LNTSWJLY Chapter 10

Lin Nuan returned home, putting away his angry expression and instead feeling somewhat saddened.

“I just wanted to advise him. How can there be lasting enmity between family members? Even if he doesn’t consider my feelings, he should at least stop for the sake of you and Mom and Dad. But he…” He lamented his plight to Lin Heng, emphasizing Yin Xu’s arrogance and irrationality, highlighting his virtuousness and tolerance.

“Enough. Since he’s heartless and doesn’t care about family ties, then we don’t need to hold back either,” Lin Heng said, his face stern.

Seeing Lin Nuan flinch, thinking he had scared him, Lin Heng softened his expression, not letting go of him, his voice dark, “If he’s embarrassing you, then we’ll embarrass him.”

Lin Nuan hesitated, “But… he’s still your younger brother. Isn’t it wrong to do this? Besides… besides, that man knows about us and said if we badmouth Yin Xu outside, he’ll tell Mom and Dad.”

“Brother, I don’t want to make Mom and Dad angry at this time. They’ve been through enough. Let’s forget about Yin Xu’s matters. I can endure a bit of grievance. I just hope our family can be good.”

This unique expression of grievances was indeed welcomed by the listener. Lin Heng felt for him, patting his back as he held him, soothing, “Don’t worry, even if we temporarily hold back, I’ll find a way to help you regain your dignity!”

Someone plucked from an orphanage, unsure if they’re truly blood-related, dared to threaten him?!

Lin Nuan nestled in his embrace, his face filled with gratitude and contentment, uttering words of thanks, while internally seething.

Not enough… It’s not enough!

Why couldn’t Brother be more like that man?

Why does Yin Xu always seem to effortlessly overshadow him?

He was unwilling to accept it.

Yu Zhi got out of bed and headed downstairs, intending to go for his usual morning run. However, he paused when passing by the kitchen, looking at a figure that shouldn’t be there, and inquired, “Why aren’t you resting on the weekend? Why are you up so early?”

In truth, he wanted to ask why Yin Xu was in the kitchen, but he was afraid it would seem like he was forbidding him from being there.

Yin Xu finished washing the peas and called out to him, “Good morning, sir.”

The nanny smiled and approached to explain, “Mr. Yu, you might not know, but Young Master Yin got up early and said he wanted to help me with cooking. He’s been quite helpful.”

Yu Zhi glanced at Yin Xu, unable to discern anything from his expression. “Since you’re not planning to sleep, why not join me for a morning run?”

Yin Xu: “…”

He refused, “Sir, I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I’ll go back to my room and catch some more sleep.” With that, he briskly walked back to his room, not giving Yu Zhi any chance to stop him.

Yu Zhi watched his somewhat flustered figure and shook his head with a smile before heading out for his run.

Half an hour later, he returned home feeling invigorated from the exercise, free from the grogginess of just waking up, and much more alert.

As soon as he entered, he heard Yin Xu’s voice. “Sir, you’re back. Breakfast is ready. Would you like to shower first or eat first?” he asked, smiling, showing no sign of the flustered demeanor from half an hour ago.

Yu Zhi chuckled and teased, “Didn’t you say you were going to sleep?”

Yin Xu didn’t bat an eye. “I’ve already had my nap. I’m officially awake now.”

Since Yu Zhi wasn’t at home and didn’t crawl into his bed, how could he know whether Yin Xu had slept or not? But he appreciated Yin Xu’s playful attitude nonetheless. After all, he wasn’t Yin Xu’s teacher, and he enjoyed seeing his students treat him with such respect.

It was starting to feel like raising a child. If it’s a child, they’re bound to cause some mischief.

Little did they know, another person in the household, who shared a blood relation with this body, was also contemplating causing some trouble.

In the evening, Xiao Pang sneakily made his way to Yin Xu’s room again. “Brother Xu, I need your help with something,” he whispered.

Surprisingly, Yin Xu had gotten used to his occasional visits. “What is it?” he asked.

“I… the school is going to have a parent-teacher meeting, and I want to ask you to be my parent,” Xiao Pang hesitated but eventually spilled the beans.

