Don’t Ignite It chapter 13

Elder brother

Xia Yu drove through the gate of their home garden, parked the car, and went to see his brother first.

As soon as he entered, he noticed that his brother was on the balcony next to the garden, showing his daughter the fish in the pond.

“Brother,” Xia Yu called out.

He approached with a smiling face and leaned in to kiss his niece on the cheek.

Xia Mil always liked her little uncle. She giggled and reached out her hand, wanting Xia Yu to pick her up.

So Xia Yu picked her up. “Mil, you look even more beautiful now.”

Her niece was overjoyed by his attention.

Xia Jin let out a light snort from the side. “You’re such a liar, always deceiving kids.”

“Why would you say that?” Xia Yu chuckled. “Our Mil is a little princess. I don’t lie.”

Mil protested by waving her little fists at her dad and then happily continued to stay in her little uncle’s arms, asking him to praise her butterfly-shaped hairpin.

Xia Jin gave a disdainful huff and didn’t bother with these two little troublemakers.

He was busy with work, and he didn’t meet his younger brother often. When they did meet, he would carefully scrutinize Xia Yu. Only when he saw Xia Yu looking healthy did he nod in satisfaction, like an old farmer inspecting a bountiful harvest in the fields.

“Let’s go inside for lunch. Mom and Dad, as well as your sister-in-law, are in the living room,” Xia Jin extended his hand to his younger brother and asked, “What about Xu Zhan? Why didn’t he come with you?”

He was quite satisfied with his brother-in-law, Xu Zhan. They had been married for three years, and Xu Zhan occasionally accompanied Xia Yu when he visited his family. He got along well with the Xia family members, much better than someone else whom Xia Jin disliked.

Xia Yu hesitated for a moment and then said, “He’s been working late these past few days and couldn’t make it. Next time, perhaps. He’s going on a business trip in a while.”

This excuse sounded reasonable.

Xia Jin was a workaholic himself, so he naturally understood.

However, he was also concerned about his younger brother’s marriage. He asked, “Is everything going well between you and Xu Zhan lately? If you need anything, just tell your big brother.”

“What could go wrong?” Xia Yu smiled. “Xu Zhan is busy with his research recently and has to supervise undergraduate theses. He’s really swamped.”

Xia Jin didn’t really understand the academic aspects of Xu Zhan’s work, but he cared more about the state of Xia Yu’s and Xu Zhan’s relationship. Seeing Xia Yu mention Xu Zhan with a smile, he felt reassured.

However, during lunch, he watched Xia Yu patiently and gently feed his daughter. Suddenly, he asked, “When are you and Xu Zhan planning to adopt a child?”

Xia Yu almost dropped his spoon and looked up at his brother with a bewildered expression.

The others at the table were also looking at him.

Xia Yu was baffled. “Why are you suddenly bringing this up out of the blue?”

His sister-in-law, Bai Ning, smiled at her husband. “Are you trying to urge them to have kids too? You’re not even sparing your little brother.”

Xia Yu’s parents, on the other hand, were quite interested.

Xia Dad took a sip of soup and leisurely remarked, “Your brother is right. You’re not getting any younger. You both talked about this before when you got married.”

Xia Jin wasn’t just saying it casually.

He looked at Xia Yu and said, “I met Xu Ping the other day. She mentioned it to me. Since Xu Zhan is slightly older now, at twenty-nine, and you both previously agreed that you wouldn’t mind having children, it’s time to consider it seriously.”

Xu Ping was Xu Zhan’s older sister.

Xia Yu was caught off guard.

He had discussed this with Xu Zhan before, primarily because Xu Zhan liked children, but they had agreed to wait until they were in their thirties before seriously considering it. And now, with Xu Zhan in a relationship outside their marriage and things going well, no one could predict what might happen.

Xia Yu shook his head like a rattle. “I’m not ready to adopt yet. I still want to have fun. Don’t ask Xu Zhan either; he listens to me.”

Xia Jin frowned, thinking he should give Xia Yu a talking-to. He was already an adult, yet he was acting so childishly.

But their mother, Mrs. Xia, couldn’t stand it and scolded her eldest son, “Can’t you wait until after we finish eating? You can discuss this later after the meal.”

