Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Ji Mian looked around the crowd and finally found his younger brother, Luo Ye, who was blending into the middle of the fifth-grade line.

He walked over and called out "Luo Ye" with a hint of impatience in his voice.

The homeroom teacher of Class Five saw Ji Mian's outfit and immediately raised her hand to stop him, on guard: "Who are you?"

She thought: Where did this troublemaker come from?

From the uniform, he was from the affiliated school, but students there couldn’t have hairstyles like that.

Ji Mian's high school indeed didn’t allow it; he’d dyed his hair red after finishing the middle school entrance exam, planning to keep it just for the summer. His homeroom teacher had just chewed him out a few days ago, and he was about to cut it off.

Before cutting it off, he figured he’d get one last use out of it.

"I’m Luo Ye’s..." Ji Mian paused, hesitating, as if he didn’t want to say it, "I’m his brother."

The teacher eyed him suspiciously.

Luo Ye's brother?

In the teacher's eyes, Luo Ye was quieter and better-behaved than even the girls in the class. How could he have a brother like this?

"You’re from the affiliated school?" she asked.

"Yes, the high school division."

The teacher frowned, "The high school division isn’t out yet, is it?"

Ji Mian nodded, "Yeah, I ditched class to come here."

The teacher: "..."

The elementary students nearby: "..."

The teacher, though not yet thirty, already carried herself like a seasoned educator, but upon hearing Ji Mian's words, she felt a headache coming on.

She had no authority over the high school students, but this kid was way too bold!

"Luo Ye!" Ji Mian called out toward the fifth-grade line.

"You..." The teacher took a deep breath, about to reprimand him—

At that moment, Luo Ye, carrying his backpack, stepped out of the line.

He stood next to Ji Mian and said, "Brother."

Ji Mian reached out and placed his hand on Luo Ye's head, pressing his palm against the back of Luo Ye's skull.

The borrowed uniform was one size too big, and as he moved, the sleeve slid up a bit, revealing his slender wrist bone.

But the force with which he pressed Luo Ye's head wasn’t gentle at all, like he was using Luo Ye as a human crutch.

Luo Ye: "..."

Brother, your arm is really heavy.

Ji Mian had found his brother but wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

He tilted his head, his sharp, intense eyes scanning the row of students.

Starting from the front, his gaze swept back row by row like a spotlight, pausing on each boy’s face for half a second.

When he reached the eighth row, his eyes locked with a chubby boy, who suddenly shivered.

He wasn’t sure who had bullied Luo Ye, and he didn’t care to find out. He came here to assert his authority, so the kid wouldn’t get bullied again.

Ji Mian’s gaze halted, locking tightly onto the boy.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept up, lifting the strands of hair on Ji Mian’s forehead. His auburn hair was swept back, revealing his forehead, and his cold face took on a sharper edge.

Fang Zihao pursed his lips for a moment, then let out a loud "wah" as he burst into tears.

Ji Mian’s hand resting on Luo Ye’s head trembled slightly.

He… hadn’t meant to make the kid cry.

Feeling the slight tremor above him, Luo Ye looked up and saw the fierce face now tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Seeing this, the homeroom teacher gritted her teeth and told Ji Mian to take Luo Ye and leave right away.

Staying here would only ruin more kids’ innocent childhoods.

Ji Mian quickly led Luo Ye away, his steps hurried.

*

After that, Luo Ye never had a scratch on him, and his pencil case stayed spotless.

Fang Zihao never dared to mess with him again, and quietly spread rumors in class that Luo Ye had a terrifying older brother. The rumor somehow morphed into Ji Mian being a gang leader with dozens of underlings, and the boys in class started calling Luo Ye 'Brother Luo' instead of his name.

Luo Ye: …

Within two days, Ji Mian dyed his hair back to black, and his demeanor softened.

When he came home after dyeing his hair, Luo Ye stared at him for a moment, barely recognizing the cool, composed young man as his once-delinquent older brother.

Time flew by, and winter break came around.

For some reason, the first snow of the year was unusually late, and not a single flake had fallen by the end of January, but the cold was still biting.

The house was heated, and both floors were cozy, but stepping outside, the biting northwest wind howled through the building gaps, carrying a chill that cut to the bone.

Ji Mian could handle heat, but he wasn’t a fan of the cold. Winter break had started almost a week ago, and he still hadn’t stepped outside.

Early that morning, Xiang Yanming and Luo Zhishu headed to the company. Ji Mian and Luo Ye didn’t sleep in, and they were downstairs having breakfast with their parents before 8 a.m.

"By the way," Xiang Yanming said to Ji Mian at breakfast, "Your mom’s sending your brother over today. Xiao Chen’s staying here for a few days."

