LNTSWJLY Chapter 62

The narrow doorway was extremely cramped.

The two of them stood very close together, so close that it seemed they could still smell traces of each other lingering from the night before.

Lan Jingzhi’s heart pounded like a drum. He could not help taking a step backward.

Looking at the man in front of him, it was as though everything that had happened the previous night had suddenly resurfaced before his eyes.

“What is Little Brother talking about? I don’t understand. Of course I was at home last night.”

Playing dumb and stubbornly refusing to admit anything was the solution Lan Jingzhi had come up with for dealing with Yu Zhi.

What happened last night had only been an accident.

Yu Zhi probably had no evidence in his hands anyway. As long as Lan Jingzhi refused to admit it, there was nothing Yu Zhi could do.

Besides, he was his older brother’s boyfriend.

For the sake of keeping peace in the family, surely Yu Zhi would keep something like this to himself rather than expose it.

“What should I call you?” Yu Zhi asked, slowly closing the distance between them. “Jingzhi? Brother Lan? Or… Brother-in-law?”

He kept advancing until the two of them had entered the room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

There was no one behind the door except the two of them.

Once it was closed, Lan Jingzhi instead calmed down.

He smiled at Yu Zhi.

“Although I haven’t married your brother yet, your uncle and aunt have already said that we’re going to get engaged. If Little Brother Yu is willing to call me Brother-in-law, then of course I’d be happy to accept.”

Being called “Little Brother Yu” in that tone made Yu Zhi’s skin prickle. He gave the man a long, deep look.

Lan Jingzhi forced himself not to recall what had happened the previous night. He lowered his eyes and deliberately avoided looking at Yu Zhi, his voice turning somewhat dejected.

“Little Brother Yu, you’re not saying anything. Do you not like me? I know I’m not good enough for your family, much less for Brother Yu Chen, but I’ll do my best to fit into this family and maintain harmony within the household.”

His words sounded harmless and sincere on the surface, yet they were filled with an unmistakable warning.

Yu Zhi himself could not quite tell what he was feeling.

Seeing that Lan Jingzhi knew how to protect himself in his own way naturally made him happy.

Of course, it would have been even better if he were not the person being threatened.

“Brother-in-law is overthinking it. It’s not that I don’t like you. I was just thinking that since today is our first meeting, it would seem a little impolite if I didn’t have a gift for you.”

Yu Zhi reached into his pocket and took something out.

He caught Lan Jingzhi’s hand and, before the other man could react or struggle, slipped the object into his palm.

“This is my meeting gift.”

The corners of his lips curved slightly.

He looked straight at Lan Jingzhi without looking away for even a moment.

Then he gave a soft laugh and said, “From now on, I’ll be counting on you to take good care of me too, Brother-in-law.”

With that, he turned around, opened the door, and left in one smooth motion, without the slightest hesitation or reluctance.

After closing the door, Lan Jingzhi opened his hand.

There, he saw Yu Zhi’s meeting gift—

His ID card, which he had dropped the previous night.

Lan Jingzhi’s face instantly turned bright red.

He quickly stuffed the ID card into his pocket, as though hiding it away could somehow deny what he and that man had done the previous night.

But the discomfort in his body kept reminding him of the reality.

Last night, he had slept with a man five years younger than himself, who was also his boyfriend’s younger brother.

And for the foreseeable future, the two of them would have to live under the same roof.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Yu Zhi returned to his own room.

Thinking back to the look on Lan Jingzhi’s face just now, he found himself unable to suppress a laugh.

He did not go to sleep.

Instead, he took some time to sort out the original owner’s financial situation.

Over the years, the original owner’s parents had never paid much attention to him.

Usually, they simply had an assistant transfer several tens of thousands of yuan to him each month as living expenses.

That was all.

There was nothing more.

It might have looked like quite a lot of money, and in absolute terms, it really was.

But compared with the unlimited black card given to the male lead, or the gifts worth millions that he could casually buy whenever he wanted, the original owner’s money was not even a drop in the ocean.

Yu Zhi checked the money in the original owner’s bank cards, along with the funds in his various payment accounts.

Altogether, there were only a few hundred thousand yuan.

He could not even afford one of the male lead’s watches.

Yu Zhi gathered all the money together and invested it in the stock market.

He needed money.

He needed financial independence.

