âHey, did you hear about it? The new transfer student seems to be Ji Xuanâs older brother.ââSeriously?ââBut they donât share the same surname?ââI heard theyâre not actually related. Families like those are often pretty complicated.âSmall suppressed whispers swept through the classroom like a gust of wind. Alongside the excitement for gossip, it spread around with some half-truths.âŠ...âStaying away is probably for the best.âAt this moment, the door to the classroom opened.The classroom suddenly fell silent.A tall young man stood at the door. With a loose white uniform hanging from his slim frame, he looked a lot taller than people the same age as him. His presence was difficult to overlook.He looked good. His light brown hair shone a honey-like light under the afternoon soon and his eyes were a similar amber colour. At this moment, those beautiful eyes of his were slightly narrowed as he scanned around the classroom.The other classmates averted their eyes awkwardly.The young man retracted his gaze and went over to sit down by a window.The classroom became rowdy again, as if the silence from earlier had never happened. The current hustle and bustle however contained a hint of hypocrisy.The young man was calm. He didnât look affected at all.Various eyes fell onto him. They were clearly looking at him with assessment.----Ye Jia, Ji Xuanâs rumoured half brother.And so, on just his first day here, he had turned into a major topic of discussion.As the focus of everyoneâs attention, Ye JiaâŠ..was unconcerned.His family was indeed quite complicated. The matters with the older generations were a mess. Ye Jia himself didnât care for it much and he had already become self-sufficient at a young age so he was rarely home and wasnât very close with his family. Naturally, he also hadnât met this younger brother of his more than a few times.He could onlyâŠ.somewhat recall a young boyâs face.He couldnât even remember the boyâs appearance.If it wasnât because he had caused a bit of a commotion at his previous school and was forced to transfer here as a result, Ye Jia felt that he probably wouldnât have any association with this so-called younger brother of his for the entirety of his life.He didnât care about that personâs reputation and he also couldnât be bothered worrying about it.Bridges are bridges, roads are roads.The boring rumours will soon fade with the passage of time.Ye Jia calmly reached out and flipped open his workbook.*On the school grounds.A tall young man stood with his back against the wall and one of his legs half bent. His face was hidden under the shadows only revealing his defined jawline. He wasnât wearing his school uniform. In his pale hands that looked almost sickly, he held a thin cigarette that slowly burned.A thin trail of smoke rose into the sky.Several people surrounded him, either sitting or standing. They were chatting quite frivolously at this moment and were completely unconcerned that class was on.They were similarly discussing the new transfer student.âŠâŠâHe looks pretty good and heâs also a study tyrant. All the girls in class are talking about him.ââDammit. There are originally not that many girls to begin with, this just makes it harder for us.ââBrother Xuan, if you donât like the sight of him, why donât weâŠ.?ââIs there any point in asking? Of course he wouldnât like the sight of him! Even if Brother Xuan doesnât say anything, we should be more proactive! Tsk, that damned newbieâŠ.âThe person they were talking to didnât say anything the entire time.But at this moment, he suddenly raised a foot and kicked one of them.The other person was caught off-guard. He fell onto the ground with his face twisted with pain. He looked fearfully at the young man hidden in the shadows.The other personâs voice was low and hoarse. Although it was hard to tell what his current mood was from his tone, the others couldnât help but feel scared.âWatch what youâre saying.âThe people standing around immediately fell silent.They exchanged shocked looks with each other.
W-whatâs going on?*A week after transferring here, the rumours slowly died down.Ye Jia finally saw his so-called younger brother.The other party was in the middle of a fight.It was a group fight.In the narrow alleyway, seven or eight delinquents wearing uniforms belonging to another school surrounded the tall young man.Ye Jia was on his way home with his bag slung over one of his shoulders.He casually glanced at the group of people in the narrow alleyway and his footsteps couldnât help but come to a stop.Although his memory was fuzzy, the moment he saw him, Ye Jia was able to recognise the other party.Perhaps it was because of his eyes.Ji Xuanâs eyes were a pitch black colour, much like the dark night sky, but at certain angles, it sometimes shone an eerie scarlet light.Perhaps it was due to his features too.After all these years, Ji Xuan had changed considerably. His features had become sharper and his brows and nose much more defined. He however still retained a slight resemblance to his younger self.âŠ..The young boy with beautiful features and sickly pale skin.His long forgotten memories reawakened, Ye Jia was in daze for a moment.And because of this momentary state of distraction, the others in the alleyway noticed his presence.âHey! Whoâs there?!ââHuh? Check out his uniformâŠ.ââWhat is this? You two know each other?