Summer in Bloom - Chapter 2

Just before Mom and Dad opened the door, I instinctively ran off and shouted as if I’d only just arrived, “Mom, Dad, I’m home!”

So I could be a coward, too.

I didn’t dare ask that question.

Do you not want me anymore?

I couldn’t help comparing us.

He was their own flesh and blood, and he had so much going for him.

Anyone would favor him, wouldn’t they?

Instinctively, I ran from the choice my parents might make.

With my back to them, I hid my feelings. Then I turned, holding up the flowers.

“Mom, these are for you. Do you like them?”

The bouquet was beautiful, with the pale blue double blooms she loved most.

You couldn’t buy flowers like these anywhere.

From the design and research to breeding, planting, sprouting, leaves, and finally flowers, I’d had a hand in every step.

Mom frowned and hurried toward me. Those few steps seemed to unfold in slow motion.

My heart was in my throat.

I’d never been this nervous about giving her a present.

What if she didn’t like it?

A warm hand caught mine.

“Oh, baby, how did you hurt your hand?”

“Honey, go get the first-aid kit!”

“Our baby’s hands are precious.”

Her gaze dropped.

“Why are your shoes all muddy, too? Are your socks dirty?”

“We’ll get rid of these shoes. I’ll buy you new ones.”

She was so gentle.

I’d only pricked my finger while dealing with the thorns.

I hadn’t even noticed it myself.

The wound had already closed.

Still, Mom carefully disinfected it, looking terribly distressed.

Dad helped me out of my shoes and into my slippers.

The three of us took a photo with the flowers.

Mom had me take several pictures of her alone, too.

“I’m posting these on Moments. Let them see how much my precious son loves me.”

“How did you do such an amazing job? They’re so beautiful.”

Everything was the same as before.

And not quite the same.

I noticed someone else had joined me among Mom’s pinned chats.

Little One.

The last message in their conversation was from her.

Mommy loves you so, so much.

When she posted the photos, she hid them from Little One.

I thought I’d guessed correctly.

It had to be their biological son who couldn’t accept me.

Mom and Dad were going abroad on business.

They kept asking whether I wanted to come along for a vacation.

I figured they were afraid I’d discover that they’d already found their son.

I shook my head.

“I have classes.”

They looked confused.

“Since when do you like going to class?”

“And didn’t you just get back from a study trip? You said you wanted to stay away from school for a while and focus on finding inspiration.”

Mom stroked my face, coaxing me.

“Come with me. We’ll be away for quite a while this time.”

“I’ll take you to auctions and buy you jewelry.”

“My baby is so beautiful.”

“I’m not going.”

I had a reason I needed to stay.

She didn’t force me.

She hugged me, reluctant to let go.

“If you miss me, come find me, okay?”

As they turned away, I called out, “Mom.”

She looked back.

I couldn’t stop myself from asking after all.

“Will you always love me?”

She answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course.”

So my parents really weren’t the problem.

I decided to pay the much-discussed Little One a visit.

As a firm believer in first come, first served, I thought his attempts to shut me out were pretty unreasonable.

I planned to have a friendly conversation with him.

Finding his address was easy.

A few days earlier, someone had moved into a luxury villa owned by my parents.

To sort things out without alerting them, I waited until late at night, slipped past the development’s layers of security, and climbed in through a third-floor window.

The moment I landed, someone cried out in the dark.

“Who’s there?”

Once my eyes adjusted, the light from outside the window let me make out a slender figure who’d scrambled out of bed and picked up an ornament to defend himself.

I cleared my throat.

“I’m your older brother, Lu Fan.”

Actually, I had no idea which of us was older.

But only an idiot passed up a free advantage.

I waited and waited. He didn’t react at all.

I found the switch on the wall and turned on the light.

In a face that looked so much like my parents’, his eyes were very red.

He squinted slightly against the light, looking at me with a mixture of defiance and misery.

Something else seemed to flash through his eyes, but it was gone too quickly for me to catch.

All I could think was that I’d messed everything up.

A tear slowly slipped from the corner of his eye.

I hurried over to apologize.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He stared at me blankly, then slowly lowered the ornament.

I’d only just breathed a sigh of relief when someone knocked.

“Young master, do you need me to come in?”

I clapped a hand over his mouth and shook my head at him.

He nodded.

In the quiet of the night, the sound of the lock moving was especially clear.

I’d loosened my hand, but it still rested against his mouth as he spoke.

“No need. I just woke up.”

Warm breath brushed my palm. His lips were soft, and as they moved, it felt like he was kissing my hand.