Dawn and Dusk
Back at Mirror Lake Manor, the first thing Rong Ci did was post to her selected-circle social feed—
“Today is July 20, 9:00 p.m. From this moment onward, I, Rong Ci, hereby confirm: my husband is my very best Big Brother.”
Wen Jin, part of the dowry, replied the fastest: [Your family relationships are so complicated they’re hurting my eyes. Even Thunderstorm would have to bow down to you.]
Rong Qingtiao: [@astraia Rong Mumu, I’ll give you one chance to say that again. Who is your very best Big Brother?]
astraia: [Xie! Xun! Zhao!]
Rong Ci held grudges. Whenever she got the chance, she deliberately provoked her real brother. Who told him to make that snide remark last time?!
Rong Qingtiao: [Bitten by a stray cat?]
astraia: [Yes, by the rumor you just started.]
Rong Qingtiao delivered an online diagnosis: [Then you weren’t bitten. Must be congenital rabid-cat syndrome.]
~~
In the master bedroom, Xie Xunzhao had changed into pajamas, light, thin silk that concealed his strong, powerful physique, giving him a languid, cool detachment to the eye. Only when he moved did the hem lift slightly, revealing a glimpse of his lean waist.
Ever since he had started sharing a room with Rong Ci, he had never worn a robe to bed. The structure of the bathrobe was too simple, too revealing. It might frighten her.
After all, Rong Mumu still hadn’t figured out her feelings. What if, before affection had even begun to take root, she developed a wariness toward him instead?
Xie Xunzhao thoughtfully looked toward Rong Ci.
Only one bedside lamp was on. The light cast a hazy veil over everything. In her blue nightdress against the frost-white sheets, she lay sprawled over the pillow like a wave tossing and rolling across a shallow sea.
Hearing the sound, Rong Ci turned around to complain. “Big Brother, my brother is really mean!”
This “brother” was not that “Big Brother.”
Hearing her use exactly the same tone for her two brothers, Xie Xunzhao’s brows drew together slightly. He walked over, looked down at the chat history, and parted his thin lips. “He really is.”
Hearing Xie Xunzhao agree with her, Rong Ci seemed to have found an ally and handed him her phone. “Right? Right? Help me roast him back. Make him lose his temper.”
Xie Xunzhao took the phone. His gaze moved from her expectant little face to the screen.
Rong Ci had saved Rong Qingtiao as: Black-Hearted Sesame Ball
Rong Qingtiao had saved Rong Ci as: Evil Calico Cat
As the only person who knew the whole story, Xie Xunzhao had once considered whether he could use this to drive a wedge between the siblings.
But morality had won out. Once he had no morals left, he could give it a try.
Xie Xunzhao casually typed a few words: [I haven’t even congratulated you yet. Your wife just became an adult.]
Rong Qingtiao guessed who it was in zero seconds. [Xie Xunzhao.]
Rong Ci scooted over beside Xie Xunzhao and habitually wrapped both arms around his arm, her eyes widening in surprise. “How did he figure it out?”
Rong Ci’s hands were different from his, especially when their fingers were interlaced—hers were soft, while his were hard.
Xie Xunzhao’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but his tone remained calm. “You should go to sleep.”
The words had barely left his mouth. Rong Ci watched the signal vanish before her eyes.
Nine-thirty. Not a minute early or late.
“I can’t sleep.” Through the dim light, Rong Ci studied Xie Xunzhao’s expression, calculating her chances of successfully petitioning for a thirty-minute extension to the nightly internet cutoff.
Xie Xunzhao pulled his arm free and turned off the light. “You’ll fall asleep once you lie down.”
After Rong Ci settled herself in bed, she stayed quiet for a full ten seconds. Then she turned over and slowly inched closer to Xie Xunzhao. “Big Brother…”
“Let’s chat.”
Xie Xunzhao lay in a textbook sleeping position, eyes closed, saying nothing.
Big Brother didn’t answer, so he must be tacitly agreeing.
So Rong Ci simply started chatting. “Big Brother, can I really join Ms. Shen Yu’s team?”
In the darkness, the man’s normally clear voice carried a slight hoarseness. “As long as she agrees.”
Rong Ci moved a little closer, almost against his ear. It made the late-night conversation feel much more atmospheric. “Teacher Shen agreed!”
She had heard that Ms. Shen Yu was extremely demanding about professional standards, even to the point of being harsh. She had never taken on a student. In fact, Rong Ci had originally only hoped to interview for an internship, so she could observe an architectural master up close and experience how a design went from nothing to reality. She’d never dreamed of studying under her!
Yet tonight, after they had casually chatted about architecture, Shen Yu had taken the initiative to offer to accept her as a student. It had gone super, super, super smoothly.
Rong Ci was good at thinking things through. “Do you think it went too smoothly?”
“What if this is just blessings coming before disaster, and some huge calamity is waiting for me later…”
Xie Xunzhao interrupted coldly. “Mumu, don’t tempt fate.”
Rong Ci was startled. “…Okay.”
