TLSMLMMM Chapter 45

“Doctor Si, are you saying that my fiancé has been teaming up with his younger brother to make a fool out of me?!”

Wu Tian’s eyes widened instantly, and her hands clenched into fists.

“Rather than saying they’re doing it together, I’d say it seems more like one of them is being controlled by the other.” Si Yunyi’s expression was stern.

“They’re twins, and judging from your fiancé’s description, the two of them seem to have been very close since childhood.”

Wu Tian nodded at his words, her fingers nervously gripping one another.

“I’ve been to their house before. Their mother told me that the two of them had been inseparable since they were little. If one of them got hurt, the other would feel uncomfortable, too.”

Si Yunyi looked at Wu Tian.

“But during their interaction just now, your fiancé did his best to avoid physical contact with his younger brother. They barely exchanged glances. After Hai Mingxi was exposed, he didn’t even say a single word to his older brother. Instead, after speaking with you, he left the restaurant as quickly as possible. Do you know what that means?”

“W-what?” Wu Tian asked, looking confused.

“I once divided various emotions into different levels. Take disgust, for example. At the first level, the lower lip rises slightly, and the nasolabial folds deepen a little. At the second level, the person also begins to furrow their brows. At the third level, the nasolabial folds become pronounced, and the wrinkles around the eyes deepen, as though they’ve just smelled a garbage bin so foul that it’s unbearable.

“At the fourth level, the entire body begins to move away from the other person. They may even find it unbearable to remain in the same room with them.”

Si Yunyi looked at Wu Tian.

“When your fiancé saw his younger brother, he kept his fingers close to his legs and tried to avoid contact with him. This was a sign of uneasiness. Hai Mingxi, on the other hand, displayed the fourth level of disgust when looking at his older brother.

“Furthermore, when you were about to attack Hai Mingxu, Hai Mingxi showed a contemptuous smile. At first, I thought he was looking down on your feelings for Hai Mingxu. But in reality, he was despising his own older brother and taking pleasure in your actions.”

“The two of them…” Wu Tian furrowed her brows and raised a hand to scratch her head.

“There’s only one question I want to ask you now.” Si Yunyi looked directly at Wu Tian, his gaze serious.

“When you first met the person who made you fall in love, was that person Hai Mingxu or Hai Mingxi?”

Wu Tian froze for a moment.

“We met when we were graduate students, during an open lecture. The professor called on Hai Mingxu by name. I was sitting beside him, and he borrowed a pen from me. He had such a beautiful smile.”

“I remember we went to the library together afterward and drank milk tea together.” Wu Tian’s brows knitted slightly. “We also added each other on WeChat. That WeChat account definitely belonged to Hai Mingxu.”

After saying this, however, a bizarre thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

The two brothers had always used identical phones. Hai Mingxu had just said that their facial recognition could unlock each other’s phones. Could it be possible that… they’d switched phones by mistake?

Wu Tian shook her head, but another memory suddenly came back to her.

During one of their earlier dates, Hai Mingxu had skipped class to watch a movie with her. She had worried that the professor might call on him, but he had told her that his younger brother could answer for him.

“How could that be…?” Wu Tian murmured to herself, unwilling to believe the strange thought that had suddenly occurred to her.

Si Yunyi looked at the young woman before him.

“When Hai Mingxi said, ‘You can’t even recognize the person you truly love,’ how did you feel?”

Wu Tian froze. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but when she recalled Hai Mingxi’s expression at that moment, she couldn’t utter a single word for a long time.

“He keeps a close eye on everything happening between you and Hai Mingxu. It’s not surprising that he knows his brother gave you a camera last Christmas. What’s strange is that he even knows the price of that particular camera and remembers that you were interested in photography at the time.”

Si Yunyi leaned back in his chair and looked toward the restroom.

“You mistakenly registered your fingerprint on Hai Mingxi’s phone when you intended to register it on Hai Mingxu’s. But Hai Mingxi didn’t stop you. Instead, he kept your fingerprint registered, allowing you to unlock his phone whenever you wanted.”

“T-this… all of this… it’s just another one of his tricks to deceive me.” Wu Tian couldn’t suppress the uneasiness rising in her heart and instinctively resisted the idea.

“I once read a report stating that identical twins share the same neural protein structures in their brains. When they also grow up in the same environment, with the same education and family circumstances, they often make the same choices when faced with problems.”

Si Yunyi looked at the young woman sitting opposite him. Given her intelligence, she would understand what he was trying to say.

Wu Tian fell into deep thought.

Before long, Hai Mingxu hurried out of the restroom, his brows tightly furrowed. He was pressing a tissue against his palm, and blood had almost soaked through it.

