Chapter 67
Acupuncture
Kai sees Rose frowning. She's staring at the pile of shattered food and drinks on the ground. The canteen is wrecked, and there's nothing left to buy. The girls loved snacking while chatting. Kai smiles lightly:
- It's a small matter!
Rose looks at Kai with wide eyes as he's on Halo. A clear voice echoes from the other end of the Halo:
"Welcome to the School Days Nostalgia Store!"
Everyone hears what Kai says:
- I want to open a snack and milk tea stand at Venus Maiden Academy!
The girl hears the familiar warm masculine voice and immediately shouts:
"Are you Kai?!"
Kai touches his forehead and bursts out laughing at the fanatical fangirl. Hearing the sweet and intoxicating voice of the man god, she screams excitedly:
"Yes, yes, we'll be right there! But… can you pay in cash?"
Kai smiles at her wish to meet her idol.
- I'll wait until… ah… my younger sister gets out of school.
The female students giggle, enjoying how Kai says "ah" and then pauses for a few seconds — letting the fangirl think the man god is waiting just for her — before finishing the sentence, trolling the fan. She's teased, but she's not touchy. Instead, she laughs loudly to cover up her embarrassment:
"I'm waiting for you to hand it over… to me, my man god!"
Kai smiles at the "profound" meaning every fangirl imagines. He's heard it countless times. Whenever he calls to buy something, the boy who picks up the phone always claims to be a crazy fan for ten years.
If it's a dreamy fangirl, she's always the same — no matter how many times, she'll find some excuse to confide in her male god and listen to his sweet voice.
Each girl shows she's a true fan, admiring talent more than just the handsome, manly appearance. After a few words, the girls in this "kingdom of a hundred eggs hatching a hundred fans" can't hold back the emotions that are always surging. They sob and exclaim:
"My handsome man god!"
Kai doesn't want to waste time, but he still pampers the fan, patiently chatting until she and the staff arrive to install the booth. The fangirl shouts excitedly:
- Can I hug you just once?!
Kai readily agrees to let her hug him. The other female students burn with jealousy, watching the girl put on her makeup... virtual... bulging everyone's eyes out in her sexy clothes, ovulating way more than any of them ever could. She hugs the man god tightly, refusing to let go, until the handsome guy gently reminds her:
- I don't carry cash. Transfer quickly, okay?
The girl laughs "hee hee," nods in agreement, and poses for photos with the idol. The staff, after finishing the booth setup, also try to get autographs and selfies. Kai happily invites everyone to join the feast:
- From now on, feel free to eat and drink — I'll pay the full bill!
People who love free food scream wildly. The canteen owner eyes the trendy fans with disdain, and smirks at the billionaire who counts every penny when paying compensation, yet is so generous to fans — just to keep his image shining in the eyes of a bunch of ovulators.
Kai excitedly chats with fans, but still misses Anh Dao. She's past the age of loving school drinks, but the man god still pours milk tea for her. A person who doesn't understand his own feelings — he just wants to see that smile again, the one that makes him nostalgic.
The man god smiles happily, because… Anh Dao covers the corner of her slightly smiling lips with her cup. She likes how Kai uses his fame and the students' favorite food to remind fans… to delete everything that shouldn't be kept.
Wanting to eat snacks and drink for free until the end of student life, the pragmatic ones silently signal their friends to delete all clips, videos, and photos of the online brawl.
They whisper to each other, pause their virtual lives — millions of likes, thousands of hearts, hundreds of shares, countless comments — none of it compares to the handsome man god, dream lover, ideal husband, global national crush.
Rose was here just now, but now she's gone. Kai thinks his sister has brought something to class, but her bag is still on the table. He looks around and sees Rose squatting in the distance. He's about to call her, but Sam suddenly rushes in and ransacks everything. He searches until his eyes turn red, but can't find it, so he immediately screams:
- Damn! Who dares to take your dad's cap?!
Sam's memorabilia is priceless to his fans, and his eyes flash with red streaks, suspicious of the idling groin crowd. Kai scratches his head, smacks his lips, and walks over to cool his brother's hot head:
- If anyone dares to steal Sam's things, I'll catch Dragon Claw and let you break his claws!
