Chapter 8: The Firstborn Friend
[Livestream Room]
[Xiao Yangās ‘Did you lag?’ was so charmingly cold… Who understands? Even if it feels like heās a player, Iām thinking: heās playing me! Iām willing!]
[Gege is so serious when playing. A serious man is the handsomest. I also want to play a Yao and attach to Gege.]
[The Firstborn Friend is really just a total ‘noob.’ Purely getting carried.]
[Who could focus on the game with Xiao Yang beside them? Looking at that face, I only wish I could see it more. Seeing Xiao Yang being teased into a smile, his heart must have skipped a beat, right? That ‘cheap’ smile of his.]
[Who wouldn’t be dazed by a face like that? But with only the Firstborn Friend there, it feels like something is missing. I still prefer Xiao Yang streaming from the dorm. Even with the curtains, those guys are always shamelessly trying to get on camera. They must have seen our shipping comments; theyāre terrified of having no screentime with Xiao Yang.]
[LMAO, the Firstborn Friend really is the ‘Firstborn.’ He has his ‘green tea’ methods too, not losing to the Green Tea Brother at all.]
[The Firstborn Friendās face went dark when someone called him ugly. Actually, heās not ugly, but our Yang-bao doesn’t like men! What use is being handsome? Our Yang-bao looks at his own face every day and still hasn’t fallen for a man.]
[‘His mind is entirely on the game; he probably doesn’t even want to look at you.’ Who got shot? Whoās heartbroken?]
[That idiot Marksman is infuriating. He starts cursing women as soon as he sees a support.]
[Xiao Yang baby, even your insults are so serious. Hosting a competition? A failure like him couldn’t host one. If he didn’t cling to others, heād be nothing; he can only curse people online.]
Before the words could be sent, the game ended. The Marksman was practically choking with rage. He quickly exited and invited Chu Yang and Yin Lianchuan, intending to finish what he had to say. Chu Yang declined immediately.
Yin Lianchuan, however, accepted. He canceled his “Ready” status within a second and then leisurely typed: [Why are you inviting my Gege? Want to seduce my boyfriend? Youāre shameless.]
Chu Yang looked at his phone with some helplessness. “Why are you saying so much to him?”
Yin Lianchuan exited and returned to the room with Chu Yang before saying, “I don’t like the look of him. I want to make him even angrier.”
Chu Yang: “People like that get angry over anything.”
“True. Heāll get himself killed by rage sooner or later.” Yin Lianchuan forked another piece of fruit and held it to his lips.
This time, Chu Yang didn’t take it into his mouth directly. Since they were picking heroes and didn’t need to maneuver, he picked up another fork and ate two pieces himself.
He took a moment to check the chat and found several familiar names sending him gifts. He thanked them one by one.
Then he played several more games with Yin Lianchuan. Before they knew it, it was past midnight. Chu Yangās watch rang. He didn’t check who it was and tapped to answer.
A deep voice rang outā “Still not home at this hour. Are you spending the night out?”
It was Chu Yuanzhou. Chu Yangās hand stiffened. He split his focus, his tone a bit guilty. “How did you know Iām not home?”
Chu Yuanzhouās voice was flat. “Iām watching your stream. The watch also has your location.”
“…” He had forgotten about that. But Chu Yang reacted quickly. “Iām an adult. Besides, Iām not doing anything.”
Chu Yuanzhou: “I didn’t say you wereāmy little ancestor. But itās this late; shouldn’t you be heading back?”
“Driving late isn’t safe.”
Chu Yang was just about to say he didn’t have an early class tomorrow when Yin Lianchuan spoke up: “Itās fine. I have a guest room here. Chu Yang can stay the night and go to school tomorrow, Brother.”
Chu Yuanzhou frowned. Looking at Chu Yangās livestream, he didn’t disrespect Yin Lianchuan by telling him not to call him “Brother,” but he didn’t answer immediately either, waiting for Chu Yang to speak.
Chu Yang naturally knew what his brother was thinking and explained, “I was bored and came out to get the car washed. I…”
Chu Yuanzhou interrupted him: “You went to the hospital. Did something happen?”
…So he was waiting for him there…
“Itās nothing. What could happen? Iām here playing games just fine. Ge, if you say any more, Iāll get distracted… my teammates are going to curse at me… Iām hanging up. Iāll talk to you later.”
