Chu Yan’s expression turned equally unpleasant. “If speaking the truth enrages you, and you’ve locked me up without my consent, what do you expect me to say that you want to hear?”
Shen Muchuan’s face flushed with anger upon hearing this, and his expression turned cold. “So now you have every reason to blame me for locking you up, but have you ever thought about how you treated me back then?”
As he spoke, he looked at Chu Yan and sneered, asking rhetorically, “In these five years, have you ever once thought of me? If I hadn’t come back this time, you probably would have completely forgotten about me, right?”
Chu Yan’s breath caught, and he looked at Shen Muchuan with his mouth slightly agape, unable to form a response, appearing utterly speechless.
Seeing Chu Yan rendered speechless by his words, Shen Muchuan’s heart sank, his emotions becoming incredibly complex, a mixture of bitterness and sourness flooding in all at once. This was probably for the best now. His brother couldn’t hurt him anymore… They could still be like they used to be, just the same as before…
With this thought, he gradually calmed down, his feelings settling. He raised his gaze to study Chu Yan’s expression and noticed that the anger on his face had subsided, replaced by a faint trace of sadness.
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Muchuan finally placed the slightly cooled porridge into Chu Yan’s hands. He took a slow breath and said, “The sea view here is beautiful, and there’s a mangrove forest. Would you like to go out and take a look?”
Seeing Chu Yan’s lack of response, he remained silent and took a few sips of the porridge. He seemed utterly uninterested in the proposal.
As Chu Yan ate, his eyes lowered, and his long, dense eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks. Shen Muchuan watched him for a while and noticed that he was eating slowly, looking quite reluctant.
This was Thai cuisine; perhaps, having grown up eating Chinese food, Chu Yan wasn’t used to it.
At that moment, Shen Muchuan’s phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at Chu Yan, who was still focused on his porridge, and then picked up his phone and walked towards the door.
As the glass door opened, the wind chimes hanging by the window produced a clear and melodious sound. Faintly, the sound of the sea gently caressing the shore could also be heard.
Watching Shen Muchuan walk away, Chu Yan tentatively followed him out of the room. On either side of the entrance were rows of palm trees, with a hammock between two of them. Three or four tanned security guards were sitting under the trees, chatting and seeming unconcerned about his presence.
The bright sunlight cast a dazzling glare on the beach. Chu Yan walked around the villa’s surroundings, taking in the view. He realized that this island was surprisingly small. Apart from the villa, there were only a few small wooden houses nearby. The island was surrounded by the sea on all sides, and no matter where he looked, there was no end in sight.
The only means of transportation seemed to be the two yachts resting by the coastline.
No wonder there’s no need for someone to watch over him. In a place like this, he probably can’t even swim his way out.
Chu Yan stood there, feeling the sea breeze against his skin. After about ten minutes, he noticed Shen Muchuan returning from outside. Shen Muchuan was wearing flip-flops and carrying a white plastic woven net bag containing several crabs.
Seeing Chu Yan’s profile in the sunlight, Shen Muchuan smiled and asked, “Brother, how would you like to have these crabs for lunch?”
Chu Yan looked at him, then his gaze shifted to the crabs in his hands. His eyes were filled with a weary sense of powerlessness. He sighed and asked, “Did you take away my phone and identification documents?”
Shen Muchuan’s brow furrowed, his knuckles clenched, but his expression remained calm as he said, “Yes, why do you ask about that, Brother?”
“I want to go out… Keeping me confined like this won’t solve any problems.”
Shen Muchuan looked at him, his voice turning colder, “I don’t want to hear these words. Brother, you better dispel this thought as soon as possible.”
As he spoke, he took a step closer to Chu Yan.
Chu Yan didn’t know what he was up to. Although he didn’t step back, his body instinctively tensed up, even his fingers curled slightly.
Sensing the sudden stiffness in his body, Shen Muchuan found it intriguing. He took another step forward and said, “Did Brother think I was going to do something to you?”
When Chu Yan realized the situation, he frowned in annoyance and said, “No.”
Seeing his reaction, Shen Muchuan smiled with a sense of pleasure and murmured, “Brother, I really like you a lot.”
He finished speaking and leaned in, gently kissing the corner of Chu Yan’s mouth. Then, he grabbed Chu Yan’s wrist and led him back to the villa.
Back in the living room, Shen Muchuan noticed that Chu Yan hadn’t worn shoes when he went out; the back of his feet and the gaps between his toes were covered in the soft, fine white sand from the beach.
“Wait.”
Leaving these words behind, Shen Muchuan turned and went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water. He then crouched down and after a while, he looked up at Chu Yan, his eyes revealing a nostalgic expression. “Brother, do you remember when we were kids and we went to catch crabs in the shallows at Jinxi Resort? I dragged you along for that.”
Chu Yan’s gaze flickered, and he bowed his head to clean the sand from his feet. After a moment, he softly said, “I don’t remember.”
Shen Muchuan didn’t mind, and he continued, lost in his own thoughts. “That day, we played for the entire day, getting covered in mud. We didn’t return home until evening. It was clearly my fault, yet you took the blame for me… In the end, Father punished you to copy books, but I didn’t face any consequences.”
Chu Yan thought to himself that he had done countless things like that back then; how could he remember each and every one of them?
Shen Muchuan looked at him and suddenly said, “Brother, how about the two of us stay here forever?”
Chu Yan looked at him in surprise, noticing the earnest expression on his face and the sense that he was awaiting a response. Chu Yan’s expression shifted, “You want to keep me locked up like this forever, and yet you’re asking if it’s okay?”
Seeing his reaction, Shen Muchuan appeared slightly annoyed, turning his face away. His thin lips almost formed a straight line, and the profile of his face seemed cold and silent.
