Lin Zhizhi had never mentioned in detail to her juniors that she had a missing older brother. This brother, who was seven years older than her, disappeared before she got married and has not been heard from since.
“We’re a single-parent family. My mother’s health was poor, and it was my brother who raised me. At that time, our family was very poor. He worked part-time early on to support the family, paid for his own schooling, and even got scholarships. He never caused anyone any trouble, a standard ‘model child.’”
“Although life was rough, my brother never neglected me. He signed me up for all the class activities that required a fee. If other girls had new dresses, so did I. For New Year’s, June 1st, and birthdays, there were always gifts. I never had a worse life than anyone else.”
“Sometimes when I wore new clothes, and my mother mentioned our poverty in front of me, he would stop her, fearing I would become sensitive or self-conscious. He often said, ‘Girls should be well cared for,’ giving me everything good. In my heart, my older brother was like a father. Maybe many fathers can’t do as much as he did.”
“Later, when he started working, he covered all my high school and college expenses. After I graduated from graduate school and came to Nanyi to intern and work, I thought I’d make money and help my brother, even taking care of his wedding. But soon after, he disappeared.” Aunt Lin leaned against the low cabinet, her eyes growing moist. “Twenty years have passed, and he’s still missing. Everyone thinks he’s dead, but I still hold out hope that he will come back someday.”
Yi Shi handed her a tissue. Aunt Lin wiped her reddened eyes, and maybe feeling embarrassed to cry in front of the child, she turned her back to Yi Shi, her tears increasing despite her attempts to wipe them away.
“Why did he go missing?” Yi Shi asked.
“It was while handling a case. He worked in the police force, just like you and your father,” Aunt Lin said with a choked voice. “He was the type of person who would throw himself into his career without hesitation. Whenever there was a case, he would always be at the forefront. Despite his hard work, he was often criticized by his superiors and constantly had to take the blame. I feel so sorry for him.”
“People who aren’t very diplomatic are like that,” Yi Shi said softly.
“Yes, he was just like you—he didn’t like to talk, his social circle was small, and his hobbies were few,” Aunt Lin’s gaze fell on Yi Shi’s face, her lips curling into a smile tinged with tears. “But our Yi Shi is more good-looking. People are naturally more inclined to like beautiful things, so I’ve never worried that you’d be excluded. Others will find a way to approach you.”
Lin Heyu was not bad at socializing; he simply didn’t want to waste time on it, Yi Shi thought. After spending a long time with Lin Heyu, he could clearly feel that the latter was talkative, his speech well-organized and logical. Even if it didn’t reach the level of a debate competition, it was much better than those who could only engage in ineffective communication filled with empty talk.
So, the size of one’s social circle only depended on whether Lin Heyu was willing to expand it and wanted to make many friends. But Lin Heyu didn’t do that; instead, he left an impression of being taciturn, which likely meant he didn’t want to waste time and energy in this area. Making friends is easy, just a greeting to get to know someone, but maintaining that relationship requires effort. Yi Shi had long categorized “friends” as unnecessary, and for Lin Heyu, it should also fall into the “unnecessary” category.
The timer for the stew went off. Aunt Lin tasted it, added some salt, and turned off the heat. She wiped her hands on her apron and said, “I got so caught up in chatting with you that I forgot to stir-fry the okra. You go out first, and once I finish stir-frying, we can eat.”
Yi Shi was pushed out of the kitchen and saw Sheng Yu’an peeking around the corner. He was holding a spray bottle, but his attention wasn’t on the plants on the balcony. Yi Shi watched as water from the spout was repeatedly splashed onto the balcony floor. He sighed inwardly—how could he have such an unreliable younger brother?
He walked over, and Sheng Yu’an quickly looked away, pretending he had been diligently watering the flowers, as if he had just noticed his older brother’s presence. “Oh? Bro, you’re here again? I’ll come in as soon as I finish watering.”
“Who cares whether you come in or not,” Yi Shi said coldly, grabbing the cloth hanging nearby and tossing it to him. He gestured toward the floor.
Sheng Yu’an looked down, forcing a smile, and quickly knelt to wipe the floor dry. If their cleanliness-loving mother saw this, it would be another scolding.
