Online discussions often cover how to strengthen the bond between brothers, most suggestions involve spending more time together, chatting, and hanging out.
Hmm, seems like useless advice.
Lin Jin raised his head to locate Lin Chen's current position and found him still relentlessly running. It seemed that in just the short time Lin Jin had glanced at his phone, Lin Chen had already completed more than one lap. Moreover, he was neither red-faced nor out of breath, looking utterly at ease.
Who knows how much longer he'll run?
Lin Jin lay back on the grass, tightening his jacket around himself. Yawning, he gazed at the dark night sky.
The night sky in Xiamen was decent enough, at least the moon and a few scattered stars were visible. He laid down and shielded himself from the cold wind. Feeling comfortable, he decided to close his eyes and rest for a while, planning to catch up with Lin Chen after he was done running to discuss their brotherly relationship.
And then... then, still slightly foggy-headed from his drunkenness, he gradually lost consciousness. Lin Jin promptly fell asleep within five minutes.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen was still unaware that Lin Jin was sound asleep on the grass. He continued to run laps at a steady pace, burning his energy. Only after running for more than half an hour did he take a long breath, feeling somewhat tired.
But where had Lin Jin gone?
Lin Chen looked left and right, attempting to find Lin Jin's figure on the dimly lit field. Although the field's lights had been fixed, some dark corners remained. Lin Chen searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of Lin Jin.
Could he have gone back to the dormitory?
Frowning, Lin Chen walked to the center of the field to do some leg stretches. To his surprise, he found his brother sound asleep just two or three meters away from his feet.
"Brother, brother." Lin Chen crouched down and shook Lin Jin's shoulder, expressing concern. "Wake up. You'll catch a cold sleeping out here."
Lin Jin groggily opened his eyes and was startled to see the large face in his field of vision. He jumped up, hitting his head on Lin Chen's forehead, causing Lin Chen to topple backward and land on his rear.
"Why did you fall asleep?" Lin Chen, who didn't seem to mind the mishap, simply sat cross-legged and looked at Lin Jin. "Didn't you come here to run? Why are you sleeping on the field?"
"I'm too tired." Lin Jin shook his head. Though he'd slept quite a bit today, the lingering effects of the alcohol meant that no amount of sleep could shake his grogginess.
At least his head wasn't throbbing anymore.
Suddenly remembering the issue at hand, Lin Jin looked up sharply at Lin Chen and asked, "Little bro, do you have a girl you like right now?"
"Huh?" Lin Chen was taken aback by Lin Jin's question.
"A crush is fine too."
When Lin Jin had been searching online about 'how to strengthen brotherly bonds,' one suggestion had been to "talk about women." Though he didn't particularly like this method, the other suggestions like dining out or hanging out together didn't seem feasible at the moment.
"None, I guess?" Lin Chen shyly turned his head to the side, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.
Lin Jin's eyes lit up instantly. Could it be that his little brother did have a crush on someone?
"Who is it? Is she pretty? Is she the virtuous type?" Lin Jin immediately became curious, genuinely surprised that his introverted, academically-focused younger brother would have a crush. Shouldn't his favorite things be books and homework?
"Don't worry, just tell me. I swear I won't blab about it." Lin Jin was aware that their mother would definitely be the traditional, no young love type. His gossiping curiosity was now burning fiercely. "Is she the kind with long hair down to her waist? Someone who's really beautiful and also excels in studies?"
Lin Chen shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I like short hair..."
"Short hair, huh? Short hair is good." Lin Jin readily agreed with Lin Chen's aesthetic preference.
Who would have thought his little brother was into short hair?
"Her grades are probably pretty bad..." Lin Chen continued, his face flushed. "But she has a great personality and often takes care of me."
"Mhm" Lin Jin nodded continuously, his mind gradually painting a picture of the person based on Lin Chen's description.
"She's skinny, maybe a bit hot-tempered? But she's really good to me" Lin Chen said shyly, a stark contrast to his ruggedly handsome appearance.
Lin Jin continued nodding, the mental image in his head becoming clearer.
But why did the figure in his mind increasingly resemble himself, as described by Lin Chen? Could it be that Lin Chen had a thing for his brother?
Lin Jin began to look at Lin Chen with somewhat peculiar eyes.
"I have a photo." Lin Chen took out his flip phone. "I specially uploaded it from my computer. Want to see?"
"Sure."
