Chapter 167: 166 – Sibling Bonding
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The next day, Fang woke up early, and went to speak with his older sister. Fang knew that Ren secretly liked to sleep in late – and since they didn't have to go to work today, he could let Ren sleep in late today. Fang was a little worried about Ren's body, too. The man had really become quite thin, and Fang didn't like it. He wanted Ren to be healthy, properly healthy.
And Fang could always spoil Ren today with a breakfast in bed, couldn't he? With this thought in mind, he got off and cast a warming spell on Ren and the four babies, so that they wouldn't be woken up by his absence.
Then he went off to speak with Princess Una, who had asked him to connect with her separately in the morning.
Princess Una was already awake and waiting for Fang downstairs. She was sipping from a huge mug of tea, and offered some to Fang as well.
Fang chuckled and refused. "I'll make matcha tea for everyone later today," he said. "We got a big kit some time ago and it has not been used yet."
Princess Una accepted happily, and then asked, "So, Chairman Ren likes to drink matcha tea, is it?"
Fang nodded. "He does," he replied. "I like it, too."
"So you drink matcha tea every day?" Princess Una asked curiously.
Fang shook his head. "I mostly drink coffee, and Ren drinks Earl Grey or first flush Darjeeling most of the time," he replied. "Ren likes different kinds of tea in general."
"I see," Princess Una said. "So, what's his favourite?"
Fang thought for a moment, going over Ren's expression in his mind as he sipped different types of tea. "Earl Grey, I should say," he said after some time.
Princess Una laughed. "Ah, so Chairman Ren is the romantic one between the two of you, is it?" she teased.
Fang flushed, but didn't deny it. "Ren is always spoiling me," he murmured. "I want to spoil him, too."
Princess Una blinked. "What's stopping you?" she asked innocently. "Does Chairman Ren not like it when you do something for him?"
Fang remembered how Ren had been over the moon when he had mentioned that he would take Ren out for dinner on his birthday, and shook his head. Ren definitely loved it when Fang did things for him – so what was it that was stopping Fang, exactly? Fang didn't know the answer himself.
Princess Una didn't push her little brother for an answer. She waited patiently, sipping her tea with elegant movements befitting a princess.
"I don't know what to do," Fang confessed finally. "I want to do things for Ren, but I'm not sure what I can do and what I can't. Ren says I can do whatever I want to, and till date, he has never stopped me from doing anything unless it was harmful for me. And he doesn't even hesitate to do anything for me, no matter how big or small it is. Like yesterday, Big Brother Uno told Ren that it would make me feel better if Ren kissed my shoes, and Ren immediately went down on his knees to do so…"
Princess Una's eyes widened in shock. "Fang," she said quietly. "You actually allowed Uno to speak to your man like that?"
Fang flushed. He wanted to say that it all happened too quickly, and that Ren down on his knees immediately and then Fang was busy pulling him up – but he knew that these were just excuses.
Princess Una narrowed her eyes. "Are you not serious about Chairman Ren, Fang? Are you staying with him simply out of gratitude? If that is the case, please tell me. I will take you out of here, and I will also make sure that Chairman Ren is compensated adequately for his troubles. I don't want you to be stuck in an unequal relationship simply because you feel too grateful to Chairman Ren to turn him down." She spoke in a soft voice, but Fang could see that she was completely serious about helping him.
Warmth surged through Fang's heart. This was his family, and even though it had taken him eighteen years to be reunited with them, to meet this Big Sister of his – it was worth it for him to feel this moment of warmth, he thought.
Princess Una watched the goofy smile spread across Fang's face and her heart ached. She was very grateful to Chairman Ren for rescuing Fang from the horrible circumstances he had been in – her adoptive mother, the Dragon Queen, had taken her into confidence and revealed everything about Fang's past to her. Princess Una had been so angry that she had made the glassware in the room explode because her magic went out of control with the magnitude of her fury.
