Chapter 47
The next day, Jiang Mi went to work as usual.
In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday. That evening, as expected, Jiang Mi received a call from Liang Jinyi.
“Brother, why aren’t you home yet? I already finished cooking.”
Today was one of the two days each week when Liang Jinyi was allowed to go to Shimao Tingfang.
Jiang Mi had just left a business dinner. He swiped his room card and walked into his hotel room.
“I’m away on a business trip today. I’m not in Bei City.”
“A business trip? Brother, why didn’t you tell me beforehand?” Liang Jinyi asked.
Jiang Mi pressed the light control switch and loosened his tie slightly.
“I forgot.”
Liang Jinyi was silent for several seconds.
“All right.”
Jiang Mi said, “I’m hanging up.”
Liang Jinyi gave a soft hum.
Hearing that Liang Jinyi’s response was actually nothing more than a quiet acknowledgment, Jiang Mi froze for a moment.
Liang Jinyi was extremely good at pressing his advantage, especially when it came to this matter—being in the throes of adolescence, mistaking the nature of their relationship, and trying to pursue him.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Mi still took the initiative to end the call.
He took off his clothes and went into the bathroom for a shower.
Afterward, Jiang Mi came out wearing a bathrobe.
He picked up his phone and saw several unread WeChat messages.
Jiang Mi opened WeChat.
Liang Jinyi had first sent him a photo.
On the chocolate-colored dining table was a generous spread of three dishes and one soup. Beside them sat a single, lonely bowl of rice.
Jinyi: [Brother, I’m eating dinner alone.]
A little over ten minutes later, Liang Jinyi sent another photo.
This one no longer showed a solitary dinner.
Instead, it was a photo of Jiang Mi’s living room.
The empty, spacious living room.
Jinyi: [Brother, I suddenly feel like your home is so big.]
Jiang Mi abruptly flipped his phone facedown on the bedside table.
The business trip had originally been scheduled for four days, but Jiang Mi finished his work ahead of time and bought a plane ticket back to Bei City on Saturday.
Since it was Saturday, he did not return to Shimao Tingfang. Instead, he went to his parents’ home.
After being busy away from home for several days, Jiang Mi took a nap as soon as he returned and did not come downstairs until dinnertime.
After dinner, he voluntarily went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
When he returned to the living room, his mother suddenly called his name, looking as though she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
Jiang Mi walked over and sat beside her.
“Mom, what do you want to say?”
Mother Jiang glanced at Father Jiang, who was playing with his phone.
Receiving the look she sent him, Father Jiang coughed.
“Little Mi, you’re about to turn twenty-nine. In another year, you’ll be thirty. You’re not young anymore.”
Jiang Mi was actually twenty-seven and would not turn twenty-eight for almost another month, but Father Jiang was accustomed to counting age by the traditional East Asian system. In his eyes, his son was about to turn twenty-nine.
“So?” Jiang Mi knew perfectly well that he was no longer particularly young.
Mother Jiang got straight to the point.
“It’s like this, Little Mi. Yesterday, Auntie Yue introduced me to a girl. She’s truly outstanding, and she even went to the same university as you. She’s also very pretty. I’ll give you her contact information. You two should talk.”
“Little Mi, last year you said you had just returned to China and were busy with work. But you’ve been back for half a year now, and work should be on track, right? You should start thinking about settling down.”
“Mom, send me her contact information,” Jiang Mi said.
Mother Jiang froze.
In the past, Jiang Mi had always resisted blind dates.
Though rather than resisting blind dates themselves, it was more accurate to say that compared with dating and marriage, Jiang Mi had always placed far greater importance on his career.
Mother Jiang was anxious, but not overly so.
Although Jiang Mi was no longer especially young, he was handsome, successful in his career, considerate, and thoughtful. If a man like him ever decided he wanted to marry, Mother Jiang was not worried that he would be unable to find a suitable partner.
What she worried about was that he might never want to date, marry, or have children at all.
“Mom.”
Seeing her lost in thought, Jiang Mi called her again.
