Chapter 10

Chapter 10

At noon the next day, someone knocked on Ji Mian's door.

Upon opening the door, it was still Duan Zhuo, uttering the same curt two words—"Come down."

Ji Mian followed him downstairs without a word.

This time, Duan Zhuo's place was empty.

"Is Sis Yuman not here?" Ji Mian asked.

"She’s back in her hometown visiting family."

"Oh. Brother, don’t you need to go back home too?"

"No. They’re all gone."

Ji Mian opened his eyes wide, stunned for two seconds, then stammered, "I'm sorry, Brother, I didn't mean to..."

"You bought that?" Duan Zhuo laughed, "I was messing with you."

"..." Ji Mian frowned tightly, "Brother. That’s not something to joke about."

Duan Zhuo’s grin disappeared, his lips curled in a cold smirk. This kid’s lecturing me now?

Ji Mian was quiet for a while, then it hit him—why?

Since Sis Yuman wasn't here, why did the big brother call him down?

It dawned on him, and he said, "Brother, have you eaten? Should I grab lunch for you?"

That had to be it.

"..."

Duan Zhuo clenched his teeth, the cigarette between his lips jerked upward with his biting action.

Whenever Ji Mian talked to him, Duan Zhuo felt that his surname wasn't "Duan," but "Zhou," full name Zhou the Exploiter.

Was he really that hard on the kid?

Duan Zhuo thought carefully. All he did was have the kid run errands and carve wood, right?

He also gave him a place to live, and he even paid him when he remembered—though the kid refused it.

"Brother, just tell me what you want to eat, no need to come all the way up..." Ji Mian was very considerate, "That’s too much trouble."

Duan Zhuo's clenched teeth loosened and then tightened again, he let out a faint snort.

"It’s the holidays," he said.

Ji Mian: "?"

"You think any place downstairs is open?"

"..."

"...Oh, yeah."

Duan Zhuo extinguished his cigarette and said, "Head to the kitchen and grab the food."

When Ji Mian stepped into the kitchen, he noticed there were already three dishes on the cutting board. Two were leftovers—half a fish and a bowl of dry pot shrimp—already reheated in the microwave. Next to them sat a pot of freshly cooked rice, filling the kitchen with the aroma of grains.

Duan Zhuo played the gracious host, reheating the previous night's leftovers for his guest and even cooking a pot of fresh rice.

Ji Mian didn’t mind the setup at all. He saw himself not as a guest but as a loyal underling. He’d eat whatever "Big Brother" served him.

His eyes fixed on the steaming green pepper and eggs on the cutting board, marveling: "Big Brother can whip up more than just fish."

He, on the other hand, could barely fry an egg without burning it.

Ji Mian brought the food over to the table, neatly placing the chopsticks on the edge of Duan Zhuo's bowl.

The first meal of the New Year—even if it was leftovers.

Ji Mian ate at a leisurely pace, but Duan Zhuo wasn’t much faster. He casually peeled shrimp and picked at the food, reflecting the laid-back vibe that was so typical of him.

Ji Mian’s cheeks bulged slightly from the rice, his gaze lingering on the half-eaten fish on the table and Duan Zhuo’s chopsticks, which always avoided it.

Yesterday, with Mu Yuman around, the table had been buzzing, and Ji Mian hadn’t noticed this detail.

Today, with just the two of them, the silence was palpable. Ji Mian’s gaze lingered longer at the table, and he finally realized: Big Brother doesn’t seem to like fish.

"Big Brother, don’t you like fish?"

Duan Zhuo paused his chopsticks and uttered a few precious words:

"Too many bones, too much trouble."

Duan Zhuo had avoided eating fish since he was very young. Every time he tried, he’d end up with a bone lodged in his throat, and his grandfather would pour vinegar down his throat to dislodge it.

In internet terms, he had a 'childhood phobia' of eating fish.

If it weren’t for Mu Yuman insisting yesterday that Ji Mian liked fish and making him buy one, Duan Zhuo would never have allowed it on the table.

"Oh," Ji Mian nodded and said, "Maybe your tongue’s just not cut out for it."

