Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The next day, as the sky gradually darkened, Qin Yan arrived at the hospital as promised to pick up Xu Chiqiu for the banquet.

This banquet wasn’t very formal, just a casual get-together of wealthy young people, so Xu Chiqiu didn’t need to wear formal attire.

He wore a black coat, with the shoulders tailored quite well, making his shoulders appear broader. Ji Mian had also carefully chosen the coat’s design, effectively covering Xu Chiqiu’s slender body while still highlighting his elegant and straight frame.

In terms of clothing and personal style, Xu Chiqiu’s pickiness was something most people couldn’t tolerate. However, the outfit Ji Mian had selected was something even Xu Chiqiu’s sharp eye couldn’t find fault with.

Ji Mian stood in front of the half-length mirror in the bathroom, looking at the unfamiliar face in the reflection, his dark eyes were almost emotionless.

The original body’s physical condition was excellent—fair skin, long legs, and deep facial features with dark, long eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes. Yet, his expression was non-confrontational. The body, ravaged by illness, radiated a unique, fragile beauty.

The system, however, detected that at this moment, there was very little of Ji Mian’s own emotions in this body.

He was mimicking Xu Chiqiu’s behavior in his own way, instead of awkwardly exposing his true self as he had in the previous world.

As for the reason, the system understood.

Ji Mian was exhausted.

He couldn’t bring himself to emotionally invest in this new world again.

Xu Chiqiu’s body offered him the perfect shell to retreat into, letting Ji Mian withdraw like a hermit.

But the system knew full well: no matter how well Ji Mian imitated, he wasn’t Xu Chiqiu, because the essence of the soul couldn’t be concealed. He would eventually be exposed.

Qin Yan arrived early at the hospital room, waiting by Xu Chiqiu’s bedside for a while, when a tall figure stepped out of the bathroom. Wearing a well-tailored black coat, Xu Chiqiu’s cold face slowly softened into a faint smile as he saw Qin Yan.

He casually leaned against the bathroom doorframe, one hand resting on it, and raised an eyebrow slightly at Qin Yan, his neck tilted with a subtle air of pride as he asked, “How is it?”

This Xu Chiqiu was a stark contrast to the pale, frail, and uninteresting young man in loose hospital clothes Qin Yan had seen just two days before.

Qin Yan was briefly stunned, momentarily forgetting that Xu Chiqiu was naturally like this.

“Not bad,” he said after regaining his composure.

Qin Yan had driven here himself.

Ji Mian sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window.

“What about Zhi Xia? Didn’t you say you’d bring him along?” he asked.

“He said he had plans to go singing with his classmates and didn’t want to cancel, so he asked me to pick him up after nine,” Qin Yan replied, shaking his head with a sigh.

But Ji Mian noticed that although Qin Yan sighed, he was smiling.

Anyone could see that Qin Yan and Xu Zhixia were close, otherwise the usually sensible Xu Zhixia wouldn’t have so casually asked Qin Yan to pick him up so late.

Ji Mian’s fingers on his knees tightened one by one, trying to empathize with Xu Chiqiu, thinking about how the original owner would feel and react.

“Xu Chiqiu” struggled to keep his voice from sounding forced. “Zhi Xia is getting older, why is he still so playful?”

“He’s only nineteen, it’s normal for him to love having fun,” Qin Yan’s tone was surprisingly tolerant, carrying a hint of unconscious indulgence.

Xu Zhixia had skipped two grades in middle school, so even though he was now a junior in college, he was two years younger than his peers.

“…” On this topic, Xu Chiqiu didn’t want to dwell on it, since it only upset him, offering no benefit.

Qin Yan parked the car and guided Ji Mian onto the cruise ship. The waiter, upon hearing Qin Yan's name, immediately straightened up and handed them two room cards.

The banquet host, Lin Xu, stood at the entrance, his arm around a tall woman in a red dress—his new wife.

