Chapter 30: TMS
Acting is not an easy thing.
Ji Mian believes he has no talent for acting, especially in front of Duan Zhuang he always worries about giving himself away. So, when Duan Zhuang took the phone from Mu Yuman to help him out, he didn’t hesitate to cover the camera with the tablecloth.
“Ji Mian?”
[Affection Points +120, Contributor: Duan Zhuang.]
[Affection Points +150, Contributor: Duan Zhuang.] The system's mechanical voice reported monotonously.
Worried that saying too much might expose him, Ji Mian hesitantly replied, “Hmm.”
“...Are you crying?”
Ji Mian's breath suddenly tightened as he detected the tension in Duan Zhuang's voice.
The prompts indicating increased affection points kept ringing in his mind, meaning Duan Zhuang had no doubts about Ji Mian's poor acting skills.
Ji Mian placed his hand over his left chest, feeling the unusually steady rhythm of his heartbeat, something Mu Yuman’s love system had informed him about two months ago.
When he saw Gu Ting appear in the video today, Ji Mian was initially surprised, but he quickly calmed down and focused on his task.
But at this moment, hearing Duan Zhuang's voice, he suddenly realized that the essence of this performance was a kind of deception.
The audience believed in it wholeheartedly, getting deeply immersed, while he, as the performer, could remain an outsider.
Duan Zhuang believed in him and felt sad for him. Yet he himself felt relieved because he had completed most of the task.
Ji Mian felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest.
---
In Ji Mian’s senior year, November.
The autumn recruitment process was coming to an end. Ji Mian had been busy job hunting since July and had received several satisfactory offers by now.
One of the companies was in the provincial capital of his hometown. Although the pay was slightly lower than some other offers, it was still relatively favorable for fresh graduates.
After several days of indecision, even though he hoped to stay near his hometown, he was more eager to earn a bit more money to repay Duan Zhuang and Mu Yuman for their years of friendship.
In the end, he chose the highest-paying job, even though it was far from home.
The signing took place in the school's lecture hall. After signing the tripartite contract, Ji Mian stood up with his jacket and left the lecture hall alongside a few other students who had also completed their contracts.
He was two years older than his classmates, but his youthful face didn’t give that away at all.
The heating in the lecture hall was strong, and as Ji Mian stepped outside, the cold wind made him shiver.
It was then that Duan Zhuang's call came in.
“Hello, brother?”
“Come back for a bit. Your Mu sister...”
As Ji Mian was putting on his jacket, he tilted his head to hold the phone between his shoulder and ear, not clearly catching what Duan Zhuang was saying.
“What did you say, brother?”
This time, the voice on the other end was very clear—
“Your Mu sister is getting married.”
...
[Prepare your emotions, prepare your emotions. You know what emotions to show, right?]
As Ji Mian hurried back, the system kept reminding him incessantly in his mind.
[Your performance at the wedding will determine whether we can earn a large number of affection points!
You need to act with more depth; do you know what rich acting means? It means... ]
[It means to hold back your emotions, and when you give your toast, show some sadness. Your eyes should be glistening with tears, and then let your emotions explode when you get off the stage! Let the tears flow! ] Ji Mian sighed, [System, you’ve already repeated this many times.]
[Hmph, it's good that you understand. In your years at university, you’ve only earned less than a thousand affection points, most of which came from Duan Zhuang’s contributions.]
The system glanced at the over six thousand points it had accumulated; for a beginner, having so many points in the first world was already remarkable. Among these, more than half of the points were contributed by Duan Zhuang, making him a “major shareholder.”
Ji Mian was different from its previous hosts; he didn’t have exceptional or exaggerated acting skills, but for some reason, his returns were two to three times more than those of previous taskers.
The system summarized it in two words: sincerity.
Although Ji Mian didn’t like Mu Yuman and didn’t know how to express love, the clumsy way he practiced his views on love inadvertently touched people.
—Especially a certain older brother. The system snorted quietly.
It could see that Duan Zhuang had some other feelings for Ji Mian. If Duan Zhuang weren’t such an important source of affection points, it would have kept Ji Mian far away from him long ago.
