Red Line Resurrection Chapter 92

Chapter 92

When Shen Lingjun saw Liang Ji’an at the school gate, he thought he was dazzled.

The possibility of misidentifying the person is very small. After all, Liang Ji’an’s temperament is really rare, but Shen Lingjun still hesitated for a moment, as if he still couldn’t believe that the person who was separated by eight hours of time difference from him yesterday would suddenly appear in front of him.

But when he really confirmed it, Shen Lingjun speeded up his pace unconsciously, and finally almost ran to Liang Ji’an, and stood one step away from him. It was obvious that he could throw himself into his arms like every time before, and it was obvious that they would talk on the phone every day even if they couldn’t see each other often, but there was still an inexplicable strangeness between them, which blocked Shen Lingjun’s movements.

After not seeing each other for more than half a year, he felt that Liang Jian had changed a lot.

Shen Lingjun was still unable to accurately describe the changes and strangeness. He just felt that Liang Jian seemed strange to him inexplicably, but it was actually a kind of indifference and indifference that had been infiltrated by power for a long time in a high-pressure environment.During this year, Liang Ji’an has been planning to replace his father’s position in the Liang family.

This unspeakable silence actually only lasted a few seconds. When Liang Ji’an leaned down slightly/reached out towards Shen Lingjun, he subconsciously put his hand up, and then Liang Ji’an held him tightly in his arms.

As a result, those separations and alienations all turned into long-lasting longings that dispersed in his heart in an instant. Shen Lingjun stood on tiptoes and threw his arms around Liang Ji’an’s neck, saying in a trembling voice: “Brother…”

If Liang Ji’an wanted to, he could have completely hugged Shen Lingjun like before, but Shen Lingjun was very embarrassed. He was no longer the follower who stuck behind his brother all day long in kindergarten. The hug didn’t last too long. People were coming and going at the school gate. Shen Lingjun awkwardly broke away from Liang Ji’an’s arms, looked at him again, and said with some confusion and confusion: “Brother, why did you come back suddenly?”

“Didn’t my uncle and I pick you up at the airport every time before?”

“I came back quite unexpectedly this time.” Liang Ji’an held his hand and walked to the car and opened the door for him, “And I guess you are just getting out of school at this time, so I will stop by to pick you up.”

As soon as they sat down, the driver had the good sense to raise the baffle so as not to disturb the two brothers who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Shen Lingjun kept some distance from Liang Ji’an at first, but not long after, he was completely close to each other again. He didn’t say anything, but just looked at Liang Ji’an and smiled with joy.

Liang Ji’an handed him the gift that had been prepared in advance. Shen Lingjun held it in his arms but was not in a hurry to open it. He still stared at Liang Ji’an intently. His big eyes were full of energy. Liang Ji’an couldn’t help but pinch the flesh of his cheek twice and said funnyly: “This was not your reaction when you first saw me.”

Shen Lingjun said sheepishly: “It’s been too long since we last met…”

Liang Ji’an asked: “Will I turn into another person?”

Shen Lingjun changed the subject, “Brother, will you stay longer when you come back this time?”

Shen Lingjun felt a little nervous when he asked this question. It was June again, and summer had become a very special season for him. The hot and humid air was always mixed with separation and reunion. He remembered that the last time Liang Ji’an came to pick him up from school was when he graduated from kindergarten. That was six years ago.

Liang Ji’an said: “Yes.”

“Long time no see. I miss Junjun very much.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lingjun almost jumped up in the car. After all, he was just a twelve-year-old child. He was so coaxed by Liang Ji’an’s few words that he became dizzy. He hugged Liang Ji’an’s arm and refused to let go, “Great!”

“Brother, I miss you too.”

His tone was completely relaxed, “Mom said you are very busy abroad and have to go to school and work. Sometimes I want to call you, but I’m worried that you won’t have time to answer.”

Liang Ji’an took him to open the gift together. Shen Lingjun’s attention was diverted halfway and he was distracted to look at the toys in the box. He heard Liang Ji’an say: “Isn’t there a fixed video time every day?”

“And you can text me other times too.”

Shen Lingjun fiddled with the child’s camera and blurted out: “But sending messages is boring. I want to see you.”

