Ji Leyu followed Lin Fei to his bedroom. He had barely started his homework when he remembered his earlier suspicion. He turned around, opened the drawer of Lin Fei’s bedside table, and took out a notebook.
While writing, he said, “Rule 376: Do not let Jiang Jingshuo check your homework. Rule 377: Do not care too much about Jiang Jingshuo.”
After thinking for a moment, he added, [You must always care about me the most.]
“Here.” Ji Leyu walked over to Lin Fei and handed him the notebook.
Lin Fei took it, looked at the words on it, and nodded slightly.
In a certain sense, Ji Leyu was indeed someone who lacked a sense of boundaries and propriety. He fully demonstrated his selfishness and willfulness through his actions, doing so with a clear conscience and without any guilt.
However, in another sense, he was incredibly sensitive within these boundaryless and unmeasured behaviors.
Ji Leyu would never write rules like “Don’t talk to others” or “Don’t associate with others.” He might say such things sometimes, but he would never write them down.
The term “others” was too broad, covering too many people. It was as if he feared that within this so-called “others” there might be an exception, someone Lin Fei would be willing to engage with. So he stubbornly wrote down every individual’s name.
Patiently.
Not daring to kill indiscriminately.
Lin Fei picked up the pen and drew a straight line through the latter part of Ji Leyu’s addition, “You must always care about me the most.”
Ji Leyu looked shocked, pointing at the notebook in disbelief. “How could you delete it? You don’t agree?”
Lin Fei ignored him. Calmly, he wrote beneath Ji Leyu’s handwriting with a black gel pen, [Rule 378: I must always care about you the most.]
“You don’t need to be ranked equally with anyone,” he turned to look at Ji Leyu. “You will always be unique and the most important.”
Hearing this, the corners of Ji Leyu’s lips almost involuntarily lifted.
“Oh,” he said softly.
Unable to contain his joy, he looked straight at Lin Fei, wanting even more of his favoritism and indulgence.
Lin Fei could easily read his thoughts. He silently gestured for him to come closer, and Ji Leyu bent down, only to be embraced by Lin Fei the next second.
“What’s wrong?” he asked Lin Fei.
Lin Fei patted the back of his head, his tone filled with a mix of helplessness and tenderness. “Comforting you.”
With a “thump,” Ji Leyu felt his heart burst with joy. He hugged Lin Fei tightly, nuzzling against his neck, and softly pleaded, “Then comfort me more.”
Even after taking a bath and lying in bed, Ji Leyu felt as if he were walking on clouds, light, sweet, and happy.
Seeing his good mood, Lin Fei finally brought up Jiang Jingshuo again.
Ji Leyu hadn’t expected Jiang Jingshuo to go behind his back and approach Lin Fei directly, making him angrily kick the blanket hard.
“How old is he? Complaining like a primary school student?”
Lin Fei sat leaning against the headboard and said gently, “So you don’t need to have Shi Qi invite him to dinner. As for you, if you like him, you can naturally be friends with him. If you don’t like him…”
“Of course I don’t like him,” Ji Leyu said mercilessly. “What do I like about him? The way he hangs around you, or the way he complains to you?”
After speaking, he turned around and hugged Lin Fei’s waist, softly defending himself, “I didn’t actually want to steal him away from you. I just wanted to test him, to see if he was sincere and could resist temptation. I only gave him a bit of attention, I didn’t ask him to be my friend. I just wanted to test him.”
Lin Fei: …
Lin Fei looked down at him. “Maybe you should come up with a better excuse.”
Ji Leyu: …
Ji Leyu pouted and stopped pretending.
“Alright, I did want to steal him away. I couldn’t bring myself to ask you to stay away from him, so I had to make him distance himself from you. But I never said I liked him or asked him to leave you. From start to finish, I only said he was your friend, so he’s also my friend. The key point here is you, not me, and not him. How he interprets it and what he chooses is up to him. If he sincerely wants to be your friend, he wouldn’t distance himself from you because of me. If he isn’t sincere, then all the better. He doesn’t deserve to be around you in the first place.”
