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Present\nâIn all the years weâve known each other, youâve never told me you had a younger brother.â\n
Zhou Luoyang didnât know why Du Jing was suddenly bringing up the past tonight.\n
âWhat?â Zhou Luoyang put Du Jingâs shirt and trousers away. âAre you jealous? Watch.â\n
Du Jing handed him the watch while lying down and gazed at him quietly. Zhou Luoyang gave him the clothes he had bought for him to change into. âBesides, we havenât known each other for that long. Get changed.â\n
âSo you and Leyao arenât that close. Am I wrong?â\n
At first Zhou Luoyang wanted to furrow his brows and chew him out, but he knew that Du Jing didnât mean anything by it.\n
âNo,â Zhou Luoyang admitted. âWeâve rarely seen each other in the past sixteen years; less than once every two or three years.â\n
After Zhou Luoyangâs mother and father finalized their divorce, his father remarried a Japanese woman, and Leyao was the child born from that union. Zhou Luoyang rarely came into contact with that side of his family. In the many years he and Du Jing had known each other, heâd never even gone to Tokyo to visit his father.\n
In his vague memories, heâd only visited them a couple times before that car accident. He would stay at his stepmotherâs house, and the whole family would treat him with basic, polite courtesy.\n
Zhou Luoyang actually really liked Leyao when he was small, especially Leyao at five or six years old, who would grab his toys and ask his older brother to play with him.\n
Fortunately, during the span of time when he took care of Leyao, they had slowly grown closer. Zhou Luoyang began to really get to know his younger brother, and Leyao became fully willing to rely on his older brother. In the previous sixteen years, it was as though they were strangers who had nothing to do with one another.\n
But they also shared the same blood, and that was something neither of them could sever. And so Zhou Luoyang was duty bound to shoulder the responsibility of taking Leyao under his wing and accompanying him for the final leg of his journey before reaching adulthood.\n
Everyone needed independence and autonomy, and people who were disabled were no exception.\n
Zhou Luoyang hoped Leyao could become independentânot the kind of independence where he could do everything on his own, but an independence of the spirit and of the individual. Leyao understood this as well. \n
âMy greatest desire right now,â said Zhou Luoyang, âis for him to have the ability to choose to enter a relationship and build a family and realize his individual potential, just like any normal person.â\n
Du Jing said, âLook back on your own self. Have you achieved that?â\n
âNo,â Zhou Luoyang admitted. âAre you going to lecture me? Just like before?â\n
The corners of Du Jingâs mouth tugged upwards in response.\n
âFinally a smile. Thatâs rare,â Zhou Luoyang said, and turned off the lights.\n
âToday Leyao asked me why we separated back then,â Zhou Luoyang said in the darkness.\n
Du Jing didnât reply. Zhou Luoyang said, âTo be honest, I donât really know why.â\n
Du Jing still didnât reply, but Zhou Luoyang could hear his breath hitch.\n
âYou said the past isnât important.â Du Jing seemed to have wrestled his emotions back under control and responded in a calm tone, âIn any case, Iâm back now.â\n
Zhou Luoyang shifted into a more comfortable position. When he laid his head on his pillow, he felt Du Jingâs arm cushioned underneath, but he didnât ask him to move it away.\n
He wanted to say something else, but he changed his mind.\n
âYes,â Zhou Luoyang said. âDonât leave without saying anything again.â\n
Quietly, Du Jing said in the darkness, âIâm actually very surprised that you would miss me all these years. You have so many friends, after all. Iâm not your only friend.â\n
âIf you keep saying that, Iâm really going to get angry.â\n
Du Jing pulled his arm closer, drawing Zhou Luoyang to his chest.\n
âDu Jing, donât.â Zhou Luoyang wanted to push Du Jing away. That action had crossed a line just a little bit.\n
âDonât move,â Du Jing said quietly. âLet me hold you for a while, even if itâs all just an illusion.â\n
Zhou Luoyang sighed and stayed quiet and still, allowing Du Jing to hold him. Very soon, Du Jingâs breathing evened out as he fell asleep.\n
