Fang Ji sent Fang Chengyu’s test report to his parents, brother, and sister.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling, whether it was his illusion or not, that out of the five people in the family group chat, he was the only one who seemed to care about the matter.

A whole night passed, and only his sister had replied to the report he sent with a “1.”

Fang Ji: ?

Seriously, was he the only one who suspected Fang Chengyu’s identity?

Had his parents, brother, and sister already been so thoroughly deceived by Fang Chengyu that they believed him without a doubt?

Fang Ji quietly gritted his teeth, unable to tell if his emotions were jealousy, jealousy, or more jealousy.

He sat dumbly on his bed, taking a long while to adjust to the reality that he had followed in the footsteps of He Wenyan and Qi Xiuyi, gaining a brother who fell from the sky and was confirmed to be his real brother by a paternity test.

Then, annoyed and extremely displeased, he slowly crawled out of bed, put on his clothes, accessories, and bells. His mind immediately began to dwell on another matter he deeply regretted—

Last night, he shouldn’t have been so hot-headed and invited Fang Chengyu to the Qi family’s funeral just to save some insignificant face!

Putting everything else aside, just the thought of Fang Chengyu’s name now made his stomach churn with revulsion.

Yes, he had never held any expectations for a “real brother.”

But someone like Fang Chengyu…

A hypocritical, cunning, master of disguise, who loved to pull strings behind the scenes and steal what others cherished, and would do so even to his own younger brother—an ultimate, invincible, two-faced manipulator…

Fang Ji: …

There should be a bottom line to how much one can accept in a “brother.”

He had no idea what he had been thinking last night.

The thought of having to spend the entire day with such a hypocritical scammer made Fang Ji feel like even his bells wouldn’t jingle today!

…No, wait.

He was attending a funeral today, so he couldn’t wear bells.

Damn it, this was all Fang Chengyu’s fault for making him so angry!

Puffing his cheeks in frustration, Fang Ji spent over ten minutes removing a pile of jewelry and bells from his body, painstakingly changed into a different outfit, and finally walked out the door.

He had dawdled and was running a bit late. After a quick wash-up, he clattered down the stairs, planning to eat breakfast in the car.

“Is Fang Chengyu ready or not!” he shouted impatiently to the butler.

The butler shouted back, “The young master is already waiting for you at the door!”

Fang Ji: “.”

Oh.

The moment the butler’s voice fell, Fang Ji happened to reach the ground floor.

As his line of sight cleared the spiral staircase, the first thing that entered his vision was the tall figure in a black suit standing in front of the main door.

The moment Fang Ji saw Fang Chengyu, the pent-up morning frustration in his stomach inexplicably swelled and then subsided.

It swelled from the memories of yesterday that churned in his mind.

It subsided because of…

…Because of Fang Chengyu’s excessively outstanding natural attributes.

So outstanding that even someone like him, who was thoroughly repulsed and irritated by Fang Chengyu, couldn’t help but let his gaze linger for a moment when he saw the slender, long-haired man properly dressed in a sharp black suit, his hair tied up in an incredibly neat high ponytail.

Hearing footsteps, Fang Chengyu turned around and gave him a gentle smile. “Xiao Ji, you’re here.”

Fang Ji said coldly, “Don’t call me Xiao Ji. Are we that close? Heh, I’m afraid Lu Jiaren is closer to you than I am. Get out of the way, I can’t be late today.”

Fang Chengyu’s expression faltered, a look of confusion on his face. “Lu Jiaren?”

Fang Ji was furious. “Don’t play dumb with me! Fang Chengyu, don’t think I don’t know your true face!”

His attitude seemed to startle Fang Chengyu.

He saw Fang Chengyu lower his eyes dejectedly, his thin lips slightly pursed, looking somewhat hurt.

The corner of Fang Ji’s eye twitched violently.

His reason kept telling him: This is fake… it’s a disguise… it’s an act Fang Chengyu is deliberately putting on for him…

But Fang Chengyu already had a gentle appearance, and when he looked downcast like this, it felt as if the whole world was about to wither in sadness with him.

Fang Ji: “…”

Let it wither!

When he went after my paid-for brothers and sisters, did he ever think that I would also get angry and wither!

Fang Ji let out a cold laugh, angrily turned his head away, and strode coolly towards the door. He yanked open the car door, plopped himself inside, and slammed it shut with a loud “BANG!”

Perhaps stung by his attitude earlier, Fang Chengyu didn’t say a word the entire ride.

His expression was slightly downcast. He sat quietly on one side, his head turned to look at the scenery outside the window, never once looking back.

Initially, when Fang Ji saw Fang Chengyu’s dejected look, he had felt a tiny bit of sympathy, thinking, “If Fang Chengyu is willing to confess his schemes and apologize, I might be able to forgive him.”

But to his surprise, Fang Chengyu remained silent for the entire car ride, absolutely refusing to apologize to him!

…Heh.

Making it seem as if he had wronged him.

Fang Ji had already made up his mind.

He would never, ever accept a brother who had schemed against him behind his back.

As long as Fang Chengyu refused to confess the situation and apologize, he would never acknowledge him as his brother!

With a deadpan expression, Fang Ji silently endured the entire journey.

After mentally shaking his bells eight thousand times in his head, he finally arrived at the designated location.

