Chapter 3 Becoming His Brother
Time had passed too long. I had almost forgotten that my surname was Jiang, not Han.
Han Zheng and I were not the same kind of people. I had known that from the beginning.
Han Zheng had a bad heart and couldn't participate in gang fights.
Han Yiheng adopted me to clear obstacles for Han Zheng and shed the blood that the black dao crown prince should shed.
When I was brought back to the Han family at ten, Han Zheng was five.
His body wasn't good. He rarely left the house, let alone had friends.
When he saw me, he excitedly shook my arm.
"Will you be my brother from now on? Will I have someone to accompany me?"
Han Zheng was different from the kids in the orphanage. He was clearly raised in luxury, like a clean little doll. His smile was extremely beautiful.
From his sparkling eyes, I saw my own awkwardness.
I looked decent, but my personality was cold. I wasn't as likable as the lively kids. I had been sent back twice by the families that adopted me.
Every time, others didn't want me. But only Han Zheng was afraid I'd run away. Every so often, he'd gather his toys and snacks and put them in front of me.
"Gege, these are all my favorite things. They're all for you."
"Can you always stay with me from now on?"
No one had ever been so enthusiastic toward me. It was like a little flame that burned endlessly, stirring ripples in a corner of my heart.
I rarely smiled, and when I did, it was stiff. But I still awkwardly smiled at him and nodded.
I really wanted to always accompany him. But most of the time, I had to follow Han Yiheng for training, leaving early and returning late.
Our rooms were adjacent. Every time, I sneaked into my room quietly, afraid of waking him.
One day, I turned on the light and saw a small lump on the bed. When I lifted the blanket, Han Zheng was curled up inside, sleeping soundly.
The pain from my injuries seemed to disappear in an instant. I held my breath, feeling a bit at a loss as I tasted for the first time what it was like for someone to wait for me to come home.
I thought that day was just an exception. But later, Han Zheng waited for me to come home every single day.
My bed almost became his territory.
Before, I didn't think my drifting and withered life had any meaning. Life or death didn't matter.
But later, I wanted to live desperately so I could come home and see Han Zheng.
Time passed too long. I couldn't pinpoint when my feelings for Han Zheng had changed.
Was it the year he was ten and had a fever, calling me Gege all night? Or when he was thirteen and got kidnapped, and saw the injured me come to rescue him, kneeling without hesitation to beg for mercy?
Or maybe the year he was sixteen, when he fell on me and accidentally kissed my neck...
I tried hard to restrain myself and played the role of a mature and steady brother in front of him.
But the suppressed desire grew quietly.
The older we got, the harder it was to control.