These pajamas are really soft, Zhou Luoyang thought, leaning against Du Jingâs chest.\n
When Zhou Luoyang woke up the next day, he could hear the muffled sound of voices coming from the living room.\n
Did they have a guest? Zhou Luoyang quickly turned over and got out of bed, striding out of the room as quickly as a gust of wind.\n
Leyao was sitting in his wheelchair. Three men in black suits stood to the side. A burly man was sitting on the couch, also in a suit. The tattoos on the back of his hand peeked out from under his sleeves. He looked like a domineering CEO, and he was holding a can of coke.\n
When Leyao heard the door creak open, he turned to look at his older brother.\n
âMu Ye?â Zhou Luoyang recognized him as soon as he spotted him.\n
The last time he had seen Mu Ye was when they were at the bathhouse. Today, Zhou Luoyang could see that heâd gotten a haircut, which made him look very lively, and he had the bossiness of the creme de la creme. Leyao seemed exceptionally frail, sitting across from him.\n
His right hand man wasnât present, however.\n
Zhou Luoyangâs heart pounded. Mu Ye wasnât here because of Wu Xingping, was he?\n
But Mu Ye seemed rather surprised. He scrutinized Zhou Luoyang and quickly recognized him too.\n
âOh, itâs you,â said Mu Ye. âI almost didnât recognize you with clothes on.â\n
Leyao: ââŚâŚâ\n
Leyao turned towards his brother with a look of confusion all across his face. Zhou Luoyang said, âDonât say something so misleadingâŚThis is my younger brother.â\n
Mu Ye nodded. âWeâve had a quick chat already.â\n
Zhou Luoyang furrowed his brows, thinking, still in his pajamas. These guys had shown up on his doorstep, and as a party of four, tooâit was rather intimidating. Zhou Luoyang didnât actually mind, but he was worried Leyao would worry needlessly.\n
âHow about we go somewhere else?â Zhou Luoyang offered.\n
Mu Ye said, âI think here is just fine. Youâre Zhou Luoyang, right? Let me formally introduce myself, Iâm Mu Ye.â\n
Mu Ye reached forward and shook hands with Zhou Luoyang.\n
Right now, all Zhou Luoyang was concerned with was how to send Mu Ye and his band of little brothers away. As long as they werenât right in front of Leyao, everything would be easier to deal with.\n
âHow about this,â Mu Ye said. âSince you know who I am and the significance of me coming here in person, youâve got to give me some face, right? Letâs just get straight to the point. When will you brothers get to clearing up your debt?â\n
Zhou Luoyangâs eyes widened in surprise.\n
Zhou Luoyang had assumed Mu Ye was here to ask about Wu Xingpingâs whereabouts, but it turned out he was here about the debt! Heâd nearly forgotten that Mu Yeâs job was to settle the repayment of loans. It was highly likely that Zhou Luoyangâs creditors had found out they would be unable to collect their money, so theyâd asked Mu Ye to come collect it for them.\n
âOh, thatâs what this is about?â At long last, Zhou Luoyang snapped out of it.\n
âBoss asked you! When will you repay your debt!â one of the lackeys shouted.\n
Leyao flinched. All his life, regardless of whether it was with his family in Tokyo or with Zhou Luoyang, the people around him had always spoken quietly and gently; no one had ever spoken at such a volume before.\n
Zhou Luoyang was just about to berate the man, but Mu Ye spoke first. âTheyâre intellectuals. Donât be aggressive. Zhou Luoyang, do you need me to bring out the legal papers?â\n
Zhou Luoyang swallowed his anger. âGive me a little more time. Youâve seen what our situation is like. I really canât pay the money.â\n
At the same time, he thought, That sounded just like something out of a TV show. Art imitates life.\n
âYour brotherâs schooling must cost quite a bit, right?â the lackey said.\n
âCan you not be like this?!â Zhou Luoyang said.\n
âOh, you owe the debt, but youâre in the right?â the lackey shot back.\n
All this time, Leyao hadnât been very clear on the details of the debt. His eyes red-rimmed, he asked, âGe, how much do we owe them?â\n
âLeyao, go back to your room.â\n
This was absolutely the most humiliating moment of Zhou Luoyangâs life. He knew the debt collectors would come knocking, but he hadnât thought they would come precisely when Leyao was home.\n
