Chapter 8

Yang Yunran didn’t receive any messages and thought Jiang Yi had already taken off. How could he imagine that his boyfriend was intentionally not responding? After all, Jiang Yi had always been good to him, letting him do whatever he wanted.

He drove home alone. On the way, he received a video call from Professor Chen.

Yang Yunran answered, being a bit cautious in front of Professor Chen, not saying too much. He set his phone aside and subtly greeted, “Uncle.”

Professor Chen: “Baby, are you driving? Where’s your companion?”

Yang Yunran had already accepted this awkward title and calmly replied, “I came to the airport to send someone off. Didn’t call him.”

Before Uncle could ask further, Yang Yunran started asking questions, “I just sent Jiang Yi to the airport. Is his hometown very far away? It seems like a long flight.”

Professor Chen confirmed and recalled, “It’s Manchuria in Inner Mongolia, quite far. Is he taking care of you?”

Yang Yunran carefully responded, “He takes good care of me. His cooking is delicious. I really like him, like an older brother.”

Jiang Yi was indeed like the older brother type Yang Yunran used to admire in the past, but back then, Yang Yunran was poor and insecure, admiring silently and eventually forgetting.

Professor Chen seemed concerned at his words, “He’s gone back to China, and you’re there alone. Since it’s vacation and you’re not hanging out with classmates, don’t go out often. Just stay around home.”

Yang Yunran brought up the issue of companionship and asked, “Uncle, is Zhao Yumo a student supported by my dad’s foundation?”

“I don’t know much about that. I only know he has excellent grades and has been in the same school with you since high school.”

Yang Yunran hinted, “The foundation supports so many students from orphanages. Why did my dad choose him?”

Professor Chen replied, “Probably because of his excellent character and academics. What’s wrong, baby? Is there an issue with your companion?”

Yang Yunran joked, “He’s really good, no problem at all. Sometimes I even feel he looks like my dad, so I feel a sense of familiarity… Could he possibly be my dad’s illegitimate child?”

Yang Yunran wasn’t sure how the original owner of the novel discovered that Zhao Youmo was a true young master, but recently he did notice a detail: there was a resemblance between Zhao Youmo and his parents in their younger years in some of their photos.

Especially his father, Zhao Youmo’s mouth, corners, and nose were exactly the same. Straight nose bridge, downturned corners of the mouth, with a hint of stubbornness.

So this might be the trigger.

Professor Chen’s expression turned serious at these words. “You mustn’t say such things lightly. I trust your father’s character.”

Yang Yunran quickly said, “I was just joking. Uncle, please don’t take it seriously, and don’t mention it to my mom. Her health isn’t good, and if she hears about this, she’ll scold me for being unfilial.”

After discussing his life and studies, Professor Chen ended the call.

Yang Yunran felt that Professor Chen Fangzhou, being so intelligent, would surely have some suspicions after his casual remark. He planned to pluck some of Zhao Youmo’s hair and send it to Professor Chen, gradually uncovering the truth of the mistaken identity.

However, at the moment, Yang Yunran didn’t have the time for that. After returning home, he still needed to study and review his books. When he encountered words and phrases he didn’t understand, he instinctively sent messages to Jiang Yi: “What does this mean?”

But Jiang Yi still hadn’t replied.

Forgetting that he was on a plane, Yang Yunran continued to message him as usual: “I finished studying. I’m tired, going to sleep now.”

“Good night.”

The next morning at 7 AM, he sent another message: “Good morning, wake up!”

Zhao Youmo came over to walk the dog and brought Yang Yunran a sandwich.

Yang Yunran took a few casual bites, cleared his throat, and prepared to start his livestream. Zhao Youmo glanced over curiously, noticing he was wearing a pure white wolf mask, quite cool.

They remembered Yang Yunran sang quite badly, and there were scandals like lip-syncing at birthday parties.

They hadn’t expected him to have the courage to livestream and play the guitar.

