Chapter 89 – Tangled Heartstrings
“Still angry?” Yan Shengping broke the silence.
Lin Ganzhi coughed and turned his head, not daring to look the great beauty in the eye. “Of course not. Yan Shengping, I need to use the bathroom.”
A soft chuckle came from beside his ear, like the beat of a jazz drum, creating a perfect East-meets-West fusion with his own waist drum team. The pressure from above gradually disappeared, and finally, his hands were released.
“Go on,” Yan Shengping said, sitting down on the sofa in the room. He picked up the English classic he hadn’t finished that morning and continued reading.
Lin Ganzhi sat up, his head still a little dizzy, but he quickly escaped into the bathroom and sat on the toilet to physically cool down.
A single thought looped in his mind: I crossed the line tonight, completely crossed the line. Even if he was clueless, he knew this wasn’t something brothers should do. The key was, he had started it, and Yan Shengping was forced into it. Had he really reached that… voracious age? He had only been playing the role of a couple with Yan Shengping for less than three days, and he had already become this perverted.
After much thought, Lin Ganzhi finally registered a side Weibo account and posted a status asking for help from the all-powerful netizens: [How to restrain myself from having inappropriate thoughts about my good brother at this voracious age? (P.S. A really, really good brother!)]
Such innocent and clueless thoughts, even if fake, could attract the attention of many netizens. By the time Lin Ganzhi finished his shower, there were already several hundred comments under that post. He took a deep breath and began to read them carefully.
[LMAO, the poster is quite the master of stating the obvious.]
[The fact that you’re asking this question means, congratulations, you already have impure thoughts about your good brother. Either you run, or your brother packs his bags and leaves!]
Lin Ganzhi replied to this comment: [We can’t separate for now. We’re living together, and we can only live separately after at least a year!]
Soon, someone replied under his comment: [You’re even living together? Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you were a woman, your child would probably be born within a year. Give up the struggle, my friend. You can’t escape love.]
[Who says you can’t escape? Little bro, are you a top or a bottom? I’m in M City, pure bottom, photos on my homepage. As long as we click, I guarantee you’ll lose interest in your good brother immediately.]
Lin Ganzhi broke into a sweat and replied: [I… I think I’m also a bottom.]
He had never thought about topping someone else; just the thought of it was exhausting.
However, that netizen didn’t reply to him after that, but another group of people started popping up: [Big bro is a pure top, a fitness coach. How old are you, little bro? Want to meet up?]
Heh, if they met up, wouldn’t Brother Zhang kill him? His contract hadn’t even expired yet.
[I’m 190 cm, a sports major at H University. I have a car and a house, so I guess I’m a rich second generation. Want to go on a date, little bro?]
There were at least fifty or sixty similar messages. Lin Ganzhi felt like his account would be banned if he kept chatting. He quickly tried to get the thread back on track: [I’m not interested in anyone else right now, and I’m not looking for a date. I just want to know how to get rid of this illusion about my good brother!]
[How do you know it’s an illusion? What if your brother likes you too? Then wouldn’t it be a happy ending for everyone?]
[Exactly! Just drop some hints, don’t say it outright. If he’s interested in you, you can get together. If not, you’ll be determined to let it go for the sake of your friendship.]
Lin Ganzhi pondered this. It wasn’t a bad idea. So he asked seriously in the comments: [How do I drop hints?]
[Aww, baby, you’re so cute. You’ve clearly never even been in a relationship. It’s a pity I’m a girl, otherwise I’d fly over to give you some warmth~ Ahem, back to the topic. For example, offer him a drink you’ve already drunk from and see if he drinks it. Or act cute with him, ask for things he would normally never agree to, and see how he reacts. That’s how I tested my boyfriend. He was a total coward and only confessed after I provoked him. You can do it, little bro. Big sis believes in you!]
[+1, if you get a result, you have to come back to this post and share the good news! Hehehe, I love sweet romance the most.]
[If your brother isn’t interested in you, remember to DM me. I’m right here in the United States!]
Lin Ganzhi logged out of Weibo with a red face, his mind replaying the suggestions the netizens had given him. Things Yan Shengping would normally never agree to? There were plenty of those.
After Yan Shengping finished his shower, he didn’t get into bed right away but sat on the sofa and continued reading his book. It was clear he was quite interested in it. Lin Ganzhi secretly cheered himself on, then poked his little pink head out and, staring at the not-so-distant Yan Shengping, boldly said, “Yan Shengping, can you come to bed? I want to sleep, and I don’t want to see the light.”
After he spoke, Lin Ganzhi’s heart began to pound. His muscle memory even kicked in; in less than three seconds, Yan Shengping’s personality would have him scoffing coldly.
“Mm, okay.” Yan Shengping closed the thick book and walked over. The familiar scent of cold wood grew stronger. The bed beside him dipped, the covers were lifted, and Yan Shengping lay down, reaching out to turn off the bedside lamp.
“Go to sleep,” a gentle coaxing voice sounded by his ear.
The hell?!!
Lin Ganzhi stared blankly at the ceiling in the darkness, a look of disbelief on his face.
Wait, Yan Shengping had been quite gentle with him these past few days. It must be part of the act. They had even hugged yesterday! Lin Ganzhi frantically gave himself a pep talk.
“Did the temperature drop again tonight?” Yan Shengping asked, his voice hoarse.
Lin Ganzhi’s attention was immediately diverted. He thought about it. It did seem a little colder. Right, Yan Shengping was afraid of the cold. Lin Ganzhi used his old trick again, scooting over to Yan Shengping’s side to act as a human warmer, completely forgetting about his previous question. The scent of cold wood from Yan Shengping’s body gradually relaxed him, and he drifted off. Perhaps this was the benefit of being carefree; he could always get a good night’s sleep no matter what.
