Chapter 15: Sworn Brotherhood

Chapter 15: Becoming Blood Brothers

Song Xianting was a thoroughly detestable stepson.

That only confirmed Li Su's opinion even more.

Back in his room, Li Su got ready for bed.

Knowing he could go home tomorrow, Li Su was both excited and sorry to leave.

The five border collies had become his friends, and he really liked the food the Songs made.

Even though he'd agreed to be family with Song Wuyi, Li Su hadn't really imagined what it would be like to live in the Song household.

Aunt Ji was very gentle.

Big Brother Song... was a bit of a troublemaker.

Uncle Song... was very strict.

Song Wuyi... was pitiful.

After thinking it over, pitiful Song Wuyi ended up winning over every doubt in Li Su's heart.

Li Su had always seen himself as a hero—partly because of what Song Wuyi had said: "You saved me."

He hadn't really saved Song Wuyi; if anything, his showing up had caused damage to Song Wuyi's mother's body.

In the end, it was Song Wuyi himself who killed the madman, allowing them to escape danger.

When you really think about it, Song Wuyi was the one who saved him.

But Song Wuyi saw him as his savior, and Li Su liked being the savior.

Since he'd taken on the role of savior, he had to do something to truly rescue Song Wuyi.

Song Wuyi's mother, who loved him more than anyone, was gone, and Song Wuyi regarded him as his only family.

Then he would be Song Wuyi's mother.

He would love Song Wuyi the way his mother loved him.

Only when Song Wuyi stepped out of the darkness would he truly have saved him.

.

Li Su talked himself into it fast and found a goal he could work toward for the long haul.

Song Wuyi came to Li Su's room.

Li Su was already asleep; only the small nightlight on the bedside was on.

Song Wuyi approached Li Su.

Li Su's face was covered in red paint, but he had no clue—he even scratched his cheek in his sleep.

Song Wuyi's brow furrowed dangerously, his pale eyes giving off a heavy glint.

Song Wuyi lifted Li Su out of bed, carried him to the bathroom, set him in the bathtub, and ran the hot water.

He took off all Li Su's clothes.

Clearly, Li Su had been pampered, but his body still had plenty of tiny scratches.

For all his pampered upbringing, the kid was a real wild child.

Li Su loved to play, had boundless energy, loved thrills and adventures, which is how he ended up meeting Song Wuyi.

Just having Li Su around wasn't enough.

He'd had those five border collies for a long time. They'd obey his commands, sure, but if anyone else fed them, they'd wag their tails and go with that person.

Did he want Li Su's loyalty?

Song Wuyi didn't believe in that kind of thing.

He remembered his mother telling him.

"You were the one who wanted these puppies. If you bring them up, you've got to take care of them till the day they die."

Mm.

Mom.

I will be responsible.

Raise them till the end.

Song Wuyi's movements woke Li Su. The second he opened his eyes, he thought he was drowning, but when he looked down, the water only came up to his chest.

Song Wuyi was lifting his leg to pull off his shorts.

The hot water felt so good that Li Su just let Song Wuyi do whatever he wanted.

Song Wuyi motioned with his finger, and Li Su leaned closer.

Song Wuyi cupped water from the bathtub and splashed it on Li Su's face. Li Su was stunned for a moment, thinking Song Wuyi was playing with him, so he also cupped water and splashed it back.

Song Wuyi threw up an arm to block the splash.

"Cut it out, I'm washing your face."

Li Su ignored him and wiped his face with his hand to get rid of the water. But the moment he took his hand away, he saw his whole palm was stained red.

Li Su had seen blood so often that his first thought was: it's blood.

He screamed in fright, but his voice was like a dud firecracker, letting out a short "heh" before stopping.

Song Wuyi knew what Li Su was afraid of. He knelt half on the edge of the bathtub and pulled Li Su into his arms.

"It's paint, don't be afraid."

Li Su recalled how Song Xianting had used a scraper to dot a red mole on the wooden figure's forehead; at that moment he had a half-enlightened illusion but hadn't delved into it.

It seemed now that this paint was put on him by Song Xianting!

Li Su hated Song Xianting even more.

Song Wuyi wiped Li Su's face with a clean towel, just like at that moment when the storm had calmed.

Li Su was stirred emotionally. It was as if he had returned to that time, when he was excited and tried earnestly, with slurred speech, to declare his determination to be friends with Song Wuyi.

The excitement and urgency of that moment echoed in Li Su's heart now.

Song Wuyi's pitiful situation was that, despite suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he had no one around to comfort him, and instead he went out of his way to find Li Su.

For Li Su, Song Wuyi was a source of warmth and companionship during those dark memories.

And for Song Wuyi, Li Su was the light of dawn that woke him from the darkness.

Song Wuyi's lonely and helpless predicament made Li Su think of the moment they held each other in that dark train compartment.

Li Su looked up at Song Wuyi.

"Bro, how about we become sworn brothers?"

That night.

Under the hot water, Li Su pulled Song Wuyi to the shower stall and bowed three times to the showerhead, becoming sworn brothers.

A question suddenly occurred to Li Su.

Now that he and Song Wuyi were brothers, did that make Song Xianting his brother too?

The Peach Garden Oath only involved three people.

And there was one spot reserved for Li Shuo, not for that annoying Song Xianting.

Li Su just kept his mouth shut.

.

The next afternoon, Li Su returned to the Li family.

His mother was waiting at home. Seeing Li Su bounce into the house, her face...

It seemed Li Su had already adapted well to the Song family—he didn't dislike it, he even liked it, which meant he could stay there.

Over the past two days, his mother kept thinking, couldn't she just accept Li Su as he was—ordinary and normal?

At least before Young Master Song appeared, she never imagined Li Su would rise to prominence or walk a path to success.

Her wish had always been for Li Su to live an ordinary life, healthy and happy.

But now that a real opportunity to change his destiny had come, her selfish side urged her to keep him by her side, while her rational love told her not to hold him back from walking a road she could never pave for him in her own lifetime.

After hugging his mother, Li Su gave Li Shuo a hug, but Li Shuo wasn't happy.

"Brother, why didn't you tell me when you were leaving?"

"You weren't home when I left."

"You knew you were leaving, but you didn't say anything in advance."

"Uh, I thought Mom told you."

"..."

Li Shuo's gaze shifted to his mother, who was on the phone with the Song family's housekeeper.

In this family, he had always been an outsider.

No matter what news or decisions came up, his mother never told him a thing.

He just received and followed orders.

It seemed he was used to it—Li Shuo, the invisible, expendable, and unloved member of this family.

Actually, his mother had no idea.

When he was five, he clearly remembered being adopted from the orphanage by Papa Li and Mama Li.

His name wasn't Li Shuo, either.

It was Xia Man.

He was born on May 20th.

He was the same age as Li Su, but three months older.