When they left the mall, Jiang Nuan was carrying two shopping bags in each hand, while Jiang Ce had six hanging from his.
He showed no sign of strain. The bags seemed weightless in his hands, as if he were carrying nothing more than a few sheets of paper.
The afternoon sunlight blanketed the entire commercial street.
The two of them walked slowly along the road.
The new clothes they had just bought felt wonderfully comfortable.
Then she saw the screen.
At the corner of the commercial street, a giant LED display hung between two buildings, playing an advertisement on a loop.
On the screen, a young man leaned against a floor-to-ceiling window, a flower petal held between his fingertips as he gazed slightly to the side of the camera.
The corners of his eyes were subtly lifted, his smile lazy and languid.
His eyes were exceptionally beautiful, his gaze smoldering with a careless kind of aggression. Yet paired with that exquisite face, it gave him an alluring hint of youthful charm.
The ad copy appeared beneath the image, promoting a new clothing line from a certain brand.
In the lower right corner, a line of text drifted past:
Champion of the Newcomer Popularity Rankings · Qinian selected as a Face of the Year in Fashion.
It seemed Qinian was thriving here.
But what about Qi Sui?
The medical officer who always smiled with gentle elegance while saying the most deranged things in the softest voice was still missing.
Qinian could sense his brother’s vital signs. He was alive.
But sometimes, there was an abyss between being alive and being safe.
Suddenly, a warm, broad hand landed on her head.
Standing beside her, Jiang Ce gently ruffled her hair with his strong, sturdy palm.
“Don’t worry.” Jiang Ce’s voice carried a reassuring weight. “The captain has already arranged for Shen Wu to investigate. That guy may have a vicious tongue, but he’s very good at finding people.”
“Qi Sui will be fine. Our Zero Squad has never abandoned a single one of its own.”
The gloom in Jiang Nuan’s heart lifted somewhat. She tipped her head back to look at Jiang Ce and gave a quiet hum of agreement.
*
The barbecue restaurant was on the basement level of the shopping district.
The moment they pushed open the door, the atmosphere of the restaurant washed over them.
The sizzling griddles, the charred fragrance of meat turning over the coals, the mingled aromas of minced garlic sauce and chili powder…
Jiang Nuan took a deep, intoxicated breath.
The two of them chose a booth in the corner and sat down.
Jiang Ce ordered nearly everything on the menu.
“You should eat more.” He flipped through the menu as he spoke. “You’re too thin. Judging by eye, your body-fat percentage is well below the standard range.”
Jiang Nuan: “…Thanks for the visual assessment.”
The food arrived quickly.
Jiang Nuan ate bite after bite of freshly grilled pork belly. The salty fragrance of the sauce blended with the meat, roasted until it sizzled with rich juices on her tongue. A sense of satisfaction spread from her stomach through all four limbs.
Jiang Ce’s eating speed remained terrifying. The empty plates before him had already formed a remarkably tall stack.
After about twenty minutes, Jiang Ce finally slowed down.
He picked up the last piece of grilled tenderloin and placed it in Jiang Nuan’s bowl, then set down his chopsticks and stood.
“I’m going to get some dessert,” he said.
Then he paused and added, with complete seriousness, “Replenishing sugar helps maintain the brain’s reaction speed.”
Watching him use such a solemn explanation to justify wanting cake, Jiang Nuan nearly failed to suppress her laughter.
Jiang Ce turned and walked toward the dessert counter.
Once his towering figure left, the light around her seemed to brighten all at once.
His presence really was too overwhelming. He had been blocking most of her view.
Jiang Nuan lowered her head and dealt with the piece of tenderloin in her bowl. The meat was juicy and tender, its edges carrying just the right hint of char.
She paused, suddenly realizing something.
When she had grilled the meat herself at the beginning, this was exactly the level of doneness she preferred.
Later, Jiang Ce had naturally taken over the grilling. She had never mentioned her preference, yet every piece of meat he placed on her plate was cooked to perfection.
Every single one was exactly the way she liked it.
She was still eating when a figure approached her table.
She looked up.
A fair-skinned, delicate-looking young man who appeared to be barely over twenty stood in front of her. He was nervously fidgeting with the terminal in his hands, the tips of his ears faintly red.
