A Brother’s Vow and a Body Reclaimed

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

The aroma of grilled skewers still lingered in the air, yet no one spoke.

Zhou Yi silently offered him a tissue.

Jiang Chen sighed, patting his back. “Brother, there’s no one else in this world who would worry for you like this.”

Chen Hao nodded, his voice hoarse as he managed, “I know.”

The charcoal crackled, and fat dripped onto the grill, sending up a plume of fragrant white smoke.

“That’s why I…” He gripped his phone tightly. “I feel like such a bastard, especially towards my mom.”

Zhou Yi watched him quietly, observing as the turbulent emotions in his eyes gradually settled into clarity.

After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and pushed it towards Chen Hao. The screen displayed an icon for an audio recording.

“It’s time for you to hear this.”

Zhou Yi pressed play, and the conversation recorded in the dorm room began to flow, blending with the noisy background of the barbecue stall.

“…All those gifts, he insisted on giving them to me…”

“…I don’t like him at all…”

“…I was forced… I refused so many times…”

He had carefully considered his timing in releasing the recording.

Only after Chen Hao had personally witnessed Lin Yating’s true colors and his illusions were completely shattered, would these harsh truths truly sink in. Otherwise, he would have, as before, instinctively found excuses to defend her, no matter the circumstances.

Lin Yating’s tearful denials and her seemingly reasonable, yet ultimately hollow, explanations from the audio file, each word pierced Chen Hao’s heart like a needle.

When the recording ended, the light in his eyes dimmed considerably.

“Some things,” Zhou Yi gently broke the silence, “it’s not that others are deceiving you, but that you yourself refuse to see.”

Next, he presented several screenshots, revealing the content of Lin Yating’s group chat with her close friends…

[He brought milk tea again today, hahahaha, I was too embarrassed to refuse.]

[Just take it, no harm in accepting from a guy like that.]

[He even asked if I was cold… LOL, I’m wearing a camisole!]

They treated Chen Hao’s solicitous gestures as a joke, and every word felt as though it were tearing open his heart.

“You couldn’t let go because you were gambling… gambling that you would be the exception.” Zhou Yi turned off the screen. “But some people are simply never worth betting on.”

Chen Hao stared blankly at the sparks dancing in the grill. After a long moment, he suddenly let out a laugh.

It was a laugh tinged with the weariness of newfound clarity, yet also with a sense of relief and liberation.

He picked up a beer bottle, tilted his head back, and took several deep gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed all the bitterness.

“I used to think that as long as I was sincere enough, I would receive genuine affection in return.”

He paused, then looked up. Though tears still glistened in the corners of his eyes, he was smiling.

“Starting tomorrow, my money is only for buying skewers for my brothers.”

Jiang Chen picked up his own beer bottle and gently tapped it against Chen Hao’s. “Now that sounds like something a man would say.”

“Thanks,” Chen Hao replied with a smile. “Really.”

“Alright then.” Zhou Yi suddenly pushed a plate of grilled kidneys towards him. “Eat these first. They’re good for your kidneys.”

Chen Hao couldn’t help but snort with laughter. “What the hell am I ‘boosting’? My engine hasn’t even started yet!”

Only after speaking did he realize he’d just made a lewd joke in front of Zhou Yi. He flushed with embarrassment, scratching his head awkwardly, then raised his beer bottle and took another long gulp.

Zhou Yi, however, seemed utterly oblivious to his faux pas, still engrossed in gnawing on the skewer in his hand, his cheeks comically puffed out.

Jiang Chen chuckled, shaking his head. He raised his beer bottle and clinked it against theirs.

Amidst the crisp clinking of bottles, the three exchanged glances. No words were spoken, yet all of them burst into laughter.

The aroma of cumin, mingling with the beer’s foam, seemed to wash away all the past bitterness, sorrow, heartbreak, and unwillingness to concede.

The smoke from the grill curled upwards, outlining Zhou Yi’s eyes, which curved into crescents as he smiled.

Jiang Chen quietly watched Zhou Yi, who was currently wrestling with Chen Hao over the last piece of grilled eggplant.

He recalled how terribly clumsy the excuses this girl had fabricated were when she first approached him.

He had initially assumed it was just another trick from a typical admirer, even finding it amusing in secret. If she had been trying to ‘scam’ him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to expose her on the spot.

He never expected to unexpectedly encounter such a pure heart.

It was unimaginable that she had gone to such great lengths, all to help someone else seek justice.

She was clearly terrified, blushing and flustered, utterly incoherent when he had ‘wall-slammed’ her. Yet, when orchestrating this ‘anti-tea’ operation, she was as precise as if she were a completely different person.

Not only had she swiftly and decisively woken Chen Hao from his lovesick stupor, but she had also conveniently dismantled Lin Yating’s ‘tea art house’ in the process.

Finally, she had deliberately chosen to release the recording only after Chen Hao had personally witnessed the betrayal, demonstrating a gentle thoughtfulness by allowing him to retain some dignity.

Two completely contrasting temperaments existed simultaneously within this girl, creating a striking sense of disparity.

Jiang Chen raised his hand and took a sip of his drink, his gaze still fixed on that bright, smiling face.

“What are you looking at?!” Zhou Yi suddenly threw a garlic clove, hitting Jiang Chen precisely on the forehead.

It felt strange, yet carried a certain sense of familiarity.

A subtle curiosity began to quietly sprout within his heart.

****

[Ding dong~ Dear Player! Detecting over-completion of task! Target ‘simp value’ has been cleared, congratulations on successfully completing your first mission! Surprise rewards being distributed…]

Zhou Yi heard Xiao Qi’s cheerful voice, dismissively pursed his lips, and tilted his head back to down the remaining beer in his cup before exiting the simulation, not particularly caring.

‘Rewards? Forget it.’

‘He had long seen through this broken system; nine times out of ten, its rewards were absurd settings that made one laugh and cry. The so-called ‘surprise’ was most likely a ‘scare’ instead.’

‘He didn’t wish for anything else now, only hoping that when he opened his eyes tomorrow, his chest would be flat again.’

Amidst the haze, another system notification silently flashed: [Surprise reward has been distributed, reality synchronization mode activated~]

****

The next morning.

Zhou Yi woke, rubbing his bleary eyes.

He stretched languidly, raked a hand through his messy hair, and as his consciousness returned, he eagerly pulled open the collar of his pajamas.

His chest was flat, its lines clean and defined. The troublesome ‘small hills’ had vanished without a trace.

“Holy crap! I’m finally back?!”

He couldn’t help but excitedly roll around on the bed, then sat up with a *thump*, covering his now-flat chest as he exclaimed:

“My boys are finally back where they belong!”

He was so moved he nearly cried, finally free from having to wear thick jackets and pretend not to feel the heat.

Just then, Jiang Chen emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair. Seeing Zhou Yi sitting on the bed with a silly grin, he raised an eyebrow. “What’s up? Dream you got legendary gear at the start of a game last night?”

“Something like that.” Zhou Yi grinned. “I feel like I’ve revived with full health, stats maxed out.”

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but laugh at his smug expression. “Burned all night and gained superpowers? How about we go run ten kilometers on the track to test it out?”

“Bro doesn’t play around.” Zhou Yi executed a perfect sit-up, springing off the bed, and headed straight for the bathroom.

Staring at himself in the mirror for a long time, he actually found his complexion to be much healthier and rosier than before. His previously somewhat rugged facial features seemed to have softened slightly, and even his forehead, which used to occasionally break out, was now smooth and delicate.

“Holy crap…” he murmured to the refined face in the mirror. “Bro, I think I actually got handsomer?”