It’s a forbidden courtship, if he really is thinking of doing this, then I don’t have any other choice but to step up and stop this as his brother.
"Does he know that you are a man?" Zhu Zhengting asked in a serious tone.
"He does."
"Then, is he aware of your feelings that you hold towards him as well?"
Although it was a question Bai Yunxian would eventually come across, hearing that from Zhu Zhengting made his heart feel empty for some reason.
"I don’t know."
"You are obviously having immoral thoughts. Why are you pretending to be a woman? Did you ever think of your prestige or about our Clan? You have no sense of responsibility at all! And what kind of man is that damned guy?"
"He is clearly destroying your reputation by bringing you everywhere, forcing you into doing things, dressing you as a woman, and not only you are blindly following him, you even dare to dress so stupidly like that and shamelessly chase after this guy? Have you got no sense of shame?"
Zhu Zhengting scolded Bai Yunxian harshly, slapping his hand hard on the table. If it wasn’t for his father and all those things being a drag in the Martial Alliance, he would’ve dragged this brother home to teach a lesson to him.
However, contrary to Zhu Zhengting’s expectation, a shallow smile crept up on Bai Yunxian’s face.
"Brother, you are still the same as before. No wonder father still hasn’t handed over the family head title to you yet, rushing into everything without knowing what problem it will cause." Bai Yunxian’s remark went right through him, unable to refute.
"So you mean I judged that guy wrongly?" Zhu Zhengting secretly clenched his fists underneath his sleeves, pissed by his brother’s word of ridicule.
’To think the cute brother he had from before would turn into this and even ridicule his big brother, damn it! It’s all Yun Shu’s fault, isn’t it?!’
’I must separate them clean if I want to get my brother back!’
"You don’t know anything, do you? If you knew what happened to us, you wouldn’t have been able to say those words."
"What do you mean?" For some reason, the shallow smile on Bai Yunxian’s face made it hard for Zhu Zhengting to go any far on this matter.
"I mean what I said, brother. If it weren’t for Lord Yun, I wouldn’t be able to be here today, nor would I be able to see my mother alive and well."
"What about your mother? Wasn’t she well before leaving the territory?" Zhu Zhengting suddenly stood up with anxiety as he shaked Bai Yunxian by holding his arm.
"I think this is going to take a while, won’t you sit down and listen to everything, brother?" Bai Yunxian said with a bitter smile on his face that Zhu Zhengting wasn’t able to ignore it.
"Very well."
.
.
.
Golden Eagle Inn, Moon Pavilion.
The two brothers sat across from each other on the table furthest away from the crowd, and continued the conversation with all seriousness.
"General Bai was a distant relative of father, to keep you and her safe during that time, he thought it would be best to send you both to the Empire, where no one would know your identity and come bother you." Zhu Zhengting explained, but Bai Yunxian didn’t respond much.
"Maybe... that was the worst decision he took in this life." Bai Yunxian smiled with a shallow expression.
"Won’t you tell me the details about what’s going on around you?" Zhu Zhengting inquired, in response, Bai Yunxian nodded his head.
"Of course I will. I think my father should also know of what I went through all these years because of the best choice he made back then." Bai Yunxian said as he looked Zhu Zhengting straight in the eyes.
This time, I shouldn’t make a mistake. I must use them to my advantage and help Lord Yun no matter what!
At this thought, Bai Yunxian took a deep breath to calm himself and gather his thoughts.
"After we left the Clan and came to the Empire, mother took shelter in the General’s mansion as per they agreed. But several problems arose, including the inheritance problem of the General, since I’ll be recognized as the legitimate son of the General. Thus, the Madam of the General, came up with a solution, and made me wear girls clothes, turning my identity into a female and announcing me as the General’s eldest daughter."
"They did what?!" Zhu Zhengting was shocked to hear the story from Bai Yunxian that he couldn’t think of even in his wildest dreams.
"And that’s how I got recognized as a person of the Empire, it’s not Lord Yun’s fault that I dressed up as a woman."
Damn! He even remembered that I insulted that guy before!!!
"I-I see, well then, what happened there that you had to come to this place?" Zhu Zhengting tried to avoid the topic hastily out of guilt.
"After that, time passed and I became an adult. But due to me not having any feminine features, various rumors about me were spreading in the Capital, ruining my reputation continuously. None of the guys tried to make a proposal in fear of being mocked, and that delayed marriage for the other daughters of General Bai."
"The Madam also started to make a fuss with mother, and at some point, Mother also fell into sickness. But what’s funny is, she was diagnosed with a perfect health, meaning that there was nothing wrong with her at all when her condition was declining with each passing day." Bai Yunxian grit his teeth, while Zhu Zhengting felt a shiver run down his spine.
"You mean...?"
"This is exactly how it was back then."
"..."
"After that, every day was like hell, being tormented by the General’s family members, getting used and exploited by outsiders... until he came."
"Yun Shu? That guy is a creep who wouldn’t help others."