Having said that, he quickly hung up. He even took a careful look at the stream before continuing with the game. His expression remained unchanged; he knew Chu Yuanzhou must still be watching the stream.
He was already planning to end the stream after this game.
Yin Lianchuan glanced at him and silently continued playing.
Chu Yuanzhou was indeed still watching Chu Yangās stream. The chat was scrolling by in a dense blur, with some tips even blocking Chu Yangās face. He simply turned off the chat altogether, so he didn’t see what those people were saying.
[Livestream Room]
[Ahhh! Which ‘Ge’ is it? Is it Yang-baoās biological brother??]
[Which other ‘Ge’ could it be, good heavens? Our straight man Xiao Yang only has one brother.]
[Speaking of which, even though our chat is full of various ‘Geās,’ a real ‘Ge’ is a real ‘Ge.’ That clearly guilty expression on Xiao Yangās face is just too cute, too cute. He even took a secret peek at the camera. So precious! I really want to ship…]
[The last part of the comment above is the real point, right? Also, Xiao Yang is an adult; what kind of brother would urge him to come home? What time is it? When Xiao Yang said ‘adult’ just now, I thought he was going to follow up with ‘nightlife has just begun’…]
[I won’t lie, Iām already shipping it. ‘Brother-con’ Gege… I feel like Xiao Yang must have been climbing all over his brother since he was little. Even now that heās grown… mm… being pinned and climbing all over…]
[God… the watch has a location, Big Brother. Is this your brother? Even if it were your wifey, this wouldn’t do. Iāve already imagined a very ‘damp’ story around this GPS thing.]
[Just imagine Gege looking at Xiao Yangās heart rate every day, seeing what Xiao Yang is doing… Is this something you should be looking at, Ge? Do you not find yourself strange?]
[LMAO, maybe Gege is ‘guarding an empty room’ right now, which is why heās urging Xiao Yang to come back~]
[Baby, youāre such a little player. Seducing one after another. Youāre bound to be ‘devoured’ sooner or later!]
[Nonsense! Our baby doesn’t know anything. Even if he were pinned to the bed, heād probably think itās just ‘good brothers’ messing around.]
[Is it just me, or does it feel like Gege doesn’t like Xiao Yangās friends?]
[Itās not an illusion. Gege definitely wouldn’t like a ‘blonde delinquent’ taking Xiao Yang away. Look at the time, and he still won’t let our Princess Xiao Yang go home. If I were Gege, Iād drive over right now, carry Xiao Yang back, and give him a thorough lesson!]
[What kind of lesson? Details, please.]
[Xiao Yang, say it! Say heās not your biological brother, right? Heās never appeared in the stream before, and heās not on the tip leaderboard, right! Is he a good brother or a ‘lover’ brother? Hubby, say something!]
Chu Yang looked up after the game and happened to see this last comment. He didn’t know if Chu Yuanzhou was still watching, but Chu Yuanzhou was quite possessive about his status as a brother.
He immediately said, “Heās my biological brother. The brother I depend on.”
Seeing someone repeat “Is there a tip?”, he laughed and explained, “No tip. Because the platform takes a cut. He raised me, and heās very good to me. He just gives me his card directly.”
As soon as these words came out, the chat was instantly filled with “shipping” comments.
[A brother he depends on… it feels even more ‘shippable.’]
[‘Depend on each other,’ ‘Biological brother,’ ‘He raised me’… the lethality is too strong…]
[God, he just killed the Roommate Brothers in a secondā]
[With two sentences, Gege has reached the peak.]
[Xiao Yang, use your brain. Your brother raised you for so long; how could he ever let you go to someone else? An elder brother is like a father; his fatherly love is as steady as a mountain…]
Chu Yang looked at these joking comments for a few seconds and didn’t think much of them. He said his goodbyes: “Alright, thatās it for today. Everyone, get some rest early.”
“Whewā”
As soon as the stream closed, Chu Yang let out a sigh of relief. He leaned against the desk and took several gulps of his drink.
Yin Lianchuan felt a bit sour in his heart. He was the one who understood best the importance of Chu Yuanzhou to Chu Yang. He had known Chu Yang for nearly ten years. During that time, not only did Chu Yuanzhou drop off and pick up Chu Yang from school countless times, but he even personally delivered Chu Yangās lunchboxes.
