Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 27

The bedroom door silently swung open.

Yuan Bozhu lifted his eyes and saw Lin Shuanghuai’s head poking out from the crack in the door.

After locking eyes, Lin Shuanghuai gave an apologetic smile and stepped out.

Yuan Bozhu noticed he was barefoot, leaving damp footprints where he had walked because he was thoroughly wet.

There were rarely any visitors at home, so spare clean slippers were kept high in the depths of a cabinet.

Yuan Bozhu wasn’t a thoughtful person; he either didn’t bother to fetch them or simply didn’t think about offering slippers to guests. He let Lin Shuanghuai in without a second thought.

However, Lin Shuanghuai knew the etiquette of being a guest. Feeling embarrassed to walk in with muddy feet, he took off his shoes and socks.

Now, he walked barefoot, leaving wet footprints behind, seeming to understand that he was inconveniencing the host. So, he treaded cautiously, not daring to wander around the house, quickly reaching Yuan Bozhu’s side.

Lin Shuanghuai was also wet, his thin clothes clinging to his skin, water droplets trickling down his pant legs.

He carried a backpack soaked by the rain, first tugging at his uncomfortably tight sleeves before explaining the situation: “I met your brother at the intersection. He didn’t have an umbrella, so I thought to lend him mine. But then the wind picked up, and the umbrella frame broke apart.”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t quite understand this explanation.

Lin Shuanghuai met Yuan Qifeng at the intersection, and he wanted to give the umbrella to Yuan Qifeng…

Was it because Yuan Qifeng was too delicate and needed someone to give him an umbrella, or was Lin Shuanghuai’s train of thought too convoluted?

The mud-covered figure before him didn’t seem to find his behavior odd at all.

He continued, “Your brother said since home was nearby, I should come back with him and wait until the rain stopped before leaving. Actually, the rain wasn’t the issue; it was the wind. I couldn’t stand outside…”

Indeed, standing outside was impossible.

Yuan Bozhu recalled Lin Shuanghuai’s weight; he couldn’t be described as light, but he definitely couldn’t withstand today’s storm.

“I initially planned to stay in the living room, but your brother said others would be home soon, and I’d have to handle it myself if they saw me. I didn’t think I could handle it, so he suggested I wait in your bedroom for a while.”

Lin Shuanghuai said with deep remorse, “I sat on your chair for a moment, but I forgot I was all wet and ended up soaking it… I couldn’t find any tissues, I’m really sorry.”

He spoke quickly, and Yuan Bozhu had to wait for him to catch his breath before responding, “It’s okay.”

Yuan Qifeng bringing him back was certainly no issue.

After all, they had some dealings before, and encountering each other on a stormy day, helping out was only natural.

It would be abnormal to leave someone out in the rain.

Yuan Bozhu wasn’t upset about Lin Shuanghuai showing up here.

He just had his face darkened a bit from the teasing by Yuan Qifeng earlier, which Lin Shuanghuai might have misunderstood.

In Lin Shuanghuai’s eyes, his sudden intrusion and walking drenched into someone else’s bedroom might have sparked animosity, especially for someone with a cleanliness obsession.

He felt self-conscious, not wanting to upset Yuan Bozhu further. After explaining, he nodded to Yuan Bozhu and said, “Well, I’ll be off then.”

Yuan Bozhu saw him rush to the foyer, carrying his waterlogged backpack.

Those shoes, filled with water, weren’t easy to wear. Lin Shuanghuai bent over to loosen the shoelaces, saying, “Yuan, could I trouble you once more? Can I borrow an umbrella? I’ll return it on Monday.”

Yuan Bozhu frowned.

Lin Shuanghuai seemed to regard him as extremely rude—

Though it couldn’t be denied, Yuan Bozhu didn’t care much for etiquette.

But it didn’t mean he was heartless enough to kick Lin Shuanghuai out on such a stormy day.

Lin Shuanghuai kept muttering, “I won’t buy those transparent umbrellas again. They’re really not sturdy. They don’t shield against the sun well and can’t withstand heavy rain. Really…”

Yuan Bozhu sighed silently and approached Lin Shuanghuai.

He suddenly took Lin Shuanghuai’s backpack.

Caught off guard, Lin Shuanghuai froze, looking up at him in confusion.

Yuan Bozhu thought for a moment before uttering two words, “Not urgent.”

Yuan Bozhu was used to being concise, only emphasizing key points. What exactly wasn’t urgent was up to the other person’s interpretation.

“Are you saying…?” Lin Shuanghuai tentatively asked, “I can wait until the rain subsides before leaving?”

