Chapter 35: Chapter 35 “Brother Xiao Chen, I Will Definitely…”

Chapter 35

"Brother Xiaochen, I promise I'll..."

Lu Zhishi had a hunch, but he wanted to hear Chi Chen say it.

A low, indifferent voice drifted back from ahead, slightly muffled by the wind, yet Lu Zhishi heard it distinctly.

He said, "To help you unwind."

The early summer sunset was exceptionally beautiful, and the evening breeze, carrying a faint fragrance, rustled the young man's shirt.

Moved to tears, Lu Zhishi hugged his waist and exclaimed, "Brother Xiaochen, you're so kind! I'll definitely take good care of you when I grow up!"

Chi Chen was speechless.

With a gentle brake, Lu Zhishi, lost in happy thoughts, unexpectedly bumped into Chi Chen's back, his face pressing against it, nearly flattened.

Lu Zhishi released his grip, dazed, and clumsily dismounted from the bicycle's rear seat, feeling a little dizzy.

After parking the bike, Chi Chen took his hand and led him a few steps to the side of the road, away from passing vehicles and pedestrians.

Looking down at his nose, Chi Chen lightly tapped the tip. "Does it hurt?"

Lu Zhishi also touched his nose. "No."

Lifting his chin for a closer look and confirming he was fine, Chi Chen let go and led him down the street.

"Brother, where are we going?" Lu Zhishi looked around excitedly, not watching where he was going, his eyes scanning everything.

"Just strolling."

"Brother, let's buy some snacks!" Lu Zhishi had already caught the scent of grilled squid and stinky tofu from afar.

Chi Chen: "Alright."

Lu Zhishi shook his hand. "Stinky tofu? Grilled squid? Jianbing guozi?"

Grasping his restless hand, Chi Chen agreed, "We'll buy them all."

With Chi Chen's approval, Lu Zhishi eagerly pulled him forward, ordering one of each snack to share with Brother Xiaochen.

"Brother, this stinky tofu isn't authentic at all."

After one bite, Lu Zhishi lost interest. The taste was different; it smelled fragrant but was quite ordinary to eat.

Frowning at the still-full box of stinky tofu, Lu Zhishi secretly glanced at Chi Chen beside him.

Chi Chen lowered his gaze, meeting Lu Zhishi's round, peach-blossom eyes. A silent understanding passed between them.

"..."

After a long moment.

"Give it to me."

It was just as well he didn't eat it. Chi Chen hadn't wanted him to have too much heavily flavored food, especially after eating ice earlier. He was worried Lu Zhishi might get an upset stomach later.

Taking the box, Chi Chen frowned and stared at the stinky tofu for a long time.

Finally, he ate it expressionlessly.

After throwing away the trash, Chi Chen followed behind Lu Zhishi, silently paying for whatever he bought.

Lu Zhishi had diverse tastes; he loved anything delicious.

"This peach blossom cake is delicious, Brother Xiaochen, try it quickly!"

Lu Zhishi held it out to him, his eyes bright, crumbs still at the corner of his mouth.

Chi Chen took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, then took the peach blossom cake and bit into it. A faint peach blossom fragrance filled his mouth.

Not too sweet, just right. Chi Chen finished it slowly.

"It's as good as the jasmine flower cakes Little Uncle makes." Lu Zhishi savored the memory of the jasmine flower cake and wanted more.

"If you like it, we'll buy some."

Chi Chen paid and had the vendor pack several boxes, carrying them in his hand.

"Brother," Lu Zhishi tugged at Chi Chen's arm as they walked, "let's go buy jasmine green grape milk tea."

"My classmates say it's really good."

Lu Zhishi added, "An old lady makes it. It's ice-cold and refreshing, super tasty."

"But I don't know where it is." Lu Zhishi frowned.

Chi Chen helped look around, keeping a hand on Lu Zhishi to prevent him from tripping.

