873 I’m Just a Remnan

The intensity of Nikolai's aura which always seemed to radiate from the new Lu Zihao had disappeared all of a sudden only to be replaced by a free and easy feeling that made others want to smile, and eventually, laugh.

At the moment, however, Jin Liwei couldn't smile, much less laugh. He stood frozen and gaped in disbelief at the familiar vibe of the person standing in front of him. Fanciful thoughts raced through his mind. The logical part of him protested against such normally unthinkable ideas but the optimistic part of him wanted to believe.

Was it possible? It should be possible. If it could happen to his wife Evelina and the original Long Xiulan, then perhaps it could also happen to his Brother-in-law Nikolai and Fifth Brother Lu Zihao. Or was he just being a hopeful fool?

Or worse, what if it was just his wife's older brother pranking him? No, that shouldn't be the case. Nikolai didn't prank anyone. He would joke around sometimes but he wasn't such an easygoing person as to prank people just for the fun of it. That wasn't his character at all.

The number one easygoing person that Jin Liwei knew who also loved pranks and making people laugh was….

"Fifth Brother?"

Lu Zihao's answering grin was wide and natural and so utterly familiar that Jin Liwei's eyes immediately reddened. His body was already moving before he could even think about the entire situation more deeply. Despite the size difference between them, Jin Liwei embraced his beloved youngest sworn brother and squeezed him with all he got and even attempted to lift him up due to the overwhelming emotions flooding through him. 

"Whoa! Easy, Third Bro. Remember that you're still injured! Your beautiful wife is this asshole's sister and knows Russian kung fu or whatever the martial arts Fourth Bro is teaching. I forgot what it's called. Whatever. My point is what if she beats my ass? Chill, bro!"

Jin Liwei threw his head back and laughed. Indeed, this was the happy-go-lucky Fifth Brother that he remembered. Complicated emotions flooded through him but there was only one that he welcomed—pure happiness. 

"My wife is fierce but she wouldn't beat up people without any reason," he said while laughing. "So you don't have to be afraid of her."

Lu Zihao scoffed. "Me, afraid? Hah! Funniest joke I heard in a long time."

Jin Liwei was also now grinning. He slapped his sworn brother on the back and felt like they had returned to the good old times. The feeling might be the same but the situation had become entirely different. His fifth brother was now two, no, three times larger than him because of all the bulky muscles. Slapping him on the back felt somewhat awkward. There was also an existence called Nikolai, his wife's unreadable and dangerous older brother, who might pop out at any moment. 

"Of course, it's me! Do you really think that mafia boss Nikolai would act like this in front of you?" Lu Zihao snorted. "Hah! If it wasn't for me messing him up sometimes, he would've already punched you in the face for getting his sister pregnant before marriage. That dude thinks like an old man sometimes. Even my grandpa is more modern than him."

Lu Zihao scratched his nose. "Stop looking at me like that, Third Bro. I'm starting to feel shy."

"You…." Jin Liwei shook his head while chuckling again. 

The two men sat on an ornate bench in front of one of the windows. Jin Liwei still couldn't stop looking at his fifth brother. He was observing him closely, wanting to make sure that he was really the Lu Zihao that he grew up with.

Finally, he asked the one question that he wanted an answer the most. "How?"

Instead of answering him right away, Lu Zihao started drumming his hands on his thighs and bouncing his legs to a beat that he could only hear. Jin Liwei recognized it as one of his fifth brother's mannerisms that he often did whenever he was thinking.

The drumming and the bouncing stopped. Lu Zihao leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "You should understand something first, Third Bro."

"What is it?"

"I'm just a remnant."

Silence.

"I know," Jin Liwei said in a whisper.

Lu Zihao looked surprised. "You do?"

"En. My wife told me something about her own experience with the original Long Xiulan's remnant but she also doesn't understand it very well so she couldn't explain how it works to me in more detail."

Lu Zihao nodded. "Same. Neither I nor Nikolai understand it well like your beautiful wife. So we're basically all just winging this entire situation." His hands started some light drumming again. "But I do know that I'm just a remnant, not a complete soul."

Jin Liwei frowned. "But you're still…Lu Zihao, right?"

His fifth brother turned his head and grinned at him like a mischievous kid. "What do you think?"

Jin Liwei mock-punched him on the shoulder and laughed. "That was a stupid question."

"Yeah, well, like I said, even I don't know what's really going on. But what I do know is that I suddenly evolved into something more…hmm, like my past self, I guess. I can finally talk directly to that scary mafia boss Nikolai and even temporarily take over my body and control it but not for too long."

"Not for too long?"

"I get tired and need to…what's a suitable term for it? Oh yeah, recharge. I need to recharge when I run out of energy before I'll be able to talk or take over my body again. You can say there's a time limit."

A deep furrow formed between Jin Liwei's brows as he mulled over the revelation. "Then I guess we won't be able to chat for too long tonight. I'm just glad that I'm able to see and talk to you again, Fifth Brother."