Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Auntie Lin came out of the kitchen at this moment, calling the finally reunited family to the dining room to eat.

Xiang Chen held onto Ji Mian's hand and wouldn’t let go, insisting on sitting next to Ji Mian during the meal, sticking close to him.

Luo Ye, just like before, sat across from Ji Mian.

During the meal, Ji Mian couldn’t help but steal glances at him, eager to confide in someone: "System..."

"Hmm?"

"My brother’s changed so much!"

"Which one?"

"Luo Ye." Xiang Chen had also grown taller, but only by two or three centimeters, which didn’t impress Ji Mian as much as Luo Ye did.

The system checked and gave him the data: "He’s grown twelve centimeters since you left."

"!!" That much!

"Boys grow fast during puberty."

Ji Mian absentmindedly poked the beef in his bowl, "Why didn’t my brother grow at all while I was here? Just a year after I left, he shot up so much."

Ji Mian always suspected that when he was at the Xiang family, Luo Ye was so upset by him that he couldn’t eat or sleep properly, which is why he didn’t develop much during those years?

The system responded bluntly: "Yeah, it’s possible."

"..."

Ji Mian suddenly lost his appetite.

While he was talking to the system, Luo Ye across from him frowned slightly, a little restless.

After a year, he noticed his brother’s expressions were harder to read than before.

In the evening, while the five of them were chatting and watching TV in the living room, Xiang Chen always stayed close to Ji Mian, not budging an inch.

"I wanna sleep with my brother," he said, grabbing Ji Mian’s arm and carefully looking at him.

Ji Mian patted his back twice and said, "Alright."

When taking Xiang Chen upstairs, he just carried the clingy kid up. Xiang Chen wrapped his arms and legs tightly around Ji Mian.

Luo Ye followed behind them, staring at Xiang Chen in Ji Mian’s arms for a good while.

After returning to his room and taking a shower, it was still before ten o’clock. Luo Ye thought for a moment, went back to his desk to work on some problems, and occasionally couldn’t help but glance at the wall next door during the intervals.

The room was still silent, but just knowing that Ji Mian was next door at this moment, a certain emptiness in his heart seemed to be filled. It felt very solid.

*

Xiang Chen stayed at home for about a week before being picked up by Liang Mingxuan.

After seeing off Xiang Chen, the big house was left with just Ji Mian and Luo Ye.

This was the first time they were alone together since Ji Mian returned after a year, and both felt a little lost.

"..."

Ji Mian remained silent and walked over to the sofa by himself. He hesitated briefly, unlike his usual habit of sitting at the far end of the sofa when Luo Ye was around.

He sat down in the middle.

Luo Ye was momentarily taken aback by this.

He pursed his lips and sat down just half a meter away from Ji Mian.

Normally, when they sat this close, Xiang Chen would be between them. Today, however, the space was empty.

Luo Ye glanced at Ji Mian, and seeing no reaction, he grabbed a pillow, hugged it to his chest, and turned his attention to the TV, unaware that Ji Mian’s gaze had quietly settled on him.

Ji Mian looked down at Luo Ye’s hair, realizing that his perspective had changed since last year.

He’s really… grown a lot.

He lowered his eyes, his heart heavy with the thought of what he was about to do.

The original host, Xiang Nian, began to shift his attitude toward Luo Ye during his first year back from university.

After a year apart, the original host returned from abroad and suddenly realized his stepbrother had grown into an exceptionally handsome young man.

Xiang Nian had no specific gender preference but was particularly drawn to beauty. During his four years abroad, the few boyfriends and girlfriends he had all shared a youthful, androgynous look.

According to the system’s description, the 14-year-old Luo Ye possessed a unique, almost androgynous quality, like the perfect image rendered in the finest strokes of a Western oil painting. This perfectly aligned with Xiang Nian’s peculiar and unconventional tastes.

Ji Mian gazed at Luo Ye’s profile. Though his frame had filled out, the soft contours of his face remained.

But… it seemed a bit different from the image the system had described?

Luo Ye’s eyelashes were long but straight, hanging downward. When he half-closed his eyes in thought, they completely covered his pupils, lacking the bright, lively look of a girl’s.

With his high nose bridge and thick, sharp eyebrows, Luo Ye looked like a strikingly handsome boy, not at all like a girl.

To Ji Mian, his younger brother simply seemed exceptionally delicate and cute, nothing more.

The task still needed to be completed.

Ji Mian looked dazed, as if captivated by the person before him, and instinctively reached out his hand.

His fingertips brushed Luo Ye’s hair, and his fingers gently twirled a soft strand.

Luo Ye’s body stiffened, caught completely off guard by Ji Mian’s sudden move.

He stayed rigid but didn’t pull away from Ji Mian’s touch.

Brother…

Luo Ye didn’t react for a while, until Ji Mian’s fingers slowly drifted from his hair to his cheek.

The cool fingertips, even in the summer heat, brushed against his slightly warm cheek, and he finally turned his head cautiously.

…Brother?

