The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Should I say thank you?"

Yun Boyan gritted his teeth, every word of his voice carrying a hint of reluctance.

How come I never noticed how cunning my brother was before?

He had mistakenly believed that his elder brother was as pure as paper, untouched by the dust of the world, a pure white lotus rising from the mud unsullied in this turbid world.

He protected his brother carefully every day, fearing that some fool might scheme against him.

Over the years, he shielded himself from countless open and covert attacks.

Now look what's happened.

The one who schemed against him the most was actually his own brother.

He and his brother were of one mind, but his brother was playing mind games with him.

"We're brothers, there's no need to talk about these things."

Xie Jinlian spoke gently, truly befitting a good older brother.

"Oh."

Yun Boyan was so angry he laughed.

"Brother, you're probably making this wishful thinking a bit too early."

He raised his hand and gently touched the silver butterfly hair ornament in his hair with his fingertips.

"Given our constitution, if my sister-in-law can bewitch me, then she must be incredibly skilled with poisons."

The words fell.

The silver butterfly that had been quietly resting in his hair suddenly fluttered its wings.

The butterfly wings, as thin as cicada wings, slowly opened, so transparent that you could see the fine veins flowing on them.

It looks like silk threads spun from moonlight, or like patterns formed by frost flowers.

It traced a silvery arc through the misty vapor, circled him once, and finally landed back on his fingertip.

The butterfly's wings fluttered gently.

It sounded like she was being coquettish, or perhaps she was asking: What do you want?

Yun Boyan looked down at it, a very faint trace of tenderness and warmth rising in his eyes.

A moment later, the little butterfly fluttered its wings again before flying back into the hair and settling down quietly.

And in Xie Jinlian's hair, there was also an identical silver butterfly.

They were exactly the same size and had the same pattern, like two wings cut from the same moonlight.

Those were the contracted spirit butterflies given to them by their mother.

All the poisons of the world vanish when they encounter a butterfly.

"Brother, aren't you underestimating our Spirit Butterfly?"

Yun Boyan looked at his elder brother.

Xie Jinlian remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his tone as indifferent as snowflakes falling on water:

"I'll lock up your Spirit Butterfly first."

"Ayan, you can rest assured."

Yun Boyan was stunned: "..."

His eyes widened.

He stared at his older brother in disbelief.

He really is...

That's very thoughtful.

It's clear that it was planned carefully; every detail was considered.

"You really are my brother."

The voice carried a hint of despair, a touch of helplessness, and a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

Xie Jinlian's smile deepened even further.

"Of course. I'm doing this for your own good."

Yun Boyan took a deep breath.

Close your eyes.

He stopped talking.

He felt that if he continued talking, he might be driven to his death by his brother.

But the warmth in my heart couldn't be hidden no matter what.

Although my brother is a scoundrel, he truly cares about him.

Isn't this a sign of an elder brother's concern?

Although his method was somewhat despicable, he was also thinking about how to make him feel less embarrassed and uncomfortable.

But actually he is.

There's also a little bit of anticipation.

He didn't want to be drugged and then become completely unaware of what was happening.

Even if that sweetness didn't belong to him.

Even if that flutter was just the lingering echo of my brother's voice.

He also wanted to empathize.

"Brother, there's no need for you to go to such trouble."

He leaned back in his chair, feeling his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

The pounding of his heart was like someone drumming in his heart, or like a spring breeze crashing into a window that had been closed for a long time.

"Just pretend I don't exist."

"You can't drug me every time, can you? That would really affect your performance."

"This little bit of suffering... I can bear it... there's no need to pity me..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tips of his ears suddenly felt hot.

The burning sensation spread from the tips of his ears all the way up to his cheeks, only to be subtly suppressed by him.

He cultivates the path of ruthlessness.

How could someone so heartless be moved?

Yes! Absolutely impossible!

It must all be my brother's fault.

It's all because my brother likes my sister-in-law too much that his heart races whenever he sees her.

It must be like this.

That has to be the case.

"..."

Xie Jinlian remained silent for a moment after hearing her younger brother's blatant attempt to cover up his misunderstanding.

He simply spoke:

"Never mind, I'll ask Uncle Pei next time I go back. They have more experience with whether the twin sympathy between the brothers can be isolated."

They had never paid attention to the concept of twin sympathy before.

But now, we have no choice but to take it seriously.

"Um."

Yun Boyan responded softly.

The voice was very soft, as if afraid of being overheard.

But Xie Jinlian heard it.

I also caught a fleeting hint of unhappiness in my voice.

Yun Boyan lowered his eyes.

The eyelashes cast faint shadows on the eyelids, like two thin frosty patches.

He shared feelings with his older brother from a young age.

So, from the moment her brother met Tang Xixue, every laugh, every joke, every moment that touched his heart.

It all reached him through this damned empathy.

Every joy, every sweetness, and every longing of my brother is because of her.

And he knew that from a young age.

I know my heart is beating for someone I've never met.

Although it was just a synchronization of my brother's perception.

But the heartbeat is real!

The thrill was real!

Those inexplicable joys that suddenly surge up in the dead of night are real too!

He had fantasized about it countless times.

He wondered what the person who haunted his brother's dreams looked like.

I wonder what kind of person is the one who has captivated my brother's heart and made him fall deeply in love.

Will it have a pair of smiling eyes?

Will there be a pair of eyes that seem to hold the entirety of spring?

Will she have a sweet voice?

When she calls her brother's name, will it be as soft and sweet as he heard in his dream, like melting honey?

Will she happen to look into his eyes when he looks at her?

he does not know.

All he knew was that night.

It's all because the moonlight is too beautiful.

When he first truly saw her, he clearly heard the sound of flowers blooming.

The sound was very soft, as soft as a petal falling from a branch.

Yet it was also very heavy, as if someone had planted a seed in my heart that could never be pulled out.

All he knew was that her voice was even more captivating than he had imagined.

All he knew was that she was even more beautiful than he had imagined.

All I know is that she only has eyes for her brother.

All he knew was that she was his sister-in-law, someone he longed for but could never have...

Flowers in the mist, snow in the clouds.