If (3/9)
Not long after, Su Zesui, carrying a failing math test, nervously got into Gu Yilan’s car—and immediately noticed the man pursing his thin lips, uncharacteristically silent.
After a few minutes of awkward tension, Su Zesui couldn’t hold it in any longer. Trying to fill the silence, he said, “Brother, good afternoon.”
The man kept his eyes on the road, responding in a low, restrained voice, “Do you have something you want to tell me?”
Subconsciously, Su Zesui tightened his grip on his backpack straps, and his first thought was of the miserable test score in the monthly exam paper inside the bag.
He knew that if Mr. Gu found out, he would worry, pat his head to comfort him, and might even talk to the teacher to get the full details. He didn’t want Mr. Gu to trouble himself, so he forced himself to say, “N-no, I didn’t.”
Gu Yilan frowned. “I’ll give you one last chance.”
Su Zesui hesitated for a moment but still whispered firmly, “No.”
After saying that, he stole a glance at the man beside him—only to find his expression icy, exuding such a heavy pressure that it felt like someone had his throat in a vice, making it hard to breathe.
Faced with Mr. Gu’s unusually stern demeanor, Su Zesui twisted his fingers nervously, fearful and anxious, keeping his head down the entire way as he followed him home.
“Come here.”
Su Zesui dawdled, still not having changed into his slippers, when he heard the deep voice coming from the living room.
Looking up, he saw Gu Yilan sitting on the sofa, lightly tapping a heavy wooden ruler, waiting for him.
The living room felt charged, like a storm about to break. Su Zesui shivered instinctively and slowly moved forward, murmuring hesitantly, “Brother…”
Hearing the boy’s pitiful, trembling call, Gu Yilan remained unmoved. He held out his hand and said, “Ten slaps for failing the monthly exam, twenty for deliberately hiding your scores.”
Su Zesui parted his soft lips, realizing he had no words to protest, and cautiously extended his left hand toward the man.
Smack!
The ruler landed on his pale palm, sending a sharp sting through his skin. Su Zesui cried out, quickly retracting his hand and bending over to cradle his reddened palm.
In bending like that, he perfectly missed the flicker of tension breaking through Gu Yilan’s usually composed expression.
Gu Yilan prided himself on not hitting hard, but the boy’s skin was far too tender; even a gentle strike left his palm a fiery red.
Yet he had to continue: “Hand.”
After only a few seconds, Su Zesui, under the man’s imposing presence, timidly extended his hand again, offering it like a precious treasure. This time, Gu Yilan gripped his fingertips firmly, making it impossible for him to pull away, no matter how much it hurt.
After several more strikes, the pain stacked up until tears welled in Su Zesui’s eyes. His palm was squeezed so tightly he couldn’t move it, and all he could do was stomp his feet and wail, “Brother! Brother, I’m sorry, wuwu…”
Before, he had always called Gu Yilan “Brother” softly and politely, his voice gentle and obedient. Now, with his sobbing, urgent tone, he no longer cared about the image he held in Gu Yilan’s eyes—he just wanted the man to stop hurting his reddened, throbbing palm.
But the man remained unmoved, persistently staining the boy’s palm strike by strike—until the twenty-fifth.
In truth, Gu Yilan was struggling to catch his own breath, suffocated by the intensity of his emotions. He had intended to get it over with quickly, but the boy’s pitiful crying tugged at him. Unable to fully restrain himself, he broke his own rule and let him rest for a few minutes.
“Where did you go wrong?” Gu Yilan asked.
“I… I didn’t study properly.” The act of confessing felt unbearably humiliating, especially facing someone he had always respected. Su Zesui’s neck flushed bright red, spreading up to his ears, matching the color of his palm.
“Anything else?”
“I… I lied to you, brother… wuwu.” Su Zesui’s tears began to fall—not from emotional pain, but strangely from a mix of relief and shame, and the lingering sting in his hand.
Gu Yilan let out a low “hm” and, terrifyingly, extended his hand again. “Five more.”
“Brother… p-please, don’t hit me anymore…” Su Zesui blinked, his eyes clear and shining from tears, and for the first time, tried to act coquettishly toward Gu Yilan, though awkwardly.
Gu Yilan paused for a moment, then coldly replied, “No.”
Su Zesui pouted, blew on his palm, and then bravely extended it once more, as if going to a heroic demise.
For the final few strikes, Gu Yilan eased his force—but Su Zesui, already at the peak of pain, didn’t notice him holding back. After five more slaps, he was utterly broken, crying uncontrollably.
