Chapter 35

Chapter 35

When Duan Zhuo returned, there was no second slap mark on his face.

Ji Mian didn’t know what Mu Yuman had said to him, but Duan Zhuo looked quite relaxed.

He breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What did Sis Yuman say?"

"She said I’m worthless."

Ji Mian: "..."

"Don’t worry," Duan Zhuo extended his arm and pulled him into a hug, whispering, "It’s all over now."

Ji Mian’s nose stung, and he also wrapped his arms around Duan Zhuo’s waist, holding him tightly.

But as soon as he tightened his grip, he heard a slight hiss from the man above his head, and the hand on Duan Zhuo’s waist felt a tremor.

He paused for a moment, quickly let go, and looked up to meet Duan Zhuo’s helpless eyes.

"Let me see," Ji Mian insisted, reaching to unbutton Duan Zhuo’s coat and lifting the thin sweater underneath.

Duan Zhuo wasn’t overly muscular, but the lines of his waist were smooth and well-defined. Now, though, his waist was crisscrossed with over a dozen red marks, as if he had been whipped.

It was from Mu Yuman’s feather duster strikes.

Ji Mian clenched his lips, thinking that Duan Zhuo really deserved it—knowing Mu Yuman was right there, he still had to show off by touching his face. But his eyes began to well up.

Noticing this, Duan Zhuo tugged his clothes back down, not letting him look anymore.

"I had it coming."

"..."

Ji Mian’s heart sank, and he didn’t feel like talking.

Duan Zhuo chuckled instead, leaning his cheek against Ji Mian’s head, kissing his hair while glancing eagerly out the window, hoping for night to fall.

He wanted to hold him close, in the most intimate way.

...

After a little more than two weeks of vacation, Ji Mian returned to school.

Next came the graduation defense, the graduation ceremony, and finally, he started working at the company he had signed with.

When Ji Mian got his first paycheck, he gave the salary card to Duan Zhuo.

This was something he’d dreamed of for years. Back during their high school cold war, when he received transfers from Duan Zhuo, Ji Mian’s pride had taken a hit.

From then on, he’d dreamed of one day earning a fortune and slapping it down in front of Duan Zhuo.

Partly for the thrill of payback, but mostly because he really wanted to repay Duan Zhuo.

Now, though he no longer wanted to "smash" the money on Duan Zhuo’s head, the desire to repay him had never faded.

Ji Mian had naturally thought of Mu Yuman, but the money he had was pocket change to Gu Ting. He wanted to buy gifts, but no matter how much he thought, nothing seemed good enough.

So he decided to drop it for the time being.

Duan Zhuo took Ji Mian's salary card and glanced at it, feeling a complex mix of emotions: "Are you crazy?"

"..."

In Ji Mian's memory, this was the first time Duan Zhuo had called him dumb since they got together.

He was about to retort when Duan Zhuo pressed his head down.

When he looked up again, Duan Zhuo left with a "Wait here for me" and went downstairs.

Ji Mian stood there, waiting cluelessly for a few minutes.

Duan Zhuo came back up, holding a thin card in his hand.

He handed the card to Ji Mian, told him a specific amount, and said, "Keep it safe."

Ji Mian was completely stunned.

Because he knew that this amount was all of Duan Zhuo's life savings.

Ji Mian didn't know that ever since Duan Zhuo had fallen for him, he had wanted to give him everything he had. As long as Ji Mian was willing to accept it.

Seeing him silent and in a daze, Duan Zhuo said, "Keep it. Your brother’s got plenty more."

However, Ji Mian knew exactly how much Duan Zhuo had.

Ji Mian: "..."

So his brother could fib too.

He stuffed the card back into Duan Zhuo's pants pocket. Just as Duan Zhuo frowned and was about to speak, Ji Mian stood on his tiptoes, raised his face, and kissed Duan Zhuo deeply.

This trick always worked like a charm on Duan Zhuo.

Duan Zhuo was momentarily stunned, then instinctively wrapped his arms around Ji Mian's waist, leaned down, and opened his lips to engage in a deep kiss.

Two minutes later, he reluctantly pushed Ji Mian back, breathless but still composed.

He put on a stern face: "You..."

Just as he was about to say something, Ji Mian gently rubbed his knee against Duan Zhuo's thigh.

