Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Ji Mian looked at the animated figure on the screen and suddenly felt someone's gaze from his left.

Turning his head, he saw that the person who had been peeking at him had already turned away.

Not long after, Luo Ye returned to the second floor with a bag of chocolates given to him by Xiang Chen.

Seeing Luo Ye leave, Xiang Chen shifted closer to Ji Mian—earlier, he hadn't dared to do so with Luo Ye around.

He kicked off the cotton slippers Ji Mian had found for him and curled up into a ball.

The room was warm, and after watching for a while, Xiang Chen leaned against Ji Mian's arm and fell asleep.

After dinner, Aunt Lin also went home.

With the snowy roads slippery, Xiang Yanming and Luo Zishu instructed Ji Mian to take good care of his two younger brothers and decided to stay in a house near the company.

By nearly eight o'clock, the snow had stopped. Looking out the living room window, the snow-covered ground below was a vast white expanse under the streetlights of the neighborhood. The snow had been heavy at noon, and by now, it had accumulated into a thick layer.

Xiang Chen stood by the window for a while and said to Ji Mian, "Brother, I want to build a snowman."

"Aren't you afraid of the cold?"

"Not at all! I'll wear warm clothes."

Xiang Chen wasn't afraid of the cold, but Ji Mian was worried he might catch a chill.

"Brother..." Xiang Chen softened his tone and pleaded as he moved closer to Ji Mian.

"It’ll take at most half an hour to build a small one."

"Yay!"

Xiang Chen bounced on the sofa with excitement.

Ji Mian chuckled and called, "Xiao Chen."

Hearing Ji Mian call him, Xiang Chen stopped and threw himself into his arms.

"Do you like Brother Luo Ye?"

"Yeah, Brother Luo is really handsome." Even at his young age, Xiang Chen was already a bit of a looks enthusiast.

After saying that, he immediately added, "But you are the best-looking, brother!"

He’s quite the smooth talker.

Ji Mian thought to himself, thankfully, the little troublemaker didn’t see the red hair I had last summer.

"Do you want to play with Brother Luo Ye?"

At this, Xiang Chen paused for a moment, as Luo Ye had only spoken a few words to him today, and he wasn’t sure if Brother Luo would want to play with him.

After a brief pause, he nodded, "Yes."

Ji Mian smiled. "If you want to play with him, go call him, okay?"

"Okay!" Before Ji Mian could say another word, Xiang Chen slipped on his shoes and dashed upstairs to call him.

The system: "Seems like *you're* the one who wants to mess with the villain..." You’re really using a six-year-old kid for this?

Ji Mian didn’t deny it.

He leaned back on the sofa, tucking his chilly hands behind his neck to warm them.

It had been nearly six months since he first met Luo Ye.

Unlike Xiang Chen, who wore his heart on his sleeve, Luo Ye was usually stoic and reserved.

Ji Mian went quiet, remembering the injury he’d noticed on Luo Ye’s forehead earlier.

Even when he was picked on, he never said a word.

The thought of being the one to trigger Luo Ye’s tragic future made Ji Mian’s heart ache.

*

Xiang Chen was a pro at playing the spoiled kid. Somehow, in just a few minutes, he actually got Luo Ye to come downstairs.

Xiang Chen led Luo Ye into the living room. When their eyes met, Luo Ye quietly averted his gaze.

Xiang Chen started to brag, "Brother, I got Luo Gege to—"

"Go grab your gloves," Ji Mian cut him off.

"Oh..."

Two pairs of thick gloves sat on the edge of the sofa.

Xiang Chen grabbed a pair and slipped them on. He glanced at Ji Mian’s hands, then Luo Ye’s, unsure who should get the last pair.

"You too," Ji Mian said coolly, his eyes locked on Luo Ye.

Without a word, Luo Ye slid on the remaining pair.

Before they left, Ji Mian bundled each kid in a thick coat. He pulled out scarves and ear muffs, wrapping the kids up so snugly they could hardly move.

Luo Ye was fine, but Xiang Chen, being smaller, turned into a little ball, barely able to move his arms.

The three of them went downstairs. The snow outside was deep, rising above their shoe tops with every step.

Ji Mian stepped out first, the cold biting at his ankle. He crouched down and tugged their pants lower to keep the snow out of their socks.

He did it barehanded. As he adjusted Luo Ye’s pant leg, his cold fingertips brushed Luo Ye’s calf, making him shiver.

Luo Ye watched, wondering how Ji Mian’s hands could be so icy right after leaving the house.

This was Ji Mian’s fourth world. Only Lu Zhou’s body had been hardy; the others, like Xiang Nian’s, were always cold-sensitive.

As Ji Mian stood to put on his gloves, Luo Ye caught a glimpse of his reddened fingertips, his gaze softening briefly.

Xiang Chen couldn’t wait to frolic in the snow. He ran so fast that he tripped and fell, but it didn’t hurt, and he quickly got up and continued running.

He was wearing a black down jacket, while Ji Mian and Luo Ye stood downstairs, quietly watching a small black ball rolling around in the vast white snow.

They exchanged a tacit look—one looking up, the other down. In that brief moment of eye contact, Luo Ye almost thought the smile in Ji Mian’s eyes was meant for him.