âSix million and thirty thousand,â said Mu Ye. âIt wouldnât be very realistic to expect you to pay up all at once, but youâve got to indicate your good faith. Otherwise, I wouldnât be able to put in a good word for you even if I wanted to, am I wrong?â\n
This number was simply too large, and collecting this payment was obviously a very important job for Mu Ye, or else he wouldnât have come in person.\n
âWeâll pay it. Look at me; I canât run off, can I?â Leyao said.\n
âLeyao,â Zhou Luoyang said, âgo back to your room. Go, listen to me.â\n
Mu Ye hadnât expected he would run into an acquaintance either, and at the moment he couldnât quite decide how to proceed based on what he had observed of Zhou Luoyang and Du Jingâs relationship. What did it matter that Leyao was handicapped? Of the families that didnât repay their debts, there were plenty of old, sick, and disabled people. This was a common occurrence, and they had plenty of means of handling it.\n
But just then, the door of Zhou Luoyangâs room opened again, and Du Jing exited the room. Three of the buttons on his pajama shirt were undone, revealing half of his bare chest, and he tread on the wooden floorboards with bare feet.\n
The entire living room suddenly went quiet. Everyoneâs gaze was fixed on Du Jing. Leyaoâs expression was exceptionally complicated, and even a little bit lost.\n
Wordlessly, Du Jing found his trousers, which had been dried the night before, next to the washing machine and went inside the bathroom to put them on and brush his teeth.\n
âOh? Itâs that guy again? Whatâs your relationship with him?â Mu Yeâs confidence was slipping a little.\n
Zhou Luoyang responded, âThat has nothing to do with you. The creditor hasnât yet applied for compulsory payment collection through the court. They already agreed to give me an extension. Look, I havenât officially reneged on our agreement yetâŚâ\n
Mu Ye said, âThatâs the courtâs business and has nothing to do with us. All I know is that since Iâve been tasked with debt collection, I have toâŚâ\n
Du Jing exited the bathroom and took a seat on the couch in the living room. Mu Ye choked back the rest of his sentence.\n
Zhou Luoyang realized that he was a bit scared of Du Jing.\n
âIâll pay back a portion of the debt for him for now,â Du Jing said solemnly. âWhatâs the bank account? In the future, Iâll pay in installments according to our circumstances. If you need anything, come find me at my company building. Donât come to his apartment again.â\n
Mu Ye fell silent, before finally nodding. One of his men pulled out a contract and handed it to Du Jing.\n
âIâll pay you guys three hundred dollars first,â said Du Jing. âPull up the receipt.â\n
âDu Jing,â Zhou Luoyang said.\n
Du Jing transferred the money. He picked up the fingerprint-stamped receipt and handed it to Zhou Luoyang. Holding Mu Yeâs gaze, he beckoned to the door. This way, the gesture said.\n
âNext month,â Mu Ye said, âremember to prepare one million, basketball player. You owe money, you pay it. Itâs simply a matter of course. Mu Ye doesnât want to cause a big scene either. Letâs go.â\n
Mu Ye led his men out the door, leaving the two brothers and Du Jing in the living room.\n
âDo you want breakfast? Want me to go buy something downstairs?â Du Jing asked Zhou Luoyang.\n
âThereâs food in the fridge,â Zhou Luoyang answered.\n
âLet me,â said Leyao, leaving to heat up breakfast.\n
Zhou Luoyang ran a hand through his hair and silently got up to brush his teeth. Four months ago, because of this debt, heâd run to the court, visited the creditor, sought out relatives, went to the bank, gone to every place possible. But in the end, he was still empty-handed. Every time he hit a wall, he would sigh, force a smile, and keep going.\n
But when Du Jing had transferred the payment without even glancing at the numbers and returned the money for him, that was the straw that broke the camelâs back.\n
He turned on the faucet, took a deep breath, and focused all of his energy into bringing himself back under control. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push away all of those complicated emotions.\n
It was then that Du Jing did something strangely tenderâhe placed his hand on the top of Zhou Luoyangâs head and gave it a gentle rub. Zhou Luoyangâs eyes promptly filled with tears that threatened to spill over.\n