“Bro, what were you talking about with Mom just now?” Sheng Yu’an looked up, gazing at Yi Shi.
“Nothing,” Yi Shi replied, crossing his arms. “Little kids shouldn’t ask so many questions.”
Sheng Yu’an wasn’t happy about that. “I’m twenty!”
“Your birthday hasn’t passed yet.”
“That still counts as twenty! What is there that I can’t know?”
Yi Shi looked down at him with a cold expression. “Encourage me to bring a girlfriend home.”
Sheng Yu’an was stunned, deflating like a punctured balloon. He crouched down in silence, and Yi Shi found his reaction amusing. Dealing with this silly kid was too easy.
“Bro, I know you’ll date sooner or later. I’ve already…” Sheng Yu’an looked up again and caught a fleeting, subtle smile from Yi Shi. He swallowed the rest of his sentence.
He liked to see his older brother from this angle—the smooth, delicate jawline and the collarbone partially hidden by the shirt. The unguarded smile, the lips curling up like a sliver of moonlight. He looked up at him, just like when he was a child, the affection gradually growing from admiration to something more, blossoming in the moonlight and finally solidifying in the sunset when he gave his love letter.
The phrase “I’m ready to accept you having a partner” became impossible to utter.
Sheng Yu’an tossed the cloth aside, suddenly stood up, and hugged Yi Shi. His eyes were filled with tears, his voice pleading. “Bro, please don’t date anyone. It’s okay if you don’t like me, just let me watch you like this. I won’t get married either. I’ll just stay with you…”
“…”
Yi Shi’s face remained expressionless. As Sheng Yu’an continued his emotional outburst, his features suddenly twisted in pain as he cried out, “Hand, hand, hand! It hurts, it hurts!”
Yi Shi used a standard restraint technique, twisting Sheng Yu’an’s arm behind his back, forcing him to kneel on one leg, and kicking his leg bend. It was just like the process of apprehending a criminal, minus the handcuffs.
In the noisy kitchen, Aunt Lin was too busy with the fryer to notice the “brotherly love” happening on the balcony.
Sheng Yu’an, kneeling on the ground, apologized and begged for forgiveness. “Bro, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say those things. Ah—my arm, my arm feels like it’s going to break!”
Yi Shi didn’t show any mercy. Even though this was his younger brother whom he had pampered since childhood and disciplined when he acted up, he hadn’t had the time to properly correct him lately. Sheng Yu’an’s repeated provocations made it clear that he hadn’t learned his lesson.
As Sheng Yu’an continued to beg, Yi Shi replied coldly, “I warned you, don’t push me past my limit.”
“I know, I know. Oh, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t help it…”
“Ha.”
As Sheng Yu’an’s pleas fell silent and he ceased struggling, he lowered his head, as if resigned. “…I’m just like this! I can’t change it! Who told you to be so good to me when I was little? Who told me I could reach you if I tried hard enough…”
Yi Shi was silent for three seconds before speaking. “My mistake.”
He suddenly let go of Sheng Yu’an, who quickly got up and stood obediently, feeling a surge of unease and not daring to look into Yi Shi’s eyes.
“Even though we aren’t biologically related, I’ve always considered you as my real younger brother. It seems I was wrong.”
Sheng Yu’an felt an ominous premonition rising within him, and Yi Shi continued distantly and coldly: “From now on, I won’t interfere in any of your affairs. Whatever you do is none of my business. If you ever harass me again, I’ll personally send you to the station.”
Sheng Yu’an was stunned, his mouth opening and closing. “…You’ll arrest me and take me to the police station?”
“I’ll inform Mom. I’ll come back after you’re gone,” Yi Shi said, shaking his wrist and then wiping his long, elegant fingers clean with a tissue. “Without the ‘brother’ status, it would be much more satisfying to discipline you.”
Sheng Yu’an was completely at a loss. He had never been this panicked before. Hearing Yi Shi speak so harshly for the first time, his throat tightened with anxiety, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Is this what it means? Cutting ties?
Yi Shi took out his phone and sent a message to Yu Xue, asking if he could stay the night. Yu Xue quickly replied, inviting him over and mentioning that they could return to Haijing together the next day.
