Brother didn’t say that he had just run into a drunk Qi Xiuyi and kindly sent him home, right?

How could sending someone home also involve changing his entire outfit!

When Fang Chengyu heard his question, his eyes widened in surprise, and then he actually laughed.

He handed the gift bag in his hand to Fang Ji and squatted down at the entrance to change his shoes.

He said, “What are you thinking about? It’s just that my clothes got wet in the rain, and Uncle Qi specially had someone prepare a new set of clothes for me to change into.”

Fang Ji clenched his fists tightly. “If it got wet… if it got wet, you could have told Xiao Ji. I could have helped you take Xiuyi home!”

Fang Chengyu looked up, stood up, and tapped Fang Ji on the head with a smile. “What are you being jealous for?”

Fang Ji muttered, secretly angry.

The gift bag in his hand made a slight rustling sound. Only then did Fang Ji remember it and curiously peeked inside.

Oh, two cans of tea leaves.

Fang Ji’s mouth drooped in disappointment.

It wasn’t a gift from his brother.

It was a thank-you gift from the Qi family to his brother.

Fang Ji handed it over without a second glance, directly giving the gift bag to the butler and asking him to take it back to his brother’s room.

Fang Chengyu finished changing his shoes, took off his jacket, and hung it on his arm. He took Fang Ji’s hand and walked into the living room, at the same time greeting Fang Lian, “Xiao Lian is back. This living room is really nicely decorated.”

He gestured to the carefully decorated sides and asked Fang Ji with a smile, “How about it? Does Xiao Ji like it?”

If I say I like it, will Brother also prepare such a gift for me?

Fang Ji thought.

Fang Ji smiled brightly and said, “I like it very much!”

Fang Ji showed off the jewelry on his body as if he was炫耀 (xuànyào – showing off). “Brother, look, this necklace, and this one, and this one, they were all prepared for me by Second Brother!”

Unfortunately, his brother didn’t seem to understand his meaning at all.

His brother smiled and said, “The jewelry Xiao Lian chose is really unique. It looks very good on Xiao Ji.”

Fang Ji said expectantly, “And also, Brother, look at the wind chime in the center of the ceiling. Second Brother said it’s a limited edition wind chime from the collaboration between brand XX and brand YY in country A. Brother, listen, isn’t its sound slightly different from the surrounding wind chimes?”

His brother listened carefully. “Hmm… it seems so. But does the wind chime market also do collaborations and limited editions? Xiao Lian’s connections are really wide.”

Fang Ji asked dryly, “No-nothing more?”

His brother was confused. “What nothing more?”

Fang Ji tugged at his brother’s sleeve and muttered in disappointment, “Okay, then there’s nothing.”

The corners of Fang Lian’s mouth had been completely pressed flat at some point.

He watched as Fang Ji and the fake big brother walked from the door to the living room in this short journey, happily chatting with each other, their atmosphere natural and harmonious, as if they were a pair of biological brothers.

Xiao Ji’s emotions had become incredibly vivid from the moment Fang Chengyu stepped into the house.

His joys and sorrows, his frowns and smiles, all revolved around Fang Chengyu.

In comparison, he had waited at home for a whole day.

He had prepared surprises, decorated the living room, and tried his best to coax Xiao Ji with all kinds of words…

But what was the result?

He hadn’t even gotten half of Xiao Ji’s happy smile!

The wind chimes above his head jingled lightly.

Fang Ji didn’t notice his Second Brother’s expression at all. He pulled his older brother and chattered away, seeming to want to make up for all the words they had missed during their separation.

Fang Ji: “Brother, let me tell you! Just now, Second Brother let me try this and that…”

Fang Ji: “Brother, let me tell you! On the way back, I saw a super interesting place on Big Green Book. I want to take you there tomorrow morning…”

Fang Chengyu listened patiently, a gentle smile always on his face.

As he passed by Fang Lian, Fang Chengyu didn’t forget to pat his shoulder. “Come on, Xiao Lian, it’s rare for you to be home. Let’s go up and have a late-night snack together?”

After speaking, he turned back to continue listening to Fang Ji’s chatter. After a few gentle and appropriate responses, he turned his head again and tried to pull Fang Lian into the conversation.

“Is Xiao Lian staying at home tonight? Do you want to go for a walk with us tomorrow morning?”

“Xiao Lian must be tired from decorating the living room today. Do you want to call a masseur to come over?”

“Xiao Lian…”

Fang Lian was forcibly kept in the conversation circle by Fang Chengyu using such soft means.

He felt out of place and couldn’t get a word in.

But he wasn’t completely forgotten either.

Fang Lian only stayed for a while and felt uncomfortable all over. It was as if ants were crawling all over his body, nibbling at the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that the questions Fang Chengyu used to keep him in the conversation circle were, to him, nine out of ten meaningless.

The only question that had any meaning was: Do you want to stay at home overnight tonight?

In Fang Lian’s last version of his schedule, his plan was to coax Fang Ji and then immediately take a plane overnight, sleeping on the plane to save travel time.

But as if possessed, when he heard Fang Ji say to Fang Chengyu things like “I’ll tell brother before I go to sleep” and “I’ll go wake brother up tomorrow morning,” a feeling more annoying and unpleasant than being bitten by ants quickly filled his entire chest.

“Brother—” “Brother~” “Brother!”

During the short late-night snack time, Fang Lian had lost count of how many times Xiao Ji had called out “brother.”

But not a single one of them was directed at him.

The more Fang Lian listened, the more annoyed he became.

The joy of finally coaxing Xiao Ji to stop his cold war tonight had been completely washed away in these ten or so minutes.

Finally, when Fang Chengyu brought him up in the conversation again, regrettably saying that if he stayed at home tonight, he could do this and that, Fang Lian couldn’t help but speak.