Luo Ye turned his gaze away, found a spot with the thickest snow, and started shaping a small snowball, then rolled it on the ground.

When Xiang Chen went to the bedroom to get him, he suggested they build a snowman together, so Luo Ye got right to rolling a snowball.

Ji Mian’s snowball turned out a bit better than Luo Ye’s, not only bigger but also rounder.

Xiang Chen was the last to join in rolling snowballs. He dashed around downstairs, leaving a trail of footprints in the untouched snow, until Ji Mian called him back.

Half an hour later, three snowballs of varying sizes were piled up, with Xiang Chen's smallest one on top, followed by Luo Ye's and Ji Mian's.

Most snowmen have two balls, but the Xiang family's has three.

The three gleaming snowballs stacked together looked more like a geometric sculpture, hardly resembling a snowman. Ji Mian paused for a moment, then took off his red scarf and hung it around the snowman's neck.

It looked a bit more like a snowman now.

Seeing this, Xiang Chen quickly took off his scarf. But since the snowman already had one around its neck, Xiang Chen's scarf was tied around its waist.

It looked pretty weird.

Ji Mian couldn’t help laughing, and seeing him laugh, Xiang Chen grinned goofily.

Luo Ye stood beside them, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After a few seconds, he hung his ear muffs on top of the snowman.

...

Ji Mian snapped a photo of the snowman decked out in two scarves and ear muffs.

"Brother, come here," Xiang Chen waved at Ji Mian.

Ji Mian bent over.

Xiang Chen stood on tiptoe and pecked Ji Mian on the cheek.

"Hehe, I love you, brother!"

Ji Mian froze for a moment, while Luo Ye’s eyes shot wide open.

Ji Mian instinctively glanced at Luo Ye, startled by his reaction.

As soon as their eyes met, Luo Ye quickly backed away.

Ji Mian: "..."

*

Xiang Chen stayed with the Xiang family for over a week. Before the New Year, Liang Mingxuan sent a driver to pick him up, preparing to take him back to his grandparents' for the New Year.

The snow had long since melted, and the snowman was left with only a crooked and somewhat ugly shape. Ji Mian took back the scarves and ear muffs.

The night before leaving, Xiang Chen was already feeling a bit down, on the verge of tears, and even his favorite candy didn't interest him.

Ji Mian had no choice but to accompany Xiang Chen for the night.

The next day, Liang Mingxuan's driver arrived early in the morning.

As soon as Xiang Chen saw the driver's kind face and greeted him with "Hello, Uncle," he finally couldn't hold back and started wailing.

Driver: "..."

He awkwardly sat in the living room, trying to stay out of Xiang Chen's line of sight.

Xiang Chen said goodbye to Luo Ye first: "Brother Luo, I have to go."

His eyes were filled with tears, shining brightly.

Luo Ye pursed his lips, also feeling a bit reluctant.

Just as he was going to say something, Xiang Chen suddenly kissed him on the cheek, accidentally leaving some of his tears.

The wetness made Luo Ye shiver, since he wasn’t used to such overly intimate gestures.

Or rather, he struggled with affectionate gestures like hugs and kisses.

Luo Ye remembered when he was little, during New Year, his parents, still married then, took him to his grandparents’.

Many adults, some he knew, some he didn’t, kissed and hugged him, and his resistance didn’t help.

From those hugs and kisses that smelled of cigarettes and alcohol, he felt no warmth.

"..."

Luo Ye didn’t get where Xiang Chen picked up this goodbye habit. But thinking about Xiang Chen leaving, he pushed down his discomfort.

Xiang Chen, tears clinging to his lashes, ran to Ji Mian, hugging him and sobbing uncontrollably. He didn’t want to go.

Ji Mian had to comfort him: "I’ll visit you after New Year’s."

New Year’s was just a few days away, and from now to after New Year’s was only about ten days. It had been a while since he’d seen Liang Mingxuan, so after New Year’s, he’d go see her.

Xiang Chen was still crying, but hearing Ji Mian’s words, his voice softened, "Really?"

"Really."

The driver had been waiting in the living room for some time, since Liang Mingxuan had other plans for him that afternoon.

He stood up and said it was time to leave.

Xiang Chen turned to look at him, and his crying suddenly intensified.

The driver: "..."

Ji Mian carried Xiang Chen downstairs, with Xiang Chen tightly clinging to his neck.

Luo Ye followed behind, watching the two brothers ahead.

The driver opened the car door.

Before getting into the car, Ji Mian put Xiang Chen down, knelt down, and wiped the tears from Xiang Chen's face.

Luo Ye couldn't see Ji Mian's expression at that moment, and he felt a bit curious to go up and take a look.

Because the half-crouched figure looked exceptionally warm, making him wonder if Ji Mian's expression would be equally gentle.

"Brother... then I'm leaving..."

"Mm."

Ji Mian ruffled Xiang Chen's hair and kissed him on his fair cheek. As he turned his face, his beautiful jawline and lowered eyebrows fell into Luo Ye's eyes.

The way he kissed the cheek was exactly the same as how Xiang Chen had kissed Luo Ye earlier.

Luo Ye: ... So he learned it from this person.