Originally, Yi Shi planned to leave immediately without even eating, but seeing Aunt Lin busy in the kitchen, he felt guilty. After all, why should the trouble caused by this foolish kid affect Aunt Lin? He could have an adoptive mother and father and still maintain his feelings for them.
Sheng Yu’an was sweating coldly. Yi Shi didn’t seem to be joking; he neither joked nor made light of such matters. Could decades of affection just end so abruptly? Is someone really this heartless?
The first time he confessed, his older brother moved out; the day before yesterday, when he confessed, his older brother gave him a warning; today, he was left with nothing.
Yi Shi’s expression remained indifferent. There was no trace of the previous frustration or anger in his eyes—just a thorough disregard.
“Bro, wait…” Sheng Yu’an reached out to grab Yi Shi’s arm, but Yi Shi deftly avoided him. “Call me by name.”
“Bro, I know I was wrong…”
“Yi Shi,” Yi Shi corrected sternly. “Or, Officer Yi.”
Sheng Yu’an felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. Once he used this title, there was almost no chance to change it back.
Yi Shi was too lazy to say more. He walked around Sheng Yu’an, who, realizing the situation, tried to catch up but was blocked by the door to the balcony—Yi Shi had timed it perfectly, closing the door the moment Sheng Yu’an tried to follow.
Sheng Yu’an watched Yi Shi’s retreating figure and understood that the reason he could once easily reach Yi Shi was because Yi Shi had been unguarded and willing to be touched. Now that Yi Shi had put up his guard and excluded him from his privileges, it seemed nearly impossible to touch even a corner of his garment again.
It was ultimately just a fantasy.
—
After dinner, Yi Shi helped Aunt Lin wash the dishes and planned to head to Yu Xue’s place. He knocked on Aunt Lin’s door, holding a dessert he had brought from Lin Heyu. Aunt Lin answered the door with an old photo album in hand, wearing a pair of vintage chain glasses.
“Leaving so late? Not staying at home?”
Yi Shi nodded. “There’s something at the station. I’ll return to Haijing tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, every case means trouble for the whole family. Your dad is away on a business trip and won’t be back either. Tonight it’s just me and An’an at home.” Aunt Lin’s eyes showed concern. “Don’t overwork yourself. Take care of yourself out there and call me when you have time.”
Yi Shi agreed and glanced at the album, immediately spotting a younger Lin Heyu in the old photos.
“This is… him?” Yi Shi asked carefully, struggling to refer to him as “uncle,” so he opted for the simplest term.
“Yes, these are old photos of him,” Aunt Lin said with a smile. “You seem quite interested. Do you want to come in and take a look?”
She guided Yi Shi into the room and they sat at the table, where Aunt Lin started flipping through the album. “This one was taken in Linjia Village when we were all in school—he was in high school, and I was still in elementary school; this one is from when he was at the Police Academy, his first drill; this one is from my 18th birthday…”
In the faded, yellowed old photos, Lin Zhizhi still looked like a young girl, her every smile filled with youthful joy. Lin Heyu’s appearance was much as Yi Shi remembered him—starting from high school, he had hardly changed, his looks and demeanor almost the same, only his eyes losing their youthful naivety and becoming more mature and wise.
Unfortunately, there were no childhood photos. Lin Heyu was curious about Yi Shi’s childhood, and Yi Shi was equally curious about what Lin Heyu looked like back then.
“He didn’t have many photos; he didn’t like taking pictures, so I forced him to. Look at this one—does it look familiar?” Aunt Lin pointed to a photo where Lin Heyu was squatting on the ground holding a hammer, while Lin Zhizhi, wearing chain glasses, posed with a peace sign, smiling with her eyes squinted.
Yi Shi looked at the photo and then at her glasses. “Is it the same one?”
“Yes, good eye.” Aunt Lin took off the glasses. “That day I bought a new cabinet and asked my brother to help me move it. I was wearing these glasses just for fun. He thought I had damaged my design drawings and was very worried.”
She caressed the photo, her eyes full of nostalgia. “Soon after, he went missing. Every time I see these glasses, I remember that day. Now, they’re old and my eyesight is failing, so I just put lenses in them and use them.”
