CHAPTER 3

The Ice and Snow Kingdom of Lishui, nestled in the northernmost reaches of Z Country, is perpetually shrouded in snow and wind. The heavens and earth are perpetually veiled in a thick blanket of silver snow, a sight initially breathtaking but ultimately desolate.

 

Yet Yu Huan seemed never to tire of the view. He could sit by the window for half a day, his gaze fixed on the swirling flakes.

 

He Chen leaned against the wall, watching Yu Huan as if he could never look away. When he finally reached out to touch him, the person staring out the window deftly dodged his hand.

 

“Brother, are you watching the snow, or are you watching me?”

 

“I’m watching the car.”

 

He Chen hadn’t expected Yu Huan to actually answer. Delighted, he leaned in to see what Yu Huan was looking at. “Do you like that car? I can give it to you.”

 

“I was just thinking how much better it would have been if I hadn’t gotten into that car back then.”

 

He Chen’s face darkened, a hint of sadness flickering in his eyes. He gripped Yu Huan’s chin, forcing him to look up. “Wasn’t it good before? Do you have to provoke me?”

 

They both knew what car Yu Huan was referring to.

 

Thirteen years ago, Yu Huan was only sixteen, yet he was the oldest child at the orphanage.

 

It was just past the start of summer that day. The weather was neither cold nor hot, and the sunlight was perfect. Yu Huan sat at the end of the second-floor corridor, sketching lines no one else could understand, when a black car suddenly entered his field of vision.

 

Every time a car parked there, it meant a child was about to be adopted.

 

Yu Huan was already sixteen, clearly past the age for adoption. So he simply sat on the second floor, studying the new family who had arrived.

 

The first to step out of the car was a middle-aged man in a suit. His hair was slicked back with oil, his physique slightly portly, and he was otherwise unremarkable.

 

The back door opened next, and a young man emerged. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to feel the sky. The gentle sunlight caressed his fair face, making him look like an angel fallen from heaven.

 

Yu Huan’s heart pounded in his chest. For the first time, he picked up his pen to sketch a person in his notebook.

 

He couldn’t concentrate on his drawing. He envied the child about to be adopted. What kind of lucky person could live with someone as beautiful as that angel?

 

When Yu Huan finished his sketch and looked up again, the young man had already disappeared. He felt a pang of disappointment, wishing he could have gazed at him just a moment longer.

 

He didn’t notice a tall figure approaching him step by step.

 

“Why aren’t you down there playing with them?”

 

Yu Huan turned around to find the angel-like person standing right beside him. He could almost smell the faint fragrance emanating from him.

 

He couldn’t identify the scent, but it was incredibly pleasant.

 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” The young He Chen leaned down slightly, and his eyes widened imperceptibly the moment he saw Yu Huan’s face. He hadn’t yet learned to conceal his emotions, but fortunately, Yu Huan was too simple-minded at the time to notice.

 

Yu Huan clutched a thumb-sized pencil and wrote carefully, stroke by stroke: ‘I can’t speak.’

 

“Can’t you make sounds, or can’t you express yourself?”

 

Yu Huan blinked, then shook his head. He couldn’t understand such a complex sentence.

 

He Chen gently tucked a strand of hair behind Yu Huan’s ear. “It’s okay if you can’t speak. I like you very much. Will you come with me?”

 

Yu Huan froze for a moment, then his face lit up with a radiant smile as he nodded vigorously. If he could live with this beautiful angel, he would gladly sacrifice his life to a fairy in return.

 

If I hadn’t gotten into that car back then, none of this would have happened.

 

Yu Huan would rather still be that ignorant fool, endlessly sketching incomprehensible lines in the attic, even if it meant dying alone one day. At least he would have been carefree.

 

Yu Huan stared at the now-grown He Chen and said, word by word, “I truly regret getting into that car.”

 

He Chen’s grip tightened, and he desperately wanted to strangle Yu Huan right then and there, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 

“He Huan, why do you have to be so stubborn? What good does it do you?”

 

“Seeing you unhappy makes me happy.”

 

Yu Huan brushed off He Chen’s hand and swayed away.

 

He Chen was left standing by the window, staring at his own hand, lost in thought.

 

---

 

Liu Ying and Zhou Hua rushed to Lishui overnight, but the house was guarded by bodyguards around the clock. They waited outside for an entire day without finding a single opportunity.

 

“Aren’t you holding something back? What kind of brother would lock up his own brother like some kind of pervert?”

 

Zhou Hua lowered his eyelids, and after a long moment, whispered, “They’re not ordinary brothers.”

 

He Huan had told him the truth later:

 

He Huan was adopted. At sixteen, he was brought home by twelve-year-old He Chen.

 

Even later, He Huan never understood why the He Family, who already had an excellent son, would take their son to adopt another child.

 

The only thing He Huan could remember was that his adoptive parents had initially opposed the adoption. But after the orphanage director showed them his file, they suddenly changed their minds and agreed, treating He Huan with great kindness.

 

The young He Huan thought he had arrived in paradise, but he had actually fallen into a wolf’s den.

 

The He Family appeared loving on the surface, but they were already estranged. Aside from mealtimes, the family rarely gathered together.

