Chapter 17 Was this "unfamiliarity" just an act...?
The warmth from Jing Yitong's palm traveled through the top of his head. The presence of that hand on his head was so strong that even though it was only slightly warm, Fang Xin felt a warm feeling flowing through his heart.
Ever since Jing Yitong first appeared at the recording of "The World Is So Big", Fang Xingu has wondered countless times why Jing Yitong came.
Could it be for him? Could it be to fulfill a promise made as if it were a joke many years ago?
But he was never sure, fearing that he was just imagining things.
But Jing Yitong told him in the most matter-of-fact tone: That's right, I came for you, to fulfill the promise I made back then, even if it was just a joke.
This feeling of being cared for, especially by someone you like, instantly broke down the dam Fang Xingu had built, touching the softest part of his heart beneath his armor. At that moment, he felt his eyes burning and his nose stinging.
He hurriedly looked away, not wanting Jing Yitong to notice his lapse in composure, and pretended not to care, stubbornly saying, "That was all nonsense I said before, you don't need to take it seriously."
Jing Yitong tapped him on the head: "Hey, so only I kept that promise from back then? Then I've come all this way for nothing."
After saying that, he was about to withdraw his hand that was resting on Fang Xingu's head.
Hearing the undisguised disappointment and grievance in Jing Yitong's tone, Fang Xingu panicked. Before he could analyze whether Jing Yitong was putting on an act, he instinctively grabbed Jing Yitong's hand and quickly retracted his stubborn words: "No, it wasn't a wasted trip! That's not what I meant."
"Um?"
Jing Yitong stared at him intently, her expression calm, as if encouraging him to continue.
“I was trying to say…” Fang Xingu released his grip, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously, and said softly, “Thank you, brother.”
Jing Yitong then laughed, pinching Fang Xingu's face hard and tugging at it: "You're so stubborn. If that was really just a joke to you, would you still remember it now?"
Fang Xingu felt a little embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed, so he could only let Jing Yitong pinch his face: "You found out again."
Jing Yitong released his hand and subtly rubbed his fingertips together, as if savoring the delicate touch he had just felt.
He sat back on the sofa, leaned back casually, put his arm on the back of the sofa, and turned to the side and said, "Of course, people change, but I will never change the fact that I am your brother, so my promise to you will never change. I will remember everything about you."
Fang Xingu paused for a moment: "...Why say something so mushy?"
Jing Yitong laughed at him: "I said even more cheesy things when we were kids, and I'm not like you, you heartless little thing, coming to Antarctica all by yourself without even telling me."
The words were clearly a reprimand, but the tone was full of concern.
Fang Xingu felt his heart pounding. He said slowly, "You're so busy, and I don't know if you're free, so I don't want to bother you."
"It's like you're blaming me for not letting you know," Jing Yitong muttered. "What's the big deal about mentioning it briefly? Besides, if you had contacted me, I definitely would have come. Of course, even if you hadn't contacted me, I still came to you on my own."
Fang Xingu was amused, and his expression relaxed. He even joked with Jing Yitong: "Well, since you'll come by yourself anyway, why should I bother to find you?"
Jing Yitong was speechless: "Can't you put in a little more effort for me?"
Fang Xin kept laughing silently.
It was getting late, so Jing Yitong didn't linger. He said goodbye to Fang Xingu, "I'm leaving now. Get some rest. Goodnight."
"Okay, goodnight, bro."
Jing Yitong rubbed Xia Xingu's head and turned to leave.
The room gradually quieted down, and everything inside returned to silence. Time seemed to stand still in this space. Even Fang Xin Gu remained motionless on the sofa in the same position Jing Yi Tong had left in, until the curve of his lips was stiff, and his gaze was still fixed on the spot where Jing Yi Tong had just sat.
Time passed, and the tea on the table went completely cold. Fang Xin bent down, buried his face in his hands, and sighed deeply. The lines of his neck, which were exposed when he lowered his head, looked very fragile.
