When Guo zhen was fourteen, the orphanage he was in was shut down due to lack of fundings. At that time, he was one of the three oldest children in the orphanage, then there were seventeen other children, ranging from ages eleven to two, totaling twenty children in total.
Some of the younger children were able to get reintegrated with their extended family but the rest were not so lucky. Knowing that trying to get foster care for the other children would be difficult and even if they did, they might end up in a place worse than hell, the Matrons in charge were not sure what to do.
One night, a month before the closure of the orphanage , Fang Rui, one of the children there, had been crying his eyes out, at eleven he was smart enough to know that his future was bleak. He had once been adopted when he was six, but three years later when he was nine, his adopted mother died and his adopted father began to look at him with disgust and another emotion he couldn't place at the time, saying he looked like a girl, was too useless and that all he knew how to do was eat or read .
Not long after, on an ordinary night, upon getting drunk, he had tried to molest him, trying to tear his clothes off his small body, and Fang Rui, receiving enlightenment at a young age, knew what was about to happen so he picked up an empty beer bottle that had been lying on the floor to break on the man's head, creating a nasty gash on his head, blood spilling out. Due to the injury, his adopted father fainted. Even though it was dark and he was scared and alone, Fang Rui did not care, he immediately packed the meager amount he had been saving from receiving red packets every year since he had been adopted and found his way back to the orphanage. Explaining everything to the Matron and telling her he didn't want to go back.
The man had come to the orphanage the following day, with a bandage on his head. What was discussed, Fang Rui wasn't sure but the Matron didnt let them meet, only letting him know that everything had been handled and he shouldn't worry.
How could he not worry, what if the man came back saying he was still his son and he wanted him back, or he wanted revenge for the wound on his head. He could not help but worry, the event traumatizing him and making him a timid person, always hoping to be ignored and forgotten in the crowd, not looking for trouble. So even though he was smart and good at studying, his attitude and personality did not allow other prospective parents to like him so he had remained in the orphanage ever since.
Guo zhen was in the next room, and hearing the sound of someone sobbing did not allow him to sleep.
A minute later, with a blanket covering his body, he appeared in front of Fang Rui, an annoyed look on his face.
When Fang Rui saw him, he immediately hiccuped, not daring to make another sound, but tears were still flowing freely from his eyes, wondering how he had invoked this tall non speaking diety who always looked like someone owed him money.
Perplexed at the situation, Guo zhen who hardly spoke and minded his business, had no choice but to ask.
"What is wrong with you?"
But this only prompted more tears to fall.
Not knowing how to comfort someone, and realizing his presence ensuresd the other person didn't cry out, he simply looked around, found that there was an empty bunk opposite the boys own, and went to lie down on it. Going back to sleep.
Fang Rui's eyes locked onto the other person on the bed and knew that even though this big brother didn't talk much, and always looked offended at the fact he even had to spend energy to breath, was actually a very nice person. Obviously staying in his room to keep him company, so he wasn't frightened anymore. Other people would have simply ignored him, not liking his behavior.
Yes, as long as he had big brother, he would be fine. How his brain came to this conclusion, he wasn't sure, but he knew deep down he needed something or someone to hold on to.
Twenty minutes later, the sound of teeth chattering could be heard in the room, Guo zhen opened his eyes and saw that the kid that had been crying earlier hadn't covered himself with a blanket and a window had been left open, allowing the cold night wind in the room, signifying the approach of winter.
Stupid.
Turning to face the wall, he simply went back to sleep. He had to go to work tomorrow. It seemed someone at the back kitchen in the restaurant had mentioned a new construction site that needed workers urgently. He would ask them once he went back the following day.
Upon waking up, Fang Rui let out a sneeze. Looking around, he saw that it was already bright outside and the big brother who had accompanied him last night was already gone.
It's true, people hardly saw Guo zhen in the orphanage, he was always out working.
So that night, he had stayed up, keeping a portion of food for Guo zhen to eat upon arrival, knowing that he always missed dinner because he always came back late.
Getting back around 10 pm at night from his second job, Guo zhen had seen a lump of mass at the foot of the staircase at the front of the domitary. Thinking it might be a large object or an animal, he had tightened his nerves, ready for anything when he saw that the object opened its eyes, then a smile, followed with a shout.
