Chapter 11: Late Night Chat — “Your brother? What does Wifey like about him?”…
After walking Hao Meng to the school gate, seeing that it was still early and the school wasn’t far from home, the two of them decided to walk back along the streetlights to digest their meal.
The temperature difference at night was significant; the wind carried a biting chill. Jiang Yunian was dressed thinly, and his hands were getting a bit cold.
“Cold?” Jiang Yan held his hand. “Put it in my pocket, it’s warm.”
“It’s fine, we’ll be there soo—”
Before he could finish, his hand was already completely enveloped by Jiang Yan’s warm palm and stuffed directly into his jacket pocket.
Two guys holding hands walking down the street…
It looked awkward no matter how you sliced it.
Jiang Yunian wanted to pull his hand back, but Jiang Yan held it tight. Glancing sideways, he saw Jiang Yan looking completely natural, apparently unaware that anything was amiss.
It made Jiang Yunian feel like he was the one being pretentious.
The discomfort in Jiang Yunian’s heart slowly dissipated as he felt the warmth radiating from the palm. The streetlights cast a soft halo, stretching their shadows long and slender against the pavement.
Jiang Yunian thought silently to himself that with Jiang Yan by his side, this winter might not be too cold.
His thoughts shifted, and he remembered Jiang Yan’s unusual behavior toward Hao Meng at the dinner table. He couldn’t help but think: If Jiang Yan gets a girlfriend, the gentleness and thoughtfulness he spares for me will probably become very, very little.
At this thought, it felt like half an unripe lemon was wedged in his heart—faintly sour, mixed with a sense of loss he hadn’t even realized himself.
Feeling the steady heat from another person in the pocket, his attempt to act casual was a bit clumsy. “What do you… think of Hao Meng?”
“She’s interesting enough,” Jiang Yan answered blandly.
Jiang Yunian gave a soft “Oh.”
Jiang Yan turned his head. Seeing Jiang Yunian pursing his lips in silence, the corners of his mouth hooked up slightly as he leisurely added, “If Ge isn’t happy, I won’t talk to her in the future.”
Jiang Yunian’s heart skipped a beat, and he shook his head vigorously. How could he be the villain who breaks up a potential couple? If they really liked each other, he should be blessing them.
“No… I’m not unhappy.” He hurriedly clarified, his speech even becoming a bit incoherent. “If you want to talk to her, just talk. It’s best… best to talk more! Get to know her better!”
Jiang Yan: “…”
Facing his Ge, who was as dense as a block of wood, Jiang Yan’s mouth twitched, and he said stiffly, “I don’t have that kind of interest in her. I only said a few extra words because she’s Ge’s friend.”
Having his petty thoughts exposed so bluntly, Jiang Yunian’s face flushed red instantly. “I-I didn’t say you liked her…”
Jiang Yan looked at his embarrassed state and chuckled low. “Then let’s say I said it, okay?”
With him putting it that way, Jiang Yunian’s face burned even hotter. He turned his head away, refusing to speak to him anymore.
As they walked, a few water droplets suddenly smashed down onto their heads. It looked like it was going to rain.
Jiang Yunian touched the tip of his nose, which was wet from the water, and proactively tugged Jiang Yan’s hand, speeding up his pace. In just a moment, raindrops the size of beans came crashing down pitter-patter, instantly forming a dense curtain of rain. Without knowing when the initiative had shifted, Jiang Yan was now pulling Jiang Yunian along as they ran, the splashing rain soaking their pant legs.
By the time they got home, both were drowned rats. Jiang Yunian was panting, water dripping continuously from the tips of his hair. He was just about to go collect the laundry from the balcony when Jiang Yan grabbed him.
“I’ll do it.” Jiang Yan’s voice brooked no refusal. “Go shower.”
Jiang Yunian was thus pushed into the bathroom.
Jiang Yan picked up the clothes that had been blown down on the balcony; the cotton fabric felt slightly cool. Holding the clothes as he walked back inside, he heard the sound of fine, fragmented water flow coming from the bathroom, exceptionally clear in the rainy night.