Understanding dawned on Lin Shuanghuai, and Yuan Bozhu nodded.

His gaze shifted downward, and Lin Shuanghuai quickly realized Yuan Bozhu was looking at his feet.

But there was nowhere to hide, so he awkwardly curled his toes.

Not letting him linger in discomfort, Yuan Bozhu quickly averted his gaze and reached up to rummage through the high cabinet.

Lin Shuanghuai breathed a sigh of relief; at least there were shoes to wear now.

Walking barefoot in someone else’s house was truly unsettling.

Lin Shuanghuai waited for Yuan Bozhu to hand him the shoes, but to his surprise, Yuan Bozhu took down several pairs of new slippers.

What completely caught him off guard was when Yuan Bozhu asked, “Which color do you want?”

Lin Shuanghuai was so startled his tongue almost cramped.

The way Yuan Bozhu asked this question seemed oddly wonderful—less aloof and more approachable.

At home and outside, it was like dealing with two different people.

Lin Shuanghuai picked one from the green, purple, orange, and brown pairs. “Orange… I guess.”

“Okay.”

Yuan Bozhu handed him the orange pair and neatly returned the others.

This questioning about colors wasn’t voluntary for Yuan Bozhu.

It was just a habit after living in this house for eighteen years.

Most items in the house were divided by color according to each family member: he was white, Yuan Qifeng was blue, Yuan Wanjiao was red, Zheng Shu was pink, and Yuan Jilang was black.

Towels, toothbrushes, slippers, and the like were all neatly arranged by color.

Lin Shuanghuai’s choice of orange would become a new color—

A unique one.

Because in the future, there wouldn’t be any other orange appearing here.

Yuan Bozhu put down the shoes, then took Lin Shuanghuai’s backpack and headed to the bedroom.

Lin Shuanghuai quickly put on the shoes and followed.

This time, with a reprieve, he didn’t feel as nervous when entering. Walking lightly behind Yuan Bozhu, his heart was pounding.

If not for the loud rain outside, the beating of his heart could have composed a song.

What was this feeling?

This was unexpected gain; this was a joyous surprise.

They were about to transition from “not necessarily responding to greetings” to “having visited each other’s homes.”

It was a big step, and Lin Shuanghuai’s head was buzzing.

Although he didn’t know what he was excited about.

He had even slept in the same bed with Yu Yangen before, only feeling annoyed by his loud snoring, not this excited.

“Which one?”

Yuan Bozhu’s voice suddenly broke through, bringing Lin Shuanghuai’s thoughts back from the clouds.

He saw the clothes in Yuan Bozhu’s hands, and his mind went blank.

“I-I-I wear your cl-clothes…?”

Yuan Bozhu glanced at him. “You don’t have to.”

“…”

“…”

Both of them froze for a moment.

Yuan Bozhu tried to amend his words, “I mean, you don’t have to change. Just wear your own. But it might be uncomfortable.”

“Oh, right, uncomfortable.” Lin Shuanghuai was good at breaking awkwardness. He didn’t let the situation cool down and reached out to take Yuan Bozhu’s clothes, saying, “Then I’ll wear this. Thanks.”

Yuan Bozhu handed him two sets, one was a school uniform, and the other was home clothes, freshly washed and still carrying the scent of sunshine from today.

Lin Shuanghuai was a sensible person.

He knew that given their somewhat distant relationship, wearing someone else’s casual clothes might be awkward.

Wearing the school uniform would prevent any overstepping.

But he deliberately didn’t choose that.

With more cunning in mind, Lin Shuanghuai didn’t hesitate to pick Yuan Bozhu’s home clothes.

He was going to push the boundaries a bit.

Yuan Bozhu gave him a white t-shirt and grey pants.

Lin Shuanghuai took them and said thanks.

Then both of them fell into silence again.

After about half a minute, Lin Shuanghuai cautiously asked, “So, should I… change like this?”

Yuan Bozhu blinked slowly, as if just realizing the question.

He walked to the door without looking sideways and said, “I’ll go out.”

Yuan Bozhu had been reading the news for two minutes.

It was meaningless chatter, going back and forth without revealing the truth, just promising “ongoing coverage.”

It was boring.

He checked the weather forecast again; the rain would continue into the late night, possibly even intensifying.

His brows furrowed, feeling like he was stuck in a deadlock.

Actually, Lin Shuanghuai was easy to deal with.

As long as he gave him a signal, he would leave obediently.

He wouldn’t insist on staying here overnight.

But Yuan Bozhu still felt something was off.

