Xie Xiaoba was a hermit crab who lived on the beach. Relying on luck and cunning, he defeated the other crabs and successfully claimed a new home.
Before he could happily move in, a large hand picked up the beautiful conch shell.
"Hey, look! There's such a pretty conch shell!"
While Xie Xiaoba stood there in a daze, this stranger stole his new home.
!!!
The little hermit crab waved his blunt little pincers, furious beyond reason.
He was always the one stealing other people's shells. How dare someone steal his!
Determined to get his new home back, the little hermit crab, who had cultivated for years, transformed into a human overnight and sneaked into the thief's room.
He'd been dating Yan Jiayan for a whole month, and on their anniversary he waited impatiently for his boyfriend to give him the conch shell as a gift.
But Yan Jiayan looked troubled and told him, "I gave that conch to my brother."
"...?"
It was like a bolt from the blue!
Xie Xiaoba rallied and shifted his sights to his boyfriend's older brother.
Yan Chong, the man in charge of the Yan Group.
After learning that Yan Chong liked well-behaved boys, Xie Xiaoba quickly crafted the perfect persona.
By day, he'd go up to Yan Chong and sweetly call him "Big Brother" over and over, sticking close behind him and doing his best to be an adorable little sweetheart.
At night, he'd turn Yan Chong's house upside down without finding a thing, then punch and kick at thin air, cursing furiously.
Damn Yan Chong! What a big meanie!
Give back his conch!
*
Yan Chong couldn't understand why his younger brother's boyfriend stuck to him all day.
The young man was lovely and delicate, with bright, charming eyes. His sweet smile made him very endearing.
He called Yan Chong "Big Brother," just like Yan Jiayan did, and tirelessly hovered around him every day, until Yan Chong's ears nearly grew calluses from hearing it.
Out of a sense of responsibility as an older brother, Yan Chong paid him extra attention on behalf of his unreliable younger brother, taking care of him with meticulous devotion.
As time passed, he realized the young man was only sweet and adorable on the surface. In truth, he was terribly bossy.
Not only had he kicked Yan Chong into the spare bedroom on his very first night in the house, he then ordered him around, making him help with getting dressed and serving meals.
Sometimes docile, sometimes haughty, he made Yan Chong's heart itch.
Apart from handling the group's affairs, Yan Chong spent all his time and energy figuring out how to cater to this little tyrant.
His friend watched as a company president gradually turned into a devoted househusband and boyfriend, then tactfully reminded him, "Does your little brother know he's about to get a sister-in-law?"
Yan Chong said nothing. The ashtray beside him was full of cigarette butts.
Brilliant from childhood, he was a favored son of heaven in the eyes of others. In just three years, he'd brought the Yan Group to unprecedented heights, making him a true winner in life.
Yet at thirty, he ran into a problem with no solution.
"Bonus scene"
At a gathering of friends, everyone stared at the pretty boy nestled in Yan Chong's arms, teasing them without end.
"Where'd you find such a gorgeous wife, A-Chong?"
"Is your little brother even an adult yet? Don't let this old man take advantage of you."
Xie Xiaoba looked at them in confusion, swallowed the fruit in his mouth, and explained seriously, "No, I'm Yan Jiayan's boyfriend."
"..."
Silence fell over the entire room.
Yan Chong's expression didn't change. His left arm rested loosely around the young man's waist as he gently wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth with his right hand and asked quietly, "Want some more?"
Reader's Guide
1. The protagonist is a little hermit crab spirit who can live without a shell, cute but not very bright.
2. Dating the younger brother is just kids playing house.
3. Both are each other's first, happy ending, with an eight-year age gap.
Theme: In a dazzling world, even a crab can lose sight of the way.