He expressionlessly overturned what he had said before about “leaving tonight” and said, “It’s too late today. I’ll stay for a night and leave tomorrow.”

Fang Lian swore that when he said this, he had absolutely no ulterior motive.

But when the words fell, he still couldn’t help but glance sideways to see Xiao Ji’s reaction.

He saw that Fang Ji was very surprised. His attention immediately shifted from Fang Chengyu to him, his eyes widening. “Second Brother is staying at home tonight?!”

Fang Lian: “Yes.”

Fang Ji’s eyes curved into a smile. “Okay, then tonight I’ll also show Second Brother my great masterpiece from these past few days!”

Great masterpiece?

Fang Lian was very confused about this.

He had almost dozed off listening to the conversation just now, and it was only the annoyance and displeasure that were keeping him awake.

But if you were to ask him how carefully he had listened to what Xiao Ji had said to Fang Chengyu… he couldn’t have done it.

Fortunately, Fang Ji didn’t mean to hide anything.

Soon, Fang Lian knew what Fang Ji was referring to—

It was a major assignment that Fang Ji had completed on his own in a design elective. The huge design drawing, which could cover the entire dining table, was filled with a complete set of jewelry.

The “complete set” in Fang Ji’s context, of course, referred to a complete set that could be worn all over Fang Ji’s body.

In terms of number, there were at least twenty or thirty pieces.

It was thanks to the large paper and the small jewelry that he was able to draw them all on one sheet.

Fang Lian didn’t know when Fang Ji had started to learn design.

From his own perspective, he could see that the design drawing was professional and beautiful.

So Fang Lian did not hesitate to praise Fang Ji.

Fang Lian: “A very excellent design. When Xiao Ji has completed the design and is ready to put it into production, you can let me know. This set of jewelry has a special style. If it is produced and sold, the sales will definitely not be bad.”

This was a very high praise he could give to an amateur jewelry designer.

He was finally able to insert himself into the conversation!

However, Fang Ji did not show the joy he had expected.

Fang Ji’s reaction was flat. He said, “Oh, thank you, Second Brother.”

Fang Lian was a little disappointed.

But it was also true. Xiao Ji had never lacked praise since he was a child. To give such a reaction was already quite good.

He was relieved.

As he was thinking this, Fang Lian suddenly saw Fang Chengyu give him a look. Fang Lian didn’t know what this look meant, but he knew it definitely didn’t mean “satisfied.”

Fang Lian was very displeased.

He had spent so much money to support Xiao Ji, but only got such a reaction from him. What could he, Fang Chengyu, offer to have the nerve to look at him like that?

He saw Fang Chengyu withdraw his gaze and, after carefully looking over the drawing, say to Fang Ji, “Xiao Ji is really amazing. But what kind of gemstone are you planning to use for the center of this necklace?”

He thought and searched carefully. “I remember you have a gemstone selection list—ah, found it. Are you planning to use gemstone number 67? The color is not bad, but doesn’t it look a little too light overall? How about changing it to gemstone number 121?”

Fang Ji’s previous flatness was swept away, and he enthusiastically discussed it with Fang Chengyu. “Brother, you’re right! But the sound of these two gemstones colliding is very different. Do you want to hear it, Brother? When we go back to the school villa tomorrow night, I’ll find the gemstones and tap them for you to listen!”

Fang Ji and Fang Chengyu very naturally started discussing again.

This time, Fang Chengyu did not try to drag him into the conversation.

Only during the breaks in the discussion would he turn his head with those smiling eyes and glance at him.

Fang Lian: “…”

Fang Lian was not clear how he had managed to stand by Fang Chengyu and Fang Ji and silently listen to their chat until it ended.

This was clearly a conversation that was completely useless, meaningless, and only added to his displeasure!

Even, the negative effects of this conversation lasted until he was lying in bed—

Fang Lian once again couldn’t fall asleep immediately after lying down.

He lay on the unfamiliar bed, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

His mind was filled with the awkward and flat scene of him and Fang Ji alone at night; the warm scene of Fang Ji and Fang Chengyu together, laughing and talking; and the fluorescent text content of the “Practical and Warm Family Communication Manual” that he had quickly memorized.

His usually organized, rational, and calm mind was suddenly stirred into a mess on this night, chaotic and annoying.

Fang Chengyu, or rather, Lin Chen, did indeed have the strength of sixty million.

But no matter how strong he was, he-he was still a fake paid brother!

As Fang Ji’s biological brother, how could he not even compare to a paid fake brother?!

Fang Lian tossed and turned, thinking about this question.

The more he thought, the more awake he became, and the harder it was to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for who knows how long, Fang Lian suddenly thought of something, got up, took out his phone, and opened a small group of four called [Xiao Ji’s Anger Dissipation Family Work Group] that he had just created with his parents and sister a while ago.

Fang Lian wanted to ask them if they felt the same way, that their relationship with Fang Ji at least could not and should not be surpassed by a “fake family.”

But when his hands were on the phone, he hesitated for a moment.

When Lin Chen had asked for their respective free time before, he had them all send it to him privately. For the subsequent work preparation and work plan, Lin Chen also communicated with them one-on-one.

The four of them didn’t actually communicate much outside of work.

Therefore, at this moment, Fang Lian was also not clear to what extent his parents’ and sister’s relationships with Fang Ji had been restored.

…If they hadn’t even been able to break the ice with Fang Ji, what was the point of him asking this question?

Fang Lian hesitated.

Fang Lian thought.

Fang Lian slammed his fist into his palm and took action.

Fang Lian clicked on his photo album, selected a photo of him and Fang Ji smiling and taking a selfie by the doll tonight according to the action steps, and sent it to the group.