Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 425: Bringing Him Home for the New Year
I’m feeling a bit guilty this year.
Yu Xia was bringing the whole family along and, before arriving home, she specifically asked her sister-in-law if her brother was home and if he was far from the door.
She initially wanted to give her brother some time to prepare, but as luck would have it, they ran into each other in the elevator.
Yu Heng was still dressed in a neat suit and overcoat, looking suave and stylish. He remained in the same position he had walking in, expressionlessly watching the "family of three" in the elevator.
There was once a discussion online about seemingly reasonable but very unusual behaviors, and standing in an elevator with your back to the door without turning around topped the list for a short while.
Now it seems, indeed, that there’s a slight hint of eeriness amidst the reasonableness.
Yu Xia braced herself to greet him, "Ha, brother, what a coincidence."
Yu Heng tugged at the corner of his mouth, "It is quite a coincidence."
His expression, barely smiling, was actually a bit scary, so she laughed awkwardly, "Haha" twice.
Yu Heng got straight to the point, "Why is he here too?"
"Well, his parents aren’t home, he’s all alone, so I thought I’d bring him back to have a meal together. Besides, my sister-in-law is aware of this. Yu Yue even took the initiative to invite him. As Yu Yue’s aunt, it’s only right for me to follow through on his invitation."
Yu Heng: "Then should I give you a Best Aunt award?"
"... No need," she brushed her hair back, dryly said, "Brother, how about you turn around? It’s awkward facing this way."
"Feeling guilty like a thief."
Yu Heng remarked and after turning around, facing the elevator door, added, "As an adult, you should know that having just one meal is meaningless."
With this out-of-the-blue remark, Xie Qingci naturally chimed in, "Mm, brother is right."
Yu Heng’s posture stiffened.
After leaving the elevator, going from the high-pressure environment back into the fresh air, Yu Xia felt a sense of relief, like surviving a disaster.
When Yue Ling opened the door to let them in, Yu Xia held her hand, eyes moist with emotion.
"Sister-in-law, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I’ve missed you."
Yue Ling teased with a smile, "Then why not video call me? Is the internet fee too high?"
"... Sister-in-law, you’re really becoming like my brother."
Xie Qingci, bringing up the rear, handed over the gift box he was holding and called out, "Sister-in-law."
Yue Ling smiled and let him in.
The cook was already busy in the kitchen. Yu Yue, like a fish back in water, ran everywhere once he returned home, even pulling Xie Qingci to look at his model car.
Yu Xia snuggled up to Yue Ling, chatting friendly, while Yu Heng sat alone in the living room, darkly glaring at a tissue box.
At the moment, everything seemed to annoy him.
After a while, Yu Xia carried over a plate of washed jujubes.
"Brother? My dear brother? Beloved brother?"
Yu Heng glanced at her but said nothing.
"Dear brother, what’s up? Work stress? Relationship issues with sister-in-law? Scolded by sister-in-law? Surely you’re not upset just because I brought my boyfriend back? My handsome and charming brother, are you really worried that someone else could challenge your iconic status?" Yu Xia coaxingly offered two jujubes and courteously massaged his shoulders.
The courage she lost when she left home came back, after all, her brother couldn’t possibly be mad at her no matter who else he was angry with.
Yu Heng swatted her hand away, "Smooth talker. Why bring him back?"
"It’s New Year. He’s already my boyfriend, so when isn’t the right time to bring him? Plus, he’s all alone and it’s a bit pitiful. If I were in his place, you wouldn’t want me to spend such an important holiday like Spring Festival alone, would you?"
"I’m your brother, not his brother. I don’t see things from his brother’s perspective."
"Alright, alright, you’re my brother, my dear brother. But doesn’t that mean my boyfriend should also call you brother? Just don’t give him a hard time; he’s already nervous about coming to our home."
Yu Heng bit into a jujube, snapping the pit inside with a crackling sound, taking a moment before he said, "Fine, go away."
When it came down to it, it was still a protective brother who was frustrated about his sister being taken away, not truly disliking Xie Qingci.
Once satisfied, he didn’t mind having a culinary-inclined guest at home.
Yu Yue hopped around, gesturing to Yue Ling about how delicious Xie Qingci’s cooking was.
Yue Ling shooed him away, stating that constantly praising the guest wouldn’t justify making them cook; it didn’t make sense.
Xie Qingci, however, remained unfazed.
"I’ll cook a dish. Yu Xia has been saying she wanted to eat it for days."
With no elder relatives around in the Yu Family, showcasing culinary skills in front of the brother and sister-in-law was almost like impressing the in-laws.
Yu Xia, worried he might be uncomfortable, stayed in the kitchen to help. When her brother and sister-in-law weren’t watching, she gave him a quick peck.
"A reward for being good."
Xie Qingci lowered his eyes, licked the corner of his mouth, and said sideways, "More."
"... Alright," she gave him another peck and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "My brother doesn’t actually dislike you, don’t be mad."
Xie Qingci responded, "Mm, I know. If I had a sister, I wouldn’t like her boyfriend either."
After speaking, he seemed to want to pat her on the head, but his hands were messy with vegetable juice, so he bent over and rubbed her cheek with his, whispering, "Don’t worry about me."
While they chatted in the kitchen, Yue Ling and Yu Heng conversed outside.
The main topic was Yue Ling schooling Yu Heng.
"Keeping a cold face only makes them think you dislike them, but that’s still Xiaxia’s boyfriend. If he feels awkward, Xiaxia will be upset too. Can’t you show a little friendliness?"
Yu Heng kept a sullen face in silence while getting scolded.
The freest member of the family was little Yu Yue, who bounced around observing his dad getting lectured and sneaking peeks at the flirting couple in the kitchen, running back and forth.
Amid his comings and goings, he felt a tad lonely and hid in his room to call Mei.
At noon, they enjoyed a slightly sumptuous home-cooked meal while the cook immediately began preparing lavish dishes for the evening.
New Year’s Eve is celebrated at night; dinner is the true family reunion meal.
Yu Xia and Xie Qingci spent time in her room, the door wide open, sitting properly at the desk looking through photo albums.
In the room, there was also a bookshelf with several large and small boxes decorated with pretty ribbons.
After finishing the photo albums, Xie Qingci turned his attention to the boxes, as if hoping to discover treasures inside.
Yu Xia had no choice but to join him, explaining the boxes’ purposes.
"They’re for keeping small items like hair ties, clips, earrings, necklaces, and so on."
He opened a fabric box, and sure enough, found it filled with odds and ends — a mini stapler, colorful paper clips, and pastel yellow and purple hair ties.
He sifted through with his fingers, and the little stapler box easily flipped over, revealing nothing inside.
What’s the point of keeping an empty box?
He picked up the box and took it apart, revealing a piece of paper folded neatly inside, with a small bell drawn atop.
[Yu Xia, is your wound feeling better? Does it still hurt?]
No signature, not a confession, but with such a care-laden note, even a fool could see the sender’s affection for her.
——
PS:
Yu Heng: (jumping) Who’s his brother?! Who’s his brother?!
Yue Ling: Should he call you uncle then?
Yu Heng: ...
