Chapter 58 - Could've Been You

"Wuming," Qing Chen breathed.

"What's up, Chen?" Wuming beamed. "And you know that's not my name."

Qing Chen dropped the metal vase on the book stand with a sigh. "Whatever your name is right now," he said.

Wuming jumped from the chair and walked towards him, like he had springs on his feet. He immediately engulfed Qing Chen in a hug, smelling like an expensive perfume Qing Chen was pretty sure Wuming found on his dresser.

Qing Chen patted his older brother's back, still only half-believing he was here in the flesh. "It's good to see you too, brother."

"I know right?!" Wuming released him. "Your wife's amazing by the way, but you have to tell her to be more careful around strangers. She shouldn't have let me in just like that."

"I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have let you in the house if you didn't look so much like me," Qing Chen muttered under his breath but he was sure Wuming heard him anyway. He took off his coat. "What's your business here, Wuming?"

"I just want to see the family."

Qing Chen narrowed his eyes. Wuming never went back to Chengshi just because 'he wants to see the family', it was always because of business. Dangerous business.

Wuming clicked his tongue. "Oh, come on. Don't ruin the mood. Let's talk about that later. You're going to accompany me to the house."

Qing Chen sat on his chair and closed his eyes. "I can't. I need to rest. You came home at a bad time. We just had a murder at the hotel."

"Yeah, about that…."

Qing Chen's eyes shot open. "Don't tell me that has something to do with you."

Wuming held out his hands, the brightness he had earlier extinguished like a candle. "It has something to do with all of us."

Qing Chen groaned and hit his head against the chair. He put a hand on his face. "What did you do this time?"

Wuming did not answer and saw the glinting platinum ring on his brother's finger. "The married life seems to suit you."

Qing Chen opened his mouth then gaped like a fish before arriving to an answer, looking away from him. "I'm not really sure about that. I really haven't had a break ever since this marriage."

A naughty smile appeared on Wuming's face. "Sleepless nights, huh?"

"Not that kind," Qing Chen said with a grave look. "There's just problems on top of problems."

"Like?"

"Oh don't pretend you don't know! Father writes to you constantly."

"But news arrive to me late," Wuming said. "I heard about the pregnancy thing?"

"Yeah, it was a mess," Qing Chen admitted. "You honestly got the easy way out of this."

Wuming's smile fell off his lips. He sat on the edge of Qing Chen's desk where a family picture was framed on top and was next to a wedding photo. In the family picture, there was their father, their grandmother, Qing Chen, and Qing Lok, all smiling at the camera. "I had to sacrifice a lot for what I did, Chen. It wasn't the easy way out."

"At least you didn't have to worry about the mafia and the hotel at the same time. You should've been in my place."

Wuming lightly chuckled, a little of his smile returning. "I'm sorry, little brother. Truthfully."

"You're not," Qing Chen said with a chuckle. He tasted something bitter at the back of his throat. Wuming should've been the one in this position—or Wuming should've been here, helping him. But he left. Things got shitty and their father made him push the eject button. "You're not, Wuming."

"Yeah, I am not," he laughed. He enjoyed his life up in the mountains, the fresh air, eating fresh fruits and vegetable he picked himself, and just letting his body do all the work. No thinking. No stupid suits (most of the time). No media coverage. God, he despised those.

Wuming looked around the room and saw the awards that lined the shelves and the wall. Qing Chen had always been a great student, the responsible, and Wuming was always the reckless one. "It is quite a life you've built, brother," he said, envy slowly creeping under his skin. Qing Chen was the living reminder of all the things he could not and would not get.

"It's not always great," Qing Chen answered.

"Breakfast's ready!" Feng Xuan shouted from downstairs.

"We'll talk more afterwards," Qing Chen said and the brothers went down. On the table, platters and platters of food were laid down, as if it was a feast. "Is it my birthday?"

"No," Feng Xuan laughed. "Your brother just returned. He should be fed."

"Thank you so much, sister-in-law. You're more welcoming than my little brother here," Wuming said.

Qing Chen only grunted at that and took his seat. The other two sat down on either side of him and they began to eat.

"Why didn't you tell me you have an older brother?" Feng Xuan said, biting into a rice cake.

"He's always away," Qing Chen said. "I honestly didn't think you would cross paths. Ever."

"Why is that?" Feng Xuan asked the man in front of her.

"It's just that my job requires me to be away from my family."

Feng Xuan lightly laughed. "Are you like a secret spy or something? Or like the Eastern version of the CIA or like, double-o seven?"

At that the man laughed, his eyes wide. "Maybe I am," he said. "Maybe I'm here because I have to kill, let's say, a politician."

Feng Xuan grinned back at him. "Must be exciting."

"Oh, it is," Wuming answered with a nod of his head.

Feng Xuan noticed the lack of food on his plate and rushed to put more. "You should eat a lot, Wei."

"Wei?!" asked Qing Chen, looking at Wuming. "You told her your name is Wei?"

"Is it not?" asked Feng Xuan, her eyes darting between the brothers.

'Wei' smiled at her. "It is. My name's Qing Wei."

"But he had long been Wuming," said Qing Chen.

"Wuming?!" exclaimed Feng Xuan. "Doesn't that mean nameless?"

"Yes," Wuming replied with a wink. "I am a man with no names, and many names. It's complicated like that. Let's just leave it there."

"And what does Wei mean?" she asked, persistent to get her answers.

"It depends on the characters you use. But my name was spelled to mean 'the one' or 'the only one', something like that."

"I like Wei better," Feng Xuan smiled.

"Me too," Wuming replied then whispered, "but for the safety of us all, call me Wuming."

Feng Xuan laughed, totally riding this I am a secret spy scheme. To be honest, she was terrified and was shaking down her bones when she had first opened the door after an unusual doorbell. But having seen the man behind the door—whom she first thought was her husband—there was not a sliver of doubt in her that he was Qing Chen's brother.

And there was no way that his brother-in-law would hurt her, right? So she let him in.

Qing Chen just rolled his eyes at everything that was happening and continued putting food for his grumbling stomach.

Wuming was not that hungry after his flight. The food looked delicious but he felt like his sense of taste was still thirty thousand feet up in the air.

"So where do you stay?" Feng Xuan asked.

"In the giant continent up north," he answered.

"Isn't it cold there?"

"It is, but it's really great during the summer and spring. You two should come and visit."

"No," Qing Chen answered quickly then when Feng Xuan's eyes pried for an answer he said, "we can't really leave. The business won't run on its own."

Wuming shrugged. "Maybe a vacation then," he said to which Qing Chen silently glared at him for.

I could catch a break if you were here and handle the mafia instead of putting it all on my shoulders, he thought in his head.

Feng Xuan nodded before turning back to Wei. "And you had been there since when?"

"Since I was eighteen." Wuming blinked and looked at Qing Chen then at Feng Xuan. "Come to think of it, if I didn't leave, you would've been my wife."

Something stuck on Qing Chen throat and he was coughing and was pounding on his chest. When he recovered, he said in a hoarse, "Don't even go there."

"Why not?" Wuming said, leaning on the table with his forearms. "It would've worked that way, wouldn't it? I would've been first son and the sacrificial lamb."

Qing Chen made a sound of disapproval.

Wuming twirled his glass, the water edging the rim but never dripping. His eyes flickered to Feng Xuan. "I'm kind of starting to regret I left."

"Alright, that's enough!" Qing Chen said and Wuming only smirked at him. "Let's go."

"Where are you going?" Feng Xuan asked.

Qing Chen only hardened the glare he had for Wuming. "We're going home."