Chapter 82

Chapter 82

At the sound of a sharp crack, the two people opposite froze. Chen Xu paused mid-bite and stared at Ji Mian, bewildered.

Xie Hang was the first to react. He leaned down to retrieve the chopsticks, placed them on the table, and said, "I'll go get a new pair."

He was sitting on the outer side, making it easier for him to step out.

However, just as he was about to stand up, someone tugged at his sleeve.

Looking down, he saw Ji Mian tightly gripping a corner of his sleeve, his dark eyes clouded with confusion.

Xie Hang’s brows knitted together in concern. He decided against fetching the chopsticks, only worried about Ji Mian’s odd behavior. "You okay?"

Ji Mian’s lips twitched slightly.

Brother...

At this moment, Jia Wenbo spoke up, "No need to go. I’ll have a new set brought over."

Xie Han sat back down, his sleeve still clutched by Ji Mian.

After a while, a waiter brought over a new set.

Ji Mian took a deep breath to steady himself, and his fingers gradually released Xie Han’s sleeve.

It was just a sentence… It couldn’t mean much.

"No, as evidence, it's enough to explain the problem," the system chimed in.

Ji Mian didn't understand its words. "...What do you mean?"

"Here’s the thing. Basically, Duan Zhuo, Lu Ge, and Xie Han next to you might be the same guy."

Ji Mian’s breath caught in his throat.

"Wait… what?"

"Xiao Zhou," Jia Wenbo called out, concerned, "What's wrong with you?"

Ji Mian was still immersed in the system's words. When he raised his eyes, he could barely keep up the ‘Lu Zhou’ act.

The three people at the table almost all turned their gazes to him, nervous about Ji Mian’s strange behavior.

Ji Mian suddenly clenched his fingers on his knees. His neatly trimmed nails bit into his palms due to the excessive force. The pain snapped him back to his senses.

"I..." he struggled to speak, "I gotta hit the restroom."

Jia Wenbo was stunned. "Oh, okay."

Xie Han glanced at Ji Mian and stood up to make way for him.

As Ji Mian passed by him, he tried his best not to turn his head to look at Xie Han.

The restaurant was too big. Ji Mian didn't even have the mood to find the way and just walked straight ahead recklessly.

He didn't find the restroom but instead stumbled into the restaurant's outdoor terrace area.

The terrace was deserted, the winter air bitingly cold. Looking down, it was a slightly quiet street.

Cold air crept into Ji Mian's collar. Whether from the chill or not, he shivered, his grip tightening on the terrace railing.

"System... what did you say?"

The system replied, "Sorry, I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing, so I didn't tell you until the guess was confirmed."

"Ever since the last world ended, I've been puzzling over Duan Zhuo and Lu Ge's unusual Affection Points, and I finally found the answer recently..."

The system laid out its reasoning to Ji Mian step by step.

In fact, ever since Xie Hang confessed to Ji Mian a month ago, its theory had been largely confirmed.

It seemed that no matter the world they found themselves in, that person's soul would inevitably fall for Ji Mian again, no matter the unfamiliar face its host wore.

Xie Hang's remark at dinner today was the second clue. Any lingering doubts the system had were now gone.

"I know this is tough to swallow, but you had a hunch about Lu Ge in the last world, right? We just dismissed it as too far-fetched."

"..."

The system asked softly, "How are you holding up?"

Ji Mian slowly crouched down, his body pressed against the icy glass beneath the railing, numbed by the wind. "Xie Hang, and Mr. Lu..."

"Yeah," the system paused. "I’m not sure if telling you this helps or hurts."

Ji Mian had just started to move forward, and it was unclear what effect this would have.

"Thank you, system."

"No need for thanks. Let's go back first."

Ji Mian sniffled and said, "It might be a bit difficult right now." The tears probably wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

The system: "..."

*

At the dining table, Xie Hang glanced at his watch again; Ji Mian had been gone for nearly ten minutes.

Noticing his action, Jia Wenbo also muttered, "Xiao Zhou’s taking his time..."

Xie Hang finally couldn't hold back and stood up, "I’ll go look for him."

"Ah? Oh, okay."

The restaurant was on the seventh floor, and Xie Hang searched all the restrooms on the seventh floor but couldn't find Ji Mian.

When he arrived near the terrace entrance of the restaurant, he sent Ji Mian two messages.

After waiting a few seconds with no reply from Ji Mian, Xie Hang simply sent a voice call request, stepping onto the quieter terrace at the same time.

His gaze fell on a certain spot on the terrace and suddenly stopped. The unlit terrace was bathed in faint moonlight, revealing a figure in a white coat.

Ji Mian was sitting on the ground, leaning against the terrace railing, staring up at the sky in a daze.

Xie Hang put down his phone and ended the call.

Ji Mian noticed him at this moment, turned his head, and called out, "...Brother?"