Lin Fei nodded slightly. This was indeed typical of Ji Leyu.
“Of course,” Ji Leyu tilted his head to look at him, “even though I still think he doesn’t deserve it, if you want, I won’t do this again.”
“That’s rare,” Lin Fei remarked.
Ji Leyu raised himself up, leaned close to Lin Fei’s face, and looked directly into his eyes. “So, when you’re with him, you should be happy too. If you’re happy, I can reluctantly accept him a little more.”
His words were soft and sweet, like candy in his mouth, subtly perfuming the air.
Lin Fei listened and reached out to pinch his cheek.
It is soft, white, like a piece of milk candy.
He pinched again, his face showing a gentle smile.
“Sleep now,” Lin Fei said softly.
Seeing Lin Fei’s clear and gentle smile, Ji Leyu couldn’t help but smile too.
He obediently said, “Mm,” and snuggled back under the covers.
“Good night,” he said sweetly.
Jiang Jingshuo waited all night and finally saw Lin Fei and Ji Leyu again the next morning.
Unlike the past few days when Ji Leyu was enthusiastic and friendly towards him, today Ji Leyu clearly didn’t want to spare him a glance. Whenever their eyes met, Ji Leyu merely lifted the corners of his mouth coldly, showing a look of contempt.
Jiang Jingshuo: …
This change is really too drastic, isn’t it?
What happened last night?
Could it be that Lin Fei really talked to him?
Jiang Jingshuo felt uneasy. Finally, when class ended and Ji Leyu left the classroom for something, he rushed over and sat down next to Lin Fei.
“You talked to him…?” he asked quietly.
Lin Fei was busy working on a test paper.
He had finished reading all the books he had planned for this period, so he had temporarily put them aside and started a new round of practice questions.
Hearing this, Lin Fei nodded, but his hand didn’t stop writing.
Jiang Jingshuo said anxiously, “You didn’t say anything harsh, did you? I really didn’t want you to scold him.”
“No,” Lin Fei replied expressionlessly.
Only then did Jiang Jingshuo feel relieved, thinking that was good.
As he was thinking this, he looked up and saw that Lin Fei had already completed two or three fill-in-the-blank questions in the meantime, writing smoothly and effortlessly.
“Don’t you need to calculate these?” Jiang Jingshuo asked in disbelief.
Lin Fei turned to look at him, as if questioning the need for calculations.
Jiang Jingshuo: …
“Hello, master. Goodbye, master.”
After saying this, he stood up, ready to leave.
But Lin Fei stopped writing and called out to him, “There’s something I think I need to tell you in advance.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Jingshuo said, sitting back down.
Lin Fei put down his pen, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
He always seemed to lack expression, as if nothing mattered to him, nothing could surprise or delight him.
“I don’t mind being friends with you,” Lin Fei said calmly, “but if one day, there’s a conflict between you and Xiaoyu, or if Xiaoyu feels troubled or unhappy because of you, I will not hesitate to abandon you.”
Jiang Jingshuo didn’t expect him to say something like this, and even more, he didn’t expect someone his age to say such a thing.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course,” Lin Fei said blandly. “Friendship is a mutual choice, so you can choose now whether you still want to be friends with me.”
Jiang Jingshuo found it amusing. “Do you say this to every friend you make? Do you always have to tell them how important Ji Leyu is to you?”
“You are my first friend,” Lin Fei said succinctly.
Jiang Jingshuo’s eyes widened instantly. “I’m your first friend?! You didn’t have any friends before?!”
“Is that so surprising?”
“Isn’t that surprising?!” Jiang Jingshuo could hardly believe it. “Wait, are you serious? You really don’t have any other friends?”
Lin Fei didn’t think it was something surprising or worth repeatedly confirming.
“You just need to make your choice and give me an answer before the end of the day.”
With that, he looked away and picked up his pen to continue working on the test paper.
Jiang Jingshuo watched him, seemingly as calm as if they were just discussing the weather. He couldn’t help but think that Lin Fei was quite the character. It was astonishing to encounter someone like him.
