Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Luo Ye changed with each passing year, and Ji Mian felt like he was unwrapping a mystery every time he returned home.

This year, Luo Ye had shot up ten centimeters, and by next year, he would be almost as tall as Ji Mian, with broad and muscular shoulders.

When Ji Mian returned home during the summer of his junior year, Luo Ye was almost unrecognizable.

Ji Mian disembarked, grabbed his luggage, and headed out of the airport.

Xiang Yanming was away on business and couldn’t make it to pick him up, so Ji Mian planned to take a taxi home.

Before he could leave the airport, his phone vibrated in his pocket—a call coming in.

He fished out his phone and took a quick look, noticing it was an unknown number.

The area by the exit was packed, and Ji Mian was carrying his luggage, so he figured he’d deal with it later when he reached a quieter spot.

As he walked out of the airport exit, he saw a crowd of people waiting to greet arrivals.

Ji Mian pushed his luggage forward, navigating through the crowd, when he was abruptly stopped.

Blocking his path was a tall guy in a black T-shirt. Ji Mian had been looking down and was close to the person, so he instinctively looked up when stopped.

But even when he looked up, all he could see was the guy’s chin.

Ji Mian suddenly thought the jawline looked familiar. He paused, then looked up further, locking eyes with a familiar face.

It was familiar, yet somehow different.

The guy’s features were just as delicate as Ji Mian remembered, but his facial contours had become more defined, no longer the delicate kid he used to be—now he was handsome and poised.

Xiao… Ye? Ji Mian’s eyes widened in shock.

Luo Ye looked down at him, his long eyelashes shading his eyes, giving him a laid-back vibe.

Ji Mian’s eyes flickered.

He’s huge!!! What happened to my little bean sprout?!

Ji Mian thought that was all.

But then, Luo Ye looked down at him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile in his eyes. He spoke softly, “Brother.”

The tone was the same calm tone, but the once clear and bright voice had disappeared, replaced by a deep, slightly hoarse sound of someone who had just passed through puberty.

“…”

…Hello.

Ji Mian’s lips twitched, suddenly feeling that his “round” voice was no match for Luo Ye’s deep, resonant one.

Last year when he returned, Luo Ye was already as tall as him, and Ji Mian had felt unsure how to face him then.

If he had stayed in the country and watched Luo Ye grow up, he might not have felt so awkward.

He only came back once a year, and it felt like just a few flights ago that the little kid who used to be below his chest had grown into the person standing before him.

Luo Ye was starting his sophomore year of high school, having just turned sixteen, and was already half a head taller than him.

What’s more, he was already over six feet tall and still growing at a leisurely, steady pace.

The changes in Luo Ye were so drastic that Ji Mian couldn’t adjust right away. Feeling a bit awkward, he avoided eye contact and asked, "Why did you come?"

"Dad’s on a business trip and couldn’t come, so I came instead. I was going to ask which exit you were at..." Luo Ye paused, raising his right hand with the phone, "Bro, you didn’t pick up my call."

"That was your number? You’ve got a phone now?"

"Yeah. It’s hard to get by at school without one."

"I was worried I wouldn’t find you." Someone squeezed towards them, and Luo Ye stepped aside to let them pass, then continued, "Luckily, I managed to find you."

Ji Mian forced a calm "Hmm" and began walking out, pulling his suitcase.

The back of his hand holding the suitcase brushed against something warm, and then the weight in his hand eased.

Luo Ye took his suitcase, "Bro, let me handle it."

Ji Mian’s suitcase wasn’t light, but in Luo Ye’s hands, it felt as light as a box of cotton.

Ji Mian thought to himself, 'What kind of older brother lets his younger brother carry the suitcase?'

But when he glanced up at Luo Ye’s towering figure, he swallowed his refusal without a word.

Ji Mian felt a mix of pride and unease.

He looked down, pulled out his phone, and added the missed call to his contacts.

Luo Ye watched him do this, only looking away when Ji Mian typed "Luo Ye" into the notes field and tapped the checkmark to save it.

*

Over the years, Ji Mian’s paintings grew more and more explicit. Especially this time, with Luo Ye’s tall, imposing figure standing before him, Ji Mian finally felt a bit less burdened while painting.

He could now paint Luo Ye’s upper body more smoothly.

Ji Mian thought, 'If I keep crossing the line, I’ll end up a total villain.'

"Just you?" The system scoffed.

"..."

Hearing the system’s scorn, Ji Mian wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or anxious.

The system commented, "Your expressions are too stiff... Why do you only paint the upper body?"

Ji Mian tried to add some erotic touches to his paintings, but compared to the original host Xiang Nian’s exaggerated and lewd style, Ji Mian’s work remained far more subtle.

Ji Mian muttered, "Maybe I’m just not cut out for painting."

The system let out an annoyed snort and ignored him.

A host who couldn’t bring it benefits was no longer a good host.

The system also needed to earn points, taking a ten percent cut from the points the host earned.

If Ji Mian only earned a hundred Affection Points in this world, the system’s cut would be a measly ten points—hardly enough to buy a matchstick.

Ji Mian stored the painting alongside his earlier works.

He idly browsed through paintings he’d made two years ago and couldn’t help but sigh at how quickly time had passed.