Standing up, "Big brother, welcome back, you must be hungry right?" He presented the thermal plate in his hand like a prize, holding it out to him.
"I kept this for you," he smiled, maybe expecting to be praised.
Guo zhen wondered what had gone wrong exactly today. Why was this person suddenly showing interest in him. He was a bit weary, then he looked at the scrawny kid, seeing that he could definitely take him in a fight and some more, he relaxed his tensed nerves a bit.
"No need." He said, walking away, climbing the steps, into the dormitory.
An enthusiastic shout of, "Okay, big brother," trailed behind him, and he almost lost his footing.
Then he realized that that was the person he had silenced with his presence last night. Maybe the cold had fried his brain. Yes, that must be it, Guo zhen thought, removing the whole incident from memory. Taking a shower and going to sleep, but not before counting how much he had made that day, stuffing it into a compartment under his bed.
The next few days was a blur, but the main constant was that there was a silly fish always trailing behind him, always offering him things, always shouting big brother.
He was able to ignore him for two whole weeks, but on the Friday of the third week, after it had snowed, at night, he saw the silly fish had snow all over his body, still waiting for him outside, clutching a thermal plate he was sure was filled with food.
'Was he even ever hungry at night?' he wasn't sure. Saving money and time was always the best option. Counting the money he had earned that day was more than enough to keep him full all night.
Hearing footsteps approach, Fang Rui saw Guo zhen stand in front of him, extending his hand out.
Not sure what he meant, already used to his dismissals, he tried to stand up but his legs were freezing and numb, having been in one position all night, he couldn't move.
When he received no response, a subtle annoyed look flashed across Guo zhens eyes.
"The food," he gestured with his hand, "Give it to me"
"Oh," he handed it over, but not before dusting the snow off its body.
The thermal plate was cold to the touch, it would be a miracle if the food inside was still warm.
Guo zhen held it in his hand and began walking inside. Not hearing footsteps, he looked back, "Are you not coming?"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming big brother." The energy to move immediately entering his body, completely invigorated at the fact that Guo zhen was finally talking to him .
Guo zhen snorted.
He went towards the dining area, turning on the lights, he took a seat, opening the plate in his hands, ready to eat.
Then he noticed that the silly fish hadn't taken a sit at the table.
He turned to look at him, seeing him staring at the ground by the door, rubbing his hands together, a bashful look on his face.
"Sit." He finally said.
"Ai, thank you big brother."
The food in the thermal plate was rice and soup, the soup had almost frozen over, the rice was already stuck together, but knowing that the other person had waited outside for him all this while, almost three hours as they always had dinner early, he didn't have the heart to reject it again.
Taking a spoonful of food, he could almost feel the smile on the other person's face sitting across from him. He then had to chew slowly, the food almost solidified, so he wouldn't know.
After taking another bite, Guo zhen finally spoke, "Don't go calling yourself my younger brother outside, embarrassing."
Fang Rui couldn't stop smiling, "Okay big brother."
He simply shook his head, realizing that the family he had been looking for all along had suddenly thrust itself upon him.
"What is your name?" Not daring to take another spoon of food, he didn't want his teeth to fall off, he tried to distract the silly fish, covering up the plate.
Pouting a little, "Big brother, I'm Fang Rui."
"Oh."
Knowing he wouldn't be able to eat anymore, he simply stood up, getting ready to leave, then he saw the look of disappointment on his Younger brothers face and he sighed lightly.
"I have to get to sleep early, I can't stay to accompany you." He then reached his hand into his back pocket, removing a white envelope from his trousers. At first he wanted to count and remove some bills to give Fang Rui, knowing that this wasn't just his pay for the day from one of his jobs but a full month salary as well from being a waiter at a dinner.
Then remembering how he had ignored him all these while, he stopped himself.
Passing the envelope to him, he grumbled "Take, get yourself something nice to eat tomorrow, and get medicine for the cold, you're always sneezing." Then he left, leaving a look of disgust at that fact.
