In the past, Arno had seen a few of his classmates in the UK who had younger siblings.
They would talk about their younger siblings with affection, boasting about how wonderful they were.
But Arno had always found it annoying.
After all, babies were nothing more than bundles of noise and milk, crying all day long. He couldn’t imagine what was so adorable about them.

But Jiang Yi was different.

Dressed in little milk-themed pajamas, holding a small pillow, his soft black hair framed his snow-white face, dimples appearing as he smiled, and his eyes sparkling with brightness. After drinking milk before bed, he smelled sweet, like a soft little dumpling—utterly adorable.
He called Arno’s name with a slight nasal tone, his voice soft and endearing.

Maybe it was because it was the first time Arno was sharing a bed with someone, but he felt a rush of excitement, an uncontrollable energy buzzing within him.
He tilted his head, staring intently at Jiang Yi for a while, then suddenly leaned over and bit Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi was busy playing with a puzzle when he felt a bite on his wrist—Arno’s small tiger teeth gently grinding against his skin, a strange mixture of excitement and affection, as if Arno wanted to swallow him whole.

Jiang Yi blinked in confusion and asked, “Arno, are you hungry?”

Arno, still holding on to that small patch of skin between his teeth, mumbled something unintelligible.

Jiang Yi, feeling bad for Arno, thought to himself that poor Arno hadn’t eaten enough at the kindergarten graduation tonight.
He patted Arno’s head, telling him to let go, and started to get out of bed to check his little backpack for some cookies or candy.

Arno reluctantly let go but quickly wrapped his arms around Jiang Yi, refusing to let him leave.

Jiang Yi tilted his head, pointed to Arno’s stomach, and gestured that he might be hungry.

Arno licked his small tiger teeth and leaned in to bite Jiang Yi’s cheek. He didn’t bite too hard, just enough to leave a small circle of teeth marks, before seriously declaring two words in Chinese:

“Full now.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

In a dry voice, Jiang Yi responded, “Oh.”

He thought Arno might have picked up some bad habits, like a stray puppy—biting things to soothe his teeth. He made a mental note to ask his father later how to deal with someone who, like a little puppy, had a habit of biting things.

Unaware of Jiang Yi’s thoughts, Arno simply hugged him, treating him like a cherished doll.

Arno loved this feeling—Jiang Yi, soft and sweet, belonged to him.
This thought filled him with joy.

Jiang Yi’s face sank into the blanket, and he let out a small yawn. Trapped in Arno’s embrace, he was starting to feel sleepy. In a soft, sleepy voice, he said, “Arno, goodnight.”

Arno, trying to act mature, replied with a steady, “Goodnight.”
But after Jiang Yi fell asleep, Arno secretly opened his eyes again, playing with Jiang Yi’s long, curled eyelashes for a while. Then, he sneaked in another small bite on Jiang Yi’s cheek, finally feeling satisfied enough to drift off to sleep.

Before dozing off, Arno had already planned out their day tomorrow. They would fly kites—since Jiang Yi couldn’t run for too long, Arno would help hold the kite string for him, and once it was flying high, he would give it to Jiang Yi to enjoy.
He would also take Jiang Yi to see his little horse during horseback riding lessons—a docile chestnut horse that Jiang Yi would surely love.

In the early morning hours, a cool breeze rustled the branches outside the window, creating a soft, shushing sound.

In the dark bedroom, Jiang Yi’s small body was burning up, his face flushed red, and his breathing labored. His soft hair clung to his damp forehead as he curled up, mumbling in his sleep, calling out for his parents in a weak, feverish voice.

At around 1 a.m., Arno, with a pale face and bare feet, ran frantically down the hallway, his hands ice-cold with panic. He banged on Lu Ting’s door with all his might.

Lu Ting opened the door after a moment, only to find Arno standing there, panting heavily, his face pale. His voice was trembling as he said, “Dad, something’s wrong with Jiang Yi.”

Lu Ting’s expression immediately darkened.

By 2 a.m., the Lu residence was brightly lit.