Seeing this, the restaurant staff hurried over. The manager also rushed toward them, carrying a first-aid kit.

Wu Tian immediately stood up and ran toward her fiancé.

Hai Mingxu removed the tissue, his hand trembling as he revealed a deep wound in his palm.

“Honey, just now, I accidentally…”

Hai Mingxu had lost quite a bit of blood, and his face had turned pale.

“Don’t talk!” Wu Tian anxiously turned toward the manager. “Quick, please help him! Stop the bleeding!”

The manager tried pouring some hemostatic powder onto the man’s wound, but the injury was too deep. The moment the powder touched it, the flowing blood washed it away.

Seeing the man’s face grow increasingly pale, the manager anxiously looked around the restaurant.

“Is there a doctor here? Is there a doctor?!”

Wu Tian immediately turned toward Si Yunyi, who was still sitting in his original seat.

After a moment of silence, Si Yunyi stepped forward and pressed sterile gauze firmly over the wound.

“Although I hate to say this, I’m a psychiatrist, not a surgeon. His injury needs to be stitched up at a hospital.”

Wu Tian immediately put on her coat and helped her fiancé into a taxi. Si Yunyi sat in the front passenger seat, watching the pale man lean against Wu Tian.

Traffic congestion was an everyday occurrence in Hong Kong. Hai Mingxu’s bleeding wouldn’t stop, so Wu Tian took off her woolen coat and placed it beneath his injured hand to catch the blood. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

“Honey, there’s something I need to tell you,” Hai Mingxu said weakly.

“Your injury will leave a scar,” Si Yunyi reminded him calmly, looking at the traffic ahead. “It won’t go away.”

Hai Mingxu paused, then raised his head to look at Wu Tian.

“The person you first met back then was me. I attended the open lecture in my brother’s place. Since I had the group chat for that lecture on my phone, my brother was afraid we’d be exposed, so he switched phones with me. I was the one who went to the library with you, drank milk tea with you, and added you on WeChat.”

Wu Tian froze, turning to stare at the person before her in a daze.

“I added you using my brother’s account. After we got home, he took the phone back. When I remembered what had happened, I asked him to send me your contact information, but he kept putting it off again and again.”

Hatred filled Hai Mingxi’s eyes.

“Later, he actually brought you right in front of me and openly introduced me as his younger brother, Hai Mingxi. He even told you that I liked dressing up to look like him and warned you to be careful of me.”

“What about your brother?” Wu Tian asked, her mind still in a daze as she stared blankly at the man before her.

“I locked him in the restroom. I asked him whether he dared to leave a mark that would make you recognize him forever, something you could never mistake for someone else. He didn’t dare, but I did.” Hai Mingxi gritted his teeth.

“I only found out today that he liked you from the beginning, but he was too afraid to approach you himself. So he deliberately sent me to attend the lecture in his place, switched phones with me, and arranged for me to sit next to you. He knew perfectly well that I would fall for you, yet he still did all of that to me!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Wu Tian frowned deeply. “Why are you only telling me now?”

“You never believed me in the first place. You thought I was a bad person, so no matter what I said, you wouldn’t believe me. My brother, meanwhile, always had a hundred excuses to deceive you.” Hai Mingxi looked somewhat weakly toward the front seat. “Doctor Si, you can tell whether people are lying, right? Please tell her whether what I just said is true.”

Si Yunyi silently watched the driver, who was clearly straining his ears to listen to the gossip, then nodded.

Wu Tian stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

“Now you know the truth.” Hai Mingxi stared intently at Wu Tian. “Are you going to choose that coward, or me?”

Si Yunyi glanced at the traffic ahead, which showed no sign of clearing anytime soon. He opened the car door and looked toward the back seat.

“Get out. Otherwise, Wu Tian won’t have to choose either of you.”

×××

As soon as Chu Junlie finished work, he saw the message from Mr. Si informing him that he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner that afternoon.

Thinking about the foot warmer, Chu Junlie stood in the elevator with his head lowered. Just as he was about to leave the shopping center, something suddenly occurred to him. He took a few steps backward and looked toward an inconspicuous sleepwear shop on the first floor.

Without paying attention to his surroundings, Chu Junlie strode into the store. The sensor at the entrance chimed, announcing, “Welcome!”

The shop owner raised his head and saw a handsome man with a cold expression on his face.

“Boss, you remember me, right?” Chu Junlie approached him, his gaze deep and serious. “You said those few outfits didn’t work, so you’d give me a twenty-percent discount when I came back for the second time.”

The shop owner studied him for a moment before immediately recognizing him.

“Oh, it’s you! What happened? Is your wife still not interested in you?”

