ARBRMW : Chapter 94

“Aiyah, these kids, how could they drink so much?” Aunt Lin hurriedly called for the servants to prepare some hangover soup when she saw that Si Ye and Lin Yirun were slumped over in their chairs, completely unconscious.

“Si Ye, drink!” Lin Yirun muttered drunkenly, still calling out for more drinks.

Si Ye, on the other hand, was quiet when drunk, his head tilted against the chair as if he were asleep.

Lin Yijun and Lin Yixuan were also somewhat tipsy, though not as bad as the two of them. Neither Uncle nor Second Uncle were in great shape either.

“Si Ye, are you feeling unwell?” Chen Xu hadn’t noticed when Si Ye had been forced to drink so much since he had been preoccupied with Grandpa’s conversation.

Si Ye furrowed his brow, looking pale. Chen Xu, feeling concerned, gently touched his face and helped him up. “I’ll take him upstairs to rest.”

“I’ll help you carry him up. You can’t manage alone,” Lin Penghan, who had remained mostly sober along with Grandpa, offered.

“Thank you,” Chen Xu nodded at Lin Penghan.

Lin Penghan smiled awkwardly, “No need to thank Dad.”

After laying Si Ye on the bed, Lin Penghan, worried that Si Ye might cause trouble in his drunken state, reminded Chen Xu to call him if needed since he was just in the next room.

Once Lin Penghan left, Chen Xu closed the door and began to undress Si Ye, wiping him down with a towel dampened with warm water.

Soon, Zhuo Shunan brought a bowl of hangover soup. “It’s all your brother’s fault. I’ll have a good talk with him tomorrow.”

“Is Si Ye okay? Should I call the family doctor?”

“No need, he’s already asleep. It’s late, you should rest too,” Chen Xu took the hangover soup from Zhuo Shunan and assured her.

“Are you sure you can manage alone?” Zhuo Shunan looked at Chen Xu’s slim figure, worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle Si Ye if he caused a commotion.

“No problem, Si Ye is very quiet when drunk. He won’t cause trouble,” Chen Xu reassured her.

Zhuo Shunan nodded, “Alright, but remember to call us if anything happens.”

“Thank you, good night.” Chen Xu gently closed the door and brought the hangover soup to the bed. He patted Si Ye’s face, “Uncle Si, drink this hangover soup before you sleep.”

Unfortunately, Si Ye was deeply asleep and didn’t respond. Chen Xu watched him for a while, realizing Si Ye wouldn’t wake up to drink the soup. He took a sip himself and bent down to feed it to Si Ye.

The deeply intoxicated Si Ye, feeling something moist and soft against his lips, instinctively sought more of the liquid that soothed his dry throat. Chen Xu’s attempt to feed him the hangover soup turned into an intense kiss that left his eyes red and lips swollen.

However, Si Ye was too drunk to do anything more. After finally getting the hangover soup into him, Chen Xu had to head to the bathroom to deal with his own flustered state.

After showering, Chen Xu, still feeling a bit cool from the bath, lay down beside Si Ye. The moment he felt the coolness, Si Ye, like a human furnace, turned over and embraced him.

Well, that shower was a waste, Chen Xu thought. It wasn’t until the early morning hours that he finally fell asleep, only to be awakened shortly after by the sound of hurried footsteps and then vomiting.

He sat up abruptly and followed Si Ye to the bathroom, where Si Ye was vomiting violently into the toilet.

After vomiting two more times, Si Ye finally stopped as the morning light began to filter in.

Chen Xu had stayed up all night taking care of him, neither of them getting any decent rest.

By the time Chen Xu woke up, it was already midday. He found himself nestled in Si Ye’s arms, his hand resting on Si Ye’s stomach, where he had been massaging it as he fell asleep.

Getting up quietly, Chen Xu took a shower. When he came out, Si Ye was awake, rubbing his aching temples.

Chen Xu walked over and massaged his head, “Don’t drink like that again. You can’t just drink whenever someone offers. When did the head of the Si family become so obliging?”

Si Ye, his voice hoarse, pulled Chen Xu into an embrace, “It’s different; they’re your family.”

“I need to show some sincerity as their son-in-law. You married me at eighteen; it’s understandable if they’re upset. If it were my son, I’d want to break the other person’s legs.”