Otherwise, he would have no way to live independently from the original owner’s parents, much less make them take him seriously or value him.

The things the male lead could obtain effortlessly were things the original owner might not be able to obtain even after putting in several times the effort.

Yu Zhi spent the entire night reading through information and materials about this world.

He did not go to sleep until the early hours of the morning.

The next day, at eleven in the morning, Yu Zhi got up and went downstairs.

He saw his mother sitting on the sofa watching television.

Mother Yu glanced at him and said unhappily, “You certainly know how to sleep. You didn’t get up until the sun was already high in the sky. You’ve only just finished school, and you’re already getting lazy.”

“Your brother is so outstanding. He gets up early and works hard every day. You should at least learn something from him.”

Yu Zhi frowned.

He almost could not swallow the mouthful of water in his mouth.

This was exactly how it was.

At every possible opportunity, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she would put one son down while praising the other, using him to make the male lead look even better.

He had only been here for a day, yet he could already feel the suffocating pressure that had weighed on the original owner.

For the original owner to grow into that kind of person without completely turning against the family was already proof that his self-control had been remarkably strong.

“Mom, if you’re going to arrange an engagement for my brother, what are you going to do if he doesn’t wake up?”

Yu Zhi pretended he had not heard what she had just said.

Mother Yu shifted her legs to the other side and adjusted the azalea-colored silk scarf around her shoulders before answering casually.

“What else can we do? It’s only an engagement. Your brother doesn’t have to attend in person.”

It wasn’t the wedding, after all.

Why make such a big deal out of it?

Besides, they had no other choice.

Were they supposed to have someone push her son, who was in a vegetative state, to the engagement ceremony?

Could Lan Jingzhi really blame her?

It wasn’t as though she wanted things to turn out this way.

However, what Mother Yu had failed to consider was that if Yu Chen were awake, there would never have been an engagement ceremony in the first place.

“Auntie is right. If I had a choice, I would rather Brother Yu Chen wake up. Even if we never got engaged, I would be willing.”

Lan Jingzhi came downstairs, lowering his eyes sadly.

Although Mother Yu still did not particularly like Lan Jingzhi’s gender or family background, hearing him say this still made her feel comforted.

She called Lan Jingzhi over and spent some time reassuring him.

“The engagement banquet may be a little simple, and I’m sorry you’ll have to make do with it. Once Chenchen wakes up, we’ll definitely hold a grand wedding for the two of you.”

“Thank you, Auntie. Actually, as long as I can stay by Brother Yu Chen’s side, I’m already very happy.”

Hopefully, he’ll never wake up.

Lan Jingzhi smiled sweetly and obediently.

Yu Zhi’s lips twitched.

He walked over from the kitchen and said, “Mom, even though Big Brother can’t be there, shouldn’t we still show Brother-in-law the respect he deserves? We should invite everyone who ought to be there. Otherwise, what if Heaven sees that we’re not sincere enough and refuses to let Big Brother wake up?”

Mother Yu had just been feeling somewhat unhappy, but after hearing what Yu Zhi said, she began to hesitate.

She had originally had no intention of making a big event out of it.

After all, it would not sound very good if word got around that the family was holding an engagement banquet for their son who was in a vegetative state.

Besides, deep down, she had never truly accepted Lan Jingzhi as her future son-in-law.

She still fantasized about her son waking up and marrying a wealthy young lady from a prestigious family.

If that happened, his engagement to Lan Jingzhi would become an obstacle.

Naturally, the fewer people who knew about the engagement, the better.

But Yu Zhi’s words had struck directly at her weak point.

What if Heaven decided they were not sincere enough?

Or what if too few people knew about it, so Heaven refused to recognize the engagement?

What if her eldest son then never woke up?

After thinking it over again and again, Mother Yu finally made up her mind.

She immediately smiled at Lan Jingzhi and said, “Xiao Zhi is right. Jingzhi, don’t worry. Our family will never treat you unfairly. We’ll make sure the engagement banquet is beautiful and properly arranged.”

With that, she got up and went to find an engagement planner to make new arrangements for the ceremony.

Lan Jingzhi was struck by this unexpected pleasant surprise.

His expression froze for a moment.

Then he looked at Yu Zhi, the person who had caused all of this, and for once, a trace of confusion appeared in his heart.

Why was this man helping him?

Yu Zhi noticed him staring and knew exactly what he was thinking.

