Chapter 74

Shen Yao Xing frowned and stepped back, narrowing her eyes to look closer in surprise.

“Elder brother?”

The man was wearing light blue clothes that blended into the night. His head was slightly bowed, hair falling on both sides of his cheeks, gently brushing against his high bridge of nose in the night breeze. The candlelight from inside could only reach his feet, leaving almost his entire body immersed in the darkness, giving off an undeniable sense of loneliness.

Shen Yao Xing never knew he would drink alcohol, and it seemed he had drunk quite a lot.

Seeing he was wearing thin clothes, Shen Yao Xing stepped forward and naturally took off her outer garment to drape over him, her tone reproachful: “Elder brother, your body isn’t good, why are you drinking? And it’s already autumn, can’t you wear one more layer of clothing?”

Song Si Nian kept his head lowered from beginning to end, stiff as a statue.

Shen Yao Xing tentatively patted his shoulder lightly, asking softly: “Elder brother, what’s wrong with you?”

The caring words finally elicited a response from Song Si Nian. He slowly raised his head to look at her, his black eyes seeming covered by a thin veil, hazy with deep sorrow.

His handsome face was tinged with a faint red from the alcohol, though it wasn’t visible in the darkness.

He stared at the young woman silently for a long while, then parted his slightly pale lips, “Liar…”

Perhaps due to the alcohol, there was a hint of choked emotion in his voice.

Shen Yao Xing was stunned, not understanding what he meant by “liar”. Looking at the person in front of her, her brows furrowed even tighter: “Elder brother, are you drunk? If you’re drunk, go back and rest quickly. Don’t drink again in the future, it’s not good for your body.”

Song Si Nian remained unmoved, his eyes half-lowered, still softly muttering the word “liar”, with a hint of grievance alongside the accusation.

“Yes, yes, I’m a liar.” Knowing she couldn’t reason with a drunk person, Shen Yao Xing could only go along with his words, supporting his arm as she walked him out, “Come on, I’ll take you back.”

Unexpectedly, he suddenly reached out and grasped her wrist, his drunken eyes staring at her, his voice even more choked: “Zhao Zhao is a liar…”

He stood there motionless, and Shen Yao Xing didn’t dare use force, afraid of accidentally hurting him.

“Elder brother, you’re drunk. Go back to sleep quickly.”

Song Si Nian gripped her wrist tightly, his long, distinct knuckles turning white. Under the moonlight, his handsome brows and eyes were low and sorrowful, ignoring the young woman’s persuasion and continuing to talk to himself: “You promised me… Liar…”

Shen Yao Xing frowned, “What did I promise you?”

She couldn’t remember promising anything.

Song Si Nian’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, slowly raising his eyes to the young woman’s face. The moonlight fell on her still youthful face, covering her entire person with a cold color, making her appear particularly ruthless.

Gripping her hand tighter, Song Si Nian used the rising intoxication to vent his emotions, “You promised me… you would protect me for a lifetime…” Yet now she was paired with another man.

Every time he thought of that scene, his chest would ache as if he was about to suffocate to death the next moment. He couldn’t imagine witnessing Zhao Zhao marrying another man in the future.

That was not something he could bear.

The emotions accumulated over ten years were more overwhelming than the tides. Song Si Nian suddenly let go of her hand and leaned his entire body over. The strong smell of alcohol made Shen Yao Xing momentarily dazed. By the time she reacted, her waist was already tightly encircled by a pair of long arms.

The sudden change left her completely stunned. She stiffly tilted her head, feeling the warm breath exhaled on her neck, making her scalp tingle.

“Elder brother, what… are you doing?” Shen Yao Xing’s entire body was as stiff as a wooden board, even her facial expression had frozen.

Although they grew up together, they had never had such intimate contact before.

Song Si Nian buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, choking softly: “You promised you would protect me for a lifetime, but now you can’t keep that promise… It makes me so sad…”

At this moment, he was no longer in the posture of an elder brother, but like an ordinary man confiding in her.

This sentence finally made Shen Yao Xing vaguely recall the past. At that time, he had just entered the Shen family not long ago. Shen’s mother treated him indifferently. The servants in the mansion all knew he was just a burden brought by Song’s father. They were respectful to him on the surface, but behind his back, they not only refused to serve him, but also stole his food. Later, they even became bolder and made him do dirty and tiring work.

And Song’s father, being such a selfish person, only cared about his own well-being after entering the Shen family, completely forgetting about the burden he had brought in. Although Shen’s mother knew about it, she didn’t intend to intervene, showing none of the strictness and indulgence she displayed towards Shen Yao Xing.

In the end, it was Shen Yao Xing who couldn’t stand it anymore and stood in front of him, shielding him from all malice and humiliation.

At that time, Song Si Nian was still a shy and introverted little boy. Later, as their relationship grew closer, Shen Yao Xing also acknowledged him as her brother and promised that she would not let anyone bully him in the future.

Thinking of this, Shen Yao Xing forcefully pulled away the hands embracing her, “I haven’t broken my promise. You’re my elder brother, of course I will protect you.” After saying this, she awkwardly stepped back and looked up at him: “Is someone bullying you?”

After saying this, she felt it was unlikely. The current Song Si Nian was no longer like when he was young. Who in the Shen family would dare to bully him now?

Could it be someone from outside?

Just as Shen Yao Xing was lost in thought, Song Si Nian’s slightly hoarse voice sounded, “Zhao Zhao…” His fair face was flushed from the alcohol, his expression unable to hide his nervousness, almost pleading: “Can you not be with other men?”

Even though Shen Yao Xing was usually dense, she noticed something was off. She frowned deeply, suddenly realizing that from the beginning, she had overlooked some issues.

Avoiding the man’s outstretched hand, Shen Yao Xing stepped back again, her demeanor unusually serious: “Elder brother, you’re drunk. Go back to your room and rest.”

The young woman’s rejection was like a sharp knife, piercing his heart mercilessly. The flush on Song Si Nian’s face faded, replaced by paleness and pain. He looked as if he might collapse at any moment.

At this point, he didn’t regret it. Song Si Nian quietly looked at the young woman, his hand slowly clenching into a fist under his wide sleeve. After a moment, he raised a faint smile as usual, his tone gentle, tears in the corners of his eyes: “Zhao Zhao, elder brother is in love with you.”

……