After he finished speaking, he was stunned for a moment. The truth was spoken out without any precaution. He immediately added, “I didn’t mean to disturb you!”

His face turned red, not because he was embarrassed by his straightforward words, but because he was worried that Liang Ji’an would compress the little rest time to give him even more because of his words. Shen Lingjun knew very well how important he was in Liang Ji’an’s heart, and he didn’t have to worry that this excessive concern would make Liang Ji’an think he was ignorant.

Liang Ji’an raised him so well that even if he couldn’t be with him personally for a long time when he was growing up, those meticulous love would completely penetrate into Shen Lingjun’s life bit by bit over time. With Liang Ji’an, he could be his little emperor without any worries.

Shen Lingjun hurriedly put the camera into Liang Ji’an’s hand, “I can’t understand it, please help me.”

He tried to change the topic, but Liang Ji’an helped him adjust the camera parameters with ease and said, “It doesn’t matter, Junjun can disturb me anytime.”

Shen Lingjun knew he would say this and said angrily: “I don’t want it!”

“If you don’t sleep, I have to sleep. Uncle said you can only sleep five or six hours a day… You are already very tired.”

He took the camera back again, switched it to self-portrait mode, tilted his head and leaned on Liang Jian’s shoulder, making a smiley gesture.

In the camera lens, the corners of Liang Ji’an’s lips also curved slightly.

After he finished taking the photos and started tinkering with new toys, Liang Jian suddenly asked, “Junjun wants to go abroad with me?”

Six years ago, Liang Jian did not ask Shen Lingjun this question in person, but six years later, he believed that Shen Lingjun should be able to give the answer to this question.

His tone was normal, as if he was asking whether he wanted to eat hot pot or barbecue tonight. Shen Lingjun responded unconsciously twice, and when he realized what Liang Jian was talking about, his eyes lit up.

“Really?!” He didn’t hesitate at all. After getting Liang Ji’an’s confirmed reply, he was filled with joy. This time, he really plunged into Liang Ji’an’s arms with a sudden force, which was no different from what he did when he was a child. “Can I really go with you?”

No matter how mentally prepared Liang Ji’an was, he still showed a somewhat incredulous expression, “Don’t Junjun miss his mother?”

Shen Lingjun said: “I will think about it.”

“But I miss you more now.” Shen Lingjun said very logically: “And I have been with my mother for a long time. To be fair, I want to stay with my brother now.”

He had no worries or worries about the unfamiliar environment at all, but was just happy that he finally no longer had to separate from Liang Jian. Shen Junhe went to the airport to see them off. Although Shen Lingjun was reluctant to leave in his mother’s arms, his excitement still prevailed. The handkerchief Shen Junhe prepared to wipe his tears was completely useless.

She held Shen Lingjun’s soft little face in her hands, rubbed it twice, and said in a funny and helpless way: “You must listen to brother.”

Shen Lingjun wrinkled his face and nodded vigorously.

“Remember to call your mother often. She will miss her baby very much.”

Shen Lingjun responded obediently and put her ear to Shen Junhe’s ear. It seemed like she was whispering, but in fact the volume was not low at all, “Mom, I’m not as busy as my brother. If I miss you very much, I can run back to see you directly.”

He turned to look at He Wen again, “Uncle, I will also remember to call you.”

“Also, I will miss you very much.”

The square handkerchief came in handy after all. He Wen couldn’t help wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, and his heart was even more broken.

Shen Junhe watched Liang Ji’an holding Shen Lingjun’s back gradually as he walked away. The figure of the two people once again made people clearly aware of the eight-year age gap between them. And as they grow older, this misaligned growth that is completely out of rhythm becomes more and more impossible to ignore.

Twenty-year-old Liang Ji’an had prematurely lost the hesitation, impulsiveness and recklessness of a young man. It was even difficult to tell when he had unconsciously completed such transformation and growth. When Shen Junhe occasionally talked to him, he would feel that his emotions were no different from the abyss, which was so eerie that it made people feel uncomfortable.

And the twelve-year-old Shen Lingjun still retains his innocent and naive child’s nature as a matter of course. The two parallel lines that should have had no intersection in the past have strangely intertwined their lives. Now, Shen Lingjun is going to enter Liang Ji’an’s world without hesitation with his vigorous vitality.

