Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Their time alone together had to end eventually.

A few days later, Mu Yuman and Gu Ting ended their trip and arrived at Duan Zhuo's house on the same day they returned, taking over his kitchen to show off their cooking skills.

Mu Yuman took charge of cooking, while Gu Ting, though not much of a cook, liked helping her out.

He had his assistant purchase the ingredients in advance, and it took several trips to deliver the live lobsters in foam boxes, along with the overly packaged vegetables and high-quality beef.

The assistant just assumed that his boss was hosting distinguished guests this time, so the ingredients had to be high-end and impressive!

When the ingredients arrived, Gu Ting was filled with regret for not reminding his overzealous assistant to "just buy some ordinary ingredients."

It was his first time trying to impress his wife's younger brother, and he ended up looking like new money.

But since the ingredients were already there, he had to put on a brave face and stay calm.

This meal was mainly meant for Ji Mian, who had only met Gu Ting once at the wedding and hadn't been back since.

Mu Yuman had been looking for an opportunity to help the two get to know each other.

Gu Ting was alone in the kitchen preparing the ingredients, while only three people were in the living room.

Mu Yuman, who hadn't seen Ji Mian for a long time, sat close to him, asking about how things were going at school and work.

The scene of the two chatting together was quite cozy. Duan Zhuo leaned against the windowsill, expressionless while watching Ji Mian's smiling face, saying nothing.

The years when Ji Mian had actively pursued Mu Yuman were not good memories for Duan Zhuo.

Especially since they had only been together for a few days, he couldn't help but suspect that Ji Mian still had residual feelings for his sister.

Years of affection couldn't just disappear overnight. The thought of this made Duan Zhuo cringe.

"Oh ho, the Affection Points actually jumped up by ten points, the only income in the past two months," the system commented in surprise.

It thought that the Affection Points in this world had been fixed since the days of Mu Yuman's wedding.

Hearing this, Ji Mian was momentarily stunned, his gaze instinctively turning to the only man present who could contribute Affection Points—the man who was currently glaring at him with a grim expression.

"..."

Ji Mian suddenly realized that perhaps Affection Points were directly proportional to Duan Zhuo's jealousy.

At that moment, Gu Ting walked out of the kitchen and said to Mu Yuman, "It's... all done."

Everyone turned to look in his direction.

They saw that Gu Ting's shirt and cuffs were soaked, his well-pressed coat and inner shirt now had many wrinkles, and there were faint traces of water on his face that hadn't been wiped clean.

His coat also carried a faint smell of the sea, having been splashed with water while handling the lobsters.

Having been thrown into chaos by two lobsters and embarrassed in front of his wife's family, Gu Ting's expression was somewhat unpleasant.

"I'll take care of the rest later," Mu Yuman stood up, "You chat with Ji Mian and Duan Zhuo."

"Okay."

The vibe between Duan Zhuo and Gu Ting had always been a little awkward, not that it was discordant, but when the two stood together, the air seemed to freeze, leaving them at a loss for words.

"Ahem." Gu Ting cleared his throat, pulled two cigarettes from the pack in his coat pocket, and handed one to Duan Zhuo.

Gu Ting didn’t smoke much; he just wanted to do something to break the tension between him and Duan Zhuo.

But Duan Zhuo just smiled and shook his head, turning down the cigarette with its faint sea scent.

Duan Zhuo meant nothing by it—he was currently quitting smoking. But in Gu Ting’s eyes, it felt like a blatant rejection.

Gu Ting: "..."

The air was thick with awkwardness.

Moreover, he had cigarettes in his pocket but no lighter.

He’d tossed his lighter before catching his flight that morning.

"Got a light?" he asked Duan Zhuo.

Before Duan Zhuo had a chance to answer, Ji Mian spoke up, "Oh, I’ve got my brother’s lighter. I’ll go upstairs and get it."

"..." Gu Ting paused, taken aback, remembering how often his wife praised Ji Mian, and asked hesitantly, "You... smoke too?"

Ji Mian wasn’t sure what to say, so he made up an excuse, "No, my brother accidentally left it upstairs."

With that, he headed upstairs to fetch Duan Zhuo’s lighter.

Ji Mian hadn’t even been gone thirty seconds when Duan Zhuo stood and followed after him, throwing over his shoulder, "I’ll go up and help him look."

Gu Ting was confused, thinking it shouldn’t take two people to find a lighter.

He nodded anyway, "...Oh."