“Um… hello, classmate.”
The young man seemed to have summoned every ounce of courage he possessed before speaking in a small voice.
“C-could I get to know you?”
“Who are you?” Jiang Nuan asked, her eyes widening slightly.
Was he hitting on her?
In a world constructed from anomalous energy?
And besides, she instinctively glanced in the direction Jiang Ce had gone.
She wasn’t even alone. Hadn’t he noticed the man who had been sitting across from her?
Seeing the wariness in her expression, the young man hurriedly waved his hands, his face flushing even more.
“Ah, don’t misunderstand! I’m not some kind of weirdo! I-I just thought you had a really nice presence.”
“I was sitting over there just now.” He pointed diagonally behind him. “I happened to overhear your conversation, and I guessed you were siblings. Because your names are pronounced the same, right? They’re both Jiang.”
Brother?
Jiang Nuan nearly choked on her own saliva.
Jiang Ce. Jiang Nuan.
Jiang. Jiang.
Well… from the pronunciation alone, they did sound like they could be from the same family.
Seeing her expression relax, the young man grew a little bolder.
“It’s just… your brother really looks completely different from you.”
He couldn’t help sighing.
“He’s so tall and imposing, and his presence is so intense. He seems a little serious. Don’t take that the wrong way—I just think the contrast is huge. You look so gentle, while he looks… well… not very approachable.”
Jiang Nuan found herself unable to argue with that assessment.
The contrast really was rather extreme.
“Cough, well, it’s like this…” She was trying to figure out how to politely dismiss this courageous young man when a massive shadow silently fell over them.
Jiang Ce had returned.
Holding two plates of cake, he completely covered the young man in his shadow, making him look especially frail.
Jiang Ce walked straight to the table and set down the plates.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
That large hand, powerful enough to crush bones with ease, picked up a napkin from the table and gently wiped the corner of Jiang Nuan’s mouth.
“You got some sauce there.”
Only then did Jiang Ce slowly raise his eyes to look at the young man.
In that instant, the young man felt as though he had been spotted by a bear awakening from hibernation.
The image of the “sunny big brother” he had imagined vanished without a trace.
All that remained was a cold, indifferent, almost careless detachment.
The look of an animal watching a small creature stray into its territory.
“Is there something you need?”
Jiang Ce spoke.
The color drained from the young man’s face.
“N-no, nothing! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you!”
His voice trembled.
“I-I hope you have a pleasant meal!”
He nearly fled after giving them a stiff, ninety-degree bow. On his way out, he almost knocked over a chair at the neighboring table.
Jiang Nuan watched him escape in disarray, the corner of her mouth twitching faintly.
The meat on the grill continued to sizzle.
Jiang Ce sat back down and picked up a fork, absently poking at the cake in front of him.
“What did he want with you?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Nuan picked up her spoon and scooped up a mouthful of the strawberry mousse in front of her. “He just mistook me for someone else.”
The sugary sweetness melted across her tongue, easing the awkwardness from a moment ago.
“He mistook you for someone else?” Jiang Ce frowned.
When Jiang Nuan saw that he was seriously pressing for an answer, she finally couldn’t keep a straight face and burst out laughing.
“He thought you were my brother.”
Her eyes curved with amusement.
“Because our surnames sound the same. He thought we were siblings. Isn’t that hilarious?”
Jiang Ce’s fork stopped above the cake.
He froze.
Then slowly lowered it.
Several seconds passed before he finally muttered, “...It’s not funny.”
The smile faded from Jiang Nuan’s lips.
She could tell.
He wasn’t joking.
Jiang Ce looked up.
Those eyes of his were usually so bright, brimming with sunshine. But now, they seemed clouded by something.
He looked at her.
“Beside you... do I really only look like your brother?”
The barbecue restaurant remained as noisy and bustling as ever.
But at that moment, Jiang Nuan couldn’t hear a thing.
The spoon in her hand hovered in midair. A drop of strawberry mousse slid from its edge and soundlessly fell into the dish.
Jiang Ce quickly looked away, speared the piece of cake, and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn’t look at her again.
As if he regretted saying something he shouldn’t have.