His figure paused. Through the frosted glass door, a warm white glow outlined a blurry, slender silhouette. The sound of water spilled out clearly, mimicking the rhythm of a heartbeat.
There seemed to be an invisible thread in the air pulling him closer. His stagnant gaze seemed to want to pierce through that thin layer of water mist to see the氤氲 (misty atmosphere) inside.
“Ah Yan,” suddenly, a gentle voice came through the door panel, breaking the stagnation. “Help me get my pajamas.”
Jiang Yan responded softly. His gaze moved away from the temptation with difficulty, landing on the soft pajamas in his hands.
Slowly lowering his head, he buried his face in the clothes, inhaling greedily. The familiar clean scent instantly wrapped around him—just like his Ge, hooking him in at every moment.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the dry heat rising in his body, and knocked on the door.
“Ge, clothes.”
The door opened a narrow crack from the inside. A section of a pale, slender arm reached out. The fingers, slightly spread, were steamed a faint pink by the heat, looking exceptionally alluring under the light.
Jiang Yan stared without blinking. That palm spread open toward him looked like a silent invitation. An impulse drove him, almost making him reach out to touch it…
“Hm? Where are the clothes?” Jiang Yunian’s confused voice came from behind the door, his hand grasping at the empty air.
Jiang Yan snapped back to reality, forcibly pressing down the turbulence in his heart, and placed the pajamas in his hand. As the other withdrew his hand, his fingertips inadvertently grazed Jiang Yan’s palm.
The door closed again.
Jiang Yan slowly curled the finger that had been touched. He stared at it for a moment, then, with a devotion bordering on obsession, he gently placed it in his mouth and licked it with the tip of his tongue.
It was soft.
By the time Jiang Yunian came out of the shower, Jiang Yan had already gone to his own room to wash up. Only today, he took an exceptionally long time, staying in there for over an hour before coming out. Jiang Yunian cooked him a bowl of ginger soup and watched him drink it before going back to his room to rest.
It was another night without thunder or rain; Jiang Yan had no excuse to stay with him.
The warm bedside lamp was on in the secondary bedroom. Jiang Yunian leaned halfway against the headboard, flipping through his phone album. He selected a few photos of the food from the food stall tonight and posted them on Weibo.
Very quickly, an avatar with a cute puppy liked his post, and a private message popped up immediately after. Jiang Yunian then remembered it was that girl who had “teased” him earlier.
[LG: Looks good.]
[LG: That shop on Nan University’s food street?]
This was the second time the other party mentioned Nan University; they seemed very familiar with the area. Jiang Yunian guessed she might not be the little girl he imagined, but perhaps a junior schoolmate.
[Nian Nian You Yu: You know it? Are you from Nan University too?]
LG didn’t answer directly.
[LG: The crayfish there is not bad. My brother likes it.]
Seeing the words “My brother,” Jiang Yunian curled his legs up, involuntarily thinking of the dinner gathering tonight and the way Jiang Yan methodically peeled shrimp. It was only when the shells piled up into a small mountain and a plate full of shrimp meat was pushed over that he realized Jiang Yan had been peeling them for him.
Ghostly gods and spirits at work, he asked:
[Nian Nian You Yu: Does your brother peel shrimp for you too?]
[LG: It’s always me peeling for him to eat.]
Jiang Yunian paused. Since when do younger sisters peel shrimp for older brothers? Isn’t that usually the older brother’s job?
LG simply said faintly that her brother loved to eat them, so she peeled them. Before Jiang Yunian could notice the ambiguity between the lines, the other party sent another message.
[LG: If Wifey likes it, I’ll peel for you to eat every day (Kiss)]
As expected, normal for no more than three seconds. Jiang Yunian laughed; having Jiang Yan was enough for him.
[LG: Who did Wifey eat with? Girlfriend?]
[Nian Nian You Yu: No, with my younger brother.]
