Fang Ji focused on selecting the last two missing notes for the first half of the piece, and after placing them, he let out a long sigh.

Wiping away sweat that wasn’t there, his mind slowly returned to reality.

He looked at his half-finished score, tried tapping it out, and was very satisfied.

It had a strong New Year’s Eve flavor, a strong brother flavor.

Very good!

A proud smile appeared on Fang Ji’s face. He turned his head to look at the time, wondering when he should go out to pick up his brother.

22:41.

Fang Ji was stunned.

Wait. What time was his brother supposed to land and come home today?

After eight o’clock!!

Fang Ji immediately got up from his desk in a panic and shouted towards the door, “Uncle Li!”

The chair scraped harshly against the floor.

Fang Ji didn’t even have time to comb his hair as he rushed out of the room, shouting, “Shouldn’t we be—”

The words didn’t come out.

Fang Ji’s eyes widened. He slammed on the brakes, his body stumbling forward two or three steps due to inertia.

After finally stopping himself, he jerked his head back.

A man with gentle eyes stood quietly at the door of the room. His long, dark, curly hair was lifted into the air by the wind created when he rushed out of the room, and his gentle aura seemed to embrace the surroundings.

Fang Ji cried out in pleasant surprise, “…Brother!”

Fang Chengyu, holding a plate of grapes with one hand, steadily caught the扑 (pū – pouncing) Fang Ji with the other and said with a smile, “Xiao Ji is finally done with his work. How is the progress on the new music? What’s the theme?”

Fang Ji wanted to keep the surprise for his brother, so he coquettishly dodged the topic. “You’ll know when the music is done, brother. Don’t ask for now!”

In order to not be disturbed by any extra sounds while composing his jewelry music, Fang Ji was not wearing any jewelry or bells at the moment.

Fang Ji quietly held his brother’s arm and entered the room, asking eagerly, “When did you get home, brother? How did you get home? Sob, Xiao Ji was too absorbed in composing just now and didn’t hear the alarm. I didn’t realize it was time for you to come home.”

Fang Chengyu smiled and said, “It was Uncle Li who picked me up. It’s okay, it’s a good thing for Xiao Ji to be focused on his work when he has inspiration.”

Fang Ji grumbled, “It’s not good at all. I didn’t even hear the alarm for your return today! …No, I need to turn up the volume on my phone’s alarm. I can’t miss it again next time!”

So he said.

But in reality, the semester was over, and Fang Chengyu’s business trips had come to an end. He no longer needed to travel frequently.

If it were the previous holidays, from the first day of the holiday, Fang Ji would have definitely been sticking to his brother and running around everywhere.

But this time, Fang Chengyu rarely enjoyed a quiet holiday for a while.

Fang Ji’s time was now completely occupied by composing.

Every day after waking up and eating breakfast, he would hole up in his room and start composing, busy until he went to sleep at night, only then finally resting. During this period, Fang Ji would only briefly show his face for half an hour at mealtimes, and his entire state was very immersed.

The system was very shocked by this. “Over twenty years old, the Fang family bloodline has finally awakened?!”

Lin Chen regretted, “It’s just a little late.”

The system followed the host to look at the work group chat.

The parents, brother, and sister, who had originally been almost able to operate independently, were in a panic in the group again these few days.

They discussed among themselves what had happened to Xiao Ji recently, how he had suddenly become so cold to them, and how they had to wait from morning to night for his reply to a message!

The system deeply agreed. “You’re right. If Fang Ji had been able to awaken his bloodline on his own a year ago, then Fang Yecheng probably wouldn’t have come to you to place an order at all.”

System: “But now—”

The system thought hard for a long time, not knowing how to describe it, and could only express its feeling: “After Fang Ji awakened his bloodline, he seems to be even more out of place with his parents, brother, and sister!”

Lin Chen did not answer. He rested his chin on his hand and pondered the “Exit Plan” document on the laptop screen.

Lin Chen: “I now have two versions of the plan. A gentle version and a radical version.”

“The gentle version has a certain chance of not leaving any negative effects, but there is a greater probability that it will cause Xiao Ji’s Fang family bloodline to awaken completely, thereby re-infecting the entire family of parents, brother, and sister.”

“The radical version is a revision of the gentle version. It will inevitably leave some impact on Xiao Ji, whether positive or negative is hard to say, but this impact will surely be better and last longer in maintaining the current gradually warming emotional state between him and his parents, brother, and sister.”

