Chapter 222: “Who says no one likes you?”
Several years passed in the blink of an eye, and the once-young teenagers of the Tianchong Class had grown into young adults in their twenties.
Starting two years ago, they all began facing a common issue: being urged to marry.
This wasn’t the kind of thing they could keep asking their big brother to handle for them, so they had to come up with their own ways to avoid it.
But one couldn’t evade forever, and some found themselves unable to escape the mounting pressure from their families.
Besides, Zhuzhou had grown increasingly stable and prosperous over the years, and they no longer needed to roam about eliminating evil spirits. With their lives settling down, many of them gradually got married.
Recently, there was another joyous occasion—two of their classmates were about to wed.
The groom, Lu Sanchun, and the bride, Lu Guixue, had both followed their big brother on assignments, running about for months. Later, one began working with Pei Wenjue, while the other managed shops under Ban Ying.
Both were introverted and gentle by nature, making them less conspicuous among the group of over thirty people.
When they announced their plans to marry, it sparked plenty of teasing from their companions.
Lu Sanchun was an orphan who had joined the Tianchong Class thanks to his remarkable talent, while Lu Guixue came from a small family clan.
If not for their big brother, it was highly likely that Lu Guixue would have been sent into an arranged marriage by her family upon graduating from the Divine Academy. She wouldn’t have been able to delay until this age, let alone marry someone like Lu Sanchun, an orphan.
Though their big brother didn’t meddle in their personal matters of marriage, his presence granted them much more freedom in choosing whom to wed.
For someone like Ban Ying or Lu Guixue, whose families might have forced them into marriages against their will, such scenarios became utterly impossible with their big brother around.
Because of him, Lu Guixue’s family, although displeased with her choice, dared not oppose her decision. Thus, the preparations for the wedding went forward.
On the day of the wedding, all the classmates from the Tianchong Class were naturally present. They gathered together, drinking and reminiscing with the beaming newlyweds about embarrassing incidents and joyful moments from the past, marveling at how quickly time had flown.
Out of the thirty-plus members of the class, about half were now married. However, the most outstanding ones, such as Pei Wenjue, still had no intention of tying the knot, as they all followed their big brother’s lead.
When asked, they would respond, “We want to wait for Big Brother. We want to be like him.”
“So, when will Big Brother get married?” someone joked.
Yu Guang, holding a cup of wine, replied, “No one likes me, so who could I marry?”
Everyone froze in stunned silence. They glanced at their big brother’s expression and realized he wasn’t joking.
“Big Brother, all these years, haven’t you rejected countless women who liked you?”
Yu Guang looked puzzled. “When was that?”
The group stared wordlessly at his earnest face. They had always assumed their big brother was a romantic wanderer, only to discover he was as dense as iron.
Several women began recounting instances, one after another:
“Two years ago, in Zhihua Village outside the city, didn’t that Chen girl you saved come to the Exorcism Bureau several times, bringing you food? Don’t you remember, Big Brother?”
Yu Guang replied, “You misunderstood. That was just a civilian expressing her gratitude for our work. Nothing more.”
“And what about Yu Niang, the tofu seller in the southern part of the city? Every time you passed by, she would watch you, invite you to have tofu pudding, and even made clothes for you.”
Yu Guang said, “She was thanking me for catching the thief who robbed her. But I didn’t take a single thing from her, not even a thread!”
“…And last year, that young girl from the Lai family. She kept pestering you, asking all sorts of questions…”
Yu Guang replied, “She was just a child who wanted to learn martial arts. I didn’t have time to teach her, so I sent her to the Divine Academy to find a teacher.”
Everyone was at a loss for words, realizing Big Brother truly hadn’t noticed that any of those women had feelings for him.
Sitting beside Yu Guang, Yu Yin removed his mask, his expression cold as he downed a large cup of wine and let out a sardonic laugh.
Suddenly, one of the Tianchong Class women who had married the previous year spoke up. “Big Brother, let’s not even talk about the dozens of women you’ve saved or helped. Just among us, who didn’t have a crush on you back then?”
Yu Guang looked astonished. “What?”
