Jing Li looked at Gu Tingshen, his heart filled with uncertainty and doubt.
“…Blessing?” He tilted his head slightly, glancing at his brother, who had turned back at the sound before forcing a smile. “Why would Tingshen-ge suddenly want this?”
“Didn’t Xiao Jing say he didn’t prepare a gift?” Gu Tingshen arched his brow, noticing Jing Li’s expression, and couldn’t help but tease with a smile, “What’s wrong? If you didn’t prepare a gift, can’t you even offer New Year blessings?”
Ah, so that’s what he meant.
Jing Li smiled in realization, feeling he had been a bit too paranoid. He immediately said, “Of course not, I just thought a mere blessing seemed too casual.”
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Gu Tingshen earnestly. “Then I wish Tingshen-ge peace and success every year.”
After speaking, he smiled affectionately and gave the other a big hug before naturally stepping back. “And thank you for your generosity, Tingshen-ge. I’ll make sure to give you a gift next time.”
Gu Tingshen smiled without a word, but his gaze unintentionally fell on Jing Li’s palm.
Perhaps it was his illusion, but when Jing Li approached to hug him, he seemed to have glimpsed a white glow in his palm. When it touched his back, he even felt a warmth spread through his body.
But now, there was nothing in his palm.
Could he have been mistaken?
As Gu Tingshen pondered, Jing Yu suddenly returned and scolded him with a smile, “Alright, you’re both grown men, yet you’re still teasing Xiao Jing about gifts.”
As he said that, he didn’t bother to talk to his friend anymore. He draped an arm around his brother’s shoulders, leading him back as he waved his hand carelessly. “Hurry back now, or the entire Gu family will be scared into heart attacks worrying about you.”
Hearing this, Gu Tingshen chuckled and bid them farewell before turning to leave.
Watching Gu Tingshen’s retreating back, Jing Li suddenly asked his brother, “Ge, you and Tingshen-ge seem really close. Have you known each other since childhood?”
In Jing Li’s memories, the age difference between this body and his brother was quite significant. By the time he could remember, his brothers were already grown, and later, their family underwent a major upheaval, changing his entire life. The memories from his earliest years had gradually faded.
“More or less.” Jing Yu glanced back before smiling, “Our families have long-standing business ties. Our parents were close with the Gu family, and since Tingshen and I are around the same age, we naturally became familiar over time.”
Jing Li nodded in understanding.
If Gu Tingshen had truly come from the Spiritual Realm and known his brother since childhood, then he must have come here together with his brother.
In his recollection, during the time when Senior Brother ascended, there were indeed two others who ascended shortly after.
However, those two people, though familiar, could not match up to Gu Tingshen.
Moreover, even they would not agree to foolishly follow Senior Brother to this chaotic realm…
“But don’t let his current respectable demeanor fool you,” Jing Yu suddenly added. “He was quite arrogant as a child. At such a young age, he always wore a scowl and refused to interact with anyone. Back then, I stubbornly insisted on getting close to him out of defiance, and it took me quite an effort to eventually become his friend.”
“But after truly becoming friends, I gradually discovered he was unexpectedly decent. He’s just slow to warm up, appearing cold and aloof on the surface, but is actually quite protective.”
Otherwise, he would not have come to the Jing family’s aid during their time of crisis, selflessly helping them get back on their feet bit by bit thanks to his assistance.
Recalling those times, a tender expression crossed Jing Yu’s face, showing his deep appreciation for his friend Gu Tingshen.
Watching his expression, Jing Li couldn’t help but smile as well.
His brother was right. Although Gu Tingshen appeared cold and ruthless on the outside, he truly had a soft heart within.
“Speaking of which,” Jing Yu turned to his brother, “since joining the entertainment industry, you haven’t seen your friends in a long time, have you? Although I don’t approve of their ways, maintaining ordinary social ties is still necessary, as you can’t completely separate from this circle.”
“It just so happens that the Tan family is going to hold a banquet the day after tomorrow. You can go with me then.”
Previously, the original owner was abroad for a long time, and after returning, he was constantly entangled with scoundrels, so he rarely attended such banquets. This allowed rumors about the strained relationship between the Jing brothers to escalate.
But now that Jing Li was in control, he naturally wouldn’t allow such a situation to occur. After some thought, he agreed to attend.
Seeing this, Jing Yu smiled in satisfaction and instructed the butler to retrieve the previously tailored suits, clearly having prepared well in advance.
Jing Li couldn’t help but laugh helplessly at his brother’s adorable behavior.
His brother was really getting cuter and cuter.
*
With no work or distractions on New Year’s Day, Jing Li slept in until nearly 10 o’clock.
After washing up and eating a light meal, he had nothing better to do than cook to pass the time.
Ever since Jing Yu opened a social media account, he instantly transformed into a “show-off little brother” maniac, updating even more frequently than Jing Li’s own account.
