With the sound of the clatter, both people opposite them froze. Chen Xu, who had been eating, stopped and looked at Ji Mian in confusion.
Xie Heng was the first to react, bending down to help pick up the chopsticks. After placing them back on the table, he said, “I’ll go get a new pair.”
Since he was sitting on the outside, it was easier for him to go out.
However, just as he was about to get up, his sleeve was pulled by someone.
Looking down, he saw Ji Mian tightly gripping the corner of his sleeve, his dark eyes filled with bewilderment.
Xie Heng furrowed his brow, no longer bothered about getting the chopsticks. He was only concerned about Ji Mian’s obviously strange state: “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Ji Mian's lips moved slightly.
Brother...
At that moment, Jia Wenbo spoke up, “No need to go get them; I’ll have someone bring a new set over.”
Xie Heng then sat back down, his sleeve still held tightly by Ji Mian.
After a while, a waiter from the restaurant brought a new set of utensils for Ji Mian.
Ji Mian forced himself to calm down, slowly releasing his grip on Xie Heng’s sleeve.
It was just a single sentence… it didn’t mean anything.
[No, as evidence, it is enough to indicate a problem.] The system chimed in at that moment.
Ji Mian didn’t understand what it meant: [What do you mean?]
[To put it simply, Duan Zhuang, Lu Ge, and the Xie Heng sitting next to you are likely the same person.]
In an instant, Ji Mian felt as if his breath had been stolen.
[You said… what?]
“Xiao Zhou,” Jia Wenbo's concerned voice rang out, “What’s wrong with you?”
Still lost in the system's words, Ji Mian looked up, nearly unable to maintain the expression of “Lu Zhou.”
The three people at the table turned their gazes toward him, feeling somewhat anxious about Ji Mian’s unusual state.
Ji Mian suddenly clenched the fingers resting on his knees. His neatly trimmed nails dug deeply into his palm from the pressure. The pain brought some of his rationality back.
“I…” he struggled to speak, “I need to go to the restroom.”
Jia Wenbo blinked in confusion, “Oh, okay.”
Xie Heng glanced at Ji Mian and got up to make space for him.
As Ji Mian passed by him, he forced himself not to turn to look at Xie Heng.
The restaurant was too large; Ji Mian had no mood to find the way and simply walked straight ahead.
He couldn’t find the restroom and instead barged into the patio area outside the restaurant.
The winter weather was too cold, and the patio was empty. Looking down, he saw the somewhat quiet street below.
Cold air seeped into Ji Mian’s collar, and whether it was due to the chill, he shivered while gripping the railing at the edge of the patio.
[System… what did you just say?]
The system replied: [Sorry, I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want you to get your hopes up before the guess was confirmed.]
[Since the end of the last world, I’ve been pondering the abnormal affection values between Duan Zhuang and Lu Ge. It wasn’t until recently that I finally found the answer…]
The system explained its reasoning to Ji Mian.
In fact, from over a month ago, when Xie Heng confessed to Ji Mian, the system's suspicions had already been confirmed to some extent.
It seemed that no matter which world it was, that person’s soul would fall in love with Ji Mian again, regardless of how unfamiliar his host appeared.
What Xie Heng said at the table today was actually the second piece of evidence. If the system had had any doubts before, now all uncertainty had dissipated.
[I know this is hard for you to believe, but when you faced Lu Ge in the last world, didn’t you have similar suspicions? It’s just that later you and I thought it was too ridiculous and didn’t take it seriously.]
[……]
The system softly asked, [Are you okay?]
Ji Mian slowly crouched down, his body pressed tightly against the cold glass railing blown by the wind. [Xie Heng, and Mr. Lu…]
[Hmm.] The system paused for a moment, [I don’t know whether telling you this is good or bad.]
Ji Mian had finally come to terms with it; the system wasn’t sure what impact its words would bring.
[Thank you, system.]
[Hmph, no need to thank me. Just go back now.]
Ji Mian sniffled, saying, [It’s probably a bit difficult now.] His tear ducts were likely not going to stop anytime soon.
The system remained silent: [……]
—
At the table, Xie Heng glanced at his watch again. Ji Mian had been gone for almost ten minutes.
Noticing his action, Jia Wenbo muttered, “Xiao Zhou seems to be taking a bit long…”
Xie Heng could no longer hold back and stood up, “I’ll go find him.”
“Ah? Oh, okay.”
The restaurant was on the seventh floor. Xie Heng checked all the restrooms on the seventh floor but couldn’t find Ji Mian’s figure.
When he arrived near the patio entrance of the restaurant, he sent Ji Mian a couple of messages.
After waiting a few seconds with no reply, Xie Heng simply sent a voice call request and stepped into the quieter patio area at the same time.
His gaze froze when it landed on a certain spot on the patio. Though the lights were off, the weak moonlight clearly illuminated the figure wearing a white coat not far away.
Ji Mian was sitting on the ground, his back against the patio railing, staring blankly at the sky.
Xie Heng put down his phone and hung up the call.
Ji Mian noticed him at that moment, turning his head and calling out, “... Brother?”
