Chapter 75 – Incoming shura field

Lu Bei grew up with Tang Qing since childhood, knowing exactly where the Tang parents worked, what time they got off work, and when they went on business trips. How could there suddenly be an older brother for Tang Qing?

He scrutinized Tang Bo, who was slightly shorter than himself, with handsome features, maybe one-thousandth as attractive as himself. He could see a tiny resemblance to Tang Qing, but he lacked even a fraction of Tang Qing’s cuteness.

He looked disdainfully at Tang Bo’s golden hair, finding him unpleasant. How could this person be his adorable Tangtang’s brother? Just a show-off.

Tang Bo continued to shield his brother, sneering at Lu Bei, “There’s a lot you don’t know. Whether you believe it or not, I am indeed Tangtang’s elder brother.”

Lu Bei stared back at Tang Bo, and the two over-six-foot-tall, strikingly handsome men faced off like kids in the hallway, refusing to back down.

Tang Qing was worried they would get into a heated argument and intervened, explaining to Lu Bei, “A-Bei, he really is my brother. I forgot to tell you earlier. I recently recognized him as my godbrother, and he just returned.”

Tang Bo didn’t seem entirely satisfied with this answer; after all, he was his real brother. But given his lack of status in this world, he reluctantly nodded in agreement to the godbrother title.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bei’s eyebrows furrowed in frustration, demanding answers, “Godbrother? When did you meet? Where did you meet? How did I not know?”

Unable to answer, Tang Qing was about to come up with an excuse when Tang Bo replied, “We’ve known each other for a long time, longer than you. It’s normal for you not to know.”

This struck a nerve with Lu Bei, who exploded in anger, “Nonsense! Tangtang has been with me since birth. How could you have known him longer than me?”

To Lu Bei, Tang Qing had been by his side since birth, growing up together on the same bed. How could anyone be closer to Tang Qing than he was?

Tang Bo raised an eyebrow defiantly, then affectionately ran his hand through Tang Qing’s hair, “Believe it or not, we’ve known each other for lifetimes. Tangtang has always been my little brother. Closer than a real brother.”

Lu Bei was on the verge of being infuriated. How could they still bring up feudal superstitions and reincarnation, pointing at Tang Bo’s nose and asking, “Tangtang, what he said isn’t true, right? He couldn’t have known you before me, could he?”

Tang Qing didn’t know how to respond and just mumbled in agreement.

Seeing Tang Qing’s reaction, Lu Bei, who knew him well, understood that if this wasn’t true, Tang Qing would surely explain or deny it outright. The fact that he didn’t meant it was true.

Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Lu Bei wondered why Tang Qing had kept the fact of having an godbrother from him. Despite the irrationality, he couldn’t shake the feeling that what the person said, though unreasonable, was indeed true.

That person was indeed Tang Qing’s elder brother.

For some reason, he had this gut feeling.

Suppressing his inner reluctance, Lu Bei held Tang Qing’s hand firmly, looking possessively at him, “Tangtang, don’t talk to him. I’ve booked a five-star restaurant. Let’s have dinner together tonight.”

Tang Bo also held Tang Qing’s other hand, his gaze filled with indulgence, “Little brother, I’ve booked a private meal made by a five-star chef. Let’s have a feast together.”

Tang Qing found himself caught in the middle, experiencing what it truly meant to be torn between two choices.

On his left, stood his biological brother who had helped him enter the small world.

On his right, was his childhood friend with whom he had spent seventeen years.

Brother or childhood friend, which should he choose?

Tang Qing bit his lip and timidly suggested, “Um… how about we go to a hotpot restaurant?”

“No!”

“Not allowed!”

The two of them surprisingly spoke in unison.

After their outburst, they glanced at each other disdainfully before turning away.

Seeing the tension between the two, Tang Qing thought for a moment and then said, “Why don’t we go home and have hotpot together?”

In Lu Bei’s mind, Tang Qing still remembered his preferences, recalling his fondness for hotpot.

Meanwhile, Tang Bo saw this as an invitation to visit Tang Qing’s home, eager to see where he lived and join him for a hotpot meal.

The two individuals with vastly different mindsets surprisingly nodded in agreement.

They went to the supermarket to buy hotpot ingredients and then proceeded to Tang Qing’s house to prepare the hotpot.

Lu Bei: “Tangtang, I’ve picked out all the bones from the fish slices you like.”

Tang Bo: “Tangtang, the best part of this fish head is these two cheek meat pieces, all for you.”

Lu Bei: “Tangtang, the fish head is too fishy, have some vegetables to balance it out.”

Tang Bo: “Tangtang, the fish slices are overcooked, have some mushrooms instead.”

Tang Qing looked at the mountain of dishes in his bowl, all the layers filled with his favorite foods, and fell into silence.

“You guys, eat for yourselves, no need to serve me.”