Previously, he would occasionally capture snapshots of his younger brother’s daily life – eating, reading, spacing out, talking…
With his excellent photography skills, combined with his brother’s flawless 360-degree looks, the resulting shots were no less impressive than those taken by professional photographers. This drew swarms of ardent Koi fans who couldn’t get their idol’s updates to flock to the elder brother’s Weibo, fawning over the pictures while squealing excitedly.
As soon as the recent photos of the younger brother cooking were posted, another wave of fans swarmed in to admire them.
“Gege, please take more pictures!!”
“Ahh, Jing Shao looks perfect from every angle!”
“The family meals are already lavish, but why do the dishes made by Jing Shao seem even more mouthwatering?! QAQ”
“Jing Shao cooked personally to feed Gege!! I’m so envious!”
“Wuwu, getting to see our idol’s life photos during the New Year, what more could I ask for in life.”
…
With these adorable fans, the festive atmosphere seemed even more vibrant than usual.
Seeing the countless confessions to his younger brother in the comments, Jing Yu thoroughly enjoyed the attention. Occasionally spotting some backhanded comments, he would personally step in to clap back, prompting fans to rally to his defense and leaving him with a smugly raised brow.
Jing Li found it rare to see such expressive reactions from him. Since he seemed happy, Jing Li didn’t stop him, even resharing a post to add to the festive spirit.
As they played around, Jing Li’s phone suddenly rang, buzzing repeatedly.
At first, he thought it was just mass New Year’s greetings and paid it no mind. But after returning to his room and freshening up, he realized he had been added to a group called “Second Generation Alliance” which had accumulated 999+ messages in the past half hour and was still rapidly refreshing.
Jing Li tapped in and scanned through, seeing it was his old circle of friends discussing the Tan family banquet his brother had mentioned.
[Li Yuanpeng: Are you all going to the Tan family banquet tomorrow? I heard Tan Lixiao is back in the country?]
[Zhou Li: Yeah, and he’s brought some big-shot boyfriend too. The Tan family is using this chance to spread the news in their circle.]
[Fang Qi: I heard about that too. Apparently he’s some Wall Street tycoon, even ranks on the Forbes list.]
[Li Yuanpeng: Don’t know who’s blind enough to be with him!]
…
[Zhang Wei: Will Jing Li be going, by the way?]
[Li Yuanpeng: Probably not? Besides the Jing family’s own banquets, when have you seen him attend any others these past few years?]
[Zhang Wei: You have a point. It’s better if he doesn’t go, otherwise…]
……
Jing Li scanned through and typed: [Jing Li: I’m going.]
As soon as he sent that, the group fell silent for a moment before erupting with countless frantically refreshing messages, all addressing him.
[Li Yuanpeng: ????What did I just see! The elusive Er Shao???]
[Zhou Li: You’re going to the banquet tomorrow?]
[Zhang Wei: You’re not going for Tan Lixiao, are you?]
Jing Li skimmed through and replied to a few key questions before saying: [I’m going to sleep now, see you all tomorrow.]
Without waiting for the barrage of new messages, he muted the group and locked his screen to rest.
He didn’t have many impressions of Tan Lixiao, but his memories seemed to suggest some unpleasantness between this body and that person in the past.
However, that was a long time ago, and the memories were hazy. Since it had nothing to do with him, Jing Li didn’t dwell on it much.
Soon it was the second day of the New Year.
Today they would attend the Tan family banquet. After lunch, the brothers changed into their suits to get ready.
Their suit styles were similar, with the elder brother in deep black and the younger in pale silver, perfectly complementing their respective demeanors. Yet standing together, they harmoniously blended, appearing dashing and eye-catching.
Jing Yu smiled approvingly at his stylish younger brother descending the stairs. The two then headed out and boarded the car to the Tan residence.
On the way, Jing Li’s phone rang. It was a call from Li Yuanpeng asking when they would arrive, mentioning they had already seen Tan Lixiao there.
Hearing that name again, Jing Li still had no particular reaction. He calmly replied that they were on their way before hanging up.
Noticing his brother’s gaze, he explained with a smile, “It was Li Yuanpeng asking when we’ll get there.”
Jing Yu gave an acknowledging hum and did not ask any more questions.
The car proceeded through the gates of the Tan family’s villa estate, where numerous luxury vehicles were already parked outside, indicating many guests had arrived.
Jing Li followed his elder brother out of the car, drawing the attention of many onlookers. Several people smiled and came over to greet them.
Of course, the focus was mainly on Jing Yu as the head of the Jing family, requiring the expected socializing.
Jing Li trailed behind, nodding politely at the arrivals while quietly observing, perfectly embodying the gentleman’s demeanor and drawing admiring glances from many.
Upon entering the Tan residence, the crowd swelled, and even more people surrounded Jing Yu.
Jing Li exchanged greetings with the Tan couple before scanning the room and spotting Li Yuanpeng’s group fervently waving at him from a corner sofa.
Familiar faces, familiar settings – those people always seemed to find such nooks to tuck themselves into.
As Jing Li paused, about to head over, a young male voice rang out beside him: “Oh, is that Jing Li? Long time no see, you’ve changed quite a bit.”
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