Gu Yilan finally exhaled, dropping the ruler and pulling the boy into his arms. “Alright, it’s over now,” he soothed.
Just as the psychologist had predicted, the boy didn’t withdraw. Instead, he threw his arms around Gu Yilan’s neck, with movements and words more intimate than ever before. “Brother… wuwu…”
Gu Yilan rubbed the back of his soft, fluffy head like a real older brother. “Do you understand what you did wrong?”
Su Zesui nodded rapidly against his neck, like a child acknowledging a lesson. “I’m sorry, brother…”
With a gentle, tearful voice, the boy choked out his confession, promising to study properly and never hide anything from him again.
Gu Yilan took the ointment he had prepared in advance and carefully applied it to Su Zesui’s palm. When the boy winced in pain, he couldn’t help but blow on it gently, his heart aching for him.
He never had particularly high expectations for Su Zesui’s grades, but the boy’s nature was far too obedient—he never dared stir up trouble. Coupled with the psychologist’s repeated advice not to be soft, Gu Yilan reluctantly decided to try this method after receiving the teacher’s call.
After this punishment, something seemed to shift. Having seen Su Zesui in such a real and vulnerable state, the boy became unusually clingy, telling him everything and no longer constantly reading his expressions.
When he saw Gu Yilan’s stern face, Su Zesui no longer fell into endless self-doubt or internal struggle. Instead, he found subtle ways to cheer him up, always thinking about how to make him happy.
Su Zesui understood that they were forever brothers. The worst that could happen was paying for a past mistake—getting a few swats on the hand and then being comforted by Gu Yilan.
Their lives gradually fell into a steady rhythm, and their bond grew ever closer. Every New Year, instead of returning to his family estate, Gu Yilan would take Su Zesui abroad, acting as his unpaid translator and letting him explore the world with joy and excitement.
They had no family—only each other—like inseparable brothers.
Over time, Su Zesui became increasingly dependent on Gu Yilan, his personality brighter and more cheerful. Eventually, he passed the college entrance exam and was admitted to the city’s top university, majoring in Economics.
It wasn’t until university started that he realized what Mr. Gu had meant when he said by the Christmas tree abroad, “My home isn’t far from your school.” In fact, Gu Yilan owned properties all over the city—so no matter where he needed to be, it was never far.
After Su Zesui was admitted to university, they moved again—this time into a “school district apartment” near the campus.
Gu Yilan’s career had gradually stabilized, giving him more free time, yet he continued the old habit of driving the boy to and from school, just like in high school.
One day, after participating in a freshman volunteer organization’s ice-breaking event, Su Zesui ran up to Gu Yilan, who was leaning against the car, holding a small bouquet of flowers.
Seeing the bright, blooming flowers, Gu Yilan instinctively furrowed his brows. “Where did these come from?” he asked.
“They’re from our group leader!” Su Zesui held the bouquet out for him, letting him smell the fragrance.
Gu Yilan gave a slight nod, taking the car keys to get in. Only when he saw the boy still fiddling with the flowers in the passenger seat did he part his thin lips and ask, “Why did your group leader give you flowers?”
“To welcome us,” Su Zesui said. “Every freshman joining the organization gets one.”
Gu Yilan raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further about the flowers. Instead, he asked about the boy’s university life. Su Zesui, long accustomed to sharing every detail of his life with him, immediately began chattering non-stop, recounting everything in vivid detail.
The whole way, the car was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.
Once they got home, Su Zesui didn’t hesitate to shove the bouquet into Gu Yilan’s arms. “Brother, help me find a place for these. I’m going to the bathroom.”
With that, he quickly changed into his slippers, tossed his backpack onto a chair, and dashed off to the restroom.
Gu Yilan took the flowers and scanned the spacious living room, finally settling his gaze on the tall shelf next to the TV.
Carrying the bouquet, he approached the shelf. Just as he raised his arm to place it on the upper tier, something slipped out from between the stems and fell to the floor.
He steadied the bouquet on the shelf and bent down to pick up the fallen item—but the moment he saw it clearly, he froze in place.
It was a pink envelope.
As if fearing the recipient wouldn’t understand its meaning, the sender had drawn a large red heart in the center of the envelope.
Author’s Note: It finally feels like they’re real brothers. Can’t wait to see how Gu Yilan handles it, hhh (covers face)
kinda crappy psychologist? a teen-psych who goes around with a ruler wt# black flags everywhere. Didn’t like the sharp turn into fisical abuse, and that many hits ToT… dont ruin our perfect ML ,u,u