Yan Yan - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Understanding 

Su Yan was stunned after hearing Bai Xingfan’s words. ‘Mr. Bai, when did you start to write Chinese classics?’ However, she didn’t have time to think too much as she was worried about her brother’s wounds.

This silly Baitian really didn’t understand her painstaking efforts; he insisted on holding his arms across his chest with an inviolable look of wanting to be beaten, which made her very angry. Finally, she groaned helplessly and said, “Alright, I won’t touch you,” and she again gave Bai Xingfan a timid glance before saying, “It’s really troublesome.”

“It’s a minor issue,” Bai Xingfan replied while calling Su Zhan, who was watching TV. “Come and sit down.”

Su Zhan obediently moved to sit on the sofa in front of Bai Xingfan, then, as he was suddenly struck by an idea, he abruptly turned his head back and glared at his own sister like an enemy, saying, “Turn around, don’t peek at me!”

Su Yan: “…”

She turned around after giving the silly Baitian a furious look.

After seeing his sister had looked away, Su Zhan took off his shirt, sat straight, and waited for Bai Xingfan to apply medicine for him.

The boy had a tall, straight build with well-defined muscles on his back, but striking red-purple bruises covered much of his light skin. Even Bai Xingfan frowned in distress when he noticed the boy’s back injury.

Su Yan turned around quietly and peered. Her heart ached as if pierced by a needle when she saw her brother’s back; her eyes and nose ached immediately.

Bai Xingfan opened the medicinal bottle, sighed, and said in a friendly voice, “Say it if it hurts,” as he poured the medicinal wine over the sterile cotton balls. He was quite concerned that he would be self-defeating because he had never performed this type of service for others before.

Su Zhan was unconcerned, saying, “Brother Bai, I have thick flesh and rough skin, so it’s alright.”

“You are an extremely capable man, protecting your sister,” Bai Xingfan said softly as he used a cotton ball to gently wipe the boy’s bruises on his back.

Su Zhan was a little embarrassed and said, “Well, I’m not so powerful; boys simply want to defend girls. Furthermore, she’s my sister, and you helped me scare the dog away.”

Su Yan’s heart was penetrated by a single sentence, which made her feel incredibly uneasy and caused her to start crying silently.

“You should be rewarded for what you did today.” Bai Xingfan said as he applied the boy’s medication.

Su Zhan asked, “What’s the prize? An ice cream cone?”

With a smile, Bai Xingfan remarked, “Kaws02. I’m going to give it to you.”

Su Zhan abruptly turned to face Bai Xingfan in disbelief and asked, “Really?” with shining eyes.

“Of course. I hope you can continue to protect your sister,” Bai Xingfan said, looking down at the young guy seated in front of him. “I’m asking you to look out for her when I’m not around because I can’t always be by her side, like today.”

The silly Baitian couldn’t understand the deep meaning behind Bai Xingfan’s words. “Of course it’s true,” he said, and jumped up from the sofa mountain with a “crack,” completely forgetting the pain in his back, and jumped several times in a row, like a monkey jumping into the sky, so excited that he shouted: “Ah! Ahhh Ahhh! Brother Bai! Brother Bai! From now on, you are my brother!”

When Bai Xingfan felt like he was coaxing a three-year-old toddler, he couldn’t stop laughing.

Su Yan overheard their chat, but she couldn’t bear to interrupt their goofy and joyful moment. ‘Is it acceptable to eat, drink, stay at other people’s houses, and take stuff when you leave? Isn’t it a bit inappropriate?’

“Why do you want everything?” she helplessly asked her younger brother after swiftly wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

Su Zhan also didn’t care if he was dressed or not, and he responded firmly, “What’s your problem, eh? I received it from my brother!” He firmly turned to face Bai Xingfan after saying, “It’s really my brother!”

‘What? a building block bear, in exchange for a younger brother.’

Bai Xingfan smiled and said, “Yes.”

Su Yan experienced a brief sense of bitterness as she suddenly felt as if her younger brother had been robbed. But Bai Xingfan had noble intentions as well; could Su Yan still hold him responsible for “snatching her younger brother”?

