea Points! Hurry and stock up to prepare for the third-stage upgrade!"

That made sense. He had burned through nearly all of his Green Tea Points on that pricey text (charged by the character) earlier. Achieving the third-stage achievement would probably require even more.

...

By noon, Jian Ye was still asleep with no signs of waking up.

Yi Siyu thought it wasn’t good for him to keep starving like this, so he gave a light shake to the person on the bed—only to immediately notice something was wrong.

"Baby, wake up."

He’s burning up! Jian Ye was burning up. He had a fever.

Yi Siyu cradled the boy’s face and pressed his forehead against his, feeling the noticeably higher temperature. He didn’t waste a second reaching for his phone to make a call, but just as he had the phone to his ear, a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don’t call. I don’t want to see a doctor." Jian Ye finally mustered enough strength to open his eyes slightly. His voice was weak, making him seem fragile as glass.

"Hey, sweetheart, you’re sick. We need their usual doctor to check on you. We won’t do injections, just medicine, okay?" The man coaxed softly, careful not to trigger the boy’s touchy mood.

He was afraid Jian Ye’s fever was a result of last night’s activities.

Was it inflamed?

But he had checked thoroughly after cleaning the boy up—no wounds or signs of discomfort.

Perhaps it was just a chill?

Yi Siyu didn’t dare to assume, so he still called the doctor.

Taking advantage of the man’s concern, Jian Ye poured on the charm, murmuring complaints.

The boy wrapped his arms around Yi Siyu’s waist. "Siyu-ge, yesterday when we were about to leave after dinner, I saw you exchanging whispers with Brother Zhuang Yao."

Yi Siyu’s heart tightened.

Was the surprise he was preparing about to be exposed early?

"He looked at you forty-eight times during dinner—he couldn’t take his eyes off you. When I mentioned the person he likes, he blushed hard."

Yi Siyu: "???"

"Does he really like you that much? Doesn't he know you're already married?" As he spoke, the boy's eyes reddened, tears started pouring out, giving the man no chance to explain.

The man panicked and hurriedly wiped his beloved's tears.

The boy's tears were burning hot too. His face was already flushed from the fever, and now with the tears, he looked as if he had been badly mistreated.

"Baby, don’t cry. You’ve misunderstood. The person he likes is my eldest brother, I swear. There’s no way he could like me. If he did, I’d cut him off completely and never speak to him again."

Jian Ye: "???"

Now Jian Ye was the one stunned. What had he just heard? He likes Eldest Brother?

This better not be another excuse!

"Those forty-eight times he looked yesterday were also directed at my brother. Don’t you remember? My brother and I were sitting together, so his gaze could only be aimed in our direction."

Yi Siyu hadn’t expected his earlier lack of clarity to cause such a deep misunderstanding. To prove his innocence, he even pulled up their old messages—where Zhuang Yao had explicitly confessed his feelings for Eldest Brother and asked Yi Siyu for advice.

After seeing the actual messages, Jian Ye almost shot up from his sickbed.

Ah… this… what the hell…

WTF????

Who could understand how he felt right now? All the jealousy he’d wallowed in this whole time—turns out it was all in his head, his own making?

Great. He was truly embodying the "Paohui Jianye" persona from the original novel—a perfect blend of dramatic schemer.

Blankly, Jian Ye turned his head and saw Yi Siyu holding his phone, looking uncharacteristically innocent.

Like a big, abandoned dog.

His usual embarrassment struck again. Might as well close his eyes and leave this world behind.

With an exaggerated eye-roll, he pretended to faint and collapsed into the man’s arms.

Still reeling from the terror of being misunderstood by his wife, and before he could even resolve that crisis, the sudden sight of his wife fainting sent the overbearing CEO into another near-heart attack.

Author’s Note:

Jian Ye: If you’d just used your words, I wouldn’t have had to close my eyes again. (Thanks for the invite, RIP me—death by cringe.)

CEO Yi: Wife, listen to me! Look at the chat logs, look! He likes my brother!

Zhuang Yao: Achoo! (Ugh, my bro’s definitely blaming me again.)

————

Jian Ye: Doesn’t he know you’re married? Can’t stand people who overstep.

CEO Yi: Zhuang Yao likes my brother.

Zhuang Yao: Doesn’t he know I’m shy? Can’t stand people who overstep.

CEO Yi: … (So done. Kill me now.)