For some reason, Shen Junhe suddenly felt inexplicably frightened.

*

Life abroad is a little more difficult to adapt to than Shen Lingjun thought.

He had always attended an international school in China, so there was no big problem with language communication. He could basically understand what the teacher said in class. He was just annoyed by his classmates.

They spoke any language. Sometimes three or two people would come up to him and chatter a string of bird songs to him. Before Shen Lingjun could react, they would quickly disperse.

Shen Lingjun is annoyed to death, and this phenomenon has not improved as time goes by. On the contrary, it has become more and more serious. There are at least two activity classes in the school every day. In every volleyball class or gymnastics class, there is always a string of red hair and yellow hair.The senior boy followed behind him. Shen Lingjun didn’t want to go home and complain to Liang Ji’an. Finally, he couldn’t bear it anymore and pulled out the boy who was hiding behind the locker room door, grabbed his collar and asked loudly: “What on earth are you going to do?”

His height was completely inferior in front of this group of boys with racial development advantages, but his momentum made up for it. The boy squatted down consciously and mumbled for a long time. He wanted to cast his eyes to his legs but Shen Lingjun held his hair and screamed in pain. Finally, he popped out a few unskilled Chinese syllables and stumbled: “You, you are very beautiful.”

“Like a doll.”

“We, we want to invite you to play together. Maybe…are you interested in being the cheerleader of our football team?” Even if it was switched to English, the boy was still stuttering.

Shen Lingjun’s eyebrows knitted together when he heard that, and Duotou slapped the boy, “This is not an invitation at all!”

“Following someone without their consent is a kind of bullying and harassment. If I find it happens again, I will tell the teacher.” Shen Lingjun’s eyes widened with anger, and he hit him again with his backhand. “Or, do you want to complain to the teacher now and say that I beat you?”

The boy immediately shook his head and apologized frantically to Shen Lingjun with the symmetrical slap marks on both sides of his face.

Shen Lingjun let go of his collar and clapped his hands in disgust, not bothering to pay attention to them at all.

He made new friends quickly at school, but he still spent most of his time after school with Liang Ji’an. The two of them lived in an apartment near the school. The house was not big, and even seemed overcrowded compared to the Liang family’s old house.

Two bedrooms, a living room and study room, and a four- to five-square-meter balcony were just right for them to live in. Shen Lingjun once felt that this tight space gave him a sense of security similar to that of a package. When he left the room, as long as Liang Ji’an was at home, he could see him when he looked up.

Liang Ji’an is as busy as ever with his studies and work, but Shen Lingjun is by his side, and he is unwilling to rely on others to take care of him, not to mention there is no need to let others enter their personal space.

Very occasionally, Shen Lingjun would go to Liang Ji’an’s school to pick him up from school.

At that time, he was already familiar with the area around the school, and Liang Ji’an was about to graduate, so he would inevitably spend more time at school. Shen Lingjun would estimate the time when he would finish class and go to him with desserts.

The weather has not completely cooled down yet, and the wind still carries the aftertaste of summer. When Shen Lingjun found Liang Ji’an in the activity room, he was discussing the final finishing and presentation of the project with the group members.

While greeting them, Shen Lingjun thought that fortunately he bought enough Montblanc, and when they were all divided, his share would be left.

Liang Ji’an took him and sat down next to him, turned his face and said softly: “It will take almost twenty minutes, Junjun, please wait for me for a while, okay?”

Shen Lingjun nodded. He enjoyed the feeling of time passing slowly. In life, at least in the next afternoon and evening, there was nothing important that they needed to complete immediately. He could wait for Liang Ji’an to finish school, then go to the supermarket with his brother to buy some fresh ingredients to make hot pot, or go to a nearby park to feed the pigeons there.

Liang Ji’an’s classmates and friends all knew about his precious brother.In the past, they only knew that no matter how busy he was, he would always wait for that call to be called at a fixed time. Now it became even more serious. They even joked that they could not imagine what it would be like for Liang Ji’an to be a nanny. Moreover, with such a big age difference, not only did he pick up and drop off from school every day, he also attended all parent-child activities rain or shine, so there was no difference between him and his parents.

Liang Jian closed the computer, nodded politely to everyone, safely ate half of the snack Shen Lingjun left for him, and then let Shen Lingjun hold his hand and leave with him.