As soon as he spotted Qin Yan, a smile spread across his face. He released the woman and greeted him with a smile.

"Congratulations on the wedding," Qin Yan said.

"Thanks for coming, Qin Shao," Lin Xu replied, his eyes flicking to Ji Mian beside Qin Yan, a look of amazement crossing his face. "And who is this?"

"Xu Chiqiu, Zhi Xia’s older brother."

Lin Xu’s expression cleared with understanding. "Ah, the eldest son of the Xu family."

Xu Chiqiu wasn’t a familiar name in their circle. He’d spent years in the hospital and rarely mingled with these wealthy heirs. But as Qin Yan’s friend and having met Zhi Xia a few times, Lin Xu had heard of Xu Chiqiu.

"Hello, I'm Lin Xu," he extended his hand to Ji Mian.

Then a slender, pale hand reached out, gripping his palm firmly but not too tightly. Lin Xu hesitated for a moment before shaking hands and letting go.

Ji Mian’s hand was icy and bony, like shaking hands with a corpse.

Lin Xu shivered involuntarily, his hand twitching at his side.

The initial awe in his eyes faded abruptly. Looking closer at Ji Mian, he noticed flaws beneath the striking exterior: the thin shoulders, overly prominent collarbones, and the sickly pale complexion...

And Ji Mian’s outfit—it was summer, and they were at sea, yet he wore a heavy coat...

Lin Xu suddenly remembered Zhi Xia’s hands, with long, slender fingers, and palms and fingertips so delicate from pampering that they had no calluses, smooth as silk.

Though Lin Xu wasn’t into men, he had to admit Zhi Xia was an exceptionally rare beauty, with not a single flaw to be found.

Ji Mian caught Lin Xu’s subtle expression, lowering his eyes as if he understood. He quietly pulled his sleeve to cover the back of his hand slightly.

Qin Yan, oblivious to all this, turned to Ji Mian and asked, "Want to go in? Or do you want to enjoy the sea breeze?"

It was a warm summer night by the sea. He wasn’t worried about Ji Mian feeling uncomfortable.

"Let's go in," Ji Mian said. "At this time, the sea is probably dark."

Qin Yan nodded and led him into the cruise ship’s banquet hall.

The hall was brightly lit, waiters weaving through the crowd with trays of drinks and snacks. In the center, a few men and women in formal attire danced to the music, while most others gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing.

Qin Yan, worried Ji Mian might stumble, kept a firm grip on his forearm.

Knowing that Xu Chiqiu disliked crowds and shouldn’t stand for too long, he led Ji Mian to the rest area in the corner of the banquet hall.

The rest area had no lights, and all the light sources came from the center of the banquet hall, so the environment was somewhat dim.

Qin Yan walked ahead, with Ji Mian half a step behind.

A tall figure passed by the two, accidentally bumping into Qin Yan's shoulder. Qin Yan momentarily lost his balance, and Ji Mian, who was being led by him, also swayed.

After steadying himself, Qin Yan frowned and looked up at the man who had bumped into him. Upon seeing the man's face, he was momentarily stunned, and his expression changed: "Lu Ge?"

Hearing this name, Ji Mian also looked at the man.

His outfit was arguably the most laid-back and casual on the entire cruise ship. He sported a loose, patterned sleeveless T-shirt paired with black shorts, as if he were here for a beach getaway, not a formal banquet.

The banquet was packed with celebrities and artists, and the hall was filled with exceptionally good-looking men and women.

However, this man's appearance was no less impressive than the top artists in the banquet hall. His features were strikingly bold, with sharp, intense eyebrows and eyes. His short, straight, and thick black eyelashes didn’t curl up like most people’s but instead slanted downward, covering half of his pupils. Maybe because his lashes blocked half the light in his eyes, he always came off as a bit aloof.

Lu Ge raised his hand and brushed his shoulder where he’d bumped into Qin Yan, as if he’d touched something filthy.

