I Fell In Love With My Friend's Younger Brother Who Has A Low Sense Of Presence. - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Climbing the Mountain

Su Shizhi stood up and took a few steps toward them, looking at Su Shixiao with a puzzled look. “Xiaoxiao, why didn’t you just say it?”

At that moment, he suddenly felt that Xiaoxiao seemed to be a barrier to them, not as close as he had imagined, and seemed to distrust… them.

This conclusion made his handsome brows furrow slightly, and his expression became slightly serious.

“I came camping because President Nan invited me, and I already made an appointment with President Nan the day before yesterday, and he would pick me up.” Su Shixiao, unfazed by his brother’s serious expression, looked him straight in the eye and spoke slowly.

Nan Yanzhou noticed that Su Shizhi’s mood was a little off and stepped forward to block his gaze. “I said I would pick him up.”

Su Shizhi’s eyes darkened. “Okay, I understand, Xiaoxiao. Next time, you can tell me directly.”

“Okay,” Su Shixiao replied with a slight smile.

“Second brother, I didn’t expect you to be with us.” Su Shibei ran over to his brother, hugged his shoulders, and said cheerfully, “I’m so happy, second brother. I brought a lot of snacks, let’s eat together.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Su Shixiao pulled him forward.

Yan Haojiu, meeting the Su family’s second young master for the first time, regarded him with some interest. He was a good-looking man, but unfortunately, he wore black glasses. His presence was definitely less noticeable than that of Brother Su and Xiaobei, and his temperament was completely different.

Su Shizhi was mature and steady, a gentle and elegant handsome man. Su Shibei was a lively, cheerful, handsome, and sophisticated young master. Su Shixiao, on the other hand, had a cold and indifferent demeanor, making it easy to overlook his strikingly handsome face. Especially with those ugly glasses, it’s no wonder he lacked a presence.

“Nice meeting, hello, Second Young Master Su.” Yan Haojiu nodded politely and introduced himself. “My name is Yan Haojiu. I’ve known Shizhi and the others for over a year, but this is the first time I’ve seen you.”

Su Shixiao smiled and nodded. “Hello, Su Shixiao.”

Fang Nanshen waved to him. “Hi, Xiaoxiao, we meet again.”

Shen Songjun was also meeting Su Shixiao for the first time. He briefly introduced himself to him. Seeing that he came with Nan Yanzhou, he asked curiously, “When did you and Brother Nan become so close?”

“Not really,” Su Shixiao thought, thinking of the last time Nan Yanzhou’s father came to the company. “Maybe he’s thanking me for not complaining.” The Yuanshan Scenic Area is quite high. After almost two hours of climbing, they still hadn’t reached the top. Su Shibei sat down on the ground, panting. Su Shizhi expertly carried his backpack for him. “You take a break.”

“Okay, brother, you have to wait for me.” Su Shibei panted, tugging at his brother to stop him, saying weakly, “I don’t want to stay here alone.”

Su Shizhi looked back at his younger brother, stopped, and waited. “Xiaoxiao, give me the backpack. Then you go up first. I’ll take my time.”

Su Shixiao saw him carrying two bags and shook his head, refusing him. “Brother, it’s okay. I can carry them.”

Su Shizhi was relieved to see that he seemed okay.

Half an hour later, Su Shixiao was exhausted. Aside from seven or eight years of Sanda training as a child, he hadn’t done any exercise in the past. This was his first mountain hike and he was quite exhausted.

His forehead was sweating, and he walked slower and slower, feeling like he had no strength left. He was still carrying a bag, and he almost wanted to throw it away, but the thought of it containing his toiletries and a change of clothes forced him to suppress the thought.

Nan Yanzhou walked ahead of him, occasionally glancing back. After all, he had brought him up, so he had to take extra care of him.

Seeing his pale face, Nan Yanzhou said to Yan Haojiu, who was in front of him, “You two go up first.”

“Okay.” Yan Haojiu glanced back at Su Shixiao and nodded in agreement.

He walked over to Su Shixiao and pulled him aside to sit. Seeing him panting, his face slightly flushed, and sweat dripping from his forehead, he unconsciously raised his hand to wipe it off. When he realized what he was doing, he quickly pulled it back. “Well, there’s no rush. Let’s rest for a while.”

Su Shixiao was a little too tired to notice what he did. After sitting down, he leaned on his shoulder and said, “Okay.”

It was the first time someone had leaned on his shoulder so intimately, and he looked down at him awkwardly.

A few minutes later, Su Shixiao finally recovered and realized she was leaning against Nan Yanzhou. Her ears flushed, and she quickly stood up from him. “Brother Yanzhou, thank you for waiting. I’m almost done resting, so I can continue.”

“No rush, sit a little longer,” Nan Yanzhou said.

Su Shizhi, carrying two backpacks, walked around a corner and spotted them. “Xiaoxiao, Yanzhou.”

Nan Yanzhou saw that he must be tired from carrying two backpacks. “Come over and sit for a while. Where’s Xiaobei?”

“Brother Nan, I didn’t expect you still remembered me. I’m so touched,” Su Shibei’s voice came from behind his brother.

Nan Yanzhou told him, “Come back and sit for a while if you’re tired.”

Su Shizhi sat down next to Su Shixiao and put his bags on the floor. “Xiaoxiao, how are you? Are you okay?”

Su Shixiao nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

“Give me your bag, I’ll carry it for you.”

“Brother, no thanks. I can handle it myself.” Su Shixiao couldn’t bear to see his brother carry so much stuff by himself. “My bag isn’t heavy. You can just carry it for Xiaobei.”

“Second brother, I’m dying of exhaustion.” Su Shibei sat down, leaning against his brother without a care for his appearance.

Su Shixiao asked curiously, “Don’t you come here often?”

“Not really.” Su Shibei took a sip of water. “I only come here occasionally. I don’t dare come here often. Every time I go out and don’t disguise myself, I get surrounded by fans. But I do go to indoor events quite often, if I have time.”

Su Shixiao thought about his brother’s current popularity and realized it wasn’t suitable for him to hang out. “That’s right.”

They chatted for a while, rested enough, and continued on their way.

Throughout the journey, Su Shizhi paid close attention to Su Shibei, and of course, to Su Shixiao as well.

Nan Yanzhou, following behind them, also sensed this: Su Shizhi was completely obsessed with Su Shibei, practically wanting to carry him to the top of the mountain. While he cared about Su Shixiao, he wasn’t as overtly so. It was clear that Su Shibei had always been favored, which might explain his feeling of distance between Su Shixiao and his family.

Su Shixiao watched Xiaobei holding his brother’s hand, feeling a pang of pain in his heart, but he remained calm. He had long been accustomed to his family’s favoritism towards Xiaobei.

Nan Yanzhou quickly stepped forward and offered him his hand. “If you’re tired, you can hold my hand.”

“Hmm?” Su Shixiao paused for a moment, then his heartbeat quickened. He placed his hand in his, his initial sadness vanishing, a corner of his heart filled with warmth.

“Thank you.”

The top of the mountain was surprisingly a large flat area, a popular camping spot, surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees, and quite a few people came to camp. Chen Fengjun and his companions first found a camping spot, unpacked the tents they’d carried from the mountaintop, and settled down to rest.

Nan Yanzhou and his companions arrived at their destination and went looking for them. Su Shibei saw them and ran over excitedly, “Nan Shen, we’re here.”