SGSHE96

Luan Xing’an snapped to full alertness.

His brother Jing was wonderful in every way, it was perfectly natural for others to like him. Yet, the thought of someone else trying to snatch brother Jing away stirred up a fierce sense of resistance in Luan Xing’an.

Brother Jing was his, no one was allowed to take him!

But…something about this situation seemed odd.

Suspicion piqued, Luan Xing’an asked, “Brother Jing, don’t you think the people from the Qu family are acting a bit strange?”

Jing Heguang turned his head. His profile was handsome, and he listened with a serious expression.

Luan Xing’an continued, “That Qu Jialiang kept pestering you under the guise of thanking you, and now this Qu Wenyuan is doing the same!”

He analyzed the situation earnestly: “Are they…trying to seduce you?”

Jing Heguang: ???

Jing Heguang was stunned by his sweet younger brother’s train of thought.

Yet, it made sense. Qu Liuguang was no saint and had already left a bad impression on Luan Xing’an.

Since Luan Xing’an didn’t know he was a child of the Qu family, seeing the Qu family members hovering around naturally made him suspect that the two brothers were up to no good, unwarranted displays of courtesy usually hide ulterior motives.

Seeing Jing Heguang’s skeptical look, Luan Xing’an frowned. “Brother Jing, they definitely aren’t sincere! They must be resentful about Qu Liuguang getting expelled and are playing tricks on purpose!”

That Qu Jialiang had offered thanks, sure, but he’d only shown up briefly during the second public performance and hadn’t really cared about brother Jing at all. And Qu Wenyuan was even stranger…

Jing Heguang chuckled and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “You’re the only sincere one.”

Luan Xing’an was taken aback for a moment before realizing Jing Heguang meant that he was the one truly sincere about him.

He blushed. “Be serious, brother Jing.” They were discussing a serious matter, after all.

“Is there anything more serious than this?” Jing Heguang said, even as he began drafting a message to set the record straight. @Jing Heguang: It’s a rumor, don’t believe it.

Jing Heguang sent the message just as Qu Wenyuan was sending one too. Since Luan Xing’an was right beside him, Jing Heguang put his phone away immediately after sending the message, so Luan Xing’an didn’t see the subsequent exchange.

Jing Heguang said, “Xingbao, don’t worry about the Qu family for now. Just focus on the show, I’ll handle it.”

Luan Xing’an pursed his lips and nodded.

Recalling Luan Xing’an’s wariness toward the Qu brothers, Jing Heguang added, “Besides, I only like you, Xingbao. How could anyone else compare to you? Who else is as sincere toward me as you are?”

Looking into Jing Heguang’s sincere eyes, Luan Xing’an felt his gloom and irritation vanish instantly, replaced by the joyful flutter of a racing heart.

That’s right! How could he have forgotten? Brother Jing liked him so much!

Luan Xing’an happily threw his arms around Jing Heguang, hugging him tightly. Luan Xing’an had a small frame and soft skin, making him feel wonderfully soft to hold. Jing Heguang embraced him fully, feeling his heart swell with contentment.

An adorable younger brother voluntarily throwing himself into your arms, that was infinitely better than dealing with some jet gift or whatever!

***

A private club.

Jing Heguang left his phone with Xiao Chen and went inside alone.

Even though he hadn’t asked for any concessions, the Qu family had arranged to meet him at this exclusive, private club.

They had originally considered hosting the meeting at the Qu family home, but fearing Jing Heguang might find it odd, they chose this club instead, a place known for its privacy and popularity among celebrities.

Inside a private room decorated in an ancient style…

Father Qu and mother Qu sat on one side, while Qu Jialiang and Qu Wenyuan sat on the others. The remaining seat awaited the guest.

A waiter led Jing Heguang into the room, and the moment he looked up, he was met with a scene that looked exactly like being cornered by a group of parents. Jing Heguang felt a momentary flutter of nervousness, but upon touching the corner of his mouth, where he had been kissed just before leaving, he regained his confidence.