Lu Bei, however, looked at Tang Bo with a strange tone, “Some people, although they’re serving dishes that Tangtang likes, haven’t considered that Tangtang’s appetite is like that of a little cat. He can’t eat too much at once.”

Tang Bo glanced at Lu Bei, then looked tenderly at Tang Qing, “My poor little brother, blame it on me arriving late. No one took care of you properly, otherwise, I would have nurtured your appetite.”

The two locked eyes fiercely across the hotpot, the air crackling between them.

Tang Qing looked up at the ceiling, unsure of what to say.

He quietly finished the meticulously prepared food in silence.

After the meal, Lu Bei, acting like the owner, took charge of clearing the table and washing the dishes before heading to the kitchen.

After eating some fruit, Tang Qing finally persuaded Lu Bei to return home.

Before leaving, Lu Bei reluctantly pointed at Tang Bo and asked, “Why is he allowed to stay?”

Tang Bo glanced at Lu Bei and haughtily huffed, “Because I’m his brother.”

Lu Bei, glaring at the self-assured Tang Bo, looked as if he wanted to kill.

Tang Qing explained, “It’s been a long time since we met. My brother hasn’t found a hotel yet. We’ll just chat for a bit tonight.”

Lu Bei remained with a sullen expression, his toned arm resting against the door frame as he leaned in slightly towards Tang Qing, asking, “How late will you be chatting tonight?”

Tang Bo, eager to stir things up, loudly interjected, “We’ll definitely have an all-night chat, hugging and talking with Tangtang all night long, no sleep!”

At this, Lu Bei’s knuckles cracked as he clenched them, his aura darkening, nearly leaving five finger imprints on the door.

Tang Qing quickly tugged on Lu Bei’s sleeve and soothingly said, “Just a few words, we have to sleep before 11 o’clock. We have classes tomorrow. It’s the elective course with Professor Li, don’t you remember?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Bei’s expression lightened a bit.

Tomorrow was the elective course, a chance for him and Tang Qing to attend class together. And what was with that idiot brother saying they would chat all night? Doesn’t Tangtang turn into a cat at night? Chat my foot. Could they even have a cross-species conversation?

With these thoughts, Lu Bei felt a bit relieved.

He glanced at Tang Qing. Tang Qing was still standing at the door, looking up at him with soft eyes, delicate white neck, a cute blush on his face, looking adorable and coquettish.

He couldn’t help but reach out and gently pat Tang Qing’s cheek, advising, “No chatting past 11 o’clock, we’ll video call later.”

Seeing Tang Qing nod obediently, he turned and left.

After closing the door, Tang Qing turned around, and Tang Bo, who had just stopped arguing with Lu Bei, was now sitting on the sofa.

“Do you like him?”

Caught off guard by the question, Tang Qing stood frozen, his face slightly tense as he lowered his head, not answering.

“Tangtang, Lu Bei is straight and even homophobic, you know that better than me, right?”

Tang Qing nodded.

Every time the topic of homosexuality came up, Lu Bei would react with disgust and harshly criticize it as disgusting and abnormal. Tang Bo knew better than anyone that Lu Bei was a staunch straight man.

Seeing Tang Qing’s despondent expression, Tang Bo felt a bit sorry and softened his tone, “Next week, the female lead will appear. As long as we prevent Lu Bei from getting close to her and help the main characters develop their relationship, we can leave this world. We don’t belong here, and staying here isn’t good for you.”

Tang Qing nodded, “Gege, I understand. I will complete the mission properly and then leave here.”

He knew everything Tang Bo said was for his own good.

He had heard from System 99 that in the previous two worlds, his brother had done a lot for him and even taken on some challenging tasks for his sake.

“Enough of this talk, let me see if Tangtang has been taking care of himself properly.”

With that, Tang Bo, as warm as a golden retriever, lifted his little brother in his arms.

Upon returning home, Lu Bei felt increasingly disheartened.

Why did Tang Qing suddenly have a brother?

Subconsciously, he felt something was off about the appearance of this brother.

Whether it was the timing of his appearance or the overall feeling the person gave him.

In any case, no matter how he looked at the brother, he just couldn’t stand him.

With his strange hair color and features that barely resembled Tang Qing.

Most importantly,

Although it was normal for brothers to be close,

This person always seemed a bit too touchy, often pulling and chatting with Tang Qing.

Could he be a little too attached to his brother?

He was so frustrated that his vision blurred, and he even felt a string of blue numbers flashing across his eyes.

He shook his head vigorously to clear his mind of the binary code.

He was furious, absolutely livid.

He slammed his hand down hard on the desk, his athletic strength causing the table to dent deeply.

At his age, wouldn’t it be better to go find a girlfriend rather than sticking to his childhood friend?

Why cling to his brother like this?

Lu Bei silently cursed Tang Bo all night, hardly getting any sleep.

Lu Bei never considered why he wouldn’t find a girlfriend and instead clung to his childhood friend day in and day out.