Chapter 48: Yet It Ends Calmly

Chapter 48: But the End Was Calm

Chen Xitong knew Gu Hansheng had come last night. He'd spotted a figure through the crack in the door, but it only stood there for a moment before leaving.

He was well aware that Gu Hansheng was very fond of him, but why didn't he come in? If the person you loved just woke up after all that time, wouldn't you want to go in and see them?

Or had he already fallen out of love?

Chen Li said Zhao Yu was staying at Gu Hansheng's place, so he must have left the hospital to go see Zhao Yu.

First Chen Li, and now Gu Hansheng.

Chen Xitong kept stabbing the soft cake on his plate with his chopsticks until it was completely smashed.

The hospital room door opened. Chen Xitong looked up at the person entering, and his expression instantly froze.

A brother he hadn't seen in over ten years suddenly showed up on an ordinary day. He recognized the face, but he was astonished.

This gaunt, hollow-eyed figure drifting around like a ghost—was this really Zhao Yu?

The brother he remembered was always full of energy, as warm and clingy as the old lady upstairs' little curly-haired dog, with endless vigor every single day.

Zhao Yu had changed into someone he didn't even recognize.

He lowered his head, gripped the chopsticks tighter, quickly pulled himself together, and looked up with a bright smile.

"Hey, bro. Long time no see."

"Long time no see."

Zhao Yu's voice was dry and raspy, his face completely blank. He'd never really felt one way or the other about Chen Xitong, but seeing Chen Xitong's warm smile lifted some of the weight off his chest.

Just then, Chen Li came in. Chen Xitong glanced at her, then suddenly got up from the bed and hugged Zhao Yu. "Bro, you've been through a lot during this time. Mom told me everything. I'm sorry you had to carry all that on your own. I wish I'd woken up sooner."

Zhao Yu was caught off guard, feeling Chen Xitong's arms around him. He hesitated, then slowly lifted his arms to hug him back. At that moment, he suddenly felt like he wasn't completely abandoned by the world—at least he still had a brother by blood who gave a damn about him.

Chen Li watched them with a relieved smile, set the washed fruit on the table, and sat down nearby to peel some.

Chen Xitong pulled Zhao Yu down to sit on the hospital bed and held his hand affectionately. "Bro, how was life overseas? I've never been to Los Angeles. I heard it's called the City of Angels—must be gorgeous there, right?"

"It was alright," Zhao Yu said. "I didn't go out much."

"Why? I heard students in America don't have to study all the time. I was kinda jealous."

"No time for that. At first, I couldn't even speak the language well, and studying was a pain."

"That sucks. Next time, you can be our tour guide and we'll go visit."

"Sure."

Watching them talk about this and that, Chen Li was overjoyed. Chen Xitong was outgoing and warm, and with him there, Zhao Yu's attitude softened. No matter what had happened along the way, both kids were safe and sound by her side. The missing piece in her life was slowly falling into place.

Zhao Yu asked, "You're not mad at me for taking over your identity?"

Chen Xitong shrugged. "Because your plan with Mom was to save the company, right? It's not like you had a choice. Besides, the chat history between you and Mr. Gu in that account's already been deleted. For me, it's like nothing ever happened. I'll just act like I don't know. Oh, by the way, let's add each other."

Seeing him smile like that, Zhao Yu got why Gu Hansheng liked him. Cheerful people always lift others up, facing everything with a positive attitude.

After a while, Chen Li received a phone call and had to return to the company. As she left, she reminded them, "Xitong, get some rest. Xiao Yu, you too—make sure you eat a proper lunch. I'll head off now and come back later."

"Okay, Mom. Drive safe." Chen Xitong waved with a smile.

The moment the door clicked shut, Chen Xitong pulled his hand away from Zhao Yu's, let out a tired sigh, and dropped the act. He relaxed back against the headboard. "Bro, you did a great job humoring Mom and going along with her little scheme. That whole stand-in plan was such a joke. Since the company's back to normal, just leave as soon as possible. Go back to your own place and stop messing with my life."

His sudden change in attitude caught Zhao Yu completely off guard.

"What?" Zhao Yu was stunned, wondering if he'd heard him wrong.

Chen Xitong was still smiling, but it wasn't a friendly smile. "Don't act all innocent. You love the feeling of being wanted, don't you? Even my mom, who can't stand to mention your name, was won over by you. Impressive."

"There's nothing between Chen Li and me." Zhao Yu stood up and stepped back, finally picking up on the hostility.

The friendliness earlier had all been an act. Chen Xitong never intended to get along with him, and his acting was way better than Zhao Yu's.

"How cute. She even peeled an apple for you." Chen Xitong picked up a piece of apple and popped it into his mouth, then added, "I don't know what's going through your head, but we haven't talked in years, so there's no point pretending we're close. Honestly, I don't want you in my home. I'm not used to living with other people."

"Also, I heard you're pretty tight with Mr. Gu now. Using my face as a stand-in—doesn't that make you sick? Has his kindness given you the illusion that you could replace me? Bro, you're still as naive as ever. If I were you, I wouldn't have come here at all, or I'd wake up and bow out early to avoid humiliating myself."

"Think you can win over my mom and make me go along with her letting you stay? Not a chance. This family and Mr. Gu are both mine. Don't think you can just swoop in and take over after a few days of pretending to be me."