[A few hundred guests will be at the wedding. As long as you perform well this time, even if each of them only contributes ten affection points, that’s at least three thousand points!]
Ji Mian glanced at the time at the front of the high-speed train carriage. Mu Yuman's wedding would start around six o'clock. It was now four in the afternoon, and he would arrive at six.
Time was a bit tight.
Originally, he had wanted to return the day before Mu Yuman's wedding, but Duan Zhuang's message came too late, and the tickets for the day before were already sold out, so he had no choice but to change his plans to the same day.
Ji Mian took a deep breath.
I hope I can make it.
As soon as he got off the train, the drivers of the black cars outside, who were smoking, came over one by one to solicit customers. Ji Mian didn’t bother with anything else and hopped into the nearest car.
By six-thirty, he arrived at the wedding’s mansion hall.
The mansion was large, adorned with white roses and other pink and white bouquets.
Even though it was winter, he didn’t know where Gu Ting had found the white roses that covered the entire mansion hall.
Ji Mian almost got lost in the sea of flowers.
He followed the sound of clapping and piano music until he found the large white church-style door.
The two ushers at the door exchanged glances, looking confused at this latecomer who had white rose petals stuck in his hair.
Once through the door, it led directly to the red carpet leading to the altar. According to convention, no one should be allowed in at this time.
The usher on the right had no choice but to take Ji Mian to the side entrance for guests.
As he pushed the door open, applause erupted that was more intense than any he had heard before, resounding throughout the hall.
Ji Mian felt the tremors in the air caused by the applause.
He stood there, at a loss.
[To the left.] The system reminded him.
Ji Mian's gaze instinctively shifted to his left, which was also the central position at the front of the hall.
On the round high platform, a tall man in a well-fitted suit stood with his back to Ji Mian, leaning down to kiss a bride dressed in pure white.
This kiss was the source of the earlier thunderous applause.
[Just in time to miss the vows.]
Ji Mian blinked, thinking that it was fortunate the original Ji Mian’s memories didn’t include this scene.
Though he couldn’t empathize with the original "Ji Mian," he understood that witnessing the wedding of someone deeply loved must be painful.
The couple on stage gradually pulled away from each other, and the applause began to subside.
The view from the platform was the best in the hall, much like how teachers can always see their students’ every move clearly during class.
When Mu Yuman turned to the audience, she saw Ji Mian looking at her from near the side door.
She noticed the flower petals stuck in Ji Mian's hair and couldn't help but chuckle.
At that moment, the bouquet was handed to her.
According to the original plan, she was supposed to turn away from the guests and toss the bouquet. But seeing Ji Mian appear at the door, Mu Yuman suddenly changed her mind.
She leaned forward slightly, waved to him, signaling him to come up. This gesture was somewhat playful and didn't quite match the solemn image of a bride.
All the guests in the audience immediately followed Mu Yuman's gesture to look at Ji Mian. Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Ji Mian froze in place.
[Get up there; this is a great opportunity!]
Ji Mian could only awkwardly take stiff steps, walking up the carpeted stairs lined with flowers.
“Ji Mian has returned; he’s not trying to steal the bride, is he?” Sun Qi said, heart racing, from the front row.
Beside him, Duan Zhuang dressed in a black suit, smirked slightly, “He won’t.”
“Oh, that’s true.” Thinking about Ji Mian's character, Sun Qi relaxed a bit. “But, bro, why did Ji Mian only come back today? Didn’t you notify him about Mu sister’s wedding a week ago?”
Duan Zhuang kept his gaze fixed on the stage, silent.
He only informed Ji Mian about Mu Yuman’s wedding time the day before.
Because if one day, the groom standing on that stage were Ji Mian, Duan Zhuang couldn’t imagine what his feelings would be.
He preferred Ji Mian not to come back, even if it meant missing his sister's wedding.
Mu Yuman wore a pure white embroidered wedding dress with a vintage style, accentuating her already slender figure and making her look even taller. The wedding dress appeared simple yet exquisitely combined luxury and minimalism.