The bodyguards have just pulled out, and only then does Kai mention Dragon Claw. The guy wants to test if Sam is still pissed about the cap getting stained. The younger brother, easily triggered, instantly snaps:
- I'm going crazy! If you bring up that damn mutt again, I swear I'll break his neck — no matter what!
Sam searches again, frantic with anxiety. His face looks even more horrible than when the stain stuck to his cap. He's mad because of the lost souvenir, hates the destructive enemy, blames himself for being useless, and gets irritated with his brother. Everything proves that Kai isn't sentimental, and that Sam truly loses his past memories.
Kai walks to where his younger brother is sitting on the ground, hollow, silently standing by his family when they need him most. He can't compare with the person of old, but he hopes that the brotherhood they have now makes up for Sam's past pain
Rose can't stand the suffocating atmosphere. Her family keeps performing silent drama like this — she's going crazy. The problem is, once a man goes silent, no one can encourage him… except alcohol. Only the yeast of drunkenness can relieve sorrow. Rose looks around and happily finds a beer bottle under a broken chair. She hands it to Sam.
- Hey, drink it!
Sam is confused for a moment before he understands what Rose means. He nods in thanks and pries the cap off the beer bottle with his thumb. Rose purses her lips to suppress a laugh. She pressed her knees together to avoid an embarrassing situation. Rose rests her chin on her hand, watching Sam drink beer as if to swallow all his frustration.
The younger sister cares about the one she loves wholeheartedly, and the brother is utterly ignored by her. Kai sighs and hopes someone brings him beer. Anyone is fine. At this moment, he just wants to get drunk with his relatives. But if it were that person, today would be a complete day of happiness.
He smacks his lips and mocks his illusory dream, when suddenly there's a "clack clack" sound in his ear. Kai turns around and happily finds a bottle of beer rolling toward him from a distance. He carefully observes the crowd, and the fans immediately shout:
- I rolled beer for you!
- It's a lie! I rolled the beer for you!
- Damn, you little yellow-haired girls ovulate — how dare you take my credit!
- Shut up, you shameless credit-stealers! The stains on the bottle are still sticking to my hands!
Kai has a vague guess but can't confirm it yet. Fortunately, everyone is vying for credit. If fans want to please him, they should bring beer straight to where he's sitting instead of giving him a puzzle like this.
A bunch of fame-seeking people are no better than strangers. It's hard to understand brothers like them. Only delicate people can… feel the thoughts of those who are no longer strangers to him.
Kai looks toward the distance, thinking that person doesn't bring beer straight to his hand because… she's shy. Half a second later, he's bewildered to see her standing near the main entrance. She nods slightly to Kai, hurriedly and without a word, and leaves just like that — as calmly and quietly as the way she once made his dream come true
That's normal for her.
But for the sentimental man who silently watches the shadow of the girl, he smiles bitterly, rubs his head, and silently mocks himself:
"That person just arbitrarily used her foot to kick the beer bottle for you, and you were so confident it turned into delusion."
It's a feeling of incompleteness for someone who does not understand his own heart.
Sam looks up at Kai, who is smiling sadly and thoughtfully. The younger brother rubs his eyes and opens them as wide as he can. He can't believe his brother is standing there absent-minded, looking like an idiot writing poetry. He immediately sprays beer until it splashes and shakes with laughter:
- What are you doing, bro? Don't tickle me to death like that! - Sam coughs hard. - Damn it, I'm drinking just fine and now I choke!
Kai is startled and realizes he's been frozen for three minutes. He feels his face burning unconsciously, but still pulls the beer cap calmly and clinks bottles with Sam.
Sam raises his eyebrows and watches his brother drink half a bottle in one breath. Then his round eyes and flat eyes blink in confusion — he doesn't understand why Kai exhales, stays quiet for a few seconds, and then laughs a few seconds later. Sam is surprised and tilts his head to look at Kai.
- What the hell animal bit you, older brother? Stop worrying like you're longing for something, and then being happy like you've never been happier — what gives? Damn, I'm feeling down, why are you showing that weird joy?
Kai laughs until tears stream from his eyes. His younger brother is impatient in small matters, but when it comes to profound things, Sam is more attentive than anyone else. Kai hugs Sam's shoulders. Even while drinking beer, he has to smile slightly because he hears his younger brother mumbling:
- What joy is this? It's like two people who didn't understand each other until now, and today they can feel each other's feelings!