“Brother, I was wrong.”
First place in admitting fault, just never actually changes.
Seeing that she seemed to have been startled, Xie Xunzhao added, “Didn’t you like Shen Yu’s architectural designs from a very young age?”
“Just focus on learning from her over the summer. There’s no problem.”
Having been reassured, Rong Ci immediately pushed her luck.
She threw back her own blanket, then reached for his blanket, intending to continue their in-depth discussion of her career plans. “Of course there’s no problem. After all, everyone loves me.”
The next second, Xie Xunzhao’s gaze froze slightly. It landed on Rong Ci’s two slender, soft calves, gently swaying in the darkness, their skin glowing with a moist, luminous sheen like sweet white porcelain soaked in water.
……
“Mm.”
“Everyone-loves-you Miss Rong Mumu.”
Xie Xunzhao slowly raised one long leg, blocking her from coming any closer. “Please return to your own side of the bed.”
Rong Ci went back under her own blanket. “Stingy.”
Xie Xunzhao lowered his hand and covered her eyes. “Close your eyes. Sleep.”
Rong Ci thought his palm felt a little hot. But covering her eyes felt very comfortable, like a steam eye mask, and one with a special scent at that.
Her little bird plushie had been abandoned at the foot of the bed, while Rong Ci hugged Xie Xunzhao’s wrist and soon drifted into sleep.
Xie Xunzhao felt her eyelashes flutter several times against his palm before finally folding its wings like a deflated butterfly.
Rong Ci was finally quiet.
Xie Xunzhao, however, could not find peace.
Eleven at night.
Xie Xunzhao shifted from lying on his back to lying on his side. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, reflected Rong Ci’s sleeping face. Her long black hair spread across the pillow like a winding ink painting. Her lips were slightly pursed, and every so often she unconsciously pressed them together, revealing shallow dimples.
After a while, the man slowly sat up, his shadow moving across the wall as though alive.
Time seemed to stand still. Xie Xunzhao’s Adam’s apple rolled, and his eyes darkened further, as though an unceasing howling wind had swept into his pupils.
He raised a hand, wanting to touch her, then it suspended in midair, and in the end, it fell onto the edge of the blanket, gently tucking it around her.
—
In the study, Xie Xunzhao worked for a while longer until his phone rang. He glanced at the screen; it was Rong Qingtiao. At once, his entire demeanor became calm.
Xie Xunzhao stood and walked to the window, casually answering the call. “Good evening, Brother-in-law.”
Rong Qingtiao’s voice was faintly cool. “Average.”
“President Xie must be in a pretty good mood.”
“After all, you’ve been preparing this art museum project since last year. You made three trips to the cottage to invite Ms. Shen Yu, and finally earned the honor of being ‘Rong Mumu’s best Big Brother.’”
They had grown up together, the best of friends who knew each other most thoroughly and evenly matched rivals besides, and they knew exactly where the other’s sore spots were. They never went easy when poking at them.
Xie Xunzhao’s expression remained indifferent as he looked at the dark clouds suddenly gathering outside.
Beicheng summers were always like this. The weather could change without warning. It could be blazing hot during the day and suddenly pour in the middle of the night.
A few seconds later, Xie Xunzhao said, “I sincerely invite President Rong to look in a mirror.”
“You’ll be able to admire the magnificent bearing of a defeated opponent.”
Rong Qingtiao replied, “I’d rather admire the outstanding bearing of a pure-love warrior who shares a household registration book with his wife and is still secretly in love with her.”
Xie Xunzhao: “…Right now, in her heart, I’m a closer Big Brother to her than you, her own brother.”
The words fell.
Both men fell silent at the same time. Probably they had both thought of the reason.
Rong Qingtiao scoffed. “You two were engaged since childhood, and over all these years you somehow managed to turn your fiancé-fiancée relationship into brother and sister. Impressive.”
Well, now. His position as her real Big Brother was unstable, and Xie Xunzhao’s position as her real husband was unstable too.
Mutual defeat.
The two fell silent again.
A few seconds later, they hung up at the same time.
~~
Afternoon teatime at a café near Shen Yu’s temporary studio.
Rong Ci was allergic to coffee; drinking it gave her palpitations, so she ordered a cup of coffee for Rong Qingtiao and drank lemon water herself.
She took one sip, and her little face immediately scrunched up; so sour, definitely a real lemon.
Why wasn’t Rong Qingtiao here yet?
Didn’t he know an intern’s time was precious?
After recovering from the wave of sourness, Rong Ci rested her chin in her hand and looked toward the entrance. The glass door opened, accompanied by a series of tinkling wind chimes. A familiar figure finally appeared.
The young man’s brows and eyes bore a few similarities to Rong Ci’s. On him, those features became refined and handsome, with an exceptional bearing.
To Rong Ci, however, he looked like a walking Black-Hearted Sesame Ball. She lazily waved. “Brother, over here.”