They searched two streets before finding a small stall at the end of the road, with quite a crowd.

Not wanting to leave Lu Zhishi alone, Chi Chen stood in line with him. To keep him from getting bored, he bought him a cotton candy to munch on.

Lu Zhishi munched on the cotton candy, mumbling, "Let's buy some for Brother, our dads, and uncles to try. It's really good..."

It should suit his little dad's taste. If not, he could make it himself later.

"Yes, we'll buy some."

Somehow, Brother Xiaochen was especially accommodating today, agreeing to everything Lu Zhishi said.

Lu Zhishi's eyes curved into a smile as he offered him the cotton candy. "Brother Xiaochen, do you want some?"

Chi Chen glanced at the slightly messy cotton candy and softly declined, "You have it."

Having grown up together, Lu Zhishi knew exactly what he was thinking. He flipped the cotton candy over and offered the untouched part. "This side hasn't been eaten."

Meeting those clear, bright eyes, Chi Chen leaned down and took a bite from Lu Zhishi's hand.

"It's too sweet."

Lu Zhishi also took a bite, blinking in confusion. It didn't seem that sweet to him.

The line was long, and it took them half an hour to get the drinks. Lu Zhishi punctured a straw into one and offered the first sip to Chi Chen.

After paying, Chi Chen carried the other bags of jasmine green grape milk tea and took a sip from the straw Lu Zhishi held out.

"It's not bad."

Seeing that he liked it, Lu Zhishi felt pleased too, and lifted the milk tea closer for him to drink. "Then have some more."

Don’t be fooled by Chi Chen’s usually cool and detached, almost ascetic appearance—he actually has quite a few bad habits, the most typical being his picky eating.

He’s extremely picky, with very few things he likes and many he dislikes.

When Chi Chen was little, Chi Yuehang would worry so much about his picky eating and inability to finish meals that he’d lie awake at night, nearly tearing his hair out.

Now that he’s grown up, it’s a bit better, but he’s still picky—too sweet? Won’t eat it. Too oily? Won’t eat it. Anything with scallions, ginger, or garlic? Won’t eat it. And cilantro? Absolutely not…

"No more." Chi Chen shook his head, using his free hand to take Lu Zhishi’s wrist and lead him to a nearby bench to sit for a while and rest.

The two leaned against each other, sitting quietly, observing the passersby and the daily rhythm of life.

"Brother."

"Hmm."

"I want to watch the sunset."

"..." Chi Chen glanced at the setting sun. "I’ll take you to see it tomorrow."

"Okay~" Lu Zhishi nodded, hugging the jasmine green grape milk tea and taking big sips, his arm pressed against Chi Chen’s.

They sat until it grew dark before finally getting up and ambling back, comfortable and at ease.

"Sometimes, no matter how you walk, how fast or how far you go, if you look up, you’ll find that everyone is actually by your side."

Lu Zhishi was looking down, counting the tiles on the ground, when a quiet voice came from above. He lifted his head to look.

Under the dim yellow light, Chi Chen’s fine features looked softer, and the usual coldness in his eyes had softened somewhat.

It was rare for Brother Xiaochen to have spoken at such length.

Lu Zhishi lowered his head, unconsciously tightening his grip on Chi Chen’s hand, his voice sounding a little down.

"But Dad and Brother are always so busy. Only I’m just doing school, coming home, and doing homework every day..."

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen were moving further ahead, faster, and between them lay a five-year age gap.

Lu Zhishi could never catch up to them.

Their footsteps stopped, the held hands loosened, and Chi Chen gently ruffled his hair affectionately. His low, gentle voice sounded by Lu Zhishi’s ear.

"We can go to school, return home, and do homework together every day."

"In the evenings, we can grow vegetables together."

"On evenings when we’re not growing vegetables, we can go watch the sunset together."

"On weekends, we can go fishing together."

"During holidays, we can go visit the young horses..."

