5-2: No questions asked about east or west, no questions asked about the future.

What comes into view is an extremely beautiful face that is so captivating that you can't look away once you see it.

Upon closer inspection, Huaiyan bore a striking resemblance to him, bearing about seven or eight parts of his features.

“…Brother.” Huaiyan was a little stunned, staring blankly at the person on the screen, at a loss for what to do.

It had been countless years since he last saw his brother.

Huaiyan wasn't sure if her brother still remembered her, nor was she sure if he still held a grudge against her.

She resented his unauthorized actions and resented that because of him, her brother did not have the chance to see their parents one last time.

But Huaiyan thought again, her brother is already so happy now.

Friends by my side, my lover by my side.

Does he really want to disturb his brother's current life?

Perhaps it would be better without him.

Huaiyan sighed and flipped to the next photo.

The second photo shows two people entering the country.

One of the Huaiyan characters is clearly his older brother.

Another one... might be the older brother's lover, as mentioned by 073.

The man was tall, at least 1.9 meters tall, wearing a sharp suit, with outstanding features and a sharp expression.

The two in the photo also look extremely well-matched. The man is holding Huai Xiang in his arms, and although his face is expressionless, his gaze is fixed on the person in his arms.

You can tell how their relationship is just by looking at them from a distance.

They should be a good match.

Huaiyan suddenly felt relieved.

He always had a feeling that his brother had forgotten all the unpleasant and unpleasant things from the past, and had replaced them with the carefree and unrestrained spirit of the present.

Yes.

Unbeknownst to him, his brother had already started a new life and had a new family.

Huai Yan was almost moved to tears.

All he had ever wanted over the years was to see his brother's wish come true.

Having experienced the hardships her brother had gone through, Huaiyan's expectations grew even stronger.

He didn't want the past to hold his brother back, nor did he want to become a burden to his brother.

That's enough.

Just as Huai Yan was about to save the photo, the computer vibrated.

It was a video call from 073.

Without hesitation, Huaiyan answered the call.

"Have you checked the forums?" 073 asked bluntly. "There should be tons of photos there, right? Are you sure he's your brother?"

"I saw it." Huai Yan's voice trembled. "...Yes."

The 073 projected on the screen raised an eyebrow, looking as if it were exactly what was expected.

073 snapped his fingers and said happily, "That's perfect! I just got back to my apartment and got a call from 069."

“I told him what happened, and he happened to be standing with Huai Xiang at the time,” 073 said. “So I asked him to go and ask him for me.”

Huai Yan widened her eyes slightly, her gaze, rippling with emotion, fixed intently on 073.

The boy seemed somewhat incredulous, his voice filled with trepidation and unease: "...What did my brother say?"

Ultimately, he was still afraid.

She was afraid that her brother wouldn't want to see her, and even more afraid that he would forget everything from the past.

Huaiyan felt that the second possibility was the most likely.

My brother used to be someone who knew how to make choices, someone who was both incredibly decisive and incredibly aloof.

Huaiyan really couldn't guess what the older brother would think if he saw his younger brother whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

He could only hope that his brother would still accept him and see him one last time.

"You mean Huai Xiang?" 073 asked. "According to 069, he nodded, so that probably means he agreed. That's why I came to ask you what's going on here."

Hearing 073's words, Huaiyan breathed a huge sigh of relief, and the weight in her heart finally lifted.

The thing I feared most did not happen.

His brother still wants to see him.

There is no better answer than this.

"I...I'm fine..." Huai Yan stammered when she was nervous, "Do we need to confirm the time now?"

073 chuckled and couldn't help but tease, "This is the first time I've seen you so nervous, even more so than when we were in the other dimension."

Huaiyan remained silent, her lips still trembling.

No one can truly understand how he feels right now.

“Hey, I’m just kidding,” 073 sighed, his tone also showing his happiness for Huaiyan. “You can set a time; they said any time is fine.”

Huai Xiang is now a high-level host and has the right to choose his own plane, so he is more free than other hosts.

If possible, they could even arrange to meet on the same day.

"I...I don't know what time to schedule," Huaiyan took a deep breath. "I'm a little nervous right now, and my mind is a mess."

073 laughed: "Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed, so let's just set it for today."

Huai Yan froze completely.

He looked at 073 nervously and said, word by word, "You mean... really?"

He originally thought he would have to wait another four or five days to be ready.

But from 073, he learned that his brother could come anytime.

Does this mean that my brother really doesn't care about what happened in the past?

Or has that memory become a story that my brother can tell at any time, rather than a scar?

But regardless of which perspective it is, there is no doubt that my brother is happy now.

