Lu Lin had someone he liked?
Ah!
How annoying!
The thought that Lu Lin might like someone else left Lin Fengzhi miserably frustrated. There were a few small stones on the road, and he kicked one hard, sending it flying.
"Little brother."
Suddenly, a clear male voice rang out, like the first snowflake of early winter, three parts cool and seven parts gentle.
Neither of his two older brothers had such a nice voice.
Lin Fengzhi was distracted for a moment, then kept walking.
This time, it was his name.
"Lin Fengzhi."
Lin Fengzhi gradually stopped. He turned back in confusion, his dark eyes widening at once.
A few steps away, beneath a plum tree whose blossoms had yet to fully open, stood a young man smiling at him.
He wore a classic plain black coat and a dark red knitted scarf. His face was very small, his skin very fair, and his slightly long, wispy bangs could not hide his beautiful, lively fox eyes.
Lin Fengzhi stared dumbly.
This person... looked so familiar...
Yan Heqing walked toward Lin Fengzhi. It was only a few steps, not far at all. He stopped in front of Lin Fengzhi, standing a few centimeters taller than him.
This time, he finally saw himself reflected in Lin Fengzhi's eyes.
The corners of Yan Heqing's lips lifted slightly, his eyes curving with his smile. Then he held out a hand. "Hello. I'm your older brother, Yan Heqing."
*
There was a dessert shop outside the gates of T University.
Yan Heqing ordered a strawberry bomb cake and a cup of hot cocoa for Lin Fengzhi.
"Strawberries and chocolate were your favorites when you were little." Yan Heqing pushed the strawberry bomb cake over, moving it in front of Lin Fengzhi. "Do you still like them?"
Lin Fengzhi's heart was racing. It was not completely dark yet, but the shop's lights were already on.
The orange light fell across the eyes and brows opposite him, and Lin Fengzhi remembered.
They looked familiar because they looked so much like his own. Only the color of their eyes differed slightly. His were light brown, while the eyes of the person opposite him were an even lighter brown.
And... his own face was a little fleshier.
Lin Fengzhi lowered his head. The strawberries on the cake were large and red, giving off a creamy strawberry scent. Steam rose from the hot cocoa, carrying wafts of sweet fragrance too.
They were indeed his two favorite foods.
But how could this be...
Lin Fengzhi struggled a little to speak. "I don't understand what you mean. My surname is Lin. I have two biological older brothers..."
Yan Heqing had ordered a slice of Black Forest cake for himself. He scooped up a thick dollop of chocolate cream with his silver spoon, his speech as unhurried as ever. "Lin is the surname you were given after your adoption. Before you were five, your name was Yan Mingsong."
Lin Fengzhi clenched his fists. "I don't believe you." His nose stung. "I'm a child of the Lin family. My parents and brothers have never said I was adopted."
He suddenly grew very angry and glared at Yan Heqing. "Do you have any proof? If you don't, please stop talking nonsense!"
At that moment, he was being unreasonable like a child, faintly aware deep down that it might be possible.
He had even joked about it himself before, asking his parents whether they had picked him up somewhere, since he looked nothing like them or either of his brothers.
Yet the person in front of him looked so, so much like him. And... when he heard the name Yan Mingsong, his heart fluttered inexplicably.
All these signs...
Lin Fengzhi refused to think any further. No, he couldn't be someone else. His parents and brothers, every one of them, loved him so much. How could they not be a family? He was only a child of the Lin family!
A trace of regret passed through Yan Heqing's eyes. He set down his spoon and actually stood up. "It was presumptuous of me to approach you like this. I'm sorry. Finish your food before you leave, then forget what I said. I won't appear again."
Yan Heqing really left.
The breeze stirred by the hem of his coat carried a faint plum blossom fragrance. Both of Lin Fengzhi's hands trembled, and he closed his eyes.
Go, then.
He was a child of the Lin family, not some Yan Mingsong. He only had two older brothers, too, one named Lin Fengxian and the other Lin Fengyi, not some Yan Heqing!
Wind chimes rang in his ears.
They were decorations on the dessert shop's door, chiming pleasantly whenever it opened or closed.
Yan Heqing had left.
Lin Fengzhi's heart pounded even harder, rat-a-tat-tat, like a machine gun firing.
He took several deep breaths. In the end, he opened his eyes, got up, and chased after him.
It was nearly completely dark. The streetlights on both sides were lit, and fine flecks of snow drifted down, floating lightly through the light and shadows.
Yan Heqing walked slowly. Hurried footsteps caught up from behind, then circled around in front of him.
Lin Fengzhi blocked his way, took his phone from his pocket, and held it out. "Let's exchange contact details."
Chapter 13: 013
On his way home, Yan Heqing received a delivery notification.
His packages had arrived and were at the parcel pickup station.
Yan Heqing did not go to the pickup station first. He went home to get "Cell Biology," along with his fishing bag and bucket.
He also went to the convenience store at the entrance to his residential complex to buy a few bread rolls, several bottles of mineral water, and two cartons of milk. While he was at it, he booked a ride, setting the pickup location at the parcel station.
He had barely reached the parcel station when the car arrived.
There were three large boxes, and Yan Heqing unpacked them right there at the station.
Seeing that it was all fishing equipment, the driver said enthusiastically, "It's pretty rare for someone your age to go ice fishing instead of going out for fun at night."
Yan Heqing nodded politely.
The driver immediately launched into conversation. "Tian Mountain Reservoir is a good spot. I used to go there all the time. The owner's generous about stocking it with fry."
He shared his fishing experience the whole way, and before long, they reached Tian Mountain Reservoir.
On a bitter winter weeknight, the frozen surface was covered in little illuminated tents.
Yan Heqing searched for a long time before finding a spot.
He switched on his camping light for illumination and first used an ice auger to drill a small hole. Then he unzipped his backpack, pitched his tent alone, and laid down a ground mat.
The reservoir was bitterly cold at night. Yan Heqing's hands and feet had gone numb from the cold. He zipped the tent shut, turned on the heater, and warmed himself for a while. Once his hands could move freely, he tore up that night's bait-silkworm pupae-and put the pieces on his hook.
Inside the little space, the orange glow of the camping light made the tent look very warm. The heat from the heater gradually built up too, and soon it was hot enough to take off his coat.