Back then, Chu Yuanzhou was very busy, but anyone could see how much he cared about Chu Yang. Even when Chu Yang was little, he would say, “My brother really loves me too much.”
“So… are you going back now?” Yin Lianchuanās drunkenness had completely vanished, and he had returned to his usual “playboy” self.
Chu Yang looked at the timeāit was 12:30 AM. He thought for a bit. “Do I still have clothes here?”
Yin Lianchuan was stunned for a moment but immediately spoke up: “Yes! I put them away after washing them last time.”
“Theyāre in the guest room.”
“…Alright.” Chu Yangās eyebrows knitted for a moment. Why did he make it sound like heād hand-washed them?
It really wasn’t early. The two of them went upstairs together to their rooms. Just as Chu Yang picked up his clothes, his phone rang again. It was still Chu Yuanzhou.
As soon as he answeredā “Really not coming home?”
Chu Yang: “Driving back is too tiring. Iāll drive straight to school tomorrow. Why do you care if I come back or not when youāre not even home?”
Chu Yuanzhou paused. “Remember to lock the door before you sleep.”
“What did you do at the hospital?”
Chu Yang knew Chu Yuanzhou would definitely ask. “I ran into someone injured on the road. I sent them to the hospital and then came here to wash the car.”
Chu Yuanzhou: “Don’t just pick up people from the roadside. Iām coming back the day after tomorrow. Is there any gift you want?”
“Mm… is there anything good to eat?” Chu Yang answered while taking his clothes into the bathroom, casually placing his phone on the sink.
“…Iāll have my secretary look into it tomorrow.” Chu Yuanzhou thought for a bit and said.
The weather was hot, and the AC in the room had just been turned on. Chu Yang felt stifled. He impatiently crossed his arms, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and with a bend of his waist, stripped it off.
His fair skin was exposed to the air. He was very thin but had a lean layer of muscle, with smooth and elegant lines.
Hearing the rustling sounds, Chu Yuanzhou finally realized Chu Yang was going to shower. He cautioned, “Don’t use cold water.”
“Ge, youāre so naggy. In the summer, even the water in the pipes is heated by the sun, and the water heater is the storage type anyway.”
“…Careful not to catch a cold. Iām hanging up. Sleep early.”
“Goodnight.” Chu Yang said a word and turned on the shower, not looking to see if the call had ended.
The shower took half an hour. When he came out, Yin Lianchuan was sitting at the foot of the bed. Chu Yang was stunned for a moment and walked over while drying his hair. “Something wrong?”
He was wearing a bathrobe, loosely tied in the middle. The deep V revealed his pale-pink chest. Droplets of water from the tips of his hair meandered down, making oneās throat go tight.
Yin Lianchuanās voice was a bit raspy. “Come here. Iāll dry your hair.”
Chu Yangās expression shifted for a moment. “…?”
Yin Lianchuan acted natural. “Didn’t you say before that your brother always dries your hair for you at home?”
“How many years ago was it when I said that? Besides, youāre not my brother.” Chu Yuanzhou didn’t just dry his hair; he would pin him to the desk to do his homework while standing behind him and blowing his hair dry.
The hairdryer would hum, but he could still get his work done. Chu Yang felt he was truly a genius.
“What does it matter if Iām not your brother? Itās normal for good brothers to dry each otherās hair.”
Chu Yang: “How is that normal? Iāll only dry my girlfriendās hair.”
Yin Lianchuanās face immediately darkened. He gritted his teeth. “You have no conscience.”
Translator’s Note:Ā
Cultural terms used:
- Legitimate Eldest Brother (å«”é·å„ – Di Zhang Ge): In fan circles, the “Di” (legitimate) refers to someone who has been there from the start or has a primary status, like a childhood friend. Itās a play on ancient Chinese hierarchy.
- Green Tea (ē¶ č¶): Someone who acts innocent and sweet on the outside but is manipulative on the inside.
- Yao (ē¤): A popular support character in the game Honor of Kings (which this is based on). She is famous for “attaching” herself to other players, often leading to “couple” playstyles.
See you in the next chapter for more “Straight Man” shenanigans!
(p.s. Poor Yin Lianchuan being told he has no conscience, I felt that! š)
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