Chen Xu cupped his face and kissed his forehead, “It might sound harsh, but remember, you’re the most important to me. If I had to choose, I’d always choose you.”

It wasn’t that Chen Xu was heartless; he could see that the Lin family genuinely loved him. If he had grown up in this warm family, he would have been cherished. But the reality was that he had spent twelve years with the Chen family and then moved to the Si family. His childhood lacked love, and the first person to show him warmth was Si Ye.

Whether it was due to an imprinting effect or Si Ye’s early intervention, the fact remained that the first person was always special. Regardless of whether their future held together, Si Ye had given him all his deep affection, and that was enough for Chen Xu to prioritize him.

Si Ye held him close, nuzzling his cheek, “Mm.”

When Zhuo Shunan and the two aunts prepared clothes for Chen Xu, they also included some for Si Ye, which made Chen Xu happy. He found a matching set of couple outfits for them to wear.

When they came downstairs, everyone was greeted by a display of affection.

“Come have lunch. Didn’t sleep well last night, did you?” Zhuo Shunan noticed Si Ye’s pale face and the dark circles under Chen Xu’s eyes, knowing they must not have slept well.

“Sorry we got up late.” Chen Xu still felt like a guest, feeling a bit embarrassed for waking up so late on his first visit.

“It’s no big deal; I just got up myself,” Lin Peixin smiled, “Xiao Ze, you don’t need to be so polite. Relax a bit, no need for constant apologies and thanks.”

Chen Xu nodded and agreed, “Alright.”

In the Lin family, only Chen Xu was still in school and had summer vacation. Lin Yijun had already returned to the military, Lin Yixuan was called back to the lab, and the uncles, who hadn’t retired, had to go to work.

Lin Peixin also had an event later. Yesterday was a rare occasion for the whole family to gather and welcome Chen Xu back home.

Si Ye naturally took care of the food Chen Xu didn’t like, while Chen Xu took the food Si Ye picked out and put it into his bowl.

Watching their habitual way of eating together, Lin Peixin couldn’t help but laugh, “You two have such a great relationship. It’s making me want to find someone to date.”

Zhuo Shunan replied, “Aren’t you with that actor, Qiao?”

“Aunt, that’s just for show. We have a new movie coming out, and it’s all hype,” Lin Peixin explained. At thirty, she hadn’t brought home a single boyfriend, making the family inquire about every scandal, only to be told it was all just for publicity.

“None of it is real? Haven’t you found anyone you like?” Zhuo Shunan wasn’t worried about Lin Peixin finding a partner, given her excellence, but feared she might miss out on good matches due to being too picky.

“Aunt, there’s no rush. Look at my brother, he’s thirty-five and still single,” Lin Peixin joked, turning to Chen Xu. “In our family, Xiao Ze is the youngest but got married first. The rest of us are still single.”

Zhuo Shunan laughed, “Then you all need to catch up.”

Chen Xu looked at Si Ye seriously and said, “I’m just lucky.”

If not for his luck, he wouldn’t have had a second chance, nor would he have Si Ye’s deep love.

Si Ye, feeling Chen Xu’s gaze, squeezed his hand, conveying everything without words.

“You two are really over the top,” Lin Peixin teased, feeling envious.

Zhuo Shunan, on the other hand, was pleased to see their strong bond. The closer Chen Xu and Si Ye were, the more at ease she felt.

After lunch, Grandpa called Chen Xu over for a chat.

Grandpa wanted to throw a grand banquet to celebrate Chen Xu’s return.

“Do your adoptive parents know about this? Our family should properly thank them,” Grandpa asked. Though he didn’t like how Chen Yue and his wife had treated Chen Xu, they did take him in. Without them, Chen Xu might not have survived.

“They don’t need to know. It was my grandfather who adopted me,” Chen Xu said, hinting at how poorly Chen Yue and his wife had treated him.

Grandpa frowned at this but said, “Xiao Ze, it’s up to you.”

Chen Xu sat upright and, after a moment of hesitation, said, “I’m happy to be back with the Lin family and grateful for the efforts to find me. But my grandfather, Chen, saved my life. I hope to keep the name Chen Xu. I hope you understand.”

