Su Chi's car was parked at the roadside. It was a calm and low-key black, its body smooth and light.
Su Huanyi opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. With a sideways glance, he saw a pair of big hands with distinct bones holding the steering wheel. The back of the hands was bulging with veins and extending into the neat cuffs.
He felt the overwhelming aura just from Su Chi casually sitting there. Su Huanyi fell into contemplation. Where did the original owner get the courage to taunt this man?
"Big Brother."
"Hmm."
He gestured. "How about I drive?"
Su Chi wrinkled his brow in thought. "Is that your new form for murder?"
".."
Su Huanyi dutifully shrank back as Su Chi put one hand on the gearstick lever. He stepped on the gas and pulled the car into traffic.
The street view receded outside the car window. The sky was getting dark, and some shops were already vaguely lit up with scattered lights. Even on weekends, the rush hour had not ceased, and there was no holiday for those who had to work for a living.
The traffic flowed into the viaduct, and the road became congested. Su Huanyi went closer to the window to see the road ahead, exhaling hot air that condensed into a watery mist on the window.
The car was forced to come to a halt.
Su Chi turned his head to see Su Huanyi stretching out his index finger to draw a love heart on the car window. It was crooked and looked a bit ugly. He frowned and was about to speak when two more words fell next to the love heart – Big Brother.
When the words were finished, Su Chi's fingers curled up on the steering wheel.
Su Huanyi still had half of his body twisted to paint the love heart. Su Chi's line of sight fell on the slender neckline as the wide neckline drooped a little because of his movement. On the white porcelain skin, a red mole on the nape of his neck was adorned near a deep and light red mark.
"What's wrong with your shoulder?"
Su Huanyi pressed his hand on it. "A man's medal."
"…" Su Chi did not want to listen to his nonsense. "Take the safflower oil and rub it on when you get back. Put some on your head and elbow too."
Su Huanyi turned back in anticipation. "Will Brother help me apply it?"
Su Chi snorted. "And what's wrong with your hands?"
Su Huanyi smiled at him. "Since I can't reach the bump on my head, you'll have to help me."
He was convinced that more physical contact was needed to promote affection. If they were so close to each other physically, can their hearts be far apart?
The car behind him honked its horn, and the traffic moved on one by one. Su Chi said "sit down" and continued driving.
Su Huanyi knew that he had agreed, and eagerly fished out a bag of bread from the storage compartment on the inside of the car door. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Dad said you'd come to get me when you finished your business."
"I'll eat from home."
"There's too much traffic here," Su Huanyi said, looking at the traffic in front of them. The sky was several degrees darker now, the bright red headlights were shining all the way, and he was unable to see the end. "It'll be an hour before we get home. You should eat some bread first."
"I'm driving…" The words ended abruptly.
Su Chi looked down at the slice of bread handed to his mouth and leaned back. "What are you doing?"
Su Huanyi leaned forward strategically. "I'll feed you. My hands aren't dirty."
"I don't want to eat it."
"You will be hungry."
Su Chi's hand holding the steering wheel slightly tightened. This was a bizarre scene. Amid the congested traffic, his ill-intentioned foster brother was holding up a slice of bread to feed him.
A week ago, Su Chi would have speculated as to what kind of poison was in it. Now the awkwardness outweighs the suspicion. The two of them shouldn't be this close.
It was such a sudden and natural progression that it was hard to know how it had changed.
"Take it away." Su Chi said in a cold tone, "Even if I have to starve to death, I'd rather…."
"…die, jump through the car door than eat a bite of the bread I feed you." Su Huanyi thoughtfully completed it for him.
Su Chi: " …"
Su Huanyi withdrew his hand and took a bite. "It smells so good."
Su Chi: "No eating in my car."
Su Huanyi opened the window and poked his head out to chew.
Su Chi had a black face as he pulled him back. "Who told you to stick your head out?"
"The car wasn't moving."
"Huh."
A slice of bread was pressed to Su Chi's mouth.
His taut jaw twitched, and then he bit into the bread.
Su Huanyi could not quite understand Su Chi's inexplicable stubbornness. He frowned slightly and handed another slice to the person's mouth. "Big Brother, it's just a piece of bread, no need to hold back."
Su Chi, "…"
It was already after eight o'clock when they got home.
Yu Xinyan asked the kitchen to heat some food for Su Chi, and she asked Su Huanyi to sit down together and drink a bowl of sour radish old duck soup. The kitchen had been stewing it all afternoon, and the soup was still fresh.
Su Chi was now choking on the half bag of bread. Su Huanyi fed him like a duck, without any pause. He ended up eating it all before he could react.
Su Chi saw that Su Huanyi still had the appetite to gnaw on the duck leg, and he was extremely disturbed. "You can still eat?"
Su Huanyi brought out his law of conservation. "Although I am full, the old duck soup is appetizing. The space for digesting the old duck soup is left just for the old duck soup,so it has been empty."
Su Chi touched his belly, sneered, and praised him, "A contemporary physiology giant."
Su Huanyi was shy. "I'm great, aren't I?"
Su Chi suddenly felt that the duck soup in his bowl was tasteless.
Before the meal was finished, Wu Ma, who was cooking in the kitchen, came out and asked if they wanted more soup. Su Chi said that there was no need, while Su Huanyi pushed the small bowl nonchalantly. "Thank you, Madam Wu."
Su Chi's eyes fell on his stomach, which was not bulging, indicating that he could still eat.
When Wu Ma came out again, there was a large piece of duck gizzard in the soup bowl. It had been stewed to taste, both delicious and chewy. "Young Master can have more if you like. I have to travel back home in another half a month. You won't be able to drink it then."