Jing Yitong is really great.
He really likes Jing Yitong.
Fang Xingu felt a dull ache in his heart. He wished Jing Yitong wasn't so good, so he wouldn't always be tempted and heartbroken.
But Jing Yitong was right about one thing: no matter how many years have passed, no matter what changes have occurred between them, and no matter who Jing Yitong ends up with in the future, the fact that Jing Yitong is his brother will never change.
But he might always just be the older brother.
Fang Xingu was very clear that he and Jing Yitong should be like two parallel lines, always running parallel, but never intersecting.
I can only blame myself for taking an extra step, which changed the nature of this relationship.
.
The recording of the "The World Is So Big" program resumed the next day.
As soon as assistant Zhou Xiaoyou and makeup artist entered Fang Xingu's room, they were shocked by the dark circles under Fang Xingu's eyes. The makeup artist bluntly remarked, "Did you go to the dock to feed the seagulls last night?"
This makeup artist and Fang Xin had collaborated many times and were very familiar with each other, so they naturally weren't so polite with each other.
Fang Xin rubbed his face wearily, trying to cheer himself up: "I'm having a bit of insomnia."
The makeup artist screamed in alarm, yanked off Fang Xin's hand that was violently rubbing her cheek, and yelled, "Can't you be a little gentler on your beautiful face! You're accelerating skin aging and causing wrinkles!!"
Fang Xin rubbed his ears, annoyed by the noise, and stepped aside to let them into the room. He tidied up the messy sheet music on the table and casually said, "Anyway, everyone gets old and wrinkles will appear sooner or later."
The makeup artist disapproved of his slacking attitude and snorted, "You look so dejected. Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd just broken up with your boyfriend."
Zhou Xiaoyou laughed heartily: "You can't slander our Xin Gu; he's still a virgin."
The makeup artist rolled her eyes: "Alright, young man, come over here for your hair and makeup."
Fang Xin Gu: ...
Fang Xingu was too lazy to talk to them, so he sat down in front of the dressing mirror and pointed to his dark circles, saying, "Help me cover them up."
The makeup artist, holding concealer, squinted at the dark circles under his eyes: "So you know you need to cover dark circles? That just increases my workload."
Zhou Xiaoyou, munching on bread, said, "Isn't this your job?"
The makeup artist chuckled and said, "Do you think you're doing your job as an assistant very well? You even have to make our teacher, Ms. Fang, clean up the table herself."
Zhou Xiaoyou glanced down at the stack of sheet music that Fang Xingu had just organized: "These are the scores that Xingu just wrote. He always organizes these himself, so I wouldn't dare to interfere."
The makeup artist looked at Fang Xingu, who was pretending to be dead with his eyes closed: "Hey, you didn't have sleep last night, so you spent the whole night writing songs, did you?"
Fang Xingu retorted, "It wasn't a whole night; I did sleep for a while. Xiaoyou got me a can of coffee."
Zhou Xiaoyou swiped a can from the bar for him. Fang Xingu touched it and found it a bit cold, so he pushed it aside, intending to soak it in hot water later.
Zhou Xiaoyou: "It's normal to have insomnia with such a big time difference, but if you can't sleep, just lie down properly. Why are you still writing songs? That will only make it harder to fall asleep."
Fang Xin was too embarrassed to say that the time difference was a minor issue, but Jing Yitong was the real culprit behind his insomnia.
Fortunately, the makeup artist was highly skilled, and after a complete makeover, Fang Xin was restored to her former appearance.
But when Fang Xin walked out of the hotel in a hurry and boarded the program team's bus, he was met with stares from the other six guests, all of whom stared at him intently.
Fang Xin asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Li Wenyu carefully considered his words: "Senior brother, you look especially... especially radiant and glowing today."
Wang Peiyang nodded in agreement: "He's strikingly handsome."
Fang Xingu touched his face blankly: "Did Cody go a little too far today?"
