On a September afternoon, cicadas chirped amidst the heat that had not yet dissipated, mingling with the fragrance of grass and trees, permeating every corner of the city.
Outside the window, it was quiet. Occasionally, a bird flew by, causing the branches to sway briefly before returning to stillness.
Ji Leyu sat on the window sill, tilting his head as he gazed at the scenery outside.
The sunlight traced along his jawline, casting a thin golden glow on his face, enhancing his already exquisitely beautiful features with a hazy brilliance, making him look otherworldly and stunningly beautiful, not like an ordinary person.
Shi Qi looked at the person in the video and couldn’t help but sigh again: With this appearance, if he didn’t refuse to debut, the top of the entertainment industry would have been replaced long ago.
“So, are you going to come out or not?” Shi Qi asked.
Ji Leyu glanced at him with lowered eyes and replied in a calm tone, “What’s the point of going out?”
“Of course it was for fun! You have no idea, the basketball captain from No. 32 Middle School, the one we played against at the sports center last time, has been bugging me for your phone number ever since. He’s the one who suggested this game today.”
Ji Leyu responded with an indifferent “Oh.”
“What about singing? It’s been a while since you last sang.”
“Boring.”
“How about murder mystery? You were quite interested in it last time.”
“Not interested anymore.”
“Escape room? Didn’t you mention wanting to try a horror-themed one?”
Ji Leyu: …
Ji Leyu looked at him with disdain. “Why would I bother playing horror-themed escape rooms without my brother?”
He wanted to play the horror-themed escape room purely to scare Lin Fei and see if Lin Fei had inherited the fine tradition of being afraid of ghosts from his father. If so, he could finally redeem himself and regain some semblance of dignity in front of Lin Fei. And even if Lin Fei didn’t share his father’s fear, he could still bask in his care and attention as they navigated the terrifying rooms together.
Now that Lin Fei wasn’t here, it was just the few of them left. What was there to play?
“You go by yourself,” Ji Leyu said.
Shi Qi: …
“Is it really just your brother who left?” Shi Qi couldn’t help but ask in jest, “Didn’t he take away any three souls and seven spirits, like your soul?”
Ji Leyu: …
“I’m just too lazy to move,” Ji Leyu argued.
“Well, yeah. Now that your brother’s gone, even your soul is gone. It’s not just laziness,” Shi Qi chuckled, then started singing, “Where are you going? Take my soul with you. It’s enchanted by you. What’s the point of leaving it behind~hind~hind~”
Ji Leyu instantly became annoyed and embarrassed, “Shut up with that crap you’re singing. It’s so ugly.”
“Isn’t this singing out your true feelings?” Shi Qi leaned closer to the camera, “Should I send a WeChat message to the Study God to make him come back early and save your lonely and cold heart?”
“Stop bothering him!” Ji Leyu glared at him.
“Alright, alright,” Shi Qi nodded helplessly, “We’re all annoying, but you, it’s love communication, heart calling, meeting the right person at the right time. I understand, I really do.”
Ji Leyu: … Why does he talk so much?
He’s always jabbering!
Ji Leyu raised his finger and immediately hung up the video call.
Shi Qi watched Ji Leyu’s embarrassed reaction and laughed for a while before finally sending him a WeChat message: [Don’t worry, I’m just an ordinary mortal. How could I dare to disturb the Study God? You continue to be your ‘Waiting for Brother Shi’, and I’m off to have some fun.]
Ji Leyu sneered, [Don’t break your leg while having fun.]
After sending the message, Ji Leyu put away his phone and leaned against the bay window.
The sunlight shone through the glass onto him, warm and cozy, making him feel somewhat sleepy.
Ji Leyu closed his eyes, preparing to sleep for a while. Tomorrow, he thought, Lin Fei should be back.
Ji Leyu slept through until just before dinner.
At 7:30 pm, Aunt Zhang woke him up and told him to get up for dinner.
Rubbing his eyes, Ji Leyu sat up and asked her, “Has my father come back?”
Unlike most families, Ji Leyu’s family did not have a mother figure. His parents had passed away in a car accident when he was around five or six years old. It was his uncle Ji Yuxiao and his “aunt” Lin Luoqing who raised him.
However, despite being referred to as his aunt, Lin Luoqing was actually a man.
Many years ago, the policy allowing same-sex marriage had already been passed, and Ji Yuxiao was among the early adopters. Soon after the policy was enacted, he married Lin Luoqing, who was also a man and had a child of his own.
Just as Ji Leyu was not Ji Yuxiao’s biological son, Lin Fei was not Lin Luoqing’s child either. Lin Fei was the son of Lin Luoqing’s sister, Lin Luoxi. After Lin Luoxi passed away, Lin Fei went to live with Lin Luoqing.