Fine lines appeared at the corners of Mother Jiang’s eyes as she smiled.
“I’ll send you her WeChat right now. Add her.”
Jiang Mi opened his phone and looked at the contact information his mother sent.
“What’s her name?”
“Lin Wan,” Mother Jiang said.
Jiang Mi froze.
Mother Jiang moved closer and opened the photo her cousin had sent her.
“Isn’t she a very pretty girl? And Little Mi, your aunt said she also graduated from Jing University. Apparently, she was in the same year as you. You might even have met back in school.”
The name had sounded familiar.
A graceful young woman had instinctively surfaced in Jiang Mi’s mind.
When he saw the photo on Mother Jiang’s phone, he confirmed that it was not merely someone with the same name.
The photo of Lin Wan appeared to be a recent casual shot, but compared with six or seven years ago, she did not seem to have changed very much.
“Little Mi, remember to add her on WeChat,” Mother Jiang reminded him.
“I know, Mom.”
Jiang Mi opened the WeChat ID she had sent, searched for it, and sent a friend request.
Lin Wan was probably not looking at her phone.
It was not until an hour later that she accepted Jiang Mi’s request and sent a message introducing herself as Lin Wan.
Jiang Mi considered how to continue the conversation.
Sitting on the sofa, he sent:
[Do you still remember me?]
Lin Wan had not left a particularly deep impression on Jiang Mi, but she had left some impression.
Far too many men and women had liked Jiang Mi over the years, while there were very few people he had ever developed feelings for.
Lin Wan had been the first girl Jiang Mi had once wanted to pursue a relationship with.
But that small spark of interest had eventually lost out to his demanding studies and Liang Jinyi’s clinginess.
Lin Wan: [Of course I remember.]
Jiang Mi and Lin Wan chatted for a while.
The conversation flowed easily, and both of them were fairly warm.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Mi suggested:
[Are you free tomorrow? Would you like to have dinner together?]
Afraid Lin Wan might feel it was too soon, he added:
[Although we’re technically blind-date prospects now, we’re also old schoolmates. Even if you end up not being interested in me, we can still catch up.]
Lin Wan looked at Jiang Mi’s message.
Two minutes later, she replied with a smile:
[How could anyone possibly not be satisfied with the great Lawyer Jiang? Where should we eat tomorrow night?]
Jiang Mi could be somewhat forceful in business matters, but in private interactions, he was very attentive to other people’s feelings.
[Anywhere is fine with me. What location is most convenient for you?]
Lin Wan suggested a place.
Jiang Mi agreed.
The next day, at five in the afternoon, Jiang Mi drove to the restaurant Lin Wan had chosen.
He arrived fifteen minutes before their agreed time.
Ten minutes later, he saw Lin Wan walk in through the glass doors.
Lin Wan had majored in human resource management as an undergraduate and now worked in HR for a multinational company.
Today, she wore a short dusty-pink down jacket and a contrasting fluffy scarf.
When she saw Jiang Mi, she removed her scarf and jacket and walked over to his table.
Compared with their university days, Lin Wan was much more outgoing now.
After looking Jiang Mi over, she smiled.
“Jiang Mi, you actually haven’t changed much since university.”
Jiang Mi smiled.
“Neither have you. You’re still just as pretty as you were back then.”
“Flattering me?” Lin Wan asked with a smile as she sat down across from him.
“Apparently, my honest words still aren’t sincere enough,” Jiang Mi said.
They had chosen a Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Jiang Mi handed her the menu.
“What would you like?”
Lin Wan glanced at the menu, then looked back at Jiang Mi.
“Jiang Mi, there’s something I need to ask first.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are we here today as old schoolmates catching up, or as blind-date prospects on a first date?”
Jiang Mi replied, “Why can’t it be both?”
Lin Wan looked at him and could not help laughing.
“Order something. What do you want to eat?” Jiang Mi asked.
The multinational company Lin Wan worked for was in the liquor industry, so their careers did not overlap much.
