The next day, as the evening approached, Qin Yan arrived at the hospital as promised to pick up Ji Mian for the banquet.
This banquet wasn’t very formal, just a gathering of a large group of wealthy young people having fun. Ji Mian didn’t need to wear formal attire.
He threw on a black jacket, the shoulders cut perfectly, making them appear broader. The jacket was carefully chosen by Ji Mian, able to mask Xu Chiqiu’s slender frame while highlighting his elegant, straight posture.
When it came to clothing, Xu Chiqiu's pickiness was hard for most people to tolerate. However, even with Xu Chiqiu’s critical eye, there was nothing wrong with the outfit Ji Mian had chosen.
Ji Mian stood in front of the half-length mirror in the bathroom, gazing at the unfamiliar face in the reflection, the emotions in his dark eyes barely present.
The original owner of this body had excellent physical features—fair skin, long legs, deep-set features, dark and long eyebrows, and slightly upturned eyes. Yet, despite the striking appearance, there was no aggressive aura in his demeanor. The body, ravaged by illness, exuded a unique, languid, and frail beauty.
However, the system noticed that at this moment, there was very little of Ji Mian’s own emotions in this body.
He was learning Xu Chiqiu’s ways, mimicking his actions, no longer clumsily showing his true personality as he had in the last world.
As for the reason, the system understood.
Ji Mian was exhausted.
He couldn’t bring himself to genuinely invest his emotions in another new world.
Xu Chiqiu’s body provided him with a perfect shell to hide in, allowing Ji Mian to retreat like a snail into its shell.
But the system knew clearly: No matter how much Ji Mian imitated Xu Chiqiu, he wasn’t truly him. The soul’s essence couldn’t be concealed. Sooner or later, he would slip up.
Qin Yan had arrived at the hospital earlier, waiting for a while by Xu Chiqiu's bed when a tall figure emerged from the bathroom. Wearing a well-tailored black jacket, Ji Mian’s cold face slowly lit up with a faint smile upon seeing Qin Yan.
With one hand resting on the bathroom door frame, his body leaned lazily against it. He raised an eyebrow at Qin Yan and slightly lifted his proud, smooth neck, smiling as he asked, “How do I look?”
This version of Xu Chiqiu was such a stark contrast to the pale, sickly young man Qin Yan had seen two days ago in a loose hospital gown, that he was momentarily stunned.
Qin Yan was reminded that this was how Xu Chiqiu had always been supposed to look.
“Not bad,” he finally said, snapping out of it.
Qin Yan had driven himself there.
Ji Mian sat in the passenger seat, turning his head to look out the window.
“Where’s Zhixia? Didn’t you say you’d bring him along?” he asked.
“He said he had plans to go karaoke with his classmates and didn’t want to cancel, so he told me to pick him up after nine,” Qin Yan replied, shaking his head with a sigh, though there was a trace of amusement in his expression.
But Ji Mian noticed that despite the sigh, Qin Yan was smiling.
Anyone could see that Qin Yan and Xu Zhixia were very close. Otherwise, the usually well-behaved Xu Zhixia wouldn’t have been so willful as to ask Qin Yan to pick him up so late.
The fingers resting on Ji Mian’s knee tightened one by one, as he tried to empathize with Xu Chiqiu, considering what the original owner’s feelings might be and how he would react.
“Xu Chiqiu” worked hard to suppress himself, ensuring his voice didn’t sound too forced. “Zhixia is already grown up. Why is he still playing around like that?”
“He’s only nineteen. It’s normal for him to enjoy himself,” Qin Yan’s tone was indulgent, with a hint of fondness even he wasn’t aware of.
Xu Zhixia had skipped two grades in middle school. Despite being a junior in college, he was two years younger than most of his classmates.
“…” Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, Xu Chiqiu remained silent. There was no benefit to dragging it out; it would only make him feel worse.
Qin Yan parked the car and led Ji Mian up to the cruise ship. When the waitstaff heard Qin Yan’s name, their demeanor immediately became respectful, and they quickly handed over two room keys to them.
The host of the banquet, Lin Xu, was standing at the entrance with a tall woman in a red dress in his arms, his new wife.
