Chapter 12
Jiang Mi truly felt that Liang Jinyi was very lovable. He bent down, picked the little dumpling up, and walked toward Qiuxin Garden.
But Liang Jinyi hadn’t gotten a promise that he was better than dogs, so he asked in dissatisfaction, “Brother, do you… like me… more than dogs?”
Jiang Mi felt that Liang Jinyi’s possessiveness really was quite strong. He even had to compete with dogs for status. But children generally had possessive streaks. He remembered when Liu Peipei was three or four, he had gone to her house, and her one-year-old little cousin happened to be there too. When Jiang Mi wanted to touch the little cousin, Liu Peipei immediately tugged his hand away and said, “Play with me.”
After growing a year or two older, that possessiveness had clearly lessened.
Although Liang Jinyi was a little older than Peipei, his living environment had been different from hers. Five months ago, he had spent a long time alone, with no one communicating with him. His animal-like instincts were stronger. Once he grew up a little more, much of this possessiveness would disappear, so Jiang Mi didn’t think too much of it.
He casually answered the child’s question. “Of course I like you more.”
Liang Jinyi wrapped his arms around Brother’s neck in satisfaction.
Just then, the phone in Jiang Mi’s pocket rang.
Jiang Mi held Liang Jinyi with one arm and took out his phone with the other to answer. The call was from Uncle Lin. He said he had already arrived at the main entrance of Qiuxin Garden.
“Uncle Lin, wait seven or eight minutes for me. I’m walking back with Jinyi now.”
“All right,” Uncle Lin replied.
After hanging up, Jiang Mi stuffed his phone back into his pocket and reminded Liang Jinyi, “Uncle Lin is here to pick you up.”
Jiang Mi had already talked to Liang Jinyi earlier about him having to go home. Although Liang Jinyi was reluctant, he accepted it quickly. He pressed his cheek against Jiang Mi’s and asked in a milky voice, “Brother, will you… pick me up after school… next week?”
Jiang Mi had taken leave to pick him up on Wednesday. On Friday, he had been able to pick him up because they had monthly exams and he had handed in his paper early. Logically speaking, he wouldn’t be able to next week.
“Brother can pick you up after school on Friday.”
Next week was Yunde High School’s annual sports meet. It would be held on Thursday and Friday. Based on last year’s experience, school would be dismissed before five, which would be just right for picking Liang Jinyi up.
Liang Jinyi couldn’t help cheering.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon, it was Yunde High School’s annual autumn sports meet.
Each grade’s key classes at Yunde High School used small-class teaching, with just over thirty students per class. The dozen or so ordinary classes all had more than fifty students. Because there were fewer people, almost everyone in Jiang Mi’s class had signed up for one or two events.
Jiang Mi was no exception. He had signed up for the boys’ four-by-two-hundred-meter relay and the boys’ one-thousand-meter race.
The third-year students didn’t participate in the sports meet. Between the first and second years, there were a total of forty-two classes. Their class placed eighth in the relay. As for the boys’ one-thousand-meter race, Jiang Mi came in second. The top five all received prizes, so Jiang Mi got a pencil case and a notebook.
The sports meet’s closing ceremony was held at four o’clock on Friday afternoon. Every speaker at Yunde High School kept their speech brief and concise. Before five o’clock, the speeches ended, and the first- and second-year students were dismissed for the weekend.
The Liang family’s car was already waiting at the school gate. Jiang Mi and Liang Xuping went to the dorm to get their schoolbags, then took the car to Red Sun Kindergarten.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, it was Class One’s turn to be dismissed. Jiang Mi didn’t wait long before he saw Liang Jinyi, wearing Red Sun Kindergarten’s British-style uniform and carrying his little dinosaur backpack, rushing out from inside and throwing himself at him.
“Brother, I missed… you so much.” Liang Jinyi never held back when expressing how much he liked Jiang Mi.
Jiang Mi patted his head and was about to take his hand and walk toward the parking lot when a child’s panting voice came from behind them, calling Liang Jinyi’s name.