The Lin family valued tradition, and not changing his name might be hard for them to accept. But Chen Xu was a name given to him by his grandfather, and he didn’t want to change it.

Grandpa was taken aback but then nodded, “No problem. You’re right, Mr. Chen did a great favor for you, and for our family. Keeping his name is justified.”

“Thank you,” Chen Xu was surprised at how easily Grandpa accepted this.

“What’s in a name? You’re still our family, regardless,” Grandpa patted his head, smiling kindly.

Feeling touched by his words, Chen Xu nodded.

After leaving Grandpa’s study, Chen Xu ran into Lin Yirun.

“Xiao Ze,” Lin Yirun greeted him with a smile.

Chen Xu, however, didn’t return the smile. He walked up to Lin Yirun, “Can we talk?”

Surprised by Chen Xu’s cold demeanor, Lin Yirun felt uneasy, not knowing what he had done to offend him.

“Sure…sure,” he stammered.

Lin Yirun led Chen Xu to the tea room, where a servant brought tea and snacks.

“What do you want to talk about?” Lin Yirun asked, growing more anxious at Chen Xu’s stern expression.

Chen Xu set down his tea, his gaze sharp, “You’re my brother, and I understand you might think that I married Si Ye at eighteen because he deceived me. But I married him of my own free will. I love him very much and don’t want anyone to hurt him, even if it’s for my sake.”

“You might think I’m ungrateful, but I must tell you that targeting Si Ye is targeting me. I hope this doesn’t happen again.”

Shocked by Chen Xu’s firm stance, Lin Yirun felt conflicted. His brother seemed overly protective and perhaps too love-struck.

Despite his frustration with Chen Xu’s defense of Si Ye, Lin Yirun couldn’t help but respect his brother’s wishes for family harmony.

Unaware that Chen Xu’s strong reaction stemmed from past traumas, especially an incident where Si Ye had been poisoned, Lin Yirun couldn’t understand why Chen Xu was so adamant.

After their talk, Chen Xu went downstairs to find Si Ye, who had just finished a call with Secretary Jiang and looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xu immediately sensed something serious had happened.

“It’s Si Lin. He was in a car accident and is in critical condition,” Si Ye said grimly.

“What happened? He was supposed to visit Ms. Tao at the nursing home,” Chen Xu recalled telling the driver to take Si Lin there.

“He did. After leaving the nursing home, a truck lost control and hit him,” Si Ye explained.

Si Lin had dismissed the driver after arriving at the nursing home, not wanting the driver to report his visit duration to Si Ye. Unbeknownst to him, the nursing home staff would inform Si Ye anyway.

However, this decision spared the driver’s life. Si Lin was on the phone with Sun Pangfei, planning to meet him when the truck struck.

The driver, fatigued, fled the scene but was later apprehended by the police.

Though Chen Xu didn’t like Si Lin, he was Si Ye’s nephew. Deciding to return to City A with Si Ye, he said, “I’ll go with you.”

“You just came back to the Lin family. Leaving so soon doesn’t look good,” Si Ye, already packing, tried to dissuade him.

“I found my family. They won’t disappear. There’s nothing wrong with going back,” Chen Xu insisted, booking a flight on his phone.

Seeing his determination, Si Ye hugged him, kissing the top of his head, feeling a rare sense of calm.

Si Lin was his brother’s only bloodline and must survive.

“Xiao Ze, Si Ye, where are you going?” Zhuo Shunan asked, surprised to see them with luggage.

Si Ye explained the situation and apologized for their abrupt departure, asking her to inform Grandpa.

Hearing about Si Lin’s accident, Zhuo Shunan quickly arranged for a driver to take them to the airport, holding Chen Xu’s hand reluctantly, “Let me know if you need any help.”

“Thank you…Mom,” Chen Xu said softly, looking into her kind eyes.

Tears welled up in Zhuo Shunan’s eyes. She hadn’t expected to hear him call her “Mom” so soon.

“We’ll be in touch,” Chen Xu made a gesture, waving goodbye as they got into the car.

Covering her mouth, Zhuo Shunan nodded through her tears, “Alright, Mom will be waiting.”

Throughout the journey, Chen Xu held Si Ye’s hand, offering warmth and support.

“Si Lin will be okay,” he assured softly.

