149: Just kidding!

"It seems you truly know you were wrong."

Yan Zhuohua lowered his head and gave a muffled "mm." Thinking carefully, he really used to only care about getting the results he wanted, rarely considering the thoughts of those who loved and cared for him. It wasn't until now, when he had a lover of his own and put himself in their shoes, that he truly experienced the taste of worry and helplessness.

"Unfortunately, it's too late." Yan Zhuoyang remained unmoved. "That leg of yours must be broken today."

"Big Brother, don't—"

"I choose the left leg!"

The two voices rang out simultaneously, actually causing Yan Zhuoyang to pause for a moment.

"How about I wait a bit for you two to reach a consensus?"

Yan Zhuohua didn't give Yan Qinghe a chance to speak. "There's no need. I know I was wrong before, and I should be punished. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Could Big Brother please do it quickly? Let me die early so I can be reincarnated sooner!" Don't stop halfway like this; the feeling of waiting for the butcher's knife to fall is really not something an ordinary person can endure!

"Fine," Yan Zhuoyang was amused. "I'll grant your wish."

With that, Yan Zhuoyang raised the baseball bat high while Yan Qinghe looked on with grief and Yan Zhuohua squeezed his eyes shut.

After a long while, the sound of the baseball bat hitting the floor rang out.

"Stop closing your eyes; I was just scaring you."

Yan Zhuohua snapped his eyes open and saw the baseball bat on the floor and Yan Zhuoyang already sitting back on the sofa.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" After his narrow escape, Yan Zhuohua felt simple joy and immediately prepared to stand up.

"Don't move! I only said I wouldn't break your leg; I didn't say I wouldn't punish you with kneeling."

Yan Zhuohua, who had already half-stood up, knelt back down aggrievedly.

"I originally intended to break your leg today regardless of whether you did anything, just to be safe. I even inquired beforehand about how much force to use so as not to leave permanent damage. But in the end, I care about you. I don't want you lying in bed for months, and I especially don't want you to suffer the grievance of being wrongly beaten when you were actually behaving yourself."

"Fortunately, you've turned back from your wrong path and finally realized which things cannot be done." Yan Zhuoyang lectured his younger brother earnestly. "You must remember at all times that you aren't living in this world alone. You have family, friends, and a lover behind you. We can share your difficulties and pain, and we also worry about whether you are healthy and living a happy, joyful life."

Yan Zhuohua was filled with guilt, his head hanging lower and lower.

"Zhuohua, you've grown up." From that somewhat stubborn adolescent child a few years ago, he had finally grown into the handsome young man he was now; time had flown, carving him into someone gentler.

"Alright, I won't say any more; you should understand." Yan Zhuoyang stood up. "I came out of the military district temporarily to find you. I can't be away for too long and should head back. You stay here and kneel for another hour to reflect on the 'good deeds' you've done in the past. Qinghe, keep an eye on him; no slacking off."

Yan Qinghe hurried to nod in agreement, wishing he could send his eldest brother away the very next second.

"And!" Yan Zhuoyang turned back at the door. "Letting you off this time is because you didn't cause trouble, and I'm trusting you once more. If I catch you again, you won't even get to choose—I'll break both your legs directly."

"...Oh." Terrifying.

"Wait!" This time it was Yan Zhuohua who called out to his brother. He smiled flatteringly at Yan Zhuoyang. "Um, what about Sheng Xufeng?" Aren't you going to help me get revenge? I haven't even settled the score for him sending me those videos last time!

"The three hours he spent resting will be made up doubly tonight."

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Hahaha, Sheng Xufeng, just you wait!

Yan Zhuoyang ignored his gloating younger brother and finally turned to truly leave. The two people in the room instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Scared me to death! I really thought I was going to be lying in bed for months!"

"So you do know how to be afraid? Who was it just now that so righteously chose the left leg? Aren't you going to apologize to your left leg?"

"...Just shut up!"

Yan Qinghe didn't want to talk about that anymore. He walked over and reached out to Yan Zhuohua. "Get up. You were exhausted last night, and you've been kneeling for a long time since you got up early this morning. Let's not kneel for this remaining hour."

"I can't!"

Yan Qinghe was quite puzzled. "What do you mean you can't? Do your knees not hurt? Or are your legs not numb? I won't betray you, so what are you afraid of?"

"Did you forget?" Yan Zhuohua reminded him helplessly. "Big Brother still has the tracking information from the device on me! It has centimeter-level precision. If I shift even a little, the location changes. If I leave, could he possibly not find out? You don't actually think he'd just be satisfied with letting you watch me, do you?"

Good grief, he'd forgotten that part!

"Then you can just stand up; that's at least more comfortable than kneeling, right?"

Yan Zhuohua hesitated for a second. "Forget it. I'm the most well-behaved and obedient child in the family!"

"..." Who would believe that? "Then, then I'll go prepare hot water and medicinal oil for you. When you get up later, I can give you a massage."

—

The second hand ticked round and round. Outside on the windowsill, a chirping little bird would occasionally fly by, looking curiously at the grimacing and despondent Yan Zhuohua inside the room.

Amidst his desperate longing, the slow-moving hour hand finally crawled past a large mark. At the same time, Yan Qinghe, who had disappeared for an hour, happened to push the door open and enter.

"Don't move, I'll carry you up."

After kneeling for so long, even a slight movement hurt like crazy. Thus, Yan Zhuohua didn't struggle and compliantly wrapped his arms around Yan Qinghe's neck, letting the other man carry him in a bridal carry.

Yan Qinghe carried him directly back to the bed in the bedroom and sat him on the edge.

"Breakfast first, or foot soak and massage first?"

The two of them hadn't planned on waking up very early today anyway, so nine o'clock was neither too early nor too late—just right for breakfast.

Yan Zhuohua rubbed his empty stomach and felt his painful, numb legs.

"Can't you massage me while I eat?"

"...Fine."

Yan Qinghe turned to bring over the breakfast he had prepared during that hour, placing it on a movable small table that was just convenient for Yan Zhuohua to eat.

"Yesterday you were massaging my waist, and today it's turned into me washing your feet." Yan Qinghe first placed Yan Zhuohua's feet into the basin of hot water, then took out two ice packs, preparing to apply them to Yan Zhuohua's knees after finishing the leg massage.

"Hey, an old married couple helping each other out!" Yan Zhuohua ate a steaming little bun in one bite and took a sip of soy milk, sighing in satisfaction, but then his face distorted. "Gently! Be gentler! It hurts!"

"Don't move." Yan Qinghe held down his feet to stop him from moving around. "Didn't you gloatingly tell me to endure it yesterday? How is it your turn today and you can't take it?"

Yan Zhuohua was speechless. He mumbled for a long while without coming up with a reason to save face, so he had to focus all his attention on the little buns in front of him, eating them one by one as if to vent his frustration.

By the time Yan Qinghe finally finished massaging his two calves, Yan Zhuohua had also eaten every scrap of food on the small table.

"You ate it all?" Yan Qinghe looked at the several empty plates on the table in shock. "Aren't you stuffed?"

Lunch would be in just two or three hours, so the breakfast Yan Qinghe prepared wasn't much, just enough to fill their stomachs. But however small the amount, it was still a two-person portion; Yan Zhuohua eating it all made him worry if he'd overstuffed himself.

Yan Zhuohua wiped his hands with a tissue and felt his somewhat bulging stomach, only then realizing he had unconsciously overeaten. He let out an involuntary burp and then looked at Yan Qinghe with an innocent face.

Yan Qinghe didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he turned and went downstairs to find some digestive medicine for him.