Since that's the case, there's nothing more for Huaiyan to worry about.

"Let's do it today then," Huaiyan decided. "73, can you ask them where they want to book?"

073 readily agreed.

After the video call ended, Huaiyan slumped into the sofa, completely relaxing.

It was as if a major issue that had been weighing on my mind had been resolved; the string that had been taut for so long had finally been plucked at this moment.

His wish will soon come true.

-

The final meeting place was a coffee shop located downstairs in Huaiyan Apartment Building.

The world of AI is clearly divided into regions, and each region has a host apartment.

Huaiyan's area is the central area, so naturally, it has the most host apartments.

On the forum, Huaiyan found the location of her brother's apartment.

His brother lives in the same area as him, but their apartment buildings are quite far apart, taking more than ten minutes to get there and back.

So the older brother chose to locate the coffee shop downstairs from him to accommodate him.

For some reason, Huaiyan sat in the coffee shop, looking at the huge floor-to-ceiling window beside her, and inexplicably felt like crying.

So many years have passed, and he originally thought that his brother would no longer care about him and that the two would become like strangers.

But at that moment, he suddenly realized that his brother might never have held a grudge against him, and might have kept him in his heart all these years.

Suddenly, the wind chimes hanging at the entrance of the coffee shop rang a few times.

Huai Yan's attention was drawn, and she looked in the direction of the sound.

In that instant, he saw the young man push open the door and enter.

The young man was tall and slender with pale skin, exactly like the one in the photograph.

The photo just doesn't photograph well; it only captures about one ten-thousandth of the real person.

The young man's gaze swept back and forth among the people in the coffee shop.

He seemed to be looking for someone.

Finally, the young man's gaze fell on Huai Yan, who was sitting by the window.

Their eyes met, and Huaiyan instinctively wanted to stand up.

But because I was so nervous.

The moment the boy met the young man's gaze, he froze, staring intently at him.

"Xiao Yan".

Finally, the young man spoke first, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Have you been waiting long?"

The young man had a pleasant voice, a gentle smile, and a gaze that was both warm and powerful.

"I didn't have to wait long, I just arrived..." The boy became even more nervous, his breathing becoming somewhat disordered.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally called out, "...Brother."

The young man was clearly taken aback, then smiled knowingly.

“Yes, Xiao Yan,” Huai Xiang said slowly, his eyes crinkling with a smile, “You’ve worked hard.”

You've traveled a long way to the world of AI just to find your brother.

It's been a long and arduous journey through so many dimensions, yet you've remained steadfast and persistent in your path to this place.

After hearing the words "Thank you for your hard work".

Huaiyan felt a lump in her throat, her eyes felt hot and dry, and she had a strong urge to cry.

In fact, he did cry.

The boy's crying was very soft, and his tears fell too quickly.

The boy lowered his head at the perfect moment as tears streamed down his face.

He lowered his head and took a sip of bitter coffee, which mingled with his wet, salty tears.

"...It's not hard work." The boy's voice was thick with nasal tone, as if he had a thousand grievances, but he suppressed them in his heart.

Because he knew that none of them had had an easy time getting to where they were today.

Everyone carries a heavy mission on their shoulders, bearing the hopes of the entire interstellar federation.

They are brothers, meaning they are the only family members in the world who can truly empathize with each other.

None of them grew up to be the way they are today without effort.

Every step we take has been a long and arduous journey.

Not knowing the road ahead, not asking about east or west, not looking back.

“How could that be?” Huai Xiang said slowly and softly. “You’ve worked so hard all these years.”

Because Huai Xiang knows what it's like to be alone.

He knew all too well what it felt like to travel alone across countless rivers and then look back to find a sheer cliff behind you.

One wrong step and you will lose everything, falling into eternal damnation, never to be redeemed again.

“…Brother.” Huaiyan’s scalding tears fell like beads from a broken string, one by one, onto the pure white solid wood table.

The tears splashed onto the table, creating ripples that reflected the boy's sorrowful yet youthful face.

"Actually, I...miss you so much." Huaiyan's voice was almost choked with emotion, barely able to utter a sound. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about the accident that happened to your father and parents back then..."

The moment I finished apologizing.

The enormous weight that had been pressing down on Huaiyan's shoulders for so many years has finally been lifted and put to rest.

He could finally stop living in guilt and self-blame, and finally look his brother in the eye.

"What's the big deal?" Huai Xiang smiled helplessly, looking at his younger brother, whose face was still young and innocent.

“I don’t blame you,” the young man stated. “You don’t have to live in the hardships of the past, because I have also started a new life.”