Chapter 29: Brother, I Want to See You
Jiang Qing scratched his hair in annoyance.
His original intention was just to say a few casual words for fun.
But Jiang Yu’s reaction surprised him even more.
That forever calm and capable eldest brother actually showed such obvious possessiveness towards him because of a newly acknowledged younger brother. Jiang Qing knew Jiang Yu too well; that conversation in the study earlier was less of a warning and more of… a loss of control.
He leaned against the hallway wall and sighed.
Forget it.
Since these feelings were directed at him, he would just catch them.
But what worried him more right now was the recognition banquet.
In the original novel, the recognition banquet was a massive conflict point.
At the recognition banquet, Jiang Linmu was provoked by someone into making a fool of Su Lin. This led to the other characters’ disgust towards Jiang Linmu in the subsequent plot, becoming a major reason pushing him to be kicked out of the house later on.
Although he had already warned Jiang Linmu not to eat candy given by strangers, not to do things strangers told him to do, and if a stranger provoked him, to directly tell his brotherâand his brother would have someone knock him out and feed him zero-natural-pure-additive rat poison thick soup; if he died, it meant he was a real rat, if he didn’t, it meant he was a rat demon.
But it was hard to guarantee he wouldn’t do something extreme.
It seems he had to keep a close eye on Jiang Linmu.
Jiang Qing frowned slightly, his fingertips tapping the wall unconsciously.
However, one suspicious point about this matter wasâin the original novel, the person who provoked Jiang Linmu behind the scenes was never clearly explained. But he accurately exploited Jiang Linmu’s impulsive personality.
This person must know the Jiang family very well, be clear about Jiang Linmu’s temper, and know exactly how to give him a push at the critical moment.
Who could it be? A competitor of the Jiang family, or…
“Brother.”
Jiang Qing looked toward the voice. Su Lin was standing at the top of the stairs; who knew how long he had been watching.
“Why did you come up?” Jiang Qing quickly restrained his expression, stood up straight, and asked.
Su Lin didn’t answer immediately. He walked closer step by step. His gaze fell on the fingers Jiang Qing had just been using to tap the wall, and then met Jiang Qing’s eyes.
“Wanted to see you.”
Jiang Qing froze slightly.
“See me?” He raised an eyebrow, quickly suppressing his thoughts about the recognition banquet, “Didn’t we just see each other downstairs?”
Su Lin had already reached him.
“There were too many people downstairs.” He said softly, his gaze still firmly locked onto Jiang Qing, “And Eldest Brother called you away.”
His words carried an imperceptible grievance of being left behind.
Jiang Qing looked at him, suddenly finding it a bit interesting.
“So you came up specifically to see if Eldest Brother was ‘bullying’ me?”
Su Lin said seriously: “He wouldn’t bully you.” He paused, supplementing, “But he made you unhappy.”
He said this with absolute certainty.
Jiang Qing’s eyes flashed slightly. Su Lin’s observation skills were much sharper than he had imagined. When he came out of the study just now, that momentary annoyance and distraction had actually been caught by Su Lin.
“Oh?” He looked at him with great interest, “How do you know I’m unhappy?”
Su Lin’s gaze fell on Jiang Qing: “I felt it.”
Jiang Qing remained silent for two seconds, then suddenly smiled. He reached out and rubbed Su Lin’s soft crown just like he treated Jiang Linmuâthe texture was even better than Jiang Linmu’s.
“Not very old, but your mind is quite meticulous.”
“I’m not unhappy, just thinking about some things.”
He didn’t specify what things, but Su Lin didn’t seem to press either. He just slightly lowered his head, allowing Jiang Qing to rub his hair.
“Brother,” he spoke again, his voice coming from below, sounding muffled, “Next Tuesday… I’m a little nervous.”
The movement of Jiang Qing’s hand paused.
Look, here it comes again.
This perfectly timed show of weakness and reliance.
He was almost certain Su Lin was doing this on purpose. He was using this method to close the distance between them, seeking some sort of shelter.
“What’s there to be nervous about?” Jiang Qing lowered his hand, his tone casual, “It’s just eating a meal and meeting a few people. With me here, no one can do anything to you.”
Su Lin lifted his head, his eyes brightening a bit.
“Mm.” He nodded, “With Brother here, I’m not afraid.”
Looking at his completely trusting appearance, the doubts in Jiang Qing’s heart born from the original plot were temporarily suppressed.
Whether Su Lin was sincere or faking it, at least for now he showed goodwill towards him. Moreover, a “younger brother” who was willing to show weakness and knew how to rely on him was much less worrisome than one with ulterior motives who opposed him at every turn.
“Alright, don’t just stand here like a post.” Jiang Qing patted his shoulder, “Go down and see how Linmu is doing, lest he actually burns the house down.”
He turned around first and walked towards the stairs.
Su Lin followed half a step behind him, looking at Jiang Qing’s back.
The nervousness was real, but more than that, it was a test.
Testing Jiang Qing’s bottom line, testing his attitude towards him, testing his own position in his heart.
Looking at it now… the results seemed quite good.
His brother really did fall for this act.
Su Lin took a light breath, quickly followed up, and returned to that quiet, well-behaved appearance.
“Right.”
Jiang Qing suddenly turned his head.
Su Lin’s heart jumped, his footsteps halting instantly: “Brother?”
“At the banquet, no matter who talks to you or gives you anything, keep your guard up.” He said pointedly, “This pool of water in the Jiang family is deeper than you think.”
A trace of surprise flashed through Su Lin’s eyes: “I’ll remember. Thank you for the reminder, Brother.”
Jiang Qing nodded and didn’t say anything more, turning back to continue downstairs.
Father and Mother Jiang had already left early due to some temporary matters, although Jiang Qing highly doubted if those “matters” meant going to a dessert shop.
Downstairs, only Jiang Linmu was alone.
And Jiang Linmu at this moment was hugging the pillow Jiang Qing frequently used, beginning to plan for his future.
The figures in the room, give to Jiang Qing.
Gaming accounts, give to Jiang Qing.
Some bought luxury goods, give to Jiang Qing.
Motorcycle, give to Jiang Qing.
The sports car Mom and Dad gave for my coming-of-age ceremony, give to Jiang Qing.
A lot of things I haven’t given Jiang Qing yet must be given away.
…….
He counted and counted, practically running through everything he owned.
Finally, he suddenly remembered something.
Right, the heir to the will needs to be written as Jiang Qing.
Jiang Linmu hugged the pillow, the more he thought about it, the more he felt his arrangements were flawless. He was completely immersed in his tragic and grand “entrustment”, not even noticing Jiang Qing and Su Lin walking down the stairs.
“…And my trust fund,” he muttered to himself, “The beneficiaries also all need to be changed to Jiang Qing’s name…”
“Changed to my name?” Jiang Qing’s voice suddenly came from above his head, “Are you trying to write your will in advance?”
Jiang Linmu was so startled he shivered. He snapped his head up to see Jiang Qing standing with his arms crossed, looking down at him imperiously, with Su Lin standing beside him.
His face flushed red, and he hurriedly tossed the pillow away, stammering to explain: “N-No! Brother, I was just… just thinking, in case… in case…”
As he spoke, his voice lowered:
“I… I’ll give it all to you… give it all to you… Anyway… anyway you are my brother…”
ââ Mini Theater ââ[Susu: Wanted to see you.]
[Qingqing: Didn’t we just see each other?][Susu: Wanted to jian you.][Qingqing: Why do you have to say the same sentence twice… wait. No.]
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