It would have been better if the owner hadn’t brought it up. The moment he did, Chu Junlie felt miserable.

“That doesn’t make sense,” the shop owner muttered, looking at the dejected young man. “You’ve got such a great physique, and you’re handsome, too. How could that be?”

“Maybe it’s because I can’t compete with a machine.” The moment Chu Junlie thought about that foot warmer, his fingers involuntarily clenched.

“A m-machine?” The shop owner fell into deep thought. After hesitating for a long time, he couldn’t help lowering his voice.

“Machines might be good, but surely a real, living person is better, right?”

“I don’t have as many functions as it does.” Chu Junlie felt even more dejected.

The machine had three temperature settings and could even give massages.

“F-functions…” The shop owner glanced around, then went over and closed the shop door to prevent any innocent customers from overhearing their conversation.

“These functions, well…” His tongue seemed to get tangled up. After finally gathering his thoughts, he tried speaking in a low voice.

“Well, you can’t really blame yourself for that. After all, no one can vibrate like a machine. As long as you do it more often and improve your technique, that machine definitely won’t be able to compete with you.”

Chu Junlie looked at the shop owner in confusion.

“Can a foot warmer vibrate?”

The shop owner froze on the spot for a moment, stammered a few times, then wiped his face with his palm.

A foot warmer? You little rascal, why didn’t you say that earlier?!

“Do you have any new styles recently?” Chu Junlie asked in a lowered voice, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Yes, yes, I do!”

The shop owner took out a black garment. Chu Junlie stared at the tattered-looking piece of clothing, his eyes filled with confusion.

It looked even more torn than the clothes he’d worn when he was at his poorest.

“Don’t underestimate it.” The shop owner pulled out a magazine. “Look, there may be a lot of holes, but they’re strategically placed. They reveal exactly the right areas, just enough to leave something to the imagination. Understand?”

Chu Junlie examined the garment a few more times. He felt that he could probably cut something similar himself.

Seeing that his first recommendation wasn’t convincing the customer, the shop owner took out another outfit. Most of this one was made of sheer fabric, with only a narrow strip covering the chest.

“This one reveals your waist, abs, collarbones, and back. As for the strip covering your chest, you can let your sweetheart pull it up or bite it up yourself.” The shop owner grinned.

Chu Junlie stared at the outfit, imagining the scene the owner had described. The temperature of his face gradually rose.

Would Mr. Si like it?

“I also have a butler outfit, seductive uniforms, and even Gothic styles! Just look at these black leather gloves! Look at these suit harness straps!” The shop owner grew more and more excited. “If your wife has a favorite anime character, I can even order a custom outfit for you. I guarantee she’ll be completely captivated!”

Chu Junlie left the shop carrying two tightly wrapped bags of clothing, his face bright red. The shop owner’s voice continued to echo behind him.

“If your wife still isn’t interested after this, then next time you come back, I’ll give you a discount so big it’ll practically break the price!”

After returning home, Chu Junlie unfolded the clothes one by one and put them in the wardrobe. Finally, he took out a black short-sleeved shirt and used scissors to cut it into something resembling the outfits he’d seen in the shop.

Hong Kong’s heating was already on, and the room was comfortably warm. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt might feel a little chilly, but it wouldn’t be a problem.

Chu Junlie waited nervously for the person he’d been longing to see. Every so often, he lowered his head to inspect his outfit. Feeling that it still didn’t reveal enough, he picked up the scissors and cut it a few more times.

By the time Si Yunyi returned from the hospital, it was already late at night.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Chu Junlie lying across the living room sofa. The moment he heard the door open, Chu Junlie immediately sat upright, his dark eyes shining brightly.

“Mr. Si, you’re back!”

“Mm.” Si Yunyi changed his shoes, then suddenly felt that something about what he’d just seen was strange.

He raised his eyes again and finally noticed that, for some inexplicable reason, Chu Junlie’s shirt had become a collection of ragged strips hanging from his body.

Seeing Mr. Si looking at his clothes, Chu Junlie’s ears turned red. He bravely met Si Yunyi’s gaze, while an imaginary tail behind him wagged happily.

“Did you get into a fight with Lie Feng?” Si Yunyi asked, changing into his slippers. He couldn’t think of any other reason why the shirt would end up in such a disastrous state.

Chu Junlie blinked and lowered his head to look at his own clothes.

It seemed… he’d gone a little overboard with the scissors.

“Good night.” Si Yunyi was a little tired and couldn’t be bothered to concern himself with the outcome of the human-versus-dog battle for the time being.

Seeing Si Yunyi about to enter the bedroom, Chu Junlie hurried forward, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Mr. Si, I’ve learned something new.”