At that time, both Lin Fei and Ji Leyu were very young and would often ask questions about whom they were addressing since they called both men “dad.” To avoid confusion, Ji Yuxiao decided that they should call Lin Luoqing “dad” and himself “father.”
Over the years, Ji Leyu had become accustomed to this arrangement.
“Sir said he has something to do tonight and will be back late, so there’s no need to prepare dinner for him,” Aunt Zhang replied.
Hearing this, Ji Leyu opened his phone and checked the messages. Sure enough, while he was asleep, Ji Yuxiao had already sent a message in their family group chat, saying he would be working late tonight and that Ji Leyu should eat without waiting for him.
Perhaps sensing that Ji Leyu might feel a bit lonely eating alone, Lin Luoqing had sent a comforting [pat head] emoji in the group chat.
Ji Yuxiao had followed up with a [pat head] emoji as well.
And that was it.
Ji Leyu: …
Ji Leyu lifted his hand and replied to Lin Luoqing and Ji Yuxiao with a hug emoji each.
Then he exited the chat and entered Lin Fei’s WeChat conversation, starting his protest: [Why didn’t you pat my head!!!]
[I’m angry!]
After sending the messages, he finally shook off the sleepiness from his “nap” and got out of bed to go to the dining room for dinner.
To his surprise, Lin Fei didn’t reply even after he finished his meal.
Is he still busy? Ji Leyu wondered. Otherwise, Lin Fei would have seen the messages and come to soothe him by now.
Or did he not perform well in the competition?
Impossible. Ji Leyu quickly dismissed this idea. This is Lin Fei they are talking about, the top student in everything since childhood, the ultimate competitor who drives them all to work tirelessly.
There is no way he hasn’t performed well.; Ji Leyu simply didn’t believe it.
So it must be that he’s still busy.
Ji Leyu, seeing this, decided not to disturb him any further. He ate dinner and then went upstairs to play video games.
Around 11 PM, Ji Yuxiao finally finished his work and came home. The father and son had a late-night snack together and chatted for a while. Only then did Ji Leyu turn off his computer, take a shower, and go to bed.
Lying in bed, he picked up his phone again, but Lin Fei still hadn’t replied.
Ji Leyu frowned. Is he still busy?
It has been so long; why is he so busy?
Ji Leyu propped his chin in his hand and slowly typed: [Did you book the flight? When will you arrive tomorrow? I’ll pick you up.]
Unfortunately, there was still no reply.
After waiting for a long time, Ji Leyu reluctantly turned off the light and closed his eyes, feeling unwilling.
He lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Just as he was struggling to find a comfortable position, he suddenly heard the sound of suitcase wheels outside his door.
Ji Leyu almost instantly opened his eyes, threw off the covers, and ran out.
Not far from his door stood a tall, straight young man.
The other person was very tall, wearing a loose white shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up. His hand, which was holding a suitcase, was white and slender, with prominent knuckles that looked like jade.
Hearing the commotion, the young man turned his head. His handsome features were highlighted by the light, making him look almost meticulously crafted, but his cold demeanor made him somewhat intimidating.
Ji Leyu exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you back!”
After he said that, he ran over and hugged the person in front of him tightly.
Lin Fei, having rushed to reschedule his flight and return home, saw that the light in Ji Leyu’s room was off and assumed he was asleep. To his surprise, Ji Leyu was still wide awake and full of energy. Lin Fei rarely smiled, but he did then.
He raised his hand and patted Ji Leyu on the head.
Ji Leyu then remembered the afternoon’s events and righteously said, “What’s going on with you? Didn’t you check the group chat? Both Dad and Father comforted me. Why didn’t you pat me?”
Lin Fei: …
Lin Fei had no choice but to pat Ji Leyu’s head again, reminding him, “This is the second time.”
Ji Leyu blinked and then realized what was going on.
His amber eyes slowly curved into a smile. “Did you come back to comfort me instead of replying in the group chat, just to personally ‘pat’ me?”
Lin Fei indeed had that in mind.
Ji Leyu was always delicate and clingy. Normally, when Lin Luoqing and Ji Yuxiao were busy, he could stay at home and accompany Ji Leyu. Now that he was away, Ji Leyu was left alone at home.
Especially since Ji Yuxiao had to work late and couldn’t even join him for dinner.
Seeing Ji Yuxiao’s message in the group and hearing from the teacher that tickets had been booked for everyone to return home the next morning after the competition, Lin Fei immediately asked the teacher to reschedule his flight, saying he had something urgent and needed to leave early.
