[Dominant Older Capitalist Top x Fragile, Beautiful Painter Bottom]
[Shen Fu x Li Xiaoshi / Shen Xing / Li Shijin]
Stolen, trafficked, abandoned.
At eleven, Li Xiaoshi lived through endless days of hunger and cold.
He was timid. He dreamed, and in his dreams, he was terrified and helpless.
Hungry and with nowhere to turn, twelve-year-old Li Xiaoshi had no choice but to cross a pitch-black road in search of food. Suddenly, a car with its headlights on stopped in front of him. He was a tiny, tense little bundle.
Three people got out of the car.
From then on, they would be his father, mother, and older brother.
His older brother gave him a piece of milk candy, but Li Xiaoshi didn't dare take it.
His brother helped him bathe, taught him to count, dressed him in soft new clothes, and picked him up to ask his name. He was so adorable that his brother couldn't bear to put him down.
Li Xiaoshi was given a new name: Shen Xing.
His brother told him bedtime stories and took him out by the hand. Clinging tightly to his brother, he went to amusement parks and fed little animals. Wherever they went, big or small, his brother was always by his side.
He curled up in his brother's arms, burying his head against his arm.
Shen Fu patted his back, and Shen Xing soon fell asleep.
Sixteen years old.
Shen Xing was devoted to his studies and envied clever kids.
Compared with his genius of a brother, he often felt troubled, but he still worked hard and persevered.
He believed diligence could overcome clumsiness and mediocrity.
But at sixteen, he spent sleepless nights overwhelmed by distress and melancholy.
He looked back on the days when he had gone hungry and cold. Comparing them with all the misfortunes of his past, he was afraid, terrified.
He clung to his family, forever yearning for his brother's care and embraces.
When he first went to boarding school, he met many classmates.
He made an effort to fit in, but their differences in personality left him ostracized in all sorts of ways.
His family stood up for him, and his brother took him abroad to study.
There, he met a beloved teacher and a warm, loving grandmother.
His brother cared for him at every turn. Kisses and embraces, teasing and encouragement made Shen Xing grow even more attached to Shen Fu.
At sports fields, game arcades, and all kinds of places for fun and relaxation, his brother kept him company. Shen Xing even appeared at some of Shen Fu's work events.
One night, Shen Xing stared at the drunk Shen Fu. "Brother, you're so clingy."
Shen Fu hugged him tight and fell fast asleep.
Through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, every season of the year,
Shen Fu grew accustomed to looking after Shen Xing. He liked him, grew used to him, and loved him.
But Shen Xing's behavior grew increasingly strange. Sometimes he was suddenly energetic, sometimes suddenly despondent. Sometimes he avoided contact with others, and at times he was even afraid of the sun. Then, one day, Shen Xing secretly ran back to China.
Shen Fu returned to confront him, only to hear that Shen Xing's parents mattered more to him. Shen Fu was unhappy with Shen Xing's answer, unhappy with his retreat and cowardice.
He flew into a rage and forced Shen Xing to admit that he felt something for him beyond familial affection. When Shen Xing couldn't bring himself to admit it, Shen Fu deliberately distanced himself, even announcing to their parents that he was dating a boyfriend abroad.
The news plunged Shen Xing into an icy abyss.
Shen Fu saw Shen Xing's cowardice and knew he was secretly watching him.
Burning with anger, Shen Fu wondered why Shen Xing always had to be so weak and useless.
Years later, the successful young CEO Shen kept a man, Li Shijin, who looked exactly like Shen Xing.
When Shen Fu held Li Shijin tight in a hotel room, he finally realized that he and Shen Xing really hadn't seen each other in so many years.
* The protagonist has a mental illness.
* A realistic tragedy, with little emphasis on good being rewarded and evil punished. Xiao Jin is a patient in the early part of the story, and the kitten has a dedicated caretaker. The characters' names change without restriction in this story (I didn't handle it well, actually, but what could restrict a change of soul?).
Theme: Mental health