Jiang Mi stopped and turned around.
When Liang Jinyi saw who it was, he frowned lightly.
Very soon, a child wearing an Ultraman backpack ran breathlessly up to Liang Jinyi. Refusing to give up, he asked, “Are you really not coming to my birthday party the day after tomorrow? My mom is going to prepare a five-layer cake for me. The cake will have Tiga, Ace, Jack, Zoffy, Zero, Taro, and lots of other Ultramen on it!”
Liang Jinyi curled his little lips and said impatiently, “I don’t like Ultraman.”
Zhuang Zihang raised his brows. “There will also be lots of little cookies, all kinds of flavors.”
“I don’t like eating cookies either.”
Zhuang Zihang became anxious. “But there will be lots of friends. We can play games together.”
Who wanted to play games with you?
Liang Jinyi tightened his grip on Jiang Mi’s hand and showed off to Zhuang Zihang, “My brother will play games with me.”
But the moment Liang Jinyi finished speaking, Jiang Mi’s voice immediately sounded.
“Don’t worry, little friend. Jinyi will attend your birthday party on Sunday.”
Liang Jinyi froze.
He stared blankly at Jiang Mi.
Jiang Mi gently patted his head.
Having received a promise from Liang Jinyi’s guardian, Zhuang Zihang became exceptionally excited. He said happily to Liang Jinyi, “Liang Jinyi, then you definitely have to come this weekend!”
Liang Jinyi gave a reluctant “Mm.”
Having invited the best-looking person in the whole class to his birthday party, Zhuang Zihang was perfectly satisfied. He bounced away with his father.
Liang Jinyi, however, wasn’t very happy. He looked at Jiang Mi and said gloomily, “Brother, why did you… agree for me… to go to his birthday party?”
Jiang Mi was very patient. “Jinyi, at school, you always play by yourself. You don’t play with classmates, and you don’t have friends, right?”
Liang Xuping actually cared quite a lot about Liang Jinyi, and so did Jiang Mi. Both of them were very clear about Liang Jinyi’s situation at school. Liang Jinyi was somewhat withdrawn at school. He didn’t like playing with classmates and preferred doing things and playing alone.
“Playing by myself… is more fun. And I don’t need… friends.” After saying that, his eyes shone as he added, “I have Brother… and that’s enough.”
Jiang Mi crouched down and patiently explained to him, “But people always need friends. Brother has friends too.”
Liang Xuping also felt that Liang Jinyi’s withdrawn personality wasn’t very good, so he took the opportunity to cut in. “Liang Jinyi, if your biological older brother didn’t have friends like you, would you have been able to meet your Jiang Mi-brother?”
Hearing that, Liang Jinyi was momentarily stuck.
But he really didn’t like those children and didn’t want to be friends with them.
“How about this, Jinyi? On Sunday, we’ll go to your classmate’s birthday party. You can try making friends. Your brothers won’t force you, but will you at least try?”
Since Jiang Mi had said this, Liang Jinyi could only bite his lip and say, “Okay.”
After saying that, he leaned closer to Jiang Mi, tugged at Jiang Mi’s collar with one hand, and acted spoiled. “Then Brother has to… go with me.”
“All right.”
**
Zhuang Zihang and Liang Jinyi lived in the same villa district. It would take about twenty minutes to walk there. In the morning, Jiang Mi took Liang Jinyi to the boutique shop near the neighborhood and bought Zhuang Zihang a box of watercolor pens as a birthday gift.
At ten-thirty in the morning, Jiang Mi and Liang Xuping brought Liang Jinyi to the Zhuang residence.
The Zhuang family villa didn’t occupy as much land as the Liang family’s, but it still had several hundred square meters of lawn. Zhuang Zihang’s sixth birthday party was being held on the grass. Many colorful balloons were stuck around the area, all printed with the Ultramen Zhuang Zihang liked.
After Liang Jinyi arrived at the Zhuang house, he handed the birthday gift to Zhuang Zihang, then immediately wanted to go find Brother and play with him.
