Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Ji Mian spent a day at home before heading back to work.

A week later, Luo Ye started school as a day student, which included evening study sessions. With classes six days a week, Saturday evenings were the only time he could leave early.

In the last class before dismissal on Saturday afternoon, the atmosphere in the advanced class was unusually relaxed, and the students’ cheerful voices filled the room as they answered questions.

It was a physics class, Luo Ye's strongest subject.

He lowered his head, unusually distracted, not buried in his books as usual.

He no longer worried about why he felt such a strong possessiveness toward Ji Mian. The reason didn’t matter because he had already found a solution.

The psychologist advised him to control his possessiveness and distance himself from Ji Mian.

But Luo Ye chose a different path, one that went completely against the psychologist’s advice.

Since his brother cared for him, he figured it was okay to indulge his desires.

As for whether his feelings for Ji Mian were normal, Luo Ye didn’t care to question it.

All he wanted was for his brother to stay by his side forever; nothing else mattered.

The pen spun twice between Luo Ye’s fingers as his thoughts wandered further.

Luo Ye liked to think things through carefully, used to identifying potential future problems and analyzing them one by one.

On the day he discovered those paintings, Luo Ye spent the entire night rifling through Ji Mian’s studio—carefully returning every item to its exact place to ensure Ji Mian wouldn’t notice anything was out of order.

The paintings were only of him. He was sure Ji Mian only cared for him.

As long as he could keep his brother’s affection focused on him and away from others, everything would be fine.

As for his parents, there was no need to rush. They were still young and had weathered plenty of storms, so their health wasn’t a concern.

At worst, he’d take a few beatings. Luo Ye figured he was tough enough to handle it.

The biggest challenge now was his brother...

Luo Ye gripped the pen tightly.

Crossing that line would be tough...

By the halfway point of the class, Luo Ye had nearly mapped out all the problems and solutions.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Luo Ye grabbed his phone and headed for the playground. Ever since he missed Ji Mian’s call while running last time, he made sure to keep his phone on him during his runs.

He was just stepping out of the classroom when Ji Mian called.

Ji Mian was on his way back from the company and stopped by the school gate to pick him up.

Luo Ye immediately turned around, grabbed his bag, and got ready to leave.

Kong Yuzhen passed him on her way to the restroom and casually asked, “Luo Ye, skipping the playground today?”

“Yeah,” Luo Ye almost said, “My brother’s picking me up,” but then remembered how excited Kong Yuzhen got whenever Ji Mian came up. She’d probably walk out with him.

Once she got excited, she’d probably keep Ji Mian talking for ages. And Ji Mian was only home for less than a day...

Thinking this, Luo Ye held back his words, nodded, and hurried off.

*

With his bag on his back, Luo Ye walked out of the school gate and saw a striking figure in the distance—a man in a black suit without a tie, clearly straight from work, still in his suit.

Standing at the bustling school entrance, he drew many admiring looks.

Ji Mian naturally had a striking face, and today, dressed so strikingly, he easily became the center of attention.

The suit wasn’t formal but slightly loose, like a simple evening suit. The trousers’ fabric draped well, accentuating his slender legs, making them look longer and more elegant. It was the first time Luo Ye had seen Ji Mian dressed like this, and he instinctively slowed down.

Realizing his outfit was out of place, Ji Mian slightly lowered his head, pretending to check his phone to avoid the crowd’s stares.

"Brother."

Ji Mian heard Luo Ye’s voice from a few meters away and looked up.

Luo Ye walked up to him. "Brother, did you just finish work?"

"Yes. I drove back from work and caught the high school’s dismissal time, so I came by."

Ji Mian had initially planned to avoid Luo Ye. But since Luo Ye mentioned feeling stressed over the summer, he’d been concerned about his brother’s mental health and would come back to check on him whenever he could.

He continued, "I told Aunt Lin we’d skip dinner at home. Shall we eat out?"

Staying home all the time wasn’t healthy; going out would be good for his brother.

Luo Ye didn’t object. "Sure."

Luo Ye looked at him, realizing for the first time that his brother was a mature man five years his senior.

"You look good in a suit."

Ji Mian was taken aback. Luo Ye had never actively offered such flattering compliments before.

His ears turned slightly red, and at the same time, he felt a sense of caution. "I’ll change when we get home."

"..."

Ji Mian had originally planned to go home and change first anyway; he couldn’t go to a restaurant dressed like this.

The two arrived at where the car was parked, and Ji Mian got in first.

Luo Ye walked around to the passenger side, and upon opening the door, he noticed a black silk tie draped over the grayish-white seatback.

Ji Mian had found wearing a tie at the school entrance too conspicuous, so he had casually untied it and thrown it onto the passenger seat before getting out.

Luo Ye paused, picked it up, and then got into the car.

After he closed the door, Ji Mian glanced at the item in Luo Ye’s hand and said casually, "Just throw that in the back seat."

"...It’s fine." Luo Ye loosely held the silk fabric in his hand, careful not to wrinkle it. "We’ll be home in a few minutes anyway."