Still, as they talked about what they had been doing over the past few years, the atmosphere over dinner remained pleasant.
After the meal, Jiang Mi paid the bill and asked Lin Wan whether there was anywhere else she wanted to go.
Lin Wan thought for a moment.
“Then let’s go to a pet supply store.”
“A pet supply store? What do you have?” Jiang Mi asked curiously.
“Two cats. A golden shaded British shorthair and a ragdoll. They’re both extremely cute,” Lin Wan said.
Jiang Mi drove her to the pet store she frequently visited.
He accompanied her while she bought canned food, cat food, toys, and litter for her two cats.
Afterward, he drove her home.
She had bought too much to carry, so Jiang Mi even helped bring everything upstairs.
He did not enter Lin Wan’s home.
This was their first date, and Jiang Mi did not want to make her uncomfortable.
By the time all of that was done, it was almost ten.
Lin Wan lived quite far from Jiang Mi’s parents, so Jiang Mi simply returned directly to Shimao Tingfang.
On Monday evening after work, Jiang Mi unsurprisingly found Liang Jinyi at his home.
Once Liang Jinyi finished cooking, the two sat at the dining table to eat.
During the meal, Jiang Mi’s phone lit up.
When Jiang Mi had been in U Country, he had often checked and replied to messages while eating because he was afraid of missing something from a client.
Over time, it had become a habit.
During the past six months, however, every time Jiang Mi ate with Liang Jinyi, his younger brother would remind him to concentrate on his meal because he cared deeply about Jiang Mi’s stomach.
After several months, even when Jiang Mi’s phone lit up with a new work message during a meal, he would usually wait until he had finished eating before replying.
Today, however, the message was not from a client.
It was from Lin Wan.
She had sent a short video, saying that Laifu and Tangyuan both loved the toy Jiang Mi had picked out yesterday. They liked it even more than the cat teaser wand she had chosen for them.
Jiang Mi glanced at Liang Jinyi.
Then, right in front of him, he picked up his phone and replied to Lin Wan’s message.
“Brother, we’re eating. Is your work really that busy? You’re already off the clock.”
Seeing Jiang Mi put down his chopsticks and pick up his phone, Liang Jinyi spoke with displeasure.
After replying to Lin Wan, Jiang Mi put his phone down.
“It’s not work.”
“Then who is it?” Liang Jinyi asked casually.
Jiang Mi picked up his chopsticks.
“My blind date.”
Hearing those words, Liang Jinyi froze.
Then he asked, “Auntie Jiang is forcing you to go on blind dates again? How many days do you have to pretend this time?”
Mother Jiang occasionally worried about Jiang Mi’s love life.
When Jiang Mi had no choice, he would humor her by briefly meeting the person she introduced, then say he was not interested and let the matter end there.
Jiang Mi said, “I don’t have to pretend this time. I met her yesterday. We both have a good impression of each other.”
He looked at Liang Jinyi.
“Jinyi, barring anything unexpected, we’ll probably develop into a boyfriend-and-girlfriend relationship.”
Liang Jinyi also put down his chopsticks.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at Jiang Mi for a long moment.
Then he suddenly laughed.
“Brother, after all these years, with so many people pursuing you, you never wanted to date anyone. But just a few days after I confessed to you, suddenly you have feelings for your blind date and plan to become boyfriend and girlfriend with her.”
Liang Jinyi raised an eyebrow and sneered. “Brother, do you really think I’d believe you that easily?”
Jiang Mi picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of chicken gizzard, and ate it.
“She and I were university classmates. We knew each other back then, and I already had a very good impression of her at the time. I was just too busy—busy pursuing a double degree, busy with internships, competitions, and student union work. I didn’t have much time for dating.”
“I met her last night, and I realized that seeing her again still made my heart race. I think this is fate arranged for the two of us by heaven…”
Before Jiang Mi could finish, the scrape of a chair against the marble floor rang out.
At the same time, pain shot through his neck.
He shoved Liang Jinyi away, his expression furious. “Liang Jinyi, what are you doing now?”