Yang Yunran held the guitar and tilted his head from behind the camera to look at him, “Are you ready to listen?”

“Um… I think I’ll walk the dog.” Afraid of making Yang Yunran uncomfortable, he left quickly.

As the door closed, Yang Yunran pressed the livestream button, pulling a thin gauze curtain behind him, letting daylight through.

Hundreds of viewers flooded into the livestream room.

Bullet comments flew by: “Just discovered a hidden gem of a streamer!! His creativity is off the charts!!”

“Why is it so bright outside for the streamer, is he in a different time zone?”

“Yeah yeah, what’s he singing today, can’t wait! Yesterday I requested a song, could he sing ‘A Hundred Years of Solitude’?”

“Why doesn’t the streamer show his face, is he ugly?”

Yang Yunran ignored them automatically, lightly testing the guitar strings with his slender fingers, then softly said, “The first song today, dedicated to the netizen Spicy Cabbage, a cover of Wong Faye’s A Hundred Years of Solitude’.”

Behind the pure white mask, Yang Yunran’s lips revealed a rosy and slightly parted mouth.

The guitar strings, accompanied by strong electronic tones, gradually intensified the rhythm, exciting the barrage:

“Ah ah ah yeah yeah, covering my goddess’s song!!”

Due to differences in tone, range, and singing style, in Yang Yunran’s rendition, it became a different flavor. Solitude ceased to be a chant or a scream; there was no madness or chaos, nor was there unrestrained freedom. His singing was simple and serene, as if enduring a hundred years of solitude had ultimately transcended. It seemed almost magical, causing people in the noisy world to suddenly quiet down.

Yang Yunran handled such songs in his unique way, causing the barrage to calm down briefly before erupting again:

“It’s completely different from the original!! The adaptation is amazing!!”

【45678 sent a sports car!】

“I’m boiling over, such a great singer-songwriter streamer, yet only four hundred followers!!”

“Your singing is so flavorful ahhhh.”

Yang Yunran was accustomed to strong praise like this, taking it lightly: “Thank you for the support. If you like it, please like, save, comment, and share. These are all important to me. Thank you for the gifts. Today, there are six more songs. The next one is my original…”

An hour passed quickly. Yang Yunran noticed in the barrage: “The songs the streamer mentioned last time, ‘Guess’ and ‘Transparent Illusion,’ I couldn’t find them online? They must be the streamer’s originals!!”

Huh?

You can’t find these two songs online?

After the livestream ended, prompted by netizens, Yang Yunran searched online and indeed found nothing similar or the same, not by any artist he recognized.

Yang Yunran spent some time figuring out the reason and finally concluded:

“So the people I know, those I’ve interacted with, don’t exist in this time and space.”

“So when I sing songs by singers I know and have met and talked to face-to-face, for netizens, they are songs they’ve never heard before.”

“It seems I can’t cover their songs anymore. Otherwise, netizens will say they’re my originals, and I won’t have a way to explain.”

These temporal rules also meant that among young musicians in the entertainment industry, there were few notable figures. Most of those highly praised were mediocre at best, and any music with decent arrangements was hailed as a song of the year.

Sitting on the sofa with his computer, Yang Yunran sighed. This was the state of the Chinese music industry—a tough pill to swallow.

At half-past nine in the morning, Zhao Youmo returned from walking the dog, greeted him, and left. Yang Yunran forgot to ask him about pulling his hair, focusing instead on his own affairs.

Back in the day, he didn’t achieve overnight fame. It took about two months of fermenting until his video suddenly went viral.

The internet needed promoters, and Yang Yunran needed to make quick money. Now he had learned marketing, which should have logically led him to use these skills and find KPIs to help promote his music. But due to his self-confidence and pride, Yang Yunran consistently rejected such methods.

He firmly believed that his music would be heard by everyone, crossing time and space to bring a few minutes of soul resonance. That was the meaning he pursued.