 

From the moment he entered the He Family, He Huan had lived with He Chen.

 

He Chen never showed any disgust for He Huan’s flaws. He even bought many books and patiently taught He Huan to relearn how to read and speak.

 

He Huan’s world revolved solely around He Chen. So even as his intelligence gradually returned, he remained utterly dependent on He Chen. He was also cold and dismissive towards anyone who tried to befriend him.

 

It’s easy to imagine how devastated He Huan must have been when he realized he and He Chen were being separated.

 

What truly crushed He Huan was He Chen’s attitude. He Chen had discarded He Huan like a toy he’d lost interest in, remaining completely unmoved by He Huan’s tears and tantrums. He even wanted to kick He Huan out of the He Family.

 

He Chen didn’t mind supporting another person, but he refused to put up with someone who constantly whined and made a scene.

 

It took He Huan a full year to recover from his despair. Gradually, under Zhou Hua’s guidance, he began to explore a wider world. It was during this time that he learned even the closest people have their own private spaces and friends. Normal brothers don’t stick together all day long, let alone exchange constant morning and evening kisses.

 

Zhou Hua was utterly stunned the first time He Huan kissed him. It was shortly after they entered their senior year of high school. He Huan wasn’t particularly bright and often needed Zhou Hua to explain his homework.

 

During an evening study session, Zhou Hua was helping He Huan with a geography problem when He Huan, smiling brightly, suddenly kissed him on the cheek.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

In the quiet study hall, Zhou Hua covered his face and his voice cracked with shock.

 

The geography teacher glanced at Zhou Hua, who was slouched at his desk with his head buried in his arms. He merely snorted coldly and said nothing.

 

Zhou Hua glared at He Huan, who looked completely bewildered. “What were you doing just now? Why did you suddenly kiss me?”

 

“Because I like you.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

This time, Zhou Hua was politely asked to leave the classroom.

 

Standing in the chilly autumn wind, Zhou Hua began to ponder what he had done to make He Huan develop such feelings for him. Should he start distancing himself from He Huan?

 

‘Oh no, is He Huan going to pull the same stunt he did with He Chen—crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide?’

 

Zhou Hua had witnessed firsthand how terrifying He Huan’s persistence could be. Those moist, pleading eyes… besides He Chen, who could possibly resist them?

 

‘If Mom finds out about this, she’ll kill me!’

 

Zhou Hua spent the entire class period outside, filled with anxiety. When he returned, he solemnly rejected He Huan.

 

As expected, He Huan’s eyes immediately turned red. “If you don’t like me, why were you so nice to me?”

 

“You’re my classmate. It’s normal for me to be nice to you, just like I’m nice to Li Jun, Wu Feiyang, and the others.”

 

That night, He Huan was crestfallen and stopped bothering Zhou Hua with questions.

 

Zhou Hua breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he felt like a heartless scoundrel.

 

The next day, He Huan kept sighing and moaning, making Zhou Hua almost give in and surrender.

 

Finally, He Huan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Then I won’t kiss you anymore. Just promise you won’t ignore me, okay?”

 

“It’s not about kissing. The problem is you can’t like me.”

 

“Why can’t I like you? Don’t you like me too? And Li Jun and Wu Feiyang?”

 

He Huan’s voice was loud, and the two boys he’d named turned around in shock.

 

Zhou Hua felt utterly wronged. This huge pile of shit had been dumped on him, and he’d never be able to wash it off, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

 

“Dude, who told you all this? I’m straight! Straight, okay?”

 

“What straight?”

 

“I like girls, you know?”

 

“I know you like girls, but don’t you like me too?”

 

“When did I ever say I liked you? Stop jumping to conclusions, will you?”

 

“I’m not jumping to conclusions. Isn’t being nice to someone the same as liking them?”

 

“Hold on. First, tell me, who told you that being nice to someone means you like them?”

 

“He Chen.”

 

“So he taught you to kiss people too?”

 

He Huan nodded.

 

The entire group gathered around He Huan to explain the different kinds of liking in detail.

 

Zhou Hua accidentally bumped into He Chen and couldn’t resist stopping him. He asked what He Chen had been teaching He Huan all day, since He Huan seemed to understand nothing yet was running around kissing people indiscriminately.

 

He Chen glared at Zhou Hua, his gaze so cold it felt like he wanted to tear him apart. “Did he kiss you?”

 

Zhou Hua swallowed hard. “Didn’t you teach him everything?”

 

Looking back, he probably shouldn’t have told He Chen. When He Huan returned from vacation, he was injured. No matter how Zhou Hua asked, He Huan insisted it was just a careless cut from a knife.

 

He wasn’t lying.

 

Because the one who had cut him was He Chen.

 

After hearing the story, Liu Ying was equally shocked. “He Chen, is there something wrong with your mental state?”

 

“Maybe. His possessiveness over He Huan is inexplicably twisted and extreme.”

 

Even if he didn’t want He Huan, he wouldn’t let anyone else touch him.

 

Liu Ying looked out the window. The long gap between high school graduation and now, at age twenty-nine, must have been filled with untold events.

 

Chapter 3