---

---

“I’m scared, Brother Yu, he’s so fierce.”

The scene was causing a commotion, and many people in the bar were watching. He Jiancheng might be able to handle the embarrassment, but I had a thin skin.

I gave Ji Mingxin an apologetic smile. “Shall we go somewhere else to talk?”

Ji Mingxin was easygoing. After glancing at He Jiancheng’s dark expression, he smiled at me and said, “Sure.”

As I was about to leave, He Jiancheng grabbed my wrist as we brushed past each other. “Where are you planning to take him, hmm?”

“I’ve been calling and messaging you every day. You blocked me, and when I came to your place, you wouldn’t open the door.

“And now, the one time I finally see you, it’s with another man. Cheng Yu, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

His gaze was sharp, as if he was ready to devour me.

I tried to shake him off, but He Jiancheng refused to let go.

“He Jiancheng, don’t push me. Let go, or I’ll make a scene.”

He didn’t move.

Just as I was about to use force, Ji Mingxin stepped between us. “What are you doing, He Shao?”

He glanced toward a booth in the distance and said with a playful smile, “Your fiancée is watching.”

I followed his gaze and immediately recognized the stunning woman. She looked just as beautiful as she did in the pictures online, and she was staring at us curiously.

“Aren’t you worried your fiancée might get the wrong idea, seeing you hold onto Brother Yu like that?”

He Jiancheng’s face darkened. “This is between Cheng Yu and me. Ji Mingxin, stay out of it. Have I been too lenient with you?”

Despite the looming threat, Ji Mingxin just shrugged indifferently, but when he turned back to me, he looked incredibly innocent. “Brother Yu, what should we do? He won’t let you leave.”

Then he gave me a wink.

Suddenly, He Jiancheng grunted in pain.

Before I could figure out what happened, He Jiancheng released me and threw a punch at Ji Mingxin.

People around us scrambled to get out of the way.

The punch wasn’t fast, and I thought Ji Mingxin could dodge it, but to my surprise, he took it head-on.

The impact made him stumble back a few steps, and he accidentally crashed into the sofa, falling to the ground.

Seeing He Jiancheng ready to lunge again, I quickly stepped in. “What the hell is wrong with you? If you want to fight, fight me. Leave him out of this.”

He Jiancheng stopped, giving me a complicated look.

But I ignored him, kneeling beside Ji Mingxin. “Are you okay?”

Looking aggrieved, Ji Mingxin held out his arm, which was cut by a shattered bottle. “It hurts, Brother Yu.”

Blood had smeared across his wound, making it hard to see the extent of the injury.

Afraid of making it worse, I quickly helped him up, intending to take him to the hospital.

He Jiancheng tried to block my way again, but I glared at him and said coldly, “Get lost!”

Ji Mingxin leaned on me, softly reassuring me. “Brother Yu, I don’t think He Shao meant to hurt me. Don’t be angry.”

He Jiancheng must have heard him because he smashed the table nearby. “Ji Mingxin, what the hell is wrong with you?”

I kept walking without looking back.

“Brother Yu, I think he’s the one with a problem. He acts like he has rabies. You should avoid him from now on.”

---

The nurse called to tell me that Cheng Xinxin wasn’t doing well lately. “She’s not eating much and keeps asking when you’ll come to see her.”

So much had happened recently that I’d neglected her.

As soon as I entered the hospital room, Cheng Xinxin rushed into my arms. “Brother, I thought you didn’t want me anymore, just like Mom.”

Cheng Xinxin had been abandoned by her own mother before, so she was very sensitive.

“How could I not want you? I’ve just been really busy. Can you forgive your brother?”

I gently wiped her tears away. “Will you forgive me?”

Cheng Xinxin nodded obediently.

After checking with the doctor about her condition, I returned to the room, only to be greeted by a familiar voice. “Brother Yu.”

I turned around. It was Ji Mingxin.

“What’s wrong? I’ve been calling your name for a while, but you didn’t answer.”

I smiled awkwardly. “Sorry. Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?”

He lifted his bandaged arm. “I’m here for a check-up.”

“Oh.” I felt a bit strange about it but didn’t press further.

“Brother!” Cheng Xinxin called from inside the room. She stared at Ji Mingxin curiously before looking up at me. “Brother, is this your new boyfriend?”

I quickly bent down to cover her mouth.

“This is my sister,” I explained to Ji Mingxin, embarrassed. “She’s just a kid. Don’t take her seriously.”

But Ji Mingxin didn’t seem to mind at all. He pulled out a small rabbit toy from his pocket like a magician. “Your sister has quite a sweet mouth.”

He was great with kids, and in no time, he had Xinxin wrapped around his finger.

“Brother, sing for me,” she said.

At first, I thought she was talking to me, but it turned out she was asking Ji Mingxin.

Xinxin was usually very introverted and rarely got close to people, except for me.

I suddenly remembered the first time I met her. Back then, I was still in college. After she was diagnosed with her illness, our mom abandoned her outside my apartment.

Xinxin and I had both inherited our mom’s looks. So, the moment she saw me, she timidly called me “brother.”

She was only eight years old, yet she already understood she had been abandoned.

I, too, had been abandoned when I was young. After my dad died in a car accident, my mom took the compensation money and left me at the orphanage.

“Wait here for Mom. She’ll be back soon,” she had said.

I could already read the word “orphanage” by then. As soon as she turned her back, I knew she wasn’t coming back.

But I refused to admit I had been abandoned, so I kept waiting.

---

Xinxin had fallen asleep. Ji Mingxin and I sat quietly on the small balcony, chatting softly.