Ji Leyu gained some advantages and, somewhat rarely, found Jiang Jingshuo’s appearance a bit more pleasant. He sent Jiang Jingshuo several of his favorite restaurants, asking him to choose which one he wanted to eat at.
Jiang Jingshuo was surprised: [I get to choose?]
Ji Leyu sneered: [I’m giving my brother some face.]
Ji Leyu: [It’s rare for my brother to treat someone to a meal, so I certainly won’t make it difficult for him. Hurry up and pick, don’t waste my time.]
Jiang Jingshuo: …
[Then let’s go with the first one.] Jiang Jingshuo looked it over and replied.
Ji Leyu immediately rejected: [This one won’t do. It’s too far from the school and will disturb my brother’s lunch break.]
Jiang Jingshuo: …
[Then let’s go with the last one. It’s closer.]
Ji Leyu: [??? Are you serious? The lighting there is so dim, it will definitely hurt your eyes. If your eyes get damaged, that’s one thing, but if my brother’s eyes get damaged, what will you do to compensate?]
Jiang Jingshuo: …
[So which one do you think is suitable?] he asked.
Ji Leyu curled his lip: [I’m letting you choose.]
Jiang Jingshuo smiled: [I think the one you pick should be fine too.]
[Then let’s go with the third one.] Ji Leyu didn’t hesitate: [My brother likes the dishes there.]
Jiang Jingshuo: [… So why are you still asking me? Are you really planning to let me choose a dish that I like better?]
Ji Leyu sneered: [Are you dreaming?]
[I asked you because, as the guest, it’s proper to give you the choice, adhering to procedural fairness. As for what to eat, it’s naturally what my brother likes. What’s wrong with that?]
Jiang Jingshuo: … There’s indeed nothing wrong with that.
For someone like Ji Leyu, who is very much a brother’s fan, it’s already a huge favor for Lin Fei to invite him to a meal. It’s best not to be ungrateful.
Jiang Jingshuo was helpless. Are all kids nowadays so obsessed with their brothers?
Had he become so accustomed to being an only child that he couldn’t understand current sibling dynamics?
Jiang Jingshuo was puzzled and confused.
This confusion deepened the next day when the three of them were having a meal together.
In the uniquely decorated restaurant, Lin Fei, Ji Leyu, and Jiang Jingshuo sat across from each other.
Jiang Jingshuo watched Lin Fei talk to him while simultaneously using his chopsticks to serve Ji Leyu some shrimp. His gaze lingered for a moment before he said nothing.
Ji Leyu was eating fish and listening to their conversation on a topic he didn’t understand. He was about to grab some shrimp himself but found that Lin Fei’s chopsticks had already landed in his bowl, with the shrimp he wanted to eat.
Ji Leyu turned to look at Lin Fei, who was listening to Jiang Jingshuo. Sensing his gaze, Lin Fei turned around and asked, “What’s up?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Ji Leyu replied softly.
He was somewhat puzzled. Taking advantage of Lin Fei’s inattention, he sneaked another glance, wondering why Lin Fei had suddenly started serving him food.
Most of the time, unless he specifically asked for something, Lin Fei would never serve him food. In other cases, Lin Fei would simply eat his own portion.
It wasn’t that Lin Fei didn’t like serving him food; rather, Ji Leyu never had that need, and Lin Fei had no such awareness.
— From childhood to now, it was always Lin Luoqing and Ji Yuxiao who actively served them food. They just ate, taking more of what they liked and less of what they didn’t. Thus, neither he nor Lin Fei ever had the habit of serving food to others.
But now, Lin Fei had actually started serving him food voluntarily.
Ji Leyu was somewhat surprised. The subtle sense of annoyance from not understanding their conversation disappeared instantly, replaced by a joyous excitement.
He tried to stay calm and didn’t speak up, wanting to see if Lin Fei would continue to serve him.
Sure enough, after a while, Lin Fei served him another helping of vegetables.
Ji Leyu’s joy rolled over inside him, making him feel utterly content as he lowered his head to eat the vegetables.
Jiang Jingshuo: …
Jiang Jingshuo felt completely baffled!
Is that how brothers interact nowadays?
They even have to specifically serve each other food???
Is it really this clingy?!
Jiang Jingshuo held his chopsticks with a subtle expression.
When Lin Fei glanced up and saw his expression, he unusually asked, “Something wrong?”
“No, nothing.” Jiang Jingshuo smiled, “Just think you two get along really well.”
Ji Leyu snorted coldly, “It’s good that you know.”
Jiang Jingshuo: “… I honestly feel like I understand it very well.”
Especially with you being such a die-hard brother fan.
Ji Leyu shot him a glance, his chin slightly lifted, looking both showy and proud.
He lowered his head and ate a couple of bites from his bowl. As he ate, he couldn’t help but look over at Lin Fei again, his gaze completely different from the critical and proud look he had given Jiang Jingshuo. His eyes were bright and seemed to sparkle.
“I’d like a chicken wing,” he said softly.
The whole person was well-behaved and sweet.
Lin Fei lifted his chopsticks and served him a chicken wing.
Ji Leyu immediately smiled, his eyes lively and radiant.
Jiang Jingshuo suddenly felt that he seemed to understand.
He was indeed a brother fan, but Ji Leyu was genuinely beautiful, especially when he smiled—so wonderfully picturesque.
If he were Ji Leyu’s brother, he would probably dote on this younger brother as well.