âAt the end of the alleyway, Ji Xuan raised his eyes and looked over.Ye Jiaâs heart suddenly skipped a beat.He didnât show it on his face, ââŠ..Not really.ââThen get lost! Donât just stand around here alright? If you continue hanging around, Iâll dig your eyes outâŠ.âBefore that person could finish his threats, Ji Xuanâs fist smashed into his face.Ye Jia could even hear the sound of knuckles hitting against the personâs face.That person cried out in pain and stumbled back a few steps.Ji Xuan lightly flexed his hand, âIâm still here. Donât get distracted.âWith him throwing the first blow, a round of fighting soon started in the alleyway.The sounds of fists hitting flesh, bones breaking, as well as screams and curses echoed through the alleyway.Ye Jia stood at the entrance.âŠ.This has nothing to do with him.He should leave now or he wouldnât be able to catch his bus.He raised his eyes and looked into the alleyway.A scarlet light moved about in the depths of the young manâs pitch black eyes. With some bloodstains on his face, he looked quite scary.He was after all someone who had single-handedly defeated several people.Although he was completely capable of fending for himself, he was hit in the back with wooden sticks a few times due to their sneak attacks. Ji Xuan didnât make a single sound but his eyes turned more dangerous.Ye Jia sighed.He placed his bag down at the entrance to the alleyway.The one who had asked if the two of them knew each other charged at Ji Xuan from behind with a metal pipe but before he could hit his target, a strong force grabbed his collar and pulled him back.The sudden force caused his eyes to bulge. He weakly stumbled back.The metal pipe fell to the ground with a clatter.That person held his painful throat whilst coughing heavily and looked back, only to see the brown hair and amber eyed young man standing calmly behind him. He finished his sentence from earlier with the setting sun behind him, ââŠ.But itâs not entirely the case either.âHalf an hour later.
Several people stumbled and limped out of the alleyway.Ye Jiaâs breathing was a little heavy but he wasnât hurt.He flexed his slightly stiff arms and proceeded to brush his hair back with his fingers.Ji Xuan had at some unknown point in time walked over to his side.Ye Jia suddenly realised that although the other party was younger than him, he was much taller. When he stood next to him, his shadow was big enough to completely envelop him.Feeling a little uncomfortable, he took a step back.The other party didnât move any closer.Ji Xuan looked at the other party thoughtfully, âYouâre pretty good at fighting.âYe Jia vaguely grunted.âJust helping those in need.âJi Xuanâs eyes stirred but he didnât speak.âWhat about those people?â Ye Jia pointed in the direction where the others escaped and glanced at Ji Xuan, âWhatâs going on with them?ââRobbery.â Ji Xuan responded concisely.âŠ..There are people who would dare rob you?Ye Jia raised a brow in disbelief but he didnât say anything.âAre you hurt?â Ji Xuan asked.Ye Jia shook his head. He took in Ji Xuanâs appearance.The injuries on the other party looked worse than his and there were even knife wounds on his arms and wrist that were still dripping with blood. He was in quite a sorry state.Ye Jia retracted his gaze.He asked, âYou want to go to the hospital?âJi Xuan glanced at his injuries indifferently, âNo need.âââŠâŠAlright.â Ye Jia accepted it without much concern. He then proceeded to go back to the entrance of the alleyway and pick up his bag, âGo home early.âA force pulled his bag backwards.Ye Jia, who was caught by surprise, looked back.He saw Ji Xuan holding one of the bag straps. Ji Xuan looked at him, âTake me in?âYe Jia furrowed his brows.ââŠ.Why?âItâs not like you donât have a home to return to.And even if worse comes to worse, this young master will surely have plenty of places he can go to that are much better than his rented space.Ji Xuan pointed at his injuries, âCanât go back like this.âYe Jiaâs brows knitted together even more tightly, ââŠ..But you still need to go back.âJi Xuan commented casually, âThey donât care if Iâm back or not.âHis tone was calm but it also soundedâŠ.a little pitiful.Ye Jiaâs eyes stirred.He pursed his lips, âThen you can stay at a hotel.âJi Xuan wiped off the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, âMy wallet was stolen.âYe Jia, âI can lend...âBy now, the sky had mostly darkened. He stood at the division between the light and dark with a dark alleyway behind him and the streetlight shining down from above. His pair of dark eyes were firmly fixed onto Ye Jia.ââŠ...Ge.âThe young man called out. His voice was still youthful but it was a little hoarse because his voice was changing.There were injuries on his face and his clothes were also stained with blood.He looked like a kicked puppy.Ye Jia swallowed back down the words he was about to say.He looked at Ji Xuan with a frown before snatching away the bag in his hands and sighing.âFollow me.â*
