Chapter 13: How Could You Suspect Your Bro?

Chapter 13: How Can You Suspect Your Brother

Twenty minutes ago.

Li Wuya said, "A Shu, can you do me a favor?"

Qin Shu replied seriously, "I'm listening."

"I just attended the Flower Festival Banquet at the palace. Her Majesty the Empress gave me a bouquet in front of everyone, telling me to give it to someone I care about."

"If I don't give it to anyone, I can't answer to Her Majesty. But whoever I give it to will be investigated thoroughly by dawn, becoming a pawn for the noble faction to use against me."

Qin Shu's expression gradually turned grave.

"The White Tower can't get away from me fast enough, and the nobles want to tear me apart..."

Li Wuya's voice came slowly over the phone, "I thought of many people. But in this matter, across the entire capital and even the empire, the only one I can absolutely trust, who isn't afraid of being implicated by me, and who I can rely on without worry, is you."

"So," he paused—a rare thing for him—lowering his voice, making himself sound utterly troubled and pitiful, "A Shu, please help me just this once... okay?"

-

Twenty minutes later.

Qin Shu buried his face in Li Wuya's chest, temporarily unwilling to face reality.

Li Wuya patted his back in comfort.

"How did the Empress come to give you flowers?" Qin Shu muttered, his warm breath seeping into Li Wuya's chest.

A tingling sensation shot up his spine, and Li Wuya clenched his hands behind his back.

On the surface, he remained calm and composed, using his other hand to smooth down the messy hair on the back of Qin Shu's head, casually saying, "Just a political ploy."

The noble faction had pushed him too hard, spending heavily to have the Empress plant a hint with the bouquet.

The best scenario for them was Li Wuya giving the flowers to some noble guide, allowing them to push for a marriage alliance.

The same applied if he gave them to someone from the White Tower or the military. Any sign of preference from Li Wuya would allow them to profit.

But Qin Shu was different.

Qin Shu asked curiously, "Different how?"

Li Wuya said, "Different because you are Qin Shu. You belong only to yourself."

...What was his brother talking about again?

Qin Shu habitually ignored things he didn't understand and straightened up.

He took off his jacket and tossed it aside. Underneath, he was still in tactical gear.

The Star Union Agency uniform jacket was made of poor fabric, not breathable at all. Qin Shu had only put it on because there were no proper clothes in the office, and Li Wuya had said they might get photographed!

Qin Shu had just relaxed. Then—

Suddenly.

Silently, a hand clamped onto his side.

The warmth from his hand seeped through the thin fabric to his skin.

Warm, familiar yet unfamiliar.

Something was wrong!

An alarm blared in Qin Shu's mind. Before his brain could react, his body moved first.

He dodged sharply to the side, a dull thud echoing as the back of his head hit the car window.

Combat instinct made him shift angles. Normally, he would have planted a foot and lunged forward to fight, but he had no intention to attack, so he simply rolled off the seat.

"Thud."

Qin Shu landed solidly on the carpet, right next to the large bouquet.

Qin Shu: ...

Li Wuya: ...

There was two seconds of silence.

Qin Shu: "You, you, you—you just ambushed me?!"

Li Wuya looked innocent, dropping his gaze. "I just wanted to look."

"L-look at what?!"

Bro, that sounds way too gay! What's there to see on me?!

Li Wuya continued, "I thought you were injured."

When did I get injured?!

Qin Shu fumbled around his side.

A small tear in the fabric exposed a patch of skin on his waist, still tingling with residual warmth and itchiness.

Earlier, it seemed he had indeed been sparring with a young sentinel and had his clothes torn...

"A Shu, you overreacted," Li Wuya said.

"..."

Yeah, it was.

Qin Shu stammered, "Th-then you can't just suddenly scare me like that!"

"You weren't like this before."

"Th-that was before you gave me f-flowers!"

Li Wuya quietly watched his friend.

He was somewhat flustered, sitting on the ground with his hands braced behind him, looking up at him.

Eyes wide, a flickering light in his pupils, Qin Shu probably didn't realize his ears were already bright red.

The tear at his waist wasn't big, just revealing a strip of skin.

Pale, firm, rising and falling gently with each breath.

Li Wuya looked away.

Had this tactical suit saved his life?

He silently ground his teeth, took a spare general's uniform from the storage cabinet, and handed it to Qin Shu.

"Throw this one away. I'll get you a few new ones later."

Another few seconds of silence passed as Li Wuya waited for Qin Shu's reaction time.

Li Wuya was experienced in handling this kind of situation: as long as he acted nonchalant enough, Qin Shu would start to wonder if it was his own problem.

3, 2, 1.

Sure enough, Qin Shu scrambled back into his seat, took the clothes, clumsily put them on, and began to feel awkward.

He softened his voice: "Well, I didn't realize it. You suddenly reaching out to touch me is really weird, Wuya."

"Was I not allowed to touch you?"

Qin Shu: "Not really, but... can you at least give me a heads-up?"

Li Wuya nodded.

"Now I'm gonna touch you."

Then he placed his hand on Qin Shu's thigh.

Qin Shu: ...

That's even weirder!

He silently moved Li Wuya's hand away, feeling that ever since he got in this car, his friend's weirdness was making him feel uncomfortable all over.

What was strange?

Qin Shu began to think.