The system seemed to understand but not fully. “Then what are you planning to do, host…?”

Lin Chen flipped through the monthly increasing scores of his interactions with the Fang family in Green Letter. His good memory allowed him to lay out the details of their scoring behavior each month in his mind.

After a moment of silence, Lin Chen said, “In these few months, whether it’s the Fang parents, brother, and sister or Xiao Ji, they are all very satisfied with the change in their relationship.”

The system was proud. “That’s right, host, and this is all thanks to you!”

Lin Chen came to a conclusion and said softly, “Therefore, maintaining this trend is the best choice.”

…

Fang Ji felt that he seemed to have entered a special state of flow during this period.

Every day when he opened his eyes, his brain would start to operate automatically, developing his “New Year’s Eve” music.

Most of the time, he would worry that his inspiration would suddenly disappear, so he didn’t dare to delay for a moment and wanted to write it all down.

Sometimes when he slept at night, he would continue to do his work in his dreams.

At such times, as soon as he woke up in the morning, he would try his best to recall the content of his dreams, then hurriedly run to his desk, and regardless of whether it was useful or not, he would first write down the dream story to prevent the inspiration from dissipating.

Under such circumstances, he would not feel tired.

Even if he sat at his workbench from the moment he got up until the evening, his spirits could remain very high.

“Brother!”

During lunch, Fang Ji said excitedly to his brother, “Let me tell you, today I basically finalized the score for this piece of music. Starting this afternoon, I can start choreographing it!”

Fang Chengyu was surprised, a smile appearing on his face. “So fast? Then won’t brother be able to hear Xiao Ji’s first official jewelry music soon?”

He used his chopsticks to peel a shrimp and put it in Fang Ji’s bowl.

Fang Ji happily dipped the shrimp in soy sauce and ate it in one bite.

Fang Ji: “Not yet. I don’t even know how long the choreography will take—this is also the first time I’ve perfectly pushed the progress to this point. I’ve made an appointment with Teacher Yang to come over this afternoon, and I plan to study it with her.”

Fang Chengyu smiled, his eyes curving. “Not bad. When Xiao Ji finishes this piece of music, is there any celebration gift that Xiao Ji wants?”

Fang Ji thought to himself, this was originally a Christmas return gift for his brother, how could he ask for a celebration gift for the return gift itself?

He answered immediately, “I want my brother to peel a whole bowl of shrimp for me!”

Fang Chengyy was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. He immediately used his chopsticks to pick up another shrimp.

Fang Chengyu said, “This gift doesn’t have to wait until Xiao Ji finishes the music. I can make it happen for Xiao Ji right now.”

As he spoke, he put another peeled shrimp into Fang Ji’s bowl.

Fang Ji squinted his eyes happily.

He thought, when he finished his work during this period, he must take his brother out to play more to make up for all the busy days!

Fang Ji pulled his chair closer to his brother and chattered about the various problems he had encountered while composing these past two days.

His brother listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two, then putting a shrimp in his bowl, tapping the edge of his bowl with his chopsticks to remind him to eat.

For every shrimp his brother peeled for him, Fang Ji would also put one in his brother’s bowl. Although there was a suspicion of offering the Buddha flowers that belonged to the Buddha (and it was the Buddha’s flowers), how could this not be considered Xiao Ji’s love for his brother?

Seeing that he didn’t immediately return to his room after finishing his meal today, Fang Chengyu was a little surprised. “Xiao Ji isn’t in a hurry to go back to his room to continue working today?”

Fang Ji sat close to his brother and said, “I’m not in a hurry today. Teacher Yang won’t be here until after two in the afternoon. I can take this opportunity to chat with my brother… I’ve been busy recently and haven’t had much chance to talk to you.”

Fang Ji tilted his head to look at his brother. His brother’s jade-like earlobes were empty, and his fair neck and wrists were also bare.

Fang Ji’s mouth drooped, and he shook his brother’s arm. “Why don’t you usually wear jewelry, brother? Is the set I put together for you not good-looking?”

Fang Ji’s occasional coquetry and small tempers were things Fang Chengyu was already used to.

He responded gently, “How could that be? That’s the most beautiful set of jewelry I own. It’s just that I’m not going out today, so I was being a little lazy and didn’t wear it. What, does Xiao Ji want to put jewelry on me?”

Fang Ji immediately replied, “Okay!”

He ran to his brother’s room, and without even needing to ask where it was, he found the silent jewelry set.

He pulled his brother to sit on the edge of the bed and eagerly put the jewelry on him.