Lin Jin immediately cleared the self-resembling image from his mind and leaned in to see the screen of Lin Chen's phone. What he saw was a very sunny-looking, short-haired girl. She was quite pretty, had a bun-shaped face, and was dressed in a cute style.
Hmm, little bro has good taste.
"Nice! She's quite pretty, your aesthetics haven't disappointed me" Lin Jin said approvingly, nodding his head. "Now that we're on this topic, how about giving your brother a hug?"
"Huh?" Lin Chen looked up, visibly puzzled, staring at Lin Jin.
"We haven't seen each other in so long..." Lin Jin put on a pitiful look. "We, as brothers, haven't met for three years. It's been a long time since we were close, hasn't it?"
What should I do... my cross-dressing brother is suddenly asking for a hug? Is something off about him? Urgently awaiting advice online.
Lin Chen hesitated, shifting himself away from Lin Jin, all the while staring blankly at Lin Jin's face full of anticipation.
"Why are you acting so shy? We've kissed each other on the cheek when we were kids" Lin Jin said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "Besides, we're brothers!"
Back then we were kids, and it didn't seem like a big deal, right? And didn't you always tempt me into kissing you by offering lollipops or other snacks?
Seemingly coming to a realization, Lin Jin dropped the topic for the moment. He fumbled in his pocket and actually pulled out a lollipop that he had swiped from the car when he was out with Teacher Lin that morning.
"How about this? I give you this lollipop, and you give me a kiss. Deal?" Lin Jin looked at Lin Chen with hopeful eyes, anticipating that this task could be easily and smoothly accomplished.
However, in Lin Chen's eyes, Lin Jin looked like a creepy guy trying to lure children.
With an expression of helplessness, Lin Chen pushed away the hand Lin Jin was extending with the lollipop. He shook his head and said seriously, "Bro, I'm 18 now, 180 cm tall, and have bulked up from working out. Can you stop treating me like a child.."
"Can you also stop bullying me like I'm a child?" Lin Chen sighed. "After all, I am 18."
I didn't intend to bully you, though?
Lin Jin looked confused for a moment. He had genuinely been hoping for a simple kiss on the cheek from his younger brother, mainly because it was part of a task.
Online discussions often cover how to strengthen the bond between brothers, most suggestions involve spending more time together, chatting, and hanging out.
Hmm, seems like useless advice.
Lin Jin raised his head to locate Lin Chen's current position and found him still relentlessly running. It seemed that in just the short time Lin Jin had glanced at his phone, Lin Chen had already completed more than one lap. Moreover, he was neither red-faced nor out of breath, looking utterly at ease.
Who knows how much longer he'll run?
Lin Jin lay back on the grass, tightening his jacket around himself. Yawning, he gazed at the dark night sky.
The night sky in Xiamen was decent enough, at least the moon and a few scattered stars were visible. He laid down and shielded himself from the cold wind. Feeling comfortable, he decided to close his eyes and rest for a while, planning to catch up with Lin Chen after he was done running to discuss their brotherly relationship.
And then... then, still slightly foggy-headed from his drunkenness, he gradually lost consciousness. Lin Jin promptly fell asleep within five minutes.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen was still unaware that Lin Jin was sound asleep on the grass. He continued to run laps at a steady pace, burning his energy. Only after running for more than half an hour did he take a long breath, feeling somewhat tired.
But where had Lin Jin gone?
Lin Chen looked left and right, attempting to find Lin Jin's figure on the dimly lit field. Although the field's lights had been fixed, some dark corners remained. Lin Chen searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of Lin Jin.
Could he have gone back to the dormitory?
Frowning, Lin Chen walked to the center of the field to do some leg stretches. To his surprise, he found his brother sound asleep just two or three meters away from his feet.
"Brother, brother." Lin Chen crouched down and shook Lin Jin's shoulder, expressing concern. "Wake up. You'll catch a cold sleeping out here."
Lin Jin groggily opened his eyes and was startled to see the large face in his field of vision. He jumped up, hitting his head on Lin Chen's forehead, causing Lin Chen to topple backward and land on his rear.
"Why did you fall asleep?" Lin Chen, who didn't seem to mind the mishap, simply sat cross-legged and looked at Lin Jin. "Didn't you come here to run? Why are you sleeping on the field?"
"I'm too tired." Lin Jin shook his head. Though he'd slept quite a bit today, the lingering effects of the alcohol meant that no amount of sleep could shake his grogginess.
