Chapter 36: Sister Turns into Brother

Chapter 36: Sister Turns Into Brother

Li Wencheng was still as refined and handsome as he was in childhood, though his features had gained a sharper edge, his figure was taller and more upright, and his temperament had become more mature and steady.

He wore a perfectly tailored custom suit with understated yet textured fabric. Standing in a crowd, he was absolutely eye-catching.

After Gu Sai struggled to call out that "Brother," the weight in Li Wencheng's heart seemed to instantly drop. He gave a smile that was equal parts regretful and relieved—he hadn't mistaken the person.

"It's been over ten years, and Xiao Bing has grown up so much..."

He raised his hand to pat Gu Sai's head, but Chen Wang, glaring furiously, slapped his hand away.

"What's going on? What's the situation? You two know each other? Why do you call him Xiao Bing, and why does he call you Brother?! He's never called me Brother!"

He looked exactly like a furious husband who'd just been cuckolded.

Li Wencheng gave him an exasperated look. "It's a long story—let's go inside and talk."

Li Wencheng told the manager to close off the third floor of the restaurant to other guests that afternoon. Chen Wang was, after all, a movie emperor—way too famous and easily recognizable. Besides, he needed a quiet environment to have a proper conversation with Xiao Bing.

After they sat down, Chen Wang was still bristling, arms crossed, he looked from Gu Sai to Li Wencheng and said coldly, "Explain yourselves. When did you two start hooking up?"

He'd already decided that even if Li Wencheng was a rival for Gu Sai's affections, he wouldn't give up. He wasn't some Kong Rong giving away his pears—he'd fight Li Wencheng to the death over Gu Sai! Anyway, he was younger than Li Wencheng; he could just outlive him!

Li Wencheng, completely unaware that Chen Wang had already mentally killed him off, kicked his shin under the table. "What the hell are you saying? Watch your mouth, or I'll throw you out the window."

Chen Wang pounded the table impatiently. "Then explain it to me—what the hell is going on? Especially you—why do you call Gu Sai Xiao Bing?"

Seeing that he was about to blow up, Gu Sai quickly grabbed the hand Chen Wang was pointing at Li Wencheng's nose and pushed it down.

He explained, "Brother Wencheng and I aren't like what you're imagining. It's just... I was taken in by the Li family when I was little, so I called him Brother."

Chen Wang was stunned for a long moment, not quite able to process it. "Taken in? What do you mean? Gu Sai, you..."

Gu Sai said, "Yeah, I grew up in an orphanage. Later, the Li family took me in for less than a year."

A wave of pity and pain washed over Chen Wang. He hadn't known Gu Sai had such a bitter past—so he was an orphan.

In that instant, Chen Wang didn't know how to describe his feelings, but he clearly felt the urge to take care of Gu Sai for the rest of his life.

Taken in for less than a year... meaning the Li family had given up on Gu Sai?

He demanded, turning to Li Wencheng, "What happened? Why did you give up on Gu Sai? Can't your Li family even afford to raise a kid?"

Li Wencheng let out a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible. "That's exactly what I want to know—that's why I wanted to find Xiao Bing and ask him directly. Back then, our family hadn't moved to North City yet. Not long after we took Xiao Bing in, I went to boarding school and could only come home once a week. One time I came home, and Xiao Bing was gone..."

He looked up at the younger brother he hadn't seen in over a decade, his expression sorrowful but without a hint of blame. He just wanted to find the answer to a question that had haunted him for over ten years—what exactly had happened back then?

This matter had weighed on his heart, unresolved for over a decade. Countless nights, memories of his brother would surface in his dreams, the longing clinging to his heart, never fading...

Li Wencheng clearly remembered the first time he saw his younger brother—he was only seven, thin and small.

His mother had her uterus removed due to illness and could no longer have children. Even though she already had a son, she'd always wanted a daughter. So she talked to Li Wencheng's father about adopting from an orphanage. The father agreed, and Li Wencheng was all for it, even looking forward to it.

That day after school, he made a point of having the driver detour to the mall to buy a little red hat for his soon-to-arrive sister, planning to give it to her as a welcome gift.

When he walked in the door, he saw a child sitting on the sofa, looking about five or six, nestled in his mother's arms. The child's hair was a bit long, covering the forehead, revealing a fair, clean little face where those big eyes took up nearly half the space.

A veritable chibi doll.

His mother said to the child, "Honey, this is your brother, Li Wencheng. Call him Brother."

The child obediently said, "Brother."

The voice was so soft it nearly melted Li Wencheng's heart.

"Sister," Li Wencheng walked up to the child and held out the gift box, "this is a present for you."

The child froze, and so did his mother for a moment, then she burst into laughter, leaving Li Wencheng completely confused.

The child pressed his lips together, took the gift box, and said, "Thank you, Brother."

Once his mother finally stopped laughing, she explained, "Wencheng, this is your little brother, not your sister."

Li Wencheng: ???

It turned out that when his mother arrived at the orphanage, she'd immediately taken a liking to this sweet, well-behaved little boy. The boy had especially big eyes and was very handsome. He ate slowly, unlike the other kids who made messes all over the table and their clothes. His clothes were old but very clean.

Among all the children, he shone like a star.

Madam Li changed her mind on the spot—she wanted to adopt this boy. Her husband indulged her, and they completed the procedures smoothly, bringing the boy home and naming him Li Wenbing.

Li Wencheng quickly accepted the fact that his sister had turned into a brother.

He was six years older than his brother and was in middle school at the time. Several classmates had younger brothers, but all they talked about was their dissatisfaction—one said his brother cried all day and was annoying, another said his brother was too dumb, and another said his brother always rummaged through his room.

But Li Wencheng felt his brother was wonderful—well-behaved, polite, tidy, and never entered his room without permission. He had excellent boundaries.

Li Wencheng thought, his mother had great taste, picking him the best little brother.

Their parents were busy with work and often traveled, so the brothers' daily life was managed by a nanny and a driver. Li Wencheng was used to it, but he worried his brother might not be, so every day after school he rushed straight home and stopped going out to play with classmates.

On his way home, he would always buy his brother a little gift—sometimes a slice of tiramisu, sometimes a few storybooks.

No matter what he brought back, his brother would softly say, "Thank you, Brother."

Whenever that happened, Li Wencheng would pinch his little cheek and say indulgently, "No need to be so polite with your brother."

On weekends, he would take his brother to the amusement park or the zoo, holding his hand the whole time, afraid he might get lost in the crowd.

His brother was short and couldn't see anything over the low wall at the red panda exhibit. Li Wencheng deliberately let out exclamations: "Wow, so cute! The red panda can't even walk yet, just crawls, like a little glutinous rice ball."

His brother stood on tiptoes but still couldn't see.

Li Wencheng asked with a smile, "Want to see?"

His brother nodded. "Want to see."

Li Wencheng: "Call me Brother."

"Brother."

Li Wencheng reached out, scooped him up, and sat him on his shoulders.