*

Ji Mian took the aluminum lighter from the bedside drawer and put it in his pocket.

As he turned to go downstairs, the door was opened from the outside.

Duan Zhuo came in from outside, seeing Ji Mian about to go downstairs, he didn’t move aside, instead quietly shutting the door.

"Brother, why did you come up too?"

Duan Zhuo didn’t respond.

"Brother?"

"...Needed a smoke."

Ji Mian: ...

Duan Zhuo walked towards him, Ji Mian protectively covered his pocket, feeling the hard touch of metal in his palm.

But Duan Zhuo just smiled, not even glancing at what Ji Mian was tightly guarding, and directly stepped forward to wrap his arm around Ji Mian’s waist, then leaned down to kiss the slightly protruding Adam’s apple on his pale neck.

"Mmm..." Ji Mian shivered from the stimulation, his calves tightening.

He was held by Duan Zhuo, with no way to retreat.

Then, Duan Zhuo turned him around, and their positions were reversed.

Ji Mian’s entire body was pressed against the door by Duan Zhuo, his Adam’s apple sensitive, teased by the wet and hot lips and tongue, making his whole body go soft, and he could only hook his arms around Duan Zhuo’s neck to barely stand straight.

"Bro, don't kiss there, I'll..."

Duan Zhuo paused, gazing into Ji Mian's hazy eyes, his throat moving slightly, teasingly asking, "What will you do?"

"..."

Ji Mian pressed his lips together, refusing to answer. Duan Zhuo grinned and leaned in to kiss him.

He started by kissing Ji Mian's eyelashes and the corners of his eyes, then moved down to his fair and soft cheeks, nuzzling and kissing his jaw. Duan Zhuo kissed haphazardly, as if his lips had a mind of their own.

But in the end, his goal was always Ji Mian's lips.

Their breaths mingled, hot and heavy, soft sounds lost between their lips, unable to form words.

Ji Mian's back arched instinctively until the skin on his waist touched Duan Zhuo's lower abdomen, sensing Duan Zhuo's unmistakable arousal.

He parted his lips to speak, but Duan Zhuo's tongue silenced him instantly. He had once teased Duan Zhuo about having a clumsy tongue, unfit even for eating fish.

Speechless, Ji Mian released one hand and patted his elder brother's head.

If they kept this up, things would escalate.

Duan Zhuo pulled back reluctantly, licking his lips, his gaze fixed openly on Ji Mian's face.

"Bro, you need to chill."

Ji Mian reached out, spun him around, and gave him a gentle shove, signaling Duan Zhuo to go somewhere else.

Duan Zhuo, reluctant, let himself be pushed onto the sofa.

After a moment, Ji Mian called out from the living room, "Are you done?"

"No."

Ji Mian was taken aback, "Then, what should we do?"

They had been upstairs for a while now.

Duan Zhuo gritted his teeth, "I'll go to the room, away from you."

They had only been together for a couple of days, but now he had to let Ji Mian leave his sight.

His body hadn't calmed down, but his expression had turned cold. This coldness wasn't directed at Ji Mian, but at the fact that it was only noon.

Frustrated and pent-up, he resented the brightness of the day.

"...Oh."

*

By the time they went back downstairs, five minutes had passed.

It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Duan Zhuo left.

As soon as they entered, Gu Ting stood up from the sofa, the cigarette he had been holding had been put back into the cigarette box several minutes ago.

"Did it take so long to find?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it accidentally fell into a corner," Ji Mian said, handing him the lighter from his pocket.

Duan Zhuo trailed behind him, his face unreadable. It seemed that because it took so long to find, his expression looked a bit heavy.

"..." Gu Ting hadn’t expected that his offhand comment about wanting a cigarette would have the two of them scrambling for so long.

He accepted the lighter with a pang of guilt, his hands shaking as he lit the cigarette—Gu Ting had never smoked a cigarette that did so little to soothe his troubles.

After an extravagant lunch, Ji Mian and Duan Zhuo began tidying up the kitchen. It was an unwritten rule: whoever didn’t cook would do the dishes.

Ji Mian bustled around, with Duan Zhuo trailing close behind, equally busy. Faint whispers and laughter drifted out, though indistinct.

"They’re really close," Gu Ting observed, watching the two in the kitchen.

Though born into a wealthy family, his siblings were always scheming and backstabbing. Seeing the genuine bond between Ji Mian and Duan Zhuo, he couldn’t help but feel touched.

"It’s rare to see brothers as close as they are," he said, a hint of envy in his voice.

