Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Jing Xuan crossed his arms and held his head high.
But when he saw that Jing Yuan didn’t obediently go to cook him noodles, but instead walked towards him step by step, Jing Xuan froze.
He cleared his throat. “Why aren’t you going yet?”
Deep down, he was still a little nervous. The saying “eldest brother is like a father” was no exaggeration; if Jing Yuan didn’t listen to him, there really wasn’t much he could do.
Jing Yuan narrowed his eyes and slowly approached him, like a dangerous cheetah. Then he pounced and grabbed Jing Xuan to tickle his waist.
“—I was wrong, I was wrong, brother, imperial brother, I was wrong—”
Jing Xuan had no choice but to admit defeat repeatedly, and only then did Jing Yuan let him go.
“What’s wrong with you now that you don’t like me?” Jing Yuan reached out and ruffled Jing Xuan’s hair.
“Don’t do this to me. I’m a man now. Don’t treat me like you did when I was a kid…”
If any of Jing Xuan’s subordinates saw this scene, they would never believe that the person complaining to his brother was their charming President Wang.
Seeing that Jing Xuan was getting a little annoyed, Jing Yuan withdrew his hand and smiled.
Are you really hungry? Or are you just in a bad mood?
Chu Jingyuan knew him too well. Jing Xuan silently lowered his head and fiddled with his hair, looking like a sulking boy.
His younger brother remained silent, so Chu Jingyuan leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
“Not going to tell? Then I’ll guess,” he said. “Is someone throwing a tantrum because they haven’t had enough time with their mother?”
Upon hearing this, Jing Xuan lowered his hand, feeling somewhat helpless. So many years had passed, yet Jing Yuan still spoke to him as if he were still that little child from back then.
“I’m almost thirty, how could I be so childish?” Jing Xuan said helplessly. “It’s just… there’s something our mother wants to tell you, but she’s afraid you won’t accept it, so she asked me to comfort you.”
“What’s wrong?” Jing Yuan frowned. “She has a man?”
“It’s even more terrifying than that,” Jing Xuan said.
Next, he carefully explained the situation to Jing Yuan. For example, their world was originally a book, Jiang Shining’s previous profession, and the fact that she had also traveled to other worlds, so— she would also have other children.
After saying that, he looked up again and, sure enough, Jing Yuan’s face had darkened.
“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t accept it,” Jing Xuan sighed. “Just consider us a blended family.”
“…That’s ridiculous!” Jing Yuan frowned. “With so many children, wouldn’t they take away a lot of her attention?”
Jing Xuan didn’t speak. He even felt quite pleased— in the past, Jiang Shining always prioritized Jing Yuan, but now he let him experience what it felt like to be himself.
Jing Yuan glanced at Jing Xuan and said, “Is this how you comfort me?”
“Otherwise what? Oh, right, I have good news.” Jing Xuan smiled, “There’s a very cute little girl named Jiang Guoguo.”
Jing Yuan was taken aback. “Why can she take our mother’s surname?”
“Mother found her at an orphanage,” Jing Xuan said. “It’s normal for her to take mother’s surname.”
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan fell into deep thought. Jing Xuan raised his eyebrows, sensing that he was planning something.
Sure enough, after a while, Jing Yuan said, “I grew up abroad and have never had a Chinese name. Otherwise, I can also take my mother’s surname.”
Jing Xuan: …
Jing Xuan: “No.”
“Why?” Jing Yuan asked, puzzled. Seeing Jing Xuan’s displeasure, he smiled and said, “I know, President Wang can’t change his surname, so he’s unhappy.”
“Brothers should stand together through thick and thin.” Jing Xuan said without changing his expression. “In that case, it would be great if you took my surname, Wang. My name is Wang Muze, and you can be called Wang Musen. Water and forest blend together, which is quite poetic.”
“You wish.”
The two bickered for a long time, and then Jing Xuan said he was hungry, to which Jing Yuan sighed helplessly.
“Wait, I’ll make it for you.”
Jing Xuan was a little unaccustomed to Jing Yuan’s compliance.
Chu Jingyuan reached out and gently tapped Jing Xuan’s forehead.
“Actually, in my previous life, I did my best to survive. As your brother, I did make some mistakes.” Jing Yuan sighed. “Now that we are both free, I’ll make you a midnight snack. You’ve never eaten my cooking before.”
Jing Xuan fell silent. His feelings for Jing Yuan were indeed complex. During those brief seventeen years, he had indeed been envious and jealous of his brother’s favor with their mother, but Chu Jingyuan had also been genuinely good to him. He truly loved and respected this older brother.
Only in front of Chu Jingyuan could he be his carefree self again.
Jing Yuan thought the noodles were too bland. A little while later, Jing Yuan stir-fried two dishes, took a bottle of wine, and put them on the table.
“Jiu’er, have a taste,” Jing Yuan called softly.
In his previous life, Jing Xuan was the ninth among the princes, and that’s what Jing Yuan called him.
Jing Xuan was also somewhat moved. How long had it been since the two brothers last sat together so carefree?
He picked up a piece of food; it tasted neither good nor bad. But he still smiled.
“Your skills are naturally excellent.”
