Zhao Pingchuan really didn't get bored staying home alone. He liked the little apartment, with traces of Ji Ran everywhere. Even sitting quietly at the table and looking at the view below, he could watch it for a long time.
The phone rang, and Zhao Pingchuan answered. Sure enough, it was Ji Ran, who had left his hard drive at home and had no choice but to call him. "Brother, I forgot my files. I need them for a meeting later. Could you bring them over?"
Zhao Pingchuan stood up and asked, "Where are they?"
Ji Ran said, "In the first drawer of the desk."
Zhao Pingchuan pulled open the drawer and saw a black hard drive. "Okay, I'll come over now."
"Thanks, Brother," Ji Ran said happily.
It was no big deal. Zhao Pingchuan smiled and shook his head, then picked it up and went out.
When he arrived downstairs at the company, he called Ji Ran. It was a little noisy on Ji Ran's end. After exchanging a few words with someone nearby, Ji Ran said, "Brother, I can't get away right now. I'll have a coworker come down and get it."
Zhao Pingchuan said, "Okay."
A young woman soon came out through the main entrance. She spotted Zhao Pingchuan standing by the door at a glance, and her eyes lit up. She walked over and asked, "Hello, are you Ji Ran's brother?"
Zhao Pingchuan nodded.
The woman tucked her hair behind her ear, her cheeks a little red for some reason. "I'm Ji Ran's coworker. I'm here to pick something up for him."
Zhao Pingchuan handed her the small bag he was carrying. "Sorry for the trouble."
Her face grew even redder as she took the bag. "You're welcome."
Zhao Pingchuan politely said goodbye to her and headed home.
The woman went upstairs and handed the hard drive to Ji Ran. Unable to contain her excitement, she said, "Ji Ran, your brother is so handsome!"
Ji Ran's eyes curved with his smile. "Right? He's even more handsome than those male celebrities!"
He really was handsome. Not only did he have striking features and a tall figure, but his bearing was exceptionally distinguished too. Even standing in a crowd in the most ordinary clothes, he could be spotted at a glance.
She recalled Zhao Pingchuan's face with stars in her eyes, then asked curiously, "But you and your brother don't look alike. Does one of you take after your father and the other after your mother?"
Ji Ran was very good-looking too, but his features were softer, and he had a different type of appearance from his brother.
Ji Ran said, "No, we're not biological brothers."
"Hm?" The woman paused, then dropped the subject. If they weren't biological brothers, perhaps they were cousins.
"Are you living together now?"
Ji Ran nodded.
"Then doesn't he have to work during the day?" she asked. Otherwise, how would he have had time to bring Ji Ran his files at this hour?
Ji Ran answered naturally, "He's taking a break at home for a while."
"Oh, I see." She didn't think much of it. Seeing that he was busy, she didn't disturb him any further.
After coming home from work, Ji Ran even brought it up jokingly.
"Brother, that coworker said you were handsome today."
Zhao Pingchuan only smiled. A compliment from a young woman like that didn't stir much in him.
But Ji Ran was very proud, his eyes shining. "It made me look good!"
"Made you look good?"
Zhao Pingchuan seemed not to understand.
"Yeah!" Ji Ran explained seriously. "My brother's so handsome, of course I'm proud."
Looking at how delighted he was, Zhao Pingchuan fell silent. If Ji Ran's coworker knew what a failure and a coward he was, would Ji Ran still be proud of him?
Ji Ran thought of something else and asked, "Brother, your birthday's next month. How are you planning to celebrate?"
Zhao Pingchuan paused. He didn't think he had ever told Ji Ran when his birthday was.
Ji Ran realized something too and scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh, I saw your ID card last time and remembered the date."
So that was it. Zhao Pingchuan nodded. "I don't celebrate my birthday. We can just treat it like any other day."
Zhao Pingchuan really hadn't celebrated his birthday before. As a child, he hadn't had the means, and once he grew up, he no longer cared.
Only on his younger sister Xiaoran's birthday each year, no matter how hard things were, he would prepare a small cake.
Later, when Xiaoran grew older and became more sensible, she insisted on celebrating his birthday too. She even learned how to make cakes especially for him and baked him one herself every year.
