Chapter 53: TMS
The next morning, Lu Ge arrived at Xu's house to pick someone up around seven.
He waited on the first floor, occasionally lazily lifting his eyes to glance at the tightly closed bedroom door on the second floor, not feeling rushed at all.
Even if the person upstairs got up at twelve today, he wouldn’t be surprised. After all, Ji Mian hadn't agreed to go with him yesterday.
But about half an hour later, a "click" sound came from upstairs as the door opened.
The young man who walked out had slightly messy hair, a few strands sticking up, looking just like someone who had just woken up.
As soon as Ji Mian stepped out, he saw Lu Ge sitting downstairs, and their eyes met.
Upon seeing Lu Ge, who had been waiting for who-knows-how-long, Ji Mian felt a bit embarrassed, but he couldn’t show it on his face.
Ji Mian had gone to sleep at exactly eight the night before, and when he woke up, it was already eight in the morning.
He had slept a full twelve hours.
The system closed its eyes to comfort him: “It’s not that you woke up late; it’s that this person has no sense and came too early.”
Moreover, Lu Ge hadn’t mentioned when they would set off yesterday.
Lu Ge came this early purely because he felt bored after waking up and decided to drive over.
In the past few months, Lu Ge's imagination had greatly improved; just sitting downstairs looking at the closed door on the second floor felt as if he could see through the thick wooden door and see the young man inside sleeping soundly. It was indeed much more interesting than being at the Lu family.
After exchanging glances, neither of them greeted the other. Ji Mian averted his gaze and went to wash up, while Lu Ge turned back to stare at the unturned television in the living room.
Ji Mian washed up slowly. He intended to speed up but still took his time, as Xu Chi Qiu always did things unhurriedly.
After spending half an hour, he finally washed up and changed into clothes suitable for going out.
When he came downstairs, he wore four layers on top. Ji Mian didn’t want to put on winter clothes in October, feeling it was a bit strange, so he had to resort to this solution.
He wore four tops, each suitable for autumn: an inner cotton lining, a light blue autumn shirt, a thin sweater vest over it, and finally, a thick cream-colored coat on the outside.
Among these four items, others would only need to wear two in autumn, but Ji Mian had to wear the whole set to feel warm.
Fortunately, he was thin, and the neckline of the inner lining was low, so it didn’t look too obvious from the outside.
Today, Lu Ge's outfit was casual—a color-blocked sweatshirt, black pants—his simple attire diluted the strong oppressive aura he usually exuded. At a glance, he just looked like a handsome young guy.
When Ji Mian saw the only thin sweatshirt Lu Ge wore, it felt as if the cold that Lu Ge should have endured instantly shifted to him, causing him to involuntarily shiver slightly.
Meanwhile, as Lu Ge looked at Ji Mian's clothes, he thought Ji Mian’s neck must be very warm, making him want to reach out and touch it.
"Ready to go?"
Ji Mian nodded, and they set off.
Driving to the forest on the outskirts would take two and a half hours. By the time Ji Mian and Lu Ge set off, it was almost nine o'clock, meaning they wouldn’t arrive until at least eleven-thirty.
Ji Mian didn’t mind; he could sleep in the car. However, just before ten, Lu Ge's car slowed down and stopped at the roadside.
"Are we there?" Ji Mian asked, still in a daze, caught in a half-asleep state.
Lu Ge found it a bit amusing.
He should have brought a truck to move Ji Mian’s bed and bedroom into the back.
Only then did Ji Mian notice the time on the car—just a little past ten.
So why did they stop?
The next moment, Lu Ge drove to the back seat and returned with a bag in hand.
Upon seeing that bag, Ji Mian's heart immediately sounded alarm bells.
He was way too familiar with it…
When he was hospitalized, Lu Ge would carry bags like that every noon and night...
Lu Ge opened the bag, and sure enough, it contained food. It was quite well-prepared, with a bright red apple beside a fruit knife.
“…”
Ji Mian warily said, “I already had breakfast before leaving. It’s only ten o’clock, not even lunchtime yet…”
Lu Ge casually tossed out, “Brunch.”
Adding a meal between breakfast and lunch is called brunch.
Ji Mian: “…”
Redefining brunch.
He turned his face away silently, resting his forehead against the car window, not looking at Lu Ge.
At that moment, Ji Mian felt helpless, like he was on a ship of thieves with no way to escape. He couldn’t say he was angry, but there was always a bit of discomfort in his heart, feeling awkward.
In his past life, Ji Mian had crossed over at sixteen; this time, as Xu Chi Qiu, his entire life had begun in his twenties.
He didn’t have the growth experience from birth to adulthood. From the day he was bound to the system and gained memories, all he possessed were the common sense, intelligence, and moral perspectives of an adult. Beyond that, there was nothing else.