“Hello, everyone.” Jing Heguang offered a polite greeting. Only after sitting down did he add, “I was truly overwhelmed by the endorsement offers I received recently, not knowing the full story behind them, I decided to decline them all.”

That was right, Jing Heguang intended to feign ignorance.

He had only ever interacted with Qu Jialiang and had once pointed out that Qu Liuguang seemed ‘off’, something he could easily explain away as a keen sensitivity to emotions.

Besides, logically speaking, it was only natural for him to be unaware of a long-buried secret like the swapping of the Qu family’s children.

By pretending not to know, he gave himself more leeway.

If he was unaware of the truth, he was simply the benefactor who helped the Qu family find their biological child, and the family would certainly feel it was inappropriate to give him a hard time.

“We can talk it over slowly, you’ll understand soon enough.” Mr. Qu smiled and slid a cup of tea toward Jing Heguang.

Jing Heguang hurriedly expressed his gratitude: “Thank you, uncle.”

Mr. Qu withdrew his hand. “No need to be so formal. Just call me uncle Qu. This is your aunty. That’s our eldest son, Jialiang, and this is our second son, Wenyuan.”

After the introductions, Mr. Qu looked Jing Heguang in the eye. “We have a youngest son as well, Xing’an. The recording you gave Jialiang played a crucial role in helping us find him, so our whole family is deeply grateful to you.”

Mother Qu and her two sons nodded sincerely, each adding their own words of thanks. Jing Heguang widened his eyes in ‘astonishment’: “Xing’an is a child of the Qu family?!”

Mother Qu confirmed, “Yes, Xing’an is my child. Look at my face, Xing’an looks a lot like me. We’ve verified it, too. Xing’an is definitely our child. We aren’t lying to you at all!”

Jing Heguang glanced at mother Qu’s face and wore a look of ‘surprise’: “Aunty, your face shape and your eyes and brows really do resemble Xing’an’s.”

After his initial shock, he asked with a ‘puzzled’ air, “But I heard Xing’an say he was found by his grandmother shortly after birth. How did you manage to lose the child?”

The original owner had only known that Luan Xing’an was the Qu family’s biological son while Qu Liuguang was not, and that he himself had been dragged down by Qu Liuguang and his ‘good’ mother.

As for how the Qu family discovered the truth or the specific details of the baby swap back then, he hadn’t known.

Jing Heguang felt that since the Qu family was so wealthy, there ought to have been someone looking after the baby at the time.

At the memory of those events, hatred welled up in mother Qu’s eyes: “It was mostly my fault. There was a woman threatening to jump off the building, she claimed she was in terrible pain after giving birth and had no one to care for her. Out of kindness, I sent someone to see if we could help. I never imagined that my kindness would end up causing Xing’an to suffer for so many years!”

“It was that woman, the one threatening to jump, who had her family seize the chance to swap my Xing’an! When the nanny came back and noticed something different about the baby, she just thought her eyes were playing tricks on her…”

As she spoke, tears welled up in mother Qu’s eyes.

Jing Heguang felt furious upon hearing this. The people who swapped the babies were truly vicious, did they think their own child was a treasure while someone else’s child was nothing but a weed? Jing Heguang swiftly pulled a tissue from his pocket and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Ma’am.”

Her husband and two sons also hurriedly offered tissues. Mother Qu accepted them all and shook her head, saying, “You were only concerned about Xing’an.”

Father Qu waved his hand as well: “We don’t blame you. Your aunt is angry at those heartless people.”

Qu Jialiang and Qu Wenyuan exchanged glances, sharing the exact same thought.

— We need to make life even more miserable for that family!

Wiping away tears, mother Qu looked at Jing Heguang with a pleading gaze: “We lost our child and let Xing’an suffer so much that we didn’t dare to face him. We heard you were close to Xing’an, so we reached out to you. I hope you don’t find our family’s actions too abrupt.”