As Ji Mian took in the full view of the bride, his eyes brightened slightly, unable to resist the urge to praise her, yet there was no one beside him to share the moment.
"Yuman, she's beautiful," he said to the system.
"Well, it's a wedding dress," the system replied nonchalantly.
Over the years, the system had witnessed countless weddings.
"Do you remember what I said? Your eyes should be filled with glimmering tears, and when you come down from the stage, you must..."
The system's voice gradually faded in Ji Mian's mind as he quietly observed Mu Yuman, who was holding her bouquet, her eyes and brows radiating sweet smiles.
This was a perfect wedding because the two people in love on stage were so happy.
Ji Mian's eyes curved into a smile.
"Congratulations on your marriage, Yuman."
In his mind, the system's incessant voice stopped, followed by a light sigh of "I guessed it would evolve like this."
Oh well.
Suddenly handed a bouquet, Ji Mian was stunned.
A bouquet? Isn't that something only given to girls?
Mu Yuman raised her hand, pinched a white petal from his head, and smiled, "It suits you well."
Ji Mian: "..."
Leaning toward him, Mu Yuman gave him a hug.
Ji Mian carefully avoided stepping on her beautiful skirt.
Holding the bouquet handed to him by the bride, which carried good wishes, Ji Mian made his way down from the stage amidst laughter, finding his place next to Sun Qi and Duan Zhuang in the front row.
The system reclaimed its presence, saying, "Start your performance."
Ji Mian greeted a few people, making an effort to lift the corners of his mouth into a smile, though it was strained.
No one suspected he was "putting on a brave face."
Duan Zhuang stared at him without speaking.
Even the usually talkative Sun Qi carefully remained silent.
In the system space, the affection value steadily climbed until it slowly stopped after reaching nearly a thousand.
This was a third less than the system's initial expectations, but given Ji Mian's calm acting just now, he managed to gather so much affection value, which surprised the system a bit.
Sometimes pretending to let go can be more touching than loudly crying out.
However, when the system glanced at the contributors of the affection value, it was surprising to find that none were unfamiliar guests present.
[18:31, affection value +600, contributor Duan Zhuang]
[18:31, affection value +250, contributor Sun Qi]
[18:31, affection value +130, contributor Xu Xiaoxiao]
All familiar faces, the system sighed.
This host really knows how to get every last drop from a sheep.
After thinking for a moment, the system felt there was still room for the affection value to rise, so it said to Ji Mian, "When you leave here, pretend you can't bear the blow, but don't want to ruin Mu Yuman's wedding."
"Okay."
Ji Mian replied, but suddenly felt a weight on his head.
Looking up, he saw Duan Zhuang gently resting his wrist on his head, helping him pick out rose petals stuck in his hair.
When he withdrew his hand, there were five or six petals in his palm, and Duan Zhuang smiled mysteriously.
"Flower fairy?"
Ji Mian: "..."
"Brother," Ji Mian put down the bouquet as instructed by the system, "I’m going to the restroom."
"…Okay." Duan Zhuang's gaze had followed Ji Mian since the moment he entered, clearly observing how Ji Mian's smile faded slightly as he stood up, his lashes lowered, his usually bright brown eyes dimming, concealing a sense of endless loneliness.
Ji Mian turned his back to the two newlyweds on stage, navigating around the corner by the floral arch amidst the cheerful noise and laughter, his figure concealed in shadows, leaving alone with an inexplicably fragile silhouette.
Duan Zhuang's eyes followed his retreating figure until Ji Mian disappeared within the hall.
Twenty minutes later, he took the stage to deliver his congratulatory remarks and waited for Mu Yuman and Gu Ting’s wedding ceremony to conclude before rising to leave alone.
—
The system was indeed quite adept; as soon as Ji Mian stepped out of the floral arch, he immediately heard the notification of an increase in affection value.
The only drawback of leaving the hall was the cold outdoor environment in November. Gu Ting and Mu Yuman's wedding venue was uniquely chosen in a secluded countryside area, which was beautiful, but the early winter wind blew through without any buildings to shield it.