Ji Mian didn’t realize that his current psychological state was purely that of a sick child, being tricked into getting shots and taking medicine. After seeing through it, he felt a bit angry and wanted to resist, but knowing the other party had good intentions, he could only feel wronged.
He leaned against the car window for several minutes without hearing any movement from Lu Ge in the driver’s seat.
After a while, he couldn’t help but turn back and found Lu Ge smiling at him, waiting for him to look back.
No one spoke in the car.
Lu Ge handed Ji Mian the lunchbox containing the “brunch.” Ji Mian silently hesitated for two seconds, took it, and slowly began to eat.
The brunch consisted of spinach rolls, thin pancakes made by mixing flour with spinach juice, filled with vegetables and a bit of meat, topped with a sweet and sour sauce—very refreshing in flavor.
Ji Mian didn’t feel any sense of resistance.
Seeing him willing to eat, Lu Ge picked up an apple from the bag and began peeling it. He skillfully handled the fruit knife, peeling half of the apple without breaking the skin.
Lu Ge was not lacking in life experience; his parents had started from scratch, and even now, with a wealth of resources, they retained many of the views from their younger days. Lu Ge had never been spoiled.
Unfortunately, the child was born with an unattractive mouth, and no matter how good the family's upbringing was, it couldn’t stop Lu Ge's mischievous tongue.
The box contained two small spinach rolls, and Ji Mian could only eat one before feeling full.
Lu Ge probably estimated Ji Mian's appetite, only glancing at him without forcing him to eat more.
Ji Mian got some sauce on his lips and fingers, feeling uncomfortable with the mess. He reached out for the tissue placed in the front of the car.
The tissue box was a bit far for him, and when he reached for it, he only touched the edge.
Lu Ge paused peeling the fruit, set down the knife, lifted the tissue box, and handed it to Ji Mian.
At that moment, the continuous peel in his hand also broke.
Ji Mian unceremoniously took a tissue, not even uttering a thank you, and returned to his seat, acting like an ungrateful wolf cub.
But in reality, heaven knows how hard he tried to suppress the impulse to say thank you, forcing himself to keep it down for the sake of Xu Chi Qiu’s character.
After carefully wiping his fingers and the corners of his lips, Ji Mian crumpled the tissue into a not-so-substantial little ball in his palm. He glanced around but couldn’t find a place to throw it.
Lu Ge saw this and naturally reached out his hand, opening his palm to catch it.
Ji Mian's fingers paused for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he still placed the tissue ball in Lu Ge's hand.
Lu Ge was tall, and his hand was large. The tissue ball was pinched between his little finger and ring finger, leaving no corner exposed, while the other fingers firmly held the fruit knife, preventing the ball from touching the fruit.
He appeared calm, while Ji Mian began to feel uncomfortable, shifting in the passenger seat—stifled by the unspoken “thank you.”
However, Lu Ge didn’t notice any of this. He hadn’t come all this way just to hear someone say thank you; he could easily exchange hundreds of “thank yous” for a handful of cash on the street.
Ji Mian could command him however he liked; patients had that privilege. Whether or not to thank him, Lu Ge didn’t care.
As Lu Ge sliced off the last bit of apple peel, he planned to ask Ji Mian how much he wanted to eat, but when he turned around, he saw Ji Mian’s quiet profile, lips lightly pressed together, as if he was struggling with something.
Looking at him, there was an unexpected sense of obedience that contrasted with Ji Mian’s usual cold demeanor.
Lu Ge had never expected to gain anything from Ji Mian, but now he suddenly realized he was wrong.
Everything he had done had already brought him rewards.
Noticing he was being watched, Ji Mia turned his head and saw Lu Ge staring at him in confusion. "Mr. Lu?"
Lu Ge paused for a moment while cutting the apple, suddenly realizing something.
He enjoyed watching Ji Mian eat the meals he brought, ride in his car, use his things, and sleep in his chair.
He liked having this person appear in his life.
Seeing that Lu Ge was slow to respond, Ji Mian called out to him again.
Lu Ge came to his senses and, seizing the moment while Ji Mian spoke, quickly stuffed a piece of apple he had just cut into his mouth.
This quick feeding when Ji Mian was unprepared was a common tactic for Lu Ge.
Ji Mian had suffered from this many times; every time Lu Ge unexpectedly shoved a large mouthful of food into his mouth, he secretly reminded himself not to fall for it again next time.
Unfortunately, he kept failing.
“…”
Ji Mian swallowed the small piece of apple in his mouth, holding the remaining piece in his hand, not really wanting to eat it.
Looking at Lu Ge again, he seemed to be in a closed-off state, his arms resting on the steering wheel, burying his face in it, and suddenly he began to sigh softly.
He looked at Lu Ge, puzzled: “Mr. Lu?”
