Translated by Jouissance of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
The next day, You XiaoMo didn’t see his two brothers until it was almost dinner time.
Ling Xiao and his primary protection targets were Father and Mother You. Since the negotiations were set tomorrow, the two spent the day at home. Mother You wasn’t feeling well, so they didn’t go anywhere.
You XiaoMo had Ling Xiao game with him for the entire afternoon. Apart from the first time when Ling Xiao wasn’t familiar with the controls, he KO’d You XiaoMo every single time.
Unwilling to accept that he would lose to someone from ancient times, You XiaoMo made Ling Xiao play with him again and again, practically forgetting that they were here as bodyguards. If Johnson got wind of this, he’d probably try and skin them.
But the You family members didn’t say anything. Butler Tan brought them fruits and snacks, smiling amiably and telling him to play as much as he wanted. When You Lu and You Bo returned, they heard a scream from the living room.
“You know I’m not that smart, why don’t you let me win? This is already the forty-fifth time. You’ve only been playing for one afternoon, how come you already play like a pro? I’m not playing anymore.” You XiaoMo tossed the controller to the side. His passion had been eroded away by forty-five rounds of failure.
Ling Xiao replied lazily, “I can’t help it. I’m just too smart.”
You XiaoMo raised and shoved his bare foot against Ling Xiao’s leg. Ling Xiao grabbed his ankle and yanked upwards, immediately eliciting a yelp of surprise.
“What do you think you’re doing?” That was when they heard a harsh admonishment, startling You XiaoMo. He tried to retract his foot, but Ling Xiao held it tight. He turned his head to see You Bo with an expression of rage on his face and immediately felt awkward and guilty. He hurriedly motioned for Ling Xiao to let go of his foot, but the other pretended he couldn’t see.
Ling Xiao scrutinised the other. “Is there anything you want, Young Master You Bo?”
You Bo scowled. “Are you here to protect my parents or play around? Your behavior has me suspecting that White Shark is just a mere pretty name and their members don’t know how to be professional.”
“You’re right. White Shark’s members don’t know how to be professional. Of course, that doesn’t include us.” Ling Xiao smiled, meeting the other’s eyes.
You XiaoMo could practically hear the air crackling with electricity. How did it come to a face off between these two beautiful men?
“You Bo!” That was when You Lu came over. As the eldest brother, his demeanor was impeccable. The only one who could keep You Bo under control in the family was him.
“Brother! They…” You Bo lowered his voice.
You Lu cut him off, calmly speaking, “So long as they can protect father and mother, and make sure they’re unharmed, they can do whatever they want. Leave them be.”
You Bo was still disgruntled, but he didn’t say anything else, listening to his brother. In reality, he wasn’t sure why he acted so rashly. For some reason, the two’s intimacy pissed him off.
In the end, the dinner at the You Family once again ended amidst You XiaoMo’s subconscious PDA with Ling Xiao. Watching it made You Bo’s teeth itch. For some reason he felt that they were doing it on purpose and You XiaoMo reminded him all too much of his deceased second brother.
At ten in the evening, You Bo came to You Lu’s study.
“Brother, what do you think about this? You know what I’m talking about, right?”
You Lu paused in flipping through his files, his gaze landing on the other’s face. “His demeanor truly does resemble You XiaoMo, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
“You suspect that they’re up to something?” You Bo was smart and immediately understood what the other meant.
“It’s hard to say. I can’t tell right now, but considering the You Family’s position, it’s not impossible that someone will be targeting us from the shadows. The only thing we can be certain of is that they have nothing to do with the Li Family, so they shouldn’t be too much of a threat to us.”
You Bo was silent for a moment. Then he raised his head, gaze determined, and said, “Brother, XiaoMo is special in my heart. I don’t want someone to be here imitating him ten years after his death. If he has ulterior motives for trying to get close to us, I won’t show mercy. If the time comes, I hope you won’t stop me.”
You Lu lowered his eyelids slowly, face expressionless. “Why would you think I would stop you?”
You Bo was stunned for a moment and then started laughing. “Brother, it’s only now that I’ve realized that You XiaoMo was right. You really are a mensao*!”