He went into the kitchen and poured him a glass of orange juice.

“Since Brother-in-law truly loves Big Brother, as his younger brother, of course I sincerely want to help the two of you be together. I don’t know when Big Brother will wake up, but whatever Brother-in-law deserves, you certainly won’t be missing out on it.”

Lan Jingzhi could not stand being looked at by him and finally turned his eyes away.

“Thank you, Little Brother Yu. But what I want most is simply to stay by Brother Yu Chen’s side. Nothing else matters.”

Yeah, right.

If it weren’t for the Yu family’s wealth, status, connections, and background, who would want to spend their days taking care of a man in a vegetative state?

Lan Jingzhi had lost both his parents when he was young.

He had spent his childhood moving between the homes of several relatives, living under other people’s roofs and being passed around like a ball kicked from one person to another.

From a young age, he had learned how to please his elders and how to secure the greatest possible benefit for himself.

His goal had always been very clear.

Getting involved with Yu Chen had been an accident.

Lan Jingzhi knew perfectly well that, in Yu Chen’s eyes, he had merely been a tool to provoke someone else. But being the boyfriend of the Crown Prince of the Yu family came with benefits he had no desire to refuse.

Who could have known that Yu Chen would actually get into an accident?

He had been arguing with the person he secretly loved while they were in the car, and they ended up in a crash.

Even when Yu Chen was seriously injured, he had not forgotten to tell that person to get out of the car.

But that person was so frightened that they forgot to call the police.

As a result, Yu Chen became a vegetable.

When Mother Yu went looking for the person her son loved, that person was too afraid to show up.

Lan Jingzhi had seized the opportunity to step in.

He felt that he was truly kindhearted.

Not only had he refrained from exposing the person who had caused Yu Chen to become a vegetable, but he had also helped take on the task of caring for a man in a vegetative state, essentially serving as a substitute for the traditional practice of bringing good fortune to someone through marriage.

He was simply too kind.

Since he was being so kind, what was wrong with taking this opportunity to ask for a little compensation?

Wasn’t he entitled to it?

But what was going on with Yu Chen’s younger brother?

Last night, Yu Zhi had come looking for him, making Lan Jingzhi think that he intended to use the opportunity to threaten him.

Yet not only had he failed to threaten him, he had actually returned the evidence to him.

And now he was even helping him.

Lan Jingzhi thought about it for a moment.

In the end, he could only come up with one explanation—

This man wanted to use him to suppress Yu Chen.

If Yu Chen never woke up, then there was nothing to say.

But if Yu Chen did wake up, his engagement to Lan Jingzhi would become a problem for him, as well as an embarrassing stain on his past.

Tsk, tsk.

So this was what a wealthy and powerful family was like.

Even a younger brother who had only just reached adulthood could be this calculating.

Yu Zhi had no idea what Lan Jingzhi had imagined in his head.

But watching his expression change from one moment to the next, he actually found it rather amusing.

There was still quite some time before Yu Chen would wake up.

During this period, Yu Zhi was not worried about Lan Jingzhi.

Seeing that Lan Jingzhi was capable of dealing with Yu Chen’s parents on his own, Yu Zhi did not interfere too much.

For now, what mattered most was improving his own abilities.

Otherwise, everything else would be nothing more than empty talk.

Not long afterward, the college entrance examination results were released.

The original owner’s score was only enough to get into an ordinary second-tier university.

Yu Zhi had no intention of going.

Father Yu called him into the study.

“You don’t want to go to college, so what exactly do you want to do? Your brother graduated from a top university. Do you really want to have nothing more than a high-school diploma to your name? My son only graduating from high school. If word gets out, I’ll be humiliated!”

Yu Zhi stood casually, his tone calm.

“Dad, since you already have one outstanding son, no matter how outstanding I become, I’ll never be better than Big Brother. When people ask about your sons, you can just tell them about Big Brother.”

During this period, Yu Zhi had been much quieter than before. Even the way he spoke was no longer as sharp and confrontational.

So when his father suddenly heard such cold words from him, anger rose in his heart.

“Do you really insist on throwing your life away?!”

Yu Zhi had never believed that academic achievement represented everything.

There was no denying that studying was one of the most direct paths toward success.

But to Yu Zhi, learning was simply a habit that should be integrated into life— a lifelong process of learning and growing.