Yi Shi felt a pang of bitterness. Even though he knew Lin Heyu was just across the street and had his contact information on his phone, hearing Aunt Lin’s heartbroken emotions was infectious. Lin Heyu had been missing for years, and since there was a connection through time, did it mean that Lin Heyu’s peaceful days were running out?
“Has there been no news all these years?” Yi Shi murmured.
“No. Guoning has been keeping an eye out for years, and we publish missing person notices every year,” Aunt Lin sighed again. “Actually, I’m afraid to get his news. What if he really isn’t alive? I’ve never brought myself to close his case because I hope he will come back one day. But thinking about it, no news might be the best news.”
No closure? Yi Shi thought deeply. When he asked Yu Xue to investigate, there was no sign of Lin Heyu in Haijing. He had thought it might be because the case had been closed due to the long time, so he planned to check the closure system records when he returned. But Aunt Lin just told him there was no closure?
It’s really strange. Yi Shi thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you remember who Lin Heyu’s colleagues were back then?”
“I didn’t meet many of his colleagues. Only one of his closest friends, whom I haven’t seen since my brother went missing,” Aunt Lin looked at Yi Shi. “It’s the former team leader from Haijing. I heard from your dad that you saw him in Haijing, right?”
“…?” Yi Shi was stunned. “The former team leader? How could it be him?”
“Why not? He’s the former team leader, in his forties, quite spirited.”
The current team leader in Haijing was Yuan Kang, not Yuan Maoqiu. Yi Shi knew this well. The two were father and son, and the current Yuan Maoqiu was still just a child. Sheng Guoning had also asked him if he had seen the team leader, so did they believe that the current team leader was Yuan Maoqiu from twenty years ago?
In normal circumstances, Yi Shi would immediately point out the discrepancy. However, matters related to Lin Heyu are quite unique. He couldn’t judge whether the distortions from the mirrored world would self-correct. If it was about restoring coherence, then such erroneous perceptions were entirely plausible. In other words, incorrect perceptions by those who interacted with Lin Heyu back then might be an unavoidable outcome.
Aunt Lin didn’t notice Yi Shi’s odd reaction. After looking down for a while, her neck felt a bit sore, so she rubbed it slowly. “There aren’t many photos of him. We’ll be done soon. So, what do you think? Isn’t my brother quite handsome?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s such a pity that he never got to meet his future wife. He must have had someone he liked back then. The first time I saw him smiling at a phone, his expression was much gentler than usual…”
Yi Shi’s eyelids twitched. Had Lin Heyu been in a relationship? How much information about him does he not know?
As it was getting late, Aunt Lin didn’t want to keep him at home any longer. Yi Shi then handed her the bag. “Mom, I bought these for you.”
“I was just about to ask, but I didn’t expect them to be for me.” Aunt Lin opened the bag. “Puffs and macarons, all my favorites. Where did you buy them?”
Yi Shi vaguely replied, “Haijing… from a new shop.”
Seeing her smile with delight at the two boxes of sweets, Yi Shi sighed inwardly. These were gifts from Lin Heyu, and in a way, it could be seen as compensation.
With so much negative information, Yi Shi’s mood hadn’t improved even after arriving at Yu Xue’s place. Yu Xue, arms crossed, asked, “Why the gloomy face?”
“…A lot happened tonight.”
“If you’re not staying at home and are hiding out here, I can probably guess,” Yu Xue said, pointing to his chin. “Is it Sheng Yu’an causing trouble again?”
Yi Shi nodded lightly. The issue was resolved; there would be no more younger brother.
“…” Yu Xue gave him a thumbs up. You’re even more ruthless than I am. You’ve brought back the old drama of cutting ties from eight hundred years ago.
“It’s better to be clear and straightforward,” Yi Shi paused. “Always yielding and only rejecting verbally makes him think he still has a chance.”
Yu Xue sighed. It’s not easy for young people in love. Why fall for an iceberg beauty, especially when it’s your own brother? It’s like cutting off all possible paths.
Sheng Yu’an will probably be left with an indelible psychological scar.
___
Author’s note:
Resolved the younger brother issue, satisfying.
I really like seeing Yi Shi in this cold-blooded manner (.