So, the boss and the manager often said he was eccentric, but also uniquely pure: “Your purity, Yang Yunran, is what the company strives for. Anyway, just focus on making good music.”

“I can’t do it.”

Yang Yunran thought, “It’s too hard. God has deprived me of my talent. I can’t write anymore.”

As noon approached, Yang Yunran felt hungry and decided to get up to find something to eat. That’s when he realized no one had come to pick him up today, and there was no one to cook for him either.

He was well taken care of by Jiang Yi, and now that Jiang Yi was gone, he really wasn’t used to it.

He took out his phone and saw that Jiang Yi hadn’t replied yet. It had been fourteen hours since his flight; was Jiang Yi still in transit?

Yang Yunran guessed Jiang Yi should be transferred to Dubai right now. He messaged him: “Have you landed? Did you get your boarding pass for the second leg of the flight?”

Yang Yunran was really hungry. He finished the leftover half sandwich from the morning, but it tasted like cardboard. He wanted to go out to find food, but the car was with Zhao Youmo, and he didn’t feel comfortable ordering Zhao Youmo around—he was a true gentleman.

The indispensability of having a boyfriend became evident at this moment. Yang Yunran rubbed his stomach and typed:

“Jiang Yi, have you arrived? I miss you.”

Indeed, Jiang Yi was currently transferring. At the airport, he casually bought some chocolates and camel plush toys as souvenirs. While paying with Alipay, he received a new message from Yang Yunran.

… Are you thinking about him?

Jiang Yi’s heart fluttered slightly. He scrolled up the screen and saw Yang Yunran’s bombardment of messages, treating him like a translator, asking questions, and saying good morning and good night.

Ignoring the ambiguous things, Jiang Yi planned to reply to him about the translation question: “You can use Google Translate.”

As Yang Yunran was typing, he happened to glance at the chat box and saw that Jiang Yi was calling him via voice.

Jiang Yi answered, finding their childish game of ignoring each other too immature. Yang Yunran was younger; Jiang Yi wasn’t.

“Hello,” he spoke through the bustling airport shopping area, seated in a slightly quieter lounge.

Yang Yunran asked, “I’m heading out for a meal. Are you at Dubai Airport?”

“Yes, preparing for a transfer,” Jiang Yi replied, knowing he had a few hours to wait.

“Oh… When are you coming back?”

Jiang Yi gave his usual reply, “Not sure.”

“You’ll definitely be back before school starts, right?” Yang Yunran sounded plaintive, having eaten some mediocre pot stickers. “I can’t stand being without you.”

His chef had left, his male nanny too!

He couldn’t accept it!!

Jiang Yi didn’t know how to respond, so he stayed silent for a moment before saying, “Yang Yunran, maybe you should try to make some friends.” Perhaps then Yang Yunran would stop focusing so much attention on him.

“Where do I make friends? Online?” Yang Yunran held the phone against his shoulder.

Frowning, Jiang Yi said, “… Not online.”

Yang Yunran continued, “What about school? I used to have a few friends there. They’ve all gone skiing, but I stayed behind to prepare for exams.”

Helplessly, Jiang Yi replied, “Study at home.”

“I really am studying at home. I’ll go back after eating. Oh, by the way, is your hometown in Inner Mongolia? Do you ride horses when you go home?”

About to hang up, Jiang Yi sighed, “…”

He didn’t know where Yang Yunran got so many questions from. After answering, he told him, “I’m hanging up. I need to board.”

“Wait! Did you upgrade to first class? It’s a seven to eight-hour flight back. I can help you upgrade. Do you have money? I can transfer it to you.”

Jiang Yi wondered just how much Yang Yunran misunderstood. “I have money. No need to upgrade. Business class is full. I’m hanging up now. Finish eating and go home. Goodbye.”

Thinking Jiang Yi was pressed for time, Yang Yunran replied reluctantly, “… Oh, okay. Bye then.”

It would be nearly forty hours before Jiang Yi returned home. His father had driven a Jeep to pick him up, wearing a warm down jacket with an apron still around his chest. Clearly, he had dashed out midway through cooking.

