Brother's Lover

Chapter 1

1.

In that scorching summer, the sunlight was exceptionally brilliant, almost blinding.

The straight poplar trees towered into the sky, while the dense camphor trees cast shadows that obscured the sun. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of leaves through the air. Shadows danced, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves, slicing it into fine, scattered fragments.

The cicadas' chorus echoed loudly.

Xia Qianzhi stood beneath the dappled shadows, squinting slightly as she gazed at the young boy standing before her, his age mirroring hers. He had a pair of phoenix eyes, slanting delicately at his temples, exuding innate nobility and dominance.

Those deep phoenix eyes, mixed with the glaring sunlight, arrogantly invaded her gaze, seizing her line of sight, and intruding into her life. She didn't even notice Xing Yun beside him.

Some things in life seem predestined.

That summer, she entered his life as a sister.

But, only a sister, nothing more. And an unrecognized sister at that.

If she weren't Xia Qianzhi, he weren't Xing Tuo, or if her identity wasn't Xing Shiyao's illegitimate daughter.

There would have been no subsequent events...

If, if.

But there are no ifs in this world.

"Tu'er, Yun'er, this is Qianzhi, your sister. You should get along well." This was the first time Xing Shiyao brought the young Xia Qianzhi to the Xing family mansion.

Xia Qianzhi watched her father's tall figure disappear into the distance of the garden, facing the sunlight.

Xing Tuo stared at the supposedly his sister, his lips tightly sealed, saying nothing.

"Qianzhi." The beautiful little girl stepped forward, taking Qianzhi's hand, smiling, "I'm Xing Yun."

Her smile was lovely, her dark eyes transparent like crystals.

At six years old, Xing Yun was already as tall as her, slightly taller than Xing Tuo.

"Hello," she said, "I'm Xia Qianzhi."

Xing Yun smiled happily at Xing Tuo, "Brother, we have a sister, how wonderful."

"I have no sister!" Xing Tuo turned coldly and walked away.

In the days to come, similar words would frequently repeat in Xia Qianzhi's life, and no one could have predicted what kind of mark these harsh words would leave on both of their lives.

Whether it was ten years ago or ten years later, he never admitted that she was his sister.

Ten years and ten more. No one understood ten years ago, and by ten years later, no one remembered.

Only the initial tones remained scattered in the gradually fading memories.

Xia Qianzhi and Xing Yun stood in place, staring blankly as his figure disappeared into the depths of the courtyard, shrouded in trees.

In the tranquil afternoon of summer, a gentle breeze swept in, carrying a faint, elusive fragrance of flowers in the air, mingled with the scent of greenery, silently permeating the atmosphere.

"Gardenia flowers," Xing Yun suddenly said, "The gardenia flowers are blooming."

"Gardenia flowers?" Qianzhi repeated.

"Yes," Xing Yun nodded, telling her, "Grandmother loves gardenia flowers the most. There's a flower bed in the backyard specifically for growing gardenia flowers. Shall I take you to see it?"

This was Xia Qianzhi's first encounter with gardenia flowers.

Two small figures stood beneath the blooming gardenia trees, where white gardenia flowers intertwined with the lush green branches. In the bright sunlight, the layers of overlapping petals unfolded, releasing a rich fragrance that drifted in the breeze, gradually dissipating.

Xia Qianzhi looked up, gazing dreamily at this spectacle of beauty.

"Gardenia flowers..." Xia Qianzhi murmured.

"They smell wonderful, don't they?" Xing Yun said, "Grandmother says, among all things, she loves its fragrance the most."

Xia Qianzhi said nothing, quietly immersing herself in the flowing fragrance of the flowers.

Many years later, even if she had forgotten the intense sunlight of that day and the verdant greenery, and all the words had gradually faded in the passage of time, this once flourishing gardenia flower tenderly bloomed in her memory, along with the lingering fragrance at her nose, as if eternal.

That was their first encounter, when they were eight years old.

He was the pride of the Xing family.

She was the scandalous illegitimate daughter of the Xing family.

Once, he was the arrogant and domineering brother in her eyes.

Once, she was the insignificant sister in his eyes.

Once, their interaction was limited to this.

Once, once.