Yin Xu raised an eyebrow. “Why not ask your dad? Did you fail again?”

Xiao Pang stomped his foot. “Of course not!”

“I, I did tell my dad, but he’s always busy. He doesn’t have time to attend the parent-teacher meeting for me. He said his assistant could go instead, but I don’t like that. I want someone from my family to go for me. Since he’s not an option, it’s only you,” Xiao Pang’s eyes darted around, avoiding Yin Xu’s gaze.

Yin Xu’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of ‘family’, just a moment.

“But I… might not have the time either.”

“Brother Xu… Brother Xu… I’m begging you! My dad treats you so well, can’t you do me a favor in return…” Xiao Pang half pleaded, half threatened.

Yin Xu couldn’t resist Xiao Pang’s persistent pleading and reluctantly agreed.

“If I can’t get time off, I won’t go,” he added vaguely.

“You’ll get it! Thanks, Brother Xu!” Xiao Pang exclaimed.

Back in his room, Xiao Pang called his deskmate. “How’s it going? I’ve got it sorted on my end. If you can’t get it done, I can’t help you.”

“Hmph, no need.” came the dignified and chilly voice of his desk mate, who then proceeded to explain how he had managed to get a servant to attend the parent-teacher meeting on his behalf.

Xiao Pang… Xiao Pang was extremely envious. Why didn’t his family have so many servants?!

Sigh, his dad was too stingy, and couldn’t even afford servants. What was all that talk about being frugal and saving money? Probably just excuses to cut down on his pocket money. Dad must be broke.

Looks like relying on others wasn’t reliable at all. To get rich, you had to rely on yourself.

Yu Zhi felt his eyelid twitching all day as if someone was up to no good behind his back.

“What’s on the schedule for today?” he asked his assistant.

The assistant reported today’s schedule to him: lunch with the CEO of a construction materials company, golf with the mayor of the city, signing a contract with a certain company…

All work-related. Yu Zhi went over each one in his mind but didn’t find any issues, so he had to put it aside for now.

On the other hand, Yin Xu changed out of his school uniform and into his regular clothes, heading to the elementary school section.

From afar, he saw a noticeably chubby boy waving at him as if afraid he’d get lost.

“Brother Xu, I’m really happy and touched that you can come to the parent-teacher meeting for me. To make sure you’re not uncomfortable, I’m more than willing for you to just sit in your seat and do your own thing, you don’t have to listen to the teacher. You can study or do whatever you want,” Xiao Pang said solemnly.

Yin Xu frowned. “You haven’t done anything, have you?”

Xiao Pang had recently become quite skilled in acting. “No, I’m just thinking about how tired you must be from classes and having to listen to my teacher’s lectures. Brother Xu, you don’t doubt me, do you? I’ve been very well-behaved recently, haven’t even asked my dad for extra pocket money.”

Yin Xu couldn’t think of any reason not to attend, so since he was already there, why not?

Xiao Pang breathed a sigh of relief and, after leading Yin Xu to his seat, quickly made up an excuse about needing to use the restroom and dashed off.

He met up with a bespectacled boy in a secluded corner. “It’s done!”

The two of them exchanged a high-five, looking like they were plotting something mischievous.

“Yu Yuan, who’s coming to your parent-teacher meeting today? Is it your brother? He’s so handsome! I want to take a picture with him!” Several female classmates chirped as they ran over, their eyes sparkling with admiration.

Although Xiao Pang didn’t like it when his dad bullied him, when it came down to it, his dad was family while these classmates were outsiders. He wasn’t going to give these girls the chance to encroach on his dad’s territory.

He crossed his arms. “Forget about it, it’s not happening. That’s not my brother, it’s my dad.”

“You’re lying! I’ve seen your dad, he doesn’t look anything like that,” one classmate who had seen Yu Zhi argued.

Xiao Pang stood his ground. “I’m not lying. The one you saw is my biological dad, the one inside is my stepdad.”

The classmates were stunned, speculating about how attractive Xiao Pang’s mom must be to snag the young and handsome man inside.

“But wait, I remember you said you don’t have a mom, that she sold you to your dad and ran away. If you don’t have a mom, where did the stepdad come from?” another classmate countered.

