【9】Why Do You Keep Crashing into Brother’s Arms?
When Song Zixuan returned carrying a bag of fruit, Wen Ran had already finished cooking.
“Wow, you’re amazing!” Song Zixuan leaned in and sniffed. “Smells so good!”
“I don’t know why my brother came over early.” Song Zixuan was very happy to see Jiang Yan.
He dragged Wen Ran over.
“Brother, this is my roommate, Wen Ran,” Song Zixuan, being a high school student after all, excitedly introduced his new friend to his brother. “He can cook, and he’s super amazing at games too!”
Friendship between boys comes very quickly. Ever since Wen Ran’s Shadow Xuanji 1v5 play that night, Song Zixuan had been conquered by his formidable mechanics. He would often drag Wen Ran to teach him.
Wen Ran was generous too, sharing some tricks, combos, and how to refresh passives, taming Song Zixuan into complete submission.
“Brother, I feel like Wen Ran’s mechanics aren’t inferior to those pros,” Song Zixuan told Jiang Yan. “If Wen Ran debuted, he’d definitely be a Dharma King of the Mid Lane.”
Jiang Yan really didn’t know what to say about his silly younger brother, but Wen Ran’s gaming talent was indeed high. If he could debut, he would definitely be a team carry.
“If the two of you had been on the same team back then, you wouldn’t have had to leave so dejected…”
“Song Zixuan!” Jiang Yan interrupted him. “How come Brother never noticed your memory was this good before?”
Song Zixuan quickly made a motion of zipping his lips and ran to serve the rice.
Jiang Yan sat on the sofa with Wen Ran opposite him. Compared to Song Zixuan, who was wolfing down his food, Wen Ran looked very well-behaved when he ate, taking small bites.
His lips were thin and soft, crimson in color.
Song Zixuan had already eaten two bowls, but the tip of the rice mound in Wen Ran’s bowl had barely gone down.
Tsk, no wonder he’s so thin.
“Song Zixuan, eat slower.” Jiang Yan spoke up. “Look at him. Can’t you be a bit more refined?”
“I still have to stream!” Song Zixuan said indistinctly with a piece of meat still in his mouth. “Wen Ran eats slow because he has stomach problems. I’m fine.”
A flash of strange emotion crossed Jiang Yan’s eyes. “You have stomach problems?”
Wen Ran gave a low “Mmhmm.”
Spending so many years not knowing where his next meal was coming from, sometimes even eating cold rice, had long since ruined his stomach.
When he first arrived here, his stomach acted up once, nearly scaring Song Zixuan to death.
The atmosphere gradually fell silent. Jiang Yan couldn’t read Wen Ran at all. He looked barely two years older than Song Zixuan and should be in school, yet he seemed to have struggled in society for a long time, carrying an air of street smarts.
Tonight, to entertain Jiang Yan on Song Zixuan’s orders, the dishes were all heavy, rich foods that were somewhat greasy.
Wen Ran didn’t dare eat much. He hastily took a few bites to pad his stomach before putting down his chopsticks. “I’m full.”
During the meal, Wen Ran felt Jiang Yan’s gaze on him the entire time. But in front of Song Zixuan, he couldn’t flare up, so he just cleaned up some things in the kitchen and returned to his room.
His phone vibrated. It was a job-hunting app informing him that he could start work tomorrow night.
Wen Ran had looked for several jobs, but without an ID card, many places wouldn’t take him. With great difficulty, he found a bar hiring servers. The requirements were a height above 1.7 meters and good looks.
Wen Ran sent his photo. After communicating with customer service, they couldn’t bear to let go of such a beautiful face, though there was only a base salary and no commission.
Before he could immerse himself in the joy of finding a job, his phone rang abruptly.
Looking at the number saved as “Mom,” Wen Ran didn’t want to answer at all.
But in the end, his finger slid across the screen.
“Why did it take you so long to answer? What were you doing?” Li Fenlan’s voice on the other end was sharp and ear-piercing. “You haven’t sent money home for two months. Do you want me to drink the northwest wind?”
Wen Ran sighed. “I don’t have money right now.”
Li Fenlan exploded upon hearing this, cursing loudly into the phone. “No money? Then what have you been doing for these two months? Are you dead? Can’t work?”
In the past, hearing such vicious words would have hurt Wen Ran’s heart, but now, he was long since numb.
“Do you know that your own sister can’t even afford milk powder now? If I knew you were going out to enjoy yourself, I shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and let you go!”
Wen Ran suppressed the pain in his heart and said coldly, “Don’t talk to me about that. Give me back my ID card, and I’ll give you money.”
Li Fenlan instantly raged. “Are you negotiating with me?”
“So what if I am?” Wen Ran’s voice deepened. “One thousand, two thousand, five thousand, eight thousand… You’ve broken your word too many times. This time, if I don’t see my ID, you won’t get a cent.”
Li Fenlan actually started wailing loudly on the other end. “Aiyooo, why is my life so bitter giving birth to such a cheap bastard? Can’t even control my own son. Dog-raised thing, I hope you get hit by a car when you go out…”
Wen Ran hung up the phone directly.
It was as if doing so could cut off those vicious curses from his biological mother.
Feeling agitated, Wen Ran went to the balcony and skillfully lit a cigarette.
The thick smoke choked his throat. Wen Ran tilted his head back slightly, gently blowing a smoke ring, exposing a section of his beautiful neck.
The spark flickered. Amidst the curling smoke, he couldn’t see the scenery outside clearly.
Wen Ran entered society early. Since people saw he was young, they would always bully him. So he bought a pack of cigarettes—not to smoke, but just to hold between his fingers to make himself look like someone not to be messed with.
Later, smoking became his only outlet for frustration.
After finishing one cigarette, Wen Ran turned to walk back, but his foot slipped, and his body pitched forward uncontrollably.
A single thought flashed through Wen Ran’s mind: It’s over. I’m going to disfigure my face. How will I go to work tomorrow?
He closed his eyes nervously, but the expected bloodshed didn’t happen. Instead, he fell into a warm embrace.
Jiang Yan’s lazy voice sounded above him, one hand supporting his waist. “Little friend, why do you keep crashing into Brother’s arms?”
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