"Life is beautiful. If you keep your head down and rush, you’ll miss a lot of the scenery along the way."

He said, "Lu Zhishi."

Chi Chen called his name instead of Fat Cheese.

"Don’t worry. Just look up - we're right here."

...

Ever since Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen returned from their outing, Lu Zhiyu clearly noticed that his Stinky Cheese had become even clingier with Chi Chen.

"Stinky Cheese, where else did you go during that outing?"

Lu Zhiyu asked while cutting vegetables.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan weren’t home—they’d gone out dating. Today was their anniversary celebration.

Well, they had so many anniversaries it was hard to keep track. Lu Zhiyu didn’t even know exactly which anniversary it was.

He checked the calendar: Qixi Festival - Chinese Valentine's Day.

The dads weren’t home today, so they had to make dinner themselves.

They could’ve had dinner delivered, but Stinky Cheese said he wanted to cook himself and let Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen sample his cooking.

What a joke—he was so short he had to stand on a stool just to wash vegetables. Letting him cook? Lu Zhiyu was afraid he’d accidentally burn down the kitchen.

"What are you talking about, Stinky Brother? We just went to the food street along the long river to buy some things."

Sleeves rolled up, Lu Zhishi wore a small apron and stood on a stool, working hard as he washed the fresh cabbage he’d just harvested.

Even the curls on his head seemed to be working hard too.

"Then why are you sticking to Xiaochen more and more?" Lu Zhiyu’s tone was tinged with jealousy.

His hands were wet and inconvenient, so Lu Zhishi shifted closer to Lu Zhiyu, tilting his head to rub against his shoulder, and said with a smile, "I stick to you too, Brother."

Moved by the affectionate gesture, Lu Zhiyu snorted but didn’t sound jealous anymore.

"Don't know if we have enough cabbage. Go harvest another one."

Seeing how slowly he was washing, Lu Zhiyu lifted him down and took over the washing himself.

"There’s enough cabbage, and there are other vegetables too." Lu Zhishi didn’t want to harvest more—his cabbages were still young and still growing.

"Fine, fine, no harvesting then."

Lu Zhiyu was working busily, washing and cutting vegetables while a large pot simmered with broth on the side.

They were having hot pot for dinner—a yuan-yang pot, since neither Chi Chen nor Lu Zhishi could eat spicy food.

"I can eat spicy, Stinky Brother!"

"No, you can’t."

"I can!"

Lu Zhiyu picked him up and moved him out of the kitchen, annoyed by how he was getting underfoot. "Go play somewhere else."

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Just as he was about to go back into the kitchen to argue with Lu Zhiyu, the villa door opened, and Chi Chen came back in.

Placing the keys on the entryway table, Chi Chen bent to change his shoes.

"Brother Xiaochen!" Lu Zhishi excitedly ran over, taking the things he was carrying, acting like an eager little suck-up.

Lu Zhiyu came out when he heard the commotion, holding a kitchen knife and standing at the kitchen door. Seeing him bustling about with an eager look, he got jealous all over again.

"Stinky Cheese."

"Stinky brother." Lu Zhishi brushed past him with the bag, put the things in the kitchen, then ran out to get water for Chi Chen.

"..." Lu Zhiyu was both annoyed and amused.

Chi Chen took the cup, sipped some tea, and said, "Alright, what's the matter?"

Lu Zhishi started massaging his arms: "We're doing hotpot tonight, and I want to eat the spicy broth, but brother won't let me."

So that's what it was. No wonder Stinky Cheese was suddenly so eager. Lu Zhiyu snorted with a laugh and went back to the kitchen to continue working.

No surprise—Chi Chen wouldn't agree.

"No."

Sure enough, Chi Chen shot him down without hesitation.

Lu Zhishi pleaded his case.

But effort was useless. Chi Chen washed a plate of green grapes and asked him to make jasmine green grape tea, saying he wanted to drink it.

