Chapter Sixty-Two: Hello, Brother

Wen Yichen and Yin Lizhe—two boys who usually exchanged no more than five sentences in conversation—could hardly stop talking for even a minute when they were gaming together. The two of them seemed so familiar with each other, as if they had known one another for years.

Thus, without realizing it, they played round after round of games together.

It wasn't clear how many hours had passed when Yin Lizhe finally put down his phone and yawned. “Wen Yichen, what time is it?”

Wen Yichen glanced at the time. “Half past two.”

“Still want to play?” Yin Lizhe asked.

“Forget it, let’s stop.”

With that, both of them exited the game.

However, the moment they left the game, it was as if they suddenly had nothing left to say, and the air between them fell silent once more. It felt as if they had never met before—instead of classmates, they were more like two strangers reluctantly sharing a room on a trip simply because they needed a place to sleep.

That enigmatic silence gradually cast a subtle awkwardness over the room.

Wen Yichen glanced at Yin Lizhe, and by coincidence, Yin Lizhe looked at him at that very moment as well. Their eyes met, and then, just as quickly, both looked away, each in an awkward, unnatural manner.

Both of them were tired and wanted to sleep, but there was only one blanket on the bed. For these two boys, sharing a bed was uncomfortable enough; sharing a blanket was simply out of the question.

At last, Wen Yichen got up, walked over to the cupboard, and after rummaging for a while, finally returned to the bed clutching a blanket. He lifted the blanket that had been laid out by the staff earlier and placed his own on the bed.

He had no intention of sharing a blanket with Yin Lizhe, and Yin Lizhe felt the same.

But wanting something and being able to achieve it are two different things.

In the second half of the night, Wen Yichen finally managed to fall asleep, only to suddenly feel a chill run over his body, as if something had invaded his blanket. He frowned, puzzled as to what had gotten into his blanket, when he suddenly felt something hook around his leg.

The next second, Wen Yichen’s sleepy eyes snapped open, instantly wide awake. The room was quiet; in his ears, he could hear Yin Lizhe’s steady breathing. They had left a bedside lamp on. Wen Yichen instinctively turned his head, and in the dim yellow light, he saw Yin Lizhe lying right next to him.

The one who had slipped into Wen Yichen’s blanket and hooked his leg was none other than Yin Lizhe, whose blanket had long been tossed aside. The boy before him had his eyes closed, completely oblivious to what he was doing.

...

For a grown boy to act like this was something Wen Yichen could hardly accept—did Yin Lizhe have some strange sleeping habits?

With this thought, Wen Yichen instinctively shifted further to the side.

Yin Lizhe seemed to sense Wen Yichen’s movement and hooked him even tighter. The next second, he muttered sleepily, “Don’t move... It’s freezing.”

...?

Wen Yichen glanced at Yin Lizhe. At this moment, not only did he want to move, he wanted to kick Yin Lizhe off the bed entirely. If he’d known this would happen, he would never have chosen to sleep here.

“Yin Lizhe, wake up.” Wen Yichen had no intention of following Yin Lizhe’s request. His voice was low and resolute, as if determined to wake Yin Lizhe no matter what.

“Yin Lizhe—”

The repeated calls finally irritated Yin Lizhe, who groggily opened his eyes. The next moment, Wen Yichen’s icy face came into focus.

Instantly awake, Yin Lizhe was stunned for a moment, then quickly withdrew his leg and, taking his blanket, scooted to the far side of the bed.

A chill crept over Wen Yichen. Suppressing his irritation, he said calmly, “This is my blanket.”

“I’m cold...”

Wen Yichen looked away with resignation, only to notice, to his surprise, that the air conditioner was off.

“I’ll turn the air conditioner on. You use your own blanket.”

That night, neither of the boys slept well. Scarcely had they managed to doze off before morning arrived.

When the two girls noticed the dark circles under their eyes and asked about it, the boys offered no explanation. Neither of them was willing to talk about what had happened during the night—it was simply too embarrassing.

...

The holiday ended quickly, and the new semester began. On the second Friday after school started, Jiang Muwen received an invitation from Gu Nianxi.

“Wenwen, want to come over to my house?”

Jiang Muwen realized she had never visited Gu Nianxi’s home before, and the invitation stirred her curiosity.

She asked Wen Yichen to move their Friday tutoring session to Saturday and then went home with Gu Nianxi after school.

Gu Nianxi lived in an upscale residential complex. Thinking back, Jiang Muwen realized that Gu Nianxi had rarely mentioned anything about her home.

Laughing and chatting, the two girls opened the door.

Gu Nianxi’s place was spacious and exuded an air of elegance from every corner. Jiang Muwen glanced around; the apartment was clean and minimalist, and the word that came to her mind was “classy.”

“Nianxi, your home is huge—”

“Not really, not really. Wenwen, have a seat on the sofa. I’ll find some snacks for you, and then we can have dinner later,” Gu Nianxi said, shuffling off in her slippers to rummage through the cupboards for snacks.

Gu Nianxi’s home was nearly perfect, but there was one flaw—the decor didn’t seem suited to a family of three. Rather, it looked more like a place designed for a man.

After Gu Nianxi sat down next to Jiang Muwen with some snacks, Jiang Muwen couldn’t help but ask, “Nianxi, are your parents not home yet?”

“My parents don’t live here,” Gu Nianxi replied as she tore open a bag of chips and popped one into her mouth. “They’re managing the company in S City. I live here with my brother.”

No wonder... The style of the place really did seem more masculine.

Jiang Muwen didn’t ask much about Gu Nianxi’s family business. After the two of them watched TV on the sofa for a while, the sound of a key turning in the lock caught their attention—it must have been Gu Nianxi’s brother returning.

The next moment, the door opened.

“Hey, you’re back!” Gu Nianxi called out, her eyes still fixed on the television.

“Mm.”

A low, magnetic voice reached Jiang Muwen’s ears, prompting her to glance toward the door. A tall figure came into view, the owner bending to change his shoes.

Gu Nianxi’s brother was named Gu Niancun, eight years older than her, and he was now managing their parents’ branch company in A City.

“Hello, brother...” Jiang Muwen greeted him politely.

The unfamiliar voice made Gu Niancun look up instinctively, his deep eyes settling on Jiang Muwen. He didn’t respond, simply regarding her with an inscrutable expression, giving nothing away about his thoughts.