First the hair accessory, then the earrings, then he put on the necklace, bracelet, and ring for his brother. Then, he giggled and lifted the hem of his brother’s clothes to put on the waist chain.

He liked this step the most.

His brother’s waist was very ticklish. Every time he put on the waist chain for him, if he secretly touched it, his brother would laugh and swat his hand away, holding his waist and laughing for a long time.

Finally, the jewelry for the legs.

At such times, his brother would sit on a chair, and Fang Ji would squat by the chair, first putting on the leg chain, then the anklet.

His jewelry set originally included a toe ring, but his brother was adamant about not wearing it. He had even kicked him once for it, laughing and scolding him that if he didn’t know he really liked jewelry and wore it himself, he would have suspected him of being a little pervert.

Thinking of the scolding he had received, Fang Ji couldn’t help but want to laugh.

As he laughed, he really couldn’t resist wanting to give his brother a sneak peek of the gift he had prepared for him.

The surprise couldn’t be ruined, so he would just hide the “gift” part.

He thought for a moment, rested his chin on his brother’s knee, and looked at him expectantly, saying, “Does brother want to try on Xiao Ji’s new jewelry too? It hasn’t been shown to anyone else after being put together. I’ll give brother a sneak peek first!”

Fang Chengyu: “The jewelry set for the new music? Okay.”

Fang Ji immediately trotted back to his room and brought out his New Year’s Eve jewelry set.

They were placed in a large box specially made for jewelry sets. When the jewelry sets were officially sold later, the set box would be based on this box, with corresponding changes in color scheme, hidden patterns, and text.

Fang Ji had even already thought of what kind of box the New Year’s Eve set should have—of course, the New Year’s Eve set would not be sold to the public. There would only be his one authentic set in the whole world!

The person sitting on the edge of the bed was now Fang Ji.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his brother putting on the jewelry for him.

When his brother helped him put on the jewelry, his movements were always very gentle. A gentle force would lightly brush past his earlobes and neck, and then leave a string of crisp and pleasant jingles.

After his brother had put on the jewelry for him, he stepped back a couple of paces, looked him over carefully, then nodded and said, “It’s beautiful. It looks a bit festive, yet also a bit light—is this the theme’s base color?”

Fang Ji’s eyebrows shot up. He jumped up and covered his brother’s mouth. “Brother, you’ve almost guessed my theme! No, no, no guessing in advance. If you guess it in advance, there will be no surprise!”

Just then, the butler knocked on the door and poked his head in. “Little Young Master, Ms. Yang has arrived!”

Fang Ji turned his head in surprise. “Didn’t she say she couldn’t come until after two o’clock? Why is she so early?”

The butler said, “It’s already almost two-thirty now, Little Young Master.”

Fang Ji was shocked. “Ah? It’s that late already? Okay, tell her to wait a few minutes, I’ll be right there.”

Fang Ji reluctantly left his brother’s side and said, “Then I’m going, brother. Maybe in a few days I’ll be able to show you the finished product.”

Fang Chengyu’s beautiful eyes curved into a smile as he said, “Okay.”

Fang Ji skipped away.

After the butler led Fang Ji out, he soon brought up a plate of fruit for Fang Chengyu. He placed the fruit on the table, looked at Fang Chengyu with a smile, and said, “It seems the Eldest Young Master also likes these jewels of the Little Young Master’s.”

Fang Chengyu smiled. “Of course I’ll like what Xiao Ji likes.”

The butler sighed at their brotherly affection, then said, “By the way, Eldest Young Master, I see your medicine is about to run out again. I’ve prepared a new bottle for you and placed it on the table.”

He pointed to a corner of the desk.

Fang Chengyu said, “Okay, thank you, Uncle Li.”

The butler asked with concern, “Have you been feeling well lately? Shall I make an appointment for your check-up next week?”

Fang Chengyu’s eyes were full of resistance, but he smiled helplessly. “Okay.”

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

Fang Chengyu picked up his phone, his eyes showing surprise, and answered the call.

Seeing that he was busy, the butler intended to quietly leave the room.

He left the room and was about to close the door for Fang Chengyu.

The voice from inside the room suddenly became louder, with words like, “What?! When did this happen?!”

The butler’s action of closing the door paused. He stopped in confusion.

What happened? He had known the Eldest Young Master for over a year, and it seemed this was the first time he had heard him sound so flustered.

Fang Chengyu’s voice, trying to hold back his sadness, came from the crack in the door. “Okay, I understand… Don’t worry, I will go. When? …Tomorrow? No problem.”

