[[Especially after one particular incident. Pei Yan carelessly agreed to play hide-and-seek with his younger brother Pei Shen, but as soon as the countdown ended, he turned and went home, leaving Pei Shen hiding in a secluded corner outside for the entire night.
The next day, Luan Yi frantically brought people to search for Pei Shen, only to find him feverish but still clinging to the belief that his big brother, Pei Yan, would come to find him.
Pei Yan’s face turned pale with fear at the time. However, his concern wasn’t for Pei Shen’s health but rather the possibility that after recovering, Pei Shen might complain to their mother and reveal that he had deliberately deceived him into waiting there all night.
To Pei Yan’s surprise, when Pei Shen regained consciousness, he didn’t say a word. Even when questioned by their parents, he stubbornly insisted that he had simply wanted to stay outside and hadn’t wanted to come home. Luan Yi cried as she held Pei Shen tightly, overwhelmed with guilt and unsure what to do. But she didn’t press him further.
Although he was relieved that his deeds had been covered, Pei Yan was perplexed by Pei Shen’s decision to shield him. Why didn’t he speak up? It would have been so easy for him to let their parents punish him. Why did he act this way?
After this incident, Pei Yan made his first tentative attempt to soften his attitude and approach this “adopted” brother who had suddenly been brought home by their parents. But Pei Shen no longer clung to him as he had before. It was as if he had realized that Pei Yan despised him and didn’t want him in the family at all.
When Pei Yan noticed that Pei Shen not only stopped following him but even started avoiding him, his emotions became inexplicably complicated. Yet, his pride held him back from explaining himself.
Their relationship quickly grew distant and was never mended again.
Later, as time passed, Pei Yan discovered with increasing panic that the younger brother who had been brought back home was growing up at an astonishing pace.
When Pei Shen’s height shot up to nearly 1.9 meters, his figure and temperament had completely transformed into that of a fully grown man, and he became so inscrutable that Pei Yan found himself subconsciously intimidated.
Pei Yan then realized that he seemed to have underestimated his younger brother.
He turned out to be far more adept than him at managing and navigating the intricate affairs of their father’s company. Even the most cunning and arrogant executives were subconsciously wary of him and would not even dare to look him in the eye.
Pei Shen’s charisma, which effortlessly won the loyalty of those around him, eclipsed even the social skills that he had once prided himself on.
An increasingly anxious Pei Yan thought that his now-powerful younger brother might seek revenge. Yet Pei Shen never did.
But he would often stare at him silently, making Pei Yan tense, uneasy and irritated. As a result, he habitually used arrogance to raise all the thorns on his body, trying to warn Pei Shen not to get close to him.
Even in the previous life, when he had been foolish all the way and used by others to steal and leak important internal materials of the company, it seemed it was all because Pei Shen’s secretary had “accidentally” left the safe unlocked.
Until everything became irreversible.
In the end, after Pei Yan learned the entire truth, he didn’t inform anyone and directly said goodbye to this world in the most extreme way.
“But now, it’s all starting over.”
Pei Yan ran his hand over the book in front of him, counting silently in his heart: “One, two, three.” At the final second, he heard the anticipated knock on his bedroom door.
“Young Master, would you like to come downstairs? Madam has brought home a little young master…”
Aunt Lin looked at Pei Yan with a complex and worried expression. She didn’t know how to explain that Madam had brought home a younger brother. She was even more anxious, afraid that the proud and sensitive Young Master Pei Yan might feel hurt or angry.
If it weren’t for the changes in Pei Yan’s temperament recently, Aunt Lin wouldn’t have dared to say more.
“Alright, I’ll tidy up and head down.”
To Aunt Lin’s surprise, Pei Yan showed no sign of anger or doubt. He even smiled in a soothing manner, as if he could see through her unease.
Aunt Lin stared blankly at Pei Yan as he stood up and walked down the stairs. She felt that the young master had changed, but she didn’t know how to describe it.
But he had definitely become better than before.
Yet, it also felt like he had become more distant. ]]
“Are they about to meet!?”
As a reader, Lu Wei’s emotions surged as he reached this point.
After all, the detailed recollections of Pei Yan’s previous life, supplemented with rich descriptions, left Lu Wei feeling both thrilled and a little strange.
But if you asked him what made him feel strange? He couldn’t put his finger on it.
For example, Pei Shen in the previous life knew full well that his older brother despised him and had even plotted against him multiple times. Yet the ruthless and decisive Pei Shen, who dealt with others so ruthlessly, became soft when facing his brother, Pei Yan.
