Chapter 69

Chapter 69

"Yes, yes, let's go upstairs to bed." The two supported each other as they ascended the stairs. After only a couple of steps, Shang Mingde's eyes closed, and he collapsed backward.

An hour later, at the private hospital nearest to Fengyun Bay.

"The patient's vital signs are all normal. Based on your description and the examination results, it appears to be a faint caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain due to excessive excitement under intense stimulation. It's nothing serious; he should recover shortly."

"Thank you, Doctor," Shang Xianwang said.

The doctor left the room. Shang Mingde lay on the hospital bed, an IV drip in his right arm.

Su Qingrong glanced at him, then addressed Shang Xianwang and Shang Xueyan, "You two, come out here."

Su Qingrong exited the room first. Shang Xueyan and Shang Xianwang followed behind her. At that moment, Shang Xianwang froze, feeling his hand being tightly squeezed.

Shang Xianwang looked at Shang Xueyan.

Shang Xueyan also looked back at Shang Xianwang.

Then, Shang Xueyan released Shang Xianwang's hand and strode purposefully out of the room.

Before Su Qingrong could even begin to question them, Shang Xueyan declared firmly, "Mom, I love Big Brother. I want to marry him."

Su Qingrong's fingers trembled slightly, though she managed to maintain her usual composure.

Her gaze swept past Shang Xueyan to Shang Xianwang, who had yet to speak.

Shang Xianwang glanced sideways at Shang Xueyan. Shang Xueyan winked at him, an encouraging look on his face.

Shang Xianwang turned to Su Qingrong. Though the setting was far from formal—a hospital corridor filled with the scent of disinfectant—Shang Xianwang's gaze was deeply serious, his tone sincere: "Mom, I truly love A Yan. I will take care of him for the rest of my life."

Shang Xueyan poked his head in front of Shang Xianwang. "Mom, I'll take care of Big Brother too. You *must* agree to our marriage. We... we've already consummated it!"

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and Su Qingrong nearly collapsed.

Just then, a sound came from the hospital room. The three turned to see Shang Mingde emerging. Spotting the trio in the hallway, he offered an awkward smile and said, "I just had a dream... I dreamed A Heng and A Yan were kissing. I must be losing my mind to dream something like that..."

Mid-sentence, he caught sight of their expressions. Shang Mingde roared, "I won't allow it! You two are brothers—"

"Dad, lower your voice. We're in a hospital, and there are other patients," Shang Xueyan quickly interjected.

Shang Xianwang asked with concern, "Dad, how are you feeling?"

Shang Mingde's face cycled through a range of emotions.

Su Qingrong massaged her temples and said, "You two should head home for now."

Shang Xueyan looked at Shang Xianwang. Seeing that his elder brother didn't object, Shang Xueyan quietly said, "Then, Mom and Dad, Big Brother and I are going home now."

Shang Xueyan and Shang Xianwang left the hospital. They had arrived by ambulance and hadn't driven, so they took a taxi home.

The taxi pulled into the familiar villa at Fengyun Bay. The two got out, and after the taxi drove away, Shang Xueyan rubbed his head in frustration. "Weren't Mom and Dad supposed to come back in a few days? Why did they return so suddenly? Ugh."

"A Yan, go get cleaned up first. You have filming tomorrow," Shang Xianwang said soothingly, ruffling his hair.

Shang Xueyan acknowledged him and went upstairs to his room to clean up.

Shang Xianwang also went to his room to clean up. But once inside, his usually rational mind was a complete mess, unable to sort itself out—until he suddenly remembered that A Yan should be almost done.

His rigid body gradually relaxed.

Shang Xianwang calmly gathered his clothes, went to the bathroom, showered, and tidied up.

When Shang Xianwang emerged from his room, he saw a raised shape under the blankets on the bed. He stared in that direction for a moment before realizing it was A Yan. He walked over.

Shang Xianwang lifted the covers and slid in.

"Big Brother, the light's still on," Shang Xueyan reminded him.

"I know," Shang Xianwang said, looking down at him. A moment later, he rolled over and pinned him down.

So that's why he didn't turn off the light.

Shang Xueyan understood.

Afterward, Shang Xianwang dressed the still-trembling Shang Xueyan in his pajamas and turned off the room lights.

Shang Xueyan's eyes adjusted to the dark for a while before he could faintly discern shapes in the dimness.

He turned over, pressing his chest against Shang Xianwang's, and stared at the shadowy outline of his face hidden in the gloom. "Big Brother, I will be with you. Forever."

Shang Xianwang suddenly tightened his muscular arms around Shang Xueyan.

He softly called out Shang Xueyan's name, "A Yan."

"I'm here, Big Brother."

The next day, Shang Xueyan had to be on set for filming at 7 a.m. After waking up, Shang Xianwang first drove him to the set, then sat in his Maybach deep in thought for a moment before heading to the hospital.

"Dad, Mom, I brought breakfast," Shang Xianwang said, placing the food containers on the bedside cabinet.