But no matter how grateful she was to Chairman Ren, her little brother was her first priority. If the relationship between Chairman Ren and her little brother Fang was a cause of stress for Fang, then Princess Una was willing to be the bad guy to break them up. She would protect her little brother to the best of her ability, and from what she had seen so far, she didn't think that Chairman Ren would be unwilling to cooperate with her. From their limited interaction so far, she could see that Chairman Ren really cared about Fang, so she was sure that he would be willing to let Fang go if that was a better decision for Fang's welfare overall. She doubted that Fang would find another person who was so devoted to him easily, but perhaps Chairman Ren and Fang could get back together again when Fang had grown out of his shadow…
"I will speak to Chairman Ren for you," Princess Una said, putting down her mug of tea and reaching out to hold Fang's hands with her own. "I know it would be difficult for you to speak to Chairman Ren about your break up, so I will help you."
Fang froze, finally coming out of his dazed state. He frowned at his older sister. "Break up?" he asked. "Why would I want to break up with Ren? I love him very much and I want to spend all my life with him."
Princess Una raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you just admit that your relationship is unequal and that you are bound by your gratitude to Chairman Ren? That is not a healthy premise for your relationship at all," she said.
Fang blinked. "I am grateful to Ren for saving me," he said softly. "But more than that, I love him very much."
"Are you sure?" Princess Una asked. "Clearly you and Chairman Ren are not on the same footing here. Taking Uno's example – I would never have let him speak to Zeus like that, and neither would Zeus let any of his relatives speak to me like that. How about Chairman Ren? Would he let someone speak to you like that?"
Fang shook his head, thinking of the times that Ren had unhesitatingly sided with Fang instead of Wade, the brother that he had doted upon so much in the past. Then Fang remembered that his Ren was not the same Ren that had doted upon Wade. But then again, when people had maligned Fang all over the internet, hadn't Ren taken immediate action to protect him? And there was no one in Ren's vicinity who didn't give the same amount of respect to Fang that they gave to Ren. Surely this was something that had been done upon Ren's instructions? Fang remembered how he could give orders in Sirocco and they would all be followed with the same authority that Ren or Pax had.
So, no, Ren wouldn't let anyone speak to Fang like that at all.
Guilt pooled in Fang's heart. He should have stepped in and made things clear to his cousin Prince Uno right away, he realised. Ren wouldn't defend himself where Fang was concerned, and anyone and everyone could come in and stomp all over Ren under the guise of praising Fang or categorising it as being good for Fang. The whole debacle about the online discussion boards and sites recently popped up in Fang's mind. Ren always protected him – and now that Fang was claiming that he was a grown up, too, shouldn't he take up the responsibility of protecting Ren as well?
Seeing the crumpled expression on Fang's face, Princess Una thought that Fang was rethinking his relationship with Chairman Ren and was sad at the thought of their break up. Because even Princess Una could see that Fang really cared about Chairman Fang – now whether that care was simply exaggerated gratitude that the boy had mistaken for love, or whether it was care that was in the initial stages of blooming into love – that was something only time could tell.
Princess Una sighed and patted her little brother's hand. "Don't worry, little brother," she said quietly. "As I promised you earlier, I will help you speak with Chairman Ren about your break up."
And that's what Ren heard when he came downstairs.
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The next day, Fang woke up early, and went to speak with his older sister. Fang knew that Ren secretly liked to sleep in late – and since they didn't have to go to work today, he could let Ren sleep in late today. Fang was a little worried about Ren's body, too. The man had really become quite thin, and Fang didn't like it. He wanted Ren to be healthy, properly healthy.
And Fang could always spoil Ren today with a breakfast in bed, couldn't he? With this thought in mind, he got off and cast a warming spell on Ren and the four babies, so that they wouldn't be woken up by his absence.
Then he went off to speak with Princess Una, who had asked him to connect with her separately in the morning.
Princess Una was already awake and waiting for Fang downstairs. She was sipping from a huge mug of tea, and offered some to Fang as well.
Fang chuckled and refused. "I'll make matcha tea for everyone later today," he said. "We got a big kit some time ago and it has not been used yet."
Princess Una accepted happily, and then asked, "So, Chairman Ren likes to drink matcha tea, is it?"
Fang nodded. "He does," he replied. "I like it, too."
"So you drink matcha tea every day?" Princess Una asked curiously.
Fang shook his head. "I mostly drink coffee, and Ren drinks Earl Grey or first flush Darjeeling most of the time," he replied. "Ren likes different kinds of tea in general."
"I see," Princess Una said. "So, what's his favourite?"