In the future, this would all just be a distant memory.

2.

In Xia Qianzhi's bedroom, there was an unusually large window, and her favorite activity was gazing out of it. She and her mother, Xia Xinwei, lived in an old apartment building, its exterior showing signs of decay due to its age.

Today was the weekend, and she found herself as usual, staring out of the window. The sky was overcast, with fine threads of rain drifting down. Spring always seemed to bring endless rain, and this rain had been falling continuously for many days now. She had forgotten when she last saw sunlight. Inside the room, it was quiet, with Xia Xinwei occasionally making a sound while sorting through something.

"Sigh..." Suddenly, a faint sigh came from the living room. Wrinkles slowly crept onto Qianzhi's forehead. She withdrew her gaze from the window, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was already past four in the afternoon, and the rain continued to fall steadily.

"Qianzhi?" her mother's voice came from the living room.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Have you finished your homework?"

"Yes."

"If you have, then go see your father. It seems this rain won't stop, and it will be dark soon if you wait any longer."

Qianzhi obediently replied and put on her coat. She tied her hair casually behind her head, grabbed an umbrella, and prepared to leave.

Xia Xinwei followed her to the door and asked, "Will you come back for dinner?"

"Yes," Qianzhi replied.

"Then be careful on the way back, and come home early, alright?" Xia Xinwei reminded her.

"I will."

Qianzhi opened her umbrella and stood under the street sign, waiting for the bus. People hurried by on the street, but there were also couples, arm in arm, sharing an umbrella as they strolled in the rain. Watching them, she felt a faint melancholy rise in her heart.

Was this love? Growing up under the shadow of being an illegitimate daughter, she never dared to have any expectations or longings for love. Since she was young, she understood from her mother's silence and the ridicule and disdainful gazes of others that her family was different from others. And she was just an illegitimate daughter, unwelcome in the eyes of society.

At that moment, the tardy bus finally appeared. She folded her umbrella and boarded. All the seats were taken, so she had to stand by the railing. Two girls about her age were fervently discussing a boy on the seat next to her. Bored, she cast her gaze out of the window.

Time passed silently in the drizzle. Thirty minutes later, she got off at the last stop. She walked up a quiet road, lined with tall and verdant camphor trees, seemingly endless. The wind was gentle, carrying fine raindrops that brushed against her face, feeling a bit chilly. This was an upscale villa area where buses did not reach. The luxurious villas were hidden among the lush camphor trees. There were few pedestrians on this road, and occasionally, a few cars silently passed by, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

A bright red Porsche zoomed past from a distance, splashing her with water as it hurried by, then disappeared at the end of the road. She furrowed her brow and silently wiped herself with a tissue. She knew whose flashy sports car that was.

Standing in front of the Xing family gate, she pressed the doorbell, and the housekeeper, Li Mama, opened the door. "Miss Qianzhi, please come in."

Qianzhi nodded. "Thank you."

She followed Li Mama through the garden and immediately saw the bright red Porsche parked among a row of cars, conspicuously standing out. She asked, "Li Mama, is it very lively today?"

Li Mama replied, "It's the young master's birthday party today, so many people have been invited. There are a lot of his schoolmates and some of the master's business associates. I've been very busy."

Qianzhi thought to herself, "That's really unfortunate."

She stood in the corridor of the main house, and through the French windows, she could see the hustle and bustle of people, the scent of clothes, and the music. She said to Li Mama, "I won't go in. Please tell Father that I'm waiting for him in the study."

Li Mama agreed and went off.

She sat on the sofa in Xing Shiyao's, her father's study, quietly waiting. She didn't know why her father insisted on her coming over, and now that she was here, it seemed inconvenient. She wondered if he would have time to see her.

Time passed, and thirty minutes later, she finally saw her father appear in the study.

Qianzhi stood up and called out, "Dad."

"Hmm," Xing Shiyao replied, nodding to indicate she should sit down.

He sat down on the sofa opposite her and asked, "How are your studies recently?"

"Fine."

Xing Shiyao, nearly fifty years old, had maintained his tall and imposing figure quite well. It was evident at a glance that he had been a handsome man in his youth.

"You'll be in your senior yeear next semestr, right?"