Brotherly Disrespect

Through a doctor’s diagnosis, Xie Wenyu’s finger was slightly fractured and needed to be splinted for half a month.

After coming out of the hospital, it started to rain heavily, so Xie Wenyu had to stop a taxi at the entrance of the hospital.

When they returned home, not long after entering his room, Xie Wenyu yelled: “I forgot to close the window!”

Xie Wenkai heard the sound and walked over. Seeing that his injured hand was about to stick out the window, he immediately stepped forward and dragged him back.

The sound of the rain falling into pieces continued. The rain was icy and cold, and it immediately wet the clothes of the two of them.

Xie Wenkai let go of Xie Wenyu and raised his hand to close the window: “Your hands must not touch water. Did you forget as soon as the doctor finished speaking?”

“I was in a hurry, so I forgot.” Xie Wenyu clicked his tongue and turned to look at his bed. It was mostly wet from the rain, and the sheets and bedding were soaked through.

Xie Wenyu looked at his brother: “I seem to have no bed to sleep.”

Xie Wenkai took off his bed sheet, rolled it together with the quilt, and threw it into the washing machine: “Sleep in my room tonight.”

Xie Wenyu followed behind his brother: “Isn’t that bad?”

Xie Wenkai: “Then you sleep on the floor.”

Xie Wenyu: “I’m a wounded person!”

The washing machine started to run and made a slight noise. Xie Wenkai turned around, leaned against the washing machine, and asked leisurely: “Where do you want to sleep?”

Xie Wenyu: “I’ll sleep on the sofa?”

Xie Wenkai: “Okay, you sleep in the room, and I sleep on the sofa.”

Xie Wenyu was no longer polite: “Ge, thank you, I love you!”

Xie Wenkai froze.

Xie Wenyu has gone back to the bedroom heartlessly.

That “I love you” is just a careless statement. With Xie Wenyu’s character, with all the people who are close to him, whether they are family members or friends, he has always said these three words casually.

The rainy season in New York is expected to last for more than ten days. The sheets and quilts after washing have not yet dried. Xie Wenyu has slept in his brother’s room for the past two nights.

This night, Xie Wenyu woke up thirsty in the middle of the night and came out in the dark to drink water.

He was in a drowsy sleep and was not fully awake yet. When he walked into the living room and saw a figure, he was startled, and then he remembered that there was someone else at home.

“Ge?” Xie Wenyu turned on the light and saw Xie Wenkai sitting at the dining table with his hand on his neck, rubbing it.

Hearing the sound, Xie Wenkai put his hand back on the table: “What’s the matter?”

Xie Wenyu: “I want to drink water.”

Walking into the kitchen, Xie Wenyu poured two glasses of water, one for himself and the other for Xie Wenkai. He came out and sat across Xie Wenkai, then asked: “Why are you still not asleep?”

Xie Wenkai: “Sleep right now.”

Xie Wenyu said “oh”, finished drinking the water, put down the glass, and walked back to the room.

When he reached the door, he paused, turned around and said, “Ge, your bed is actually quite big.”

Xie Wenkai looked at him.

Xie Wenyu: “Would you like to come in and squeeze with me?”

Xie Wenkai stared at him fixedly and did not speak immediately.

In the dim living room, there was only a very faint ray of moonlight shining on him, making his eyes dark and deep, bottomless.

Xie Wenyu: “If not, then forget it.”

Xie Wenkai then stood up and walked towards him.

The bed was 1.5 meters wide and could indeed accommodate two adult men, but after Xie Wenkai lay on it, Xie Wenyu had almost no room to move and turn over.

In the room, there was always a scent of sandalwood, which was light but not heavy. When Xie Wenkai approached, this smell suddenly became stronger.

Xie Wenyu rubbed his nose: “Ge, are you asleep?”

Xie Wenkai: “No.”

Xie Wenyu didn’t feel sleepy and started to chat: “What did you do tonight, you came back so late.”

Xie Wenkai: “My teacher published a book, and he held a celebration banquet tonight. We students were also invited to participate.”

Xie Wenyu turned over and brushed his arm with Xie Wenkai’s, but he didn’t know it, and asked: “Then did you drink?”

Xie Wenkai: “Have a glass. “

Xie Wenyu pretended to be a lecturer: “How dare you drink outside with such a poor capacity for drinking?”

Xie Wenkai: “I can’t shirk.”

Xie Wenyu moved closer to his brother, the distance between the two shortened in an instant, only a few centimeters. Xie Wenyu sniffed carefully: “Are you sure you only had one drink?”

Xie Wenkai was silent for two seconds, his eyes were dark: “Sure.”

“Okay.” After Xie Wenyu finished speaking, he retreated to his position, but Xie Wenkai suddenly pressed his shoulders and pulled him into his arms. His chin rested on the top of Xie Wenyu’s head, and his neck, which was sore from sleeping on the sofa for two days, miraculously relieved after feeling the soft touch of the hair.