Duan Zhuo: "..."

He sneered, "Oh."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bone plate in front of Ji Mian:

There was nothing else on it but fine, intact fish bones, stacked neatly into a little pile. Like a miniature mountain of bones. Cleanly picked.

Duan Zhuo’s mouth twitched in reluctant admiration. He looked up at Ji Mian’s lips, now slightly pursed, showing no sign of the tongue inside that could dismantle an entire fish.

How on earth does this kid’s tongue work?

...

And so, the New Year passed.

Sun Qi returned from his hometown, wearing a new cotton-padded jacket. As soon as he arrived at the woodcarving shop, he glanced inside and excitedly asked Duan Zhuo, "Big Brother, is Lūdàn back?"

"He’s here," Ji Mian stood up from behind the cash register before Duan Zhuo could respond.

He’d been crouched below, sorting through unfinished pieces.

Sun Qi pouted. Is this kid still sticking around for the New Year?

"Hey bro, I’m heading over to see Sister Mu. I brought two boxes of local goodies from back home."

Duan Zhuo lounged lazily in the recliner, rocking back and forth, and glanced at him upon hearing this.

Sun Qi winked at him: "Relax, bro, one box is all yours."

"...Beat it."

Ji Mian, standing behind the counter, smiled with his eyes crinkling.

After a brief chuckle, he quietly thought about what lay ahead.

By the traditional count, he’d be 17 after the New Year.

Mu Yuman was 23 this year, same counting method, and Duan Zhuo was only a year younger than her.

Because of the age gap between the original host and Mu Yuman, "Ji Mian" only confessed his feelings to her after reaching adulthood.

Ji Mian was mentally counting down the days. The system wanted him to confess when he turned 18, and people here seemed to prefer using the traditional age reckoning.

In a year, he’d hit a major task milestone.

"This task seems like a breeze," he said.

Just one big task in a whole year.

The system, noticing his laid-back attitude, got worried: "You’re not thinking it’s just about confessing next year, are you?"

"...Isn’t it?" Ji Mian asked, unsure.

"...No!"

Both Ji Mian and the system went quiet.

After a long while.

"Are you clueless about love?" The system nearly choked on its words. "You’re supposed to be head over heels for Mu Yuman. What does being in love even mean? You’ve got to make sure she notices you. Bring her soup when she’s sick, keep her company when she’s lonely..."

"You think she’ll buy that you’re in love if you just confess out of the blue next year? Wrong! She’ll just think you’re some impulsive, sketchy kid!"

Ji Mian pressed his lips together, defending himself: "But you said to watch over her quietly, right?"

[You should silently guard her. But your "silence" needs to be seen and noticed. You’ve got to convince everyone you’re crazy about her. Only then will the final task rating be higher, and the rewards for both of us will be greater.]

"With enough points, you get a fresh start."

"..."

"I understand."

Ji Mian put down his work, stepped out from behind the counter, and said to Sun Qi, "Brother Sun, I’ll go with you."

"Huh?" Sun Qi looked utterly confused. "Who said anything about you coming along?"

"It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sis Yuman. I’d like to visit her too."

Duan Zhuo’s gaze swept toward him.

If I remember correctly, they had just met the day before yesterday when Mu Yuman returned...

Sun Qi was completely unsympathetic, especially towards Ji Mian, the "baldie" who had stolen from him. He said, "Oh, like I give a damn."

Faced with Sun Qi's attitude, Ji Mian just smiled shyly and stuck around shamelessly.

He was sharp and caught on after hearing what the system said.

In other words, his task was not just for Mu Yuman to see, but also for the people around him.

He needed to show that he liked Sis Yuman, but he also had to be careful not to be too deliberate, otherwise the lovesick act might turn into "persistent pestering," which would backfire.

Tagging along with Sun Qi would hit the right note and wouldn’t make Mu Yuman feel abrupt. When he confessed a year later, all this 'playing it cool' would become evidence of his lovesick act in the eyes of others.

The system nodded silently.

Good, its clueless host was finally catching on.