After becoming successful, he still had no habit of celebrating his birthday and never held birthday parties. Rather than waste time with those insincere people, he would rather go home and rest.
Ji Ran disagreed. "How can that be? Birthdays only come once a year. You have to celebrate properly."
He began planning in his head how to surprise Zhao Pingchuan. Should he prepare a present, or go out for a good meal with him? It happened to fall on a weekend, so perhaps they could go out and have fun for the day.
Zhao Pingchuan knew Ji Ran always put a lot of thought into anything concerning him, and there was no way to talk him out of it, so he let him be. In any case, they lived under the same roof, so it would be hard for Ji Ran to hide anything he did from him.
That night, after showering and getting into bed, Ji Ran secretly made plans on his phone, thinking he was hiding it well.
In fact, Zhao Pingchuan wouldn't have known what he was looking at if he hadn't been acting guilty.
Still, Ji Ran's words reminded Zhao Pingchuan of something.
He could accomplish nothing, spend his whole life hiding like a coward, and forget who he used to be.
But every time Ji Ran stood before him with a sincere heart, what could he give him in return?
Ji Ran said he wanted to celebrate his birthday. Then, when Ji Ran's birthday came, would he, as his brother, pretend not to know, or use Ji Ran's money to buy him a present?
Lying in the darkness, Zhao Pingchuan told himself it was time to think about the road ahead.
Winters in Li City were cold. When Zhao Pingchuan rode his little electric scooter to the subway station to pick Ji Ran up after work, he saw him stamping his feet nonstop, his hands over his ears to keep them warm, like a little lion in the snow.
Very cute.
But all Zhao Pingchuan felt was heartache for him.
Ji Ran swung a leg over the back seat and greeted him with a smile. "Brother, the wind's really strong today. Were you cold riding over?"
Zhao Pingchuan said, "I'm not cold. Put your hands in my pockets."
Ji Ran slipped his hands into Zhao Pingchuan's pockets and let out a contented sigh.
Because he inhaled cold air whenever he spoke, Ji Ran was quieter than usual. Fortunately, it wasn't a long trip, and they got home in a little over ten minutes.
Zhao Pingchuan had turned on the air conditioning beforehand. Only when Ji Ran entered the warm living room did he finally feel alive again. He asked eagerly, "What are we having for dinner today?"
He loved Zhao Pingchuan's cooking. When he had read the book before, he hadn't known Zhao Pingchuan was such a good cook. Every dish suited his taste.
"Sweet-and-sour spare ribs. Is that okay?" Zhao Pingchuan asked.
He took off his coat as he walked toward the kitchen.
Ji Ran cheered. "That's great! I love those!"
Zhao Pingchuan's mood lifted too. "Then go have some fun. Dinner will be ready soon."
Ji Ran flopped onto the sofa and picked out some interesting things to tell Zhao Pingchuan.
"Brother, do you remember that woman you saw when you brought me my things last time? The one who said you were handsome?"
Zhao Pingchuan acknowledged him, his hand stopping as he chopped vegetables.
Ji Ran suddenly sat up and gossiped mysteriously, "Her name's Lin Lin, and she's on my team. I noticed another coworker's been pursuing her lately!"
Zhao Pingchuan resumed chopping, his voice calm. "Oh? Is she popular at your company?"
The young woman had a quiet, pleasant appearance, and her personality was probably nice too. She was the type boys would like.
Ji Ran thought for a moment. "She gets along well with people."
"What about you? What do you think of her?" Zhao Pingchuan asked, seemingly in passing.
Ji Ran didn't think much of it. "She's all right. Everyone on our team gets along pretty well."
After a moment, Zhao Pingchuan's voice came from the kitchen. "Ranran, if you meet a girl you like, you can pursue her too."
Ji Ran answered without hesitation, "Not interested. Having you with me is enough, Brother."
Hearing that, Zhao Pingchuan felt a secret thrill of delight.
How could he not want to keep Ji Ran by his side forever and have him be his sun alone?
Though he knew perfectly well he shouldn't feel this way, Zhao Pingchuan chose to indulge himself.
He even thought that, really, it would be fine even if Ji Ran never married or had children.