Chapter 30: He is My Brother, Not Yours
Looking at his silly appearance of wishing he could dig his heart out to prove his “loyalty,” Jiang Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He bent a finger and knocked it neither lightly nor heavily against Jiang Linmu’s forehead.
A crisp “thwack” sounded.
“Ouch!” Jiang Linmu clutched his forehead, looking at him with teary eyes.
“What kind of messy nonsense are you thinking about all day?” Jiang Qing said crossly, “Who cares about your little pile of stuff? Keep them safe for me, stop crying and sniffling all day, it’s annoying to look at.”
“Brother… I love you…”
“……..?”
Jiang Qing hesitantly glanced at Jiang Linmu, finding that the other’s eyes held only total reliance and the insecurity of being terrified of abandonment.
Alright, it seems he was overthinking it.
He really couldn’t be blamed, mostly it was Su Lin who made him subconsciously tighten a string in his mind.
In contrast, Jiang Linmu’s straightforward and open reliance was as fresh as a heartless, silly white cabbage.
One was transparently silly, the other was shrewdly acting.
“Drop the act. If you really love me, go upstairs right now, put all those limited-edition game cartridges you hoarded on the second-hand market, and donate the money.”
Jiang Linmu hugged the pillow as if facing a mortal enemy, his voice cracking: “No! Absolutely not! Those are what I queued up for ages to snatch!”
“Then stop acting in a melodrama here,” Jiang Qing glanced at him lazily, “Those who don’t know might think we’re about to star in an orthopedics double-male-lead drama.”
On the side, Su Lin quietly watched all of this.
This kind of attention and defense that could be obtained effortlessly… was something he needed to be cautious, and even use a bit of calculation to exchange for.
Jiang Qing glanced at Su Lin and lazily let out a yawn: “Alright, don’t just stand here like posts. I’m hungry, Jiang Linmu, go get something to eat.”
“Oh! Okay!” Jiang Linmu immediately took the order, scrambled up, and rushed to the kitchen.
Only Jiang Qing and Su Lin were left in the living room.
Jiang Qing nestled back into the sofa and picked up his tablet. Su Lin sat quietly in the single sofa on the other side.
After a while, Su Lin spoke softly, as if mentioning it casually: “Brother, he… seems to rely on you a lot.”
Jiang Qing’s finger swiping the screen didn’t stop, and he didn’t even lift an eyelid: “Mm, his brain doesn’t work well, gotta keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t get sold by someone.”
Su Lin was silent for a moment, his voice becoming even lighter: “That’s so nice.”
Jiang Qing finally lifted his eyes from the tablet and looked at Su Lin. The other was sitting there with his head slightly lowered, his silhouette in the light and shadow looking somewhat thin and lonely.
“What’s so nice about it?” Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow, “Neither of them gives me peace of mind.”
Su Lin lifted his head to meet his gaze and said very seriously: “Being managed by Brother like this, it’s just very nice.”
Jiang Qing locked eyes with him for two seconds, then suddenly hooked his lips into a smile.
He beckoned to Su Lin with a hooked finger.
Su Lin hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and walked over to him.
Jiang Qing put down the tablet, stood up, and leaned close to Su Lin:
“What? You also want me to manage you like I manage him?”
Su Lin opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something but it got stuck in his throat.
Seeing his momentarily flustered appearance, Jiang Qing chuckled: “Alright, go see if Jiang Linmu has blown up the kitchen yet.”
Su Lin stood in place, taking a long time before he gave an “En”.
—————————
When Su Lin walked into the kitchen, Jiang Linmu was wearing an apron, nimbly beating eggs. Hearing the footsteps, he didn’t even turn his head.
“Need something?” His voice was somewhat cold, completely different from before.
Su Lin stopped a few steps away, “Brother asked me to come see if there’s anything I can help with.”
Jiang Linmu poured the egg mixture into the frying pan, making a sizzling sound as cooking smoke rose.
“No need.” He was concise, focusing on the movements of his hands, clearly unwilling to talk much.
“You know his tastes very well.”
Jiang Linmu’s movement of flipping the fried egg didn’t stop: “After all, I’ve cooked for him for so many years.” He turned off the heat and plated the fried egg, only then turning around and looking straight at Su Lin for the first time.
“Su Lin,” he started, “Just say it, what do you want?”
Su Lin met his gaze: “I just want to integrate into this family.”
Jiang Linmu pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“Integrate, fine.”
“But Jiang Qing, is my brother.”
“Always has been. Always will be.”
Su Lin leaned against the doorframe, “He has been my brother from beginning to end. The same blood flows in our bodies. From a bloodline perspective, this is an established fact. He has also always been my brother.”
“Always will be.”
Jiang Linmu glared fiercely at Su Lin.
He knew this person harbored ill intentions. Although Jiang Qing told him earlier that he was here to snatch Eldest Brother.
But what did snatching Eldest Brother have to do with him? The only one he cared about from beginning to end was Jiang Qing.
And now…….
“Su Lin,” his voice was pressed very low, “Stop bringing up bloodlines!”
“Jiang Qing acknowledges me, so I am his younger brother. He will also only have me as his one younger brother. For over ten years, the one who accompanied him was me, the one who knew all his preferences and habits was me, the one who stayed by his side when he was sick was me.”
Su Lin raised an eyebrow.
“So you stole the position that should have belonged to me for over ten years, and the opportunity to accompany him for over ten years, is that it?”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Jiang Linmu’s voice trembled slightly due to agitation, “That was just an accident! I never thought about stealing anything!”
“Accident?” Su Lin repeated softly, “But in fact, you did occupy everything that originally belonged to me, didn’t you? Father’s attention, Mother’s doting, and… Brother’s companionship.”
He took a step forward, his gaze falling on Jiang Linmu’s slightly trembling shoulders.
“You enjoy the family affection that didn’t belong to you, and now you turn around and accuse me, the true owner, for wanting to take back what belongs to me?”
“Jiang Linmu, don’t you think this is ridiculous?”
Jiang Linmu’s face instantly turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, only to find that all defense seemed so pale and powerless in front of the cold facts.
Yes, no matter the reason, he had indeed unknowingly occupied Su Lin’s life for over a decade.
Right at that moment, footsteps came from outside the kitchen.
Both of them simultaneously restrained their emotions. Jiang Linmu abruptly turned his back and took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his churning state of mind.
Jiang Qing’s figure appeared in the doorway. He lazily leaned against the doorframe, his gaze sweeping between the two, finally landing on Jiang Linmu’s somewhat stiff back.
“Not ready yet?” His tone carried a bit of impatience, “Starving to death here.”
Jiang Linmu’s body stiffened. Without turning back, he just gave a low response: “…Almost.”
Su Lin, however, raised his head and showed Jiang Qing an apologetic smile: “Brother, it’s my fault. I just talked a few more words with Linmu and delayed the time.”
Jiang Qing glanced at him and didn’t say anything, just urging once more: “Hurry up.” Then he turned and left.
Only the two of them were left in the kitchen again.
Jiang Linmu slowly turned around, his eye rims still a bit red.
“Su Lin,” his voice was hoarse, “Even if what you said is the truth, so what?”
“For over a decade I was the one by his side, this is a fact no one can change. He is used to my presence, used to me being by his side.”
“You want to come back, fine. But in this family, by his side, there will always be a place for me.”
After saying that, he didn’t look at Su Lin anymore, turning around to turn the heat back on.
Su Lin looked at his back, didn’t say anything else, opened the door, and walked out.
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