Jing Heguang shook his head: “It’s no trouble at all, I was just a bit puzzled. Big brother Qu mentioned earlier that I had been a huge help, but he didn’t explain the details, leaving me completely in the dark.”

As he spoke, Jing Heguang smiled amiably at his eldest brother-in-law.

Qu Jialiang said, “Xing’an was there at the time, so I didn’t dare speak too frankly.”

Qu Wenyuan seized the opportunity to strike up a rapport with Jing Heguang: “It was quite a coincidence that we both made the trending topics list a couple of days ago.”

Jing Heguang: …

If Qu Wenyuan could see the expression on his sweet younger brother’s face when he saw those trending topics, one wonders how he would feel.

Jing Heguang gave an awkward smile: “It really was a coincidence. Xing’an saw it too, and he almost misunderstood the situation.”

Qu Wenyuan asked curiously, “Misunderstood what?”

Qu Jialiang suddenly started coughing violently.

What else could there be to misunderstand? That you were eyeing someone else’s boyfriend, of course. The mere thought gave Qu Jialiang a headache.

Jing Heguang knew Qu Jialiang would understand. After all, as the eldest brother-in-law, he had experience in these matters.

Jing Heguang spoke frankly: “Actually, I’m not just Xing’an’s senior and friend, we’re also in a relationship.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Xing’an might have overthought things and mistakenly believed that others would be interested in me too,” Jing Heguang said with an embarrassed smile.

Qu Wenyuan felt his head spinning.

His little brother…actually thought he was interested in Jing Heguang???

If the circumstances weren’t so unusual, he would certainly have thrown his weight around as the second older brother-in-law. But now, not only could he not assert his authority, but he had also incurred his little brother’s displeasure…

Mother and father Qu were also a bit bewildered.

They never imagined such a misunderstanding could arise.

Mother Qu hurriedly said, “We know you and Xing’an are a couple. Wenyuan only cares about you like a younger brother, he has no other intentions!”

Qu Wenyuan stated categorically, “Right, I have no such thoughts on you!”

After clearing up the misunderstanding, everyone sat down and chatted for a while, with the conversation centering on Luan Xing’an.

They had a couple of cups of tea. Seeing that Jing Heguang was easy to talk to, mother Qu spoke up: “Heguang, could I ask a favor of you? Please introduce us to Xing’an. Let us get to know him a bit first, it would make it easier to tell him about his background later on.”

After chatting for a while, they had finally reached the main point.

Jing Heguang put on a serious expression. “Auntie, in what capacity do you intend to meet Xing’an initially? And how long do you plan to interact with him before revealing the truth? Or rather, to what extent do you want to get to know him first?”

“I want to wait until the filming of Voice of Heaven wraps up before introducing you to him.”

Qu Jialiang was an investor and the family member most familiar with the show’s production schedule. He frowned. “That’s going to take quite a while, isn’t it?”

The show was only at the second round of performances, the second round of eliminations hadn’t even begun yet.

Father Qu chimed in, “Can’t we meet him beforehand? We don’t intend to tell him right away, we’ll be mindful of the boy’s feelings.”

Qu Wenyuan frowned, feeling puzzled by Jing Heguang.

He didn’t seem to want any personal gain, and he appeared easygoing, so why was he delaying the meeting between the family and their youngest brother?

Mother Qu, being more perceptive, interrupted the three men. “Alright, let Heguang finish what he’s saying. He knows Xing’an best, if he says this, I’m sure he has a good reason.”

She stopped them and looked gently at Jing Heguang. “Heguang, please go on. I’m listening.”

Jing Heguang continued, “Because this show is incredibly important to Xing’an.”

Qu Wenyuan asked in confusion, “But we could provide him with so many more resources!”

“It’s not a question of resources,” Jing Heguang said, his brows knitting slightly.

