For the duration the two men talked inside, Shen Jianxi waited outside, observing.
Truly remarkable.
The notions of "brothers united can cut through gold," and "forge alliances afar and attack neighbors, conceal one's tracks and cross the sea."
It seemed they had truly mastered the profound culture of their nation.
Seeing the conversation end and the two preparing to emerge, Shen Jianxi quickly pretended to be engrossed in her phone.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she looked up to see Song Duanli and Song Qi walk out one after another.
"Little cub, how about we stay at big brother's place starting today?" Song Qi sat down to her left, while Song Duanli took the seat to her right.
Although Song Qi spoke with a smile, his heart was burning with rage. He had only gone to the Western Kingdom for a competition, and now he had three love rivals.
Confessions, boyfriends, dates—the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. If only he had gone with her then, he wouldn't have to join forces with Song Duanli now.
Even though they felt Shen Jianxi was already well aware through the broadcast from 77, hearing Song Qi actually voice it still made her feel speechless: "I'm fine with anything, I'll be wherever my brothers are."
This statement brought Song Qi a sliver of comfort. No matter how many rivals there were, he was still the most special to her.
"Then I'll go upstairs and put my things away. My brother will come down to accompany you after he's done."
With that, he was about to drag two suitcases upstairs. Seeing Song Duanli sitting there motionless, Song Qi walked over and kicked him lightly with his toe: "Go up and help me."
Still dreaming of alone time? Fat chance!
Song Duanli didn't mind this brief moment, as the person was already staying at his place, and there would be plenty of time to spend together in the future.
He got up, took the suitcase Song Qi handed him, and felt the weight on his arm. He really didn't understand when his brother had become so childish. Shaking his head helplessly, he placed the luggage in the guest room next to Song Qi's: "You'll stay here."
Song Qi turned and stood facing him, his expression instantly turning cold.
"Song Duanli, I didn't say it just now in front of Little Cub. I'm warning you, stop having any ideas about her. Is your company about to go bankrupt that you have time to pursue romance?"
Song Duanli was silent for a moment, looking at the threat in Song Qi's eyes, and said faintly, "May the best man win."
"Heh! You don't actually think those two at home will let you choose your own spouse, do you?"
"You don't need to use Mom and Dad to pressure me, Song Qi. You should know, they can't control me, let alone..."
Song Qi furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes. The words Song Duanli left unsaid made him sense something was wrong. Sometimes a man's intuition was very accurate.
His tone carried a hint of solemnity: "Let alone what? Explain yourself clearly."
However, Song Duanli refused to elaborate. He chuckled lightly, walked over, patted Song Qi on the shoulder, and said, "Hurry up and pack."
Seeing Song Duanli's refusal to speak, Song Qi was so angry he gritted his teeth. It was always like this, this was the only trick he knew.
He acted out of spite, making things bang around, as if he wasn't packing his own clothes but Song Duanli's.
Fortunately, the clothes were of good quality. With Song Qi's strength, a hundred pieces wouldn't be enough to damage them.
Leaning against the doorframe, gazing at the girl sitting downstairs, Song Duanli felt a pang of regret that their world for two was gone just like that.
Even if he had managed to trick Song Qi into staying this time, someone else would still interfere between them later.
Compared to those two young boys, he knew Song Qi was a greater threat to him. If he wanted to win her over, he could join forces with Song Qi.
His gaze shifted to Song Qi, who was packing his things, completely unaware. Song Duanli smiled silently. She would be his, he wouldn't let go.
...
Downstairs, Shen Jianxi chatted with Fu Yi while keeping an eye on the activity upstairs. Hearing footsteps, she quickly switched her screen to Douyin.
Song Qi came around behind her, bent down, and his lips came close to her ear, whispering, "What are you watching?"
She patted the seat beside her, signaling him to sit closer. Shen Jianxi said excitedly, "Brother, come quickly! This kitten meows like a dog."
I've seen pandas that can turn into humans, Song Qi thought to himself, feigning surprise: "Really? That's a bit magical."
Although Song Duanli didn't know about pandas transforming into humans, he knew he couldn't be left out in this situation, as it would be easy to be excluded. So he leaned in too, pretending to watch the video, but in reality, he was watching her.
For some reason, the videos pushed to her today all hit Shen Jianxi's funny bone. What started as an act to appease the two men, pretending to find it amusing, eventually made her laugh genuinely, emitting continuous "giggles."
"Perhaps the matchmaker is offline, and love is managed by the God of Wealth—"
Just as she was enjoying herself, her phone suddenly rang. It was a video call from Xie Shu.
Shen Jianxi froze and hastily pressed the decline button. Just as she was about to pretend nothing had happened and continue scrolling through videos, another video call came in, still from Xie Shu.
Shen Jianxi: ...It's over.