Su Huanyi sipped the soup, showing two round eyes from above the rim of the bowl. "?"
He didn't know what happened to Wu Ma's family. It wasn't explained in the book, and he was afraid that he would be exposed if he asked, so he simply didn't say anything. Su Chi, on the other hand, frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem at home?"
"My little granddaughter is going to primary school. My son and his family are going to move to the county town. There were a lot of my things in the house before. I have to go back and tidy up."
Su Chi nodded. "If you need anything, just let us know."
Wu Ma was grateful and said, "Thank you, Young Master, it's nothing serious. I'll just have to take a week off work. "
"That's okay, family matters are important."
After Wu Ma left, Su Huanyi couldn't help but stare at Su Chi several times. His stare was so intense that Su Chi put down his bowl. "Why are you looking at me?"
"You care a lot about Wu Ma."
"She has been taking care of our family for several years, after all. I, of course, care about her." Su Chi shot him a meaningful stare and said, "It's not like I'm a cold-blooded person who has no feelings for people even after spending a lot of time together."
Su Huanyi was biting into a piece of radish and almost spilled the soup onto the table.
"I can understand, I also empathize!" Su Huanyi hurried to clear his name, "Mom and Dad are the best to me. I always treat them like my real parents. My big brother is also good to me. You are my big brother."
The word "good" was particularly long, and Su Chi's chopstick hand shook. "I treat you well. How come I didn't know that?"
Su Huanyi put down his bowl and licked the corner of his mouth. "Big Brother is very nice to me. I made a mistake before, but Big Brother didn't even tell Dad. He just mocked me and threatened me with his eyes in a very inconspicuous way."
"…"
Su Chi asked, "Are you dissatisfied?"
"No, I'm being grateful to Big Brother."
Su Chi had a cold smile. "I don't feel it."
Su Huanyi thought for a moment. "Then I can learn to cook from Wu Ma, and when she returns to her home, I'll be the one to cook for Big Brother."
Su Chi held up his phone and flipped through the calendar.
Su Chi wondered, "Big Brother, what are you looking at?"
"The calendar, to see which day is suitable for a funeral."
In the evening before going to bed, Su Chi came to Su Huanyi's room with safflower oil.
Su Huanyi was lying on his back on the big, bouncy bed. His loose T-shirt covered his buttocks, revealing a small hem of the dark boxer shorts as he twisted around.
He had laid a navy blue blanket on top of the sheets. The red marks on his shoulders and elbows were all the more striking as his skin was blindingly white against the bright blue background.
Su Huanyi heard the movement and turned his head to look over. Su Chi's cuffs had been pulled up above the elbows, revealing the tight and symmetrical muscles. The safflower oil and cotton swabs were held firmly in his hands in a skilful posture.
He thought Su Chi was quite nice.
Although he still had that sneering tone when speaking to him, he wasn't completely unconcerned with him.
"I'm going to apply the medicine." Su Chi held open the cap of the bottle, poured it into his hands and rubbed them together, motioning for Su Huanyi to come over. "Why did you spread the blanket?"
Su Huanyi immediately came over and pulled down the collar, revealing a white shoulder. The red mole was embedded on the right side of the neck like a ruby, which was very eye-catching.
"I was afraid that the medicine would stain the bedsheets. I even changed my clothes to something looser."
Su Chi finished rubbing his hands together and wrapped them around his whole neck. He paused for a second, then used a little force to apply the medicine.
The medicinal oil was rubbed hot in his hand, and Su Huanyi felt that the hand holding his shoulder was wide and thick, hot and strong; the fingers and palm were a little rough, cutting against his skin. It was both painful and pleasant as the medicine was applied.
He couldn't hold back a soft groan, both legs hanging off the edge of the bed and swaying.
Su Chi frowned. "Where are your pants?"
Su Huanyi wondered, "Do you need to be so neatly dressed in your room? I am going to sleep straight after you finish applying the medicine."
Su Chi gave a good reason, and Su Chi was rendered speechless.
After applying the medicine to his shoulder, he continued to apply the medicine to his elbow and head, and the room smelled like safflower oil. Su Chi went to the bathroom to wash his hands and asked Su Huanyi to open the window.
Su Huanyi then ran to open the window.
Su Chi came out after washing his hands and saw Su Huanyi at the windowsill. The flesh on the tip of his round butt was shaking because he was pushing the window so hard.
Su Chi, "…"
He suddenly realised his misconception: even brothers had boundaries, not to mention that they weren't blood brothers. He was the oldest in the family, and he had even given some of his younger brothers a bath before when they were small, but not after they were four or five.
"When I come to your room next time, remember to put your pants on."
Su Huanyi wandered back into bed after opening the window. "We're both guys, no need to be so shy."
He had read in a magazine that many people liked to talk during hot spring baths. So he knew it was necessary to be honest to get closer.
Su Chi held a snicker. "Then why do bathhouses install partitions?"
Su Huanyi thought clearly, "They are all strangers, and the partition is also to protect some men's self-esteem…"
Su Chi had a green vein on his forehead and said, "If you don't put them on, I won't come through that door next time." He dropped the sentence and turned away.
The door slammed shut with a bang.
Su Huanyi pulled at his collar and stared at the bedroom door. He didn't understand why Su Chi was being stubborn.
The safflower oil on his shoulder was burning hot, so Su Huanyi raised his hand and rubbed it. His fingers were cool, a stark contrast to Su Chi's warm palms.
He thought, "Your palm is so warm, but why are your words so cold?"