Bordering Russia, this region was mixed, and Jiang Yi’s father was Mongolian, using a Han name, while his mother was of Russian descent. When Jiang Yi was young, the family lived quite modestly.

Everything started early for Jiang Yi, participating in various competitions from the county level to the national level. Leaders shook his hand, journalists took photos, and reporters even visited his home for interviews.

The title of genius rested upon him, countless prize winnings improved the family’s financial situation, and his parents even had a second child.

Yet theirs remained an ordinary family.

Jiang Wei, his fourteen-year-old brother, was still in junior high school. Jiang Yi asked, “Is Jiang Wei on vacation?”

“Don’t mention it…” his father said. “He did so poorly on his final exams that he changed his report card to fool us into buying him a computer! Today, your mother found out and punished him by not allowing him to eat, and he’s been shouting in his room.”

All the good fortune and improbable genetics seemed to land on Jiang Yi. His younger brother, Jiang Wei, was naturally clumsy and had a stubborn personality. He lied and fought at school, showing no academic interest or capability.

The house and cars at home were all bought by Jiang Yi. For his brother’s education, Jiang Yi even purchased an apartment in Beijing, sending him there to study and live on campus with their mother accompanying him. Jiang Yi sent fifty thousand yuan as monthly living expenses to the family, a carefully considered amount to prevent his parents from feeling uneasy.

His parents were unaware of Jiang Yi’s situation in recent years, thinking he was doing scientific research in the United States because of his honest nature and reluctance to share details. They considered scientific research abroad unpatriotic.

Nevertheless, his parents were good-natured and had never criticized Jiang Yi.

During Chinese New Year, they returned to their hometown in Manchuria. The villa Jiang Yi bought with his competition winnings ten years ago was now an old house, where the family gathered for reunion.

With many people in Jiang Yi’s family, his rare visits were special. Upon entering, he sensed something was amiss. He asked, “Where’s Mom and Jiang Wei?”

Grandma, dressed in traditional wine-red attire, rose from the sofa with a mixture of smiles and anxiety on her face. She said vaguely, “Jiang Yi, you’re back. Your brother… your mother took him to the hospital.”

His father interjected urgently, “Hospital? What happened to Jiang Wei?”

Grandma explained, “Jiang Wei got into a fight with your mother and accidentally hurt himself.”

Remaining composed, Jiang Yi asked, “Which hospital? I’m going there now.”

When they arrived at the hospital, Father hurried over to find Jiang Wei, who was grimacing in the emergency room as doctors stitched up his arm. It didn’t seem like a serious issue.

Jiang Yi approached him. Jiang Wei, already fourteen and tall, was dressed head-to-toe in branded clothing. Just his jacket alone cost twenty thousand, a brand also worn by Yang Yunran.

Seeing Jiang Yi, Jiang Wei turned his head away at first, then lowered it and said, “Brother.”

Jiang Yi looked down at him coldly and asked, “You were the one who started it?”

Jiang Wei’s neck stiffened, his face turning red. “She smashed my computer!” he retorted.

Jiang Yi slapped him across the face. “So you decided to hit back?”

Stunned, Jiang Wei stared back at him, his ears ringing, incredulously clenching his fists.

A nurse hurried over, saying, “They just finished stitching the wound! Don’t fight the patient!”

Mother, bewildered and teary-eyed, pulled Jiang Yi away and said, “I accidentally broke Wei’s computer. It’s not his fault. Ah Yi, don’t blame your brother.”

Jiang Yi shook her off, his demeanor cold. “Jiang Wei, our parents have given you everything you have now. You should be grateful.”

With his neck stiff, Jiang Wei watched Jiang Yi turn away. Sending his brother to study in Beijing had been a mistake.

Over the past three years, Jiang Yi, who is far away in a foreign country, has helped his brother transfer schools twice. Being a genetic researcher, he knew that one’s personality was ingrained and couldn’t be changed.