The growth of age has not lessened Shen Lingjun’s dependence on Liang Ji’an. His behavior has probably restrained, but psychologically he still needs Liang Ji’an to be his backing. He can’t handle big and small things well, so his first reaction is to turn to Liang Ji’an.

But when he received his first serious love letter, he hesitated and did not tell Liang Jian immediately.

He couldn’t tell why he didn’t want to say it. Maybe it was out of the secret thoughts of adolescence, or maybe he subconsciously felt that Liang Ji’an would be very unhappy about his attempt to fall in love early. After thinking about it, he finally stuffed the envelope into his schoolbag and planned to return it to the boy tomorrow.

Before going to bed at night, he also did some mental construction for himself.

Shen Lingjun thought that he had already clearly refused, so there was no need to tell his brother.

However, after four o’clock in the morning, he still had insomnia.

Pushing open the door and standing outside Liang Ji’an’s bedroom door, he was thinking about whether to knock on the door, but he was startled when he saw the familiar figure on the balcony.

It’s snowing outside. The winter in this city is long and cold. Only a hint of dark blue is exposed on the sky. The dim yellow street lights illuminate the layers of snow, making it look peaceful and quiet.

The heating in the room was fully turned on, and Shen Lingjun didn’t feel cold even in his thin pajamas. He walked towards Liang Ji’an and saw that he had drank half a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Shen Lingjun tilted his head and looked at him in confusion, “Brother?”

“Why didn’t you go to rest…” He naturally sat on another lounge chair next to the small coffee table, wrapped himself in a blanket and sighed comfortably, “I remember that you have been busy during the day.”

When he reached Liang Ji’an, he immediately began to feel sleepy again. He swayed in the recliner with half-lidded eyes. Liang Ji’an looked at him, but he didn’t notice at all.

He had long been accustomed to Liang Ji’an’s gaze.

Liang Ji’an had a complicated expression. The ice ball sloshed in the cup twice. It was too hot in the room and the melted ice water had begun to affect the taste of the wine. Liang Ji’an took a sip and stopped touching it. However, his mind began to flash back to the scene he encountered when he went to pick up Shen Lingjun in the evening.

It was expected.

The boy who was cautiously following behind him and not daring to step forward finally summoned up the courage to run up to him and tell him his feelings seriously but shyly.

Fifteen-year-old Shen Lingjun is growing as vigorously as a small tree. He is beautiful and flamboyant, attracting the attention of most of his peers. When he gets older, he should also experience other emotions besides family affection.

But no.

Liang Ji’an looked at Shen Lingjun who was gradually sleeping, and stared at the conspicuous red mole on his eyelids and thought, at least not now. Shen Lingjun can only continue to stay by his side, like he did countless nights in the past, and sleep beside him like he did when he was a child. His small world can’t accommodate more people to live in it for the time being.

“Junjun.” Liang Ji’an called him, and the voice was as soft as a whisper falling on the ear. Shen Lingjun’s eyelids were heavy, and he turned over and responded.

Liang Jian asked him, “Did you buy the box of chocolates on the table?”

Shen Lingjun steeled himself and said in a daze: “What?”

Liang Ji’an continued: “That box of chocolates is not your favorite brand, nor is it the taste you are used to.”

Shen Lingjun finally heard what he was asking, and he didn’t lie. He said obediently: “I didn’t buy it, someone else gave it to me.”

“I plan to give it back to him tomorrow.”

Liang Ji’an tapped his fingers on the coffee table twice, “Don’t you like it, Junjun?”

He asked knowingly, and Shen Lingjun was very sleepy, but Liang Ji’an chose a moment when he was unconscious to interrogate him about who gave him the chocolate, when they met, what he said, how he planned to refuse tomorrow… and whether he liked that person or not.

Shen Lingjun got a little angry when he asked. He put his head into the blanket and muttered: “If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. I will never bring these things back out of curiosity next time!”

For the first time, Shen Lingjun felt that his brother was nagging, and he was a little annoyed. It was better to confess from the beginning, so as not to get to the bottom of it.

The last question Liang Ji’an asked him was, what kind of person will Junjun like in the future?

