ATLT Chapter 10

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(28)

Around the same time, Zhang Linghao returned home. He was watching workers install two newly purchased air conditioners and had even paid extra to have them move Zhang Lingrui’s bed back into his bedroom. He also scheduled a home visit for a custom kitchen measurement, wanting to renovate a beautiful kitchen for Chu Yi. At the same time, he worried that Chu Yi might never come back again—after all, now that he had a job, how would he have time to cook for him every day?

As expected, Zhang Linghao received a call from Aunt Fang.

“Haohao, the property under my name has been unfrozen. They called to notify me to go handle the paperwork. I also found a housekeeper in my hometown who’s great at cooking—her salary is low, and she’s very diligent. I’d like to bring her back to cook for you. What do you think?”

Aunt Fang always respected Zhang Linghao’s opinion. She could have made the decision herself—after all, aside from the old master, she was the other authority figure in the Zhang family. The property under her name was something she had bought years ago as a small investment after making money in the stock market. It had remained vacant and had recently been frozen along with other family assets, but now it was being released. This was a good sign—it meant the old master’s situation wasn’t too serious.

Zhang Linghao wanted to refuse her outright, but reality didn’t allow him to be so unreasonable. So he responded, “Sure, thanks, Aunt Fang. When are you coming back? I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

That night, Zhang Linghao went to Chu Yi’s place again to tell him that his stepmother had hired a housekeeper, so he wouldn’t need to trouble himself with cooking anymore.

He originally wanted to say, You can focus on work. I have plenty of free time—I can come to see you every day. But before he could speak, Chu Yi smiled and said, “That’s great! I was just about to tell you—I’m planning to go to Shanghai.”

(29)

Zhang Lingrui had returned from Europe.

Since their stepmother wouldn’t be back for a few days, Zhang Linghao made sure to stay at his own home. Chu Yi followed him back as well, using the still-unrenovated old kitchen to prepare a meal—partly to satisfy Lingrui, who had been complaining on WeChat about missing Chinese food, and partly as a farewell.

Zhang Lingrui opened his suitcase and started handing things out one by one.

“This is for Yi-ge. This is for both of you. This is for Mom. This one’s also for you two…”

Zhang Linghao flicked his younger brother’s forehead. “Brat, didn’t you get me anything just for myself?”

Grinning mischievously, Zhang Lingrui finally pulled out a massive LEGO set. “Ge, this is for you!”

What he had wanted was the Star Wars Millennium Falcon LEGO set, but instead, he brought back the Roman Colosseum. He remembered that Zhang Linghao liked Rome, so he thought they could build it together.

Seeing that his little brother still had some heart, Zhang Linghao decided to let it slide. He then began unwrapping the gifts for himself and Chu Yi.

Chu Yi watched with amusement, secretly hoping there were price tags attached so he could buy something slightly more expensive as a return gift.

But when he opened the package, Chu Yi was stunned, and even Zhang Linghao froze for a moment.

This brat, Zhang Lingrui, had bought them matching T-shirts—same brand, same color, but different designs from a collaboration with an artist. He also got them matching hoodies in different colors. On top of that, he had gotten Chu Yi a necklace that Zhang Linghao immediately recognized—it was from the same Tiffany series as his own earring.

Zhang Linghao coughed awkwardly, ruffled his brother’s hair, and said, “Thanks, kid.” Then he casually tossed the gifts aside and shot Chu Yi a look, silently telling him to pretend none of this had happened.

Chu Yi had no choice but to chuckle along and express his thanks before calling out, “Let’s eat.”

At dinner, Chu Yi didn’t tell Lingrui about his decision to leave. Seeing the gifts made him a little self-conscious—he was worried that if Lingrui found out he was going to Shanghai, he might try to persuade him to stay on his brother’s behalf. He doubted it would actually happen, considering even Zhang Linghao himself hadn’t asked him to stay, but just in case, he figured it was better to avoid the topic. After all, he could always send gifts back from Shanghai.

After the meal, as they sent Chu Yi off, Zhang Linghao suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of frustration. But with his younger brother around, he suppressed it, forcing himself to focus on happier topics and sharing recent positive news at home with Lingrui.

When Lingrui heard that their mom was bringing a housekeeper and that the family’s finances had slightly improved, he happily leaned into his brother and said, “Ge, let’s move into a bigger house. Ask Yi-ge to come live with us too.”

Zhang Linghao played dumb, “You’re letting an outsider stay at our home long-term? Is that appropriate?”

Zhang Lingrui smiled knowingly, “Brother, stop pretending, and don’t treat me like a fool. I know everything.”

Zhang Linghao: “You little brat, what do you know?”

Zhang Lingrui: “You and Yi-ge are dating, right? Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you two. I support you!”