Soon, Yuan Qifeng whistled out of the bathroom, tossing his dirty clothes onto the balcony before leisurely strolling into the living room.

As usual, he stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Without Yuan Wanjiao around today, he could flaunt his perfect physique to his heart’s content.

Yuan Bozhu glanced at him. As expected, Yuan Qifeng didn’t bother to dress properly, only wrapping a towel around his lower body, then began admiring himself.

“Go put on clothes,” Yuan Bozhu said.

“I’m in my own house, why bother?” Yuan Qifeng shrugged.

“We have a guest.”

“What guest? Just your classmate.” Yuan Bozhu glanced at him meaningfully. “And he’s a male classmate. What’s there to hide?”

“They’ll just laugh.”

Yuan Bozhu felt like Yuan Qifeng was deliberately picking a fight today. He didn’t understand why.

Although Yuan Qifeng was always slick and loved to joke around, he usually reserved his antics for home and knew how to maintain appearances in front of outsiders.

But now, with a guest at home, he seemed oblivious to this restraint.

“Yuan Bozhu, oh, Yuan Bozhu.”

Yuan Qifeng suddenly called out, meaningfully.

Receiving Yuan Bozhu’s inquisitive gaze, he voluntarily walked over to the sofa, leaned in closer to Yuan Bozhu, and said,

“You lied to me, didn’t you?”

In that moment, Yuan Bozhu’s heart skipped a beat—what had Yuan Qifeng discovered?

“Lin Shuanghuai,”

Yuan Qifeng pronounced the name slowly and distinctly, every syllable crystal clear.

Yuan Bozhu stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you understand what I mean?”

“I don’t.”

“So, you want me to expose you, huh?”

The two brothers stood and sat, staring at each other with an oppressive gaze.

Yuan Qifeng raised an eyebrow, finally breaking through Yuan Bozhu’s secret. “If I’m not mistaken, it was him who sent you that message to come to his house that day, right?”

Seeing a slight change in Yuan Bozhu’s expression, Yuan Qifeng pushed further, repeating the words from his memory:

“Yuan Bozhu, hello, I’m Lin Shuanghuai… Can you come to my house now?”

Yuan Qifeng deliberately paused, then continued, “Something like that, right? Puppy love? Hmm?”

Accidentally exerting too much force, Yuan Bozhu made the remote-control crackle in his hand. But his expression remained unchanged, and he continued to stare directly at Yuan Qifeng, countering, “Is that why you brought him here?”

During their last encounter at the game arcade, Yuan Bozhu had known that Yuan Qifeng had caught the scent of Lin Shuanghuai. But he had thought that as long as he didn’t admit it, he could brush it off. However, he had forgotten that Yuan Qifeng had seen that message.

“Take a guess?” Yuan Qifeng smirked mischievously; afraid Yuan Bozhu wouldn’t catch his dark humor.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t respond.

At this point, he already understood what Yuan Qifeng meant.

Both of them had some unspoken understanding, waiting for the other to confess.

In such moments, silence was the best response.

Remaining unchanged to adapt to all changes, to avoid saying too much and making mistakes.

“I’m troubled, Yuan Bozhu. You threw such a big smoke screen with ‘puppy love,’ making your brother dizzy. The more I think about it, the more I can’t figure it out…”

Yuan Qifeng withdrew his gaze, turning to the mirror. His voice was soft, almost inaudible, but he seemed certain that Yuan Bozhu could hear him.

“You’ve always been so honest since childhood; how could you possibly lie?

Your social circle is so small, what secrets could you possibly have? I can’t understand it, so when I was showering just now, I was in agony. I really want to know what could make my little brother behave so differently?”

As the words fell, Yuan Bozhu’s eyes deepened.

In the silence that followed, he calmly waited for Yuan Qifeng to continue.

However, after Yuan Qifeng finished speaking, he leaned closer to the mirror, touching his smooth chin without any stubble, admiring his own handsome face quietly.

A smirk still played on his lips, but he didn’t press for any answers.

Yuan Bozhu rarely felt unsettled. He took the initiative to ask Yuan Qifeng, “And then?”

Running his fingers through his hair, Yuan Qifeng examined his face from different angles.

Before Yuan Bozhu’s patience ran out, he finally turned around.

And declared his conclusion.

“And then, I figured it out. It’s all because…”

Yuan Qifeng looked at Yuan Bozhu and laughed decisively,

“You’re gay.”

The remote control shattered completely in his hand.

At the same time, Lin Shuanghuai, who had just opened the bedroom door, slammed it shut again due to shock.

Yuan Bozhu: “…”