YiHan ruffled his hair in frustration at Jiang Hua's news and said, "How could it be? The only ones who know about your feelings are the three of us. How could my brother know?"
"If Mr Mu could see it, it's not strange for Mr Bai to realise it either," Jiang Hua calmly said.
YiHan looked up at the tranquil face of Jiang Hua and remembered what the man once said, "I had only wanted to stand as close to him as I can. It's good enough that I can see him frequently" and "I'd be close to him as long as I stay in this city". The thought of what Jiang Hua's past words made YiHan's heart clench. He didn't know what to say to comfort Jiang Hua.
Jiang Hua looked around his apartment and said, "YiHan, I need to ask a favour from you. Please help me find a good buyer for this house. If I sell it off, I can properly settle down in ChangCheng."
YiHan looked around. This apartment was filled to the brim with warmth. Jiang Hua had also just moved in. Every inch of this place exudes homeliness. It was clear to see Jiang Hua had placed a lot of effort into decorating it. YiHan had only visited this place once and he already couldn't bear to part with it. Just how upset must Jiang Hua, the person who decorated it himself, be for him to say that?
"You can just keep it for now," JingYuan interjected. "Why sell it off?"
"Sell it," Jiang Hua said, shaking his head. "With it around, I'd always think I have a home here. Without it, I'll properly give up. Only then can I start a new life in ChangCheng."
YiHan couldn't speak. His mind was filled with thoughts of how badly he wanted to drag his big brother over for a beating. However, just as Jiang Hua said, he can only start afresh after giving up completely. The man was still young. Who knew what would happen in the future? Jiang Hua was a good man. Perhaps he'll welcome springtime, like Lu FengYu who was deadest on protecting him tonight.
YiHan's voice quivered as he said, "Okay. I'll help you sell it off. You head to ChangCheng and have a proper new beginning. Don't think about this city anymore. Only, don't forget about me too. No matter where you go, I will always be your little brother."
Jiang Hua's hands tightened around the warm glass. His eyes were red as he smiled and said, "Of course. Right. Have you seen the guest room? When the renovations were done, I kept thinking that you might perhaps stay the night one day. So I tweaked the decor in there so that you might like it. Sleep in it tonight. At least make it so it has some worth. Don't waste my efforts."
Sour sorrow whirled inside YiHan. "Okay," he agreed. "Do you feel better now? Get some sleep. It's nearly dawn."
Jiang Hua nodded. He placed the glass of water on the coffee table before them and said, "You two sleep too. You must've been exhausted from last night."
YiHan hummed in assent.
Jiang Hua pushed himself up and, waving away YiHan's help, he stumbled into the bedroom.
YiHan cleaned up the living room and headed into the guest bedroom with JingYuan. The moment he stepped through the door, tears welled up in his eyes. The guest bedroom seemed to have been decorated with him solely in mind. It wasn't just a guest bedroom with a few tweaks. It looked like his own bedroom. The colour of the wallpaper, the little rug beside his bed, the trinkets on the desk, those were everything he liked. There was even a curio shelf built into the wall. There were all sorts of models and figurines he'd like before. The bed sheets were made of pure cotton and in his favourite light green shade. There were two cute-looking pillows on the bed, similarly coloured to the bed. The room looked wide and spacious. YiHan loved anything and everything that was light green. However, he'd always thought it wasn't fitting for a boy to own anything of the colour. So he never dared use anything light green. Not even his bedroom had this shade of bedsheet. Now, looking at this bed, he had the urge to fling himself onto the bed.
YiHan had merely said he could be Jiang Hua's little brother and the man would go to such great lengths just for him. Jiang Hua didn't know if YiHan could ever stay a night at his new apartment, yet he had a room made up completely of things YiHan liked. Jiang Hua would've needed to be very observant or put in a lot of effort to know of YiHan's favourite home decor style, his favourite colour, his favourite decoration items, his favourite room layout. Furthermore, these models and figurines were new. Most of them needed to be pieced together by the buyer. Jiang Hua was a busy man he'd been kept so much busier by Bai Yan recently that he probably didn't have enough time to sleep. Even so, Jiang Hua made time to complete those models for YiHan. It was clear as day just how important YiHan was to the man. One could also tell just how much the man craved for a family, for warmth, for something most people could easily obtain. He yearned so much for it yet it was so hard. In this city, he could at least watch the man he liked from afar. He at least had a little brother and a home he decorated himself. All of that was shattered by a single piece of paper. In two more weeks, Jiang Hua will be going to an unfamiliar place all by himself. He'll be faced with strangers all the time. Just how lonely and broken would he feel when he had to put on a smile as his armour?
YiHan slowly walked over to the bed and sat down, letting loose a heavy sigh.
JingYuan sat down beside him and leaned against his shoulder. "Don't be upset. There's nothing that can be done about it. The one thing that can't be demanded to change in this world is love."