Hearing his sister’s voice, Rong Qingtiao lowered his eyes toward her and thought she looked like a lucky cat beckoning fortune. The corners of his pale lips lifted slightly.
When he smiled, he was like clear skies and bright moonlight. When he didn’t, he looked cold and heartless.
He had probably just finished work. Rong Qingtiao wore a full set of refined, perfectly tailored clothing, with a pale-gold vintage pocket-watch chain hanging from one of the buttonholes on the inner waistcoat.
Combined with his tall, upright build, he was impossible to overlook the moment he entered a public place. Everyone’s attention was drawn to him. But the siblings had been the center of attention since childhood, so neither paid the slightest heed to the stares.
Rong Qingtiao had come to Beicheng to deliver his sister’s imperial-purple jadeite pendant and make a business trip at the same time.
The imperial-purple jade pendant was carved with an elaborate lotus pattern on one side and the character “Ci” on the other. It was said to nourish the spirit, stabilize the soul, and ward off every evil influence.
Rong Ci had worn it ever since she was little.
The chain had suddenly snapped last month, so she had sent it to an experienced master craftsman for repair.
Rong Qingtiao sat down and handed her the jade pendant first. For the sake of their sibling bond, he also checked in on her. “How have you been feeling lately? Anything discomfort?”
Rong Ci took the pendant and finally felt reassured. “The internet gets shut off at exactly nine-thirty every night, and I go straight to sleep. I’m healthy enough now to beat up ten of you.”
Rong Qingtiao: “?”
“Okay.” A few seconds later, he added, “Impressive.”
Rong Ci accepted the compliment without the slightest hesitation. “Of course.”
Rong Qingtiao looked her over. She certainly didn’t look mistreated. That made sense.
With Xie Xunzhao’s temperament, he would only take even more meticulous care of her. Otherwise, how could the entire family have felt comfortable entrusting such a precious treasure to him?
He asked again, “How’s the internship? Getting used to it?”
Rong Ci rubbed the familiar, sharply defined carvings on the jade pendant and answered honestly. “Teacher Shen’s studio is right across from the Xie Group headquarters. I can even go have lunch with Big Brother at noon. I’m very used to it.”
Rong Qingtiao folded his arms and abruptly changed the subject. “So why do you call me ‘Brother’ but call Xie Xunzhao ‘Big Brother’ in that affectionate way? Rong Mumu, your preferential treatment is getting pretty obvious.”
Rong Ci’s fingertips stopped, confusion flashed through her eyes. “Haven’t I always called you that?”
Rong Qingtiao suddenly called her name. “Rong Ci.”
Rong Ci: “?”
“Rong Zhaozhao, why are you suddenly being so serious?”
Rong Qingtiao lazily leaned back against the sofa, his long legs crossed. He looked completely relaxed yet somehow gave off an intensely oppressive presence.
“Shen Yu has an eccentric temperament and extremely high standards for design. If she has no inspiration, she’d rather produce nothing at all. That’s why she hasn’t taken on a single architectural project in nearly ten years. She’s practically been semi-retired, let alone taking on a project this large.”
“She likes listening to guqin music to spark inspiration, so for the past two years she’s often gone to a certain theater to listen to performances.”
“Xie Xunzhao played the guqin for her for an entire month. He didn’t do it so you could call him ‘Big Brother.’”
—
Rong Qingtiao had other business and left first, leaving Rong Ci stuffed with so much information that she couldn’t sort out the main point at all. She had never been one to make things difficult for herself. If she couldn’t figure something out, she asked.
So, on her way back to the studio, she stopped beside a roadside Chinese parasol tree. Its lush branches trembled gently in the breeze, bringing wave after wave of cool air. From here, she could see the Xie Group headquarters.
Rong Ci instinctively tilted her head back, searching for the floor where Xie Xunzhao’s office was. Then she called Rong Qingtiao. “Brother, what exactly did you mean just now?”
Rong Qingtiao was currently in Xie Xunzhao’s office, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window. He could even see Rong Ci’s tiny figure below. He didn’t need to guess.
She was definitely stomping her feet beneath the tree in anger. “You’re not trying to drive a wedge between Big Brother and me again, are you?”
“What do you mean, ‘he didn’t do it so you could call him Big Brother’?”
“He’s closer to me than my own brother! I’m going to call him Big Brother for the rest of my life…”
Rong Qingtiao listened calmly to his sister’s tantrum when, suddenly, a sound came from behind him. He turned slightly and looked at the man walking through the door.
Finally, he interrupted Rong Ci. “I seem to remember that the Xie family has an ancestral rule.”
“What was it again…”
“Oh, no descendant of the Xie family has ever divorced.”
With that, Rong Qingtiao ended the call and raised an eyebrow at Xie Xunzhao with a smile.
As for the position of “Big Brother,” Rong Qingtiao had thought it over carefully. It absolutely had to belong to him alone.
As for Xie Xunzhao… he could go be Rong Mumu’s husband.
If this kept going, Xie Xunzhao would end up taking both the husband and Big Brother positions, and where would that leave him?