Ji Mian then focused on driving.

Luo Ye lowered his head, his fingers lightly rubbing the smooth fabric.

The silk tie felt slightly cool to the touch, reminding him of the sensation of Ji Mian’s palm in winter, which was even colder. The smooth, satin-like skin was quite similar to this.

Ji Mian went home to change first, and when they went out again, he was dressed in a casual outfit of a thin hoodie and relaxed trousers.

The restaurant he’d booked was close to home, so he and Luo Ye decided to walk.

The portions at this restaurant were surprisingly huge, and neither of them liked wasting food, so they cleaned their plates.

As a result, their original plan to head straight home was scrapped, and they ended up wandering around the neighborhood to walk off their dinner. It didn’t matter if they wandered further in the opposite direction; they could always take a taxi home.

After walking for nearly an hour, Ji Mian finally felt less stuffed.

In the distance, he spotted a familiar little cart by the side of the road, lit by a white light, with the sweet smell of batter drifting in the air. The vendor, a tall, slightly chubby guy, looked a little cramped behind his stall. It was the same wheel cake vendor Ji Mian used to visit back in middle school.

They’d somehow ended up near the affiliated middle school.

Ji Mian felt a wave of nostalgia as he walked down the street again, but he figured Luo Ye wasn’t feeling as nostalgic.

On a perfectly good day off, they’d somehow ended up back near the school.

As they got closer, the vendor recognized Ji Mian and greeted him with a smile.

Ji Mian stopped by the cart and chatted with the middle-aged vendor for a bit.

As he was about to leave, Ji Mian hesitated, tempted by the milky scent of the freshly baked wheel cakes.

He was still pretty full, but it had been four years since he’d last bought a cake here.

After a moment’s thought, he ordered one: "Uncle, I’ll take one with red bean paste."

This time, he didn’t get one for Luo Ye, who now had a smartphone and could buy whatever he wanted. Besides, having just eaten, Ji Mian figured Luo Ye wouldn’t want anything more.

The vendor, who hadn’t seen Ji Mian in ages, was so enthusiastic he baked one fresh for him, piling on more red bean paste than usual—normally just one scoop, but this time he added one and a half.

If the machine could’ve handled it, he probably would’ve tossed in two or three scoops of red bean paste.

Unfortunately, the timing was off—Ji Mian’s stomach didn’t have much space left.

He took the extra-plump wheel cake, thanked the vendor with mixed emotions, and walked off with Luo Ye.

After all these years, the wheel cake tasted the same—crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with the red bean paste just right.

Ji Mian managed half but couldn’t finish it—he was just too stuffed.

Luo Ye walked slowly ahead, glancing down at Ji Mian, his gaze shifting from Ji Mian's profile to the half-eaten cake in his hand. He could tell Ji Mian was full.

He asked, "Brother, can't finish it?"

"..." Ji Mian felt a bit embarrassed, as if he were a grown man still indulging in snacks, and reluctantly replied, "Yeah."

Just as he finished answering, he saw the boy beside him slowly lean over, lower his head, and bite into the remaining half of the wheel cake from Ji Mian's hand.

When he straightened up, all that was left in Ji Mian's hand was a light paper bag.

Luo Ye, like a seagull swooping in, had snatched the rest.

Ji Mian was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to be surprised that Luo Ye had eaten his leftovers or that he had taken the wheel cake in such a... peculiar way.

His steps slowed down. Meanwhile, Luo Ye seemed oblivious to Ji Mian falling behind and continued walking at his usual pace.

Ji Mian snapped out of it and quickly jogged to catch up. By the time he reached Luo Ye, the latter had almost finished the stolen cake.

Looking up, Ji Mian noticed that under the yellowish streetlight, Luo Ye's ears seemed to be tinged with red.

Ji Mian couldn’t tell whether this was shyness or the shame of bearing a heavy burden. According to the system's analysis, it was probably the latter.

One thing was certain.

Luo Ye seemed to be genuinely 'coming onto' him.

...

Knowing the location was near the affiliated high school, the two brothers knew the rest of the way well, and they arrived home twenty minutes later. However, it was unclear what was on their minds, as they suddenly stopped talking much.

After arriving home, they went up the stairs one by one.

Luo Ye's bedroom was next to the stairs, but when he reached it, he didn’t open the door.

Ji Mian had already opened his bedroom door and glanced to the side, wondering why Luo Ye hadn’t gone in yet.

This glance met Luo Ye's gaze.

"Good night, brother," Luo Ye smiled at him, a sweet, innocent smile.

If this expression had been made by the ten-year-old Luo Ye, that delicate face would have melted Ji Mian's heart instantly.

But when the seventeen-year-old Luo Ye smiled, it had a certain edge to it.

Ji Mian froze and quickly ducked into his room and shut the door.

Luo Ye found himself facing a closed door, his forehead resting against the door panel as he let out a soft sigh, his shoulders relaxing.