“This was brought to Mr. Bai’s younger brother. How could you just take this? I’ll buy you one when I go back,” Su Yan replied in a serious tone.

Su Zhan pouted, saying, “Ignore it! Can’t you remember? When I was in the fourth grade, you promised to buy Ultraman for me, but I’m now in my sophomore year, and you still haven’t bought it!

Su Yan: “…” ‘That was because there was no Ultraman in the world!’

Su Zhan continued to challenge his sister, saying, “I didn’t take it for nothing, brother Bai claimed it was a reward for me!” Su Zhan had a burning desire for the bear and was unafraid of being beaten.

Su Yan’s expression darkened more, and three seconds later, she started to scan the living area for weapons to beat her stupid brother.

Su Zhan, who was familiar with his sister, hurried behind the curtain while simultaneously yelling. “Brother Bai, stop my sister! She’s going to skin me alive!”

Su Yan had already found a handy tool: the remote control on the coffee table. Bai Xingfan grabbed her wrist and quickly persuaded her, “Forget it, forget it, What are you fussing about with a child?”

Su Yan, this time getting angrier, yelled at Bai Xingfan furiously. “What child? He is already twenty!”

While trying to calm her down, Bai Xingfan was being scolded in a way he had never experienced before by a woman. “Are you willing to beat him with the wounds on his back?”

Su Yan stopped arguing after Bai Xingfan’s question, gave up after a few seconds of peering at Silly Baitian’s hiding place, and kept the remote control on the table.

Bai Xingfan loosened his grip on her wrist and smiled helplessly: “Why are you taking this seriously? He just wants a teddy bear.”

“You handed him the bear; what about Xinglan?” Su Yan scowled.

“Get him another right away,” Bai Xingfan suggested.

“Is the limited edition bear easy to buy?” Su Yan gave him an angry look and said, “You said Xinglan has been thinking about this bear for a long time; he will be disappointed.”

Su Zhan, who was hidden behind the curtain, suddenly raised the curtain as Bai Xingfan was about to speak, and he glared angrily at his sister: “Who is Xinglan? Why do you treat him so nicely? You’re genuinely concerned for his feelings! You don’t even give a damn about how I feel!”

Su Yan: ‘So, are you envious?’

“It’s my younger brother,” Bai Xingfan replied.

“Is your brother also surnamed Bai?” Su Zhan asked Bai Xingfan after gazing at him for three seconds in a daze.

Bai Xingfan: “…”

Su Yan: “…”

Su Zhan was shocked to learn that the man’s name was Bai Xinglan.

Bai Xingfan felt rather powerless. “Yes.”

Su Zhan’s eyes immediately grew wider.

“You know each other?” Bai Xingfan asked with a tone of understanding and a hint of surprise.

Su Yan turned to face her younger brother, surprised.

“Hmph, it’s more than an acquaintance,” scoffed Su Zhan.

It appeared that there was hatred in this way.

Just as Bai Xingfan and Su Yan were ready to inquire about the inside story, a voice yelled out from the door, “Brother!” in a loud voice. A voice that was young and bright.

This was Bai Xinglan.

Truly, the way of the enemy was narrow.

Panicked, Su Yan glanced at Bai Xingfan subconsciously, and he looked at her gently, giving her the feeling that he would deal with it so she didn’t need to worry. Su Yan was still concerned that those two hot-blooded youngsters would start a fight.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Bai Zingfan whispered, making Su Yan feel a bit relieved, and she nodded her head lightly.

A few minutes later, Bai Xinglan, who didn’t know the situation inside the house, came to the living room with the schoolbag and, stunned, stooped on the spot while looking at Su Zhan with wide eyes and shouting, “Why the hell are you at my brother’s house?”

Su Zhan, who quickly dressed before Bai Xinglan came in, snorted coldly. “I can’t come here; why? I’m a visitor; unlike some people, I’m not delivering gifts to replace someone else’s competition quota.”

When Su Yan heard her brothers’ yin and yan words, she remembered that a month ago, Su Zhan came home with a depressed face, locked himself in the room, and didn’t let anyone enter no matter what. He didn’t even eat dinner. So around nine o’clock at night, she cooked him a bowl of shredded chicken noodles, and Su Zhan opened the door to his sister at that time because he was starving. After he wolfed down the noodles, Su Zhan told Su Yan that his place in the National College Student Robot Contest was rejected by the tutor because he received a big gift from a rich second generation in the same class.

That night, Silly Baitian was really sad, and Su Yan comforted him for nearly two hours before calming him down. Su Yan really didn’t predict that Bai Xinglan would be the rich second generation that used gifts to win the quota and made her brother sad.

‘So Xinglan and Xiaozhan are classmates who are studying at the same university and major? This coincidence seems a bit odd, no?’

Who knew Su Zhan’s words would enrage Bai Xinglan even more? “Stupid fart! I’m just competing for the position!”

Su Zhan: “Sure, I’m just using gifts to compete for the position!”

“Su Zhan, are you in need of a beating?” Bai Xinglan screamed, pointing to the tip of Su Zhan’s nose.

Rolling up his sleeves, Su Zhan asked, “I’m scared of you?”

The situation became out of control,  and Su Yan was perplexed and embraced her brother, shouting, “That’s enough!”

With a serious face, Bai Xingfan said to his younger sibling, “Enough!”

The pair started to be a bit more serious and stopped arguing, but the tension continued while both of them glared at each other.

“Sit down; let’s discuss what’s happening.” Bai Xingfan took the initiative and sat down.

Bai Xinglan paid more attention to his brother, gave Su Zhan an angry glance, and then moved closer to the main sofa. His brother, however, continued to look at him expressionlessly. Bai Xinglan froze at the pressure, turned abruptly, and moved over to the small sofa on the inner side.

Su Yan allowed her younger brother to sit on the farthest sofa, and she could only sit next to Bai Xingfan. This was done to keep the two of them apart.

“Xiao Zhan, speak first. What’s going on?” Bai Xingfan spoke once the entire group had taken their seats.

[TL Notes: xiǎo (written 小) means young or small. Using it in front of someone’s name is an affectionate or informal way to talk about someone younger.]

“Why should he talk first?” asked a furious Bai Xinglan.

Su Zhan dismissed: “Let me tell you what you did. How can you give gifts openly?”

“You…?” exclaimed Bai Xinglan.

“Shut up!” Su Yan scowled at her younger brother.

Bai Xingfan warned his younger brother as well.

As a result, the two timed bombs briefly stopped working.

Su Zhan began by explaining the horrific circumstances surrounding his replacement, almost gritting his teeth at the end: “I saw him carry a box of Maotai into the tutor’s office with my own eyes!”

Bai Xinglan was eager to defend himself, saying, “That is the box of Maotai; inside is an old record player.”

“Who doesn’t know that the old man likes to collect record players?” Su Zhan asked with wide eyes.

“That’s different; it would be a gift if it cost money, but I found this in the basement of my house. If you don’t believe me, ask my brother. It’s something my grandfather doesn’t use.” Su Zhan and Su Yan both turned to gaze at Bai Xingfan right away after Bai Xinglan’s words.

When the ball was kicked in his direction, Bai Xingfan was forced to yell, “Grandpa doesn’t use it, and that is true, but…

“Look!” Bai Xinglan, who was growing more confident, stopped his brother before he could even finish. “It’s pointless. Is it a waste product, in which case sending it may be regarded as a gift?”

“…”

Su Zhan was increasingly upset, saying, “You are just making excuses!”

“You are only less skilled than me, and you are just jealous of my abilities,” said Bai Xinglan.

“Fart!” Su Zhan had just taken a step in the direction of Bai Xinglan when Su Yan angrily scolded him, “Sit down!” Su Zhan, who stood up from the sofa, sat down reluctantly after hearing his sister’s angry words.

A smug look was on Bai Xinglan’s face.

Taking a quick look at his younger brother, Bai Xingfan groaned and said in a loud voice, “Apologise to Xiao Zhan.”

“Why should I apologise to him?” Bai Xinglan was dumbfounded.

Bai Xingfan appeared serious: “Why did you present a record player to the teacher?”

“Because Grandpa is no longer using it, keeping it in our home will take up space,” Bai Xinglan said with a flinch.

“Because you want to take my quota,” Su Zhan said.

“Stop saying a few words!” Su Yan yelled at his younger sibling as she coughed.

Su Zhan’s mouth was pursed in surprise.

“Because you know your mentor likes old record players, so you did that to please him,” Bai Xingfan said coldly.

Bia Xinglan blushed at his brother’s words.

“Before you graduate, you have a wicked intention to bribe the public, and you will get it in the future,” said Bai Xingfan in an increasingly stern tone.

He said these few words too harshly, let alone for a boy who just turned twenty. Even Su Yan, who had graduated several years ago, found it difficult to accept.

She instantly calmed down when she noticed that Xinglan’s face was getting worse. “Ah, there’s no need to go on like this; it’s only a tournament, no big problem!” She continued to wink at her brother, telling him to step aside for Xinglan.

If Bai Xinglan was criticised by his brother when no one was present, he would admit his mistake obediently. But in front of outsiders, especially in front of his deadly enemy, he only felt that his self-esteem was hurt. ‘Brother, you don’t love me anymore, and I don’t love you anymore! I don’t want a big brother like you who turns his elbows outward!’

The more he thought about it, the more wrong he felt, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

“What did I do to hear such words? I’m not you, and I live the way I want. No matter how bad or rubbish my life is, I have the love of my parents. Do you have it? You must be jealous of me.” Suddenly, Bai Xinglan’s furious words echoed in the living room.

Bai Xingfan froze, staring at his younger brother in a daze without uttering a single word for a long time.

Both Su Yan and Su Zhan were also stunned, completely at a loss.

After finishing this sentence, Bai Xinglan actually regretted what he had said, but out of respect for his face, he refused to lower his head and strode away from the living room without daring to glance back at his brother.

“Xinglan!” hastily yelled Su Yan to stop him.

Bai Xinglan left the living room as if he had never heard of it and continued to stroll directly towards the villa’s gate.

When Bai Xinglan didn’t stop, Su Yan looked at Bai Xingfan helplessly.

Once he was out of his daze, Bai Xingfan sternly remarked, “Don’t worry about him!”

Su Yan was forced to get up from the couch, run to Bai Xinglan, and eventually catch up with him outside the villa: “Where are you going?”

Bai Xinglan clenched his teeth and said, “Going home,” while fighting back tears. But these two words were like the valve ribs on a vehicle tyre, and as soon as he finished speaking, he was unable to hold back his tears any longer, and he began to shout in anger: “He likes to kill me! I was his younger brother after eight unfortunate reincarnations!”

Su Yan thought that this person could be referred to as a Silly Baitian And even more repulsive than her family’s Silly Baitian.

“You must be the one your brother loves the most.” She let out a small sigh. “I am more fierce towards Xiaozhan than your brother is towards you when we argue.”

Bai Xinglan knew his brother very well and retorted, “It’s not the same! He was attacking me just now! He would do the same thing whether you were there or not! He is the only one in the family who would treat me like that! Didn’t I just give the tutor a record player? What’s up!”

As her younger brother was also engaged in this situation, Su Yan had no choice but to respond, “Your brother disciplines you harshly, which implies he cares about you.”

Bai Xinglan sneezed. “He is this old. I don’t think he has ever done anything crooked before. He can’t live as he wants, coming to control my life.”

“I guess you can’t say that about your brother,” Su Yan stated in a deep voice after a brief pause and a little frown.

Bai Xinglan displayed a stubborn attitude as he turned her face away in disbelief.

Su Yan looked at the young man’s sharp-edged side face and asked, “You said just now that your brother can’t live as he pleases. Why?”

Bai Xinglan was uncommented.

Su Yan sighed. “Because he is the oldest brother and a leader in your generation. He carries the burden of your family’s mission and endures all of the pressure. Because of this, you have the freedom to live your life as you like. Because of that, you were able to participate in the robot competition with grace and leisure. Has he participated in this kind of competition?”

After Su Yan’s question, Bai Xinglen thought about his brother.