âDonât let your little brother see,â Du Jing quietly reminded him, looking into the mirror.\n
Zhou Luoyang quickly pulled himself together. âThank you.â\n
âYouâre welcome,â said Du Jing. âItâs payment for staying over last night.â\n
Zhou Luoyang didnât know whether to laugh or cry.\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nâHow much is my tuition?â Leyao asked somberly over breakfast.\n
Zhou Luoyang said, âMom and Dad left behind some funds, which is where your tuition money comes from. I portioned out the funds, and itâll be enough for you to use. Donât think about it anymore. This whole thing has nothing to do with you.â\n
Leyao wanted to keep pressing, but he kept quiet, since Du Jing was present.\n
âHow about I take you guys out today? Where do you want to go?â Du Jing asked.\n
Du Jing had taken a week off from work, Zhou Luoyang remembered.\n
âDo you wanna go?â Zhou Luoyangâs mood was already back to normal. He didnât know how he would pay Du Jing back, and he didnât know how he would scrounge up the one million Mu Ye had demanded for next month. But he decided that at least for today, he wouldnât worry about these things. He would worry about them after calming Leyao down.\n
He glanced at his phone. Both employers heâd sent his resume to had responded and asked him to come in for an interview on Monday. When the time came, he would set aside the minimum amount of money needed to pay for living expenses and then slowly pay the debt while striving for more time extensions. Mu Ye could probably be persuaded.\n
As for Du Jingâs recent payment, he had no choice but to leave it for another time.\n
âI want to go.â By the time Leyao lifted his head again, his smile was back. Heâd always been a very mature child, and he knew that at a time like this, he couldnât give his older brother another thing to worry about.\n
For a time, Du Jing was the most relaxed one in this household of three, despite having just paid a very large sum for Zhou Luoyang.\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nâIs your company still hiring?â\n
âYou canât work there even if they are. Donât even think about it.â\n
Du Jing printed three movie tickets at the self-service machine. âWant to go to an escape room this afternoon?â\n
Leyao was grabbing popcorn a short distance away. Zhou Luoyang was still in deep thought.\n
âNext week Iâm going in for my interviews,â he said.\n
âDonât work a job thatâs too draining. Itâd be best if you could come home and cook.â Du Jing reached a hand into Leyaoâs popcorn tub.\n
Leyao didnât say anything. Iâm fed up with you, Du Jing, for the love of God, Zhou Luoyang thought.\n
âMy cooking sucks,â Zhou Luoyang said. âItâll make you hate life.â\n
Now that Du Jing had been given an inch, he wanted a mile. âYouâll get better with practice. I wonât turn my back on your cooking.â\n
The movie was starting and the two stopped talking.\n
Zhou Luoyang didnât ask Leyaoâs opinion again. He had already expressed his approval the night before, after all. Now that Du Jing had shown up today, Leyao wouldnât object.\n
Of course, he wouldnât have objected to begin with. There was a lot hiding in Leyaoâs mind that he didnât talk about.\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nHalfway through the movie, Du Jing picked up a call and had to momentarily step out. Leyao glanced at his brother.\n
But Du Jing hadnât returned even by the time the movie was over. He simply sent Zhou Luoyang a text: Something came up at the last minute at work. Iâm going to take care of it. Zhuang Li will pick you guys up.ăă\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nâHelloâŚbrother-in-law?â Zhuang Li was waiting for them at the entrance of the shopping center. \n
Zhou Luoyang stared at Zhuang Li. He didnât want to say anything to that.\n
âJing ge saidâŚheâs moving in with you?â Zhuang Li said.\n
Zhou Luoyang carried Leyao onto the car and said, âDu Jing wants to move in for a little while.â\n
âAlright.â Leyao gave a docile nod.\n
Zhou Luoyang had given him an explanation now. He didnât know what Leyao really thought of it, but Du Jing had already proven to Leyao that he was willing to do a lot for them.\n
âThereâs another case taking over him?â Zhou Luoyang asked. âZhuang Li, you can leave if you need to.â\n