Ji Mian usually called him "Brother Heng," rarely using just a single character, but Xie Hang thought for a moment and still responded, "Yeah."

Then he saw Ji Mian smile at him softly, a little goofy.

His smile was hardly visible in the dark, yet it somehow made Xie Hang's heart skip a beat.

He walked over, "Why are you sitting here—"

Xie Hang's words abruptly stopped.

Under the faint moonlight, as he got closer to Ji Mian, the tears streaming down Ji Mian's cheeks were unmistakable. He was crying silently, barely making a sound.

Xie Hang had thought that when this person cried, it would be like the time he got drunk in that small restaurant—wailing and howling at the top of his lungs, desperately letting out his emotions.

His heart felt like it was about to break, the pain made even breathing difficult.

He took a hesitant step forward, his voice soft, "...Why are you crying?"

Ji Mian didn’t respond.

Xie Hang bent his left knee, kneeling down to meet his eye level.

He raised his hand to cup Ji Mian's face, wiping away his tears.

Ji Mian looked up at him, not avoiding Xie Hang's touch. The hand against his cheek felt warm.

He really didn't want to cry at this moment, but his tears seemed unstoppable, tears kept flowing.

No matter how much Xie Han wiped, he couldn't dry the tears falling from Ji Mian's eyes, each tear that fell on his hand felt hot and painful.

At this moment, Xie Hang actually felt a bit ridiculous for being so upset earlier over 'no hope.'

What if there was no hope? He was already tied to this person, and there was no turning back in this lifetime.

He let go of the hand wiping Ji Mian's tears, giving up on the pointless task.

He tightly hugged Ji Mian, kissing his hair, his palm tenderly caressing the back of Ji Mian's neck.

The person in his arms didn’t resist, which surprised him.

After a while, Xie Hang's left hand still rested on Ji Mian's waist, but the hand on his neck slowly relaxed, unwilling to maintain the current distance.

He cupped Ji Mian's face, gently kissing his eyes with reverence.

"By the way, public space... remind your brother to keep it appropriate," the system said.

Ji Mian's head moved, pulling away from Xie Hang’s arms.

Xie Hang pursed his lips, guessing that Ji Mian would react this way. And taking advantage of the situation was pretty low of him.

"Hey, bro, we’re in public..."

Xie Hang: "..."

He suddenly remembered the scene he had witnessed in the men's restroom during high school, and his expression changed.

But then he noticed Ji Mian's wording.

Ji Mian had pushed him away because they were in a public place, not because he was rejecting him.

Xie Hang realized something, his eyes instantly lighting up, and he held onto Ji Mian’s wrist tightly.

Is it really "hopeless"? Maybe not.

"Bro?"

Xie Heng suddenly smiled, "Am I really that bad?"

Ji Mian knew what he was referring to. 'Am I that bad? Are you so sure you'll never like me in this lifetime?' These were the words Xie Heng said to him on the day he confessed.

"You seem a bit better," Xie Heng said after staring into Ji Mian's eyes for a few seconds.

Ji Mian blinked twice and realized it indeed felt better.

He returned to his usual Lu Zhou demeanor and sighed wistfully. "Brother Heng, are my eyes red? I think I’m going to ruin Wen Bo’s birthday."

Xie Heng wanted to say something to comfort him, but seeing Ji Mian's swollen eyes, he couldn't bring himself to speak.

If we go back like this, Jia Wenbo will definitely worry.

"What do we do, Brother Heng?"

Xie Heng thought for a long time and said, "...I don't know."

Ji Mian looked at Xie Heng with his puffy eyes, sighing in distress. "Let’s head back. If we don’t, Wen Bo will come looking for us."

"Yeah," Xie Heng responded, then reached out to touch the red corner of Ji Mian's eye. Ji Mian's eyelashes brushed against his fingers, giving him a slight tickle.

They had to go back.

Xie Heng suddenly felt reluctant. Here, he had held and kissed him. But once they returned, he and Ji Mian would sit in the same row, unable to even look each other in the eye while speaking.

"Let’s go, Brother Heng," Ji Mian prepared to stand up.

But Xie Heng reached out and held his wrist.

"Brother Heng?"

Xie Heng swallowed hard and leaned down to kiss Ji Mian’s eye corner one last time.

He knelt on one knee, towering over Ji Mian, his body almost completely enveloping him.

"—Cough cough!"

"Damn!"

The two voices that rang out at the same time made Xie Heng’s back stiffen.

"..."

Chen Xu, who had just stepped onto the terrace, completely lost control of his expression.

Jia Wenbo was just as shocked, but he handled it a bit better than Chen Xu. After the initial shock, he quickly composed himself, apologized, and dragged Chen Xu off the terrace.

Ji Mian: …

Mortified, he weakly pushed Xie Heng’s chest away, covered his eyes, and retreated into himself.