Dai Yixin woke up just after being kicked off the bed.
Huo Youqing sat up, showing a startled and apologetic expression toward the man getting up from the floor. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to kick you. Why were you in my bed?”
Dai Yixin raised a hand to rub his forehead, his amber eyes lingering on Huo Youqing. The latter wasn’t afraid of being scrutinized; he figured that by now, Dai Yixin had already tested him enough to be sure he had no memory. And even if he did find out, so what?
“Last night, you drank too much, complained of a headache, and threw up. I stayed to take care of you and must’ve fallen asleep without realizing it.” Dai Yixin explained, bending down to check Huo Youqing’s forehead. “Does your head still hurt?”
The Huo Youqing with memories would have avoided the touch, but the one without them wouldn’t.
So he endured it without moving, even nodding slightly. “It still hurts a bit. I don’t want to drink anymore.”
The somewhat childish remark made Dai Yixin’s lips curve slightly. He withdrew his hand. “It’s still early, you should sleep a little longer. I’ll have the kitchen prepare something light for you.”
“Okay.”
After saying that, Dai Yixin didn’t leave the room, instead standing there as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how. Huo Youqing, seeing him linger, felt compelled to ask, “What is it?”
“Youyou, do you remember what happened last night?” Dai Yixin asked hesitantly.
Huo Youqing actually remembered a bit—he remembered being kissed—but now he had to act like he didn’t. “What did I do? Did I throw up on you?”
Dai Yixin didn’t respond immediately, his expression strange as he touched his lips. When he saw Huo Youqing’s genuinely puzzled expression, he finally said, “No, it’s nothing, I was just asking.”
With that, he finally left.
Once alone, Huo Youqing wiped his forehead, thinking to himself that Dai Yixin was still playing the long game, keeping up his facade. It would be a while before his true nature showed.
He laid back down under the covers, knowing that today the ship would dock and his cousin would come to pick him up.
The ship docked around noon. As soon as Huo Youqing got off, he spotted his cousin, who looked tired from travel. It seemed he had rushed straight from the airport without any rest. Before, Huo Youqing wouldn’t have understood why his cousin was so anxious, but now he did.
Back when he was eighteen, during a winter break, something had happened to him on the high seas, and his cousin knew about it.
“Youyou,” his cousin called, walking over quickly and circling around him to check him over. Seeing that he hadn’t lost weight and looked in good spirits, he was somewhat reassured. Then, he glanced behind Huo Youqing at Dai Yixin.
In front of others, Dai Yixin always put on a refined act. “Hello.”
His cousin acknowledged the greeting with a nod before speaking hastily, “Thank you for taking care of Youyou, but he just got out of the hospital recently. His health is still fragile, and I need to take him back home for a check-up. Goodbye.”
Without waiting for Dai Yixin’s response, his cousin grabbed Huo Youqing’s wrist and hurried him toward the taxi he had arranged. Once they were inside, he finally asked the question that had been on his mind since their phone call, “How did you end up hanging out with Dai Yuan?”
“A month ago, I went hiking in a neighboring province. I didn’t manage to climb the mountain, but I ran into him,” Huo Youqing didn’t tell his cousin the full truth. “I found out we shared a lot of common interests, and since I’ve forgotten what happened before, we ended up spending time together.”
His cousin’s face wrinkled in disapproval, “How can you hang out with him? If something happens again, won’t Gong Lang’s people blame you?”
“I’m not afraid,” Huo Youqing replied with those three words, then smiled at his cousin. “I’m a bit tired, wake me up when we get to the airport.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell his cousin the truth, but he was afraid of alerting the enemy. He didn’t know how many of Dai Yixin’s spies were around him—perhaps even the taxi driver could be one of Dai Yixin’s people.
Huo Youqing knew that Dai Yixin was capable of such things.
After returning to the country, Huo Youqing maintained phone contact with Dai Yixin—once a day. Sometimes it was a video call. He tried his best not to reveal any inconsistencies.