Xie Wenkai closed his eyes: “Go to sleep.”

How could Xie Wenyu fall asleep like this, he moved, wanting to break free from his brother’s hand.

Xie Wenkai: “Don’t move around.”

Xie Wenyu protested: “I can’t sleep.”

Xie Wenkai opened his eyes again, looking down at Xie Wenyu.

Just after drinking water, Xie Wenyu’s lips were moist. There was still a drop of crystal water at the corner of his mouth, which was about to fall. Xie Wenkai looked at it for a while, then wiped it away with his fingertips.

Xie Wenyu suddenly panicked and wanted to say something, but warm breath came from the top of his head, then his forehead became hot. Xie Wenkai kissed him on the forehead.

Xie Wenyu was petrified.

Can anyone tell him what’s going on?

Which man in his twenties would hug his brother to sleep, touch his lips, and kiss his forehead?

Xie Wenyu violently pushed the man in front of him away, turned over, and got out of bed: “I’m going to sleep on the sofa.”

The next day, Xie Wenyu woke up earlier than Xie Wenkai.

In order to avoid facing his brother, Xie Wenyu didn’t even eat breakfast at home. It was only dawn, so he washed and dressed, then went out.

When he arrived at school, Fang Yang looked at him strangely: “You didn’t sleep last night?”

Xie Wenyu: “Didn’t sleep well.”

Fang Yang: “Look at the dark circles under your eyes, you really didn’t sleep well.”

The two walked towards the classroom together. In the classroom, Xie Wenyu hesitated for a while after sitting down and asked Fang Yang: “Do you have more beds in your house?”

Fang Yang: “Why do you ask this?”

Xie Wenyu rubbed his face: “Can you take me in for a few days?

Fang Yang: “What’s wrong?”

Recalling the kiss last night, Xie Wenyu couldn’t describe his mood. There were shock, weirdness, and bewilderment. All kinds of complicated emotions were mixed together, and the impact was too great. He doesn’t know how to face his brother.

He knew that his brother was not so drunk that he lost his mind last night.

Xie Wenyu sighed and just said: “I had a little conflict with my Ge.”

Fang Yang: “You are so old and you still play and run away from home?”

“What do you know?” Xie Wenyu punched him, “Just a word, can you take me in?”

Fang Yang couldn’t help laughing: “Yes, of course.”

After school, Xie Wenyu went to Fang Yang’s house. They ordered takeout, played games, did homework together, and sat on the sofa to watch NBA games after finishing.

Xie Wenyu decided not to recall the details of last night. Studying, entertaining, chatting, anything that could distract attention, Xie Wenyu forced himself to do it.

He is like an ostrich, afraid to face the reality, only knowing how to escape blindly. Even if he can only escape for a short day, hour, or minute, it is a precious respite for Xie Wenyu.

But someone just didn’t let him breathe.

At eleven o’clock in the evening, Xie Wenkai called.

Xie Wenyu held the phone and struggled for a long time, not knowing what he would face after connecting. This unknown feeling made him afraid, so afraid that he dared not press the connect button.

Fortunately, the ringtone was cut off.

Just as Xie Wenyu breathed a sigh of relief, the second call came quickly, which caught Fang Yang’s attention. Fang Yang asked, “Who is calling?”

Xie Wenyu said nonsense: “My mother.”

After speaking, he held his heart, walked to the balcony, closed the door, and pressed the connect button after confirming that Fang Yang could not hear him.

Xie Wenyu cleared his throat: “Hello?”

“Why don’t you go home?” Xie Wenkai’s voice was steady and unwavering, no different from usual.

Xie Wenyu: “Uh…I’m sleeping at a friend’s house today.”

The other side fell silent.

The silence was so long that Xie Wenyu thought the phone was disconnected. Xie Wenkai said: “Are you hiding from me?”

Xie Wenyu subconsciously denied: “No.”

Xie Wenkai: “Then why live at a friend’s house?”

Xie Wenyu was at a loss: “I… “

Xie Wenkai: “If it’s because of what happened last night, I apologize for taking offense.”

Xie Wenyu laughed dryly: “It’s okay, after all, you’ve been drinking.”

Xie Wenkai: “Xie Wenyu, I was not drunk.”

The night wind suddenly picked up, carrying a burst of chill, Xie Wenyu shivered unconsciously: “Oh, really.”

Xie Wenkai: “I know exactly what I did.”

Xie Wenyu was stunned. He wanted to speak, he should also speak to stop his brother from talking, but his throat seemed to be choked by a pair of invisible hands, and he couldn’t utter a word.

Xie Wenkai: “I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.”

Xie Wenyu’s phone fell to the ground with a thud.