Si Ye nodded slowly, haunted by Mo Hang’s words about being cursed to loneliness. The losses of his brother, sister-in-law, and now the potential loss of his nephew weighed heavily on him.

Fatigued from the previous night’s drinking and today’s stress, Si Ye’s head throbbed. Supporting his head, he tried to alleviate the pain.

A warm hand touched his temple.

“Does it hurt? Want some water?” Chen Xu’s concern brought him back from his dark thoughts.

“I’m fine, not thirsty,” Si Ye said, squeezing Chen Xu’s hand.

Chen Xu let him rest his head on his shoulder, gently massaging, “Try to sleep.”

Initially sleepless, Si Ye was lulled by Chen Xu’s gentle touch, eventually drifting off.

When they landed, a driver was already waiting, and they headed straight to the hospital.

“How’s Si Lin?” Si Ye asked.

Secretary Jiang reported, “He’s still in critical condition. To save his life, the doctors had to amputate.”

Flying back from the capital took several hours, and to avoid delaying Si Lin’s treatment, Si Ye had instructed his lawyer to authorize all medical decisions.

The best doctors were attending to Si Lin, and amputation was a last resort to save his life.

Si Lin was only nineteen, the same age as Chen Xu.

After a moment of silence, Si Ye nodded, acknowledging the situation.

Chen Xu held his cold hand, “The priority is saving him. Technology is advanced; he can get a prosthetic.”

“Mm,” Si Ye responded absentmindedly.

Chen Xu sensed the heavy burden on Si Ye’s mind. As Si Lin was his brother’s only child, Si Ye felt immense guilt and responsibility for his condition.

Accidents happen unpredictably, and Chen Xu didn’t want Si Ye to blame himself for things beyond his control.

Si Lin lay in intensive care, pale and barely clinging to life.

Unexpectedly, Si Wanjing, Si Ye’s aunt, had already arrived, her presence adding tension.

“You finally showed up! Some might think you caused this!” she spat venomously.

Before Si Ye could respond, Chen Xu retorted, “You rarely show concern for Si Lin. Now you’re here, acting all righteous. Makes one wonder if you have ulterior motives.”

“You!” Si Wanjing fumed, pointing at Chen Xu. “Just because Si Ye supports you, don’t think you can be arrogant. I’m his elder; he owes me respect. Who are you to accuse me?”

Calmly, Chen Xu replied, “Respect is earned. If you don’t respect Si Ye, why should I respect you? I have every reason to suspect your intentions.”

Si Wanjing, rendered speechless by his sharp retort, could only glare at him, “Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

“Don’t worry about us. Our relationship is strong,” Chen Xu said, leaning on Si Ye’s shoulder and kissing him on the cheek, provoking Si Wanjing further.

Despite his frustration, Si Ye felt lighter, appreciating Chen Xu’s fierce loyalty. It reassured him of Chen Xu’s love.

Defeated, Si Wanjing stormed off in her high heels.

After discussing Si Lin’s condition with the doctor, Si Ye’s phone rang. It was Si Xuezhou, sounding terrified.

“Chen Xu… I’m so scared,” Si Xuezhou’s voice trembled, hinting at something terrible.

“What happened?” Chen Xu’s heart sank, fearing more bad news.

“My dad’s out, and my mom… she seems to have a breakdown. She’s laughing and saying things I don’t understand,” Si Xuezhou, for the first time, witnessed his mother in a severe state.

She was in her room, laughing and crying, speaking incoherently, her voice sharp and unsettling.

“Get out and call your dad. He needs to take her to the hospital,” Chen Xu instructed firmly.

“Okay…okay…” Si Xuezhou clutched his phone, trying to sneak out unnoticed.

But as he opened the door, he came face-to-face with his mother, holding a kitchen knife, her eyes vacant and deranged.

Their eyes met for several tense seconds, and Si Xuezhou, terrified, dropped his phone on the carpet.

“Mom…” he stammered, his voice triggering something in her.

Suddenly, she charged at him, causing him to slam the door shut and lock it with shaking hands.

But even behind the closed door, her violent attempts to break in continued.

She wants to kill me, Si Xuezhou realized, trembling. His mother wanted him dead.

“Die, die, die! Why aren’t you dead? You filthy creature!”

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D-day 9!! ?o?.(??? ??)

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