Ji Yanzhi froze on the spot, as though a balloon had suddenly inflated inside his heart, swelling until his chest burned.
After a brief daze, he immediately shifted the bag from his left hand to his right and caught Ji Ting's hand with the one he had freed.
Once their palms touched, he said quietly, "There won't be a next time. From now on, I'll always remember to hold your hand."
Not far away, the Confidentiality Bureau personnel assigned to protect Ji Ting exchanged glances.
The relationship between these two brothers... hard to say. It really was hard to say.
Rongqing Park had been built in the 1980s. Although it had been renovated twice, it had long since lost any novelty compared with the amusement parks young people visited these days.
But neither Ji Yanzhi nor Ji Ting found it boring. One was visiting for the first time, while the other had childhood memories here, so both were in good spirits as they wandered around.
They walked around the lotus pond at the front, and Ji Ting led Ji Yanzhi north along a familiar route. An artificial lake came into view in the distance.
"Ji Yanzhi, do you want to go boating?"
"Boating?" Ji Yanzhi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."
They reached the boarding area, only to find rows of moored boats and no one selling tickets.
Ji Ting looked around and spotted the little brown ticket booth. He was about to walk over when Ji Yanzhi's hand held him back.
He turned to find Ji Yanzhi frowning at the boats in front of them.
"What's wrong?"
Ji Yanzhi asked with open curiosity, "What kind of boat is this? Why does it have pedals inside?"
"It's called a pedal boat. You turn the paddle wheel at the back