His expression turned serious: “Ever since he was little, Xing’an believed he was abandoned because his parents detested him, and the place where he was left was a trash heap.”

“Grandma Luan tried her best to shower Xing’an with love, but for most of his childhood, he was met with looks of dislike and rejection from others. He lacks confidence, you could even say he’s a child who feels deeply inferior.”

“He doesn’t need a lot of material resources. What he needs is to prove himself, to recognize his own worth, and to build trust in himself. Only when he believes in himself and reconstructs his self-esteem can he truly become strong.”

“That way, even without you, or even without me, by his side, he can be his own light.”

Jing Heguang stated his views clearly, his tone firm and leaving no room for argument.

He wasn’t consulting the Qu family, he was informing them.

The Qu family listened, stunned.

They had thought about making it up to Luan Xing’an with all sorts of things, but it had never occurred to them that giving him so much could actually be a burden.

They hadn’t realized, for instance, that the friendly overtures made by Qu Jialiang and Qu Wenyuan had caused Luan Xing’an to misunderstand their intentions.

The Qu family fell into deep thought, pondering the issue.

After a moment, Mr. Qu identified the root of the problem: perhaps they didn’t love Luan Xing’an as much as they had imagined.

Their love stemmed from guilt and blood ties, whereas Jing Heguang’s love came from the heart and the genuine care he invested in Luan Xing’an.

Mr. Qu was the first to snap out of his thoughts and agree immediately: “We won’t acknowledge our connection to Xing’an until the show ends, let him focus on his career for now.”

Jing Heguang poured a cup of tea for Mr. Qu. “Thank you for understanding, uncle.”

Mr. Qu picked up the cup, took a sip, and smiled. “I’ve accepted your tea. We’re family now, no need for ‘thank yous’.”

Jing Heguang: ???

What did he mean, his tea? Father Qu finally revealed his true colors: “Fine, we’ll let it go for now, but later on, Heguang, you must help us out.”

Mother Qu chimed in, snapping back to reality: “Exactly. That endorsement deal with COLL was actually a gift from one of your aunts.”

Qu Jialiang added: “And the private jet is there to make it easier for you and Xing’an to go on trips.”

Qu Wenyuan scratched his head, dazedly following the family line: “Plus, filming would be great for your career, you know?”

Four pairs of eyes gazed at him expectantly. Did Jing Heguang feel pressured? …Not really.

After all, when it came to his sweet younger brother, he was a total pushover.

Besides, the Qu family really wasn’t bad at all.

It’s not a bad thing for the person he loves to be loved by a few more people, is it?

***

Half an hour later.

Jing Heguang stepped out of the private room at the club.

Xiao Chen hurried over, phone in hand.

Once they were in the car, Xiao Chen asked in a low voice, “Boss, how did the talk go?”

He was worried, had the boss’s love-struck brain managed to blow those three massive opportunities?

Jing Heguang slid on his sunglasses. “Pretty well.”

Xiao Chen: ???

Pretty well? Was film emperor Qu offensive really that aggressive?!

But if the boss accepted film emperor Qu, what would happen to their Xing’an?

His wife would be devastated if her favorite ship had a tragic ending!

Jing Heguang lowered his sunglasses slightly and glanced at Xiao Chen. “What kind of look is that? You’re acting like I’m some kind of scumbag.”

Xiao Chen asked tentatively, his heart fluttering nervously, “Boss, are you really considering film emperor Qu? Xing’an is a great guy, you know, such a low-maintenance kid.”

Jing Heguang: …

“All three deals fell through.”

Hearing this answer, Xiao Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Jing Heguang’s phone rang. Over the phone, the director’s voice sounded anxious: “Jing Heguang, come back right away, Xing’an got into a fight!”

Jing Heguang: “Are you guys playing a prank on me?”

He found it impossible, how could his well-behaved younger brother possibly get into a fight?

The director swore a solemn oath: “If I’m lying to you, may the ratings plummet tomorrow!”