Seeing the pure innocence in those eyes, Ji Mian’s guilt instantly surged, and the psychological and moral barriers he’d barely overcome snapped back into place.

He abruptly withdrew his hand, stood up, and strode out of the living room, heading upstairs, his retreating figure somewhat resembling a hasty escape.

After Ji Mian left, Luo Ye rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, lost in thought about the dazed and uneasy expression his brother had shown when looking at him earlier.

*

Ji Mian entered the art studio on the second floor, locked the door behind him, leaned against it, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Thinking back to what he had done just half a minute ago, he turned around and gently bumped his forehead against the doorframe twice.

Feeling utterly crushed: "System, I'm really a piece of trash..."

The system said casually: "This is just the tip of the iceberg. The task has only just started."

Ji Mian thought about how much worse the things he would have to do in the future would be compared to today, and he felt a pang of sorrow, as he started feeling guilty in advance.

For now, there was another matter to attend to.

He looked around the studio, then sat down in front of the easel and began to sketch the side profile of Luo Ye he had just seen.

Once he picked up the pencil, before he knew it, over two hours had passed.

"What do you think?" Ji Mian asked the system for feedback.

The figure in the painting was a half-length portrait of a boy around fourteen or fifteen years old, with smooth and delicate lines on his side profile, his lashes drooped, and an expression of deep concentration. Below, a slender neck and broad shoulders filled out a loose short-sleeved shirt quite nicely.

Since it was drawn from memory, the final result had slight differences from Luo Ye's actual features, but it still bore a close likeness, easily recognizable as the person in the painting.

"Not bad," the system commented, "but..."

But?

The system said in a low voice: "Have the kid undressed."

Ji Mian: "..."

Ji Mian's ears turned bright red.

"The original owner only painted nudes."

"..."

"If needed, I can provide you with a human body template."

"...No need."

Just the thought of his innocent and adorable younger brother appearing on the canvas in such a form made Ji Mian frown deeply. And to think he would be the one to draw it?

Luo Ye is still too young.

"Wasn't it when Ono was seventeen that he accidentally stumbled upon those paintings in the studio? I think... we don’t need to hurry. Let’s take it step by step."

"Hmph," the system had long been aware that the tasks in this world weren’t exactly kind to its host, and it hadn’t expected much progress in this world from the start. Hearing this, it said helplessly: "Fine, have it your way. Just make sure you don’t end up with fewer than a hundred Affection Points."

Every point matters. It tried to find some solace in the thought.

Ji Mian relaxed a bit and stored away the drawing on the easel, which looked somewhat decent.

*

During this holiday, Ji Mian had become somewhat nicer to Luo Ye.

Though they still weren’t exactly close, Ji Mian was no longer as quick to snap or mock Luo Ye at every turn.

Xiang Yanming felt quite relieved, believing his son had grown more composed after a year abroad.

Luo Ye didn’t see it that way. In his eyes, Ji Mian had never changed. This time, he didn’t seem as inclined to put on that icy shell as before.

The one-month break flew by in a flash.

The day Ji Mian left was in mid-September, and Luo Ye happened to have the weekend off. Xiang Yanming and Luo Zhishu drove Ji Mian to the airport, and they took Luo Ye along too.

The two brothers sat close together in the back seat. It was their second separation, and both were more experienced this time, so the emotions weren’t as tumultuous as the first time.

Xiang Yanming grabbed Ji Mian’s suitcase from the trunk and walked him into the airport.

After checking in, Ji Mian was ready to go and said goodbye to everyone.

"I’m leaving now," he said, addressing Xiang Yanming, but his gaze eventually lingered on Luo Ye. This goodbye meant they wouldn’t see each other for another year.

However, not coming back for a long time should be a good thing for Luo Ye. Ji Mian figured he must be a pretty annoying brother.

Ji Mian felt a pang of sadness thinking about how much taller Luo Ye had grown in the year he’d been gone.

Just as he was about to leave, Luo Ye called out, "Brother."

Ji Mian paused and glanced over.

Luo Ye’s eyes lingered on his lips, waiting quietly.

"Hmm?" Ji Mian didn’t have Luo Ye’s knack for observing people, and after looking for a while, he couldn’t figure out what his brother was waiting for.

He casually glanced at Luo Ye’s cheeks. Last year, there was still some baby fat, but this year, only two beautiful curves remained, perfectly blending with the angle of his jaw, as if sharp edges were about to emerge. But his skin was still so pale, it looked like a poke might leave a dent.

—He felt the urge to kiss the boy.

But with Luo Ye’s innocent, fluttering big eyes looking at him, Ji Mian had the desire but not the courage.

Besides, Luo Ye was fourteen this year. Although only a year older than last year, back then he only reached Ji Mian’s chin height, and in Ji Mian’s eyes, he was still just an immature child. But now, Luo Ye was clearly a somewhat awkward young adult.

Kissing a child and kissing a teenager who was almost as tall as himself felt completely different.

Ji Mian felt too awkward and strange, so he let it go.

"I’m leaving," he said indifferently, waving his boarding pass.

Luo Ye watched him go, his eyes lowering slightly.