"Brother," Ji Mian looked up at him with clear, bright eyes, but his words were far from innocent: "I want us to do it."

"..."

By morning, they had agreed on the issue of the salary card. Neither could convince the other, so they simply gave up discussing it.

Being apart was really tough.

Ji Mian had only been on the job for two months when Duan Zhuo, unable to stand the separation, made the long trip to see him.

Although Duan Zhuo had work at his shop, his schedule was more flexible than Ji Mian's.

He could power through the first few days and then have more time off later.

Sometimes, during long holidays, Ji Mian would return, and they would switch off visiting each other.

But they couldn’t always travel.

In fact, there are other ways to stay connected, such as video calls.

But they are still not used to making video calls like typical couples. It's still awkward; every time their eyes meet on that small screen, they instinctively look away, gazing anywhere else but at each other.

Duan Zhuo is by no means a straightforward person, and he rarely says romantic words to Ji Mian. Hearing a love confession from him is as difficult as pulling teeth.

Ji Mian is also easily shy.

Therefore, after more than two years of dating, they rarely volunteer to say things like "I like you" or "I love you," even though both of them love hearing it.

On weekend nights, Ji Mian usually spends his evenings on the phone with Duan Zhuo.

Occasionally, during the call, Duan Zhuo's side would fall silent, and then Ji Mian would also quiet down.

After a while, he would ask, "What's wrong, ge?"

"I need a smoke," Duan Zhuo would answer on the phone.

Ji Mian would then know that he was missing him and would send a kiss across the distance.

In fact, since the day Ji Mian rejected his kiss in bed at the age of 28 and said, "I don't like the smell of cigarettes," Duan Zhuo has never smoked again.

Yet he has been quitting smoking his whole life, and Ji Mian is his lifelong nicotine patch.

...

From this point on, Ji Mian's Affection Points remained nearly unchanged, staying at 7800 points, with only a rare increase of three to five points. Mostly, it was when Duan Zhuo was reminiscing about the past and getting jealous.

Even when Duan Zhuo is jealous, he is not straightforward. He sits solemnly beside Ji Mian, quiet and unmoving. If it weren't for the system's prompt indicating an increase in Affection Points, Ji Mian wouldn’t have known that the person sitting next to him was thinking such things.

It even made him want to tell Duan Zhuo the truth.

In this world, Ji Mian lived a full life and passed away naturally.

Dying was not as painful as he had imagined.

When Ji Mian lay there weakly on the hospital bed, he felt as if he was just a little sleepy.

Duan Zhuo stayed by his side, holding his hand, his gaze calm but thoughtful.

Facing death, he did not feel fear or sadness. Death could not separate them.

Ji Mian's consciousness gradually drifted into sleep.

Before closing his eyes, Duan Zhuo whispered in his ear, saying something.

But Ji Mian was too sleepy, planning to answer Duan Zhuo when he woke up.

He managed to whisper a few words, "Ge... I want to sleep."

In his drowsy state, he heard Duan Zhuo respond.

"Okay," he said.

...

"Congratulations, mission accomplished."

The system's voice woke Ji Mian from his sleep, the smell of disinfectant filling his nostrils, the same as before he "fell asleep."

"The first task is completed. Current accumulated Affection Points: 7900."

Ji Mian paused, lost in thought.

The task was over, which meant...

"Am I dead?"

"Yes."

"What about my brother?"

"..."

Ji Mian stopped asking.

He knew the answer.

The white ceiling above, his lying position, the IV bag beside him, and the strong smell of disinfectant in the air were all so eerily similar to his death that he almost thought he had just woken up from a nap.

But the person who had been by his bedside was gone.

He was in a new world.

Ji Mian had no interest in exploring this place; his curiosity had faded.

Duan Zhuo's whispered words before he lost consciousness, which he hadn't heard clearly at the time, now became clear.

'You once said that if you truly loved someone, you would only love them in this lifetime.'

'Ji Mian,' Duan Zhuo asked softly, 'Would you love me in the next life too?'

Ji Mian blinked, without shedding a tear. He and Duan Zhuo had shared a lifetime together, so happy that he had no reason to be sad.

He just regretted not answering Duan Zhuo, not even managing to say the simplest "yes."

The system didn't rush him, giving Ji Mian time to be lost in thought.