Shen Lingjun’s head is empty. He has no answer. Now for those around him who want to get close to him, he will always compare with Liang Ji’an first.

No one can compare to Liang Ji’an.

Liang Ji’an occupied many important roles in his life.

Shen Lingjun replaced his answer with silence. Liang Ji’an scratched his finger on the wall of the cup, stood up and walked next to him. He lifted the blanket and found that the child was fast asleep as expected.

The water droplets on the wall of the cup touched Shen Lingjun’s cheek, and he frowned in discomfort. He quickly calmed down after coming into contact with Liang Ji’an’s arms, and let Liang Ji’an take him back.

From the night of Shen Lingjun’s fight, it was as if a sign had been erected around him to keep strangers away. Those who wanted to confess to him were often discovered by him keenly and cut off in time before they even came close. As time went by, except for a group of suitors who were eager to watch from a distance, no one really dared to take the initiative to come forward.

Shen Lingjun was a little proud when he mentioned this matter to Liang Ji’an.

Of course, Liang Ji’an would not reveal what he had done in private. He just wanted to keep Shen Lingjun around him and not allow anyone to approach him with ulterior motives.

In fact, earlier, Liang Ji’an’s methods were far from so radical, but this year Liang Jinwei passed away, and his mother completely broke up with the Liang family. The family business was inevitably affected, and he had to spare some energy to focus on work, and Shen Lingjun almost had some accidents.

When Shen Lingjun was waiting for someone at the airport with his small suitcase, Liang Jian was waiting for him.

He also felt strange that Liang Ji’an, who was supposed to be having a meeting in China, suddenly appeared here, but before he could get over his joy, he realized something was wrong when he was forcibly taken home by Liang Ji’an.

“Brother?” Shen Lingjun stood in front of him and was at a loss. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on. He tentatively called Liang Jian, but was speechless by the photo in front of him.

In the photo, the blond boy huddled up in a ball, not even daring to look at the camera.

Liang Ji’an said coldly: “He said you wanted to elope with him, right?”

His anger overshadowed all calmness and reason, and he didn’t even give Shen Lingjun a chance to defend himself. “Are you sure you want to be with this kind of person, Junjun?”

“A coward who got so angry after the truth was exposed that he didn’t even dare to send you a message and just wanted to run away.” Liang Jian looked at Shen Lingjun, and there was even a hint of smile in his tone, “When was the relationship confirmed, I never told my brother.”

Shen Lingjun’s mind went blank. He faced Liang Ji’an’s anger for the first time. In his memory, Liang Ji’an had never been angry with him, nor had he even said a harsh word. But now that he was so angry, Shen Lingjun’s fear spread uncontrollably. His tears and voice fell tremblingly, and he explained palely: “I didn’t want to elope with him!”

“I don’t want to fall in love…” Shen Lingjun said incoherently: “He just invited me to his birthday party. Brother, I told you, he said, he said that his hometown is on a small island in the tropics, and many classmates will go to celebrate his birthday.”

Liang Ji’an said: “Junjun, you are almost eighteen years old.”

“It’s a scam carefully set up for you, but you still step into it so ignorantly.” Liang Ji’an reached out to him, but Shen Lingjun was filled with grievances and turned her hand away, unwilling to let him take it, tears dripping down her chin.

He cried so hard that he was both angry that the boy had lied to him with such a clumsy but convincing reason, and also angry that Liang Ji’an had misunderstood him. He paused for a long time and refused to take a step forward. However, Liang Ji’an lowered his posture at the right time, stood up and bent down, calling him in a low voice, “Junjun.”

Shen Lingjun suddenly hugged him.

His tears were hot and close to the pulse on the side of Liang Ji’an’s neck, leaving a string of moist and sticky traces.

“Brother…” Shen Lingjun cried hard and couldn’t form a sentence. He could only say intermittently: “I don’t like them… I don’t like anyone.”

“You can’t misunderstand me, and you can’t be angry with me.”

After he was fourteen years old, they had deliberately avoided some overly close physical contact, but Shen Lingjun was not used to it. He still liked holding hands and hugging Liang Ji’an, and now when they embraced each other again, what was left between them was the long-lost fit and peace of mind.