Fang Rui was stunned silly, then he immediately rushed to stand up, picking up the heavy envelope of cash his big brother had given him, a large smile on his face.
"Thank you big brother." He shouted, but Guo zhen had walked far away, not waiting to give him a second thought.
The envelope felt warm in his hands.
This was the second person, other than his late foster mother who had been unreservedly kind to him. He had lost the first person, but he would protect him, he would protect big brother.
And that was how Guo zhen came to acquire a younger brother. A few days later, he realized all the children in the orphanage started acting friendly towards him and calling him big brother as well. Apparently Fang Rui had taken him as a gospel and was preaching about him everywhere, to anyone who would listen, buying treats for all the children in the orphanage with the money he had given him. And if you wouldn't listen, he would still tell you about the awesome big brother he had just obtained.
Guo zhen could not be bothered to stop them.
When the orphanage closed a week later, the kids that could leave, left, and the ones that remained, he took charge of.
They called him big brother, so he had to take care of them.
The ones who were old enough to work, followed him to work in kitchens in restaurants, at construction sites and as waiters in small dining establishments.
The rest of them were taken care of by Fang Rui in the apartment he rented, twelve kids in total.
An NGO was giving them monthly stipends as well so that was what they used to furnish the place.
More jobs came in, the children got older, the ones who wanted to learn an handy work signed up for vocational school or found an instructor to learn under, those smart enough to go to school went, especially Fang Rui, he was able to write his university placement exam three years later, and at fourteen, he had started online classes for business administration at one of the most prestigious universities in Sther Country, Hanbin University.
When asked why he didn't go for physical classes, he said he couldn't be away from home.
Meanwhile, during that period, at age seventeen Big brother Guo zhens prestige had grown far and wide, more and more kids came to take shelter with him, and realizing he had more mouths to feed now, he started an escort agency, called Rui's Escort Agency.
When asked why he had started the agency, he had said he had an exceptional brother to take care of so he had to earn a lot of money to raise him. Also, his brother was particularly smart, so he would be in charge of the finances, he would just supply the mussle.
Also his brother was a very timid person, he had gone on an errand recently and had been harassed by some hoodlums on the street, so he decided to handle it.
And true to his word, he cleared up all the gangs in half the city within two years and even though he didn't integrate all of them into the family business, other than the south side of Sther country which housed the Li, Sun, and other major influential households, he had conquered the north and west side of the country. He was also currently in talks with the leaders of gangs of the East side, and they would soon set a date to negotiate. If it was a going to be a brawl or a peaceful handover, he wasn't sure yet, either way worked with him.
Rui's escort agency served as guides for tourists sightseeing or vacationing in the country, they served as bodyguards for celebrities and anyone who could afford their services and anything that needed protection, they could protect.
For a job well done in transferring some rare paintings and artifacts over from Sther country to Jin country with the complication of their convoy being attacked four times on the journey, the client had given them a briefcase full of cash as thanks, other than the agreed upon fee.
For a long time, one of Guo zhens favorite things to do was counting money with his hands, not the bank transfers people tended to favor nowadays.
Telling his people not to bother him for a while, he had taken the briefcase and was splitting the money into shares to distribute to the people who went on the job.
REA earned money, but as the amount of people joined increased, so did the responsibilities he had to take on. A lot of the former gang members he beat up, no, the former gang members he converted into joining his agency, ended up deciding on paths they wanted to take, and it was up to him to help them to fulfill their dreams, family members sick, he cleared the bills, debts owed, he cleared them, all to make sure everyone had opportunities and peace of mind to pursue their dreams.
He had really become big brother Guo zhen, but as it wasn't his name that was on the company card, only people on the know knew he was the owner of RES, outsiders thought it was his younger brother Fang Rui.
Guo zhen didn't mind, at least this way, it ensured that his Didi wouldn't not care about their company and would help to keep them afloat.
The time when the Li family came to recognize their family member was when he was counting the money in the briefcase, the meeting with the gang leaders of East city set for a week later.
"Oh."
Guo zhen had said, finally showing some interest in what Fang Rui was saying, but before he could say anything else, he finally noticed his brothers attire.