The two ate and drank in silence, but both felt a pang of sadness. On one hand, they were reminiscing about the past; on the other hand, everything had changed. There was no such thing as starting over in this world.
Even if they had reunited with their mother, she no longer belonged solely to them.
But as children, they had no choice. Being able to reunite was already a blessing from heaven; what more could they ask for?
Jing Yuan was indeed having a hard time accepting this immediately. If he were a child, he might have thrown a tantrum at Jiang Shining or even distanced himself from her. But he was now grown up, had experienced far more difficult things, and was no longer the young emperor he once was.
In the end, all those grievances and emotions turned into a sigh on his lips and a glass of wine.
He downed the drink in one gulp, put down the cup, and murmured softly, “Jiu’er…”
Jing Xuan knew Jing Yuan was sad, so he smiled and refilled their glasses.
“Seventh Brother. Don’t forget, we have nothing to do with Chu Haoli anymore, and we are not his children.” He said slowly, “After tonight, I will no longer call you Seventh Brother. We are Mother’s children, and I will call you Big Brother from now on.”
“What’s the point of calling them all that?” Jing Yuan sighed. “Never mind, it’s good that we can reunite… Nothing in this world is perfect. If we’re suffering like this, others probably aren’t doing any better either. Thinking about it this way, it seems fair.”
Jing Xuan smiled helplessly.
….
The next day, when the two arrived at Jiang Shining’s villa, Jiang Shining was feeding Guoguo candy.
The woman was holding a jar of candy, and the little girl was bouncing around her, trying to reach for it. Jiang Shining, however, raised her arm higher.
“You can’t eat too much sugar, it’ll cause cavities,” she said. “How about this, I’ll give Guoguo one today, and if she behaves well, she can have more on the weekend, okay?”
The little girl nodded repeatedly, and Jiang Shining then gave her a piece of fruit candy.
Guoguo’s cheeks bulged out as she ate her candy, while Jiang Shining sat down to braid her hair. Looking up, she saw her two eldest sons standing in the doorway and couldn’t help but smile.
“Guoguo, another one of your big brothers has come.”
Guoguo looked up and immediately exclaimed happily, “So handsome!”
Even Jing Yuan couldn’t help but smile; his mood wasn’t as bad as it had been the night before.
After her hair was braided, Guoguo ran over and looked at them curiously.
“He is Jing Xuan, who are you?”
“My name is Jing Yuan.” Jing Yuan squatted down and said patiently, “I am your brother’s brother. If he bullies you, you can tell me.”
Guoguo looked left and right, and the two handsome boys made her especially happy.
Jiang Shining couldn’t help but worry. Growing up in this kind of environment, it would be a problem for her to find a boyfriend in the future. With so many older brothers, she’d probably have very high standards when it comes to boyfriends.
“Guoguo, you can call me Jing Xuan at home, but what should you call when you meet strangers?” Jing Xuan asked her slowly.
The little girl thought for a moment, then said in a clear voice, “Wang Muze.”
Jing Xuan nodded, and then she looked at Jing Yuan.
“What do I call you when we’re out in public?”
Jing Yuan said gently, “Take my name, Wang Musen.”
Hearing him say that, Jing Xuan was a little surprised, and then turned his head away, as if he was a little shy.
Jiang Shining knew at a glance that Jing Xuan must have given the name; the two of them had probably been teasing each other last night. Jing Yuan, on the other hand, managed to appease both of them.
“Alright, those who need to go to work, go to work; those who need to go to school, go to school,” Jiang Shining said. “As for the unemployed— they can figure it out themselves.”
“I’m going to work with President Wang,” Jing Yuan said with a smile. “I just got a cleaning job from him yesterday.”
“Don’t come again,” Jing Xuan said. “If you come for another week, you’ll scare everyone in my company away.”
After thinking it over, Jing Xuan realized that Jing Yuan always did things too unexpectedly, and he was afraid that letting him out would lead to something earth-shattering. Helpless, Jing Xuan said, “You should still come with me to be a cleaner.”
“Actually, you don’t need to worry so much. I can’t do anything on my own.” Jing Yuan smiled dashingly, then added, “Do you know which acquaintance I found out about before?”
“Who?”
“Zhang Qingning”.
Zhang Qingning was the chief eunuch who served Jing Yuan after he ascended the throne in the previous life. He was extremely loyal and followed Jing Yuan until his death.
Only……
“If he sees you, he’ll be terrified.” Jing Xuan couldn’t bear to imagine the scene. “You should let him go and let him live his own life.”
“That’s why I didn’t go to visit,” Jing Yuan said.
The two were chatting when the little girl reached out her hand.
“Brother, hug me.”
Jing Xuan then bent down and picked her up.
Jing Yuan reached out and gently pinched her nose. “Why won’t you let me hug you?”
Guoguo wrapped her arms around Jing Xuan’s neck and giggled, “Because Guoguo isn’t familiar with you.”
So cute.
Jing Yuan reached out and touched her hair.
At that moment, he suddenly thought that if his mother’s other children were all daughters… they would all be very lovable.
If that were really the case… just thinking about it makes me happy.
The author has something to say:
Jing Yuan, with his incredibly beautiful dreams ←_←
It is predicted that Guoguo will have a hard time finding a boyfriend when she grows up.
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