For the next few days at the Wenren residence, perhaps because Yan Shengping’s performance that night was too convincing, the old lady, even when lucid, loved to pull him aside to talk. Even Wenren Qi started looking at Yan Shengping strangely. However, Lin Ganzhi was a bit lost in his own thoughts these few days and didn’t pay too much attention to the matter.
Yan Shengping had been taking the medicine prescribed by Grandpa Qin for a few days, and Lin Ganzhi could clearly feel that his appetite was gradually improving and his complexion was not as pale. What was even more rare was that one time when they went out for a walk and stayed out a bit too long, it suddenly started to snow lightly. Lin Ganzhi had thought that with Yan Shengping’s constitution, he would at least catch a cold if not a fever. He had even prepared cold medicine, but Yan Shengping woke up the next morning as if nothing had happened. On the contrary, he himself had a bit of a runny nose.
This proved that Grandpa Qin’s medicine was really working, and Lin Ganzhi was genuinely happy for Yan Shengping.
From Yan Shengping’s brief mentions, Lin Ganzhi got a general idea of the situation back in the country. Zhong’s Chips, which had long dominated the chip technology market, had seen its stock plummet in recent days. The main reason was that Zhong Jingyi’s public image had collapsed on the show, triggering significant online backlash. Coupled with a whistleblower exposing the “evil deeds” of Zhong Jingyi’s fans over the years, Zhong Jingyi had been trending on the hot search list ever since. The management company’s PR team chose not to apologize, and Zhong Jingyi himself hadn’t said a word on Weibo.
When the targeted fans realized their idol wasn’t willing to stand up for them, some fan groups directly turned into anti-fans, exposing even more of Zhong Jingyi’s scandalous material online, such as him getting into Director Zhuang’s cast through connections, and his stunning dance performance being done by a body double. In short, his reputation was in tatters.
As for the mastermind behind all this, he was currently picking out a dog for Grandma Li with a blank expression.
Since the children in the family all had their own careers to attend to, they thought it would be a good idea to get a dog to keep the old lady company. Dogs can quickly sense their owner’s emotions, making them perfect for the emotionally sensitive Grandma Li.
Wenren Yi liked Papillons and was busy teasing the little puppies in the cage. Her father’s preference was the complete opposite; he was staring at the Pomeranians in their cage, his heart nearly melting.
Meanwhile, Yan Shengping stood motionless in front of the Border Collie cage, but he didn’t reach out to pet them. Lin Ganzhi couldn’t resist and reached out to pet a little Border Collie. The puppy immediately performed a roll-over-and-show-belly trick, which completely melted Lin Ganzhi’s heart.
“Yan Shengping, what do you like about Border Collies?” Lin Ganzhi asked as he petted the puppy.
“Look at its eyes,” Yan Shengping said, crouching down.
Lin Ganzhi looked into the little Border Collie’s eyes. They were round, beady, and it even winked at him. How cute~
“It looks smart,” Yan Shengping added.
Lin Ganzhi: Please apologize to all the other dogs in the pet store!
The old lady also came over and stood next to Yan Shengping, looking at the black and white puppy in the cage. “That’s a Border Collie, right? I wanted to get one when I was young, but I was too busy with work and worried I wouldn’t be able to take care of it.”
“If you like it, Madam Li, you can get this one. Border Collies are the most intelligent dog breed. If you raise it well, it can help you with many things,” Yan Shengping said, standing up. The little Border Collie in the cage seemed to understand his words and started bouncing even more excitedly, occasionally letting out a soft, milky bark that made the old lady beam with joy.
Seeing that their chosen dogs were not selected, the father-daughter duo didn’t seem too upset. It was as if as long as the other’s choice wasn’t picked, it was a good thing. They both went over and urged the old lady to give it a name.
The old lady thought for a moment and said, “Let’s call him Jiajia. The ‘Jia’ from ‘huíjiā’ (to go home).”
Everyone immediately understood the old lady’s intention. Their expressions turned sad for a moment, but as the eldest son, Wenren Qi stepped forward and said, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be returning to the country to develop my career in a few months. If there’s no news abroad, we can still investigate in the country. We haven’t paid much attention to the domestic situation before, have we? Once I’m settled, I’ll bring you and Dad back. The business abroad can be fully handed over to my second brother.”
The old lady smiled upon hearing this. Although she knew the chances were slim, not giving up meant there was still hope.
The day after they chose the dog, Lin Ganzhi’s group had to leave. The three elders were very reluctant to see them go, especially the old lady, who held onto Lin Ganzhi’s and Yan Shengping’s hands and wouldn’t let go, making her granddaughter Wenren Yi a little jealous.
The grandfather came over to console his wife, while Grandpa Qin said to Yan Shengping, “Continue taking the medicine according to my prescription. Come back to see me in three months for a new prescription. I’ll be back in the country by then. But if you have any problems in the meantime, feel free to call me. Don’t feel like you’re bothering an old man. You’ve also been a great help to my grandniece’s family this time. Thank you so much.”
Yan Shengping smiled faintly and said it was nothing.
Lin Ganzhi was a sweet-talker and coaxed Grandma Li until she was happy again. With their company these past few days, she hadn’t had another episode. According to Grandpa Qin, if this continued, her condition could stabilize this year and wouldn’t relapse before next autumn.
Before boarding the plane, Lin Ganzhi, craving a snack, bought a bottle of a drink he had never seen in his own country. It was blueberry-flavored and not too sweet. He took a sip, and suddenly remembered the post from a few days ago. His gaze secretly flickered towards Yan Shengping.