Then he lazily raised his eyebrows, a half-hearted smirk playing on his lips. "Well, look who it is—President Qin."

With just one sentence, he shattered Ji Mian’s initial impression of his nonchalance.

He wasn’t lazy; his tone dripped with such arrogance and disdain it could make anyone squirm. The way he arched his eyebrows had a mischievous edge, a sharp contrast to Qin Yan’s composed and upright presence.

Ji Mian dug through Xu Chiqiu’s memories for any info on this guy.

Lu Ge…

The name was in Xu Chiqiu’s memory, and he had occasionally heard Qin Yan mention it. From Qin Yan’s accounts, this guy was a real piece of work—wild and completely unrestrained. Despite being born into a wealthy family, he’d picked up none of their class.

Qin Yan, a man of principle, naturally had no patience for Lu Ge’s hedonistic ways.

Moreover, the Lu family had entered the entertainment and media market a few years ago, making Lu Ge Qin Yan’s direct competitor. Despite his playboy act, Lu Ge had a razor-sharp business sense, and in several encounters, Qin Yan had actually not gained the upper hand.

As Ji Mian thought it over, he felt an unmistakable gaze land on him.

Turning his head, he indeed met Lu Ge’s indifferent eyes.

Lu Ge gave Ji Mian a quick once-over. "A guy?"

And a guy so skinny he was just skin and bones.

Lu Ge chuckled meaningfully. "President Qin’s got some unique taste, huh?"

"..." Qin Yan frowned in displeasure, releasing his grip on Ji Mian’s arm. "Don’t assume everyone’s as low-class as you. Chiqiu’s from the Xu family, not someone I’m involved with."

While the Xu family wasn’t as wealthy or influential as the Qin or Lu families, they were still a big name in City A. Anyone who had been in the upper circles for long would know of the Xu family.

Lu Ge had clearly heard of them too. When his gaze briefly met Ji Mian’s again, he lingered on him for an extra two seconds.

"Oh, so you’re the sickly kid from the Xu family?"

Ji Mian: "..."

"I thought you’d already kicked the bucket," he added with a chuckle.

His words were so shocking, it was a miracle no one had strangled him yet.

As Qin Yan had said, this man was indeed a very unpleasant character.

As if triggered by his words, Ji Mian broke into a coughing fit. But his coughing was so feeble, it seemed like he might keel over any second.

He wasn’t really angry; aside from Xu Zhixia, there was likely nothing or no one in the world that could ruffle his feathers.

But this was a great opportunity to win Qin Yan’s sympathy, and Ji Mian didn’t want to miss it.

He coughed so violently that he doubled over, clutching Qin Yan’s shirt to stay upright instead of crumpling to the floor.

Qin Yan, as expected, focused all his attention on him. After a moment of panic, he quickly placed his hand on Ji Mian’s back, patting it a few times.

He deliberately kept his touch light, but Ji Mian's body seemed like a fragile, thin piece of paper, easily torn and shattered by even the slightest external force.

Ji Mian took the opportunity to rest his forehead against Qin Yan's chest, and from a distance, it looked as if he was being embraced by Qin Yan.

Due to his agitation, his face and neck flushed with an unnatural redness, his body trembling. Even the thin jacket he wore couldn't conceal the protruding shoulder blades on his back, like real butterfly wings, quivering softly as if perched on a flower.

"Just a joke," Lu Ge said, unfazed by the sight. "Young Master Ji, don't get so worked up."

Empathy meant nothing to Lu Ge; he seemed to lack the instinct to cherish beauty and tenderness by nature, and in his over twenty years of life, he had never learned to reflect on himself.

"Lu Ge!" Qin Yan gently patted Ji Mian's back to help him catch his breath, his voice icy cold. "Don't go too far."

Lu Ge showed no intention of apologizing. Shrugging indifferently, he walked past them without a second glance.