[LG: Wifey’s brother, he must be very handsome, right?]
Chatting about Jiang Yan, Jiang Yunian’s typing hands became lighter:
[Nian Nian You Yu: En, he’s very handsome, also very obedient, very easy to like.]
These three “very”s made the corners of the lips of the person on the other end of the chat turn up uncontrollably.
Outsiders call him a fool, only his Ge says he is easy to like.
However…
[LG: Like?]
The “Typing…” indicator at the top of the chat box flashed for a moment then stopped. Then, there was no movement for a long time. He sent another message.
[LG: Wifey likes him?]
Five minutes passed without a reply.
[LG: Is it hard to answer?]
…
[LG: You there?]
Half an hour later, Jiang Yan abruptly sat up from his bed.
In his room, Jiang Yunian was on a call with Hao Meng, discussing details for tomorrow’s shoot, completely failing to notice the figure approaching silently in the hallway, footsteps light as a cat.
“Ge, are you asleep?”
Hearing the noise, Jiang Yunian subconsciously looked out the window. No rain, no thunder—why did he run over again?
“Not yet, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Jiang Yan stood at the doorway. Light spilled out from the crack of the door, outlining his tall, upright figure. The light in his eyes clung to the other’s face in strands, carrying an unspeakable desire. Then, he swirled the glass cup in his hand.
“Nothing, this is for Ge.”
Jiang Yunian looked at the honey water and felt he was acting strange tonight. “I already drank some, did you forget?”
“Did I?” The hand Jiang Yan used to hold the cup paused, but he still placed it in Jiang Yunian’s hand, taking the opportunity to clasp his fingers tight. “Then drink a little more. Sleep early tonight.”
Jiang Yunian held the glass cup, watched him turn around crisply, and scratched his face in confusion.
What happened? Looking at me like that.
Sitting back on the bed, the chat box was already piled high with messages from LG. Jiang Yunian frowned slightly; the other party seemed abnormally concerned about the fact that he “liked Jiang Yan.”
[Nian Nian You Yu: I’m here. You haven’t slept yet? My brother just came to bring me honey water.]
[Nian Nian You Yu: Yeah, I do like him very much. Why?]
LG replied almost instantly:
[LG: What does Wifey like about him?]
[LG: Because he’s handsome?]
[Nian Nian You Yu: I like him no matter what he’s like.]
Looking back at that last message, he felt this girl’s thinking was a bit erratic. Liking a younger brother was naturally because they were family; what did it have to do with being handsome? It wasn’t like looking for a partner…
Wait, looking for a partner?
[LG: He is a man. You don’t mind?]
In the dark room, Jiang Yan’s thumb rubbed against his chin. The light from the screen illuminated a trace of amusement in the depths of his eyes. Beneath his Ge’s honest exterior, there was actually such a contrast.
Jiang Yunian stared at this line of text, almost dropping his phone.
[Nian Nian You Yu: No, the kind of like I’m talking about is because he is my family…]
[Nian Nian You Yu: No, it’s not simply because of family that I like… I’m not a pervert.]
His fingers swiped chaotically across the screen, accidentally opening the front-facing camera, reflecting his own flushed little face. Help, why did it feel like the more he explained, the darker it got?
Thinking it over, he had no choice but to attach a screenshot of his bio as final proof:
[I am not gay (Tears)]
The chat box instantly fell silent. It took a good while before LG replied:
[LG: Why? Wifey is repulsed by homosexuals?]
[Nian Nian You Yu: Not repulsed! It’s that I like girls. I don’t play that way.]
For some reason, the other party didn’t reply again.
Clearly, nothing was said, but Jiang Yunian inexplicably felt a momentary sense of depression coming from the other end of the screen. The other party seemed… somewhat disappointed that he wasn’t gay.
The light of the screen gradually dimmed until it extinguished completely. Jiang Yan lay on the bed, sinking into darkness.
I like him no matter what he’s like.
I am not gay… I don’t play that way.
Is being gay really that important?
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