Chapter 17: Getting Along Harmoniously

After deciding to make a trip back to the Lin family, Lin Jiangye very cautiously took out a coin and did another divination for himself.

No abnormal premonition appeared, which meant there would be no life-threatening danger.

Lin Jiangye felt a little more settled and sent Chen Ming a text, telling him there was no need to pick him up tonight.

Chen Ming quickly replied with a thumbs-up.

But at dusk, when Lin Jiangye carried his bag to the entrance of A University, he discovered that Chen Ming had still come. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, smiling as he chatted with the Lin family’s driver.

In the back seat of the sedan, through the slightly lowered car window, was Lin Jingyao’s side profile, his expression unreadable. His light brown-tea hair really suited him, making him look fair and quiet, gentle and easy to approach.

Lin Jiangye’s steps paused slightly. His gaze met this “younger brother’s” for a brief moment, then quickly separated amid the speechless awkwardness between both sides.

“Young Master is here.” Seeing him arrive, the Lin family driver opened the back door with a flat attitude. “Please sit.”

“…Thank you.”

Lin Jiangye got into the car in complete confusion, leaving a distant gap between himself and Lin Jingyao. He looked at Chen Ming. “Uncle Chen, why are you here too?”

Chen Ming smiled at him and sat very naturally in the passenger seat, replying, “I’m the bodyguard Chairman Yu arranged for you, so of course I have to follow closely.”

The sedan drove steadily toward the Lin residence, but Chen Ming’s words stirred a subtle whirlpool in the atmosphere inside the car.

Lin Jingyao pressed his lips together. The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint curve as he softly said, “That’s good, Gege. Although you refuse to come home and live with us, with Mr. Yu around, at least your safety can be guaranteed.”

“Why do you call me Gege?” Lin Jiangye tilted his head. He did not respond to his words, instead asking a question he had been curious about for a long time. “We were born in the same year, month, and day, and we’re not blood-related. We only have a competitive relationship.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ming could not help laughing. The driver let out an awkward low cough, his gaze fixed fiercely on the traffic ahead.

Lin Jingyao was clearly better at enduring it. The smile on his face did not change. He even unhurriedly moved a little closer and spoke softly, “Gege, back then, as soon as you came back, I was sent abroad. We never had the chance to properly talk. Mom and Dad also… aren’t very good at expressing emotions. They made you suffer.”

As he moved closer, a faint freesia fragrance drifted over. It was a clean scent that felt very comfortable. Lin Jiangye hesitated for a moment. He did not push him away, but he also did not speak.

Lin Jingyao slowly raised his hand. His cool palm gently covered Lin Jiangye’s hand as he continued in a low voice, “So I can completely understand that you have opinions about me. But I really never wanted to steal your things. Mom and Dad actually regret it too. They don’t know how to apologize, but they instructed me to treat you as my biological older brother, to get along harmoniously with you, and to take care of you more.”

Two hidden, probing gazes were reflected in the rearview mirror. Lin Jiangye looked at the handsome face so close before him, looked at the gentle and friendly smile by his lips, and could not help remembering again… the deathbed scene he had seen at the Gu family.

Gu Jiu’an’s father, the Gu family head, had most likely been killed by Lin Jingyao on the river-crossing cruise ship.

In that scene, Lin Jingyao was naked, his cheeks stained with blood, his neck covered in hand-shaped strangulation marks. He sat silently on top of that bald man, the curve of his lips twisted and cold. His swollen, bloodshot eyes looked like they were crying, yet they were far more real than his current smile.

If no one stopped it, perhaps that tragedy really would happen next Saturday night.

Lin Jiangye still remembered the shock he had felt then. This was also one of the reasons he had agreed to come home for dinner.

So he was truly curious about whether Lin Jingyao’s current mental state was stable, and whether he could understand human speech. After all, Yu Lin was obviously not quite normal.

Since he had time now, he wanted to take the opportunity to test him a little. While he was at it, he also wanted to see whether he could see… Lin Jingyao’s death scene. After all, he could not see Yu Lin’s either.

“Lin Jingyao, is your way of taking care of me posting intimate photos of you and my ex-boyfriend on your Moments?”