Standing at the entryway, Ji Xuan scanned around the room.The rental was very small, with only one bedroom and one living room, but it was clean and organised.Ye Jia was at this moment taking out a pair of slippers. The lights shining down from above made his hair look very fluffy and his loose uniform revealed a part of his defined collarbones.Ji Xuan changed his shoes and entered Ye Jiaâs place.Ye Jia took out a small first aid kit.He pointed at a chair, âSit.âJi Xuan obediently sat down and rolled up his sleeves as instructed.His arms were slender but firm, with well defined muscles.His self-healing ability was good and, because the injuries werenât that bad in the first place, they were no longer bleeding.Ye Jia helped disinfect his wounds and patched him up.Although he did it with great efficiency, he wasnât very gentle.Ji Xuan hissed in pain.Ye Jia looked up at him, âHurts?âJi Xuan let out a small âenâ.Ye Jia used even more force, âThen donât get into fights.âVery soon, he was done.Ye Jia stood up and opened the fridge, âHungry?âHe paused for a moment and added, âItâs leftovers from lunch.âJi Xuan raised his head and looked at the young man standing not far away, âYou made it?âYe Jia was stunned for a moment. He didnât expect the other party to be more concerned about this over the fact that they were leftovers.He quickly returned to his senses and answered, âYes.âJi Xuan nodded without hesitation, âOkay.âYe Jia looked at the other party with assessing eyes.The younger brother he hadnât met in many years was sitting at the dining table at this very moment. Although his face was still youthful, one could already see defined features belonging to an adult man developing. He looked back at Ye Jia without a change to his expression, looking very calm.Something didnât seem right.ButâŠ.he couldnât pinpoint exactly.The sky was getting darker.Ye Jia carried out an extra set of blankets and placed it onto the sofa, âYou sleep here.ââOkay.â Ji Xuan answered obediently.Ye Jia didnât have much experience attending to people. He paused for a moment and asked, âDo you need a change of clothes?âJi Xuan raised his head, âDo you have any?âFaint light flashed past the depths of his eyes.Ye Jia took out a shirt and pants from his wardrobe. When he gave it to Ji Xuan, he scanned his body with his eyes and was a little hesitant. âIt might be a little small but this is all Iâve got.âJi Xuan reached out and received it. At the same time, his hot fingers brushed against Ye Jiaâs slightly cold fingers, âItâs okay.âSeeing that the other party had already taken it, Ye Jia could no longer take it back.He nodded and returned to his room, closing the door behind him.Before the door could close, Ji Xuan called out after him.âGe.âYe Jiaâs footsteps stopped. He turned and looked back.The young man smiled at him, âGoodnight.âYe Jiaâs fingers curled. He retracted his gaze, let out a low âenâ and closed the door behind him.In the dark.Ji Xuan laid on the narrow sofa, unable to stretch his long arms and legs out.He looked towards the closed bedroom door.
Although he couldnât see him, he could clearly feel the other personâs presence.Very clearly, very distinctly.Ji Xuan lowered his head and buried his head in his shirt, taking in the smell.The faint smell of soap as well as the warmth from the sun.And also, an almost undetectable fresh scent belonging to the young man.His eyes stirred. The scarlet in his eyes became more obvious.Looks like his plan was successful this time.Gege has always had a soft heart.He has always been like this.*A few days later.As usual, Ye Jia sat in his seat, going through his workbook without much interest.Suddenly, the classroom fell silent.Ye Jia heard the classmate next to him gasp.His actions stopped, â?âWhatâs going on?The head teacher is here?Ye Jia looked up in confusion and directed his gaze towards the door.A tall young man was standing there. There were no expressions on his defined face but his strong presence brought about a sense of oppressiveness. He was able to instantly draw everyone's attention.Ji Xuan made his way into the classroom.The classroom fell even more silent.Everyone watched in shock as Ji Xuan approached Ye Jiaâs desk.Wait a minuteâŠ.whatâs going on?Why did Ji Xuan, that dangerous guy, suddenlyâŠ.?At this moment, the class representative suddenly remembered the rumours about the two brothers not getting along. He was so nervous, his entire body was stiff and cold sweat formed across his back. He silently stood there with his eyes firmly fixed on Ji Xuan, ready to run out and call the head teacher over the moment something happens.The others were similarly holding their breaths. They were all very nervous.âŠ..Ji Xuan stopped before Ye Jiaâs desk.He placed the bags he was holding onto his desk.Ye Jia hesitated for a moment before receiving the bag.He looked inside.The bag contained the clothes he had lent the other party last time. It had already been cleaned and was neatly folded.As for the other bagâŠ..Breakfast??It was rich in variety and gorgeously packaged. Just from the look of it, it was clearly nothing cheap.Ye Jia was surprised. He didnât know how to react.Ji Xuan sat down in the seat in front of Ye Jia.âReturn gift.âHe supported his chin with one hand and looked at the other party with his pitch-black eyes, âHave you had breakfast yet?âââŠâŠâŠâThe classroom was completely silent. It was so quiet, one could even hear a pin dropping.The class representative who was ready to run out and call for the head teacher stood in place in shock. No one in the classroom expected this kind of development. They all looked at them with dumbfounded looks.Are we dreaming?WhatâŠ.w-whatâs going on?