At least his head wasn't throbbing anymore.
Suddenly remembering the issue at hand, Lin Jin looked up sharply at Lin Chen and asked, "Little bro, do you have a girl you like right now?"
"Huh?" Lin Chen was taken aback by Lin Jin's question.
"A crush is fine too."
When Lin Jin had been searching online about 'how to strengthen brotherly bonds,' one suggestion had been to "talk about women." Though he didn't particularly like this method, the other suggestions like dining out or hanging out together didn't seem feasible at the moment.
"None, I guess?" Lin Chen shyly turned his head to the side, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.
Lin Jin's eyes lit up instantly. Could it be that his little brother did have a crush on someone?
"Who is it? Is she pretty? Is she the virtuous type?" Lin Jin immediately became curious, genuinely surprised that his introverted, academically-focused younger brother would have a crush. Shouldn't his favorite things be books and homework?
"Don't worry, just tell me. I swear I won't blab about it." Lin Jin was aware that their mother would definitely be the traditional, no young love type. His gossiping curiosity was now burning fiercely. "Is she the kind with long hair down to her waist? Someone who's really beautiful and also excels in studies?"
Lin Chen shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I like short hair..."
"Short hair, huh? Short hair is good." Lin Jin readily agreed with Lin Chen's aesthetic preference.
Who would have thought his little brother was into short hair?
"Her grades are probably pretty bad..." Lin Chen continued, his face flushed. "But she has a great personality and often takes care of me."
"Mhm" Lin Jin nodded continuously, his mind gradually painting a picture of the person based on Lin Chen's description.
"She's skinny, maybe a bit hot-tempered? But she's really good to me" Lin Chen said shyly, a stark contrast to his ruggedly handsome appearance.
Lin Jin continued nodding, the mental image in his head becoming clearer.
But why did the figure in his mind increasingly resemble himself, as described by Lin Chen? Could it be that Lin Chen had a thing for his brother?
Lin Jin began to look at Lin Chen with somewhat peculiar eyes.
"I have a photo." Lin Chen took out his flip phone. "I specially uploaded it from my computer. Want to see?"
"Sure."
Lin Jin immediately cleared the self-resembling image from his mind and leaned in to see the screen of Lin Chen's phone. What he saw was a very sunny-looking, short-haired girl. She was quite pretty, had a bun-shaped face, and was dressed in a cute style.
Hmm, little bro has good taste.
"Nice! She's quite pretty, your aesthetics haven't disappointed me" Lin Jin said approvingly, nodding his head. "Now that we're on this topic, how about giving your brother a hug?"
"Huh?" Lin Chen looked up, visibly puzzled, staring at Lin Jin.
"We haven't seen each other in so long..." Lin Jin put on a pitiful look. "We, as brothers, haven't met for three years. It's been a long time since we were close, hasn't it?"
What should I do... my cross-dressing brother is suddenly asking for a hug? Is something off about him? Urgently awaiting advice online.
Lin Chen hesitated, shifting himself away from Lin Jin, all the while staring blankly at Lin Jin's face full of anticipation.
"Why are you acting so shy? We've kissed each other on the cheek when we were kids" Lin Jin said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "Besides, we're brothers!"
Back then we were kids, and it didn't seem like a big deal, right? And didn't you always tempt me into kissing you by offering lollipops or other snacks?
Seemingly coming to a realization, Lin Jin dropped the topic for the moment. He fumbled in his pocket and actually pulled out a lollipop that he had swiped from the car when he was out with Teacher Lin that morning.
"How about this? I give you this lollipop, and you give me a kiss. Deal?" Lin Jin looked at Lin Chen with hopeful eyes, anticipating that this task could be easily and smoothly accomplished.
However, in Lin Chen's eyes, Lin Jin looked like a creepy guy trying to lure children.
With an expression of helplessness, Lin Chen pushed away the hand Lin Jin was extending with the lollipop. He shook his head and said seriously, "Bro, I'm 18 now, 180 cm tall, and have bulked up from working out. Can you stop treating me like a child.."
"Can you also stop bullying me like I'm a child?" Lin Chen sighed. "After all, I am 18."
I didn't intend to bully you, though?
Lin Jin looked confused for a moment. He had genuinely been hoping for a simple kiss on the cheek from his younger brother, mainly because it was part of a task.