"Why are you dressed so shabbily, and why are you the one who came to give me the news. Shouldn't you be in class, and where's Ran?" Guo zhen checked the time and saw that it was 1 pm in the afternoon, and knowing his brothers schedule, he shouldn't be here at all.
Seeing that Guo zhen wasn't immediately ensnared by the news of a possible biological family and abandoning him. He could finally relax.
The clothes he wore were not to invoke sympathy, no, they weren't, but he was only in his second year in university. He still had two years to go and he wanted to save his brothers money as much as possible.
"Actually," deciding to protect the person who had called him over, he lied. "My last class got cancelled, there's a break for the rest of the week, so I'm pretty free. When I got here to check the accounts, that was the situation I met downstairs so I offered to come and tell you, Ran stayed there to attend to the guests."
"Oh."
His brother still didn't like to speak too many words, Fang Rui shook his head internally. He knew Guo zhen still saw him as that timid and shy, easy to cry eleven year old, and a lot of times, it's served him perfectly. But sometimes, he wished he could have him look at him, and see him.
Hearing Guo zhens voice breaks him out of his internal musing. "So, the Li family, are you sure it's not those…"
Before he can complete the sentence, Fang Rui cuts him off, "Yes, I considered the possibility it was your foster parents who had come to look for trouble again, using someone else name, asking for money, or those other ones.." he trailed off, avoiding looking at him.
The hand counting money stilled momentarily, then resumed its previous task, like nothing ever happened.
Fang Rui raised his head confidently to meet red eyes. "It's the real Li family, the conglomerate."
"They said you're their son who was swapped at birth nineteen years ago."
"What do you want to do?"
Guo zhen stood up, looking contemplative. "We had just been wondering how to enter the Southside city yesterday, and a rainfall comes our way."
"Isn't this just the Heavens asking me to go home." He chuckled, taking long strides to stand before Fang Rui.
Tsk.
Then he removed his leather jacket, "Take it off, It's looks ugly."
Laughing at how predictable his brother was, Fang Rui took off the flannel he was wearing.
They exchanged clothes and when he saw how dashing his younger brother looked in the leather jacket, the slight crease in between his brows finally cleared.
He then proceeded to tie the shirt he had just collected around his waist. He had looked relaxed before, but now, he looked a bit playful and flamboyant. The ruby earring he had on his left hair catching the light, adding a touch of beauty to his look. If not for the hardened look and cold stare of his red eyes, he would have looked like an ordinary youth who didn't know much about life yet. His muscles bulging from the strength earned from fights that had almost taken his life more than once, visible through the short sleeved round neck he had on.
Fang Rui took in the look, noticed his brother was making an effort to look approachable and he tried to hide his snicker. He wasn't sure it was working at all.
When Guo zhen saw that Rui was no longer tensed, he patted him on the shoulder.
"Biological parents or not, you would always be Guo zhens younger brother."
The statement brought a smile to his face. Alright, he would continue to be his younger brother then. Nothing else mattered.
"So, the Li family, let's go check it out."
"Alright big brother, let's go."
Staring at the two people about to leave the office, Yansheng looked at the memory Guo zhen and the extremely stone faced, I can't believe I'm experiencing other emotions Guo zhen beside him but with a parmanet crestfallen look in his eyes and the first difference he noticed was that, memory Guo zhen was hotter.
Look at that dazzling shoulder length hair, look at slim waist, look at that sassy, I have the whole world under my feet look on his face. Too different, too too different.
Then he wondered if it was because he was able to see the others bare arms. Concluding it was that, and wanting to give the other person a fair chance, he turned and grabbed his arm with a sense of urgency, "Hey, take off your clothes for me, let me see."
Of all the things he imagined Yansheng might say, he did not expect this.
Yanking his hand free, a look of slight disgust back on his face, Guo zhen moved to walk away from Yan, following the other two out of the office. "Shameless."
Catching himself, he realized his request was a bit much.
Cough, cough.
"Hey, I was just joking okay, wait for me." He called after Guo zhen, jogging to catch up to him.
"Just joking okay, don't be offended." But Guo zhen acted as if it was the wind talking to him, paying him no mind.
"He.. he.. he… just joking."