Once busy, he wouldn’t think about it anymore.

If Chi Chen wanted to drink it, Lu Zhishi would definitely make it. Standing on a stool, he whined about wanting the spicy hotpot while working hard to mash the green grapes.

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen pretended not to hear.

Stinky Cheese has a weak stomach. To be precise, he’s been pampered with rich foods since childhood that his stomach's gotten too delicate. Eating spicy food easily gives him a stomachache, and if it’s severe, it can even cause a low fever.

Though it might also be genetic—Lu Tingan has always had stomach issues since he was young.

Last time, when Chi Chen took him out to relax, the stinky tofu they bought had no spice at all, and the jasmine green grape milk tea was just a bit cooler.

That day, he was in a bad mood, and because the weather was hot, he secretly ate four ice pops. By evening, his stomach was uncomfortable.

He gulped down two cups of bitter medicine. Luckily, he didn’t develop a fever, or else in the middle of the night, Song Qinian would have dragged him up and tanned his hide.

"You can just rinse it in water to eat..." Lu Zhishi muttered.

Lu Zhiyu put down the kitchen knife, turned, and left the kitchen. In less than half a minute, he came back holding a feather duster.

Lu Zhishi was terrified and quickly lowered his head to work, pounding away, his little curls drooping.

"Stinky Cheese, if you dare sneak a bite, you're getting it." Lu Zhiyu didn’t put the feather duster away but left it on the dining table, very prominently.

"..." Lu Zhishi whimpered a bit and fell silent.

Chi Chen, aproned up, was in the kitchen preparing ingredients and tending to the broth. When it was time, he added various seasonings.

He washed the vegetables, and Lu Zhiyu chopped them—they worked together seamlessly.

Lu Zhishi was also busy with his fruit tea, crushing the grapes and filling each cup, then pouring tea and jasmine, finally adding ice spheres.

"Stinky Cheese, no ice in your cup."

Lu Zhiyu stuck his head out, frowning as he warned, watching to make sure he didn’t secretly add ice.

"I didn’t."

Lu Zhishi stepped aside to show him, proving he really hadn’t put ice in his own cup, afraid that his stinky brother might mistake it and come at him with the duster.

"Mm, good." Lu Zhiyu praised him and turned back to continue working.

After bringing the prepared fruit tea to the dining table, Lu Zhishi paced around and went back to the kitchen to see if there was anything he could help with.

Lu Zhiyu shooed him out, "Go watch TV in the living room, don’t run around."

Lu Zhishi: "?"

After lingering by the kitchen door for a while, Lu Zhishi went to the living room and turned on the TV to watch a movie.

Just as it reached the climax, he heard Lu Zhiyu call him: "Stinky Cheese, come eat quickly."

Lu Zhishi immediately paused it and ran over: "Coming!"

He dutifully grabbed three bowls to serve up rice.

But, "Brother, where’s the rice?"

Lu Zhiyu carried out the ingredients from the kitchen and said, "We’re having porridge tonight, seafood porridge, with lots of shrimp you like."

Putting down the ingredients, Lu Zhiyu took the bowls from him and brought them into the kitchen. Before entering, he told him, "Sit down, the porridge is hot. I’ll serve it."

"Thank you, brother! Brother is the best!" Lu Zhishi’s voice was sugary sweet.

"Heh, not calling me stinky brother anymore?" Lu Zhiyu’s voice floated out from the kitchen.

"That’s what Stinky Cheese calls you." Lu Zhishi denied it: "I’m good Cheese."

Lu Zhiyu laughed at his words, and Chi Chen also quirked a smile, his lowered eyes filled with a smile.

Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen couldn’t eat spicy food, so they sat on one side, with Lu Zhiyu, who could eat spicy, across from them.

The seafood porridge was thick and fragrant. Lu Zhishi buried his head and ate two bowls, while Chi Chen served him food.

