CH 139

Jin Yuan was very disoriented, his previously innocent-looking face now appearing even more naive and innocent.

The taste of peach blossom wine was not unpleasant, its light fragrance spraying onto Zhou Muxian’s face, immediately making him feel disoriented and lost.

“I… I want to help you change into your pajamas.”

When Jin Yuan heard this, his grip on him loosened and he fell back onto the bed, saying in a daze, “Thank you.”

Then he closed his eyes again.

Zhou Muxian was momentarily unsure whether to attribute this person’s behavior to strong self-preservation instincts or simply good manners.

Jin Yuan’s clothes were already halfway off and couldn’t be left hanging like this.

Zhou Muxian carefully climbed off of him and started to change Jin Yuan’s clothes.

This person had the typical build of someone who looked slim in clothes but had a muscular chest, abs, and biceps that were all in good shape, along with a pair of legs that were attractive. All of this was complemented by his often innocent-looking face.

As Zhou Muxian was buttoning up the pajamas, he was startled by his own thoughts. It was a bit crazy of him to think like that. It was a good thing that Jin Yuan had trusted him so much before.

Zhou Muxian obediently buttoned up the pajamas and put on his pants, covered himself with the blanket, and soon fell asleep. He was feeling a bit tired as well. He was renting a suite, and there was a large sofa not far away, but he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t gone to sleep on the sofa.

It was early June, and the rain was always a bit heavier at this time.

In the middle of the night, the sound of raindrops pitter-pattering down quietly made the sleeping person sleep soundly throughout the night.

. . . . .

When Jin Yuan woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

The hotel rooms were all the same, so he didn’t realize at first that he was sleeping in someone else’s bed.

His head was slightly throbbing, and he didn’t expect his alcohol tolerance to be so poor.

“Are you awake?” Zhou Muxian came over with a glass of honey water. “Drink this, it’s good for hangovers.”

Jin Yuan took the sweet water handed to him by Zhou Muxian and obediently drank two sips. He felt almost sober and realized his situation, feeling a little uneasy.

“Yesterday, thank you for your help.”

Zhou Muxian smiled, “It’s nothing, you don’t have to feel pressured. If you really want to thank me, how about treating me to lunch?”

“Of course.”

He readily agreed, and the two of them spent a few days together, establishing a bit of a “friendship”.

Jin Yuan is a very neat person, which makes Zhou Muxian feel comfortable. As they spent time together in Venice, they naturally became companions and had a good time exploring the city.

In the quiet night, they drank orange soda together and chatted on the balcony.

The topic ranged from hometown to hobbies, from taste to family, with nothing much to say. Then they brought up Jin Yang.

Originally, Zhou Muxian didn’t like Jin Yang, but since Mushi insisted on being with him, Zhou Muxian might as well listen to his story.

“My brother is a very kind person. When he was a child, he was always sickly and pitiful, but he never gave up on life. He worked hard from scratch, and even though his achievements may not seem like much to many people, everyone’s starting point is different. My brother didn’t have much to rely on, and I…I only held him back two years ago.

He has always been busy, but he also takes time to visit the orphanage and spend time with the children there.

It wasn’t until later when I went back and heard from them that one year the orphanage roof was leaking and they needed funding for repairs, but the funding wasn’t coming through. Among the children who came out of the orphanage, Xiao Yang was doing well. He was always willing to lend a hand at the orphanage.

The mother of the head of the orphanage talked to him and Xiao Yang took out tens of thousands of yuan. They repaired the house with joy and happiness. They also later found out that Xiao Yang’s company had some problems at the time, and for some reason, it suddenly went bankrupt even though it had been running smoothly. At that time, he even had a lot of debt on his shoulders and lived in a rented room, working several jobs a day…”

Zhou Muxian felt empty inside. He was very young at the time and only followed his mother’s instructions.

They always thought that Mushi and Jin Yang were not a good match. Their child was also stubborn, but they could only resort to this strategy. Looking back, they realized that this was really unfair to Jin Yang.

“People like us are mostly not afraid of hardship, but afraid that the fortress we have built with hard work will be easily broken like a pile of loose sand. That feeling is really uncomfortable. Besides, at that time, Xiao Yang’s problem was not about starting over from scratch, he even paid off his debt in full for three years.

He was used to living under the same roof as others, but I know he didn’t like it, and even felt disgusted. I can’t imagine how he got through those days and slowly made it to where he is today.

Sometimes I think, I’m really proud to have a brother who is self-motivated.

Fortunately, the bad things we went through are over now, and our lives are good. Xiao Yang has someone he likes and is living a decent life. My life is also good.

These things were something we never dared to imagine before. It’s good enough, and I just hope that no more bad things will happen in our lives.”

Zhou Muxian bit her straw and dared not look into Jin Yuan’s eyes.

It was his interference that ruined their peaceful life. He felt a little guilty now.

“What about you?” Jin Yuan, who didn’t know anything, spoke for a while and then asked the person next to him.

He couldn’t just keep talking about himself. Chatting should be a two-way conversation.

“I…I’m also fine, my family is harmonious, and we never worry about food or drink. Except for the pressure from my parents’ expectations, everything else is good.”

His tone was still light, but Jin Yuan could hear the bitterness seeping through.

Jin Yuan had a former cellmate who had just turned 18 and was in his last year of high school. He got into a scuffle with a classmate over a small disagreement, and unfortunately, the classmate hit his head on the desk corner and died.

The reason for the fight was that during the previous exam, the classmate scored higher than him and became the top scorer in the class. As an grown up child, he was always seen as honest in the eyes of parents, classmates, and teachers. No one would have thought he would fight with someone.

The reason for the fight was that if he did not get first place, his parents would punish him by making him kneel on a washboard and beating him with a willow stick. The following months would be filled with various forms of verbal abuse and emotional manipulation.

This person couldn’t take it anymore and ended up fighting with the classmate who did better than him.

End of Chapter 128