Both men were motionless but the tense atmosphere was heavy. The two had a staredown. One calm, the other furious.
Jin Liwei maintained his composure as he looked at his violent brother-in-law. He could sense that Lu Zihao’s hostility wasn’t directed at him at all. If it were, he had no doubt that he would have been frozen in instinctive fear from the man’s bloodthirst. The aura of the former crown prince of the criminal underworld wasn’t something that anyone could just withstand without nerves of…not steel but rock-hard diamond instead.
Since he didn’t feel the instinctive urge to protect himself, he knew that his brother-in-law’s fury must be directed at himself (Lu Zihao) and not at him (Jin Liwei).
The current situation gave Jin Liwei a sense of déjà vu. He remembered a time when Lu Zihao had called him a coward. Back then, Jin Liwei was still hiding his role in helping conceal Fan Luo’s crime of causing the original Long Xiulan’s deadly car accident. This was the time when he had just started a relationship with Iris and Lu Zihao had just returned from Canada. Iris and Lu Zihao acted oddly close to each other, puzzling many of them especially with their stupid excuse of being online buddies. Jin Liwei still didn’t know the truth about his wife and brother-in-law’s reborn identities at that point.
Lu Zihao, who he still believed was his real fifth brother at that time but with a change in personality after his accident just like Long Xiulan, told him that he was nothing but a coward for not telling the truth to Iris. The man didn’t mince any words, not at all worried of humiliating him.
Yet here they were now. Their roles had been reversed.
Jin Liwei was the one calling Lu Zihao, no, Nikolai a coward to his face.
Despite this, he didn’t delight in the role reversal. He wasn’t an asshole to rejoice in the humiliation of his own brother-in-law who had his fifth brother’s face. It was just that the man needed some much-needed wake-up call especially after hearing from Ketchup and Bacon what Lu Zihao had done to the pregnant Long Jinjing.
“You called me here,” Jin Liwei said in a casual tone as if he was just commenting on the weather. “What is it that you want to talk about with me? Hurry up and say it. My wife is waiting for me. I don’t want to keep her waiting for too long.”
Lu Zihao snorted and let his collar go before dragging the nearest bar stool, not bothering to pick up the other one that crashed on the floor. It was already broken anyway.
Jin Liwei fixed his shirt, dusting it with his hands, before walking to the other side of the bar to the refrigerator. It was well-stocked with drinks—juice, iced-teas, beer and a lot more. He got two cans of chilled coconut water and tossed one over to his brother-in-law.
Lu Zihao easily caught the can with one hand. He looked at the coconut water, his upper lip curling in disdain. “Evelinka and Jinjing are the ones who’re pregnant and need to avoid drinking alcohol, not us.”
Even though he said this, he still opened the can and drank the coconut water, downing almost everything in a few big gulps.
“I’ve limited my alcohol intake way before I got my wife pregnant,” Jin Liwei said, not at all bothered by his brother-in-law’s attempt to ridicule him. “Not only does heavy drinking of alcohol have negative effects on the body, it also affects libido and reduces sperm production. My body is no longer my own, it also belongs to my wife now. I have to take better care of it. I want to stay healthy and live long for the sake of my wife and our children. You should, too. You’re going to be a father now, just like me.”
Lu Zihao scoffed but didn’t touch any of the alcohol bottles in the bar anymore. Jin Liwei tossed him another can of coconut water before returning to his seat. The brothers-in-law drank together in silence. Alcohol surrounded them but they were drinking coconut water instead.
“So,” Jin Liwei prompted. “Why did you call me here for?”
Lu Zihao didn’t speak for a few moments. He swirled the coconut water in the can while thinking deeply. Jin Liwei didn’t mind and waited for him to speak.
Finally, Lu Zihao said, “Your fifth brother’s remnant told me to seek you out.”
The calm Jin Liwei became excited in an instant. “Fifth Brother? He’s back? Can I talk to him?”
“Not now. He already used up his energy for today. Gave me a fucking headache.”
Jin Liwei looked disappointed but it was obvious that his mood had improved. He had been worried that his fifth brother’s remnant would be gone forever after Lu Zihao woke up from his recent coma. Hearing that his fifth brother’s remnant still existed was music to his ears. It meant that there would be more chances in the future to speak to him.
Even though the remnant wasn’t the complete Lu Zihao anymore, Jin Liwei still treasured it. It made him feel as though his real fifth brother was still somehow alive.
He controlled his emotions and refocused his attention on his brother-in-law instead of his fifth brother. “Why did Fifth Brother tell you to seek me out?”
Lu Zihao glared at the can he was holding. For some reason, Jin Liwei thought that the man was glaring at his fifth brother instead of the can of coconut water.
“The punk says that I should consult you on how to properly romance a lady,” Lu Zihao mumbled in a low, almost whispery voice.
“Huh, what?” Jin Liwei didn’t hear it clearly.
“I said I want to know how to properly romance a lady!”
Jin Liwei’s eyeballs almost popped out of his head especially when he noticed the tips of Lu Zihao’s ears turning red despite the man’s threatening expression.
“Pft!” Jin Liwei tried to control himself but failed. He clutched his stomach and started laughing out loud.
Lu Zihao’s face fell. He looked like he wanted to punch Jin Liwei’s laughing face. The empty can of coconut can got crushed in his hand.
(The poor can: “What did I ever do to you? Wuwuwuwu!”)
