Fang Ji: “…”

Fang Ji stared straight ahead, dumbfounded. The familiar voice speaking unfamiliar words made his entire bell universe spin.

He turned his head stiffly. “Wh-what?”

Fang Lian stared at him for two seconds and repeated, “Good evening, Xiao Ji. Welcome home.”

His words still sounded stiff, carrying the earnestness of someone who had diligently memorized a script.

But Fang Ji did not react as expected.

Fang Ji was stunned, his head tilted to the side, staring at Fang Lian with hesitation and bewilderment. He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no sound came out for a long time.

Fang Lian recalled the second point of the action guide he had just memorized. He released the hug, grabbed Fang Ji’s wrist, and pulled him forward.

As instructed in the tutorial, Fang Lian lowered his voice and asked in the softest, most caring tone he could manage, “Did Xiao Ji have fun on your outing today? How is Qi Xiuyi’s museum being built?”

Fang Ji didn’t speak.

Fang Lian stared at him.

Fang Ji asked softly, bewildered and uncertain, “…Wh-what about it? Its commercial value?”

Fang Lian subconsciously wanted to answer “yes.”

However, a warning highlighted in fluorescent color and bolded suddenly flashed in his mind—

[Note: If the younger brother does not show obvious interest in your work content, please try to avoid discussing work or career during emotional exchanges with him. If such topics arise, you can use “Let’s not talk about work today” to skip the topic.]

Fang Lian: “Let’s not talk about work today.”

Fang Ji: “?”

Looking at Fang Ji’s hesitant expression, Fang Lian didn’t know which step he had gotten wrong.

He wanted to stop and think, to review his actions calmly.

But it was clear that stopping halfway was not the right thing to do.

So, he pulled Fang Ji and continued forward. “I came back suddenly today and didn’t tell Xiao Ji in advance, mainly to create a surprise. I didn’t expect to catch you on a day you were out… But this is also good. It gave me time to decorate the house.”

Fang Lian: “Coming back this time, your brother didn’t know what to bring, so I bought some jewelry that Xiao Ji might like and personally redecorated the house. The effect… the effect is certainly not as good as a professional team. After all, it’s my first time, so my hands are a bit clumsy. Xiao Ji, don’t laugh at your brother.”

Fang Lian’s words were tense and stiff.

He even paused twice mid-sentence to think.

But Fang Ji didn’t notice this abnormality.

Or rather, he noticed it but was in no mood to think about it in detail.

From the moment he entered the door, Fang Ji felt that the scene before him was bewildering and frightening.

Second Brother said “welcome home” to me today?

Second Brother cared about my schedule today?

Second Brother today, today…

Fang Ji stammered in disbelief, “Wh-what? Decorated by hand? What things?”

Did Second Brother mean…

This whole unfamiliar-styled living room was decorated by his own hands?

Not by hiring people or a renovation team?

Not by his professional team, who would handle the entire process from proposing the idea to realizing it?

Fang Lian: “Yes. The design drawings were done by someone else, but the rest of the decorating was done by me, Uncle Li, and the others.”

Fang Lian said stiffly. He looked at the entire setup, which looked good on the surface but was full of flaws in the details, and felt a little embarrassed.

In a daze, Fang Ji was led by Fang Lian to the penguin doll.

He watched as his Second Brother clumsily took a black gemstone necklace from the penguin doll’s neck and turned to try and put it on him over his head.

But the necklace’s loop wasn’t big enough for Fang Ji’s head and got stuck halfway.

Second Brother’s expression tensed for a moment. He immediately pulled the jewelry back the way it came, expressionlessly lowered his head to undo the clasp at the back of the necklace, and reached out to put it on his neck again, but struggled to fasten the clasp for a long time.

It took Fang Ji only a minute to go from dazed and moved to expressionless and fed up.

He couldn’t help but grab his Second Brother’s hands, turn his head, and move the clasp on the back of his neck to the side where his Second Brother could see it.

Fang Lian: “…”

Fang Lian’s face burned. Expressionlessly, and with great effort, he successfully put the jewelry on Fang Ji.

Fang Lian: “Th-this necklace, I saw it at the XXX flagship store. The first time I saw the necklace, I thought of the black pearl bracelet you loved to wear when you were ten, Xiao Ji. I thought they would go well together, so I bought it… Hmm? Why aren’t you wearing that bracelet today?”

Fang Ji felt that perhaps he shouldn’t tell his Second Brother at this moment that he had lost that bracelet when he was twelve.

Fang Ji: “Today… I went to the museum today. It wasn’t suitable to wear anything too flashy, so I didn’t wear it.”

Fang Lian: “Oh, no wonder it’s so quiet today… No, I mean, you have a lot of empty space for new jewelry.”

Fang Ji was led forward by Fang Lian.

At each doll, his Second Brother would stop with him for a moment, carefully take off a piece of jewelry that he thought was the most beautiful and suitable, and then turn to put it on him.

Second Brother’s taste… objectively speaking, was not very good.

Second Brother’s movements in putting on the jewelry were even more clumsy and unskilled.

The occasional introductions of the jewelry that came from his Second Brother’s mouth sounded like amateur talk he had searched from somewhere, with details that an expert would laugh at.

But until Fang Lian had taken Fang Ji through all the jewelry on the eight dolls, Fang Ji did not ask a single question.

Fang Lian had been talking to himself for a long time.

The action steps he had memorized ten minutes before Fang Ji came home, as well as the jewelry guide he had searched for at lightning speed, what he remembered and what he didn’t, had all been squeezed out of his brain during this short journey.

