About ten minutes after Ji Mian went out, the three remaining people in the room had already cleaned up the mess left after the party.
The front door creaked open, and Sun Qi in the living room was immediately drawn to it. Even Duan Zhuang's gaze slowly shifted to the doorway.
The person entering was Mu Yuman. Noticing that everyone's attention was on her, she felt somewhat uneasy.
Sun Qi and Duan Zhuang exchanged glances, understanding that Ji Mian had indeed not succeeded.
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Sun Qi cleared his throat twice and spoke first, using the excuse of needing to take Xu Xiaoxiao home, hurriedly pulling her out.
Duan Zhuang looked away.
"Did you all know?" Mu Yuman asked, seeing their reactions, she quickly understood.
"Yeah." After Duan Zhuang responded, he added, "Did you reject him?"
"Sort of. I told him that I hope my future partner has at least been to college."
Mu Yuman touched her cheek, "I didn’t expect this..."
She had always regarded Ji Mian as a younger brother and had never thought he would confess to her.
She brushed her hair back from her forehead, her mood starting to settle. After all, Ji Mian was six years younger than her; today's incident felt a bit juvenile to Mu Yuman.
She saw Duan Zhuang picking up the coat from the back of a chair and standing up, seemingly about to leave, and couldn’t help but ask, "Where are you going?"
Duan Zhuang casually draped the coat over his shoulder and walked toward the door, casually tossing out, "Going to check on him."
Mu Yuman paused for a moment.
Why did it seem like her brother was quite concerned about Ji Mian?
—
When Duan Zhuang returned to the entrance of the store, Ji Mian was sitting on a small stool outside, looking perfectly fine.
Seeing Duan Zhuang come in, he greeted him, "Brother."
From his tone, there was no hint of sadness.
"Mm." Duan Zhuang's lips moved slightly; he wanted to ask Ji Mian "How did it go?" but felt it unnecessary.
In the end, he just offered a dry, “Don’t be discouraged,” as a form of comfort.
The air was quiet for a few seconds.
"Ji Mian!"
Sun Qi waved his car keys from a distance and soon ran over.
“How did it go?” His first question was the one Duan Zhuang had just been thinking.
Ji Mian shook his head and said, "Yuman said she likes cultured guys."
“Is that so…” After hearing this, Sun Qi thoughtfully stroked his chin.
No wonder Mu Yuman didn’t look at him back then; could it be because he only graduated high school and didn’t have a degree?
“Ah! You just never learn! It’s better to give up now; there are plenty of fish in the sea… Ow!! Brother, why did you kick me?!”
Duan Zhuang: “Shut up.”
“Give up?” Ji Mian turned his head to look at Sun Qi, somewhat confused. “What do you mean by give up?”
Sun Qi’s eyes widened in surprise, and then he blinked a few times. "What do you mean give up... didn’t Mu Jie not agree?"
Ji Mian furrowed his brows. "But I knew from the start that Yuman Jie would reject me. If I give up just because of one rejection, that would be too easy."
"…"
"However, Brother, don’t worry. I won’t cling to Yuman Jie too desperately." Ji Mian looked at Duan Zhuang and said.
"Yuman Jie likes cultured people, so I should go study and get into university. Before I have a good education, I won’t disturb Yuman Jie or make her feel awkward."
"And besides, Yuman Jie didn’t directly reject me. I should be happy about that."
Ji Mian thought for a moment and felt that he should smile now.
So he smiled.
His light brown hair swayed in the sunlight, and the corners of Ji Mian's lips lifted into a curve, his eyes so clear they could reflect a person’s image.
So clean and pure.
The half-smoked cigarette in Sun Qi's mouth fell to the ground with a "thud."
Ji Mian stood up and said, "I'm going to carve some wood," before heading into the store.
Sun Qi finally came back to his senses, picked up the cigarette from the ground, pinched the tip, and put it back in his mouth for another puff, slowly exhaling in a dejected manner, “That little brat is talking nonsense.”
Not waiting for a response, Sun Qi turned around and noticed that his brother wasn’t looking at him.
Duan Zhuang's gaze remained fixed on the empty stool, as if he hadn’t shifted his attention since earlier.
Sun Qi was taken aback, wondering: What is he looking at?
"Brother." He called out again, this time bringing Duan Zhuang's focus back.
"Do you think Mu Jie could really end up liking that kid?"
Was the family’s cabbage about to be… well, trampled by a pig?
In Sun Qi's eyes, if Ji Mian were to like someone else, it would definitely be a prime and tender cabbage.
Although Ji Mian was young, he had more responsibility than most people. In that regard, Sun Qi admitted he couldn’t compare to this kid who was six years younger than him.
If human character had a ranking, he had no doubt Ji Mian's would be "excellent."
Sun Qi thought for a moment and felt that age wasn’t a big issue. "Sigh, this kid has made mistakes in the past, but he has found his way back. He’s not a bad person. If he really ends up with Mu Jie, actually... that would be okay. It’s just that he’s a bit young."
“Honestly, Brother, it sounds ridiculous for me to say this...” Sun Qi hesitated for a while, then awkwardly pushed the words out, “But I think if that kid really ends up pursuing Mu Jie, that would actually be pretty good.”
“Ji Mian may look weak, but once he’s determined, he’ll protect Mu Jie with everything he has.”
Seeing Duan Zhuang silent, it seemed like he agreed.
Noticing this, Sun Qi pretended to be deep in thought and said, “But this mainly depends on Mu Jie’s feelings.”
Duan Zhuang was silent for a moment, his dark eyes partially closed as he pondered Sun Qi's words. Behind his lashes, a flicker of confusion crossed his deep-set pupils.
After a long pause.
"Mm."
Sun Qi let out a sigh of relief, thinking that he must get Ji Mian to treat him to a nice meal afterward. Look at that, he helped him secure a future brother-in-law!!
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