A rustling sound came from afar, which Ji Mian guessed was the sound of deep red maple leaves being blown by the wind.
Outside the wedding venue, Ji Mian searched for a while and finally found a spot that somewhat avoided the wind, but he still shivered from the cold.
"You should have worn a thicker coat when you left," the system said.
"Yeah."
"You've been outside for about half an hour; don't catch a cold," the system added somewhat nervously.
Spending half an hour outdoors in winter was plenty of time for a cold to compromise the immune system.
The system felt like one of those boyfriends who just kept saying "drink more hot water" without any real effect.
Ji Mian obediently nodded, "Okay."
He responded affirmatively, but in reality, only about ten minutes passed before he was freezing. His hands and feet were completely cold, and his face felt chilly; when he touched it with his fingers, it felt somewhat stiff.
The tip of his nose and the corners of his eyes were red from the cold, and his lips were chapped, taking on an abnormally vivid hue.
It was clearly an unhealthy complexion, yet it strangely carried a seductive charm.
The system internally clicked its tongue, thinking how this scene would captivate some older guy if he saw it.
Just as it was pondering, a warm jacket was draped over Ji Mian's back.
"Put it on."
A voice that made the system suddenly alert came from behind Ji Mian.
He turned his head at the sound to see the man standing in the cold wind, dressed lightly.
"Aren't you cold, Brother?" he asked.
"Not really."
Duan Zhang was wearing only a thin shirt, but even in the freezing winter weather, he only wore a light coat, and his expression was calm, indeed not looking cold at all.
As Ji Mian was about to say something, Duan Zhang had already sat down next to him. His gaze, which had been casually turned, could not help but linger on Ji Mian's vividly colored face.
In the night, Ji Mian couldn't see his expression clearly.
He sneezed from the cold and dared not delay any longer, quickly slipping his arms into Duan Zhang's coat sleeves. Duan Zhang's clothes still carried his body warmth.
His body quickly warmed up a bit.
"How is Yuman over there?" he whispered.
"The congratulatory speech just finished; I have nothing else to do. Your brother-in-law's people are quite thorough, so they don't need my help with other trivial matters."
"Oh." Ji Mian understood that this wedding was different from most small-town weddings; after the ceremony, the newlyweds and their families had to handle the banquet and other affairs. Gu Ting and Mu Yuman's wedding was quite formal, with a professional planning team overseeing all the details. The only duty of the relatives and guests was to offer their blessings.
"The major shareholder has arrived; let's take a cut from him first," the system chimed in.
"What?"
"Duan Zhang, more than half of the affection value you've earned over the years has come from him." In the system's view, Duan Zhang had become a walking affection value, loaded with a huge amount of affection points.
It looked at Duan Zhang with the gaze of a predator eyeing a lone, fat sheep, greed shining in its eyes.
"How should I do that?" Ji Mian asked.
"Cry!" The system's voice was extremely excited. "Use what I taught you before; cultivate your emotions! Pay attention to the layers of your performance!"
The affection value gain from the wedding had not been impressive, yet Duan Zhang had unexpectedly come to save the day.
"But I..." Ji Mian hesitated.
At that moment, he could only feel happy for Mu Yuman, unable to muster any tears. Besides, Ji Mian had no confidence in his acting skills.
"Don't worry; he won't notice any flaws." Having once been human, the system understood Duan Zhang's thoughts far too well at this moment.
He probably focused all his attention on Ji Mian's face.
When emotions were stirred, suppressing the unpleasant thoughts in his mind was already difficult enough; how could he tell if Ji Mian's acting was genuine or fake?
Ji Mian bit his lip, quietly placing his hand on his thigh, using all his strength to pinch himself.
That spot immediately turned red.
Finally, Ji Mian's eyes began to sting, but because his skin was cold, the pain wasn't as strong as usual. Tears gathered in his eyes but couldn't fall.
"Ji Mian."
Suddenly, Duan Zhang spoke, his tone seeming more serious than usual.
Ji Mian inexplicably felt anxious.