Lin Jiangye spoke word by word in a low voice. His pitch-black eyes were bottomless, with faintly visible silver light flowing within. His tone was not intense, but he turned his hand over and clasped Lin Jingyao’s wrist, adding a little strength so the person before him lost the chance to withdraw.

“…So you still care about that.”

“Whether I care or not, you shouldn’t have done that, right?” Lin Jiangye narrowed his eyes slightly and continued staring at him expressionlessly. “Maybe in your eyes, I really am easy to bully.”

Lin Jingyao froze. Instinctively, he wanted to avoid that gaze. For some reason, he suddenly felt it was a little difficult to breathe. Even the car’s air conditioning seemed to turn strangely cold, as if his entire body was about to be sucked into the depths of those dark eyes and fall into nothingness.

He bit his lip and took a deep breath. His gaze looked somewhat unnaturally to the side, and his voice, trying hard to remain calm, carried tiny tremors. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Brother Lin told me to post that photo. I had no way to refuse him, and I didn’t dare offend him. Gege, I’m sorry. If you’re really unhappy, I’ll delete it now. Please let go of me first…”

Just then, the Lin family driver seemed unable to keep watching Lin Jingyao “being bullied,” and suddenly rushed to interrupt.

“Young Master, we’re almost home. Please pay attention to safety and don’t fool around in the back seat.”

Lin Jiangye turned his head to look at the rearview mirror. Before he had withdrawn the power he was emitting, he directly met the driver’s worried gaze.

For an instant, in the rearview mirror, Lin Jiangye’s eye whites seemed to vanish. His originally soft-shaped eyes suddenly changed in aura, instantly wrapped and spread over by some strange-textured black mist.

The sedan, which had been driving straight normally, briefly veered left along with it, almost rushing into the traffic flow, only to be pulled back by Chen Ming, who pressed one hand on the steering wheel and turned it back.

“Old Liu, what are you doing?!”

The driver suddenly came back to his senses. While panting, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and, still shaken, lightly pressed the brake to slow down. The back of his neck was cold. He could not control himself and looked at the rearview mirror again, only to discover that Lin Jiangye had not changed at all.

His pretty almond eyes were large and round, very cute. He had long since obediently fastened his seat belt. The beige cashmere sweater was a little loose, making him look gentle and quiet.

So what he had seen just now was an illusion?

Blurred vision caused by lack of rest?

The driver tightened his grip on the steering wheel and bit the tender flesh inside his mouth, forcing himself to stay awake. At this moment, he did not even dare think back to that instant, afraid that he would be swallowed again by that incomprehensible fear, almost like being near death.

“Sorry, Brother Chen, I…”

“Your soul’s back? If you want to cause trouble, don’t do it on the main road. That’s asking to die.” Chen Ming helplessly shook his head, his tone rather blunt. “Your salary’s going to be deducted. I’ll tell Madam Lin about this.”

“Alright, Brother Chen.” The driver answered honestly and did not speak again the entire way.

Silence spread through the car, but Lin Jiangye never released Lin Jingyao’s hand. He continued staring at him thoughtfully without saying a word, making Lin Jingyao restless.

He could not see it.

Sure enough, no image appeared above Lin Jingyao’s head. Even when Lin Jiangye used all his strength, he could only see his own energy gathering before his eyes, twitching as it condensed and quickly dispersed, turning into water-like black-and-white light and shadow flowing toward the void.

It seemed Lin Jingyao was also counted within this world’s category of “protagonists.” His actions and life or death might influence later developments, so he needed to be watched more closely.

Five minutes later, the sedan drove into Donggang No. 1.

This was a luxury residential area near the city center. The high-rises had river views, while the villas had excellent privacy. It faced Longjing Bay across the river, the place Yu Wangxiao had mentioned before.

The Lin family home was just as luxurious as in the original owner’s memories. The huge detached villa had its own front yard and swimming pool. Outside the garage, a black Bentley was parked… Lin Yu’s car.

That inexplicably irritable eldest brother had already returned.

Lin Jiangye quickly observed the hidden corners of the front yard, his gaze locking on the gardener’s room behind the bushes. If there was an opportunity tonight, he absolutely had to drag Lin Yu somewhere without surveillance and have as friendly a chat with this person as possible.

“Ge-Gege, we’re here. Can you let go of me first?”