Shen Muchuan said, “Brother.”
As Chu Yan continued to ignore him, Shen Muchuan observed him for a moment longer before finally getting up and walking away.
Chu Yan sat down and gradually drifted off to sleep, leaning against the sofa. When he woke up, he found himself covered with a thin blanket. The whole living room seemed unusually quiet, except for the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen.
As he turned his head, he noticed Shen Muchuan’s phone on the coffee table, occasionally emitting notification sounds.
Chu Yan felt somewhat helpless. Why place the phone here where he could easily see it?
He reached out and picked up the black smartphone, unlocking the screen, only to find that it was password-protected.
[There are cameras here, Host!]
Chu Yan sighed, [I know.]
[[Huh?]
However, he still entered the wrong password three times in a row, locking the screen. After waiting for sixty seconds, he tried a few more times in a hurry, all of which showed errors. Then he wiped the phone screen carefully and placed it back where it was.
During lunch, when Shen Muchuan opened his phone and noticed it had been tampered with, he raised an eyebrow, looked at Chu Yan, smiled, and said nothing.
It wasn’t until bedtime that the two continued to coexist without major issues.
The climate here was humid and hot, with many mosquitoes and insects. When Chu Yan came out of the bathroom, he felt a hint of minty fragrance on his body.
In the middle of the night, Chu Yan was sleeping soundly when he suddenly sensed movement. He drowsily opened his eyes, only to be startled by a sudden shadow covering him. Before he could fully wake up, he realized that one of his hands had been tied to the bedpost.
He strained and struggled, pulling at the ropes, but realized they were tied very securely.
“Shen… Muchuan?” The room was dimly lit, and with his nearsighted vision, he could hardly see anything clearly.
Hearing his voice, Shen Muchuan reached out and turned on the bedside lamp, not at all surprised to see the shocked and pale expression on Chu Yan’s face.
As soon as he saw Shen Muchuan, Chu Yan intensified his struggles even more, gritting his teeth and saying, “Shen Muchuan, you… let me go!”
Shen Muchuan grabbed the wrist of the hand that was trying to undo the ropes, easily pressing down on the upper half of his body that was struggling to sit up.
However, this only triggered an even more intense struggle from Chu Yan. Shen Muchuan almost couldn’t control him. So, he rolled over and straddled him, pinning his other wrist behind his back. He used his fingertip to apply pressure to his chin and then leaned down to kiss his cheek.
Amidst the chaos, Chu Yan turned his face away fiercely. His other hand continued to struggle desperately, and his wrist was twisted into an uncomfortable position.
Shen Muchuan used one hand to hold his wrist to prevent further struggling, freeing the other hand to unbutton his pajamas. As he continued to kiss down his jawline, he spoke in a soft, soothing voice, “Gege…”
Chu Yan was gasping intermittently due to the pain, his back covered in cold sweat, as he twisted his head and struggled, his breathing completely disorganized.
Shen Muchuan turned his face, forcing him to face himself, and then bit down on his lips.
Then, in the instant when he released his hold, Chu Yan immediately began to cough, and his entire body trembled intensely.
Shen Muchuan finally realized something was wrong and reached out to turn on the main light. Just as he got off the other man, he saw Chu Yan struggling to turn over and leaning over the edge of the bed, vomiting violently.
With one of his hands still bound to the bedpost, this position inevitably strained his wrist. Shen Muchuan was alarmed at the sight and immediately untied the rope.
Just as he finished untying the rope and was about to check his condition, he was caught off guard by Chu Yan, who suddenly swung a fierce punch at his chin.
The punch was forceful, catching Shen Muchuan off guard. He was knocked over onto the bed. After he regained his senses, he heard the sound of the door slamming shut, and in the room, there was no sign of Chu Yan anymore.
Shen Muchuan’s previously agitated state of mind felt as though it had been doused with a bucket of cold water, leaving him calm. However, as he settled down, a hint of anxiety began to creep in.
He realized that the front door would have been locked for the night. With this thought in mind, Shen Muchuan swiftly got out of bed. Before he could thoroughly search the second floor, he quickly noticed that one of the guest rooms had been locked from the inside.
Shen Muchuan stood at the door for a while, knocking but receiving no response. Feeling a bit uneasy, he took out the key and unlocked the door.
The room was brightly lit, and Chu Yan had been sleeping. Startled by the noise, he sat up alertly.
Seeing his reaction, Shen Muchuan didn’t know what to feel. After a moment’s thought, he spoke, “Brother, I was just trying to scare you earlier… Don’t take it seriously…”
Chu Yan remained silent, observing him for a while before eventually turning his back and going back to sleep.
Shen Muchuan moved over and gently took his wrist. There were traces of blood where the rope had rubbed against his skin, and his wrist joint had become visibly swollen.
After applying some medicine to his wrist, Shen Muchuan wanted to say something to Chu Yan. However, he noticed Chu Yan’s gaze fixated on his own chin.
Caught off guard by this intense gaze, She Muchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and an unexpected anticipation started to rise within him. “Gege…”
Chu Yan’s voice turned cold, “Don’t do this again in the future. If you do, I’ll hit you again.”
Shen Muchuan remained silent.
That night, Chu Yan didn’t manage to sleep until midnight. The next morning, when he saw Shen Muchuan, he noticed that the spot where he had punched was now bruised, and it was quite prominent since it was on his face.
During breakfast, Shen Muchuan caught a glimpse of the dark circles under Chu Yan’s eyes and paused slightly.
He sighed, his half-eaten piece of bread still in hand. He saw Chu Yan had already left the table, with most of his own food untouched.
If this could be attributed to the hot climate and a lack of appetite this time, Shen Muchuan couldn’t help but worry that this might continue for the next few days.
Support me on ko-fi ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ
