flamboyant

Kapitel 165

Based on the bad impression he had of him, he naturally complied obediently, his small eyes filled with resentment as he did so.

I laughed; he was as adorable as ever.

That night, he was quiet, quieter than usual. He didn't refuse my unreasonable request, and he showed no dissatisfaction.

When I asked him to kiss me, I was so nervous I forgot to breathe.

He was reluctant to kiss me, but it was funny.

I never doubted his identity, really. It's not that I'm stupid, I just felt there was no need to.

When he touched me, I didn't object. If—I were on the bottom—he would remember my words forever. That night, I was willing to abandon the pride of the Ouyang family, break free from the shackles of the Prince of Shouping's mansion, and lean on him. I didn't think I was ridiculous. I really thought that way at the time, even when I knew he was a girl. It's just that the responsibility was heavier and the pursuit was greater.

A woman? That proves I need to show him my identity;

I will prove that I will stand up for her.

This proves that I need to work even harder to give him a secure future.

I left, following behind my father, watching her with tears in her eyes—beautiful, a beautiful memory that will stay in my heart.

Will you wait for me to come back?

Wait for me to give you the future you desire.

When I am fully grown;

When I become a man;

When I understand your heart;

When I'm able to make you happy...

[Extra: Sikong Qian (1)]

My older brother held my hand. His face was sallow and he was thin and bony. He was getting weaker and weaker each time. Today he couldn't even get up. Uncle Zhong put him on the ground. I was so scared that I hid behind a tree and didn't dare to get close to him.

"Qian, don't be afraid, come here."

I shook my head.

"Would you mind helping me back to my room?" He smiled weakly at me.

Mother forbade me to pay attention to them, and forbade me to get close to any of the brothers who entered the forbidden area, but he was the eldest brother. When I was hungry, he gave me steamed buns to eat. Overcoming my fear and ignoring the intricate patterns on his body, I closed my eyes and helped him up.

He took my hand and leaned gently on my shoulder. He was so heavy; no matter how thin he was, he was too heavy for a four-year-old like me.

His gaze lingered on me: "Qian, I envy you so much."

I didn't dare to speak, but helped him walk. "Qian, of all the brothers, you are the best looking."

I know you were beautiful before. The first time I saw you—under the pine tree, dressed in blue, you amazed everyone.

"I wish I could go back to the past." He looked into the distance, longing to start over. I didn't dare talk to him, afraid of upsetting him.

He suddenly pushed me away, and countless thin snakes crawled out of his body, blood gushing out. I was so frightened that I kept backing away. My older brother endured the pain and cut himself with a knife. "Qian, close your eyes."

I was terrified by what I saw—I was so frightened that I braced myself against the doorpost in the corridor and ran away in panic…

I dared not peek at him again.

My eldest brother is even thinner and weaker. Even a gentle breeze can't keep him upright. Uncle Zhong said that he has broken through the third stage of "Mistaken Face" and is the most powerful among all the brothers. But I am becoming more and more afraid of him. He is more and more terrifying each time.

When he was five years old, he was lying in bed, his body too heavy to support him to walk, and he asked me to come over.

At that moment, I couldn't tell if he was the eldest brother.

"Qian, don't follow your elder brother's example. You should be like your father and be the most useless member of the Sikong family."

I nodded, and he stroked me as usual, with envy and longing in his eyes.

My father is out of favor, a distant relative of the Sikong family—essentially an abandoned child. I don't need to get involved with them, and they won't bother us. They control the family's power; we are the ones who enjoy the spoils. I've always believed I would watch them, watch them pass the test and become grandfathers.

But he died, and when he died, nothing remained, not even bones or blood. I could not see him even if I hid outside his door, because he left nothing behind.

After the eldest brother, the other brothers passed away one after another.

I was even more afraid. I clung to my mother at night, too scared to go out.

A month later, Uncle Zhong took me to see my grandfather. My mother cried bitterly, and my father held her, equally heartbroken. I panicked—clung to my mother's arm, not wanting to go with Uncle Zhong. I cried and fussed, but he only mentioned it once, and I was on his shoulder, leaving the place I had lived for five years to begin a different life.

"Master, I have taken a liking to the Seventeenth Young Master."

"Master, I have taken a liking to the Nineteenth Young Master."

"Master, I have brought the Twenty-Fourth Young Master."

...

Apart from me, all ten of my brothers were eager to try. They wanted to fight for a place in this family.

I don't want to go. I don't want to become the eldest brother. I can live like my father, without power, just a simple life.

Grandpa didn't give me a chance. He led us into the forbidden area, which was even larger than the Sikong Mansion. My older brother had told me that there were many traps inside. If we were to get in, we should follow Grandpa's footsteps closely. I carefully counted his steps and stepped on the footprints he had left.

My twenty-first brother took a wrong step, and I never saw him again.