Chapter 6 Brotherly Bonds

To Lu Heyang, Lu Xun was like a ticking time bomb, completely out of control. Any reckless action or offhand comment from him could potentially cost Lu Heyang his job. There was no way he could leave this bomb in a public area; he planned to take him to his office instead.

Thankfully, it was lunchtime, and the hallways of the teaching building shouldn't be too crowded.

"Mr. Lu, are you done with class?"

Just as Lu Heyang was leading Lu Xun out of the classroom, he heard a familiar voice. He sighed inwardly and stiffly turned around, "Mr. Gan, what a coincidence."

Lu Xun raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lu Heyang.

"And who is this?"

Before Lu Xun could say something outrageous, Lu Heyang cut him off.

"My younger brother."

"Your brother!" Gan Tang exclaimed, her eyes showing a hint of scrutiny. After all, it wasn't common to see someone wearing a mask and bundling up so much in the summer. "Hello, I'm Gan Tang."

"Mr. Gan." Lu Xun ignored her outstretched hand, simply crossing his arms and giving a slight nod as a greeting.

Gan Tang awkwardly retracted her hand, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"He's a bit shy," Lu Heyang explained, "Don't mind him."

"Shy?" Lu Xun snorted softly. Shy? When I was ruling Jia You City High School, you were still playing in the mud by the Haihe River.

"Of course not." Gan Tang shook her head. "Have you had lunch yet? We could…"

Lu Xun let out a cold laugh, "I brought lunch for my brother. I was worried he couldn't get used to local food. Too bad I didn't know we'd run into you, Mr. Gan. Otherwise, I would have made more."

He emphasized the words "made more," grinding them out through gritted teeth at Lu Heyang.

"Look at him, he's lost weight eating cafeteria food," Lu Xun said as he wrapped an arm around Lu Heyang's waist, subtly pinching him hard through his shirt.

Lu Heyang lowered his eyelids behind his glasses to endure the pain, his ears turning slightly red.

Gan Tang smiled, "You two really are close. Unfortunately, I'm an only child, so I don't have any siblings."

"We certainly are…" Lu Xun chuckled, savoring the words, "very close."

Ten years without a word, vanishing without a trace, then you come back and jump into bed. What do you take me for? A toy? And what kind of brothers are we supposed to be, anyway?

"By the way, Mr. Lu, there's a gathering on Friday organized by the department office to welcome the new teachers this semester. As one of our star faculty members, you must come for a drink!"

Lu Heyang smiled, "No problem."

Another pinch on the waist.

Lu Heyang turned to look provocatively at Lu Xun, but said to Gan Tang again, "I'll be there on time."

Lu Heyang was spineless, soft as water in bed, and couldn't stand pain in everyday life either.

But even a lamb will butt someone if pushed too hard.

Feeling a bit butted, Lu Xun couldn't let it go even by dinnertime. Despite Lu Heyang keeping his promise to come home for dinner, it didn't earn him any favor.

Lu Xun finished eating first and leaned on his hand, watching Lu Heyang eat. The sweet and sour ribs were perfectly seasoned, the soy sauce giving them a beautiful color that left Lu Heyang's lips shining with grease.

"Are you really going on Friday?" Lu Xun asked.

Lu Heyang was about to compliment the dish but swallowed the praise halfway upon hearing the question.

"Why wouldn't I go?" Lu Heyang wiped his mouth. "Since I'm planning to develop my career back here, it's important to get along with my colleagues."

"Stop acting like a child." Lu Heyang put down his chopsticks.

"You think I'm being childish?" Lu Xun squinted dangerously.

Lu Heyang stood up, "No."

He paused and added, "I think you're immature."

The table was shoved out of place as Lu Xun suddenly stood, grabbed Lu Heyang's collar over the table.

"Immature?"

Lu Heyang braced his arms on the edge of the table, his neck red from the pressure, forced to lean forward by Lu Xun's grip. He looked up at Lu Xun through his cold glasses, letting him have his outburst.

"When wasn't I the one cleaning up after you?" Lu Xun locked eyes with him. "Huh?"

