Chapter 5
Yunde High School let students out for the weekend at five-thirty on Fridays. Jiang Mi and Liang Xuping were closest, so after class, the two went back to the dorm together to pack their things, then headed downstairs toward the school gate.
Just as they reached the area near the sports field, a girl suddenly called Jiang Mi’s name in a clear, loud voice.
Jiang Mi turned his head and first saw a girl with a ponytail and a neat, pretty appearance. But the girl wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she was forcefully pushing the delicate-looking girl beside her, whose cheeks were bright red, forward. Smiling, she said to him, “Yu Li has something to tell you.”
Yu Li turned and glared at her friend first, then looked at Jiang Mi and stammered, “Just… just have a nice weekend.”
After saying that, Yu Li turned around, grabbed her schoolbag, and quickly walked away. The girl beside her hurriedly chased after her with a laugh.
Liang Xuping nudged Jiang Mi with his elbow and teased, “Great School Hunk Jiang, you’re pretty popular.”
Jiang Mi replied helplessly, “You’re already calling me Great School Hunk Jiang. How could I not be popular?”
Liang Xuping laughed and cursed at him, then asked, “You’re coming to my place tomorrow morning, right?”
Jiang Mi gave an “Mm.” “Tomorrow morning. It’s my grandma’s birthday tomorrow, so I still have to go to her place in the afternoon.”
“Then that works.”
As they chatted and laughed, they reached the school gate. The Liang family always had a car come to pick Liang Xuping up, while Jiang Mi usually took the subway home.
The subway entrance and the parking area were in opposite directions. After reaching the school gate, the two said “see you tomorrow,” and Jiang Mi was just about to turn and leave when a small figure suddenly darted through the crowd and threw himself onto Jiang Mi’s thigh.
Jiang Mi lowered his head.
Liang Jinyi had both arms wrapped tightly around Jiang Mi’s leg. A soft, tender voice came from his little mouth.
“Brother, I missed you so much. Did you… miss me?”
Jiang Mi hadn’t expected to see Liang Jinyi here. After a brief pause, he bent down and picked him up, answering his question along the way.
“Of course Brother missed you too.”
Hearing that, Liang Jinyi became a little excited, yet also seemed a little embarrassed. He buried his head against Jiang Mi’s neck and rubbed against him hard.
Liang Xuping was a little shocked beside them. “He can actually say that many words now?”
Last week, he had heard Liang Jinyi speak, but it had only been four words, and they had come out two at a time. Today’s sentence had twelve words.
Uncle Lin had been following beside Liang Jinyi the whole time. Seeing this, he explained, “The Young Master has been working very hard on practicing his speech this week.”
Since Liang Jinyi had suddenly come to the school gate to pick him up, and Uncle Lin was speaking on his behalf, saying that Liang Jinyi looked forward to seeing Jiang Mi-brother every day, Jiang Mi called his mother and said he wouldn’t be going home tonight.
Jiang Mi’s parents ran a mechanical parts manufacturing business. The factory had received a large order that week, so they wouldn’t be able to get home until eleven or twelve every night. Hearing that Jiang Mi wanted to stay at a classmate’s house, they only gave him a few simple reminders.
After hanging up, Jiang Mi carried Liang Jinyi into the Liang family’s Bentley.
Jiang Mi had just settled into the back seat when Liang Jinyi crawled over. He pointed at Jiang Mi’s knees, indicating that he wanted to sit on Jiang Mi-brother’s lap.
Liang Jinyi really was very good at acting spoiled. And that little face of his was simply too pretty and adorable. When those big eyes looked at Jiang Mi expectantly, Jiang Mi truly found it very hard to refuse.
So Jiang Mi could only hold Liang Jinyi on his lap.
Liang Jinyi spent an extremely happy evening and morning. He stuck to his Jiang Mi-brother every moment. No matter what Jiang Mi-brother did, he could stare at him without blinking. And whenever Jiang Mi-brother looked back at him, his eyes would curve, the little dimple on his right cheek would appear, and he would smile as he threw himself into Jiang Mi’s arms.
But the happy days lasted only that one day.
After lunch the next day, Jiang Mi told Liang Jinyi that he would have to go home soon. Today was his grandmother’s birthday, and he had to go back.
Hearing that Brother was leaving, Liang Jinyi once again threw himself into Jiang Mi’s arms and said, “Brother, take me… with you.”
**
Jiang Mi’s grandmother wasn’t celebrating a milestone birthday this year, so they didn’t hold anything too grand. However, Jiang Mi’s grandmother had many siblings, and Jiang Mi’s grandfather also had many siblings. Even if only the closer relatives gathered for dinner, there were still four or five tables of guests.
Jiang Mi’s family was fairly well-off, though only a little better than comfortably middle-class. However, his mother cared deeply about appearances, so she had specially booked a five-star hotel with lavish, resplendent decorations to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday.
Before Jiang Mi set off, he called his mother and learned that they had already gone to the hotel. So he asked Uncle Lin to take him and Jinyi directly there.
Jiang Mi was still wearing his school uniform. Underneath was a blue-and-white short-sleeved shirt, and over it was his loose blue-and-white athletic-style school jacket.
But Jiang Mi was far too good-looking. His features were handsome, refined, and gentle, yet his facial contours were clean and smooth. His appearance carried both cool sharpness and warmth.
