Chapter 48 - Too Naive

Translator: Lynn

Under normal circumstances, after two people confess their love to each other, one would expect passion, desire, and a night filled with joy. So why did Jian Jie leave the room after putting Long Zichen to bed like usual? Long Zichen looked at Jian Jie’s back in confusion. Even though his physical condition wasn’t at its best for a love scene, he thought at least they would share a passionate kiss. He felt a sense of emptiness and disbelief at the lack of such a moment.

Trying to reassure himself, Long Zichen lay on the bed, clutching the quilt, and laughed at the situation. He couldn’t believe his luck and happiness, almost feeling like he should buy a lottery ticket the next day.

On the other hand, Jian Jie wasn’t as calm as Long Zichen assumed. As he lay on his bed, he felt his face burning with happiness and worry. Confessing to Long Zichen was one thing, but how would he ever explain this to his elder brother?

Before he could figure out a plan, Brother Jian arrived. He brought wild old turtles and a pot of soup stewed at home, intending to give some to Jian Jie and check up on how he was doing.

When Brother Jian arrived, he was surprised to find the director of Jian Jie’s company there, dressed in pajamas with a chicken coop on his head, eating pineapple as if he was accustomed to living with Jian Jie. Long Zichen was taken aback and accidentally choked on the pineapple. Trying to speak, he greeted Brother Jian, “Brother Jian, you’re here. Jian Jie hasn’t finished school yet. Do you need to find him?”

“I’m here to see him. We made some soft-shelled turtle soup at home, so I thought I’d bring him some to try,” Brother Jian replied, trying to suppress any strange feelings he had. He then asked Long Zichen, “When did Mr. Long leave the hospital?”

Trying to avoid any suspicion, Long Zichen quickly placed the glass basin on the coffee table and cautiously replied, “It’s only been a few days since I was discharged. The place I rented is too small, and with the wheelchair, it’s inconvenient to recuperate. Jian Jie kindly offered me to stay here. It’s really nice of him.”

“We’re all colleagues, and we should take care of each other,” Jian Bin nodded, asking the key question, “Does Mr. Long have any relatives here?”

Long Zichen explained, “I don’t have any siblings, and my father passed away early. My mother is the only one at home. She is the director of the Children’s Welfare Institute and keeps quite busy. Sometimes she might come over.”

“Xiaojie doesn’t know how to cook and take care of others. Did you neglect Mr. Long?” Brother Jian’s words were cleverly designed to be a trap. He wanted to know if Long Zichen needed any assistance due to his injury, and he used his brother as a pretext to offer help.

Thankfully, Long Zichen didn’t fall into the trap and answered honestly, “I didn’t neglect anything. There are nurses here to take care of everything, and they just left. Xiaojie doesn’t need to worry about anything.”

Brother Jian felt relieved and continued to chat with Long Zichen calmly. When Jian Jie returned home around six o’clock, he brought some delicious food from outside. Upon seeing his elder brother, he was surprised, “Brother, why are you here?”

“I can’t come to see you?” Brother Jian pretended to be annoyed, “Didn’t you have dinner? What kind of meal did you buy? I brought some soft-shelled turtle soup. I’ll go reheat it. You didn’t tell me that Mr. Long is also living here.”

Jian Jie felt a bit guilty and glanced at Long Zichen before replying to his elder brother, “It’s not a big deal. Brother Chen is recovering from an injury, so he’s staying here for the time being. I have a spare room, so he’s welcome to stay.”

Jian Jie and his brother went to the kitchen, and his elder brother poured the soup from the thermos into a bowl and heated it in the microwave. He gave Jian Jie a meaningful look, feeling it was a bit reckless to bring someone home without prior notice, but he refrained from saying anything in front of Long Zichen.

Jian Jie innocently asked, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

“What can I do? Are you handling everything well lately? Balancing work and studies can be tough.” Jian Bin asked about Jian Jie’s recent situation, chatted for a few minutes, and when the soup was ready, he brought it out. He said, “Alright, let’s eat. I’ll head back now.” Brother Jian wiped his hands and went to the door to put on his shoes.

“Isn’t elder brother staying to eat? I bought a lot, enough for all of us.” Jian Jie insisted.

Long Zichen also joined in, “Xiaojie just got back. Brother Jian, please don’t rush.”

“No, your sister Xinya is waiting for me to have dinner. You enjoy the meal, I’ll come back another day.” Jian Bin waved his hand. Although he had some worries about Jian Jie, he couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt off during the meeting with Director Long. Nevertheless, he had already decided to visit his brother from time to time.

Long Zichen had no idea that Brother Jian had labeled him as “dangerous.” Once Brother Jian left, Long Zichen let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Seeing your brother made a chill run down my spine.”

“Why are you so afraid of my brother? He won’t do anything to you.” Jian Jie chuckled at Long Zichen’s reaction.

“That’s not necessarily true!” Long Zichen shook his head in an exaggerated manner, “If your brother finds out that I’ve taken away his precious brother, he might break my leg.”

Jian Jie giggled at the thought of such a scenario. However, he wanted to defend his brother and said, “Brother Chen, don’t worry. My brother is kind and rarely loses his temper. He listens to reason, so I’ll talk to him when the time is right.” He hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“It’s alright, no need to worry. You can talk to your brother whenever you feel comfortable,” Long Zichen replied with understanding. Although he felt a tinge of jealousy hearing Jian Jie praise his brother so much, he didn’t want to put Jian Jie in an awkward position. Jian Jie had been reluctant to confess their relationship to his family, and Long Zichen respected that decision. He added, “But I have already told my mother the truth. Are you mad at me?”

Jian Jie was surprised and pondered for a moment before asking, “Did you already inform her when you were in the hospital last time?”

“Yes,” Long Zichen replied honestly.

Jian Jie blushed, understanding why Long Zichen’s mother encouraged him to visit often. “Did she blame you?”

“No, my mother is actually supportive. She likes you a lot and never objected,” Long Zichen said, delighted at his mother’s response.

“Oh, this can’t be…” Jian Jie felt embarrassed, but he hoped that his brother would also like Long Zichen. He had never kept anything from his brother, but this time, confessing his feelings felt a bit shy. He admired Long Zichen as a wonderful person, and he wanted his elder brother to see that too.

In the midst of these sweet dilemmas, they spent the entire month of March. By mid-April, Long Zichen’s bone injury had healed well enough for the plaster cast to be removed. However, he still needed to rest and avoid strenuous activities. But Long Zichen, being impatient, decided to return to work at the company. Besides, Jian Jie’s new album was on the agenda, and he couldn’t trust anyone else with producing Jian Jie’s music. He wanted to oversee the project himself.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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