Chapter 32: Pomelo Candy

Ling Wu brought Jin Shaoyu back to Jingwan, pushed open the door to lay him on the bed, took off his shoes and socks, covered him with the quilt, and then went to the bathroom to wet a towel to simply wipe his face.

Jin Shaoyu was muddled and groggy, clutching Ling Wu's hand to keep him from leaving: "Brother... don't go, don't abandon me... don't abandon me..."

"I beg you, don't abandon me..."

"I won't eat candy ever again."

He was already drunk and delirious; if he were still sober, he would certainly be pointing at Ling Wu and screaming at him to get out.

In Jin Shaoyu's world, there were two watersheds: before the age of eight, he was the center of attention, adored by everyone, the golden-leafed young master of the Jin Family.

When he was eight, his mother passed away and was laid to rest in the earth, like a cold front sweeping away the brilliance in his small world, turning everything white and taking away half his sky.

When he was ten, he was threatened and kidnapped, and his brother heartlessly abandoned him, traveling far away for ten years without returning; the warm harbor was torn to shreds overnight, leaving only Jin Shaoyu standing on the crest of the storm, being swallowed and swept away.

After Ling Wu left, everyone bullied him.

Jin Liangjin brought his mistress into the house, and Jin Bei threw his weight around, berating him for being a motherless child and saying the Jin Family was no longer his home alone; the successive blows caused him to fall gravely ill.

The Jin Family was a cruel, realistic arena of survival of the fittest.

A moment of carelessness could lead to a wrong step and eternal damnation; the struggle for inheritance had always been a bloody affair in wealthy families, and Jin Shaoyu hid and erased his weak self, suppressing his hatred into the darkest depths of his heart.

He grew up at an extremely fast pace, gained the recognition of the Jin Family's Elder Council, and solidified his status as the successor, appearing infinitely glorious, full of honor and splendor.

In reality, behind it all was blood dripping everywhere.

Ling Wu hadn't gone anywhere; he just sat at the head of the bed looking at his unconscious younger brother: "Brother is back, and I won't leave again."

When he originally chose to flee the whirlpool of power and money that was the Jin Family, he knew that only by completely breaking free from Jin Liangjin's control would there be a possibility of revenge.

Ling Wu took a Cigarette Case from his pocket and lit a cigarette.

The swirling smoke blurred his handsome silhouette, his eyes appearing almost numb; half his face was hidden in the darkness untouched by moonlight, while the exposed part was cold and indifferent, devoid of expression.

His back looked lonely and desolate in the moonlight and the night.

This family had long been ruined, so he would be the one to break it and rebuild it.

A murmur like sleep-talking sounded in the room.

"Brother... don't go."

"I won't go."

In his dream, a scorching hand touched his forehead, his whole body burning with an unbearable heat as if forged by molten iron, until a breath of snow-clear air descended, blowing away the sweat on his face and neck.

Young Jin Shaoyu lay on the grass, a lone bird flying across the deep blue sky, the scent of the garden at his nose, as he sobbed: "Brother, why is it that I can never do anything right?"

Little Ling Wu: "A-Yu, things you aren't good at, you don't have to do them so well."

Jin Shaoyu propped himself up to sit: "But I don't want you to be so tired because of me, Brother, I don't want to become a burden to you."

"Although I'm very annoying, but... Brother, teach me how to practice with a gun."

They say there is no brotherly love in wealthy families, but the two brothers Jin Shaoyu and Ling Wu were clearly the exception; one took the father's surname, the other the mother's, and their personalities were completely different—Jin Shaoyu was actually more like the gentle and elegant Ling Tingwan, while Ling Wu took after his father, Jin Liangjin.

Several elders of the Jin Family once evaluated him as having a keen nature, being exceptionally intelligent, calm yet humble and cautious, possessing a composed spirit when facing major events, and being an excellent future successor for the Jin Family.

Jin Shaoyu was soft and gentle, suitable for being an idle young master.

But no one expected that Ling Wu, who was being groomed as the successor, would go astray, and in the end, it was the habitually soft and harmless Jin Shaoyu who grew into the decisive next successor.

"Brother, I don't want to practice anymore."

Little Ling Wu told him: "I knew you only had a three-minute attention span; come here, Brother brought you your favorite pomelo candy."

"What does it matter if I don't practice with a gun." Young Jin Shaoyu ran over happily, holding the sweet candy in his mouth, and put his hands on his hips: "I have Brother to protect me!"

Jin Shaoyu had a rare good dream and felt refreshed when he woke up, so much so that when he saw Ling Wu wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen, he didn't suddenly go berserk and point at his nose to tell him to get out.

A very peaceful day.

Jin Shaoyu simply sat at the dining table.

Seeing Ling Wu bring out the fried eggs, Jin Shaoyu asked him: "Why are you at Jingwan?"

Ling Wu placed the fried eggs in front of him: "You were drunk last night and called me to pick you up."

Jin Shaoyu: "Oh."

He picked up his knife and fork, cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth; the taste was quite good.

The two brothers sat at the same table eating their first meal since reuniting; Jin Shaoyu scraped his plate with his knife and fork, his eyes falling on Ling Wu across from him every now and then—how had he gotten so thin, as if he could be blown away by the wind?

By the end of the meal, the young master threw a tantrum for no reason: "This egg is a bit burnt, I don't want to eat it anymore!"

Ling Wu raised his eyes: "Then should I fry another one for you?"

Silence for two seconds.

"No need." Jin Shaoyu: "So slow, it doesn't taste good anyway."

【Young Master, you're eating like a pig, almost clearing the plate, and only now saying it doesn't taste good—what a show!】

【Want to eat but don't want to trouble your brother, right?】

【Strong brother】

【You're secretly enjoying it again】

【What's wrong with you again? Young Master】

【It's all this old servant's fault, you two stop arguing...】

Jin Shaoyu elegantly picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and glanced at Ling Wu across from him, "The ninth of next month is Mom's death anniversary; I've swept the grave for you, you ungrateful wretch, all these years."

"If you dare not go again this year, I swear to God I'll find someone to drive into you and kill you, believe it or not?"

"I believe it."

Ling Wu took a few pieces of pomelo candy from his pocket and placed them on the table: "So many years have passed, I don't know if you still like eating candy."

"I'll eat it." Jin Shaoyu said in a nasty tone: "But I won't eat what you give me; who knows if there's a sleeping pill inside?"

Still that same aggressive tone.

"There isn't one this time."

Ling Wu, fearing he would not believe, peeled one and put it into their mouth: "Look."

Jin Shaoyu grabbed that handful of pomelo candies and threw them onto the floor, stood up as if nothing had happened, and said coldly: "Stop playing the emotional card with me!"

"I have long since passed that age."

"Get out as soon as you finish cooking, stop loitering in front of me, you're an eyesore."

Ling Wu: "Fine, I understand."

A flash of desolation crossed Ling Wu's eyes; they picked up their coat and walked to the door without a word, their thin back looking somewhat pitiful.

Jin Shaoyu was unmoved: "Next month, I will send people to follow you; even if you are about to die, I will drag your corpse to Mother's tombstone and make you kowtow three times."

"You had better behave yourself."