The time with 27-year-old Dai Yixin was relatively easy to handle because he wasn’t physically around. Eighteen-year-old Dai Yixin, on the other hand, required much more effort.
***
“Older Brother.”
“Older Brother.”
“Older Brother.”
After calling three times without getting a response, Dai Yuan had no choice but to step forward and lightly tap Huo Youqing’s shoulder. Finally, Huo Youqing turned his head.
“Hmm?” Huo Youqing’s eyes showed some confusion.
Dai Yuan’s eyes curved into a smile, his gaze clear and cat-like. “Brother, I called you so many times just now, how come you didn’t hear me?” As he spoke, he glanced at Dai Yixin, who was standing nearby.
Today, both Dai brothers were present, but Dai Yuan was clearly being ignored. Since entering the room, he had noticed that Huo Youqing only spoke with Dai Yixin, and just now, the two had even started playing a four-hand piano piece together.
Dai Yuan, half-complaining and half-whining, had expected at least a polite response, but instead—
“I’m only a few months older than you, so it feels weird when you call me older brother. Let’s not do that.” Huo Youqing pointed to the book in Dai Yuan’s hand. “Have you finished reading it?”
Dai Yuan had just been rejected, and his smile became a bit forced. “Not yet. There are some parts I don’t understand. I was about to ask you… brother.”
Without hesitation, Huo Youqing pushed Dai Yixin lightly. “Speak to your little brother.”
The casual tone suggested they’d known each other for a long time. Dai Yixin didn’t react much to being pushed either, simply turning to Dai Yuan. “What part don’t you understand?”
Being the third wheel in this situation felt awful. Dai Yuan could barely keep his expression in check, but he reminded himself that he was still in front of Huo Youqing. Holding his book, he took a step back and weakly said, “I’ll take another look myself. I don’t want to disturb you two while you play the piano.”
As he was about to leave the room, he glanced back.
The two people who had just been looking at him had already turned back to each other, their heads occasionally close as they discussed the piece they were playing.
After Dai Yuan left, Huo Youqing pulled away slightly and gave an order, “Go close the door.”
Dai Yixin complied without question. He stood up, closed the door, and returned to Huo Youqing’s side. Without the third person in the room, his gaze became much more open, glued to Huo Youqing.
Huo Youqing seemed not to notice, casually playing a few notes on the piano. It wasn’t until he was suddenly embraced that his brows furrowed. He shifted his gaze lightly. “Let go.”
Dai Yixin paused for a moment but sniffed lightly at the nape of Huo Youqing’s neck before letting go. His earlobes turned slightly red.
Then, he received a slap.
It wasn’t too hard or too soft. “Who gave you permission to hug me?”
After the slap, Huo Youqing noticed a brief moment of surprise in Dai Yixin’s amber eyes as they stared blankly at him. Thinking for a moment, he reached out and touched Dai Yixin’s face. “Does it hurt?”
Dai Yixin obediently shook his head.
Huo Youqing withdrew his hand. “If you do it again without my permission, I’ll hit you harder next time.” Then, he changed the subject. “I told you before why I’m here, right? I came to clear my mind. Once I feel better, I’ll go back.”
Before he could finish his sentence, his hand was grasped, though Dai Yixin quickly let go, remembering what he’d just been told.
Huo Youqing glanced sideways at the young man beside him. Earlier, his ears had been red, but now they were back to normal. He was staring at Huo Youqing with a hopeful look, as if wanting to ask him not to leave but unsure of how to say it.
“I’ll miss you,” Huo Youqing said, not feeling like he was lying. Though the way he would miss him wasn’t the same as what Dai Yixin probably wanted.
Dai Yixin still didn’t seem very happy. If he had a tail, it would likely be drooping by now. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Huo Youqing interrupted him.
“I’m a bit thirsty. Get me a glass of water, will you?”
Obediently, Dai Yixin left the room. While downstairs, pouring water in the kitchen, he heard footsteps approaching.
“Brother,” Dai Yuan’s voice floated over quietly. “You don’t seriously believe he’s not deceiving you, do you?”