"I understand that," YiHan whispered back. "But even if Brother doesn't like him, Yan can just ignore him. Is there a need to chase him out of the city?" YiHan sighed again. "I only hope Jiang-ge can properly put away the past after he arrives at ChangCheng. I hope he can start anew and find a future that belongs to him."
���He will," JingYuan said.
YiHan bitterly smiled. "There's actually not much hope. He's a very stubborn man. How could he easily forget about it? I'm only saying this to comfort myself." YiHan then pulled one of the pillows into his arms. As expected, it was soft and squishy. Unwittingly, he let out another sigh and continued, "Jiang-ge is a great man. He's so detailed-oriented and he's the best at taking care of other people. Why are the gods so unfair? He just had to fall in love with a log head like my brother?"
JingYuan was stuck between laughing and crying. "If Yan hears that, he'd be really sad. This matter can't be blamed on him either. After all, love can't be forced. Ripping off the band-aid might be better for Jiang Huan."
YiHan thought about it. Eventually, he let out a hum in agreement and wrapped his arms around JingYuan's waist. He then placed his face against JingYuan's stomach.
"When I look at Jiang-ge," YiHan says, "I feel so lucky. I fell in love with you and you just so happen to also fall in love with me. There's nothing luckier than this."
JingYuan stroked YiHan's hair and softly said, "Me too. The luckiest thing in my life is falling in love with you."
***
The morning after a brief night of acting out and letting loose, Jiang Hua returned to the original warm and capable Jiang Hua. He still looked rather pale but he also had a gentle smile on his lips. He cooked breakfast for YiHan and JingYuan with that smile on his face. After breakfast, the three left Jiang Hua's apartment. He waved farewell to the two and return to the office with the same smile.
Last night, when Yan heard something had happened to Jiang Hua, his legs subconsciously followed behind the lovers out of the Bai family home. When he saw Chen Feng and his men charge into the bar, he stopped and stood outside until he spotted the doors swing open with the two lovers helping Jiang Hua out. He hurriedly ducked around the corner, even if he didn't know what he was hiding from or why.
He watched from his hiding spot as YiHan and JingYuan carried the unconscious Jiang Hua into the car. To him, Jiang Hua had always been good at holding his drink. When they attended business dinners, Jiang Hua would always drink on his behalf. He had never seen Jiang Hua drunk. Now that he's looking at Jiang Hua dead-drunk, he didn't know what to think or feel.
As the car with Jiang Hua in it began to leave, Yan's body began to follow suit and drive along behind it. He thought YiHan would be bringing Jiang Hua back to the Bai family home. He was wondering if he should head back early and pretend he'd never left the house when he saw the car turn into an unfamiliar street. This should be Jiang Hua's new apartment.
Yan didn't drive into the residential area. Instead, he stopped outside of the area and smoked by his car for a few hours. His mind was lost in a whirlwind but he didn't know what he was frustrated over. When Jiang Hua kept appearing before his eyes, he'd find his thoughts twisted into a mess. So he thought to transfer the man far away from him. Out of sight, out of mind. Also, he thought Jiang Hua being a manager in ChangCheng would give the man's talents a better stage. It was all for the man's sake. However, the thought of Jiang Hua leaving in two weeks and would rarely return made his heart pound in panic.
Bai Yan, oh, Bai Yan. When did you become so pampered? Perhaps his younger brother was right. He'd constantly bully Jiang Hua just because the man was good-tempered. The man was just doing his job. He didn't offend anyone or cause drama. His work was also perfect. One can say no one else can do any better than Jiang Hua. Yet, for his own reasons, Yan would torment him. He could still remember the smile Jiang Hua had when he bought the apartment. It came from the bottom of his heart. It was not long ago since the renovations were complete and Jiang Hua moved in. Now, he had to leave. It's such a pity. Argh, this was so annoying.
Yan stood there for the whole night. He only left just as the sun was about to rise. At work, his eyes would unwittingly drift over to look at Jiang Hua. The man looked the same as usual. He had a smile on as handed over his work to the newly promoted staff or something. He acted so normal that it seemed like what happened last night was just a hallucination.
Yan's feet stopped at the door to his office. He stood there for a long time as he stared back at Jiang Hua. Finally, he turned and entered his office. Still, he could feel his mind wavering and unfocused. His wandering thoughts would constantly turn to Jiang Hua. During lunch break, he put down his work and followed Jiang Hua into the company cafeteria. An occurrence rare beyond belief.
During lunch, a beautiful female employee walked over to Jiang Hua and talked to him. Jiang Hua smiled at her politely and kept the conversation going. Yan stared at the lady's red lips open and close. He didn't realise it before but this woman was hideous, despite being one of the women publicly acknowledged as the most beautiful in the building. Just who recruited her? She's ruining the company's image! Were everyone's tastes this bad?
Then, he heard that ugly woman say in a sickly sweet voice, "Ah, Jiang-ge. Why are you eating so little? Are you trying to go on a diet like us women? Your body is already perfect. Eat some more."