Ji Mian nodded, "Yeah, my mom told me last night."

Last night, his mother, Liang Mingxuan, had sent him a message saying that she wanted Xiao Chen to stay at the Xiang family for a week or two to spend some time with Ji Mian.

When Ji Mian was in school, it was inconvenient for both of them. He had a heavy academic workload, and the school had classes on Saturday mornings. Liang Mingxuan was busy with work and lived in a different city, so the two brothers hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

Brother? Luo Ye took a bite of his fried egg, looking up at Ji Mian as he chewed slowly. He hadn’t known Ji Mian had a brother.

Ji Mian had never mentioned the matter in front of him either.

Not long after breakfast, light snow began to fall, the first snow of this winter, coming at just the right moment.

By noon, the snowflakes had grown from salt grains to large, feathery flakes.

Ji Mian lounged in the living room, waiting for Xiang Chen, with a nature documentary playing on the TV.

Luo Ye, who had been reading upstairs, came down, feeling the bedroom was a bit stifling.

Ji Mian stayed silent as Luo Ye came down.

The narrator’s low, steady voice from the TV filled the living room. The two of them occupied opposite ends of the sofa, sitting far apart, keeping their distance.

An eerie yet delicate harmony hung in the air, as if the suffocating silence didn’t bother them.

Ji Mian worried the documentary might bore Luo Ye but couldn’t guess his preferences.

As he hesitated with the remote, the doorbell rang.

Before Ji Mian could get up, Xiang Chen’s clear voice calling “Brother!” echoed into the living room.

The door opened, and standing there was Liang Mingxuan’s driver, along with a small child who only reached up to the doorknob.

Xiang Chen, only seven and in second grade, was much younger than Luo Ye.

“Brother!!” Xiang Chen rushed at Ji Mian, his hat damp from melting snow.

He clung to Ji Mian’s legs, refusing to let go as the driver prepared to leave.

But Xiang Chen didn’t forget to say, “Goodbye, Uncle Zhang.”

The driver, in his forties, smiled warmly and waved, his affection obvious.

Ji Mian peeled Xiang Chen off, hugged him, kissed his hair, and stood up.

Luo Ye stood at the corner of the sofa, watching the brothers reunite in the living room to the right of the entrance.

Seeing them close, he didn’t feel loss but rather out of place.

As he considered going upstairs, Ji Mian calmly said, “This is your brother, Luo Ye.”

Xiang Chen noticed Luo Ye, a head taller, and looked up at his brother.

He let go of his brother’s hand and gently patted his back, a subtle reminder.

Xiang Chen walked over and said politely, “Hello, Brother Luo.”

Luo Ye hesitated before saying, “…Hello.”

Xiang Chen smiled, resembling Ji Mian but without his cold arrogance.

The boy’s pure, kind eyes and politeness showed he was well-raised by someone gentle.

Though the divorce must have affected him, Xiang Chen showed no signs of trauma.

Ji Mian returned to the sofa, sitting in the center, facing the TV.

When Xiang Chen arrived, he was carrying a backpack. Inside, there were a few winter break homework assignments and a bag full of snacks.

Ji Mian noticed the bag of chocolates, and his eyebrows lifted slightly. "Xiao Chen."

"I know," Xiang Chen said before Ji Mian could speak. "Eating too much sugar will cause cavities."

He took out a full handful from his backpack and first offered it to Luo Ye on the left: "Brother Luo, here you go."

Luo Ye paused briefly, then accepted it awkwardly.

"...Thank you."

While Luo Ye could handle the unfriendliness of his peers with ease, he felt a bit unsure when faced with the kindness and enthusiasm of a child.

Xiang Chen then took out another large handful and gave it to Ji Mian before sitting down between the two of them.

As the youngest of the three, he had the privilege of controlling the remote control first.

"Brother Luo, do you like watching cartoons?" Xiang Chen turned and asked, his large, bright eyes like a lively fawn's.

It seemed that if Luo Ye said he didn't like it, Xiang Chen would considerately change the channel for the older brother beside him.

Luo Ye hesitated for a moment, his long eyelashes lowering as he hesitantly replied, "I like it."

Only then did Xiang Chen tune into his favorite cartoon channel.

This time, he didn't ask for Ji Mian's opinion, knowing his brother always let him pick first.

With the addition of a well-behaved and sensible child in the living room, Luo Ye had to admit that Xiang Chen was the most endearing child he'd ever known.

But for some reason, he actually preferred being alone with Ji Mian.

Perhaps it was because his love for documentaries far outweighed his interest in cartoons.

After the cartoon had been playing for over ten minutes, Luo Ye looked over at Xiang Chen, who was engrossed in the TV, then subtly studied the impassive face of the person sitting a little further away.