Chapter 313: The Twenty-first Day in the ABO World

Chapter 313: Day 21 in the ABO World

Wei Yang leaned in close to An Yi: "Brother?"

An Yi looked at Wei Yang, tilting his head up slightly—Wei Yang was leaning down to whisper in his ear, and the angle was just right.

Then, just as Wei Yang's eyes flickered slightly in response to his silence and he was about to say something more, An Yi raised his hand and wrapped it around his neck, fingertips cool, brushing lightly against the skin at the back of his neck.

All of Wei Yang's unspoken words caught in his throat. His eyes went wide as he watched An Yi's breathtakingly beautiful face draw closer, watched his own dazed reflection in those eyes.

A gentle kiss landed on Wei Yang's lips.

It was gone as quickly as it came.

Fireworks exploded in Wei Yang's head, instantly sweeping away all his thoughts and breath.

Every drop of blood in his body seemed to rush to the touched spot, a tingling numbness shooting through his limbs like electricity.

He stood frozen, his mind completely blank. Only that cool, soft sensation on his lips—carrying An Yi's signature crisp scent—remained, utterly clear and etched into his soul.

An Yi watched him look so completely dumbfounded, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes. And this guy was still thinking about that?

He let go, his voice returning to its usual calm, tinged with teasing: "Alright, the 'little lover' perk has been handed out."

Wei Yang snapped out of it, his cheeks turning even redder than before.

He instinctively licked his lips, then his gaze turned scorching hot, locked tightly on An Yi: "Brother..."

He lowered his voice: "Th-That's all?"

An Yi was swift to react, reaching out to gently press down on his eager wrist: "Stop."

His tone still carried traces of a smile: "Today we're only painting a serious portrait."

He paused, watching Wei Yang's face fall in disappointment, then added, lowering his voice slightly with subtle implication: "As for anything else... we'll talk later."

"Later?!" Wei Yang's eyes, which had just dimmed, suddenly lit up again with startling brightness. He asked eagerly, like a puppy begging for a bone: "Really, brother? There will be a later? When?"

An Yi was amused by his unabashed eagerness. He released his wrist and gently patted his warm cheek with his fingertips, the gesture with an intimate familiarity, his tone lazy and unreadable:

"Depends on how you behave."

Wei Yang's eyes went wide. Behave! He'd definitely behave!

An Yi had Wei Yang sit down in a chair by the window. Natural light fell upon him, outlining the young man's upright figure and sharp contours.

Wei Yang was a bit nervous at first, his body tense, not knowing where to look.

"Relax," An Yi said calmly. "Just sit like you normally do. You can look out the window."

Wei Yang's gaze shifted to him: "Can I look at you?"

An Yi looked up to meet his gaze: "Of course you can."

Hearing that he could, Wei Yang's gaze immediately locked onto An Yi.

He forgot his nervousness, immersing himself completely in the strange, wonderful sensation of being watched and painted by An Yi.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

In the painting, the young man sat at the boundary between light and shadow, eyes bright, smile carrying an unguarded innocence and a hint of trust in the one he loved.

Time slipped away quietly with the rustling of the brush.

When An Yi made his final stroke and put aside his palette, Wei Yang practically leaped out of the chair, eagerly pressing up to the easel.

When he saw the spirited, intense-eyed "himself" on the paper, Wei Yang froze.

Is... is that really him?

The him in the painting seemed to have a halo—more vivid, more radiant than his actual self, as if it had captured every beautiful moment and condensed them into one.

He didn't understand art, but he could feel that this painting was filled with how An Yi saw him—it was the him in An Yi's eyes.

"Brother... this... this is so gorgeous..."

Wei Yang looked up at An Yi: "I love it... thank you, brother."

An Yi watched him look so moved he might cry, and smiled gently. He used a finger smudged with some paint to gently brush the tip of Wei Yang's nose, leaving a faint trace of black: "It's not finished yet, but I'm glad you like it so far."

He glanced at the sky outside the window: "It's noon. Let's go grab lunch."

The two headed out together. After lunch, as they passed a watch store, Wei Yang's gaze was unintentionally drawn to a minimalist, elegant watch in the display window. He lingered for two extra seconds and muttered to himself: "That dial design is really cool..."

He was purely appreciating it out of an instinctive love of precision mechanics, without a second thought.

After all, that long string of zeros on the price tag was a number he couldn't even fathom.

An Yi turned his head to look at him, quickly catching that brief moment of attention and the murmured comment.

Without breaking stride, he naturally took Wei Yang's wrist and walked straight into the store.

"Brother?" Wei Yang was confused. "Are we buying a watch?"

An Yi simply pointed to the watch in the display case and said to the salesperson who approached: "Please bring this one out for him to try."

The salesperson immediately retrieved the watch with enthusiasm.

Wei Yang was led inside in a daze, and the salesperson carefully fastened it around his wrist. The cool metal strap hugged his wrist, and the exquisite dial gave off a low-key, luxurious gleam under the lights. It truly suited his defined wrist perfectly.

It was a bit more grown-up in style, but it still looked good.

"Very fitting." An Yi studied it for a moment, nodded, then simply took out his card and handed it to the salesperson: "This one. Wrap it up."

The entire process went off without a hitch—no more than five minutes.

Wei Yang didn't snap out of it until he saw the salesperson starting to package the watch. He quickly grabbed An Yi's arm: "Brother! Wait! This is too expensive! I can't accept it!"

The price made his heart skip a beat!

An Yi turned to look at him, gently patted Wei Yang's hand, and said calmly: "It's okay, take it. Don't you like it?"

He paused, looking at Wei Yang's anxious expression of refusal, then his eyes curved into a smile like melting spring ice, carrying an irresistible warmth:

"It's nothing to me. I just thought it suited you, so I bought it."

His voice was gentle: "Think of it as a token of my feelings."

He looked at Wei Yang: "Besides, I really like the gift you gave me as well."

Wei Yang opened his mouth, meeting An Yi's gaze, every word of refusal caught in his throat.

He could feel An Yi's sincerity, simply wanting to treat him well, wanting to give him something he liked.

He stopped refusing and nodded firmly: "Mm! Thank you, brother! I... I will definitely treasure it!"

He silently vowed to himself: he had to try even harder!

In the future, when he was capable, he would also buy the best gifts for his brother!

His brother's kindness, he would also cherish and repay with everything he had!