The streets were eerily quiet as Lu Ningfei made his way through the city, the acid rain falling in sheets around him. He could feel the sting of it on his skin.
It didn't take long to reach the spot where Si Qin had told him to meet. The younger man was sitting on a bench under the awning of a closed restaurant, huddled in on himself as the rain hissed and spat against the pavement.
As he approached, Si Qin looked up, his eyes red and swollen from crying. The sight of his elder brother seemed to break down the last of his composure, and tears began to spill down his cheeks. "Sorry, brother," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry."
Lu Ningfei stood in front of him, silent for a moment. He watched as Si Qin's tears fell, each one a manifestation of the pain and betrayal that had consumed him. Ningfei felt a pang of something—sympathy, perhaps, or maybe just a sense of responsibility.
But he couldn't ignore the thought that kept creeping into his mind: the one you should say sorry to is already dead. He was just a soul from another world, occupying a body that wasn't his own.
But Lu Ningfei pushed that thought aside. Now wasn't the time for philosophical drama.
With a gentle motion, Lu Ningfei reached out and patted Si Qin's head, a comforting gesture that was both familiar and reassuring. "Let's go," he said softly, his voice steady and calm.
"I will take you back home."
Si Qin shook his head, his tears still flowing. "I don't want to go back home," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.
Lu Ningfei paused, considering his words.
"What do you want, then?"
"I want to stay with you, brother," Si Qin replied, looking up at Ningfei with eyes full of desperation.
"Please… just for tonight. I don't want to go there."
Lu Ningfei was silent. He had never intended to become Si Qin's guardian, but the pain in the younger man's eyes was impossible to ignore. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. You can stay with me."
Si Qin's expression softened with relief, and he quickly wiped away the last of his tears.
"Thank you, brother."
Without another word, Lu Ningfei helped Si Qin to his feet and led him back through the rain, heading toward his apartment building. The journey was quiet, the only sound the relentless patter of rain against the streets.
When they finally reached the apartment building, the lobby was empty, the lights casting a soft glow over the polished floors. But as soon as they stepped inside, Lu Ningfei's eyes were drawn to a familiar figure standing near the entrance, just inside the doorway.
Shen Zhiling was there, his expression stern and serious as he watched them enter. He was still wearing the same composed demeanor.
As they approached, Shen Zhiling's deep frown softened, his lips pressing into a thin line as if he was relieved to see them. He met Lu Ningfei's gaze for a brief moment before turning away and heading toward the stairs without a word.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Lu Ningfei felt a sudden warmth in his chest, his cheeks flushing slightly. Was Shen Zhiling worried about him? Had he been waiting for him to return? The thought made Lu Ningfei's heart skip a beat, and he found himself blushing even more as he quickly averted his eyes.
How cute... Lu Ningfei thought, before catching himself. Ahem!
Si Qin, who had been watching the exchange, couldn't help but notice the change in Ningfei's expression. "Brother," he asked quietly, a mischievous glint in his tear-streaked eyes, "do you like him?"
Lu Ningfei's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he coughed awkwardly, trying to regain his composure.
"Children shouldn't ask such things," he replied, his tone more flustered than he intended.
Si Qin rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Who's a child? I'm not a kid."
"Then act like it," Lu Ningfei muttered under his breath as they walked to the elevator.
The ride up to the 15th floor was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When they finally stepped out into the corridor, they were greeted by a somewhat chaotic scene.
Shen Zhiwei, the carefree younger brother of Shen Zhiling, was sprinting down the hallway, with Lin Yuxi hot on his heels. She had one of her heels in her hand, waving it like a weapon as she chased him with determination in her eyes.
"Get back here, you thief!" Lin Yuxi shouted, her voice echoing through the corridor. "Give me back that herb! It's for A'Wei!"
Shen Zhiwei was clearly enjoying the chase. "Finders keepers!" he called back, not bothering to slow down. "I'm just borrowing it, I swear!"
Lin Yuxi's expression was anything but amused. "I'll show you 'borrowing' when I catch you!"
In his distraction, Shen Zhiwei didn't notice that he was about to run into someone. He slammed straight into Si Qin, who had been standing in the corridor, still processing the events of the night.
The collision sent both of them tumbling to the ground in a heap, with Si Qin landing awkwardly on top of Shen Zhiwei, his head bumping against Zhiwei's chest.
"Ouch!" both of them exclaimed simultaneously, each rubbing the spot where they had collided.
Shen Zhiwei was the first to recover, a playful grin spreading across his face as he looked up at Si Qin.
"Well, this is a new way to make friends."
Si Qin, however, was less amused. He scrambled off Shen Zhiwei, his face flushed with embarrassment as he tried to regain his dignity.
"Watch where you're going!"
Lin Yuxi, who had finally caught up to them, stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two boys tangled up on the floor. Her eyes widened, and a sly smile crept onto her face—one that could only be described as creepy, yet full of glee. She was a well-known fujoshi, after all, and this scene was like something out of one of her beloved BL novels.
"Oh my," she said, her tone dripping with amusement.
Lu Ningfei, who had been watching the whole scene unfold with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief, glanced at the two boys on the floor and then at Lin Yuxi's gleeful expression. The thought of these two troublemakers together was almost too much to bear.
"Nope," Ningfei said firmly, shaking his head. "Not allowed. Si Qin, Hurry come inside."