However, the system's next words interrupted his unexplainable emotions: "Think about something sad. Since coming to this world, what has made you particularly upset? Or have there been times when you cried under the covers at night?"
Sad things...
Ji Mian reflected for a moment.
There were indeed some.
There were moments at night when he hid under the covers and inexplicably began to cry, especially during his senior year of high school when, no matter what he did, Duan Zhang treated him like a stranger, always responding with a simple "mm."
Ji Mian's heart clenched tightly.
"Based on my experience, after getting married, nine times out of ten, people will become distant from their former brothers and friends. Not to mention, you and Duan Zhang don’t even share blood relations, so it’s even easier to cut ties," the system finally seized the moment.
“Ji Mian.” Duan Zhang stared at him, whispering once again.
He slowly raised his hand, his fingers gently brushing against Ji Mian's cheek. The pads of his fingers touched Ji Mian's delicate, cool skin, and he suddenly shivered— a cold tear fell onto the back of his hand.
【You did it!】the system exclaimed excitedly.
“I…” Ji Mian tried to explain something to Duan Zhang but realized his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to produce any sound.
Big tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt a bit dazed and somewhat embarrassed.
Crying so helplessly in front of his brother made Ji Mian feel very ashamed.
His acting was so poor that it lacked sadness, his eyes only reflecting confusion and helplessness.
Yet, Duan Zhang, who was always sharp, surprisingly failed to notice his clumsy performance.
His breath suddenly became heavy, then seemed to stop.
Duan Zhang looked at him, his gaze so deep it was frightening. His hand, which was resting on Ji Mian's face, moved toward the back of his neck.
Ji Mian felt Duan Zhang's palm wrap around the nape of his neck.
Still in a daze, he instinctively leaned closer to Duan Zhang, following the pressure of his hand.
A tingling sensation coursed through his face, the soft, warm touch was entirely unfamiliar.
Ji Mian widened his eyes in shock, staring at Duan Zhang's face, which was so close.
What was his brother… doing?
Duan Zhang leaned down and kissed Ji Mian's face.
He captured the tear that was about to fall from Ji Mian's cheek, his right hand pressing on Ji Mian's neck, leaving no chance for him to escape.
Ji Mian's skin was very cold, yet Duan Zhang's lips were burning hot.
The heated breath fell on Ji Mian's eyelids, and the person in front of him kissed him passionately and fiercely, filled with a kind of unexpressed tenderness.
Duan Zhang didn’t close his eyes, and Ji Mian didn’t either.
As their breaths intertwined, Ji Mian met Duan Zhang's gaze.
Duan Zhang's eyes were half-closed, his gaze lowered, avoiding looking directly into Ji Mian's eyes.
But he knew Ji Mian was looking at him.
The suppressed desire in his eyes, the twisted longing hidden in the darkest corners of his heart, was laid bare under Ji Mian’s shocked gaze.
Duan Zhang kissed harder, as if this was the last kiss of his life, one that would end when Ji Mian pushed him away.
Ji Mian's mind crashed; for a moment, it felt like he couldn't remember the common sense of this world.
A man and a man...
Was this… some custom he didn't understand?
【According to common definitions, humans typically refer to that behavior as “being a rogue.”】the system chimed in.
Being a rogue—this word snapped Ji Mian's wandering thoughts back to reality.
Ji Mian regained his senses and pushed Duan Zhang’s chest with his hand. “Brother!”
The person being pushed froze.
“…”
Duan Zhang lowered his eyes, the hand that held Ji Mian's neck released him, and his lips left Ji Mian's cheek, which was damp with tears, the color of his lips tinted unnaturally red from the passionate kiss just now.
Ji Mian stared at him in a daze for a moment before suddenly getting up and running away.
They weren’t sitting in the wind, but at that moment, it felt like a cold wind blew in from all directions.
Duan Zhang's shirt fluttered in the wind, and the chill in the air brought his heated mind back to a state of calm.
He forced a smile, self-loathing as he closed his eyes.
Duan Zhang, you really are a scoundrel.