The butler waited for a while. Hearing no more conversation from inside the room, he knocked on the door and pushed it open again.

The door had been opened and closed for no more than two minutes at most.

But when the butler saw Fang Chengyu again, he saw that his complexion had changed from the joy and rosiness of just now to an extreme paleness. His eyes were full of sorrow, and his mood was particularly low.

The butler was startled.

He quickly went forward and bent down to ask worriedly, “Eldest Young Master, what happened?”

Fang Chengyu said with a desolate expression, “It’s my adoptive parents… They were in a car accident a few days ago and died on the spot. They were just buried today. The relatives over there asked if I wanted to go and take a look.”

The butler asked seriously, “What are your plans?”

Fang Chengyu lowered his eyes and said, “Of course I have to go.”

The butler nodded. “What time, and where?”

Fang Chengyu said, “Tomorrow at 9 am, in the suburbs of T City.”

The butler said, “Okay, I’ll go arrange a flight and contact a local driver for you right away. Will you be staying there for a night?”

Fang Chengyu forced a smile. “Okay, thank you, Uncle Li.”

The butler sighed softly. “Eldest Young Master, life is unpredictable. Please accept my condolences. Your heart is not good. If you are too sad, I’m afraid…”

Fang Chengyu said, “It’s okay, Uncle Li. I will control my emotions. Don’t worry.”

The butler left the room, still worried. He thought for a moment, first contacted the family doctor to arrange for him to accompany him, then arranged for the flight, hotel, and other matters one by one.

Fang Chengyu set off before dinner.

This was the butler’s suggestion. He hoped that Fang Chengyu could set off earlier, land earlier, and rest earlier.

Fang Chengyu did not refuse the butler’s good intentions.

Before leaving, he knocked on Fang Ji’s door, wanting to say goodbye to him.

Unfortunately, Fang Ji did not hear him.

The butler said, “Eldest Young Master, why don’t you just push the door open and say goodbye to the Little Young Master.”

Fang Chengyu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Forget it. I’ll be back tomorrow noon anyway. It’s better not to interrupt Xiao Ji.”

He said softly to the butler, “I’ll have to trouble Uncle Li to let Xiao Ji know for me tonight. I hope Xiao Ji won’t be angry with me.”

The butler figured that the Eldest Young Master was just afraid that the Little Young Master would worry about him.

But that was true too. If the Little Young Master saw the Eldest Young Master in such a sad state now, he would probably drop everything he was doing and cry and make a fuss about going with him.

He nodded solemnly and said, “Don’t worry, Eldest Young Master. I will definitely explain it to the Little Young Master properly tonight.”

After thanking the butler, Fang Chengyu hurriedly left with the family doctor.

Fang Ji had been busy all afternoon and finally stopped to rest at dinnertime.

He saw Teacher Yang off, went to the dining room, and found that there was only his own meal on the table today.

He asked the butler in astonishment and confusion, “Uncle Li, where is my brother?”

Only then did the butler explain to him that the Eldest Young Master had gone out today and would not be back until noon tomorrow.

When Fang Ji heard this, he was aghast. “Isn’t it winter vacation already? Why does brother still have to go on a business trip?!”

The butler immediately clarified, “It’s not a business trip. The Eldest Young Master just has some…”

He vaguely used the word “business” to gloss over it, without going into detail.

Fang Ji didn’t dwell on the reason either. In his eyes, “brother leaving without him” was the biggest and most noteworthy matter.

He stomped his feet unhappily. “What’s there to be disturbed about? Hmph, when brother comes back, I’m definitely going to give him a good talking to!”

Seeing that his brother was not there, Fang Ji lost his appetite.

He took a few random bites and then went back to his room, took out his phone, and sent a message to his brother with great gusto.

Jiji: [Brother! [Pity][Big Cry] Why did you sneak out? When will you be back?]

Brother replied quickly.

Brother: [I’ll be back tomorrow noon. (Airport picture.jpg) Xiao Ji, focus on your work. Is there any T City specialty you want to eat? I’ll bring some back for you.]

Jiji: [T City has no good food… Then it’s a deal, brother. Xiao Ji must see you tomorrow at noon!]

Jiji: [Brother, finish your work quickly, come home quickly. Let Xiao Ji know when your return time is set. Xiao Ji will pick you up at the airport~]

Brother: [You’re going to pick me up even if I’m only gone for a day?]

