Chapter 15

Li Shaoze was on the way home after the disaster meeting in the Li manor. Right after he got inside the car to go back, Li Junfeng disappeared and didn't follow along.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh as he leaned over the back seat.

Li Shaoze didn't mind as he knew his brother would need some time to get himself together. He himself had long given up regarding the Li's. But he knew Li Junfeng hadn't. He still felt there was a small chance for things to change. He was so stubborn and stupid.

Li Shaoze never gave any hope for Li Junfeng. He also never tried to say anything bad about their family. But he wouldn't go as far to seek something that the Li's wouldn't give to him.

It was high time for Li Junfeng to realize that the two of them weren't the same despite being brothers.

***

Li Junfeng was still at the manor, looking at the two women who had unintentionally broken his heart ever since childhood. Instead of grieving over his death, the two women were busy talking bad about his brother.

"He's not welcome here anymore. If I knew he'd reject my order, I wouldn't want him to take over Junfeng's position!" the matriarch said with a harrumph. Old as she was, she was still haughty and arrogant as if she held the whole sky.

"He's so ungrateful. Don't invite him here anymore, mother. It's bad for your health if you see him again," Lu Mimi said with a face laced with fake concern.

"If not for others clamoring to know about him, would I even bother? This is all for the sake of public opinion! That darn bastard!"

Li Junfeng heard their complaints and he instinctively lowered his head in shame. He thought he could love them the same as his brother while giving Li Shaoze extra attention to make up for the lack of love from them.

He thought he had done the best he could.

When he tried to stand against his family, Li Shaoze would get the brunt of it. He remembered some things he did very clearly and he also recalled Li Shaoze's fate after that. They were still so young back then and he was still so immature.

He didn't know what else could he do except for staying silence and hating them in the heart while still making peace outside.

Li Junfeng was the type that couldn't stand discord. He was a peace lover but what use was peace if someone still got hurt anyway?

He clenched his teeth tightly and if he wasn't a ghost, he would have broken them. He turned around immediately and went to look for a certain room where his brother once lived in. But when he went inside, it no longer held anything that could relate to his brother. It was made to become an old store for unused tools.

He realized things had always gone downhill for Li Shaoze from the beginning.

***

In the study, Li Shaoze finished doing some work when it was already evening. He had come home early and proceeded to work until late. The surrounding in his home was too quiet and he suddenly didn't like it. He looked around to find Li Junfeng but found nothing.

Li Junfeng unexpectedly took so much time to be alone this time.

Usually, Li Junfeng would pester him to go and take a rest. Li Shaoze thought Li Junfeng must not want to see him due to guilt.

'Even though it's already in the past,' he sighed.

Li Shaoze shook his head as he worried over his brother. He closed the laptop and just as he was about to stand up, he stumbled over with a headache.

A pain so great came over just as it vanished instantly, as if it was an illusion.

Li Shaoze blinked his eyes a few times and found that he felt extremely fine. He suddenly remembered that he had yet to set up an appointment with his personal doctor. He also skipped lunch and dinner so he immediately called for a delivery.

When the food arrived, it was already midnight. Li Junfeng was still nowhere to be seen. Li Shaoze began to become restless. He was afraid that Li Junfeng would never come back. His thoughts went unbridled and he became nervous.

Li Junfeng had never left his side for so long since becoming a ghost.

Some questions came over his head and Li Shaoze once again felt a painful sensation in his brain. Questions like 'where is he?', 'what if he already departs to the afterlife?', and 'what if I can't no longer see him?' were rapidly growing.

Just when the pale-looking Li Shaoze was about to go find some migraine pills to relief the pain, Li Junfeng came over in a hurry towards him.

He appeared out of thin air as he exclaimed with panic, "Brother! Are you okay?"

***

A few minutes went by after Li Junfeng saw Li Shaoze take a migraine medicine. Li Shaoze was now seated on the sofa as he ate the food that was delivered earlier.

Li Junfeng glared daggers at his brother and began to nag about how he should take care of his health, not work with high intensity for too long, and not to skip any meals like lunch, dinner or breakfast.

He talked for so long that Li Shaoze just stayed quiet without saying a word. In Li Shaoze's heart, he felt so relieved that he could still hear Li Junfeng talk. For once, he felt he was grateful for this ability that he had hated before.

"Do you hear me? I'm already dead but you still can't take care of yourself. What should I do if I'm worried? Wake up in my grave and scare others?"

Li Shaoze sighed lowly and he relented, "Fine, you're right. I'll look after myself from now on,"

Li Shaoze didn't plan on mentioning how his brother was gone for almost a day that it took him by surprise.

"Good. Go and see your doctor tomorrow," Li Junfeng instructed. Even though he was younger, he was used to giving orders because he was treated like a young master. Li Shaoze never reprimanded his way of talking because he knew it was for his own good too.

There was no one else who would nag at him except Li Junfeng anyway. So Li Shaoze accepted it wholeheartedly.

Li Junfeng saw Li Shaoze's nodding to his stern 'instructions' and he felt even sadder. He knew his brother had no one who would worry about him like he was.

The grip on his hands loosened and he apologized, "I'm sorry for what happened at the Li's,"

Li Shaoze looked at Li Junfeng and saw that his brother was actually willing to talk about it. Maybe he was gone for a day to do a critical thinking and gain some courage. He put down the chopsticks and made a gesture for him to continue.

"I'm also sorry for being such a scumbag who leapt on two boats at the same time," Li Junfeng confessed with a heavy heart. His handsome face looked ridden with guilt.

"What do you mean?" Li Shaoze asked.

"You know what I mean. I love our parents and grandmother. I also love you and tried many ways to make amends to you on their behalf. I couldn't let go of either side. I must have seemed like a two-faced bastard who couldn't even take sides, right?"

It was the first time Li Junfeng ever said it this way. Li Shaoze understood what he meant but he wasn't in the place to criticize Li Junfeng's way of doing things. He had his own principle and it was hard to change one's own ideal. That was why Li Shaoze never said anything bad against the Li's to Li Junfeng. He also never said anything good about them either. He just didn't say anything at all.