……
Sun Qi returned from the restroom and noticed that the two seats beside him had somehow become vacant. “Hey, where did the big brother go?”
Xu Xiaoxiao shook her head, indicating she didn't know either.
Sun Qi sat down with his phone in hand.
The wedding banquet was one of the most boring parts of the entire ceremony; there was neither a beautiful bride on stage, and once they were full from the delicious food on the table, there was no more interest left.
As the banquet was about to end, Sun Qi still hadn’t seen the two return.
He sat there dazed for a long time; when he finally couldn't stand the boredom any longer, he began to scroll through videos.
The first short video was of a handsome vlogger sensually twisting his waist in front of the lighting.
Xu Xiaoxiao glanced over, coughed, and at her gaze, Sun Qi immediately sat up straight, a serious expression replacing his face as he exited the video and opened his social media to browse through group chat messages.
Sun Qi was in business, so he had a wide circle of contacts and many groups on his software.
Some groups had become chat groups over time, and every day, there were hundreds of messages in each one.
He quickly skimmed through the group messages, observing friends complaining, boasting, and chatting casually, with some more serious ones discussing local gossip and news.
Sun Qi initially had a smile on his face, but then, suddenly, his expression froze as if he had seen something.
“Hubby?” Xu Xiaoxiao looked at him in confusion, “Are you feeling hot?”
In this chilly season, beads of sweat appeared on Sun Qi's forehead.
The relaxed smile on his face completely vanished, and he shivered all over.
---
White flower petals scattered on the ground were swept up by the cold wind, flowing along with it. Among them, a broken petal fell behind, landing on Duan Zhuang's casually dangling hand, awakening the stagnant time around him.
Duan Zhuang snapped back to reality, feeling his long-sitting knees move slightly, only to realize that his entire leg had grown numb from the cold wind.
Glancing at the watch, he saw that it had been an hour since he left the auditorium.
He pushed himself off the ground with one hand, struggling to stand up.
Approaching the auditorium, he saw a figure emerging from a side door in the distance, sporting a head of unruly blond hair and a long scar across his face.
Sun Qi was sweating, his gaze frantically searching for something, looking like he was in a panic.
"What are you looking for?" Duan Zhuang called out to him.
Hearing the voice, Sun Qi's gaze immediately shifted to Duan Zhuang. Upon seeing him, his expression changed as if he had found a lifeline, and his emotions suddenly collapsed.
"Bro! Where's Ji Mian?"
“... What do you need him for?” Duan Zhuang frowned at the anxious look on Sun Qi's face. “What happened?”
“I just saw a video; there’s someone jumping into the river at West City Bridge…” Sun Qi's teeth were chattering.
“—Someone jumped into the river!”
Duan Zhuang's mind buzzed. “... What did you say?”
“I just saw it in the WeChat group, someone jumped into the river at West City Bridge, just two minutes ago!” Sun Qi was in such a panic that he couldn't gather his thoughts. “Big Brother, where's Ji Mian?!”
He didn’t directly voice his suspicion.
Ji Mian returned, attended the wedding, and nearby, someone jumped into the river. What a coincidence!
But Duan Zhuang picked up on the implication he left unspoken.
“He was just...”
Just... right beside me. Yet at the moment when Ji Mian was suffering the most, he had done the most shameful thing to him.
Suddenly, everything in front of him began to turn dark, obscuring his vision. Dark spots filled his entire field of view in just seconds, like sticky and foul-smelling oil clouding his sight.
His senses felt as though they were sealed off; his nasal passages and eardrums buzzed, losing the ability to perceive...
“Call...”
“I’ve tried; no one’s answering!”
“What about the car?” Duan Zhuang struggled to suppress the nauseating dizziness that was overwhelming him, forcing out a few words through gritted teeth.
“The car is parked to the west!” Sun Qi fumbled in his pocket, his lips trembling. “I... I didn’t bring the keys.”
“I have them.”
The subsequent actions felt like a dream to Duan Zhuang; he didn’t even know how he walked, how he found his car, or how he opened the car door and got into the driver’s seat.