The meal was enjoyable for all three.
Ji Leyu thought that Lin Fei serving him food today was probably to comfort him, concerned that he might be unhappy because of Jiang Jingshuo’s presence.
He planned to test it and kept thinking about it during dinner that evening, wondering if Lin Fei would voluntarily serve him food.
However, after waiting for a long time, Ji Leyu didn’t get any food served by Lin Fei, but he did get some from Ji Yuxiao.
Ji Yuxiao served each of them a piece of pork rib and said, “I’m going out tomorrow and will be back in about three or four days. You two should focus on studying at home. If anything comes up, just give me a call.”
Ji Leyu asked, “Where are you going?”
“To visit your dad,” Ji Yuxiao replied with a smile.
Ji Leyu blinked, “Didn’t you just go there recently?”
“Just like how you had dinner last night and are still eating today,” Ji Yuxiao responded.
Ji Leyu: …
Ji Leyu lifted the corners of his mouth, with a hint of teasing in his eyes, “That’s true. For you, my dad is like the essence of life and spiritual nourishment; it’s only right that you see him often.”
Ji Yuxiao didn’t refute but asked, “Is there anything you want me to bring to him?”
Ji Leyu put down his chopsticks and made a heart shape with his hands, “Of course, it’s my full love~”
Ji Yuxiao was amused by his gesture, thinking that he was truly considerate and adorable.
In a way, Ji Yuxiao was the only one in the family who thought Ji Leyu was genuinely sweet and innocent—though he wasn’t really naive, he just had a thick layer of rose-tinted glasses.
“What about Feifei? Does Feifei have anything to give to your dad?” Ji Yuxiao turned to ask Lin Fei.
Lin Fei shook his head.
He was naturally reserved and somewhat conflicted when it came to Lin Luoqing, even though he secretly cared a lot, he wouldn’t show it.
Ji Yuxiao clearly understood their personalities well and didn’t say much more, only noting, “This drama should be wrapping up soon. He’ll probably be back next month.”
Ji Leyu was delighted, “Really?”
Ji Yuxiao nodded.
Ji Leyu smiled again, his eyes filled with undeniable happiness.
His joy made him forget about testing Lin Fei until he returned to his bedroom after dinner and remembered it once more.
Lin Fei didn’t serve him food this evening, so was it really just to comfort him?
Did it mean he would only serve him food when Jiang Jingshuo was around?
Or is it because this was Jiang Jingshuo’s first meal with them, so Lin Fei was being particularly accommodating, but will not do so in the future?
Ji Leyu pondered this while resting his hand on his cheek.
Should he have another meal with Jiang Jingshuo?
He lay in bed, thinking and tossing.
Ji Leyu didn’t deliberate for long. Soon, Jiang Jingshuo extended another invitation to Lin Fei.
[Are you going or not?] he sent Lin Fei a WeChat message. [I really want to go. Don’t you? There’s a discount, and we can buy some books too.]
The place he mentioned was Huangjinwu, where he had wanted to meet Lin Fei offline.
Coincidentally, Huangjinwu had a discount event this Saturday, so Jiang Jingshuo extended another invitation to Lin Fei.
Lin Fei looked at the message and, after a moment of thought, replied, [Okay.]
Jiang Jingshuo happily responded, [Then it’s settled. See you tomorrow.]
Then he curiously asked, [Are you bringing Ji Leyu along this time too?]
Lin Fei: [Yes.]
Jiang Jingshuo: … It really is inseparable.
[Alright then], he replied.
Lin Fei put down his phone and turned to Ji Leyu, “Let’s go out with me tomorrow.”
“Where to?” Ji Leyu asked, his face full of anticipation.
“Bookstore,” Lin Fei answered while writing on a test paper.
Ji Leyu: … He had been too quick to be happy.
“We just went there not long ago,” he said in a small, reluctant voice.
Lin Fei continued working on the test questions without looking up, “Don’t want to go?”
“I just think it’s unnecessary to go so frequently,” Ji Leyu said earnestly.
Lin Fei nodded slightly, “Alright then, it will be just me and Jiang Jingshuo.”
Ji Leyu almost jumped up, “I’ll go!”
It is time for wordplay.
“How can one not read books?” he declared with righteous indignation. “I dive into books like a hungry person diving into bread; no one can stop me from consuming my spiritual nourishment.”
Lin Fei replied with an “Mm,” his pen not stopping, “That’s good. Since you like reading so much, I’ll buy you a few more books when the time comes.”
Ji Leyu: ???
Can someone actually say that?!
“And it’s just as well, since you haven’t written your reading notes for this semester.”
Ji Leyu: !!!
How can a mouth at 37°C say such cold things!!!
Lin Fei turned to look at him, “How about it?”
Ji Leyu: …
Ji Leyu buried his face in Lin Fei’s shoulder, looking extremely pleased, like a dead fish.
Lin Fei patted his head and smiled.
“Don’t worry, big brother will check your reading notes carefully.”
Ji Leyu: … There’s no need to check so thoroughly, sob.
Author’s note:
Jiang Jingshuo: Do brothers or childhood friends all act this clingy?
Jiang Jingshuo: Have I been an only child for too long to understand modern sibling dynamics?
Jiang Jingshuo: I don’t get it, but I’m amazed!
Xiaoyu: Hmph!
“I dive into books like a hungry person dives into bread” is a famous quote by Maxim Gorky.