But he glanced at Jiang Mi standing under the tree and thought of the task Brother had given him. Liang Jinyi’s little brows furrowed slightly.
Brother had asked him to try making friends.
So now, he should go play with those children he didn’t like for a while. Then he could say he didn’t like it, and then he could go play with Brother.
Thinking this, Liang Jinyi swept his gaze around.
Two minutes later, Liang Jinyi walked toward several classmates who were playing ball and politely asked, “Can I… play ball… with you?”
The children Zhuang Zihang had invited were all from Class One at Red Sun. He liked liveliness, so he had invited all twenty-plus children in the class. Naturally, everyone knew Liang Jinyi. After all, he was the best-looking child in their class, even in the entire kindergarten.
But in the past, many children had wanted to play with him, and Liang Jinyi had coldly rejected them all.
“Sure! Let’s play ball together.” No one had expected him to actually take the initiative to ask to play with them now, so a child immediately agreed to Liang Jinyi’s request and enthusiastically explained the rules of the game. “We’re competing to kick the ball. Whoever can kick it into the yellow hole up ahead wins.”
“I… understand,” Liang Jinyi said.
And so five or six children began kicking the navy-blue little leather ball.
Liang Jinyi was six this year. Although his build was on the smaller side among children his age, he was quick and strong. On the contrary, he was the child who managed to snatch the ball the most often among the group. Unfortunately, his aim wasn’t good, so he didn’t kick the ball into the hole as many times as two of the other children.
After playing for a while, Liang Jinyi felt the timing was about right. He stopped, panting, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, “I need… to rest.”
The other children were also flushed from playing, their foreheads covered in sweat. They said they wanted to rest too.
The roundest child rubbed his belly and suggested, “Then let’s go eat little cookies.”
“Okay!” A few children echoed him and followed him over to get cookies.
Liang Jinyi ignored them. He walked alone toward the red maple tree not far away.
After he had taken only two steps, a voice came from behind him. Jiang Hao chased after him and asked, “Liang Jinyi, aren’t you going to eat little cookies?”
“No.” Liang Jinyi didn’t even glance at him.
Jiang Hao followed beside him and asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going… to find my brother… and play.” Liang Jinyi turned his head and said, “Don’t… follow me.”
“Your brother?” Jiang Hao didn’t notice the second half of his sentence. He looked around curiously and asked, “Did your brother come with you?”
He wrinkled his little nose and said, “I wanted my brother to come with me too, but he wanted to watch TV and didn’t want to come with me.”
His expression turned envious. “Your brother is so good to you.”
Hearing him praise Brother for being good to him, Liang Jinyi’s steps toward Brother paused slightly. For the first time, he felt a desire to chat with Jiang Hao.
He showed off, “My brother… is of course… very good to me. He brushes my teeth… washes my face… tells me stories… teaches me how to write… plays games with me… and sleeps with me.”
Jiang Hao became even more envious. His gaze was sincere. “Then your brother must really, really like you.”
“Of course.” Liang Jinyi lifted his head and puffed out his chest.
After saying that, he added smugly, “My brother… likes me the most… in the whole world.”
“Wow.” Jiang Hao was extremely envious.
And as Liang Jinyi looked at Jiang Hao’s extremely envious gaze, he suddenly felt that perhaps having a friend wasn’t so bad after all.
Author’s Note
Children’s exchange meeting.
Chen Ruoxuan: Wow, that jiejie is so pretty.
Liang Jinyi: The clothes I’m wearing today… are the same color… as Brother’s.
Zhuang Zihang: Ultraman Tiga is the coolest!!!
Liang Jinyi: This is… the little dinosaur backpack… Brother bought me.
Jiang Hao: I don’t like eating carrots.
Liang Jinyi: You should… eat more carrots. Brother said… carrots are good… for your eyes.
A-Fu: My estimate was a little off. He didn’t grow up today, haha. Tomorrow he’ll grow up a bit…