Sam mutters, not understanding what that means, not realizing that he has just spoken all that is in his brother's mind. After all, there is no longer any distance between the brothers — they are closer than ever before. Kai chuckles:
- Ah... Never mind! - Kai skips that sentence and changes the subject. - Where are your sister-in-law and niece?
Sam startles and cries out:
- Oh, gave up on mother! [2] I forgot that I had to come back early!
Kai laughs until his shoulders shake, Rose laughs until her eyes narrow, and the two siblings shake their heads wearily at this guy who is crazy about his family. Sam yells at anyone who gets in his way and rushes forward. Kai helps Rose carry a big bag, and the brother and sister happily run after Sam back to the classroom. Sam breathes a sigh of relief and sees that the girls seem safe but sad — he thinks they were teased. The grumbling guy is about to shout, but Rose gently touches his shoulder, chuckles, and whispers:
Who dares to make fun of Lang's family!? Idiot! [3]
Damn, it's Lang again. Lang, Lang — the girl has called Lang three times. Am I your lover? What's wrong with you? Damn, this is crazy. Just as he is about to ask, the brother takes the younger brother to drink beer somewhere else.
- Do you know when a man is obnoxious?
Sam mutters, 'Come on, say it — damn, why are you so cryptic? Kai laughs and breathes softly:
- The most obnoxious man is the one who interferes with girls' affairs. Girls don't like anyone to pry into their private matters!
Kai opens Sam's eyes, and the younger brother understands immediately and follows his brother. He turns around and sees Rose walking into the classroom. After making sure it's safe, Sam continues to move forward, but before he goes far, his leg begins to hurt severely.
Kai notices that Sam's legs are unstable, and the younger brother is scared about his family worrying, so he endures the pain. Kai moves to the back to cover for Sam. The two come to a secluded place.
Kai pulls Sam into a hidden corner and looks at the purple wound, marked by the hand of Dragon Claw. He tries pressing it gently, and Sam winces and mutters a curse. Kai asks more specifically. Sam replies that he feels pain along his calf.
- Fortunately, my muscles are as tough as steel, so the dog couldn't squeeze hard enough to fracture my bones.
Kai observes carefully for a while:
- This wound isn't simple. If it's not treated in time, it may leave long-term effects.
Sam raises his eyes and looks at Kai, who offers him a pill. Kai doesn't say anything, and Sam already knows it's a pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and anti-swelling medicine, so he takes it immediately.
Kai takes out a wooden box from his pocket, pulls out three needles, and inserts them into the Yangjiao, Kunlun, and Jiexi acupoints on Sam's legs.
In just ten minutes, he feels the pain in his legs and chest ease up by more than half. The younger brother doesn't even blink, staring at his brother blankly. Kai laughs, seeing Sam's expression as if he's saying: "Is there anything you don't know?"
- Have you forgotten that your sister-in-law knows traditional medicine?
Sam pats his head, remembering that Hanna has shown her talent before and saved Luu Ly's life. It's natural that the younger sister is good at massage and acupressure, and the older brother is good at acupuncture.
- This is just a temporary solution. It's not convenient to treat you here — too many troublemakers around. When we return to the hospital waiting room after school, I'll do acupuncture to cure you completely.
Sam laughs heh heh:
- Brother's afraid of the scrutiny of the block of life!
This sentence shows that the brothers understand each other better. The words coming out of Sam's mouth also reveal that he vaguely knows Kai is still hiding a secret.
Although they're brothers, there are some things that can't be confided… and... can't be revealed under inappropriate circumstances. Kai smiles lightly and whispers:
- Well, looks like I'm about to reach the level of someone who can make anyone confess their private secrets.
Kai doesn't explicitly say the name, but Sam understands his brother is talking about his future brother-in-law — Hoang Kim. The younger brother chuckles and clings to Kai's back so the older brother can help him to a more comfortable place to rest his legs.
Note
[1]A satire on people who like to eat for free but don't want to pay for food.
[2]This sentence expresses the same meaning as the word 'bad'.
[3]Lang is a way for girls to call their lover.