Translated by: Syeki
Edited by: Vanilla Muse
Chapter 35
The door was very gently unlocked, there was no sound of the lock clattering. Someone entered on light footsteps, but lingered at the door with no sense of urgency.
The newcomer was travel-worn, his eyebrows hinted at the exhaustion of a long journey, but the eyes were deep and calm, quietly gazing at the sleeping figure.
"Chairman Lin, would you like—"
The a.s.sistant behind him whispered, but was stopped by a silent look. His gaze shifted to the door. The a.s.sistant took the hint and left.
Lin Feng approached the bedside silently, and, through the lights in the hallway, looked at the man who was quietly curled up in the corner of the bed.
He had been abroad at the time of the accident, and Lin Jing had not dared to relay the news to him. It was only when the news had spread like wildfire that his a.s.sistant had alerted him of the matter. After buying the nearest ticket and rushing back, he had learned that Mu Jinchu was being held at the detention center.
Truth be told, although they had shared a roof for almost ten years, he had never paid much attention to this person who also called him brother.
When Mu Jinchu was first brought to their home, he had just gone abroad to study. Later, when he returned to inherit his family"s business, they spent little time to get to know each other before it was the other"s turn to study abroad.
The number of times they interacted could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and that was when his parents were still alive. The other person would have his head lowered, greeted the elder brother, then hid himself in the house. Although the exchange was respectful, there was no feeling of closeness between them.
His impression of Mu Jinchu was actually very vague, only dimly remembering that the other person was silent and perceptive, and Xiao Jing has never been willing to accept the consequences of his mistakes. Having heard that the car accident was caused by Mu Jinchu"s drunk driving, and seeing how lost and scared his younger brother looked, he had, in fact, been boiling with anger.
[Syeki: Xiao Jing = Little Jing, referring to Lin Jing. It"s an affectionate way to refer to someone younger.]
When all was said and done, this was the son of his father"s good friend, and an artist of his company. No matter how furious he was, this was not a matter to be dealt with at the detention center, but better handled on their own turf.
Lin Feng had rushed to the detention center in a temper. He originally intended to bring Mu Jinchu away, but happened to run into the Liang Qiu who had arrived earlier and was delayed for a while.
But it was this delay which led to some stirrings of doubts in his heart.
When Mu Jinchu turned on the phone, he had been observing him from the hallway.
The slight young man was curled up on the bed, cradling the phone in his hands like a baby, rubbing at his eyes while looking at the screen, the thin shoulders trembling from time to time.
He was too far away to make out the details, but it was not difficult to guess at the matter.
The Internet can be harsh and cruel. He was very clear on this.
The both of them had been drunk, yet the fault may not be solely the driver"s. What"s more, Mu Jinchu had an introverted personality, and almost no social circle to speak of. He could have been coerced by Lin Jing to drink, and also bullied into driving the car.
His reason returned, and the growing anger dissipated.
Lin Feng sat down at the bed and lightly moved to cover him with the quilt.
The young man under the quilt curled up more tightly into himself, still sniffling in his sleep. The tip of his nose was slightly red, and faint blue lines shadowed his eyelids.
Seeing this, Lin Feng"s heart softened, and he couldn"t help but raise his hand to caress his short hair.
To his surprise, the youth did not wake up, but shifted closer to him instead. The originally scrunched eyebrows also relaxed, revealing the original soft arches.
The unexpected closeness made Lin Feng hold his breath subconsciously. He lowered his head to gaze at the sleeping youth"s gentle expression, and felt an inexplicable warmth in his chest.
This was obviously a sweet child.
Perhaps it was due to the cold, the quietly sleeping youth suddenly started coughing, his face flushed a painful red.
His whole body curled as he coughed, his back strained and bowed with every painful wheeze for breath, and the peaceful expression was scrunched into a grimace again.
Lin Feng"s heart jumped, and he hurriedly stroked down the trembling back. After stroking twice, Mu Jinchu noticed the sensation, and silently opened his eyes.
[Syeki: Yes, the author wrote Mu Jinchu, and not Su Shi. *shrug*]
The room was dark, the only source of light shone in dimly from the hallway. The door was open, and there was a man inexplicably seated at his bedside.
Su Shi was startled by the dark figure in front of him. He glared as he instinctively scooted back.
They stared at each other for a moment as Su Shi clutched at the quilt and carefully put some distance between them. He still had a cold, his sinuses were still acting up, and a film of tears shone in his eyes. The tip of his nose was faintly red.
One of the nuisances of being human.
Lin Feng"s heart felt warm and aching at the same time. He tentatively reached out and gently patted the top of the other"s head: "Don"t be afraid, it"s your elder brother."
The protagonist has arrived!
Presented with the irresistible opportunity to double his experience points, Su Shi"s eyes lit up, not noticing that Lin Feng was being strangely gentle with him.
Seeing those eyes light up with joy, the ache in Lin Feng"s chest intensified.
Clearly, this person had been waiting for him.
This child wholeheartedly believed that he would be able to protect him.
Lin Jing had never been a well behaved or obedient younger brother, and hence had never experienced any of the tender brotherly affection which President Lin now displayed. He tugged the quilt up and wrapped it around the boy"s thin body: "I"m sorry, I should have returned sooner."
His actions were very gentle, so gentle that even Su Shi felt vaguely uneasy. He blinked blankly, his heart suddenly sounding an alarm: "Brother, aren"t you going to scold me?"
Lin Feng lifted his brows, seemingly surprised by his question, but ended up laughing helplessly as he ruffled Su Shi"s hair again: "Nope. Come, let"s go home."
The author has something to say:
Su Shi: Please scold! ! !Σ(っ QД Q;)っ