His surprised reaction made the women burst into laughter. They teased today’s bride, Lu Guixue, saying, “Guixue, didn’t you once say a few years ago that you wanted to marry Big Brother?”
Lu Guixue’s face turned bright red as she stammered, “That… well, everyone likes Big Brother.”
The group then turned to tease the groom, Lu Sanchun. “Sanchun, did you hear that? Your bride said she likes Big Brother! Aren’t you jealous?”
To everyone’s surprise, Lu Sanchun chuckled foolishly and said, “What’s there to be jealous of? I like Big Brother too.”
A few drunken young men began giggling mischievously. Mocking Lu Sanchun, they pitched their voices high and said, “To be honest, I like Big Brother too! I want to marry Big Brother!”
One of them added dramatically, “Hey, I think everyone here who’s still single should marry Big Brother together and let him enjoy the blessings of a harem!”
Another chimed in, “Oh, even though I’m a man, if Big Brother’s willing, I wouldn’t say no!”
The young men exaggeratedly mimicked coquettish behavior, sending the room into a fit of laughter. The others jokingly punched and kicked them in mock disdain.
Yu Guang laughed as well. “So it’s all just a joke at Big Brother’s expense, you rascals!”
Yu Yin shot a cold glare at the group of babbling young men, then smirked icily and took another swig of his drink.
‘Just wait. All of you, just wait.’
As Yu Guang continued bantering with the others, he casually moved the wine bottle in front of his younger brother aside and replaced it with a pot of tea. Turning to ruffle Yu Yin’s hair, he said with a gentle warning, “Don’t drink too much.”
The wedding feast ended, but no one left. Everyone stayed behind to help clean up.
Yu Guang, having spent the day being thanked by the newlyweds and socializing with the guests, had drunk quite a bit. Now, he sat quietly in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze.
In the courtyard, a few orange trees were blooming with small white flowers, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.
Yu Yin, drawn by the familiar scent, approached from behind. His fingers brushed against Yu Guang’s slightly flushed neck, warm from the alcohol.
Without turning, Yu Guang asked, “Want to head back? Rest a bit, and we’ll say goodbye before we leave.”
Yu Yin leaned closer, nearly pressing against his back. In Yu Guang’s mind, his brother’s voice rang out, “Big Brother, after hearing what they said today, do you feel like marrying someone?”
“Huh? No.”
“But didn’t you say earlier that you felt regretful because no one liked you?”
“That doesn’t really count as regret, just… a little odd.”
Yu Guang thought back to his past life. It had been the same. He hadn’t felt romantic love toward anyone, nor had anyone brought up such feelings with him. The people around him always treated him like a big brother, but no one had truly liked him in that way.
He had, however, encountered plenty of older women and matchmakers among his elders who were eager to set him up.
But when he thought about it, how could marriage work without a foundation of affection? He always refused such arrangements.
Besides, his life was fulfilling. He always had something to do and didn’t care much for romance or marriage.
It wasn’t a bother to him, just an occasional, lingering curiosity.
Why didn’t anyone like him?
“Youngest, why do you think no one fancies me? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Big Brother’s eyes that have a problem—they can’t see it.”
“…” Yu Guang was about to grab his sarcastic younger brother for a scolding when he suddenly felt Yu Yin wrap his arms around his neck.
“Who says no one likes you? I like you, don’t I?”
Yu Guang immediately responded, “You rascal, teaming up with Xiao Pei and the others to mess with Big Brother! Take this!”
He flung a handful of orange blossom petals at Yu Yin’s head. Apparently, while sitting there, Yu Guang had been idly gathering a small pile of petals in his hand, warming them with his touch.
Yu Yin brushed the petals off his face, his gaze softening with an unreadable emotion. Then, leaning down, he kissed Yu Guang lightly on the cheek.
For a moment, silence hung between them. Suddenly, Yu Guang stood up.
Spreading his arms, he lifted Yu Yin into the air, just as he had when they were younger, bouncing him playfully.
With a warm and genuine smile, he said, “No need to comfort Big Brother; I really don’t mind.”
Yu Yin had predicted this reaction. Big Brother’s mind was as straightforward as ever—it didn’t even cross his thoughts to interpret the kiss differently.