Liang Ji’an was so tall that Shen Lingjun couldn’t stand up on tiptoes to make the hug feel natural. However, Liang Ji’an willingly twisted and stiffly leaned down to let him hug her. It was very clear who the superior in the relationship was.

“My fault.” Liang Ji’an said into his ear: “I was too anxious and didn’t listen to Junjun’s explanation.”

“But sooner or later Junjun will find someone he likes, and sooner or later he will leave me.”

These two sentences simply plunged Shen Lingjun’s brain into chaos. He almost shouted at the top of his lungs: “I don’t want it!”

His life was involved with Liang Ji’an too early and for too long. It was so long that Shen Lingjun could not imagine that there would be another person beside him to replace Liang Ji’an. An unknown panic gripped his heart tightly, weighing him down and almost out of breath. Extremely uneasy, he could only repeat over and over again: “I don’t want to like others…”

“No one wants it.”

Liang Jian straightened up, hugged Shen Lingjun into his arms, and rubbed his tears with his cheek as he had comforted him countless times when he was a child, and whispered, “Where’s my brother?”

Shen Lingjun didn’t respond and just hugged his shoulders.

He has not yet recovered from that fear, or perhaps he is now addicted to another sense of security that Liang Ji’an has woven for him. He has almost forgotten the causes and consequences of tonight. He is in a daze, just thinking about the uncertain future uncontrollably.

He didn’t want to leave Liang Ji’an, Shen Lingjun thought, unless death would separate them – his blood and his feelings were all entangled with Liang Ji’an and became an inescapable red thread, not to mention that they had been tied at every important node in the past ten years.

Shen Lingjun’s tears fell so fast that half of Liang Ji’an’s cheeks were soaked. The unpredictable future was wrapped in a lot of uncertainty. In such a chaotic situation tonight, it hit him like an overwhelming wave. He was completely unprepared for Liang Ji’an. If he wanted to explain, he would explain it seriously. When his brother said something, his thoughts would follow immediately. He was still eager to get an immediate response just like he did when he was a child.

Shen Lingjun had never done anything like elopement or love, and he didn’t care at all. He only cared about Liang Ji’an, and he couldn’t leave him.

If the price of liking someone is that Liang Ji’an has to leave him, then he would rather stay alone for the rest of his life.

He couldn’t stop crying, and even the small mole on his eyelids became red and more conspicuous. He lowered his eyes and looked sideways to cover up the panic in his eyes.

“Crying like this, baby.” Liang Jian held his face with both hands, rubbed his thumbs to wipe away his tears, and coaxed in a gentle voice: “It’s my brother’s fault, I shouldn’t misunderstand you.”

Shen Lingjun’s eyelashes brushed against his fingertips, and he just shook his head when he heard this, “You are worried about me…”

The moisture in his eyes was still wet, and he looked at Liang Jian with his red eyes. After a long silence, he said hoarsely: “Brother…”

He remained silent, tilting his head and burying his head in the crook of Liang Ji’an’s shoulder. His tears and collapse were slowly recovered under Liang Ji’an’s comfort and turned into soft sobs.

That night, he only focused on promising Liang Ji’an that he didn’t like others, and was so panicked that he couldn’t think of the second thing. Liang Ji’an finally asked him teasingly if he wanted to fall in love in the future. Shen Lingjun gritted his teeth and hung on him like a koala, without saying a word.

Crossing each other’s necks, Shen Lingjun could only feel Liang Ji’an’s embrace and warmth, but could not clearly see the expression on his face. Of course, Liang Ji’an would not expect Shen Lingjun to give an immediate answer. Everything tonight had far exceeded his expectations. Shen Lingjun’s true words were unguarded, and he cut them open like a bright moon to show him.

He whispered against Shen Lingjun’s ear: “Then try to like brother.”

Shen Lingjun probably didn’t hear it clearly, so he hummed in confusion, but didn’t bother to inquire further.

He was tired of crying, and his mental exhaustion prevented him from spending any extra energy to think about anything else, only the embrace in front of him.

Liang Jian waited for him to calm down completely, kissed him on the forehead, took his hand and led him to wash his face.

Shen Lingjun would not realize that everything tonight was a trap carefully set for the eighteen-year-old Shen Lingjun, and Liang Ji’an personally took him into this good night.

*

Every day is like a dream, absurd and sober.