It was never something he intended to use to pursue fame, wealth, or honors.

Those things were nothing more than optional additions.

Yu Zhi strongly disagreed with and disliked his father’s attitude that if someone was not good at studying, then they were useless and were simply throwing their life away.

He also had no interest in wasting his time on knowledge he had already mastered.

“I know what I’m doing with my future. Since you’re so busy, Dad, why don’t you spend more of your time on Big Brother and Mom instead? Big Brother might still wake up.”

Yu Zhi gave his father a meaningful look before turning around and leaving.

Blood seemed to rush to Father Yu’s head.

His expression was awkward and ugly.

Recently, he really had been neglecting his eldest son.

At the same time, he had also been thinking about grooming his younger son.

After all, his eldest son had remained unconscious for so long.

The company could not be left without anyone to inherit and carry it forward.

But having his younger son see through him, and then indirectly accuse him of being cold-blooded, made Father Yu feel both embarrassed and furious.

In his anger, he slammed his palm hard against the table!

He wanted to see just what kind of useless person this son of his could become without his help!

Yu Zhi turned and walked out.

As soon as he stepped outside, he nearly ran straight into Lan Jingzhi.

Seeing the drink Lan Jingzhi was carrying, he thought for a moment before asking,

“For my dad?”

Lan Jingzhi smiled sweetly and obediently.

“I saw how hard Uncle has been working, but there isn’t really anything I can do to help. All I could do was pour Uncle a glass of fruit juice. There’s still some in the kitchen, so if Little Brother Yu wants some, you can go pour yourself a glass too. My cooking skills aren’t very good, but I still wanted to do something to show everyone that I care.”

Yu Zhi was already used to Lan Jingzhi’s somewhat tea-like way of speaking.

But thinking of his father, who had just been angered by him in the study, Yu Zhi reached out, picked up the glass, and drank it himself.

Under Lan Jingzhi’s expression that clearly said, What are you doing?, Yu Zhi said gently,

“My dad is still angry right now. If you go in there now, you’ll probably only get the cold shoulder.”

A flicker passed through Lan Jingzhi’s eyes.

“Little Brother Yu must be joking. Uncle has such a good temper. Why would he get angry for no reason? I’m Brother Yu Chen’s boyfriend. I’m bringing him a drink on behalf of Brother Yu Chen and doing my filial duty for him. Uncle will definitely be touched.”

Yu Zhi almost laughed out loud, but the amusement had already leaked into his eyes and expression.

In this family where everything seemed to make him uncomfortable, Lan Jingzhi’s sarcastic, two-faced way of speaking actually made him feel considerably better.

“Brother-in-law, you’ve worked hard taking care of my brother. The medical team is coming today to give him a full examination, and they’ll be here for the entire day. Since there won’t be much for you to do, why don’t I take you out for a look around?”

Lan Jingzhi’s eyes lit up.

Spending the entire day accompanying someone who could neither speak nor move was boring.

Although there were caregivers to help bathe Yu Chen and change his clothes, Lan Jingzhi only needed to sit beside him, read books to him, and talk to him.

But that was still incredibly dull.

Aside from his work, he spent all his time facing Yu Chen.

He was getting tired of it.

Hearing Yu Zhi’s suggestion, Lan Jingzhi could not help feeling tempted.

After all, this was the second young master of the Yu family.

Even if Yu Zhi was not valued by his family, the people he knew should still be from their social circle.

Perhaps he might even be able to establish some useful connections through him.

“Wouldn’t that be troublesome for Little Brother Yu?”

Yu Zhi smiled.

“Not at all.”

Lan Jingzhi deliberately let out a regretful sigh.

“It’s all because I don’t know anything about medical care, and I don’t understand what the doctors are checking for. I can’t help with anything. It’s all my fault. Whenever I look at Brother Yu Chen, I feel incredibly guilty.”

Influenced by this man, Yu Zhi could not help imitating his way of speaking.

He smiled at just the right moment and picked up the cue.

“Brother-in-law, you’re the person my brother loves. He would never want to see you drowning in guilt.”

And so, for the sake of not making Brother Yu Chen worry, Lan Jingzhi happily followed Yu Zhi out of the house.

Yu Zhi walked into the garage, but his steps suddenly came to a stop.

Lan Jingzhi asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Could it be that he regretted it?