"You think the store next to Jia You High School kept quiet after losing things time and again? Why do you think they never called the cops?"

"You think those thugs from Second High stopped messing with you just because you stole Gou Canrui's girl?"

"You want to be the obedient son for Lu Bingwen, fine, I'll let you."

"Rebellious and unruly is me, obedient and well-behaved is you."

"But do you really not know your limits with alcohol? Lu Bingwen's funeral, you downed one bottle of beer and started crying and laughing. The night I came to find you, at Deep Blue Bar, three shots of vodka, and you still insisted on mixing it with gin, drinking until you blacked out."

"And now you're calling me immature?!"

"…" Lu Heyang's pupils dilated, the unbreakable cold mask he always wore finally cracked.

He stared at him in shock.

The grip on his neck suddenly released, and Lu Xun slumped back into his chair.

Lu Heyang had a dirty little secret.

He always thought it was something only he knew. But he didn't realize that Lu Xun had been aware of it all along.

It was the summer of his sophomore year. Lu Heyang had transferred to Jia You High School a year before, but Lu Xun never walked to school with him, always rushing out the door first to meet up with his buddies.

Cheng Dongxu was Lu Xun's best friend. To him, the relationship between Lu Heyang and Lu Xun wasn't a secret. After hearing Lu Xun talk about Lu Heyang's plans to study abroad, which Lu Bingwen and his wife were more than willing to spend money on, Cheng Dongxu threw an arm around Lu Xun's shoulder, loudly expressing his disapproval.

"Man, and you're okay with this?"

"What can I do? At the end of the day, I'm adopted. He's their biological son. He has the legitimate claim, I'm just a cuckoo in the nest." Lu Xun shrugged.

Cheng Dongxu tried to comfort him, "But they say that being raised is more important than being born. Your parents may not even care about him as much as they do you."

Lu Xun snorted, pushing Cheng Dongxu's sticky arm off his now-sweaty neck.

"Do you know why my dad changed my name to 'Xun' after adopting me?"

"Because it means jade, right?" Cheng Dongxu scratched his head, recalling that he had paid attention in Chinese class enough to recognize half the characters. Proudly, he confirmed again, "It's a precious gem!"

Lu Xun clicked his tongue and shoved Cheng Dongxu's big head. People say big heads are a sign of intelligence, but not in Cheng Dongxu's case.

"My dad chose it because it sounds like the word for 'search.'"

"Lu Bingwen's heart and mind were set on finding the son he lost to kidnappers. I'm just a replacement."

Even my name's meaning was tied to that person, as if I didn't have the right to exist on my own.

Cheng Dongxu made a knowing face and let out a sound, "Ah, that's tough."

Lu Xun bit down hard in frustration, changing the subject abruptly, "Want to get a soda? I'm dying for a cold Coke."

The two of them ducked into the corner store outside the school gates, where the air conditioning was blasting. The cold breeze hit them, raising goosebumps. Cheng Dongxu went to pick out a sausage, while Lu Xun stood by the shelf grabbing a Coke, when suddenly, someone caught his eye.

A slender figure, with a sliver of pale wrist exposed from the oversized blue and white school uniform. The hair was soft and fine, looking very well-behaved. It was Lu Heyang, backpack slung over one shoulder, head down as he walked in.

The heat outside had flushed his cheeks with a rosy tint. It was strange; no matter how hot it got, he always wore his school jacket. The clothes were plain, lacking any tailored fit, but still looked good on him. Lu Xun thought, Even better than the class belle in her skirt.

Lu Heyang paused at the corner where the candy shelf stood, unaware that Lu Xun was on the other side, hidden behind another shelf.

It was the hottest part of the afternoon, just before the bell rang for class. There weren't many people in the store. Lu Xun watched Lu Heyang with great interest until he saw him, out of sight of the security camera, discreetly slip a lollipop into his pocket, hidden under the oversized jacket.

…

Lu Xun froze, the condensation from the soda bottle chilling his fingertips, soaking into the hem of his shirt.

Then, he saw Lu Heyang calmly walk past the checkout counter without paying.