"Fine. Evelinka then," Jin Liwei finally said. He didn't want to bother thinking too deeply about Lu Zihao's mysterious and confusing words. "I'm the man Evelinka loves. I'm her lover, soon to be her official husband, and the father of her children. She and I are one now. Whoever hurts me also hurts her and vice versa."
"Are you bragging to me?" Lu Zihao asked.
Jin Liwei gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes which remained serious. "Of course I'm bragging to you. But I'm also stating a fact."
Lu Zihao made a low sound in his throat but it wasn't clear if it was acknowledgement of what Jin Liwei said or rejection. Jin Liwei didn't care whichever it was, though. After what happened today, he no longer wanted to care much about what his fifth brother—no, what Lu Zihao thought.
His baby girl was his bottom line and anyone who crossed too far, no matter if it was his sworn brother who he knew longer than her, he would need to tell them off because his relationship with his woman was their business alone and nobody else's.
"Stamp this in your head, Lu Zihao. Don't meddle too much in my relationship with Xiulan…or Evelinka if that's what you like to call her. And I won't interfere with your sibling bond either. Let's stay in our own places in her heart." Then Jin Liwei walked closer until he stood right in front of Lu Zihao. He stared straight into the other man's eyes and sent his own force of will, not the least bit cowered by Lu Zihao's seemingly endless intensity. "And this is the last time you'll cause my wife to feel afraid of you, Lu Zihao. Or I swear, even if Grandpa Lu beats me up or even disowns me, I'll forget our brotherhood and not allow you anywhere near my wife ever again."
This time, it was Lu Zihao who nearly lost it. He grabbed Jin Liwei's collar, almost lifting the man off his feet. "You dare keep my sister away from me?!"
Jin Liwei retaliated and also grabbed Lu Zihao's collar. However, he didn't even attempt to lift the other man. He knew his limits. "I'll dare anything if it means that my wife can live safely without having to fear anyone. So if you want to maintain your bond with her, then you better adjust your attitude."
"You!" Lu Zihao tightened his hold on Jin Liwei's collar.
Jin Liwei did the same. "I won't tolerate another man having such a strong hold on my woman like you seem to have. I don't give a damn about that 'bound beyond death and through eternity' bullshit you kept on spouting earlier. It doesn't matter, anyway, because from the moment she and I got together, we'll be the ones who'll become bound beyond death and through eternity as soulmates. The babies growing inside her womb right now are the proof of our unbreakable bond."
The two men glared at each other. Nobody was willing to be the first one to look away first. Basically, they were currently in an idiotic macho pissing contest.
After what felt like a long time, Lu Zihao was the first one to let go. Jin Liwei followed suit. However, neither broke eye contact. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Jin Liwei, remember everything you said to me today," Lu Zihao said in a much calmer yet still threatening voice. "If you ever betray my sister or hurt her or allow her to be harmed…" He leaned closer until they were almost nose to nose and could feel each other's breaths on their faces. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I'll kill you. Literally."
Jin Liwei pushed a hand against Lu Zihao's chest and stepped away quickly to put an acceptable distance between them. "You don't have to tell me. I'll love, cherish and protect my own woman. And kill me? You can try. I won't allow myself to be killed that easily. I need to be alive and well in order to protect my wife, our children and our whole family."
"Fine." Lu Zihao also moved a few steps to the side and put a greater distance between them.
"Are we clear about everything that we talked about in this room?"
Lu Zihao nodded.
The atmosphere between the two had become cold and distant. Gone was the close brotherhood from before. What replaced it was a tolerant civil treatment of each other for the sake of the most important woman in both their lives.
Lu Zihao left the piano room first. He stalked out like a restless panther looking for another hunting ground because the one he just left sucked big time.
As for Jin Liwei, he stayed in the room for a while. His gaze swept past the wreck he made out of the chairs and table. Now that the confrontation with his fifth brother—no, with Lu Zihao was over, there was a feeling of emptiness inside his heart. He knew that he just lost one of his sworn brothers forever.
Sighing, he walked to the piano and stood in front of it, imagining his graceful wife playing a heart-rending music. He bet that she would know just the right tune to play to accurately reflect the turmoil of emotions in his heart caused by his falling out with Lu Zihao. Then afterwards, she would play something soothing in order to lift his spirits and allow him to heal from the hurt.
Because fuck if he was going to lie. Losing a friend—no, Lu Zihao wasn't just any friend. Losing a brother fucking hurt, especially one he knew since they were babies due to the same tight brotherhood between their grandfathers.
He pressed a random key on the piano. The sound was high-pitched. He continued pressing a few more random keys until he reached the lowest and deepest note, the sound like the final gong to signal the official end of his brotherhood with Lu Zihao.
"Goodbye, Fifth Brother."
Then the melancholy turned into a smirk.
"Hello, annoying brother-in-law."
With a final glance at the piano, he left the room and headed back to his sleeping wife.