Clearly, he still believed the kiss was simply an expression of deep brotherly affection.
Yu Yin suspected that unless something drastic happened, Yu Guang would never consider the possibility of any other kind of relationship between them.
After setting his slightly taller younger brother back on the ground, Yu Guang patted him on the shoulder, speaking with heartfelt affection. “But you’ve been way too clingy lately, Youngest. None of your older brothers ever acted so spoiled with me.”
Yu Yin raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘older brothers’?”
Yu Guang chuckled and clapped his shoulder. “Before you, I had a few younger brothers I looked after. They’re not here, so you’ve never seen them.”
Yu Yin repeated, “You had a few younger brothers?”
“Exactly. If you count them, you’re actually the sixth. That’s why you’re the youngest.”
“I’m the last,” Yu Yin murmured, suddenly understanding why he was called the youngest.
“You treat all your brothers like this?” He leaned closer to Yu Guang’s face.
Yu Guang, oblivious, smiled confidently. “Of course. Big Brother treats everyone the same. I’ve never shown favoritism, so don’t worry…”
Yu Yin stared at his righteously earnest expression, then leaned in and bit down on Yu Guang’s lips as he spoke.
Yu Guang swatted Yu Yin’s head away, exclaiming, “Hey, hey, what are you doing?”
In truth, Yu Guang had already pieced together what was going on. Wasn’t this just a case of jealousy? Such things were common in families with multiple children.
He thought back to the brothers he had taken in before. Each of them had their quirks. The second and third brothers had been awkward with each other at first, spending days cautiously observing one another before finally breaking the ice.
Only the fourth brother had been naturally adept at blending in, acting like a glue that brought everyone together effortlessly.
The fifth, however, had been much harder to handle. Before warming up, he treated all his brothers with equal mischief and rejection. After warming up, he had an equal measure of possessiveness toward all of them.
He’d even declared that if Yu Guang brought home another new “brother,” he’d throw the newcomer out.
Thinking of this, Yu Guang felt a wave of relief that the fifth wasn’t here.
But the youngest wasn’t exactly easy to deal with either.
Now, upon learning that he wasn’t the only brother and far from being the only “youngest,” Yu Yin was clearly in the middle of a temper tantrum.
Meanwhile, the other youths, who had been enjoying their drinks and preparing to bid farewell to the newlyweds, suddenly saw a familiar figure sprint past them.
“Wait, was that—was that Big Brother just now?”
“Yeah, that was him! Why’s he running so fast?”
“Uh-oh! Do you think something urgent happened?”
Before they could process it, another familiar figure dashed past, following closely behind.
The sudden rush nearly knocked over several of the tipsy youths, who steadied themselves with the help of Shi Bai, the only one who hadn’t been drinking. They stood frozen, staring dumbfounded at the scene of one figure chasing the other.
“Wait, was that Yu Yin?”
“Looks like it! The younger brother’s chasing Big Brother?”
“But why is he chasing Big Brother? No, wait—why is Big Brother running?”
The sight was so shocking that it sobered them up a bit.
Their Big Brother had always faced everything head-on, unstoppable and fearless. What could possibly have happened to make him run away?
But Big Brother had no choice—if he didn’t run, the youngest would lose his mind and bite his face.
Not only was the youngest furious enough to try biting his face, but he also seemed ready to pin him to the ground for a fight.
Standing on the rooftop after flipping up there with ease, Big Brother brushed the dust off himself, thinking, ‘The youngest really has a tiny heart.’
He recalled, ‘Even when I spanked him before, he wasn’t this angry.’
*
The newlyweds’ small courtyard was brightly decorated, and the guests were all thoroughly drunk. As they watched the chase between Big Brother and the youngest, someone arrived in the city after a long journey from Chazhou to Zhuzhou.
A boy of only twelve, carrying a simple bundle on his back, stood at the city gates. His face bore a weighty solemnity far beyond his years as he gazed up at the towering gates of Zhuzhou.
He had been reborn, returning to his twelve-year-old self. Back to a time before the demon Silk Nest had claimed the lives of everyone he cared about.
This time, Mu Yi vowed silently, clenching his fists, I will change all of their fates.
