Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Ji Mian finished his work a week ahead of schedule.

Before taking the flight back, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he didn’t let Xie Hang know he was coming back.

His flight left at 11 a.m., and he landed at 3 p.m. Knowing Xie Hang wasn’t home, he skipped going back and instead took a car to the school where Xie Hang worked.

During the extended break between classes, after the students from the first class had left, he grabbed a seat in one of the classrooms.

During the twenty-minute break, students trickled into the classroom.

The afternoon’s final class was a big lecture, with hundreds of students sitting together, none of them knowing each other.

Ji Mian casually took a seat at the back. He was dressed down, and his appearance had hardly changed over the past decade, fitting right in with the students.

However, his good looks and presence stood out, attracting frequent glances from the surrounding students.

He rested his head on the desk, letting his mind wander back to his college days.

"Hey, you’re not from our department, are you?" a guy next to him initiated a conversation. "I don’t think I’ve seen you before."

The guy was pretty outgoing, and he knew most people in the department, even if he didn’t know them personally. But he had no recollection of someone as distinctive as Ji Mian, which seemed odd.

Ji Mian smiled and said, "Nah, I’m just auditing."

The guy nodded understandingly and said, "Lots of people audit Professor Xie’s class."

Ji Mian asked curiously, "Is he a good teacher?"

"He’s good, but mostly it’s because he’s hot."

Ji Mian suppressed a laugh, "He is quite handsome."

"But you should be careful. During the class, fake taking notes, or he’ll boot you out."

"Boot me out?" Ji Mian was somewhat startled. "Is it really that bad?"

"Well... last semester, someone posted Professor Xie’s pic on the school’s social wall, and the next day, many students from other departments came to join the fun, leaving no room for the actual students. I heard Professor Xie was quite angry about it and kicked out all the non-regular students. For a long time after that, if he noticed the class size was off, he would check and expel people."

Ji Mian’s relaxed expression changed instantly.

He had almost forgotten... Xie Hang didn’t mess around when it came to work.

Most of the time, Xie Hang was serious and aloof. It was only with him that he was always accommodating.

At that moment, a tall guy in a black trench coat entered through the front door of the classroom, walked straight to the podium, and turned on the teaching computer on the smart podium. He didn’t look up at the students; he wasn’t arrogant, but he definitely came off as cold.

Ji Mian stared at the expressionless man on the podium for a few seconds.

Xie Hang’s seriousness was such a stark contrast to his usual demeanor at home that it even gave Ji Mian a sense of disconnection.

Ji Mian’s heart was pounding a bit.

Would his brother think he was goofing off?

"But if you’re really here to learn, it should be fine," the guy said, then hesitantly asked, "Are you?"

Ji Mian looked serious, "...No."

He came here with a rather mischievous mindset.

The guy chuckled at Ji Mian’s serious expression and patted him reassuringly, "Don’t sweat it, that was last semester’s drama."

But Ji Mian wasn’t reassured. He started wondering if he should bail before class began.

But just then, the bell rang.

The projector up front was all set, with the image paused on a certain page of the PPT.

Xie Hang looked up, his deep, steady voice booming through the mic to the back of the room: "Let’s begin."

Xie Hang had a great teaching rhythm, with a moderate pace and clear logic. The only downside was how serious he was in class, and his speech lacked humor, making it a bit dry, but listening attentively could indeed yield a lot.

"You’re good now," the guy who had spoken to Ji Mian whispered, "Professor Xie takes roll before he starts."

Ji Mian grinned and whispered a thanks: "Okay, thank you."

Our eyes naturally pick up on movement, so whispering in class is the easiest way to catch the teacher’s attention.

Xie Hang’s eyes drifted to the two whispering in the back right corner. It was just a quick look, but when he spotted the guy who seemed to glow with a smile, he stumbled over his words.

Ji Mian, sitting in the back, rarely heard Xie Hang falter and couldn’t help but look up at the podium, only to lock eyes with Xie Hang.

Ji Mian: "..."

Xie Hang faltered again but managed to wrap up the last two sentences on autopilot, just as a knowledge point ended.

Then, there was no more sound.

Xie Hang leaned on the podium with one hand, seemingly pausing normally between paragraphs.

He looked down for a good ten seconds, his stern demeanor crumbling. Only when his ears were burning red did he finally continue.

Xie Hang returned to his previous state.

But for the rest of the class, he avoided glancing toward Ji Mian’s spot.

After class, the students left the classroom one after another, and a few students lined up on the podium to ask Xie Hang questions.

As he answered, Xie Hang fought the urge to glance around.

Even without turning, he couldn’t ignore the presence of someone in the empty back seats.

In his peripheral vision, that figure stood up and walked towards him.

Ji Mian joined the line behind the last student.

Xie Hang lowered his head and sped up his speech.

More than ten minutes later, the guy in front of Ji Mian said, "I understand," thanked Xie Hang, and left with his paper and pen.

In the classroom, only the two people facing each other remained.

Xie Hang looked at Ji Mian without saying a word, his black pupils very bright, quite different from the serious and stern appearance during class. It was the Xie Hang that Ji Mian was familiar with, and it seemed that there was no sign of him being annoyed by Ji Mian’s unseriousness.

