Chapter Eight: This Is My Man

The single word “brother” left Su Raochen stunned, pulling his memories back to five years ago, when the figure of a young boy surged up like the tide. “Mo Shen? Is that you, Mo Shen?” Su Raochen asked, uncertain. It was no wonder he failed to recognize him—before him stood a man who had changed greatly from the youth he remembered. Not only had he shot up in height, but even his once slightly aloof temperament had become… different.

“Yes, it’s me! Brother, don’t you recognize me? I’m so hurt, boo hoo.” Mo Shen’s arms stayed firmly wrapped around Su Raochen, his face inching closer to the nape of the person in his heart, just to breathe in the familiar scent of bamboo he had missed for five years.

Su Raochen hadn’t yet noticed those restless hands, instead musing to himself—had this boy spent too much time with Ye Laxiang? His manner and words had grown so peculiar, almost shameless.

Still, he found he didn’t mind.

It was only after a moment’s delay that Su Raochen realized those hands were clinging to him. His usually impassive face flushed scarlet at the ears. But Mo Shen showed no intention of letting go, so Su Raochen had no choice but to pat his hands, signaling him to release him.

As expected, Mo Shen slowly let go. Unexpectedly, his eyes reddened and he began to complain, “Brother, why did you hit me? I worked so hard to get this assignment just so I could see you…” Not content with just words, his eyes brimmed with tears, threatening to overflow and piercing into Su Raochen’s heart.

Even Su Raochen felt he might have been too harsh. But then he reconsidered—he’d only given a light tap to ask him to let go, hadn’t he? Was he really that rough? What he failed to notice was that at some point, his concern had shifted from the fact that Mo Shen was hugging him to whether or not he’d used too much force.

Mo Shen saw all of this. When he noticed Su Raochen’s conscious awareness—marked by his newly flushed ears—he knew he might never be able to let this person go.

“All right, stop crying. You’re too old for tears,” Su Raochen soothed, whether intentionally or not, but couldn’t help glancing at the young man whose height now only reached his chest.

Those thick brows, high nose, and slender, alluring eyes could easily captivate anyone. His thin lips curled in a dazzling smile, painting the picture of a sunny youth, yet there was also a wild, untamed charm, a wicked, seductive allure. With those tearful eyes, he somehow seemed inexplicably adorable.

When Mo Shen kept gazing at him, Su Raochen grew embarrassed and stopped his appraisal, missing the deep affection hidden in Mo Shen’s eyes. But what is concealed too long will one day erupt with shocking force.

Su Raochen then took Mo Shen’s hand and led him out of the alley, waiting for Lin Fan. During this time, Mo Shen told Su Raochen about his assignment.

A man had suddenly gone mad in Lingyou City, where Su Raochen lived. If it had been an ordinary person, Lingfeng Sect would not have intervened, but this time it was a rich merchant’s son. Out of fatherly love, the wealthy merchant pinned his hopes on Lingfeng Sect, wishing spiritual power might restore his son’s sanity.

“This was enough for you to come down the mountain? Has your spiritual power regressed?” Unwilling to admit Mo Shen had surpassed him in martial arts, Su Raochen resorted to a little sarcasm about spiritual power.

“That’s right, my progress is pitiful. Boo hoo… Maybe you could help me out some day, brother?” If Lingfeng Sect’s disciples heard this, they’d surely roll their eyes, but Mo Shen shamelessly lied, and to his surprise, Su Raochen agreed. Joy flashed across Mo Shen’s eyes; he hadn’t expected an actual promise, and happiness flooded him.

Su Raochen, too, wanted to guide Mo Shen, to prove that even if his martial skills lagged behind, at least his spiritual power… Yet he would never have guessed he was inviting a wolf into his home.

The sound of footsteps approached.

“Raochen, who is this?” Lin Fan asked, eyeing the stranger beside Su Raochen with wary suspicion. When he’d called out to Raochen earlier, the stranger’s gaze had been laden with indescribable emotion, dark and deep.

“Oh, this is Mo Shen,” Su Raochen introduced. Then, turning to Mo Shen, he said, “Mo Shen, this is my elder brother.”

“Hello.” Two voices rang out at once, different in tone but perfectly in sync.

Lin Fan hesitated, then laughed, “Since you’re Raochen’s friend, why not come back with us for a visit?” Out of politeness, he extended the invitation, never expecting Mo Shen would refuse outright.

“I won’t trouble you. I still have tasks to attend to, so I’ll take my leave,” Mo Shen replied coolly, the vinegar in his heart overturning barrel after barrel. But this wasn’t the place to talk—he’d wait for another time to have a proper conversation with his brother.

“Very well, until we meet again,” Su Raochen responded, thinking nothing of it, his heart light with the joy of reuniting with a friend. Little did he know that the other two would spend the day each weighed down by their own thoughts.