Xia Jin had no choice but to remain silent.

After lunch, Xia Yu spent some time playing with his niece. His sister-in-law, Bai Ning, was also a very busy person. Even when she was at home, she was on the phone, discussing work with her subordinates.

Xia Yu played with Xia Mil, building with Lego bricks.

Mil picked up a tiny knight figurine and said to Xia Yu, “This is Uncle.”

Xia Yu’s heart melted.

He actually liked children quite a bit; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to consider having one when both sets of parents discussed it. However, thinking about these things now was premature.

He was playing with his niece’s hair braid when he noticed that Xia Jin had somehow sat down next to him without making a sound.

He was startled. “Why didn’t you say anything when you walked in?”

Xia Jin glanced at him mildly. “You were lost in thought.”

He also spent some time playing with building blocks with his daughter, then picked her up and coaxed her, “How about going to Grandma’s for a while? Daddy and Uncle need to have a talk, we’ll come over later.”

Mil didn’t want to leave her little uncle, but after Xia Yu held her for a moment and then put her down, she ran off with a pout.

Xia Yu watched her sway in her flowery dress and found it incredibly cute. He thought raising a daughter was really nice. He couldn’t understand how his brother, who was so stern and serious, could have such a beautiful daughter.

But when he turned his head and saw his brother’s expression, he became alert again. “You’re not thinking about persuading me to adopt a child, are you? You can’t force…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xia Jin shook his head.

“Children can wait.”

He looked at Xia Yu and stopped beating around the bush, asking directly, “Have you seen Lu Zhao recently?”

Xia Yu was taken aback by the question.

For a moment, he thought that their relationship had been discovered.

He felt a sudden panic, like when he was a child and was caught with a failing grade on a physics exam.

Because deep down, he had always considered falling in love with Lu Zhao a mistake. In this erroneous love, he had hurt not only himself but also his family. The most severely affected had been his doting older brother.

He instinctively lied, “No.”

Xia Jin scrutinized Xia Yu as if evaluating whether to believe him or not. But after a moment, he sighed in relief. “That’s good.”

He continued, “I’m not trying to scold you; I just casually asked. I had dinner with someone a few days ago, and I heard that Lu Zhao has been in Chuanchi recently. He has settled down here and even accepted a few dinner invitations. I’m just afraid you might run into him.”

Xia Yu let out a breath of relief but felt even more guilty.

He and Lu Zhao had done more than run into each other; they had slept together just a few hours ago.

He awkwardly coughed a few times and reassured his brother, “I have no lingering feelings for him, really. Even if we meet again, it won’t change anything. I’m married now; there’s no point in dwelling on the past.”

He lowered his head and touched the ring on his finger.

The ring felt cold, but he suddenly felt a burning sensation.

Xia Jin’s expression also softened. He agreed, “You’re right. I was reluctant when you married Xu Zhan, and I didn’t see the need to arrange a commercial marriage for my younger brother but it was your choice, so I went along with it.”

However, after several years of marriage, thinking about Xu Zhan and then Lu Zhao, he was now a hundred percent satisfied with Xu Zhan.

Xu Zhan was gentle, considerate, and obedient to Xia Yu in everything. He had a non-confrontational personality, which made him a perfect match for Xia Yu.

Xia Jin peeled an orange for Xia Yu and said, “If you’re still thinking about Lu Zhao, you must be out of your mind. What’s so great about him? He is indifferent as he was back at school, extremely sharp-tongued. Although he’s intelligent and has a thriving career, living with someone like him, you’ll never be able to warm him up in your lifetime. Xu Zhan is different. He has been accommodating you in everything over these years.”

Xia Yu held the peeled orange, feeling extremely nervous but managing a smile without saying anything.

After venting about Lu Zhao, Xia Jin felt more at ease.

In reality, Xia Yu had been married for three years, and Xia Jin wasn’t really worried that his brother would rekindle things with Lu Zhao. He simply didn’t like the guy.

He said to Xia Yu, “Since Lu Zhao has settled in Chuanchi, you may run into him more often in the future. But you don’t have to pay him any attention. Just turn and leave. If there are any unavoidable social occasions, you have me.”

Xia Yu nodded obediently.

“I understand.”