Lu Ge ignored him, even reluctant to turn his head to look.
In his life, the thing Lu Ge was worst at was being “careful.” He was used to being reckless, and after living more than twenty years, he had never had a moment of being cautious.
Yet he had fallen for a fragile person, a fragile person who had someone else in his heart.
It troubled him so much that he sighed repeatedly.
After several minutes, Lu Ge propped himself up, his forehead marked with shallow red lines from pressing against the steering wheel.
Turning his head, he saw the unfinished piece of apple in Ji Mian's hand and frowned, reproaching him: “Wasting food, Young Master?”
Ji Mian: …
Let it be a waste; he really couldn’t eat anymore.
He put the remaining piece back in the bag, planning to throw it away with all the trash.
Thus, the remaining spinach roll and the large half of the untouched apple both went into Lu Ge's stomach.
In the end, he reached for the piece of apple Ji Mian had tossed into the bag, his hand lifting halfway but suddenly stopping, putting it back down while sneaking a glance at Ji Mian.
It seemed he was habitually preparing to put it in his own mouth, but he stopped in time.
—
The car arrived at its destination around eleven o'clock.
Looking around, in the sunlight, everything was a bright golden yellow.
Ji Mian had only walked through the ginkgo forest before his strength was exhausted, unable to walk any further. He didn’t even get to smell the fragrance of the osmanthus flowers.
From the time they arrived at the destination to Ji Mian’s thought of wanting to go back, it had barely been an hour.
Lu Ge noticed that he was lingering, not wanting to move forward.
Really? After driving for two hours, he just wanted to walk for one hour and then go back?
What could be done? He couldn’t just let him tire himself out.
If he wanted to go back, then let him go back.
But once he said he wanted to return, the previously tired person suddenly became reluctant, looking back repeatedly, unwilling to part with that sparkling golden land.
“Want to sit for a while?” Lu Ge spoke up, “Just ten minutes.”
The northern wind was strong; it was fine walking when his body was warmed up, but sitting for too long made him worry that this fragile little one might catch a cold.
Ji Mian nodded.
He had barely sat down when Lu Ge, seeing something, walked off to the right.
When he returned, he extended his loosely clenched right hand toward Ji Mian. “Stretch out your hand.”
Ji Mian blinked and extended both hands.
Lu Ge’s loosely clenched fist fell into his palm, suddenly bringing a strange itch.
Ji Mian seemed to sense something and, as Lu Ge released his grip, he enclosed his hands around it.
Peeking through his fingers, he saw a white butterfly.
The autumn butterfly was no longer very lively. The white butterfly in Ji Mian’s palm slowly flapped its wings, causing a slight tingling sensation on his skin.
Ji Mian smiled, “Why did you catch it?”
Lu Ge thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t know.”
He just wanted to catch it when he saw it.
After saying that, he gazed at the smile at the corner of Ji Mian’s lips, unabashedly staring.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s rare to see you happy.”
Ji Mian paused, “Really?”
“Yeah.” Lu Ge poked Ji Mian’s shoulder blade with his finger.
“Why do you hide so many thoughts, Young Master?”
“…”
Ji Mian’s eyelids trembled slightly.
This person was really… overly perceptive.
Lu Ge slowly averted his gaze, unable to look Ji Mian directly.
“Young Master Xu, I hope you’re happy.”
“….”
In an instant, Ji Mian’s heart actually began to tingle.
After coming to this world, it was the first time someone said something like this to him.
Like Sister Yu Man, like his brother.
【Me too, Ji Mian.】 The system spoke softly.
Ji Mian’s breathing suddenly became rapid; he bit his lip to keep his expression from showing too much weakness.
After coming to this world, he had never felt any connection to this place.
He was just an outsider hiding in Xu Chi Qiu's shell.
He didn’t care about Qin Yan, didn’t care about Xu Zhi Xia, didn’t care about tasks and points…
He just wanted his Duan Zhuang, desperately wanting him, thinking about him non-stop.
He was a kite flying in the sky; from the moment he left Duan Zhuang, the string tied to him had already broken.
The feeling of having no ties was very free, yet very lonely.
But now, someone had grabbed hold of Ji Mian’s string, peeling away his freedom and loneliness.
Ji Mian couldn’t tell what he was feeling at that moment; he felt like the butterfly in his palm, gently held by this world and by Lu Ge.
The things he had lost and the things he had gained exchanged at the same time, and he couldn’t distinguish which was greater.
After a while, Ji Mian released his grip, letting the white butterfly go.
He stood up, not looking at the person beside him.
“Let’s go.”
There was still a long way back.
When they reached a steep incline, Lu Ge gently pushed Ji Mian’s back from behind to prevent him from tiring his legs.
His fingers unintentionally pressed against Ji Mian’s shoulder blade, as if he were holding the butterfly’s wings.
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