He gave him flowers, touched his waist... well, the waist thing didn't count, right? I probably overreacted.

Li Wuya had only given him a bouquet of flowers. Regardless of what others might say outside, the two of them knew the truth clearly.

It was just a shield, an excuse, a favor between friends.

Pure, open, without a hint of dirt!

After thinking about it for a while, Qin Shu came to a startling but reasonable conclusion: Am I just being too sensitive?

Li Wuya was his ally, even more homophobic than him. How could he possibly...

The more he thought, the more he felt he was overthinking.

This world had made him so jumpy and paranoid that he was even doubting the most innocent person in the world!

What a damn gay world!

When he looked up again, Qin Shu was back to normal—at least on the surface.

He leaned over and patted his friend on the shoulder to make peace.

Li Wuya looked up: "You have to ask for permission before touching me."

Qin Shu: ...

Qin Shu decided to change the topic.

He looked out the window: "Where are you taking me?"

"The research institute."

Qin Shu was caught off guard: "You gonna dissect me?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll only accept it if you dissect me yourself. I don't trust anyone else."

"..."

Li Wuya resisted, then finally pinched Qin Shu's cheek: "Can you stop saying stuff like that?"

Qin Shu tried not to look away: "What kind of things?"

"Things that make me actually want to cut you open."

Qin Shu was shocked: "Mad scientist!"

Li Wuya: ...

-

When they got out of the car, it really was a research institute.

The building was brand new, probably just finished.

A bunch of people in white coats were waiting at the entrance. After a quick hello, Li Wuya took Qin Shu's hand and led him straight ahead.

The corridor stretched long, and he pulled open a curtained door.

A complete set of professional mental testing equipment, with several staff members checking the devices.

Qin Shu was stunned.

He turned his head and asked Li Wuya: "Did you steal the White Tower's business?"

Li Wuya said calmly: "I'm not that free. This was built just for you."

"From now on, you'll do your mental stability tests here, and the reports will be submitted directly to the White Tower. As for mental guidance, I've hired some retired high-level guides for research. If you need to pass tests, just go to them... This is a research institute that belongs only to you."

"The White Tower is a place that will always make you feel bad. I started planning this after the war was won. It's a bit late, but I hope it's not too late."

After his words, no one spoke.

Li Wuya quietly waited for Qin Shu's reaction, calmly counting the seconds in his head: 10... 15, 16...

On the twenty-seventh second.

"Wuya." Qin Shu turned his head away, not letting him see his face. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I just thought you might need it."

"It's not like I go to the White Tower every day."

"There will always be times when it's useful."

"You're putting a lot of pressure on me."

"Sorry."

Qin Shu grabbed his arm: "Why are you apologizing?"

The black-haired sentinel in the general's uniform stepped forward, pulled him into an embrace, the scent of mint mingled with Li Wuya's clothes.

He murmured softly in his ear: "I don't even know how to thank you."

Li Wuya placed his fingers on Qin Shu's right lower back; if he remembered correctly, that should be the spot of his back dimples.

"You can treat me to dinner tomorrow."

"I'll treat you today."

"Really?"

"Really."

Li Wuya paused: "But I've already reserved a table at the central restaurant for today."

Qin Shu let go of him, acting nonchalant: "Oh, forget it then. I'll treat you tomorrow."

-

On the way back from the research institute, at Qin Shu's insistence, Li Wuya reluctantly switched to his usual hovercar.

Although it was still a luxury car, it was definitely much better than that imperial-issued car with the duke's crest!

When opening the car door, Qin Shu paused.

"Where are the flowers?"

Li Wuya was dealing with official business on his terminal: "I sent them to my place."

Qin Shu was stunned: "Why did you take them away?"

Li Wuya was also stunned for a moment, looked up: "You want them?"

Qin Shu accused: "You were the one who gave them to me!"

How could Wuya be like this? Giving flowers and then taking them back. This was the first time in his life he had received flowers from a brother!

Li Wuya, for some reason, looked a bit flustered. He quickly closed his terminal, only to open it again at once to find a contact.

"Sorry, I thought... Please wait a moment, I'll have someone bring them back."

"If it's too much trouble, forget it. I don't want to make people run around for nothing, and besides, that was a gift from the Empress, it really needs to be taken care of properly. If I kept them, I'd just put them in water..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Wuya rushed out the door, only to return a minute later.

He said apologetically: "Sorry, A Shu, I'll give you an identical bouquet tomorrow, okay? I already had someone dispose of them. Those were the Empress's flowers, their meaning is a bit... and I thought—they were just props—"

Seeing Li Wuya so flustered, Qin Shu, on the other hand, remained calm.

He comforted him: "It's fine, it's fine, it's just a bouquet of flowers. Next time you could give me… never mind, it's not necessary. Next time you give me something else, I'll be happy too."

"But—"

Before he could finish, Qin Shu pulled him into the car, wrapping him in a warm embrace.

As if apologizing for having pulled away from him earlier, this time he didn't hold back in the embrace. The faint scent of mint, and the calloused web of his thumb brushed against the back of his neck.

A comforting hug.

"I said it's fine. If you keep dwelling on it, you're not being a good friend."

He pressed his lips tightly against Qin Shu's collarbone.

"Did you hear me?"

"..."

"Wuya?"

"...Okay."