Fang thought for a moment, going over Ren's expression in his mind as he sipped different types of tea. "Earl Grey, I should say," he said after some time.
Princess Una laughed. "Ah, so Chairman Ren is the romantic one between the two of you, is it?" she teased.
Fang flushed, but didn't deny it. "Ren is always spoiling me," he murmured. "I want to spoil him, too."
Princess Una blinked. "What's stopping you?" she asked innocently. "Does Chairman Ren not like it when you do something for him?"
Fang remembered how Ren had been over the moon when he had mentioned that he would take Ren out for dinner on his birthday, and shook his head. Ren definitely loved it when Fang did things for him – so what was it that was stopping Fang, exactly? Fang didn't know the answer himself.
Princess Una didn't push her little brother for an answer. She waited patiently, sipping her tea with elegant movements befitting a princess.
"I don't know what to do," Fang confessed finally. "I want to do things for Ren, but I'm not sure what I can do and what I can't. Ren says I can do whatever I want to, and till date, he has never stopped me from doing anything unless it was harmful for me. And he doesn't even hesitate to do anything for me, no matter how big or small it is. Like yesterday, Big Brother Uno told Ren that it would make me feel better if Ren kissed my shoes, and Ren immediately went down on his knees to do so…"
Princess Una's eyes widened in shock. "Fang," she said quietly. "You actually allowed Uno to speak to your man like that?"
Fang flushed. He wanted to say that it all happened too quickly, and that Ren down on his knees immediately and then Fang was busy pulling him up – but he knew that these were just excuses.
Princess Una narrowed her eyes. "Are you not serious about Chairman Ren, Fang? Are you staying with him simply out of gratitude? If that is the case, please tell me. I will take you out of here, and I will also make sure that Chairman Ren is compensated adequately for his troubles. I don't want you to be stuck in an unequal relationship simply because you feel too grateful to Chairman Ren to turn him down." She spoke in a soft voice, but Fang could see that she was completely serious about helping him.
Warmth surged through Fang's heart. This was his family, and even though it had taken him eighteen years to be reunited with them, to meet this Big Sister of his – it was worth it for him to feel this moment of warmth, he thought.
Princess Una watched the goofy smile spread across Fang's face and her heart ached. She was very grateful to Chairman Ren for rescuing Fang from the horrible circumstances he had been in – her adoptive mother, the Dragon Queen, had taken her into confidence and revealed everything about Fang's past to her. Princess Una had been so angry that she had made the glassware in the room explode because her magic went out of control with the magnitude of her fury.
But no matter how grateful she was to Chairman Ren, her little brother was her first priority. If the relationship between Chairman Ren and her little brother Fang was a cause of stress for Fang, then Princess Una was willing to be the bad guy to break them up. She would protect her little brother to the best of her ability, and from what she had seen so far, she didn't think that Chairman Ren would be unwilling to cooperate with her. From their limited interaction so far, she could see that Chairman Ren really cared about Fang, so she was sure that he would be willing to let Fang go if that was a better decision for Fang's welfare overall. She doubted that Fang would find another person who was so devoted to him easily, but perhaps Chairman Ren and Fang could get back together again when Fang had grown out of his shadow…
"I will speak to Chairman Ren for you," Princess Una said, putting down her mug of tea and reaching out to hold Fang's hands with her own. "I know it would be difficult for you to speak to Chairman Ren about your break up, so I will help you."
Fang froze, finally coming out of his dazed state. He frowned at his older sister. "Break up?" he asked. "Why would I want to break up with Ren? I love him very much and I want to spend all my life with him."
Princess Una raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you just admit that your relationship is unequal and that you are bound by your gratitude to Chairman Ren? That is not a healthy premise for your relationship at all," she said.
Fang blinked. "I am grateful to Ren for saving me," he said softly. "But more than that, I love him very much."
"Are you sure?" Princess Una asked. "Clearly you and Chairman Ren are not on the same footing here. Taking Uno's example – I would never have let him speak to Zeus like that, and neither would Zeus let any of his relatives speak to me like that. How about Chairman Ren? Would he let someone speak to you like that?"