While the two brothers were over here discussing their feelings, You XiaoMo felt like he was being buffeted by the wind. He hadn’t thought that You Lu and You Bo would miss him so. He had always thought that the two of them thought of him as no more than an interesting toy, merely sad at the lost amusement. It was only now that he knew that You Bo was rather awkward with expressing himself. As for You Lu, he really was a mensao. He often hid what he truly thought in his heart and was difficult to read.
“What thoughts do you have about your younger brother’s confession of love?” Ling Xiao asked.
You XiaoMo laughed dopily. “This is the first time I’ve heard You Bo say I’m special to him. In the past all he ever did was bully me. I thought he disliked me. I should have known that with You Bo’s personality, he wouldn’t express his love normally. But there is one thing I don’t like though.”
“What?”
“He always calls You Lu big brother, but never calls me that.”
“Maybe because you’re special to him, so he treats you differently.”
“Really…?” You XiaoMo looked over at him in excitement, but he cut himself off upon seeing the terrifying smile on Ling Xiao’s face. He felt that he had to explain himself. “About that… all I have for them is brotherly love, that’s all.”
“Don’t be so anxious. I trust you.” Ling Xiao stroked his face.
You XiaoMo secretly didn’t believe him. When he was about to explain himself further, he noticed something and suddenly looked towards the softly swaying curtains.
At the same time, six dark shadows flipped into the gardens of the mansion, their movements making it clear that they were no normal people. Two of them alighted on the roof with a flip, rapidly heading towards Father and Mother You’s room. They soon arrived right above the room and nodded to each other, about to jump down, when a voice came from behind them, startling them.
“You two sure are enthusiastic, taking a walk at this time of night!” You XiaoMo gazed at the two’s panicked faces cheerfully.
The two exchanged a look, charging without a word, sending blows with their fists and feet. However, they didn’t know that their actions were futile.
You XiaoMo easily took care of then and prevented them from committing suicide as well. He brought them to the garden where the four others had already been taken care of by Ling Xiao. They hadn’t had the chance to commit suicide either, all still in a state of bewilderment. They had been caught before they even had a chance to resist. The gap in their strength was clear to see, but they hadn’t heard anything about there being such experts in the You Mansion before this.
“Who sent you? Answer honestly or we’ll just search your memories,” You XiaoMo immediately threatened. Perhaps this was impossible in the mortal world, but they were all cultivators. Who knows what others were capable of?
The one who was clearly the leader rasped, “I know you’re members of White Shark sent by the government as bodyguards, but instead of working for the country, why don’t you just join us? Pills, skill scrolls, cultivation methods, we can give you anything you want, so long as you work for us, you’ll be well compensated.”
You XiaoMo flicked his forehead and the leader went flying back with a scream, slamming into the wall. It created a huge noise, but the mansion remained silent, as if no one had heard. He said, “I want you to answer my question. Cut the crap.”
“We won’t tell you. Kill us if you dare.” One of the black cloaked men said before biting his tongue. The five of them collapsed. Even if they weren’t dead, they wouldn’t be able to talk with their tongues bitten off.
Ling Xiao walked forth, mouth twitching into a slight smile. “Personally, I prefer to get memories from corpses. The living are too troublesome. They keep screaming.”
The leader’s eyes widened, his last impression being that of the man’s devil like face.
The six corpses disappeared and the You Family was silent once more, as if no one had ever trespassed. No one noticed anything wrong. The second day the four members of the You Family got up early.
Today was the day of the negotiations.
That morning, You XiaoMo smiled dopily at You Lu and You Bo, causing the two to scowl. He didn’t know, but after he found out the two’s feelings for him, a strange feeling rose in his heart at the sight of the two. However, this feeling disappeared when Ling Xiao cuffed him around the head.
“Idiot, it’s time to go!”
TN: mensao refers to a person who’s composed, stoic, cold and cruel, or stuffy and boring on the outside, but actually passionate, warm, or (depending on context) a pervert on the inside. They generally don’t express their emotions, or the fact that they have emotions at all, but surprise people with their actions, and sometimes words, that belly their care, warmth and passion. Usually called Kuudere in Japanese.
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