A joke livened up the atmosphere in the car. As the group chatted and laughed, Fang Xingu glanced at the layout of the car. He was the last one to get on, and there was only one seat left in front of Jing Yitong. Fang Xingu hesitated for a moment, but still chose to sit down.
He had barely sat down when Jing Yitong quietly approached him from behind, using the noise of their conversation to cover it up, and whispered, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Fang Xingu found it very strange. Everyone else thought he was in great shape today, so how could Jing Yitong tell at a glance that he hadn't slept well last night?
Fang Xin Gu didn't turn around and speak directly to Jing Yi Tong. Instead, he cautiously picked up his phone and typed: How did you know?
Then he raised his phone and positioned it at an angle that Jing Yitong could see clearly.
Jing Yitong saw the words on the phone and continued behind him, "Otherwise, how would Teacher Cody have had the opportunity to use too much force?"
Fang Xin Gu: ...That makes sense. He did take longer to style his hair today than usual.
"Why didn't you sleep well?" Jing Yitong asked, then sighed and added, "Actually, I didn't sleep well last night either."
Normally, Fang Xingu would definitely have pressed for details and inquired about the reason for Jing Yitong's insomnia.
But there were too many people on the bus and cameras were rolling, so Fang Xin was afraid of giving himself away, so he quickly typed: Remember, in front of the cameras, we still have to pretend we don't know each other.
Jing Yitong: ...
Jing Yitong remained silent, feeling stifled. He wanted to ask Fang Xingu why he was so insistent on pretending not to know him in front of the camera.
Is this act of "not being familiar" for the fans' benefit, or for his own?
Is it really just as Fang Xingu said, that they're maintaining this status quo simply because they've never revealed their relationship before, or...?
It was still because Fang Xin was still bothered by the arranged marriage.
Fang Xingu had always regarded him as an older brother since childhood, but now, this older brother had suddenly proposed a marriage alliance to him.
...It must be a bit hard to accept, right?
While Jing Yitong was deep in thought, Fang Xingu in the front row also pricked up his ears, secretly watching Jing Yitong's reaction behind him. But after several minutes, Fang Xingu did not hear any movement from Jing Yitong, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy: What is Jing Yitong doing?
Fang Xin wanted to see Jing Yitong's expression, but Jing Yitong was sitting behind him, and if he turned around, his action would be too obvious.
Fang Xingu pondered for a moment, then turned his head subtly, trying to secretly observe Jing Yitong through the reflection in the car window. However, Jing Yitong was currently thinking with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Fang Xingu could only see the back of his head through the car window.
You're not angry anymore, are you?
Fang Xingu frowned in thought. He rubbed his neck, then habitually put his hand into the pocket of his down jacket, where he found a hot can of coffee.
Zhou Xiaoyou gave it to him when he was getting his makeup done. He felt it was a bit cold at the time, so he heated the coffee can in hot water and put it in his coat pocket to drink on the way.
But didn't Jing Yitong just say that he didn't sleep well last night either?
Fang Xin looked up and observed the camera angle. He felt that the lens should not be able to capture his body below the shoulders, so he secretly took out the can of coffee from his pocket, placed it on the car window sill, and then stretched out two fingers from his sleeve and quietly pushed the can of coffee toward Jing Yitong.
So Jing Yitong, sitting in the back seat, looked up and saw a can of coffee that had appeared on the windowsill and was slowly moving towards him.
This was clearly a carefully chosen blind spot for the camera. At that moment, two fingers were poking around behind the coffee. The fingers were fair and slender, and the glossy nails reflected a faint light.
It was clearly a pair of very beautiful hands, but at this moment they were clenched up, revealing a somewhat sneaky intention, as if trying to quietly push the coffee to Jing Yitong.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Jing Yitong played the emotional card: I will always be your brother.
Fang Xin was greatly disappointed: He'll always just be my older brother...
Jing Yitong: ? This isn't right, is it?
Your brainwaves should match up!
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