When he saw Qin Yan, a wide smile spread across Lin Xu’s face. Letting go of the woman, he walked over with a grin.
“Congratulations on your marriage,” Qin Yan said.
“Thank you, Qin Shao, for attending,” Lin Xu replied, his gaze drifting toward Ji Mian, eyes flashing with amazement. “And this is?”
“Xu Chiqiu, Zhixia’s older brother.”
Lin Xu nodded in understanding.
So this was the eldest son of the Xu family.
Xu Chiqiu’s name wasn’t very well-known in their circle. He had spent most of his time in the hospital and rarely interacted with the other heirs. However, as Qin Yan’s friend and having met Xu Zhixia a few times, Lin Xu had heard them mention Xu Chiqiu before.
“Hello, I’m Lin Xu,” he extended his hand toward Ji Mian.
A pale, slender right hand lightly rested in his palm, gripping neither too tightly nor too loosely. Lin Xu was momentarily taken aback but quickly returned the gesture before letting go.
Ji Mian’s hand was too cold and lacked any flesh. It felt as though he had just shaken hands with a corpse.
Lin Xu shuddered involuntarily, discreetly rubbing his hand by his side.
The initial amazement in his eyes vanished. Upon closer inspection, he began to notice the many flaws hidden beneath Ji Mian’s beautiful appearance: thin shoulders, overly prominent collarbones, a sickly pale complexion…
And the way Ji Mian was dressed at the moment—it was summer, and they were on the sea, yet he insisted on wearing a thick jacket…
Lin Xu suddenly remembered Xu Zhixia’s hands—long, slender fingers, palms and fingertips soft and smooth, devoid of even the slightest hint of calluses, as delicate as silk.
Even though Lin Xu wasn’t into men, he couldn’t help but marvel at how rare a beauty Xu Zhixia was, flawless from head to toe.
Ji Mian noticed Lin Xu’s subtle shift in expression and, as if understanding everything, lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand. His fingers quietly tugged at his sleeve, covering his hand a little more with the fabric.
“Do you want to go inside?” Qin Yan, oblivious to all of this, turned to ask Ji Mian, “Or would you rather enjoy the sea breeze?”
It was a summer night, and with the warmth of the sea breeze, he wasn’t worried about Ji Mian feeling uncomfortable.
“Better go inside,” Ji Mian said. “At this time, the sea is probably dark as well.”
Qin Yan nodded understandingly and led him into the cruise ship’s banquet hall.
Inside, the lights were bright, and the waitstaff moved steadily, carrying various drinks and snacks through the crowd. In the center of the hall, a few men and women dressed in formal attire danced to the music, while most of the guests gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing with each other.
Qin Yan, concerned that Ji Mian might stumble, kept his hand gripping Xu Chiqiu’s small arm.
He knew Xu Chiqiu didn’t like lively scenes and wasn’t suited to standing for long periods, so he led Ji Mian to the resting area in the corner of the banquet hall.
There were no lights in the resting area, with all the illumination coming from the center of the banquet hall, making the environment a little dim.
Qin Yan walked ahead, while Ji Mian lagged half a step behind.
As they passed, a tall figure brushed against Qin Yan’s shoulder. Qin Yan lost his balance for a moment, causing Ji Mian, who was holding his hand, to sway slightly.
After regaining his balance, Qin Yan frowned and looked up at the man who had bumped into him. Upon seeing the man’s face, he froze for a moment, and his expression instantly changed. “Lu Ge?”
Hearing this name, Ji Mian also looked at the man.
The man’s attire was probably the most casual and flamboyant on the entire cruise ship. He wore a loose floral sleeveless T-shirt on top and black shorts on the bottom, looking more like he was on a beach vacation than attending a banquet.
Many of the attendees at this banquet were celebrities, and the hall was filled with strikingly handsome men and beautiful women.
However, this man’s appearance didn’t lose out to even the most glamorous celebrities at the banquet. His features were bold, his eyebrows and eyes sharp, with short, straight, and thick eyelashes. Unlike most people whose lashes curled upward, his angled downward, partially covering his pupils. With half of the light in his eyes blocked by his lashes, his demeanor always seemed somewhat nonchalant.