There was a trace of blood on the tip of Liang Jinyi’s tongue.
He appeared calm, yet the gaze he fixed on Jiang Mi was filled with madness.
“Brother, you’re mine.”
Jiang Mi was stunned.
The way Jinyi looked at him was far too intense—so intense that, for a moment, Jiang Mi felt as though perhaps his own assumptions had been wrong.
Maybe this was not some temporary impulse caused by adolescent hormones.
Maybe Jinyi truly did like him.
Jiang Mi put down his chopsticks and stood, his face cold.
“I’m not yours. I belong to myself.”
With that, Jiang Mi strode back to his room.
Once inside, he shut the door, finally cutting off Liang Jinyi’s burning gaze.
He let out a breath and sat on the bed, his thoughts in complete turmoil.
For the rest of the evening, Jiang Mi did not leave his room even once.
And that night, Liang Jinyi did not knock on his door either.
Jiang Mi usually got up around six-thirty in the morning to exercise and left for work around eight, so he would normally run into Liang Jinyi at home.
The next morning, however, he got up two hours later than usual.
Only after Liang Jinyi had already left for school did Jiang Mi sigh and get up, feeling irritated and restless.
While washing up, he saw the bite mark on his neck and cursed the little bastard inwardly.
With a dark expression, he returned to his room, opened a drawer, found a Band-Aid, and covered the mark.
Since he and Liang Jinyi had agreed that Jinyi could only come to his home twice a week, Jiang Mi was naturally alone at home on Tuesday evening.
Exhausted, he sat on the sofa, opened his phone, and prepared to order some random takeout for dinner.
Then he remembered the message Liang Jinyi had sent him half an hour earlier.
His stomach was bad. He had already failed to eat properly last night, so tonight he was absolutely not allowed to eat carelessly again.
Irritated, Jiang Mi ran a hand through his hair.
Then he carefully browsed through the delivery options and chose a relatively healthy meal.
After dinner, Jiang Mi showered and went to sit in the study, planning to read.
Perhaps it was not that the books contained no solution to Liang Jinyi’s problem.
Perhaps he simply had not learned enough yet.
He had just opened a book when his phone rang.
It was Lin Wan.
Jiang Mi took a deep breath, concealed all his negative emotions, and answered with a smile.
“Lin Wan, what’s the matter?”
Lin Wan said, “Jiang Mi, when I got off work this afternoon, a boy stopped me.”
She paused before continuing.
“He told me to stay away from you and not become a third party interfering in the relationship between you and him.”
Jiang Mi froze for several seconds before maintaining his composure.
“What did he look like?”
“A very good-looking boy with a pretty aggressive aura. He was tall and fair-skinned.”
Lin Wan lowered her voice, sounding hesitant.
“Jiang Mi, you’re not already seeing someone, are you?”
Jiang Mi had a good temper, excellent self-restraint, and a level of tolerance toward Liang Jinyi that most people could never match.
But at this moment, a wave of anger rose uncontrollably inside him.
“Of course not. I’m absolutely not seeing anyone.”
Lin Wan let out a breath of relief.
She did not think Jiang Mi was the kind of person who would do something like that, but…
“Still…” Lin Wan hesitated.
Jiang Mi asked, “Still what?”
“He also has bed photos of you two.”
“Bed photos?” Jiang Mi exclaimed.
“Photos of the two of you lying in the same bed.”
Jiang Mi thought for a moment and quickly figured out where the photos had come from.
“Back then, I didn’t know he liked me. I treated him as my younger brother, so we shared a bed before.”
Jiang Mi continued, “In those bed photos you saw, I was probably asleep with my eyes closed, right?”
In the photos the young man had shown her, Jiang Mi’s eyes had indeed been closed.
Lin Wan believed his explanation.
More importantly, she trusted Jiang Mi’s character. If he were already in a relationship, he would never have agreed to meet her as a blind date.
“Is he one of your obsessive pursuers?” Lin Wan asked.