However, the response he received was very disheartening.

This frustration might have come from the blow of an unfamiliar field, or perhaps from Fang Ji’s almost non-existent verbal feedback throughout the journey.

…Is Fang Ji still angry with him?

Can he really coax Fang Ji?

Fang Lian didn’t know.

Fang Lian felt unfamiliar with this.

Finally, after he had led Fang Ji through the entire doll welcome path, Fang Lian stopped.

The wind chimes above his head swayed gently, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

It was as if tiny elves were dancing and playing music joyfully above their heads, light and happy.

But the happiness belonged to the wind chimes. Fang Lian had nothing.

For the first time ever, Fang Lian felt frustration and torment.

He gave up on all the remaining steps in the middle and couldn’t help but jump directly to the last step.

Fang Lian held Fang Ji’s shoulders, his expression downcast. “Xiao Ji, I know you’ve been angry with your brother all this time. But brother… brother doesn’t know what I’ve done, and I don’t know how to make Xiao Ji happy.”

“So, brother came back and prepared gifts and surprises for Xiao Ji in this way, just hoping to make Xiao Ji a little happier. There may still be many flaws in the decorations, but… brother tried his best.”

Fang Lian: “If Xiao Ji is still not satisfied, then brother hopes Xiao Ji can tell me what else you want, what brother should do. Don’t ignore brother, okay?”

After a journey of stiffness, Fang Lian’s voice finally became a little more fluent.

But even in this fluency, it was still full of nervousness, unease, and caution.

Fang Ji looked up at his Second Brother.

He could certainly feel it: Second Brother was apologizing to him, Second Brother was trying to care for him, Second Brother wanted to make it up to him.

Was he moved? The answer was, of course, yes.

A few months ago, he would never have imagined that one day he and his Second Brother would switch roles, that his Second Brother would stay at home waiting for him, spending time and energy preparing gifts for him, and that his Second Brother would even personally put jewelry on him.

But was he angry?

…It seemed he was still a little angry.

He was angry that his Second Brother really didn’t know why he was angry.

Angry that his Second Brother really didn’t know why he was ignoring and not replying to their messages and calls.

Angry that his Second Brother had to make him take such measures to force them to realize his dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

So when the atmosphere fell silent and Fang Ji realized he had to give an answer, he recalled a sentence his older brother had said to him before.

His older brother had said, “When they realize your dissatisfaction and come to you on their own initiative, you must learn to state your needs to them directly. If they cannot fully understand your needs, then you make demands of them.”

Could his Second Brother fully understand his needs?

Fang Ji thought he could.

After all, for so many years, he had been asking him every day: “Can you come home? When will you come home? Can you spend time with me? When will you spend time with me?”

But what was the result?

The result was that he never once got a positive answer from his Second Brother.

Did his Second Brother fail to understand his needs, or did he reject his needs?

He had always thought it was the latter.

But if he had only rejected his needs, why was his Second Brother so bewildered now?

Fang Ji didn’t know.

But Fang Ji felt that it was time for him to make direct demands.

Fang Ji had gotten used to hanging up the phone when he couldn’t see the person.

But now his Second Brother was right in front of him. To say such words to his Second Brother, just thinking about it made Fang Ji so nervous that he kept wringing his hands behind his back.

His voice also sounded a little stiff and distant due to his nervousness.

He said, “I can forgive Second Brother, but you have to promise me one demand.”

Fang Lian immediately said, “Xiao Ji, just say it.”

Fang Ji said with a stiff neck, “I want Second Brother to come home to see me at least once a month, and each time you must stay for a full day. Otherwise… otherwise, I’ll never talk to Second Brother again!”

Fang Lian had just gasped at the demand in the first sentence, and then he heard Fang Ji’s “never talk to him again.” He immediately shattered the gasp and promised seriously and quickly, “Okay, no problem, I’ll come home to see Xiao Ji at least once a month.”

Seeing that his demand was not met with a cold shoulder from his Second Brother, Fang Ji became a little bolder.

Fang Ji: “And-and also!”

Fang Lian hesitated. “One demand?”

Fang Ji glared at Fang Lian. “If I send you a message on Green Chat, Second Brother must reply to me within 24 hours! Otherwise, otherwise, I’ll never send you a message again!”

Fang Lian gasped, shattered the gasp, and promised seriously and quickly, “Okay, no problem, I will definitely reply to Xiao Ji within 24 hours.”

Fang Ji pushed his luck. “And also!”

Fang Lian was shocked. “There’s more?!”

Fang Ji’s heart softened. “Okay, then there’s nothing for now, just these two.”

Fang Lian let out a big sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”

Come home once a month, reply to messages once a day.

In exchange for Xiao Ji’s happiness, in exchange for Xiao Ji’s return to a normal state… Okay.

Fang Lian let out a long breath and smiled from the bottom of his heart, feeling that his relationship with his younger brother seemed to have returned to its usual normal state from this moment on.

Just then, the main door suddenly opened.

Fang Lian saw his younger brother’s expression immediately become lively.

His younger brother turned around with great joy, his eyes shining, and with a clatter and a patter, he ran towards the door and threw himself into the arms of the person who had just arrived.

Even his tone was much higher and more lively than when he had responded to him just now.

Fang Ji: “Brother! You’re finally back! Why are you so late? Xiao Ji has been waiting for you for so long…”

“Wait, Brother, whose clothes are you wearing? Why are your pants and shoes also changed? Brother, Brother, where on earth have you been?!”