His legs and arms were short—if he didn’t stand up, he couldn’t reach the food in the pot. Chi Chen ate while dishing out portions for him to cool down.

It was too hot to eat.

There was no rule at home about not talking during meals. Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen talked, and Lu Zhishi listened beside them.

"The teacher said we have to go for boot camp two weeks early, and we’ll have to stay there." Lu Zhiyu said.

Chi Chen nodded, putting a piece of beef into Lu Zhishi’s bowl: "Pack the necessary essentials. We’ll be staying there for two weeks."

Hearing that they had to stay there, Lu Zhishi lifted his head from his bowl: "Will it be that long..."

Two weeks without his brothers made Lu Zhishi frown.

Chi Chen: "Mm, that’s how it is for freshman boot camp."

Lu Zhishi chewed on his chopsticks, thinking about boot camp—he’d never been through it before.

Back in high school, his school was too cheap and didn't make us do boot camp.

"Never eaten pork but seen a pig run?" Lu Zhishi had seen some compilation videos of military training online, and they all looked quite tough.

Chi Chen looked down at him, curled his slender fingers and tapped lightly on the table, snapping the distracted little one back to attention.

Lu Zhishi looked up at him, just snapping out of his daze and still a bit confused: "Huh?"

"Eat your food, it's getting cold." Chi Chen replaced his food with a fresh, hot serving and ate the cooled-off portion himself.

Lu Zhishi picked up his bowl, finished the food he had been served, and couldn't eat any more.

He had eaten three bowls of seafood congee and three helpings of vegetables, his stomach already bulging.

Setting down his bowl, he held his cup of jasmine green grape fruit tea and quietly listened to their conversation.

With the parents away, the dinner was at a relaxed pace. After cleaning up the dishes and table, the three of them leaned back on the sofa, sipping hawthorn tea to help with digestion.

"Dad sent a message earlier, I didn't see it until now."

Lu Zhiyu only noticed the message from Song Qinian when he took out his phone. It was a voice message, which he played.

"Fat Fish, your other dad and I won't be back tonight. Take care of yourself and that Fat Cheese at home."

Lu Zhishi turned his head, eyes wide: "What?"

Lu Zhiyu chuckled, replied to the message, put away his phone, and stretched.

"Xiaochen, just stay over tonight." Since you're here, just sleep over.

Chi Chen, looking down as he replied to messages, nodded: "Mm."

With both dads away, after his shower, Lu Zhishi wandered around with a pillow, making the rounds in Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen’s rooms.

"What's up, Fat Cheese? Which brother are you bunking with tonight?"

Lu Zhiyu came out after his shower, drying his hair with a towel, and saw his little brother coming in and out with a pillow, making him dizzy just from watching.

"I'll sleep on my own tonight."

Lu Zhishi was just visiting; he planned to sleep alone.

Lu Zhiyu dried his hair, walked over, and caught him before he could slip away, ruffling his hair.

He just knew something looked off—this Stinky Cheese hadn't dried his hair.

"No escaping. Come here and dry your hair."

Lu Zhiyu caught him and sat him down on a chair, found the hairdryer, and started drying his hair, scolding him: "Don't think just because it's hot out you won't catch a cold, Stinky Cheese."

"It'll dry in a bit." Lu Zhishi didn't want to dry his hair; it was too much of a hassle.

"Lazy Cheese." Seeing this, Lu Zhiyu gave him a new nickname.

Lazy Cheese scrunched his nose and stayed quiet.

Only after his hair was completely dry did Lu Zhiyu let him go. Lu Zhishi, hugging his pillow, slipped off to Chi Chen’s room, then came back again shortly after.

Lu Zhiyu checked the time and sent him off to bed.

"Go to sleep. If I see you wandering around again, I'll call Dad."

"I can't sleep, drank too much fruit tea." Lu Zhishi was still too excited to sleep.