Jiji: [I have to make up for the time I missed last time!]

Brother: [Okay, I’ll let Xiao Ji know when it’s set.]

Brother attached a cute smiley face emoji.

Only then was Fang Ji satisfied.

He opened the door and shouted loudly to the butler, “Uncle Li! I’m going to get busy. Remember to call me when it’s time to pick up my brother tomorrow noon. No matter what I’m doing, you have to pull me out. Don’t go to pick him up alone, okay!”

The butler stood on the first floor, looked up at the Little Young Master, and replied, “No problem, Little Young Master. I’ll definitely pull you out this time!”

Fang Ji was satisfied and closed the door to get busy.

The butler’s smile gradually faded after Fang Ji closed the door. He thought worriedly about the Eldest Young Master’s lost and sad appearance when he left in the afternoon and couldn’t help but feel a little concerned.

He thought for a while and called the family doctor.

Butler: “Dr. Liu, there’s something I need to tell you. The Eldest Young Master’s heart seems to get uncomfortable easily when he’s in a bad mood. It was like this a year ago. So this time, please help me keep a closer eye on him. Please don’t let the Eldest Young Master get too sad.”

Dr. Liu: “Understood, Old Li, don’t worry! I’ve brought all kinds of medicine and portable medical equipment. I guarantee the Eldest Young Master will come back safely!”

…

Fang Chengyu and the accompanying doctor landed in T City early. They were picked up by a local driver whom the butler had contacted in advance and taken to the hotel.

The accompanying doctor was staying in the room directly opposite Fang Chengyu’s. Just in case, he asked the hotel for an extra key card to Fang Chengyu’s room and kept it with him. He also repeatedly reminded Fang Chengyu to wear his monitoring wristband at all times to prevent any accidents.

Fang Chengyu gently and politely thanked the doctor for his kindness, returned to his room, and went to bed early.

No accidents happened that night.

At eight o’clock the next morning, the accompanying doctor knocked on the door to find Fang Chengyu. After having him take some preventive medicine, the group set off for the cemetery.

A night had passed, but Fang Chengyu’s mood was still low.

He sat in the back seat of the car, quietly looking out the window at the fleeting scenery, thinking of his unknown adoptive parents, and his eyes couldn’t help but redden slightly.

Perhaps because he was too sad, he subconsciously clutched the clothes on his chest.

The accompanying doctor sensitively turned his head in an instant and asked, “Eldest Young Master, are you not feeling well?”

Fang Chengyu was startled and let go of his hand as if he had been electrocuted. He said, “No, no, it’s just that the temperature in the car is a bit high, and it’s a little stuffy.”

The accompanying doctor hesitated.

He opened a crack in the car window, thought for a moment, and still said, “Eldest Young Master, if you’re not feeling well, it’s best for us to go back and rest first, digest your emotions. It would be safer to come back on another day.”

Fang Chengyu shook his head and insisted, “No need, I’m fine. Thank you, Dr. Liu.”

The accompanying doctor sighed in extreme frustration and said no more, but occasionally used the rearview mirror to secretly check on the Eldest Young Master’s condition.

After speaking with him, the Eldest Young Master turned his head back to the car window.

But it seemed the Eldest Young Master found it difficult to endure the time in the car. He only maintained this posture for five minutes before he dejectedly picked up his phone and, not knowing who he was messaging, started typing.

After typing a few words, the Eldest Young Master quietly lowered his eyes and waited.

It seemed he didn’t get a reply, and the Eldest Young Master’s expression was a little desolate. But he didn’t give up. He tapped the screen a couple more times and put the phone to his ear.

Oh, the Eldest Young Master had switched to making a call.

The Eldest Young Master held his phone to his ear for a good while.

Finally, he dejectedly lowered his phone and let out an almost inaudible sigh.

The accompanying butler couldn’t help but ask carefully, “Eldest Young Master, are you trying to find the Little Young Master?”

The Eldest Young Master looked at him with some surprise, his eyes full of confusion, not knowing why he would ask this question.

The accompanying butler said kindly, “I heard from Old Li… I mean, from Butler Li, that the Little Young Master has been very focused on his work recently. If you want to contact the Little Young Master, why don’t you just let Butler Li know, and he can help you go to the house and call for him.”

The Eldest Young Master finally spoke.

The Eldest Young Master gave him a faint and gentle smile and said, “No need to trouble him. It’s nothing important, so I won’t bother Uncle Li. It’s the same if I go back to find Xiao Ji at noon.”