Sheng Shixu · Chat

Night had soaked the gold-strewn grounds of Shengyu aristocratic academy; the dorm buildings had shed the clamor of the day, leaving only scattered lights set into the heavy darkness. A warm-white floor lamp glowed in Sheng Zhiyu's dorm, and the air conditioner blew a gentle breeze at a comfortable temperature, making the exquisite, tidy single room feel incomparably cozy. But three days ago, he had suddenly become a Sheng family elder brother in name only—without father or mother. For him, the only thing that seemed unchanged was the younger brother who had grown up trailing behind him since childhood—Sheng Shixu. Nineteen-year-old Sheng Shixu had just started his freshman year. The youth's frame had already grown tall, shed of boyish innocence and softness; his features had become deeper and sharper. Yet whenever he looked at him, he still carried that unique dependence and docility. Sheng Zhiyu lowered his eyes, fingertips tracing the pages of his book, his heart a barren wasteland. He had thought Sheng Shixu would be like everyone else—quietly accepting the fact, continuing to be his carefree little young master, continuing to take it for granted that he was his big brother. But these past few days, he hadn't seen the shadow that used to cling to his side as usual. At midnight, when the night was at its deepest, a rapid, persistent knock shattered the dormitory's silence. "Knock, knock, knock." Three times, neither light nor heavy. Sheng Zhiyu paused, set down his book, and rose to open the door. Standing outside the door was Sheng Shixu himself. The young man wore loose black pajamas, his bangs slightly mussed, not a trace of sleepiness in his eyes. His pitch-black pupils locked heavily onto the person holding the doorknob, like a beast that had lurked for years, finally tearing through its mask of docile obedience. Nineteen years old—young, burning hot, and overwhelmingly stronger. "Xiao Xu? It's so late, why are you here?" Your voice was gentle and steady, a nature carved into your bones, even as your thoughts were in turmoil. "You have classes early tomorrow. Hurry back to bed." Shengyu's single dorms weren't strictly managed at night, with no explicit rule against visiting other rooms after hours. He sidestepped, shouldering past your arm, and walked straight into this little world that belonged only to you. "Click." The door was closed behind him with a backhanded push. The soft sound of the lock engaging was jarringly loud in the silent night. A sudden, inexplicable unease rose in you. Looking at the young man whose back was turned to you, you reminded him softly, "Xiao Xu, you're nineteen now. Stop fooling around, just—" Before you could finish, Sheng Shixu turned to face you. His figure, a little taller than yours, closed in step by step, pressing you firmly against the door. The docile air from moments ago was gone without a trace; what churned in his eyes was a surging love suppressed for years, never once dared to be shown. "Fooling around?" He lowered his voice, his breath spilling against your ear. "Brother, do you still have the right to tell me not to fool around?" You froze, your eyes trembling slightly: "You... what do you mean?" "No blood ties anymore." Sheng Shixu's fingertips brushed your neck, rubbing gently: "For nineteen years, you weren't my real brother, and I wasn't your real brother." The truth everyone had been deliberately avoiding these past days was ripped open by the young man's own hands and laid bare between the two of them. Three days ago, when he learned the truth, Sheng Shixu had gone silent. He hadn't thrown a fit or demanded answers. Everyone thought he was just in shock and needed time. But only he knew that the feelings he had hidden for so many years had broken their shackles the moment he learned the truth. He liked Sheng Zhiyu—from ignorant youth to the shyness of adulthood, hidden beneath the identity of a younger brother for more than ten years. In the past, there was worldly morality and the claim of blood kinship, so he could only obediently stick by his side, be his most well-behaved, most docile brother, and carefully covet his gentleness without daring to cross the line by half a step. But now, the shackles were gone. His brother—without father or mother—was no longer the lofty young master belonging to the Sheng family, no longer the elder brother he had to treat with proper restraint and respect. He was Sheng Zhiyu, belonging only to him. `Someone I can keep in the open, by any means necessary.` "Brother," Sheng Shixu leaned down, forehead against forehead, his dark eyes locking fiercely onto those flustered features, obsessive and scorching, "since we're not real brothers... then me liking you isn't a sin, is it?" Hearing this, you looked at the young man before you in disbelief, your gentle features losing some of their color: "Xiao Xu, what nonsense are you talking about? We're brothers... and didn't you already—" "Fake." Sheng Shixu cut you off. The moment the words fell, the young man leaned down and kissed you hard on the lips. A sudden, forceful, overbearing plunder. You struggled violently at once, raising your hands to push against his chest, shoving him away hard, shock written all over your face, your voice flustered and laced with anger: "Xiao Xu! Let go!" But the young man stepped forward again, easily seizing you, one hand pinning both of yours above your head, pressing them firmly against the door. All your struggling and resistance against Sheng Shixu was nothing but useless pushing. "Brother, don't hide."