Yu Zhi suddenly remembered that the original owner did not have a driver’s license and did not own a car. He did have a motorcycle, but that required a license to ride as well. The original owner had been able to drive without a license before, but Yu Zhi could not bring himself to do that.

So, without wanting to alarm his parents, the two of them had no choice but to take a taxi.

When Lan Jingzhi heard Yu Zhi mention an unfamiliar place, he could not help feeling a little worried and confused.

“Where are we going?”

It was rare for Yu Zhi to hear him say something without even a trace of sarcasm or that distinctly tea-like tone. For a moment, he actually found it rather novel.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Lan Jingzhi was only half convinced.

Half an hour later, the two of them got out of the car. Lan Jingzhi looked around and checked the area on his phone. He noticed a middle school nearby, and the place looked somewhat familiar.

“Little Brother Yu, I trusted you enough to follow you here, but it turns out you wanted to come say goodbye to your teachers and classmates? Of course I don’t mind accompanying you. But why did you have to deceive me? I know. I must be too terrible, which is why Little Brother Yu doesn’t like me. It’s not your fault, Little Brother Yu.”

How dare you trick me. Just you wait and see!

Yu Zhi: “……”

“Who said we were going to the school?”

Lan Jingzhi froze.

Yu Zhi took his hand and led him into a high-rise building.

Yu Zhi smoothly presented his membership card and brought Lan Jingzhi into the club without any trouble.

The two of them arrived at the ice rink.

After the staff helped Lan Jingzhi put on his protective gear and explained the necessary precautions, they confirmed that he did not need any further assistance and then left.

Lan Jingzhi stood at the edge of the rink, pretending to be calm.

Yu Zhi turned to look at him, only to see him smiling as he said,“Little Brother Yu, you go ahead and have fun. I’ll just take pictures for you. Your handsome figure can’t go unappreciated, so I’m willing to be your most loyal audience.”

Yu Zhi glanced at his trembling legs and suddenly pulled him upright.

“Ah!”

“What are you doing?!” Lan Jingzhi was so startled that he did not even have time to maintain his usual tone.

Yu Zhi held him in his arms and laughed.

“What fun is it to play by yourself? I already told you I was bringing you here to have fun, Brother-in-law. How could I just focus on playing and forget about you?”

Lan Jingzhi felt as though he was about to fall at any moment. Both his legs were trembling, and the expression on his face finally cracked. He forced a smile.

“N-no, no, it’s fine… I’m just too useless. I can only disappoint you, Little Brother Yu.”

Heaven and earth as my witness, this time I’m absolutely not being sarcastic. I really mean it!

Yu Zhi held back a laugh.

“But I don’t like breaking my word. Since you don’t know how to skate, I can teach you.”

His hand was wrapped around the other man’s waist.

So thin.

It reminded him of the first night he had met Lan Jingzhi in this world.

Yu Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him with a smile.

However, Lan Jingzhi was too nervous to notice that someone was taking advantage of the opportunity to touch him.

Yu Zhi guided Lan Jingzhi slowly across the ice.

“Ah, ah…careful! Slow down…”

Lan Jingzhi practiced yoga, so his body coordination was actually quite good. But this was also his first time ice-skating, so there was no need to mention how uneasy and nervous he felt.

Still, he learned very quickly.

It took only a little over ten minutes for him to go from being frightened and unwilling to try to becoming eager to give it a shot.

Yu Zhi let go and allowed him to try on his own.

Lan Jingzhi was excited, nervous, and frightened all at once, but he still slowly began to move across the ice.

He was nowhere near as steady as Yu Zhi, who moved as though he were walking on solid ground, but he could at least glide slowly for a short distance.

Excitement and restrained pride appeared on his face.

He did not say anything, but the look in his eyes and brows betrayed a hint of smug satisfaction.

So this wasn’t that difficult after all.

So I’m actually this clever.

So I’m not worse than everyone else.

A genuine surge of happiness rushed through his heart.

Looking at the wide-open ice rink, he suddenly felt an urge to skate freely here, to let himself go and release everything inside him.

His body reacted faster than his thoughts.

Before he even had time to consider whether he was actually capable of doing it, he pushed off hard and shot forward!

“Watch out!”

Yu Zhi had no time to stop him and could only rush forward as fast as he could.

After a brief scramble, the two of them fell to the ground together.