When he finally inserted the key into the ignition in a state of delirium, Sun Qi pressed down on his trembling arm.
“Big Brother.” Sun Qi's hand was shaking as well; he had placed all his hopes on Duan Zhuang, but he hadn’t expected his older brother’s reaction to be even more intense than his own.
“You can’t drive in this state.”
At that moment, Sun Qi’s voice surprisingly sounded steady.
But that steadiness was based on a flawed premise.
In reality, the West City Bridge was several kilometers away from the auditorium where the wedding was held. If Ji Mian wanted to end his life, the likelihood of him running that far was very low.
Moreover, he would never deliberately choose this day to cause Mu Yuman sorrow.
Yet the two inside the car didn’t seem to notice that point at all.
Duan Zhuang’s ability to think had vanished the moment Sun Qi mentioned someone jumping into the river.
If tonight’s incident were unrelated to Ji Mian but involved someone else, he would never have followed Sun Qi’s line of thought.
A waiter carrying a champagne glass passed by, and for the first time, Sun Qi reacted quickly, jumping out of the car.
His strong figure blocked the waiter’s path.
“Do you know how to drive?!”
The waiter was startled, nearly dropping the tray in his hands.
He stammered, “I do, but sir—”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was dragged into the driver's seat.
The tray fell to the ground, shattering the champagne glasses it held, the white champagne spilling everywhere.
As the engine roared to life, the fragrance of wine lingered in the air.
—
Ji Mian sat behind a flower bed filled with white roses, hidden in the darkness.
The skin on the left side of his face still felt warm, the warmth radiating from Duan Zhuang’s coat was endless.
On such a cold day, Ji Mian felt as if he were burning up.
He curled his hands and feet, his mind a mess.
[Is there a kind of feeling between men?]
The system replied: [According to actual data, the ratio of same-sex partners is far lower than that of heterosexual couples, but it does exist.]
[Is that normal?]
[It depends on how you interpret it. If you consider love the most important factor in choosing a partner, then gender is not a significant issue.]
Choosing a partner. Ji Mian had never considered this question before.
Once, Duan Zhuang had asked him something similar, and he had answered that as long as it was someone he truly liked, the other person’s flaws didn’t matter.
Now he was a bit confused—did “gender” count as a flaw?
Moreover, there shouldn’t be any feelings of love between him and Duan Zhuang. As he thought about this, Ji Mian felt increasingly uncertain.
[Could it be that he likes me?]
[At present, that probability seems quite high. However, it’s also possible that it’s simply a surge of desire; you know how men are.]
[Oh…] Ji Mian raised his hand to touch his face, recalling that... almost “fierce” kiss from Duan Zhuang.
Does desire impact a person this much?
The system glanced at the time and said: [You’ve been out for over an hour; if you don’t go back soon, you’ll really catch a cold.]
Ji Mian rested his chin on his knees, sitting for another two minutes before slowly standing up.
He still didn’t know what expression or attitude to use when speaking to Duan Zhuang, so he walked slowly.
However, the distance from here to the auditorium was minimal, and even if he walked slowly, he would still reach the guest entrance of the auditorium in ten minutes.
After spending a long time preparing himself mentally, he pushed open the door.
The auditorium was bright, and when Ji Mian entered, his gaze instinctively swept toward the first row of guest seats.
—Empty.
Duan Zhuang was not here.
He let out a slight breath of relief.
The wedding banquet was about to end; during the time Ji Mian had been out, the exquisite dishes on the table had already been replaced twice.
Beside Sun Qi’s seat, Xu Xiaoxiao waved at him.
“Xiaoxiao Jie.” Ji Mian walked over. “Where's Sun Qi?”
Xu Xiaoxiao was momentarily confused. “I don’t know; he was playing with his phone, then suddenly stood up and left in a hurry. I thought he was going to find you.”
She remembered that Sun Qi had first shouted “Ji Mian!” before hurriedly leaving.
Ji Mian tilted his head in confusion.
What could be more important than attending Mu Yuman’s wedding?