In short, he was an extremely eye-catching handsome boy. Even a loose, simple school uniform couldn’t hide his youthful good looks.
The moment Jiang Mi entered the banquet hall, he attracted the attention of his relatives and friends.
But what drew even more attention was the child in his arms.
Jiang Mi’s Sixth Grand-Aunt was the most sociable of them all. Seeing Jiang Mi come in holding a child, she teased him with a laugh. “Little Mi, when did your mother give birth to a little brother for you? And such a good-looking one too.”
Without waiting for Jiang Mi to answer, she turned and loudly asked Jiang Mi’s mother, “Little Qin, when did you have a second child? How come none of us knew?”
Jiang Mi’s mother, Liu Qin, was delighted inside when she saw her son attracting everyone’s attention the moment he entered, though she didn’t show much on her face. Hearing her Sixth Aunt ask that, Liu Qin smiled and replied, “Sixth Aunt, what second child? That’s the little brother of Little Mi’s friend.”
Liu Qin walked over. When she saw the child in Jiang Mi’s arms, she froze for a moment.
This child was actually this beautiful?
“So pretty. I’ve lived more than half my life and never seen such a beautiful child. What’s his name?” Jiang Mi’s Fourth Grand-Aunt said as she reached out toward Liang Jinyi, wanting to touch his little face.
Seeing that someone actually wanted to touch him, Liang Jinyi immediately turned his little face away and buried all of it in Jiang Mi’s neck.
Liang Xuping had also come along to Jiang Mi’s grandmother’s birthday banquet, mainly because Jiang Mi didn’t quite dare to take a child by himself. Seeing this, he quickly explained, “Grand-Auntie, his name is Liang Jinyi. He doesn’t really like being touched.”
Jiang Mi’s grand-uncles and grand-aunts were all in their sixties and had seen who knew how many children. Plenty of children didn’t like strangers touching them, so they only chuckled a few times.
Jiang Mi then brought Liang Jinyi and Liang Xuping over to find his grandparents. After chatting with the two elders for a while, Jiang Mi saw that they had started talking with a few other grand-uncles and grand-aunts, so he took Liang Jinyi and Liang Xuping to find a place to sit.
Jiang Mi had just sat down on a dining chair when Liang Jinyi, who was sitting in the chair beside him, suddenly climbed down and began pushing his chair toward Jiang Mi’s.
Liang Xuping pressed a hand against the chair and stopped him. “Liang Jinyi, no. We’re guests outside, not at home. Show some manners.”
Hearing that, Liang Jinyi lifted his head and glared at Liang Xuping.
Liang Xuping couldn’t help letting out a “Fuck.”
At that moment, Jiang Mi’s hand also pressed down on the chair Liang Jinyi was trying to push.
“Jinyi, your brother is right. We’re outside, not at home. We have to be polite, understand?”
Hearing Jiang Mi say the same thing, Liang Jinyi lifted his head and looked at him pitifully.
Jiang Mi rubbed his head. “Be good. Sit properly.”
Hearing that, Liang Jinyi gave up on his plan to push his chair tightly against Jiang Mi’s and sat properly in his chair.
Liang Xuping found this funny. He took out his phone and sent Jiang Mi a message.
“Don’t you think my brother is like your dog?”
Jiang Mi was speechless. “…That’s your biological little brother.”
Liang Xuping: “Even so, he really looks like your dog. Whatever you tell him to do, he does. Even a puppy isn’t as obedient as him.”
Seeing that Jiang Mi’s attention wasn’t on him, but on that rectangular phone, Liang Jinyi leaned his little head over and asked, “Brother, what are you… doing?”
Jiang Mi quickly stuffed his phone away. “Nothing.”
After saying that, Jiang Mi saw Liang Jinyi purse his lips twice. He was just about to ask whether Liang Jinyi was thirsty when suddenly, a crisp “Brother!” rang out from not far away.
Immediately after, Jiang Mi suddenly felt his right leg grow heavy.
Little Liu Peipei had thrown herself onto him. She lifted her head, raised the Barbie doll in her hand, and said in a bright, loud voice, “Brother, look at the new doll my mom bought me!”
Jiang Mi smiled and praised, “It’s very pretty.”
Liu Peipei smiled twice, then tried to climb onto Jiang Mi so that Brother would hold her.
But at that moment, someone moved even faster.
Hugging Jiang Mi’s left leg, Liang Jinyi climbed onto his lap and sat down.
Liu Peipei froze for a moment. After recovering, she became angry. “Who are you? Why are you sitting on my brother?”
Only after Liang Jinyi wrapped both little arms tightly around Jiang Mi’s neck did he turn around, lower his head, and refute Liu Peipei’s words.
“My… brother.”
Liu Peipei instantly exploded with anger.
She was five years old this year, with a fiery temper and an impatient personality. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Mi’s other leg and tried to climb up from the other side.
“He’s not your brother! He’s my brother!”
Jiang Mi was just about to pull his chair back and stand up, putting distance between the two children, when Liang Jinyi saw that Liu Peipei actually dared to climb onto his brother.
Suddenly, he kicked at her.
Author’s Note
Liang Puppy: Awooo awooo awooo! Defeat the bad guy trying to steal Brother from me!!!
Liang Xuping: His true nature has been exposed!!!
A-Fu: Good night, good night. Hugging every little cutie and giving each of you a kiss.
