A Brother’s Burden and a Peculiar Change

Jiang Chen suddenly halted, turning to ask Zhou Yi:

“Hey. Have you… secretly gained weight recently? Is that why you’re deliberately wearing such thick clothes to hide it?”

“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!” Zhou Yi nearly choked on his own saliva, almost losing his breath.

“Bullshit! I have a standard build! Don’t you understand ‘looks slim in clothes, muscular without them’? Brother, if your eyesight’s so bad, maybe you should see an ophthalmologist!”

Jiang Chen was amused by his exaggerated reaction, uttering a meaningful “Oh,” as his gaze swept over him once more.

Zhou Yi’s scalp prickled under Jiang Chen’s scrutiny, and he hastily changed the subject.

“I’m starving, let’s go eat! I heard the Second Canteen has braised pork ribs today, and they’ll be gone if we’re late!” He dragged Jiang Chen, rushing towards the canteen.

****

Gazing at the dazzling array of dishes at the serving window, Zhou Yi actually had no appetite; it was simply too hot, and he genuinely couldn’t eat.

Nevertheless, to avoid giving himself away, he gritted his teeth and took a full plate.

Just as he shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice, Zhou Yi caught sight of Chen Hao floating past in the aisle, carrying his tray. On that tray, a few lonely green vegetables lay beside half a bowl of rice, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

“Haozi!” Zhou Yi called out to him without a second thought. “Come sit with us!”

Chen Hao flinched at the sound, instinctively pulling his tray closer to his chest, and managed a strained smile. “No, no need…” he mumbled, lowering his head and attempting to walk on.

Zhou Yi immediately stood up, blocking his path, and snatched his tray. “Are you still playing these games with your brothers?”

As he spoke, he scooped over more than half of the mountain of braised pork ribs and green vegetables from his own plate. “Auntie’s hand was shaking today and gave me too much; help me share some.”

Across from them, Jiang Chen silently moved Chen Hao’s bowl of free soup – so clear it reflected his own image – to the side, then casually pushed over a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

Chen Hao stared at the suddenly full tray, the tips of his fingers trembling slightly as he held his chopsticks, almost dropping the piece of braised pork rib he had picked up back into the plate.

Zhou Yi immediately pretended not to notice, turning to Jiang Chen to complain. “Old Zhang’s homework today is absolutely insane, isn’t it? Five questions, all proofs! Does he think we’re math prodigies?”

Jiang Chen cooperatively hummed in agreement, then casually added another piece of braised pork rib to Chen Hao’s plate.

Chen Hao gazed at the unexpected addition of meat in his bowl, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and his eyes suddenly felt a little raw.

Zhou Yi turned back, deliberately tapping the edge of Chen Hao’s bowl with his chopsticks. “What are you spacing out for? Eat up! Look at your complexion; anyone would think you just returned from a refugee camp.”

Having said that, he irritably shoveled rice into his mouth, swallowing a mouthful without tasting it.

Catching a glimpse of Chen Hao carefully eating his rice out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Yi felt an even greater knot of frustration in his heart.

‘He genuinely couldn’t fathom how someone could degrade himself to the point of not even affording food, all for a disingenuous girl.’

‘He held his chopsticks, hesitating for a long moment.’

‘Should he just drag Chen Hao to a corner and lay everything bare?’

‘Yet, as soon as the thought surfaced, he swallowed it back down, along with his rice.’

‘Mainly, he had almost forgotten the most crucial issue: hardly anyone knew about Chen Hao’s loans! If not for that damn system’s spoiler, he would still be completely in the dark.’

‘If he were to rush over now and unleash a barrage of accusations, Chen Hao’s first reaction would certainly not be overwhelming gratitude, but rather wariness and suspicion.’

‘Doing so would be too strange, utterly inexplicable.’

‘Alarming the snake would be the least of it; more likely, that fool would avoid him out of shame and panic, perhaps even resorting to higher-interest loans to quickly fill the hole, which would essentially be pushing him further into a fiery pit.’

‘He could almost picture Chen Hao looking at him with wary, terrified eyes, then hastily fabricating an excuse to flee.’

‘Upon this realization, Zhou Yi completely deflated. Force wouldn’t work, persuasion was ineffective—what else could he do?’

‘Was he truly destined to watch this fool walk blindly down a path to ruin?’

‘Could it be… he’d truly have to try that cursed simulator again?’ A more terrifying thought relentlessly surfaced.

‘Recalling his first time entering the simulator, he hadn’t just failed to help Chen Hao; he’d actually boosted Chen Hao’s simp score to 92% and, as a bonus, earned himself a “Pair of A’s” gift package…’

‘Even so, theoretically, completing the mission would undo this absurd state and allow him to conveniently help his brother out; it sounded like a worthwhile deal.’

‘No, no, no, what a joke. He immediately shook his head vigorously, dismissing the idea.’

‘Just recalling the system’s inhumane electric shock corrections made his calves cramp even now. Not to mention having to play the role of that infuriatingly gentle senior sister again—that was utterly mortifying.’

‘Perhaps… a different approach?’ he mumbled to himself, but the question remained: what other options did he have?

‘He genuinely didn’t have any spare money himself; even if he wanted to help, he was powerless.’

‘What if… he borrowed some money from Jiang Chen?’ Yet, in the next second, he dismissed the thought. ‘Getting his brother involved in this mess? Zhou Yi couldn’t bring himself to do it. Besides, what excuse could he invent for the money? Should he say, “Lend me money to fill Chen Hao’s online loan debt”?’

‘Furthermore, the vast sum Chen Hao owed wasn’t a small amount that could be solved by a few hundred yuan exchanged between friends.’

He abruptly chugged a mouthful of ice water; the frigid liquid slid down his throat, forcefully suppressing that inexplicable sense of guilt, yet he only felt chilled to the bone.

Across the table, Jiang Chen silently observed Zhou Yi’s uncharacteristic enthusiasm towards Chen Hao. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhou Yi’s recent behavior was far too peculiar.

‘What exactly had happened?’

‘Could it be… the heartbreak was too severe, causing a strategic shift in his orientation—had he turned gay?’