He wasn’t in the mood to eat, so he simply sat down in his spot and spaced out. Although he was spacing out, his mind was preoccupied with worry that Duan Zhuang might show up at any moment, leaving him feeling anxious.
“Ji Mian.”
A thick voice suddenly came from behind.
Ji Mian, already on edge, jumped in surprise.
Turning around, he found Gu Ting leading Mu Yuman over. Gu Ting was still dressed in the same outfit, while Mu Yuman had changed into a light wedding dress.
“Yuman Jie, brother-in-law.”
“Where’s Duan Zhuang? I haven’t seen him for a while.” Mu Yuman asked.
“I… don’t really know.”
Mu Yuman thought for a moment and then said, “Ji Mian, do you have your phone? Ask your brother where he is.”
Duan Zhuang was always very prudent about important matters; it was unlikely for him to leave without reason. His sudden disappearance made her a little worried.
Moreover, she was in her wedding dress, and Gu Ting’s suit didn’t have pockets. Their phones were all left behind, not in the venue.
“…” Ji Mian braced himself to take out his phone from his jacket.
After unlocking it, dozens of missed calls in red on the screen were exceptionally glaring.
There were calls from both Sun Qi and Duan Zhuang.
The last missed call showed just ten seconds ago, with previous calls one minute ago, two minutes ago, and three minutes ago.
Duan Zhuang had been calling nonstop.
The glaring red made Ji Mian’s heart skip a beat.
He usually brought his phone to class, worried that it would ring and disturb the lesson, so over time, he had developed the habit of keeping it on silent mode.
Realizing something was wrong, he hurriedly called back.
Beep—
The first ring hadn’t even finished when the call was answered, but no one spoke.
Faint sounds of water could be heard through the receiver, mixed with the wailing of sirens and the chatter of a crowd.
As Ji Mian picked up the sharp sound of the siren, all the awkwardness faded away. His heart raced, and he quickly said, “Brother, where are you?!”
After a long silence, there was still no response, but Ji Mian heard a sound besides the water and the sirens—Duan Zhuang’s breathing, quick and frantic.
Panic rose within him, and his voice unconsciously grew higher. “Brother, what happened?!”
Still, there was no reply.
What Ji Mian didn’t know was that it wasn’t that Duan Zhuang didn’t want to speak; he simply couldn’t make a sound.
Duan Zhuang had just taken a dip in the icy river, soaked to the bone.
At that moment, he watched as the lifeguards carried the rescued individual onto a stretcher and loaded them into an ambulance, receiving a mix of admiring and strange glances from the onlookers.
The person he saved hadn’t been someone Duan Zhuang pulled from the water, but only minutes before, he had jumped into the river from the back seat of a car without looking back, leaving a profound shock on those passing by.
They whispered among themselves, speculating about the relationship between the jumper and Duan Zhuang.
Duan Zhuang gasped for air, his ear pressed tightly against the phone screen, which still showed the call interface.
He heard Ji Mian calling for him, but he found it hard to respond.
His lungs burned with water, the river’s chill was bone-deep, but what truly rendered him voiceless was the lingering dread that had yet to dissipate.
After a long moment, just as Ji Mian was about to speak again, he finally heard a cold voice on the line—“Is there anyone with you?”
The tone was icy, yet the voice trembled.
Ji Mian was taken aback.
“Yes, there’s Mu Jie, and…”
“Give the phone to Mu Jie.”
Mu Yuman took the phone. “What’s going on? Why did you suddenly disappear?”
After a pause on the other end, she furrowed her brow in concern and responded with a few affirmatives like “Uh-huh” and “Okay.”
Two minutes later, she hung up the phone.
“Yuman Jie?”
“They went out,” Mu Yuman exhaled, “Duan Zhuang is feeling a bit unwell; it seems he had an allergic reaction to something. He just went to the hospital for some medication and won’t be back for a while. Your brother-in-law will send you home later.”
Ji Mian fell silent for a moment.
“... Is it serious?”
“They said it’s not serious.” Mu Yuman returned the phone to him.
“Okay.” Ji Mian's fingers gripped the phone, his knuckles still feeling somewhat stiff.
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