Normally, Ji Mian would call him “Heng Ge,” rarely using just a single character, but after thinking for a moment, Xie Heng still replied, “Hmm.”
He then saw Ji Mian smile gently at him, a bit foolishly.
His smile was hard to see clearly in the darkness but somehow made Xie Heng's heart skip a beat.
He walked over, “Why are you sitting—”
Xie Heng’s words suddenly stopped.
Under the faint moonlight, as he got closer to Ji Mian, the tears rolling down Ji Mian’s cheeks were impossible to miss. He was crying silently, not even making a sound.
Xie Heng thought that when this person cried, it should be as loud as when he got drunk at that little restaurant—screaming and howling, pouring out all his emotions.
His heart felt like it was about to shatter, and even breathing became a luxury.
He struggled to take a step forward, his voice very soft: “...What are you crying about?”
Ji Mian didn’t answer him.
Xie Heng bent his left knee, kneeling down to bring their eye levels closer.
He raised his hand to cup Ji Mian’s face, helping him wipe away his tears.
Ji Mian looked up at him, not shying away from Xie Heng's touch. The warmth of his palm against his cheek was soothing.
He was actually very reluctant to cry at this moment, yet his tear ducts just wouldn’t stop, continuously producing tears.
No matter how Xie Heng tried to wipe them away, the tears falling from Ji Mian’s eyes landed on the back of his hand—hot and painful.
At that moment, Xie Heng felt that his earlier suffering over the phrase “no hope” was somewhat ridiculous.
What does “no hope” even mean? He had already been tied to this person; there was no turning back in this lifetime.
He let go of his futile attempt to wipe Ji Mian's tears.
He tightly embraced Ji Mian, kissing his hair with his lips, tenderly caressing the back of Ji Mian’s neck.
Surprisingly, the person in his arms did not resist at all.
After a while, Xie Heng's left hand still rested on Ji Mian's waist, but his hand that had been caressing Ji Mian’s neck slowly loosened, unwilling to accept the current distance.
He held Ji Mian’s face, almost reverently kissing his eyes.
【Um, this is a public place... Just a reminder, don’t go overboard with him, bro.】 The system chimed in.
Ji Mian shifted slightly, breaking free from Xie Heng's embrace.
Xie Heng bit his lip, anticipating Ji Mian’s reaction. His own opportunistic behavior was indeed quite despicable.
“Uh, brother this is a public place…”
Xie Heng: “…”
He suddenly recalled the scene he had seen in the boys’ restroom during high school, and his expression changed.
But he quickly noticed Ji Mian’s words.
Ji Mian pushed him away because they were in a public place, not because he was resisting him.
Xie Heng realized something, and his eyes instantly lit up; he held onto Ji Mian's wrist and wouldn’t let go.
Was it really “completely hopeless”? It seemed not necessarily so.
“Brother?”
Xie Heng suddenly smiled, “Am I not that bad?”
Ji Mian knew what he was referring to. ‘Am I really that terrible? You’re so sure that you will never like me in this lifetime?’ This was what Xie Heng had said to him on the day of his confession.
“It seems a bit better now,” Xie Heng said, staring into Ji Mian’s eyes for a few seconds.
Ji Mian blinked a couple of times and realized that indeed it was better.
He returned to his usual demeanor, letting out a melancholic sigh. “Xie Ge, do my eyes look red? I think I might ruin Wenbo’s birthday.”
Xie Heng wanted to say something to comfort him, but seeing Ji Mian's swollen eyes, he found it hard to speak.
If they went back like this, Jia Wenbo would definitely worry when he saw them.
“What should we do, Xie Ge?”
Xie Heng thought for a long time and said, “...I don’t know.”
Ji Mian looked at him with his puffy eyelids, sighing heavily. “Let’s go back. If we don’t, Wenbo will come looking for us.”
“Mm.” After replying, Xie Heng reached out to touch the corner of Ji Mian's reddened eyes. Ji Mian’s eyelashes brushed against his fingers, causing a slight tickling sensation.
Time to go back.
Xie Heng suddenly felt unwilling. Here, he had hugged this person and kissed him. But after returning, sitting in the same row as Ji Mian, he wouldn’t even be able to look directly into his eyes while speaking.
“Let’s go, Xie Ge.” Ji Mian was preparing to stand up.
But Xie Heng reached out to press down on his wrist.
“Xie Ge?”
Xie Heng swallowed hard, leaned down, and kissed the corner of Ji Mian’s eye one last time.
He knelt on one knee, towering over Ji Mian, almost completely enveloping him.
“—Cough cough!”
“Holy crap!”
The simultaneous exclamations from behind made Xie Heng’s back stiffen slightly.
“…”
Chen Xu, who had walked onto the terrace, had completely lost control of his expression.
Jia Wenbo was equally shocked, but he recovered a bit faster than Chen Xu, and after the initial surprise, he calmly said “Sorry” to the two of them, pulling Chen Xu out of the terrace.
Ji Mian: …
In this mortifying state, he weakly pushed against Xie Heng’s chest and covered his eyes, retreating into himself.