"Even if you can't sleep, go lie down. You'll fall asleep after a while." Lu Zhiyu dragged him back to his room, made sure he got into bed, and finally turned off the light.

When he came out, he saw Chi Chen.

Curious, Lu Zhiyu asked, "Why are you out here?"

Chi Chen was holding a book. "I thought you were going to hit him, so I came out to check."

Not just to check—he was ready to step in if Lu Zhiyu really started scolding.

Having grown up together, Lu Zhiyu knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I wasn't going to hit him, just scare him a bit. The little rascal's being mischievous." Lu Zhiyu laughed softly.

Chi Chen let out a short, low chuckle.

Having had too much tea, Lu Zhishi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He counted sheep and stars for a long time before finally drifting off.

The next day, his dark circles were practically down to his cheeks.

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen were heading to military training. The family had everything ready early, two of everything, all packed into suitcases for them to take along.

Lu Zhishi also put a lot of snacks in their suitcases for when they got hungry at night.

But both Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen took them out.

Lu Zhiyu explained gently, "The instructors will confiscate them if we take them there. We'll eat them when we get back, okay?"

"Okay." Lu Zhishi hugged the snacks, his voice small.

Chi Chen ruffled his hair. "We'll eat them when we're back. Thanks, Fat Cheese."

Lu Zhishi gave a small smile. "Alright, brother."

On the day they left for military training, Lu Zhishi hadn't started school yet, so he went with the dads to see them off.

For two whole weeks, there was no word from them, and their phones didn't reply to messages—probably confiscated by the instructors.

During Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen’s military training, Lu Zhishi started school, going to and from school and doing homework every day with Zhao Xiaoxing.

One Friday after school, as soon as Lu Zhishi got home, he saw his big brother eating at the dining table.

"Brother!" Without even putting down his backpack, Lu Zhishi rushed over and grabbed his arm.

"Fat Cheese, miss me?" Lu Zhiyu hugged him back and took the backpack off his shoulder.

Lu Zhishi exclaimed, "Yes!"

He touched Lu Zhiyu’s face. "Brother, you've lost weight."

He had slimmed down a bit but hadn't tanned—his fair skin didn't tan easily.

Lu Zhiyu smiled. "Training was pretty exhausting. I'll eat more these next few days and gain it back."

He had just returned and came straight to the table without even showering, only going upstairs to bathe after the meal.

Lu Zhishi like a little shadow, followed him around, helping him put away clothes and unpack his bags.

After showering, Lu Zhiyu ruffled his hair and, without saying much, immediately passed out on the bed.

Lu Zhishi stopped by the Chi household and saw that Chi Chen had showered and eaten, and had already gone upstairs to rest.

At dinnertime, Lu Zhiyu didn’t wake up. Song Qinian didn’t disturb him, left his dinner in the warmer, and also sent a portion of bone broth to Chi Chen.

Chi Yuehang also showed up, bringing a nourishing tonic soup for Lu Zhiyu.

Both boys had come back from training camp looking thinner and needed some extra nourishment.

After resting over the weekend, Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen bounced back. However, with school starting on Monday, they had to return to class—the school had only given them two days off.

Entering high school meant adapting to a different pace of life, with academic responsibilities becoming busier.

On weekends, Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen started going with their fathers to work. As heirs to their families, they now had to learn how to handle company affairs and prepare to take over the family business after graduation.

But after Chi Chen accompanied Lu Zhishi out to relax last time, Lu Zhiyu also started picking up on things.

Every day after school or work, both of them would include Lu Zhishi in their homework sessions, occasionally loosening the soil, watering, and fertilizing his cabbage plant together.

"Hey, Fat Cheese, why not come to the company with us?"

Seeing that he was bored at home alone on weekends, Lu Zhiyu thought of inviting him to join them at the company.

Lu Zhishi was shocked and quickly refused: "No, brother, I’m actually perfectly fine hanging out at home by myself, really."

He was still young—he didn’t want to go to work!