Lu Ge raised his hand and patted the spot on Qin Yan’s shoulder where he had just brushed against him, as if he had accidentally touched something dirty.
Only then did he lazily raise an eyebrow, his lips curving into a fake, dismissive smile. “Well, if it isn’t President Qin.”
With just one sentence, Lu Ge shattered Ji Mian’s first impression of him as a laid-back person.
This man wasn’t lazy at all. On the contrary, the arrogance and disdain in his tone were so strong that it was almost off-putting. The mischievous wickedness in his raised brow was the complete opposite of Qin Yan’s calm and dignified demeanor.
Ji Mian searched Xu Chiqiu’s memories for any information about this person.
Lu Ge…
The name was indeed present in Xu Chiqiu’s memory, and he had heard Qin Yan mention it a few times. From Qin Yan’s descriptions, Lu Ge was a rather unpleasant character—reckless and unruly, born into a prestigious family but inheriting none of its refinement.
Qin Yan, being a man of integrity, naturally couldn’t stand Lu Ge’s hedonistic lifestyle.
On top of that, the Lu family had entered the entertainment and media market a few years ago, making Lu Ge a direct competitor of Qin Yan. Despite his debauched appearance, Lu Ge had a sharp business mind, and Qin Yan had faced him several times without gaining the upper hand.
As Ji Mian was deep in thought, he felt an unavoidable gaze directed at him.
He turned his head and, sure enough, met Lu Ge’s casual gaze.
Lu Ge gave Ji Mian a quick once-over. “A man?”
A man who was skin and bones at that.
Lu Ge chuckled meaningfully. “President Qin sure has an interesting taste.”
“…” Qin Yan frowned in displeasure and released his grip on Ji Mian’s arm. “Not everyone you look at has some filthy connection. Chiqiu is from the Xu family. He’s not ‘my’ anything.”
Although the Xu family’s wealth and influence weren’t on par with the Qin or Lu families, they were still quite prominent in City A. Anyone who had been in high society for long would know about the Xu family.
Apparently, Lu Ge had heard of them as well. His gaze briefly lingered on Ji Mian for a few more seconds.
“Oh, so you’re that sickly child from the Xu family?”
Ji Mian: “…”
“I thought you’d have died long ago.” He threw out the comment with a smile.
His shocking words made one wonder how he had managed to live this long without being strangled.
Just as Qin Yan had said, this man was indeed a very unpleasant person.
“Cough, cough…” It seemed that Ji Mian had been stimulated by the remark and suddenly started coughing. But even his coughs were weak, as if he might run out of breath at any moment.
In truth, Ji Mian wasn’t angry. Aside from Xu Zhixia, there probably wasn’t anyone or anything in the world that could provoke his anger.
But this was a prime opportunity to win Qin Yan’s sympathy, and Ji Mian wasn’t about to let it slip by.
He coughed until his waist bent forward, his right hand clutching Qin Yan’s shirt to keep himself standing instead of collapsing embarrassingly.
Sure enough, Qin Yan’s full attention shifted to him. After two seconds of helplessness, Qin Yan frantically placed his hand on Ji Mian’s back and gently patted him.
His strength was deliberately light, but Ji Mian’s body, like a fragile sheet of thin paper, seemed as if even the slightest touch could tear it apart.
Ji Mian rested his forehead against Qin Yan’s chest, making it look from a distance as if Qin Yan was holding him.
His face and neck were flushed unnaturally from the exertion, his body trembling, and even the thin jacket he wore couldn’t hide the butterfly-shaped protrusions of his shoulder blades. It was as if they were real butterfly wings, lightly quivering as they perched on a flower.
“Just a joke,” Lu Ge remarked, unfazed by the scene. “Young Master Xu, no need to get so worked up.”
Empathy was merely a word to Lu Ge; it seemed he was born without the ability to cherish beauty or delicacy. Having lived for over twenty years, he certainly hadn’t learned how to reflect on his actions.
“Lu Ge!” Qin Yan, still patting Ji Mian’s back to calm him down, spoke with a voice as cold as ice. “Don’t go too far.”
Lu Ge had no intention of apologizing. With a nonchalant shrug, he bypassed the two of them and walked away.
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