Even though it was no secret that Pei Yan’s tough exterior hid a fragile, insecure self, driven by a fear of losing his parents’ approval, and jealousy and resentment towards his younger brother…
Pei Shen never laid a finger on him.
That was really abnormal.
Logically speaking, with Pei Shen’s skills and abilities later on, he could have easily crushed Pei Yan if he wanted to.
“But Pei Shen’s various actions…why does it seem like a secret love?”
When Lu Wei analyzed the nuances in the Fish Soup Noodles’ writing and came to this groundbreaking conclusion ahead of other readers frantically discussing in the comments section, even he was deeply shocked and doubtful.
What kind of outrageous conclusion had he just reached?
Although he was a bookworm with a natural sensitivity to emotions and details in text, if this was a case of love at first sight, a hidden affection that lasted until Pei Yan’s tragic suicide…but those repressed feelings were never expressed!
So there was simply no explanation for all these abnormalities!
But if it was true…
“Wouldn’t it be too wonderful?”
Lu Wei’s mental power was fully immersed in the words of the novel, like a cat intoxicated by catnip, and his thoughts and analyses bounced around wildly.
“The key is, why couldn’t Pei Yan think about… why Pei Shen treated him so differently?”
Even though Pei Yan schemed against and targeted Pei Shen again and again, Pei Shen simply let his older brother continue his antics?
As Lu Wei’s thoughts became increasingly intrigued, he couldn’t help but tap his light brain to flip to the next page. After all, the moment of their first meeting in this life was just around the corner, an absolutely pivotal plot point!
[[“That young man on the stairs will be your brother from now on. Pei Shen, can you call him ‘Big Brother’?
When his mother’s words, which were so familiar to the bone, came from downstairs again, Pei Yan felt an indescribable sense of disorientation for a moment.
Was this the moment where everything began again?
But this time, as he recalled all that had happened in the past life, Pei Yan looked at the younger brother whom his mother had brought back into their home and what he saw was entirely different.
Details he had once ignored, blinded by jealousy, now surfaced.
For example, Pei Shen’s movements were somewhat hostile and vigilant. As if he was suppressing his resistance, he was led by Luan Yi and walked into the hall under everyone’s gaze.
For example, Pei Shen had not had time to change his clothes and was too thin.
It was obvious that he did not have a good life before being recognized by Luan Yi, and it was very likely that he had gone through something.
Why had he harbored such hatred toward Pei Shen back then?
“…”
As Pei Yan pondered over this in his heart, Luan Yi nervously glanced at her elder son, unsure if the once-willful and proud Pei Yan would accept this younger brother.
At Luan Yi’s words, Pei Shen raised his head and looked toward Pei Yan, who stood beneath the crystal chandelier.
But this time, to everyone’s surprise, Pei Yan quietly descended the stairs.
He even crouched slightly in front of Pei Shen, meeting the eyes of this younger brother who had yet to grow into the formidable figure of the future.
“My name is Pei Yan. Can you call me Big Brother?”
The cold and distant expression on his face softened, and under the warmth of his smile, it was as if the first snow of spring had begun to melt.]]
When Lu Wei read to this point in one breath, he felt inexplicably excited and wanted to flip to the next page immediately to see how Pei Shen, who was still a vigilant little puppy, would respond. But to his shock, he encountered the most terrifying thing of all.
“What! The progress bar is gone…”
The comforting, reassuring progress bar of three consecutive chapters had vanished!?
“What’s the point of this so-called triple update if it ends here? It’s no better than not updating at all!”
Lu Wei almost blurted out this complaint, which was often found in the comment section of Fish Soup Noodles’ books.
[Old bookworm collapses. Jpg]
Even the usually calm and composed Lu Wei couldn’t help but be agitated by this absurd cliffhanger, not to mention the comment section. The comment section of the new book on the Huanyu Reading Platform had already exploded.
[Damn it, damn it! I clearly know this kind of thing has happened countless times in the previous books, but I just can’t control my broken hands! I really can’t stockpile! I’m crying!]
[At least let us see how Pei Shen responds! I’m dying to know! In the past life, one sneer from his big brother could turn him into a clingy puppy. This time, it must be even more stimulating and confusing!? QAQ]
[Can’t you write just a few hundred more words, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles?! Don’t think we don’t know you’re perfectly capable of updating two books at once! [Gnashing teeth.jpg]]