He got out of the car hastily, leaving a cold remark for the person still inside. “Just find a place at the back of the procession, or go straight to the final spot. Suit yourself.”

Then, without looking back, he joined the Qi family’s funeral procession.

The Fang and Qi families had a good relationship in terms of business.

Therefore, as the main representative of the Fang family attending the funeral, Fang Ji needed to walk with the front of the Qi family’s procession.

As for Fang Chengyu?

…A hypocritical adult should at least know how to behave at a funeral, right?

The funeral procession quickly reached its final stage.

The procession arrived at the cemetery, and the interment was about to begin.

Those who were not part of the Qi family stood silently at the back, following unspoken guidance.

Fang Ji was, of course, one of them.

He stood quietly in the crowd, but after just a few seconds, he couldn’t help but shift his gaze, wanting to see if Fang Chengyu had kept up.

After all, Fang Chengyu was attending as a member of the Fang family. He… he at least couldn’t let the man get lost.

However, he discreetly scanned the area within his line of sight.

Nothing.

He couldn’t see Fang Chengyu’s figure at all.

Fang Ji was stunned. Then, as if cheating on an exam, he carefully and quietly turned his head to look behind him…

…Where was Fang Chengyu?

How did he disappear?

…

Qi Xiuyi hadn’t been sleeping well for days.

Ever since the day Qi Wendong passed away, he had been repeatedly meeting him in his dreams.

He dreamed of Qi Wendong lying in a hospital bed, looking at him with lifeless eyes, whispering that he was in “pain.”

He dreamed of Qi Wendong leaving the elevator, his back turned to him as he said distantly, “I’m tired of the treatment.”

He dreamed of the small, thin bowl of white porridge that Qi Wendong often held during his treatment in D Country.

He dreamed of the weight that almost dissipated into the air as he carried Qi Wendong out of the car.

He dreamed of the last night before he left home for his exam, when Qi Wendong had uncharacteristically reached out for a hug, but he had petulantly turned away, not even giving him one last proper look.

He dreamed of the cold hand in the icy hospital emergency room on the day he returned from his exam, a hand he couldn’t warm no matter how he held it.

He dreamed of Qi Wendong’s peaceful face at the farewell ceremony, lying quietly in the coffin, no longer reaching for him, no longer offering him a hug, forever asleep.

And after that…

Qi Xiuyi was in a trance.

Days of sleep deprivation had tormented his mind to the point where he could hardly distinguish between reality and dreams.

He didn’t know how much time had passed since Qi Wendong left.

His father had given him most of the funeral arrangements to handle. He busied himself with the work, which gave his brain moments of respite, but whenever the work stopped, he would fall into memories that he couldn’t tell were dreams or fantasies.

One moment, he seemed to be walking slowly through a museum with Qi Wendong, proudly showing him his work.

The next moment, someone seemed to have poked him twice in the back, and a lush green landscape swept in from all directions, completely engulfing his vision.

He looked down in a daze to see himself holding flowers, and in front of him was a small, new grave, the burial complete, with a tombstone already in place.

The black and white portrait on the grave looked so unfamiliar.

The faintly smiling young man in it had neither Qi Wendong’s vitality nor the sarcastic look he often wore.

In short, no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t look like Qi Wendong.

He dazedly placed the flowers in front of the grave.

All the many, many things he had thought of saying to Qi Wendong during these half-awake, half-asleep days had now magically disappeared.

He stared blankly at the portrait of a Qi Wendong who didn’t quite look like Qi Wendong, and a silent sorrow clutched his heart.

All his thoughts at this moment melted into a single, low whisper: “…Qi Wendong, I miss you a little. When you have time, come back and see me, okay?”

But obviously, the portrait wouldn’t speak.

The ashes in the tombstone certainly wouldn’t speak either.

Qi Xiuyi waited for a long time. There was no response, and he turned to leave, dejected.

He did not cry.

He silently waited for the funeral to end, watching his father helplessly take over the task that should have been his, guiding everyone to the designated location for the reception.

But Qi Xiuyi’s mood was so low that he had no energy to move at all.

He said to his father, “Dad, I… I want to take a walk nearby first. Can I go over in a little while?”

Qi Jingming looked at him in silence for a moment, then said, “Be back in ten minutes. Be careful not to walk into someone else’s grave.”

Qi Jingming had chosen a good place to bury Qi Wendong.

It was a garden-style cemetery, with many trees and a beautiful environment, a very nice place for eternal rest.

Qi Xiuyi answered noncommittally. He didn’t care how long he walked; he just wanted to get away from the crowd, to go somewhere quiet where he could miss Qi Wendong in peace.

He walked aimlessly to the side. He didn’t know how long he had been walking when suddenly, behind a giant tree, he saw a long-haired figure sitting quietly on a stone.

The figure held a cup with one hand, which was only half-full of water. The other hand was pressed against his chest, as if he was struggling to regulate his breathing.

Hearing the sound, the long-haired figure suddenly looked up, immediately lowering the hand on his chest.

A gentle smile appeared on the figure’s face.

His eyes, which were strangely familiar yet seemed foreign because of their excessive softness, were also filled with friendly amusement.

The long-haired figure asked him, “Hello, would you like to come and sit for a while?”