A seventeen-year-old high school student was no longer a child. Zhang Lingrui had long noticed that Yi-ge cared way too much about their family, completely different from the gang of reckless friends his brother used to hang out with. In fact, the way he looked at his brother was different, too. He didn’t believe that his brother and this “friend” who hadn’t known them for long could have built such a deep friendship. After thinking it through, he arrived at only one conclusion—these two were not just friends; they shared a bond that was much closer.

He knew his brother was trying to hide it from him, but he wanted to stand by his side and tell him: I understand you, I support you, and I hope you two can be together. He thought that if he made his stance clear, his brother would be happy.

Hearing Zhang Lingrui expose him, Zhang Linghao suddenly felt like he couldn’t keep up the act anymore—nor did he want to. He got up, walked to the window, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, lit it, and took a deep drag before replying in a calm tone, “We’re not dating. Your brother is the one with a one-sided crush.”

Zhang Lingrui was surprised. He thought his brother would be happy, but instead, he got this unexpected response. He didn’t believe it. “How is that possible? Yi-ge treats you so well!”

Zhang Linghao chuckled, “He’s just worried that a little brat like you isn’t eating properly at your age. That’s why he comes over to help. Now that we’re hiring a cook for the house, he won’t be coming anymore.”

Zhang Lingrui got anxious. “No way! He comes to cook for us because he likes you! Brother, are you dumb? Even I can tell he likes you! How can you not feel it?”

Zhang Linghao took another deep drag of his cigarette before replying slowly, “He’s leaving for Shanghai for work.”

Zhang Lingrui stood up, grabbed the cigarette from his brother’s hand, and put it out, glaring at him with frustration. “Did you act too cold toward him? Did he think you didn’t like him and leave heartbroken?”

Zhang Linghao thought to himself, Cold? If I were any less cold, I’d have tied a bow around myself before getting into his bed. But he couldn’t say that, so he put it another way, “He probably knows I like him, but he doesn’t like me. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

Zhang Lingrui was baffled by the complexities of the adult world. “If he doesn’t like you, then who does he like?”

Zhang Linghao: “Probably… money. He’s going to Shanghai to make money.”

Zhang Lingrui: “But didn’t we get some of our family’s money back? Why doesn’t he like your money?”

Zhang Linghao suddenly found his little brother’s question quite philosophical. It really made him think. “Yeah, I wonder too… why doesn’t he like my money…”

(30)

After arriving in Shanghai, Chu Yi called Zhang Linghao. “I haven’t figured out what to get Lingrui as a gift, so I wanted to ask his big brother for advice. Should I get him something useful or something fun but useless?”

Zhang Linghao: “Don’t spoil him. He’s got everything except the grades to get into Tsinghua or Peking University. Hey, how about you get him a set of college entrance exam prep books? Hahaha…”

Chu Yi: “Be serious. I really don’t know what you rich kids like. Give me some suggestions.” After a pause, he added, “I’m only asking you because I see you as a friend, so don’t be all polite with me.”

A friend.

Zhang Linghao wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “If you see me as a friend, then get him the exam prep books. I really do want my brother to get into a good university. He sees you as half an older brother, too—he listens to you.”

Chu Yi: “That’s too cheap… How about I get him a MacBook too?”

Zhang Linghao: “He already has the latest Apple products. We upgraded everything earlier this year… How about this? Just owe him a gift for now. Once he finishes his college entrance exams next year, you can buy him the latest model. I’ll leave it to you.”

Chu Yi chuckled, “Alright, I’ll owe him one. For now, I’ll get him the books.”

After finishing their conversation about Zhang Lingrui, they suddenly found themselves with nothing to say.

Zhang Linghao actually had a lot he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to start.

For example, he wanted to say: I miss you. Can you come back?

But he knew that even if he said it, it wouldn’t change anything. It would only make things awkward. So he held back.

Chu Yi didn’t want to hang up so soon either. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “How’s your new cook? Better than my cooking?”

Zhang Linghao smiled. “Seems like yours is still better.”

Chu Yi: “Really? Maybe I should consider becoming a food blogger. I’m actually in talks with a company right now. They want to design a persona for me, train me for a while, then start making short videos and live streams. But I can’t sing or dance, so I’ve been struggling to figure it out.”

Zhang Linghao joked, “With a face like yours, you don’t need to do anything—you’ll have fans just by showing up. Try it and see.”

Chu Yi laughed, and after a few more casual exchanges, he said he had a meeting and hung up.

Two days later, a package arrived.

Recipient: Zhang Lingrui.

Since he was home for summer break, Zhang Lingrui excitedly tore open the package the moment he heard it was from Chu Yi—only to find a set of Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulated Tests.

He was completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Zhang Linghao was laughing uncontrollably on the side.

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