The driver opened the door and waited beside it, while Lin Jingyao uneasily moved his wrist. He wanted to break free from this strange feeling of being restrained as soon as possible, but after trying for a long time, he still could not pull free.

Hearing his urging, Lin Jiangye turned his head and glanced at him, then suddenly smiled. “Didn’t Mom and Dad tell you to get along harmoniously with me? If we walk hand in hand, it should be very convincing.”

“…Mm.” Lin Jingyao was briefly speechless. He could not refute him, could not see what Lin Jiangye intended, and could not even tell whether the smile before him was sincere.

The cost of maintaining the image of a gentle white moonlight was that he could not take the initiative to cause physical conflict. He could only lightly bite his lower lip and allow Lin Jiangye to hold his hand as they crossed the front yard and walked toward the door.

The driver drove away, while Chen Ming unhurriedly followed behind the two of them. He even silently took out his phone, photographed their backs, and sent it to Yu Wangxiao.

Lin Jiangye pretended not to know. From the shoe cabinet, he selected a brand-new pair of fluffy slippers and changed into them, crossing the entrance with some curiosity.

“Xiao Yao is back?” Lin Yu’s voice came from the kitchen, muffled. His figure, biting half an apple, appeared right after.

He was not wearing the cold black suit from the original owner’s memories. He had changed into a soft-fabric hoodie, and the hair that was usually slicked up with gel was hanging loosely over his forehead, almost making him look like an ordinary university student.

Lin Jiangye looked over at the sound and discovered that Lin Yu’s brows and eyes looked extremely similar to his own. The upper half of his face had clearly inherited Qiu Zhen’s genes. In outsiders’ eyes, they would probably look like biological brothers at a glance.

Unfortunately, this seemingly approachable older brother only sent endless vicious words his way.

The half-eaten apple core was thrown into the trash can, making a “bang.” Lin Yu frowned and strode over. “Lin Jiangye, what are you doing? Don’t think that just because you climbed onto that person, you can bully Xiao Yao. This isn’t the Yu family. Let go.”

It was a very condescending command, but Lin Jiangye would not obey him unconditionally like the original owner. He only asked softly and curiously, “We brothers are respectful and loving, united and friendly. Why does that make you uneasy?”

The atmosphere faintly grew tense. Lin Jingyao actually wanted to take the chance to say something, but Lin Jiangye’s glance blocked him back. He lowered his head and quietly tried hard to rescue his wrist, still to no avail.

Lin Yu was also choked for a moment. His face darkened, and he rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie. “You still dare talk back? Looking for a beating?”

Not getting an answer, Lin Jiangye changed to a new question. “I’m hungry. When do we eat?”

“Lin Jiangye, you damn—”

“Don’t curse at home. I really am hungry. Are there any apples left?” Lin Jiangye lightly interrupted him, his emotionless black eyes calmly looking at him.

“…There are. In the fridge. Cut it yourself.” Lin Yu held back his frustration and answered in a bad mood, stuffing both hands back into his pockets.

Lin Jiangye nodded. As if nothing had happened, he went around him and led the bewildered Lin Jingyao into the kitchen, as though he had not noticed the irritation surrounding Lin Yu at all.

Lin Yu was truly a little annoyed.

On his phone, he could casually type all kinds of ugly words. But for some reason, when speaking face to face with Lin Jiangye tonight, the feeling was indescribably subtle, as if… that person was not his annoying, useless younger brother, but a very strange outsider.

Those eyes that looked so much like their mother’s suddenly made Lin Yu unable to flare up. In his heart, he even felt an inexplicable trace of unease.

When he raised his head again, he saw the silent Chen Ming standing at the entrance, and his expression immediately changed again.

Lin Yu had known Chen Ming for a long time, and he was also very clear on Chen Ming’s identity. When the Yu and Lin families had cooperated frequently before, they had met more than once. To put it simply—he could not be offended.

“Mr. Chen, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you say anything? Please have dinner at our house tonight. Sorry, my younger brother is ignorant and made a fool of himself in front of you.”

Chen Ming smiled kindly and shook hands with him. The gaze behind his black-framed glasses seemed rather friendly, but the words he spoke made Lin Yu’s neck turn cold.

“Ai, so you do know how to speak properly. You were quite cute when you were little. Now that you’re grown up, your temper is this strong.”

“Cough, it’s just brothers messing around…”