He was deeply disappointed in Jiang Wei. He hadn’t expected such incidents right after his return.

Returning home very late that night, Jiang Wei forcefully closed his door behind him and Father stood outside, squatting and smoking, a towering figure at 1.9 meters, spitting on the ground. Life had improved a lot, but old habits remained.

Jiang Yi felt out of place. He had grown accustomed to quiet and solitary life, traveling light. After showering, he noticed messages from Yang Yunran on his phone and a missed voice call.

Yang Yunran was concerned if he had arrived home safely, also texting, “Your hometown city is so beautiful!! It’s full of Russian architecture.”

Yes, because it bordered Russia, his parents had done business with Russians when he was young. They followed whatever made money, but their luck was poor, always a step behind, unable to sustain any business.

Yang Yunran continued, “Next time I’m on vacation, I’ll visit your hometown.”

Ignoring him, Jiang Yi received a call from Professor Chen Fangzhou. “Jiang Yi, are you home now?”

“I just arrived not long ago,” Jiang Yi said, leaning against his bed in pajamas, feeling the warmth from the radiator.

Professor Chen said, “When you return to the US, stop by the research institute during your layover in Beijing. I want to see your research progress, particularly the growth of differentiated cells in living plants and animals.”

Having signed a confidentiality agreement, Jiang Yi couldn’t show Chen everything. He briefly explained the experiments he could conduct.

Professor Chen understood what couldn’t be said and didn’t press further. He was satisfied with progress. Since Jiang Yi joined the research group, his independent work on stem cell cultivation and transplantation projects had brought in at least two billion yuan annually through partnerships with high-end medical institutions. Chen, being the mentor, took most of it, leaving Jiang Yi with a smaller share.

Respecting his teacher and the way of life, Jiang Yi didn’t quarrel over the matter.

Jiang Yi wasn’t interested in wealth, which earned him extra favor from Professor Chen. “Just as you left, I called Dad. He said he would take you to the airport, and I only then knew you were returning to China.”

Regarding Yang Yunran, Jiang Yi had nothing to discuss. He answered the professor’s questions and didn’t mention that Yang Yunran was gay.

Professor Chen had much to say about Yang Yunran, showing how much he cared for him.

Finally, Professor Chen said, “Dad says he really likes you and sees you as a big brother. He has a hearing at the end of the month, and I’m worried about him being alone, especially now that you’ve returned to China.”

Treated as a big brother?

Jiang Yi recalled how Yang Yunran’s dependency on him seemed abnormal, possibly due to his sexual orientation. Now, hearing Professor Chen’s words, Jiang Yi dispelled such thoughts.

So, he was seen as a big brother.

Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief but remembered his rebellious younger brother. Even dealing with transplant experiments was less of a headache—

He opened the chat with Yang Yunran, who had messaged him:

“Why aren’t you replying? Brother, don’t you love me anymore?”

“There’s some family stuff,” Jiang Yi started typing.

Yang Yunran quickly called, and Jiang Yi opened the window to answer. Yang Yunran’s lively voice was a stark contrast to Jiang Wei’s aggression. If his brother could be like this, Jiang Yi thought, it would be nice.

Yang Yunran straightforwardly expressed missing him and asked, “When are you coming back?”

“After the New Year,” Jiang Yi replied, then asked, “Are you at home?”

Yang Yunran’s voice was lazy but pleasant over the phone. “Yeah, got tired of studying, so I’m going to play a game for five minutes to relax.”

Jiang Yi’s voice lowered. “Then go ahead and play.”

“Don’t hang up!” Yang Yunran exclaimed unexpectedly.

Jiang Yi found it odd. “But didn’t you want to play a game?”

“I’d rather talk to you,” Yang Yunran said. “The game isn’t as charming as you. You didn’t reply to my afternoon message, so I thought you didn’t like me anymore.”

Jiang Yi paused, then said, “That’s not true.”