Bai Xingfan had never freely done anything. As the heir of the family, he could hardly have any personal hobbies during his childhood. He could only learn things that were beneficial to the family.

His brother’s life route had already been planned by his elders, and he could only follow this route; otherwise, he would be regarded as not doing his job properly, playing with things, and losing his ambition.

Bai Xinglan could still remember what had happened when he was eight years old. His brother was fourteen years old at the time and fell in love with the guitar and rock music, but was forbidden to play at home. So he and some of his friends formed a band secretly, and they practiced at a warehouse far from home. Bai Xinglan accidentally overheard his brother and the bandmates talking on the phone and asked his brother to take him over there. Eventually, his older brother took him there since he was getting tired of his soft and hard talk. He was overjoyed and couldn’t sleep the night after getting back home because he was so excited. When his mother asked why, he forgot his brother’s advice and told his loving mother about the band. At the time, he believed that his parents were the best parents in the world, that they were very kind and patient with him, and that they would undoubtedly regard his brother’s interests with great consideration.

But the following day, their mother went to his brother’s hidden warehouse and, in front of his brother’s eyes, cut the guitar strings with a pair of scissors. In front of his brother, he tore it to pieces before sealing the warehouse.

From the beginning to the conclusion, they didn’t acknowledge his brother’s talent; instead, they repeatedly slapped him with real-world punishments. Bai Xingfan hadn’t picked up a guitar since that time.

While he was younger, he wasn’t aware of what he had done wrong, but as he grew older, he understood that his brother’s only free world had been wrecked by his crude words.

It was not that Bai Xingfan had never been rebellious, but his rebellion was so insignificant compared to the pressure of the family, especially after their father fell seriously ill, that he didn’t even have the qualifications to rebel.

Bai Xinglan quickly clenched his fists and lowered his eyes as he felt guilty.

Su Yan hesitated briefly before deciding to complete the phrase: “Although he was a few years older than you, he had to travel the most difficult path. I guess he punished you so severely because he wants you to always be innocent and pure, which is what he wants to be in his fantasies, not because he has double standards.”

Once more, Bai Xinglan’s eyes went red.

“If you still want to go home, let the driver take you back.” Su Yan muttered helplessly.

Bai Xinglan raised his hand to wipe away his tears, stood at the door for a while, turned, and went back to the villa, but just as he took a step back, he stopped in his tracks and said, “Brother…”

Su Yan abruptly turned around and stared at him in shock. observing Bai Xingfan, who was standing close to them. ‘When did he come?’

Bai Xingfan turned his head away as the four eyes locked, focusing instead on his younger brother.

Still feeling a little hurt, Bai Xinglan pursed his lips and went inside. However, just as he passed his brother, he muttered, “I’m sorry,” in a low voice.

‘I apologise; after all, I should not have revealed your secret to our mother many years ago.’

‘I apologise; I should not have said that about you just now; I should not have said that our parents don’t care about you.’

Bai Xingfan was deeply touched, and before saying anything to his younger brother, Bai Xinglan had already gone inside the house.

There were only two people remaining outside the villa, and it was a dark and starry night. Su Yan was a little embarrassed and wasn’t sure how much Bai Xingfan had heard.

In fact, many of the things she said were her own guesses. If she guessed wrong, it would be extremely embarrassing if she was mistaken about her guess.

She kept staring down at her toes because she was so embarrassed to look at Bai Xingfan’s face.

Bai Xingfan unexpectedly said, ‘Thank you, when she was trying to come up with a way to deal with the embarrassment.

She abruptly raised her head and gave him a surprised look.

“Thank you, Ms. Su, for your understanding.” Bai Xingfan smiled warmly as he drew the corners of his lips together.

He had been involuntary since he was born, and he would not be able to break free from the shackles in the future. It was really a blessing to have someone who understood him.

A little ashamed, Su Yan whispered, “I’m only providing the facts to make sense.”

Bai Xingfan: “There are not many people who are sensible.”

Su Yan said modestly, “I’m not that good.”

“Obviously, you are,” Bai Xingfan said, “If I can marry Miss Su as my wife, it must be a blessing from three lives.” He didn’t avert his gaze.

End of chapter 14