Ji Mian’s eyes curved, and he jokingly called out, "Professor Xie?"

"..." Xie Hang’s neck flushed pink in seconds.

Ji Mian watched, surprised, as Xie Hang's face turned completely red.

Does his brother really like being called that?

He hooked his fingers onto Xie Hang's sleeve and continued, "I have a question for Teacher Xie."

Xie Hang's neck gradually flushed from pink to red. "...Hmm."

"Did you miss me, huh?"

"..."

Xie Hang was speechless for a while, nearly overwhelmed by the teasing.

He grabbed Ji Mian's wrist and pulled him out of the classroom.

As they were about to leave the classroom, Ji Mian stopped: "Brother Heng, it's not appropriate."

At school, only a handful knew Xie Hang had a same-sex partner. The academic world wasn't exactly welcoming, and he didn't want to stir up trouble for Xie Hang.

Xie Hang glanced back, released his hand, pushed the classroom door open, and strode ahead.

Ji Mian followed, keeping a respectful distance.

People who knew Xie Hang greeted him along the way.

Xie Hang found a parking spot and got in the car. Ji Mian followed shortly after and took the passenger seat.

Knowing he couldn't control himself around Ji Mian, Xie Hang didn't risk kissing him in the car.

The drive home was only twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Once inside, Xie Hang tried to play it cool, waiting a few seconds before kissing Ji Mian, but it didn't help much.

Xie Hung kissed him fiercely, not letting Ji Mian speak as he undid his belt, his hand slipping inside, leaving Ji Mian breathless.

"Bro..."

"Mr. Xie..."

Xie Hang shivered at Ji Mian's voice, nearly losing it.

Ji Mian's legs gave out from Xie Hang's touch, and he couldn't stay upright against the wall.

Xie Hang held Ji Mian's butt with one hand, supported his lower back with the other, and carried him to the bedroom.

He laid Ji Mian on the bed, freed a hand to undo the belt, then paused and asked, "Are you hungry?"

It was nearly seven, and he remembered Ji Mian hadn't eaten yet.

Ji Mian buried his face in the pillow, chuckling, then said, "I'm fine."

Xie Hang grabbed his slender ankles and pressed him down.

"Let's aim for nine."

At nine, Xie Hung got dressed and came out to make dinner for Ji Mian.

It had been two months since Ji Mian came home, and this dinner should have been more sumptuous, but Xie Hang was a bit anxious, so the final product wasn't so exquisite. Afterward, he stayed by the table, watched Ji Mian finish his wine, and then led him back to the bedroom.

Late at night, Xie Hang tidied up the mess, helped Ji Mian to the bathroom to get cleaned up, and then started kissing him slowly.

Ji Mian was too exhausted to even move his tongue. After Xie Hang kissed him for a bit, he pushed his head away.

"Brother... I’m tired."

Xie Hang gently kissed Ji Mian’s forehead twice, "Will you have to travel a lot for work in the future?"

Ji Mian yawned, "It shouldn’t be too bad."

"Good." Xie Hang sighed softly, nuzzled into Ji Mian’s neck, and muttered, "It’s so hard to deal with..."

Ji Mian gazed at the ceiling for a while.

"...Mm."

*

*

Even in their later years, Xie Hang couldn’t relax and enjoy a leisurely retirement with Ji Mian.

The school often sought his advice, and his former students would drop by occasionally...

What he found both comforting and frustrating was that Ji Mian stayed spry well into his seventies, so he’d often go out with his silver-haired buddies.

Only in his old age did Xie Hang realize there were still so many activities for the elderly that it annoyed him.

Over the Lunar New Year, the neighbor across the street went to their children’s home for the holiday and asked Ji Mian and Xie Hang to look after their parrot for a few days.

This was the fourth year they had helped take care of the parrot, and they were already quite experienced.

Xie Hang even taught it a new trick.

Every time Ji Mian had something to go out, the vibrant parrot would hop over, its beak opening and closing, "Come home early!"

Ji Mian: ...

He knew right away who was behind it.

Every time he went out to meet friends, Xie Hang would always say this to him.

"Come home early!"

Ji Mian lifted the cloth bag in his hand and said to the parrot, "I’m just going out to buy some oranges."

"Come home early!!"

"..."

Ji Mian squinted towards the living room, where Xie Hang was sitting upright on the sofa, acting oblivious to his "student’s" mischief.

"Brother Heng?"

Xie Hang wouldn’t ignore Ji Mian’s voice. Hearing Ji Mian call him, he got up and came over. He defended himself, "It learned it on its own."

Ji Mian smiled, "When is your student coming to pay New Year’s greetings?"

"Not sure, around noon." Xie Hang glanced at his cloth bag, "I’ll go with you."

"It’s only a ten-minute walk."

"..." Xie Hang silently looked at him.

Ji Mian held his hand, "Come on, let's go."

They headed out together, leaving the parrot alone for just ten minutes.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, it opened its beak:

"Get home soon!!"

(End of World Three)