Fang shook his head, thinking of the times that Ren had unhesitatingly sided with Fang instead of Wade, the brother that he had doted upon so much in the past. Then Fang remembered that his Ren was not the same Ren that had doted upon Wade. But then again, when people had maligned Fang all over the internet, hadn't Ren taken immediate action to protect him? And there was no one in Ren's vicinity who didn't give the same amount of respect to Fang that they gave to Ren. Surely this was something that had been done upon Ren's instructions? Fang remembered how he could give orders in Sirocco and they would all be followed with the same authority that Ren or Pax had.
So, no, Ren wouldn't let anyone speak to Fang like that at all.
Guilt pooled in Fang's heart. He should have stepped in and made things clear to his cousin Prince Uno right away, he realised. Ren wouldn't defend himself where Fang was concerned, and anyone and everyone could come in and stomp all over Ren under the guise of praising Fang or categorising it as being good for Fang. The whole debacle about the online discussion boards and sites recently popped up in Fang's mind. Ren always protected him – and now that Fang was claiming that he was a grown up, too, shouldn't he take up the responsibility of protecting Ren as well?
Seeing the crumpled expression on Fang's face, Princess Una thought that Fang was rethinking his relationship with Chairman Ren and was sad at the thought of their break up. Because even Princess Una could see that Fang really cared about Chairman Fang – now whether that care was simply exaggerated gratitude that the boy had mistaken for love, or whether it was care that was in the initial stages of blooming into love – that was something only time could tell.
Princess Una sighed and patted her little brother's hand. "Don't worry, little brother," she said quietly. "As I promised you earlier, I will help you speak with Chairman Ren about your break up."
And that's what Ren heard when he came downstairs.
The next day, Fang woke up early, and went to speak with his older sister. Fang knew that Ren secretly liked to sleep in late and since they didn't have to go to work today, he could let Ren sleep in late today. Fang was a little worried about Ren's body, too. The man had really become quite thin, and Fang didn't like it. He wanted Ren to be healthy, properly healthy.And Fang could always spoil Ren today with a breakfast in bed, couldn't he? With this thought in mind, he got off and cast a warming spell on Ren and the four babies, so that they wouldn't be woken up by his absence.Then he went off to speak with Princess Una, who had asked him to connect with her separately in the morning.Princess Una was already awake and waiting for Fang downstairs. She was sipping from a huge mug of tea, and offered some to Fang as well.Fang chuckled and refused. "I'll make matcha tea for everyone later today," he said. "We got a big kit some time ago and it has not been used yet."Princess Una accepted happily, and then asked, "So, Chairman Ren likes to drink matcha tea, is it?"Fang nodded. "He does," he replied. "I like it, too.""So you drink matcha tea every day?" Princess Una asked curiously.Fang shook his head. "I mostly drink coffee, and Ren drinks Earl Grey or first flush Darjeeling most of the time," he replied. "Ren likes different kinds of tea in general.""I see," Princess Una said. "So, what's his favourite?"Fang thought for a moment, going over Ren's expression in his mind as he sipped different types of tea. "Earl Grey, I should say," he said after some time.Princess Una laughed. "Ah, so Chairman Ren is the romantic one between the two of you, is it?" she teased.Fang flushed, but didn't deny it. "Ren is always spoiling me," he murmured. "I want to spoil him, too."Princess Una blinked. "What's stopping you?" she asked innocently. "Does Chairman Ren not like it when you do something for him?"Fang remembered how Ren had been over the moon when he had mentioned that he would take Ren out for dinner on his birthday, and shook his head. Ren definitely loved it when Fang did things for him so what was it that was stopping Fang, exactly? Fang didn't know the answer himself.Princess Una didn't push her little brother for an answer. She waited patiently, sipping her tea with elegant movements befitting a princess."I don't know what to do," Fang confessed finally. "I want to do things for Ren, but I'm not sure what I can do and what I can't. Ren says I can do whatever I want to, and till date, he has never stopped me from doing anything unless it was harmful for me. And he doesn't even hesitate to do anything for me, no matter how big or small it is. Like yesterday, Big Brother Uno told Ren that it would make me feel better if Ren kissed my shoes, and Ren immediately went down on his knees to do so"Princess Una's eyes widened in shock. "Fang," she said quietly. "You actually allowed Uno to speak to your man like that?"Fang flushed. He wanted to say that it all happened too quickly, and that Ren down on his knees immediately and then Fang was busy pulling him up but he knew that these were just