The person’s features in the painting were nearly the same, but their aura had completely shifted.

Ji Mian picked up the first painting he’d made of Luo Ye and compared it to the current one, his fingers tracing both paintings, lingering on the pairs of half-closed eyes.

Suddenly remembering something, he set the painting aside and pulled out his phone.

Since high school, Ji Mian had upgraded his phone twice, but he’d kept the photos from his high school days in his album.

Ji Mian found an album where he’d sorted photos of his two younger brothers separately. Most were of Xiang Chen, with only a handful of Luo Ye, all clearly snapped from a sneaky angle.

He scrolled down to a photo of the three-tiered snowman he’d built with Luo Ye and Xiang Chen at sixteen. Further along was a photo of Xiang Chen beside the snowman, flashing a 'V' sign, followed by two candid shots of Luo Ye.

In the photos, Luo Ye was a small figure in gloves, expressionless but focused as he crouched, rolling a snowball.

Both were profile shots, his eyelashes lowered, mirroring the expression in Ji Mian’s paintings.

Ji Mian smiled faintly, revising his earlier thought: The aura hadn’t changed much after all.

Even as a child, Luo Ye’s eyes had always been calm, like a lonely lake hidden within them.

Sometimes, when he looked into those eyes, he couldn’t help but think of someone else.

Ji Mian had his doubts. When it came to his brother, he’d cautiously investigate even the smallest clue.

But Luo Ye wasn’t particular.

Ji Mian put away his phone.

It had been nearly a decade since he’d arrived in this world, and he still hadn’t found him.

*

As Ji Mian left the studio, he bumped into Luo Ye heading upstairs.

Having just done something shady inside, he felt a pang of guilt seeing the subject of his paintings.

He didn’t greet Luo Ye, instead turning to lock the studio door.

Only after Ji Mian locked the door did Luo Ye speak: "Brother, you were in there a while."

"...Yeah."

Luo Ye glanced at the door.

Ji Mian had made it a habit to lock the studio after each use. Ji Mian hadn’t outright banned anyone from entering, and a key to the studio was kept at home. Occasionally, Auntie Lin would clean inside, but only quickly, careful not to disturb Ji Mian’s things.

Luo Ye could understand why Ji Mian locked the door. He didn’t understand art, but he knew some paintings really shouldn’t be displayed in public.

But when he came upstairs and ran into Ji Mian, he could tell the man was a bit flustered.

This piqued Luo Ye’s curiosity, wondering what his brother had been painting inside.

But he wouldn’t ask. This curiosity only briefly crossed his mind before disappearing in an instant.

Ji Mian cleared his throat, searching for a topic to ease the tension.

Luo Ye waited for him to speak, his eyes naturally lowered, noticing that the cold face he once looked up to now appeared soft from this angle.

He could see the top of Ji Mian's head, his dark hair shiny and fluffy. His brother's eyelashes were long and curled, especially noticeable from above. When nervous, they fluttered lightly like butterfly wings.

Luo Ye also struggled to adjust to this new perspective.

But unlike Ji Mian, he didn't feel uncomfortable; he just found it quite novel.

"Heading back to your room to do homework?" Ji Mian tried to make conversation.

"Finished, going back to work on some other problems."

Ji Mian: "Hmm."

He glanced at Luo Ye, intending to reinforce the original owner's perverted persona.

His wrist lifted halfway, stopping at waist level, and froze in mid-air.

He considered his own height.

Can't reach it, forget it. Ji Mian always found various excuses to avoid it.

Playing the role of a pervert who lusted after his younger brother was indeed too difficult for him.

Ji Mian felt like retreating, always unable to overcome that psychological barrier.

Luo Ye noticed his unfinished action.

For two years now, Ji Mian had often been like this, inexplicably wanting to touch Luo Ye's face and neck. But his wrist would always twist, half-lifted, half-touching, hesitating for a long time before putting it down again.

Ji Mian's actions were subtle, but Luo Ye noticed them clearly.

He didn't really mind Ji Mian touching him.

Every time Ji Mian came home, it was during the peak of summer heat. Even if the air conditioning wasn't set very low, the house was still warm. But the hand that held Luo Ye or touched his cheek was always cool, very soothing.

It's just that Luo Ye felt Ji Mian didn't really want to touch him, and wondered why he forced himself.

Was it Xiang Yanming's doing?

Luo Ye speculated. Seeing Ji Mian's wrist still suspended, he took advantage of his height and lightly grabbed Ji Mian's wrist, which was frozen in mid-air, and put it down.

"Brother, if you don't like it, don't force yourself."

He held Ji Mian's wrist for several seconds before letting go, simply because the delicate and bony texture felt new in his palm.

Ji Mian completely misunderstood Luo Ye's meaning, thinking Luo Ye had discovered his little action and stopped him first. It seemed he was very resistant to being touched by him.

He actually felt relieved by this and made up his mind: "Sorry, system."

The system probably guessed what Ji Mian was going to say and made a series of clicking sounds in his mind.

"I'll complete the important plots to avoid affecting the world line." Ji Mian remembered the system had said before that the repair cost for a small world collapsing was not small.

"As for the rest... forget it."

His brother didn't like it.