Mu Yuman took in his words and smiled too, her gaze drifting toward the kitchen.

After a while, she noticed that no matter what Duan Zhuo was doing, he always stayed by Ji Mian’s side. When Ji Mian finished washing, Duan Zhuo would step in and grab a stack of plates to help; when Ji Mian wiped down the stove, he’d follow suit and grab a rag; when Ji Mian cleaned the oven, he’d hover nearby, almost in the way.

—Like a loyal dog.

Mu Yuman was transfixed, an inexplicable sense of suffocation making her vision blur.

As they stood by the sink, a drop of soapy water splashed onto Ji Mian’s face. His hands were wet, so he couldn’t wipe it away.

Duan Zhuo noticed, turned, and reached up to wipe the droplet from Ji Mian’s face.

Then, his fingers pressed gently but firmly against Ji Mian’s smooth cheek. Duan Zhuo’s lips curved into a smile, one that seemed uncharacteristically tender.

But that gentle smile sent a chill down Mu Yuman’s spine, as if she’d been plunged into an icy void.

Her hand, clasped with Gu Ting’s, went rigid, her mind reeling at the sheer absurdity of it all.

"Manman?" Gu Ting frowned, catching her strange reaction.

Mu Yuman stayed silent, her gaze drifting from the kitchen to fix blankly on the white wall ahead.

Gu Ting had never seen her so serious and was concerned, but something told him to stay quiet.

Ten minutes later, Gu Ting checked his watch.

He had work that afternoon, and Mu Yuman was on duty too.

He spoke up, "We have to go."

"You go ahead, I’ll be right there."

"Okay."

Gu Ting told the two still busy in the kitchen that they were leaving, and Ji Mian and Duan Zhuo washed their hands and came out to see him off.

After seeing Gu Ting off at the door, he had already gone downstairs, but Mu Yuman remained in the living room, still watching them.

"Sis Yuman, aren’t you coming with brother-in-law?" Ji Mian asked, confused.

Mu Yuman remained silent, her cold gaze fixed on Duan Zhuo.

She didn’t ask anything, but when Duan Zhuo met her eyes, he understood everything in an instant.

He smiled and said, "Yes."

Slap!

Mu Yuman slapped Duan Zhuo across the face, her breathing was heavy: "You!"

Then, she was at a loss for words.

Duan Zhuo took her slap, but the smile at the corner of his lips didn't fade. Mu Yuman was usually gentle, but this slap to her own brother was firm and clear.

When Duan Zhuo said "Yes," Ji Mian was still in the dark, clueless about what was going on.

Now, witnessing this sudden turn of events, he was momentarily stunned, but it only took him two seconds to figure out what was happening.

There was probably nothing else that could have made Mu Yuman this furious.

"You..." Mu Yuman had never thought that Duan Zhuo would do something so outrageous.

She had no problem with homosexuality. If Duan Zhuo suddenly told her during a meal, "Sis, I like men," she wouldn't bat an eye.

But the person he was with was Ji Mian.

Mu Yuman thought that Ji Mian must have been deceived by her own brother.

He was so considerate it was heartbreaking, and he had great respect for Duan Zhuo. It was clear that Duan Zhuo must have sweet-talked and deceived him into this.

At this thought, Mu Yuman's eyes welled up, and she was livid.

She couldn't speak, lifted her hand, and was about to land another slap, but someone stepped in to shield Duan Zhuo.

"I'm sorry, Sis Yuman..." Ji Mian shielded Duan Zhuo behind him, his voice tense.

He wanted to say something to soothe Mu Yuman or shoulder the blame himself.

"It's all my fault, I... I corrupted him."

"..."

Duan Zhuo, standing a head taller, was shielded by Ji Mian, and couldn't help but chuckle softly at this.

It was like Ji Mian had unexpectedly handed him a piece of candy.

Not just a slap, but even a few blows, Duan Zhuo could laugh at this moment.

Mu Yuman was furious, but these words momentarily stunned her, her anger was momentarily interrupted and never reached its previous intensity.

Seeing Duan Zhuo laughing, she shot him a sharp glare and said, "You come out with me." Then she turned and walked out of the room, ready to have a serious talk with Duan Zhuo outside.

Duan Zhuo was still in place, unrepentantly pinching Ji Mian's cheek, like a peacock showing off without a care.

"Wait for me."

Mu Yuman, who had already stepped out, turned back with a cold face to fetch the feather duster.

Duan Zhuo: ...