excuses.Princess Una narrowed her eyes. "Are you not serious about Chairman Ren, Fang? Are you staying with him simply out of gratitude? If that is the case, please tell me. I will take you out of here, and I will also make sure that Chairman Ren is compensated adequately for his troubles. I don't want you to be stuck in an unequal relationship simply because you feel too grateful to Chairman Ren to turn him down." She spoke in a soft voice, but Fang could see that she was completely serious about helping him.Warmth surged through Fang's heart. This was his family, and even though it had taken him eighteen years to be reunited with them, to meet this Big Sister of his it was worth it for him to feel this moment of warmth, he thought.Princess Una watched the goofy smile spread across Fang's face and her heart ached. She was very grateful to Chairman Ren for rescuing Fang from the horrible circumstances he had been in her adoptive mother, the Dragon Queen, had taken her into confidence and revealed everything about Fang's past to her. Princess Una had been so angry that she had made the glassware in the room explode because her magic went out of control with the magnitude of her fury.But no matter how grateful she was to Chairman Ren, her little brother was her first priority. If the relationship between Chairman Ren and her little brother Fang was a cause of stress for Fang, then Princess Una was willing to be the bad guy to break them up. She would protect her little brother to the best of her ability, and from what she had seen so far, she didn't think that Chairman Ren would be unwilling to cooperate with her. From their limited interaction so far, she could see that Chairman Ren really cared about Fang, so she was sure that he would be willing to let Fang go if that was a better decision for Fang's welfare overall. She doubted that Fang would find another person who was so devoted to him easily, but perhaps Chairman Ren and Fang could get back together again when Fang had grown out of his shadow"I will speak to Chairman Ren for you," Princess Una said, putting down her mug of tea and reaching out to hold Fang's hands with her own. "I know it would be difficult for you to speak to Chairman Ren about your break up, so I will help you."Fang froze, finally coming out of his dazed state. He frowned at his older sister. "Break up?" he asked. "Why would I want to break up with Ren? I love him very much and I want to spend all my life with him."Princess Una raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you just admit that your relationship is unequal and that you are bound by your gratitude to Chairman Ren? That is not a healthy premise for your relationship at all," she said.Fang blinked. "I am grateful to Ren for saving me," he said softly. "But more than that, I love him very much.""Are you sure?" Princess Una asked. "Clearly you and Chairman Ren are not on the same footing here. Taking Uno's example I would never have let him speak to Zeus like that, and neither would Zeus let any of his relatives speak to me like that. How about Chairman Ren? Would he let someone speak to you like that?"Fang shook his head, thinking of the times that Ren had unhesitatingly sided with Fang instead of Wade, the brother that he had doted upon so much in the past. Then Fang remembered that his Ren was not the same Ren that had doted upon Wade. But then again, when people had maligned Fang all over the internet, hadn't Ren taken immediate action to protect him? And there was no one in Ren's vicinity who didn't give the same amount of respect to Fang that they gave to Ren. Surely this was something that had been done upon Ren's instructions? Fang remembered how he could give orders in Sirocco and they would all be followed with the same authority that Ren or Pax had.So, no, Ren wouldn't let anyone speak to Fang like that at all.Guilt pooled in Fang's heart. He should have stepped in and made things clear to his cousin Prince Uno right away, he realised. Ren wouldn't defend himself where Fang was concerned, and anyone and everyone could come in and stomp all over Ren under the guise of praising Fang or categorising it as being good for Fang. The whole debacle about the online discussion boards and sites recently popped up in Fang's mind. Ren always protected him and now that Fang was claiming that he was a grown up, too, shouldn't he take up the responsibility of protecting Ren as well?Seeing the crumpled expression on Fang's face, Princess Una thought that Fang was rethinking his relationship with Chairman Ren and was sad at the thought of their break up. Because even Princess Una could see that Fang really cared about Chairman Fang now whether that care was simply exaggerated gratitude that the boy had mistaken for love, or whether it was care that was in the initial stages of blooming into love that was something only time could tell.Princess Una sighed and patted her little brother's hand. "Don't worry, little brother," she said quietly. "As I promised you earlier, I will help you speak with Chairman Ren about your break up."And that's what Ren heard when he came downstairs.