âItâs fine. I can drop you off at home first,â Zhuang Li said cheerfully.\n
Du Jing didnât return that night. He just sent Zhou Luoyang a text telling him he had a meeting that would last all night, during which he would need to analyze some information. So Zhou Luoyang helped his brother get ready for bed. The next day, he planned on sending Leyao to school and then collecting Du Jingâs belongings. He was sure this guy wouldnât have much stuff to collect.\n
Just as heâd expected, Du Jing had two suits, a small drawer of underwear and socks, a framed photo of the two of them on the bank of West Lake, a phone, a computer, a charger, and some other miscellaneous items. Aside from that, he had nothing.\n
Zhou Luoyang packed all of Du Jingâs belongings into a bag and carried it outside, where he happened to see Du Jing looking pensive as he leaned against the car and sipped his coffee.\n
He arched an eyebrow at Zhou Luoyang. Leyaoâs gone?\n
Zhou Luoyang nodded. By now, he and Du Jing understood each other so well that they didnât need to say much to know what the other was thinkingâsometimes they didnât even need to say anything at all.  \n
âI havenât slept or had a meal in two days,â Du Jing said.\n
âI didnât cook,â said Zhou Luoyang. âI havenât even bought any produce because Iâm out of money. Weâre almost out of rice too.â\n
Du Jing drove Zhou Luoyang to the store to buy produce, which they placed in the fridge once they returned home. \n
âI really do suck at cooking,â Zhou Luoyang warned.\n
âAnd I really wonât turn my back on your cooking.â Du Jing took a seat at the dining table and opened up his wallet. He took out his debit and credit cards and placed them on the table.\n
âI heard that the previous guy who had my job was a really good cook.â\n
âThen you should learn from him,â Zhou Luoyang said, looking at the cards. âIs the password still the same as before?â\n
âI havenât changed it.â Du Jing handed them to Zhou Luoyang one by one and explained, âThis one is for my salary, this one is for my savings. I suggest you rent an apartment with an elevator. This oneâs my credit card. Check my wallet every week and just put in a bit of cash.â\n
âHow about we do it like before?â Zhou Luoyang suggested. âIâll put cash in a drawer, and if you need some, you can grab it yourself. When itâs all gone, Iâll add more.â\n
Electronic payments had become ubiquitous, and you rarely ever needed to use cash anymore. Du Jing had just calmly handed over all of his finances. Zhou Luoyang decided he would properly go through Du Jingâs accounts in a couple days. For now, he would first cook him something he liked and then let him have a good rest.\n
When he returned to the dining table, he saw that Du Jing was concentrating on six sheets of paper spread out on the table. Each sheet had a photo of a personâs front profile, with descriptions of their backgrounds and other personal information listed below each picture. \n
âGo wash your hands. Whatâs all this?â Zhou Luoyang asked.\n
âA case of chain disappearances,â Du Jing murmured, studying the papers. âTheyâre all pretty attractive. These six might not be the only missing persons. There may be more cases that havenât been reported yet.â\n
He took the bowl of rice that Zhou Luoyang handed him and began eating his first meal as the financial backbone of the household. Zhou Luoyang stuck his chopsticks in his mouth and downloaded the bank app. He logged into Du Jingâs account and took a look at his bank statement.\n
Zhou Luoyangâs head jerked up. The chopsticks clattered onto the table. \n
âDu Jing, as a private detective, you get paid four hundred thousand a month?â he asked incredulously.\n
âYes,â Du Jing said politely. âPresident Du is tall, rich, and handsome. If you watch what you say, do a good job, and serve me well, Iâll buy you everything you want.â\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nTranslated by beansprout. Edited by opal @rivaaavir.\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator">\nHI EVERYONE sorry i went MIA for a couple weeks! iâm back to regular updates now!! also thank u sooo much opal for editing, youâre such a huge help and your brain is Enormous đđ\n
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