Zhao Yu looked at the hostility on his face, listening to every word he said, and found it utterly absurd.

The things that belonged to Chen Xitong—he had never intended to take them. He hadn't come back to China to fight for anything. He just wanted to see his brother after learning he'd woken up.

And now, the last shred of family affection he'd held onto was shattered.

He always held hope for impossible things.

Knowing Guo Lin was in the late stages of cancer, he still fantasized about having a few more years with her. Knowing Gu Hansheng loved Chen Xitong, he still yearned for a sliver of affection. Knowing his estranged brother wouldn't care about him, he still thought the kindness shown was genuine warmth.

There was a naive streak in his nature—he always believed things would turn out for the better, only to be slapped awake time and time again.

Zhao Yu kept thinking about what he had done wrong to keep stumbling endlessly through this miserable life. Now he truly had nothing. He had cried so much on the day Guo Lin died that his eyes had gone dry, and his heart was as still as stagnant water. But at this moment, he couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Xitong frowned.

"At you."

Zhao Yu glanced at the apple slices slowly browning on the plate. After being humiliated, all he felt was screw blood brothers. He just wanted to tear apart the pretense of decency, never be bound by anything again, and do and say whatever he pleased.

"Are you that afraid of being replaced by me? Makes sense. You've always hidden behind Mom's skirts since you were little—weak and pitiful, hiding from everything. Even now, you're scared someone might take Mom away. Without Chen Li, can you even take care of yourself? Oh, by the way, Chen Li said she wants to buy me a house and has already given me a lot of money. She doesn't need to tell you anything she gives me. Who knows, maybe she'll even hand the company over to me someday."

Chen Xitong's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected Zhao Yu to fight back. Angrily, he said, "Nonsense! My mom, she only—"

He was about to retort when he suddenly noticed the hospital room door being pushed open a crack. Someone was outside—who knew how much they had heard. To maintain his facade of false kindness, he swallowed his retort and shut his mouth.

Zhao Yu continued, "And Mr. Gu—you say he only sees me as a substitute? Not necessarily. When he slept with me every night, you were still a vegetable, lying there unable to move. I never heard him call your name in bed. Maybe he's already forgotten you. I have no interest in taking anything from you, but the people who love you don't always love you forever—"

"Bang!"

The door was shoved open. Zhao Yu turned around and met Gu Hansheng's cold, lifeless eyes.

With just one look, Zhao Yu knew where he stood.

Everything he had said in front of Chen Xitong was a lie—fabricated to salvage what little dignity he had left.

He actually had nothing.

The past few days had felt as long as a month. When he longed to hear Gu Hansheng's voice, not a single call went through. The man he couldn't reach no matter how many messages he sent was here, casually showing up at Chen Xitong's place.

This man's heart only has room for Chen Xitong.

Gu Hansheng walked toward him, spitting out a single word: "Scram!"

Just that one word, as if saying even one more sentence would be too much trouble.

Zhao Yu's heart trembled, his expression slightly losing control, caught between laughter and tears.

If his heart only had room for Chen Xitong, then why did he kiss him? Why was he good to him? Why did he seem to care about him through all their time together day in and day out?

Over the past few months, he'd been walking on eggshells, terrified that one wrong word would set Gu Hansheng off. But now Guo Lin was gone, and nothing could threaten him anymore. So instead of leaving, he stared straight into Gu Hansheng's eyes and shot back: "That's not the attitude you had when you were sleeping with me, Mr. Gu..."

Before the words even left his mouth, Gu Hansheng suddenly grabbed his arm and roughly dragged him to the hospital room door, shoving him out.

Zhao Yu hadn't eaten a proper meal since Guo Lin's death, sleeping only two or three hours a night. He stumbled a few steps, his shoulder banging into the wall, and suddenly his vision swam and he hit the floor.

Gu Hansheng hadn't expected him to fall, either.

The things Zhao Yu had said in front of Chen Xitong had completely enraged him. He could've said those words in front of anyone, but not in front of Chen Xitong.

"A counterfeit. Don't ever show your face in front of Xitong again."

Gu Hansheng's voice was so cold it made Zhao Yu shiver. He lowered his head for a long time, and the churning anxiety in his chest slowly settled into a cold calm.

A counterfeit—that summed up his pathetic place in his relationship with Gu Hansheng.

This time, it was truly over.

All the delusions and expectations could be put to rest. No more getting lost in Gu Hansheng's hot-and-cold moods, no more bowing his head and swallowing his pride.

He hadn't always been that kind of person, but he'd been tamed into a sheep in a pen, losing himself at some point while begging for a sliver of love.

Zhao Yu slowly rose, steadying himself against the wall. He wasn't angry at Gu Hansheng's insult, just calmly brushed the dust off his pants, like a hollowed-out soul, drained of all emotion, so sick of everything that all that was left was a blank, indifferent face.

Without a word, he lowered his head and turned to leave.

Gu Hansheng watched his figure grow farther and farther away, and suddenly felt a strange pang in his chest.

Before, when Zhao Yu got scolded, he'd either hang his head and apologize timidly, or glare back all hurt and defiant—never this calm.

As if nothing mattered anymore.