“Why didn’t you make friends before?” he asked curiously. “Is it because you don’t like to, or…”
He carefully considered his words, “Or is it because of Ji Leyu?”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Then you…”
“There are no two identical leaves in the world; everyone has their own thoughts. Some prefer quiet, some prefer noise, some like to gather with friends, while others prefer solitude. Those sitting at the bottom of the well think that those at the mouth of the well are in danger, but they don’t realize that those at the mouth of the well think that those at the bottom are shortsighted. Born different, why bother judging others?”
Lin Fei spoke calmly, writing the next answer on the paper unhurriedly.
Jiang Jingshuo was silenced by his words.
He watched as Lin Fei composedly wrote one answer after another, his features cold and distant, like ice bathed in moonlight—aloof and silent.
He had forgotten that Lin Fei had always been a very solitary person, solitary to the point of arrogance.
So, he always kept his distance from people, remaining inscrutable and enigmatic.
They had known each other online for three years. Jiang Jingshuo had shared many things about himself with Lin Fei, yet Lin Fei had never revealed anything personal.
As a result, he had never known that Lin Fei had a brother like Ji Leyu, whom he cared so much about.
With his looks and talent, how could Lin Fei be short of friends if he wanted them?
Ultimately, it was just that he didn’t want any.
He was someone at the mouth of the well, his eyes fixed only on the boundless sky, so he never looked down at those at the bottom of the well.
Jiang Jingshuo slowly began to smile.
“Then I’m honored to be your first friend,” Jiang Jingshuo said.
Lin Fei turned to look at him and reminded, “You can think it over a bit more.”
“No need to think it over,” Jiang Jingshuo smiled. “You’re lucky, and I’m easygoing, so I’m willing to be your friend.”
Lin Fei was about to say something when they heard a scoff. “You really are acting all high and mighty. Clearly, it’s your luck that’s good, and my brother’s patience that’s good, that he even wants to be friends with you.”
Ji Leyu said this while grabbing Jiang Jingshuo’s shirt and pulling him up to take his seat.
Jiang Jingshuo grinned, “That’s true. I’ve always been pretty lucky.”
Ji Leyu ignored him. Lin Fei raised his hand to pat Ji Leyu’s head, smoothing his hair, and then said to Jiang Jingshuo, “Are you free tomorrow? I mentioned treating you to a meal next time, so how about tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Jiang Jingshuo agreed. “What are we eating?”
Lin Fei looked down at Ji Leyu. “What do you want to eat?”
Ji Leyu blinked, thinking, why ask him? Shouldn’t he ask Jiang Jingshuo?
However, he always answered Lin Fei’s questions. After considering it for a moment, he replied, “Stir-fried dishes.”
Lin Fei looked up at Jiang Jingshuo.
Jiang Jingshuo instantly understood. “Okay, no problem.”
Just then, the class bell rang.
As Jiang Jingshuo left, Ji Leyu turned to Lin Fei and moved closer. “So, you’re inviting him to dinner and taking me along too?”
“Of course,” Lin Fei said, his tone neutral.
Ji Leyu felt happy but pretended to be serious, smoothing his lips. “But if you’re treating someone to dinner, you should ask them what they want to eat, not me. Why ask me? I’m not the main guest for this meal.”
Seeing Ji Leyu acting all pleased yet pretending to be indifferent and criticizing him, Lin Fei surprisingly didn’t tease him with his usual mischief. Instead, he nodded and agreed, “Yes, so why did I ask you?”
“How would I know?” Ji Leyu mumbled.
Lin Fei motioned for him to come closer, and Ji Leyu quickly leaned in.
Lin Fei whispered gently in his ear, “It’s because your brother wants to make you happy.”
Ji Leyu couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes curving like a new moon, or like a bud that can’t hide its joy as it blooms.
Looking at Lin Fei, he was soft and obedient, pure and untainted.
Lin Fei watched him quietly, thinking to himself how easy it was to please him.
So well-behaved.
He reached out to ruffle Ji Leyu’s hair before lowering his head to continue working on the remaining problems.