Jiang Mi had been a prominent figure even during his student days. Countless men and women had pursued him, and naturally, some of them had gone too far.
Jiang Mi took a deep breath.
“You could say that.”
After exchanging a few more hurried words with Lin Wan, Jiang Mi ended the call.
With a dark expression, he stood, grabbed his keys and coat, and left.
Around forty minutes later, he drove to the vicinity of the Liang family villa.
He called Liang Jinyi and told him to get the hell outside.
Liang Jinyi did not sound especially surprised.
He laughed. “Brother, wait a moment. I’ll be right out.”
A few minutes later, Liang Jinyi ran out through the Liang family’s iron gates and walked up to Jiang Mi in high spirits.
“Brother.”
Under the streetlight, Jiang Mi looked at Liang Jinyi’s beautiful face and felt a sudden impulse.
The impulse to slap that pretty face.
Jiang Mi took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
He held out his hand.
“Give me your phone.”
“Why?” Liang Jinyi asked.
Jiang Mi’s voice turned stern.
“Give it to me.”
Liang Jinyi looked at him for a moment, then smiled and took his phone from his pocket.
He handed it over.
Most phones had passcodes or fingerprint locks, and Liang Jinyi’s was no exception.
Seeing the fingerprint lock, Jiang Mi unceremoniously grabbed Liang Jinyi’s hand, used his thumb to unlock the phone, and went straight into the photo gallery without looking at anything else.
Boys generally did not take many photos, and there were not many in Liang Jinyi’s gallery either.
A few landscapes.
A few candid shots of Jiang Mi.
And several “bed photos” of the two of them.
With a dark expression, Jiang Mi quickly deleted every one of their “bed photos.”
Liang Jinyi smiled brightly.
“Brother, deleting them is useless. I backed them all up to the cloud.”
Jiang Mi: “…”
He genuinely wanted to beat his younger brother now.
But beating him probably would not solve the problem.
Jiang Mi lowered his hand again and looked at Liang Jinyi.
“Jinyi, I’m very angry right now. Extremely, extremely angry.”
Liang Jinyi asked, “Why is Brother angry?”
Jiang Mi’s expression was icy.
“Do you really not know what you did?”
Liang Jinyi said, “Does Brother mean how I went to see Lin Wan this afternoon and showed her our bed photos?”
Jiang Mi said nothing.
He merely stared at him.
Liang Jinyi sighed and suddenly reached out, pulling Jiang Mi into his arms.
“Liang Jinyi, let go of me,” Jiang Mi snapped.
But Liang Jinyi only hugged him tighter.
Burying his face against Jiang Mi’s shoulder, his voice turned clingy and even somewhat melancholy.
“Brother, I didn’t want to go to Sister Lin Wan and stake my claim either. I know the real problem is you.”
Liang Jinyi looked at Jiang Mi’s profile.
“I should be making you stop contacting her instead. But I really like you too much. The moment I think about how she likes Brother too, I can’t control myself. I want her to see how loving we are.”
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Jiang Mi’s neck, so close to him.
He looked at the Band-Aid covering the bite mark.
Liang Jinyi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Unable to resist, he leaned in and kissed it.
Feeling the ticklish sensation against his neck, Jiang Mi reached out and tried to push him away again.
But Liang Jinyi’s arms seemed to be made of iron.
Jiang Mi could not move him at all.
He could only say coldly, “Let go.”
Liang Jinyi dragged out his words.
“I’ll let go when Brother isn’t angry anymore.”
Jiang Mi struggled hard.
“Let go first.”
Only then did Liang Jinyi release him.
Before Jiang Mi could speak, Liang Jinyi lowered his eyes and asked first,
“Brother, you won’t see her again, right?”
His gaze fell on Jiang Mi’s pale-red lips.
His Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably and violently.
“Brother, if you meet her again, next time…”
“I’m going to kiss you.”
Jiang Mi jolted.
Liang Jinyi’s eyes curved.
Lowering his voice, he said to Jiang Mi,
“Brother, I like you too much.”
“I can’t control myself.”