Xiao Pang didn’t see not having a mom as something to be ashamed of, so he never tried to hide it, and being called out didn’t faze him.

“Who said I don’t? He married my biological dad, so he became my stepdad, right?”

The classmates were truly shocked this time. At their young age, they didn’t understand what homosexuality was, so when Xiao Pang spun his story, not a single one of them argued back.

“Who’s going to marry me?” a deep voice rang out from behind.

The sudden voice startled Xiao Pang, causing him to jump forward and turn around to see a man who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was now standing behind him. Sweat beaded on Xiao Pang’s forehead as he stepped back repeatedly.

“Dad…?”

“How did you get here?” he stammered.

Yu Zhi sneered, “If I didn’t come, how would I have known you’ve gone and helped me find a wife?”

Yu Zhi glanced at Yin Xu, who was sitting quietly in the classroom, listening to the teacher, then back at Xiao Pang, who looked like he wanted to flee on the spot and felt a pang of disappointment.

The one who should be obedient wasn’t, while the one who shouldn’t be obedient was being obedient in the wrong place.

At that moment, Yu Zhi finally realized that raising a child and teaching a child were two completely different things.

Seeing his dad about to explode, Xiao Pang frantically tugged at his deskmate’s clothes, hoping his deskmate could help in some way.

The bespectacled boy stepped forward, his slightly smaller frame standing in front of Xiao Pang as he faced Yu Zhi. “Uncle, I think there may be a misunderstanding here. We should remain calm… Dad?”

His composed voice took a winding path on the last word, and his calm expression faltered for a moment.

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the boy, wondering how he had acquired another son.

A middle-aged man in a white tracksuit approached from behind, the one the bespectacled boy had called out to.

Before he could even greet his son, he turned his head and saw Yu Zhi, with whom he had just parted ways not long ago, and his expression suddenly became awkward.

“Mr. Yu?”

“So, your son is the one the teacher mentioned as an accomplice in selling assignments?”

Yu Zhi remained silent.

He hadn’t expected that the desk mate who collaborated with Xiao Pang in selling assignments would turn out to be the son of the mayor he had just separated from.

Selling assignments was one thing, but how come the other person’s son was using his brains while his son was doing the manual labor?

Embarrassing.

Making mistakes isn’t scary, but whoever’s foolish will feel embarrassed.

Yu Zhi shook his head wearily. “No, this one was found, the one inside is the real deal.” He glanced at Yin Xu, who was sitting upright and proper, feeling deeply regretful. Why couldn’t it have been the real one?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pang immediately objected, “Dad, stop talking nonsense. Same-sex relationships are one thing, but incest is not allowed. Brother Xu is your wife.” He had already gone to bed, so why was he still denying it?

Everyone: “………..”

The tangled relationships…

Yu Zhi: “………..”

“Um, sir, what brings you here?” Yin Xu, who had come out to go to the bathroom, noticed Yu Zhi and was shocked. Considering his involvement in helping Xiao Pang with the parent-teacher meeting, he felt uneasy, fearing that Yu Zhi might think he was meddling.

Seeing the strange looks from those around him, Yin Xu looked puzzled. “…What’s going on?”

Yu Zhi felt exasperated. “Nothing, Xiao Pang was so touched by your help at the parent-teacher meeting that he promoted you, making you his dad.”

Yin Xu’s heart skipped a beat, unable to discern whether this was a test, another test, or yet another test. He simply stared blankly at Yu Zhi, forgetting to react.

Seeing his rarely-seen dazed expression, Yu Zhi couldn’t help but suddenly laugh. In that instant, it was like the wind brushing against the mountains, and the moon shining peacefully.

Yin Xu watched, forgetting to look away.

Thump—thump—

That was the sound of his heart beating in his chest.

So clear, so loud.

It was as if… he wasn’t so inclined to refuse after all.

……………………………

Author’s Note: 

Yu Zhi: How are we not related by blood?

Yin Xu: …Thank goodness we’re not.

Xiao Pang (teary-eyed): I finally have a name in this story!

The whole family, neatly lined up.

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