However, Lin Fei was not one to explain much, so he just pinched Ji Leyu’s cheek, said nothing, and turned to walk inside.
Ji Leyu saw that Lin Fei didn’t refute him, which confirmed his guess, making him instantly feel overjoyed.
Smiling, he followed Lin Fei inside. After a couple of steps, he noticed Lin Fei had stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Leyu asked.
Lin Fei glanced at him and then down at his bare feet.
Following Lin Fei’s gaze, Ji Leyu explained, “I was so excited to see you that I forgot to put on slippers.”
Lin Fei sighed softly, let go of his luggage, and went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water.
By the time he returned, Ji Leyu was already sitting obediently on a chair by the desk, smiling sweetly at him.
Seeing this, Lin Fei couldn’t help but think back to their childhood.
Back then, Ji Leyu was still very young, only five or six years old, but already full of clever tricks.
He knew adults were keeping many things from him and that Ji Yuxiao didn’t want him to know too much. However, he wanted to protect Ji Yuxiao, so he always secretly hid outside Ji Yuxiao’s door, listening to him talk to others.
Ji Leyu was a very clever person, and this intelligence had been evident since he was very young.
Of course, he knew slippers made noise, so he always took them off and quietly walked to the outside of Ji Yuxiao’s room, silently listening.
Lin Fei accidentally discovered this secret.
At that time, Ji Leyu was clearly very panicked, but he pretended to be calm. He looked pitifully at Lin Fei, his voice sounding both aggrieved and gentle. He said he had a nightmare and was very scared, so he came to find Dad.
He was so young and looked sweet and cute, like a beautiful doll in a shop window. No one would think he was lying, and naturally, Lin Fei didn’t doubt him either.
So, after Ji Leyu finished saying that although he was scared, he didn’t want to disturb Lin Luoqing and Ji Yuxiao who had just gotten married, Lin Fei took the initiative to take him back to his own room.
At that time, Ji Leyu wasn’t wearing slippers either. He had Ji Leyu sit in the chair in front of the desk, while he went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water for him.
After so many years, those memories were still vivid, as if they had happened yesterday. With just a slight shake, the scenes could have tumbled to the ground.
When Lin Fei thought of this, his eyes softened a bit.
Calmly, like when they were young, he quietly walked up to Ji Leyu, just like that night ten years ago. He bent down and placed the basin of water in front of Ji Leyu.
Ji Leyu lifted his foot, just like back then, and dipped his fair toes into the water to check the temperature before placing his foot inside.
“Have you eaten?” Ji Leyu asked with concern as he washed his feet. “Do you want me to accompany you downstairs for dinner?”
“No need, I ate on the plane,” Lin Fei replied succinctly.
As he spoke, he placed Ji Leyu’s slippers and the towel for drying his feet beside him.
“So, you came back early? Is there anything wrong?” Ji Leyu continued.
“Nothing much,” Lin Fei replied in a calm tone.
Ji Leyu felt relieved and curiously asked about other aspects of his competition this time.
Lin Fei patiently listened, speaking sparingly but providing answers to each of his questions.
Soon, Ji Leyu finished washing his feet, while Lin Fei brought pajamas into the bathroom to prepare for a shower and sleep.
Ji Leyu lay on Lin Fei’s bed, waiting for him to finish showering and join him for sleep.
He swung his legs as he read a novel. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening. Turning his head, he saw Lin Fei drying his hair and walking towards him.
Today, Lin Fei wore a black silk nightgown, its sleeves wide, with silver-threaded dragons embroidered along the cuffs, the sleeves falling back as he raised his hand, revealing his fair wrists — as white as jade and as delicate as frost.
He looked like an ancient noble son.
Ji Leyu couldn’t help but sit up, staring at him intently.
Lin Fei felt his gaze and raised his hand, tossing the towel on Ji Leyu’s head. One corner of the towel naturally hung down, blocking Ji Leyu’s overly focused gaze.
Ji Leyu wasn’t annoyed either; he laughed and picked up the towel from his head. He saw that Lin Fei had already plugged in the hair dryer with his back to him, ready to blow-dry his hair.
He slowly got up and embraced Lin Fei from behind.
Pressing against Lin Fei’s back, he rested his chin on his shoulder and softly said, “Brother.”
Lin Fei responded with a simple “Mm,” showing no particular expression.
Ji Leyu listened to the buzzing noise of the hair dryer. The arms around Lin Fei’s waist slowly tightened. He leaned closer to Lin Fei’s ear, his voice soft and gentle, like coaxing, yet intimate and whispered, softly brushing against Lin Fei’s ear.
“It’s dark now. You should sleep with me.”
His lips almost brushed against Lin Fei’s earlobe.