Shang Mingde lay in bed, feigning extreme weakness, and refused to look at Shang Xianwang.

Su Qingrong glanced at the lavish breakfast Shang Xianwang had brought. After a moment, she looked up and asked, "Which of you made the first move?"

Shang Mingde, who had been pretending to be frail, instantly opened his eyes.

Shang Xianwang lowered his head and admitted, "It was me. I... I fell for A Yan first."

Su Qingrong asked calmly, "Can't you break up?"

"You and A Yan are both boys."

After a pause, Shang Xianwang's low voice filled the private room. "Mom, Dad, I truly love A Yan."

"What if one day A Yan regrets it?" Su Qingrong said rationally and sharply. "A Heng, you know A Yan is impulsive and reckless. Right now, he might genuinely want to be with you, but he's only twenty-one. What if in a few days he decides it was a youthful mistake and regrets it?"

In the pin-drop silence of the room, Shang Xianwang said hoarsely, "I will do my best to ensure he doesn't regret it."

"So you're dead set on having an incestuous relationship with your brother, is that it?" Shang Mingde had always been a good-tempered father. In the Shang family, it was usually a strict mother and a gentle father. But now, veins bulged on his forehead as he picked up the water cup from the bedside cabinet, ready to throw it.

His arm paused mid-air. Realizing the cup was hard, Shang Mingde put it down abruptly. He looked left and right, then picked up the hard mobile phone from the cabinet.

Putting the phone down, he yanked the soft, fluffy pillow from the hospital bed and hurled it angrily at Shang Xianwang.

Shang Xianwang bent down and picked up the pillow.

Shang Xueyan was somewhat out of sorts while filming that day and was criticized twice by the director. Fortunately, he didn't have many scenes to shoot.

During a filming break, Shang Xueyan took out his phone, carefully selected a few links, and sent them to his parents.

Shang Xueyan: "A Tragic Lesson—Parents Forced Their Son to Break Up with His Beloved, Ending in Their Double Suicide"

Shang Xueyan: "How to Be Good Parents—Children Are Free and Independent Individuals; Parental Love Should Not Be a Shackle to Control Them"

Shang Xueyan: "A Story About Parents of LGBTQ Children—From Resistance to Acceptance, This Is What We Experienced as Parents"

Shang Xueyan: "Human Tragedy—A 24-Year-Old Young Man Committed Suicide Due to Depression After His Parents Disapproved of His Relationship"

Shang Xueyan: "Homosexuality—A Perfectly Normal Sexual Orientation"

He sent over a dozen links and messages one after another, but his parents did not reply to any of them.

Filming wrapped up relatively early in the afternoon. After wrapping up, Shang Xueyan caught a ride to the hospital.

He pushed open the partially open door of the hospital room and saw his father sitting on the bed, seemingly deep in thought, while his mother stood by the window, her back turned. Shang Xueyan walked in and said, "Mom, Dad" in a neutral tone.

Shang Mingde lay on the bed, his face expressionless, once again feigning frailty.

Su Qingrong turned around, studied Shang Xueyan for a moment, and said, "What are you doing here?"

Shang Xueyan said, "I just asked the doctor. Dad’s test results from this morning came back perfectly normal, and the doctor said he can be discharged tomorrow."

Shang Mingde remained silent, as if he'd given up on everything.

Shang Xueyan said, "Mom, Dad, Big Brother and I genuinely want to be together. Besides, I don’t think anyone in this world could love me more than Big Brother does, and no one could love Big Brother more than I do."

Shang Mingde suddenly sat up, his anger boiling over as he shouted, "You two are brothers!"

Su Qingrong was calmer: "A Yan, have you thought about it? You’re only twenty-one. Your Big Brother is thoughtful and deliberate in his actions, but have you really made up your mind? Do you really want to be... partners with your brother? Being partners is a lifelong commitment."

"Don’t you realize that if you change your mind midway, it will hurt your brother even more than leaving him now would?"

"Of course I’ve made up my mind. I want to be with Big Brother for the rest of my life."

"What if your Big Brother regrets it midway?" Shang Mingde asked coldly.

"He wouldn't," Shang Xueyan replied without hesitation.

"What if your mother and I don’t agree to you being together?" Shang Mingde asked sternly.

Shang Xueyan looked at his mother. Su Qingrong had faint dark circles under her eyes. Though it had only been one night of poor rest, she seemed to have aged several years.

Shang Xueyan felt as though an invisible hand gripped his heart. After a moment, he said, "Mom, Dad, you’re both such good people—you wouldn't do something so unreasonable, would you?"

This made it clear that he had no intention of breaking up and was only thinking about how to persuade his father and mother.

Shang Mingde, filled with pent-up anger, picked up the ceramic cup from the bedside table. Just as he was about to throw it, he angrily switched to a soft pillow and hurled it hard at Shang Xueyan’s forehead.

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Author's Note: Goodnight, mwah.