Jiang Yi’s father arrived in such a rush that he didn’t even bother changing out of his pajamas, fearing any delay.

In the second-floor bedroom, the family doctor had already finished tending to Jiang Yi and was giving Lu Ting instructions. On the other side of the room, the butler brought Jiang Yi’s father to his son.

Jiang Yi’s fever had subsided, but he lay pale and curled up on the large bed. His thin eyelids were tinged with red, and his long, delicate eyelashes were wet, making him look pitiful, like a small, weak creature suffering from illness.

The doctor explained, “It seems the cold he caught during his bath, combined with his weak constitution, caused the fever to spike in the middle of the night…”

Lu Ting sighed apologetically, “I shouldn’t have allowed Arno and Jiang Yi to sleep together. No matter how careful Arno was, I shouldn’t have left Jiang Yi in his care.”

Jiang Yi’s father smiled bitterly, shaking his head. “Jiang Yi has always had a frail body since childhood. He gets sick often. It’s not Arno’s fault.”

When Jiang Yi’s father approached the bed, he noticed Arno sitting at the bedside, silent with his head down.

After checking Jiang Yi’s temperature and confirming that there was no serious issue based on his experience of caring for Jiang Yi, he gently comforted Arno.

Arno remained silent, his head hanging low. After a long while, when he finally looked up, Jiang Yi’s father was taken aback to see the usually temperamental boy with red eyes, teeth clenched tightly, and tear stains on his cheeks. In a small voice, Arno murmured, “I’m sorry, Uncle Jiang.”

Jiang Yi’s father sighed, “It’s okay, Arno. Uncle knows you didn’t mean for this to happen. Jiang Yi is just different from other children. He gets sick far more easily than most people.”

Arno stayed quiet, his expression somber.

Jiang Yi’s father reassured him, “Go to bed, Arno. Jiang Yi will wake up in the morning. Don’t worry too much.”

But there was no way Arno could sleep. The panic he had felt earlier when he realized Jiang Yi was burning up in his arms, unresponsive no matter how much he called, had not subsided.

Arno sat with his head down, carefully holding Jiang Yi’s fingers in his own. For the first time, he fully realized how fragile Jiang Yi was—this boy who always called him Arno with such softness, who had to take so much medicine every day, was far more delicate than he had imagined.

Even staying too long in the bath could make him this sick.

Around 4 a.m., Jiang Yi’s fever broke, and he slowly woke up. His lips were pale, and it took him a while to gather enough strength to turn his head toward the edge of the bed.

At the bedside, Jiang Yi’s father was asleep in a chair. Near the bed, a small head of golden hair was resting on the bed’s edge.

Still feeling a bit slow from his fever, it took Jiang Yi a moment to realize that the person beside him was Arno.

“Arno…” Jiang Yi called out softly.

Arno immediately stirred as if by instinct, lifting his head without even opening his eyes.

Jiang Yi told him to go back to sleep, but Arno stubbornly refused, remaining at the bedside like a silent sentinel.

Jiang Yi, feeling sleepy again, finally gave in and invited Arno to join him on the bed. Before drifting back to sleep, he mumbled softly, warning Arno to keep his distance so he wouldn’t catch his illness.

“Being sick is really uncomfortable. I don’t want you to feel the same way.”

Arno didn’t climb into the bed but clumsily patted Jiang Yi’s back, imitating what Jiang Yi’s father had done earlier, gently coaxing him back to sleep.

Already half-asleep, Jiang Yi mumbled a few more words before dozing off once again.

Around 5 a.m., Jiang Yi’s father woke up to check on his son, following his usual habit of replacing the small sweat towel on Jiang Yi’s forehead. But this time, he found the towel already replaced, clean and dry.

Arno was fast asleep, slumped over at the bedside.

Jiang Yi’s father chuckled softly and gently picked up the sleeping boy, placing him in the bed beside Jiang Yi.

When Arno woke up the next morning, he found himself alone in the large bed.

At first, he panicked and hurriedly ran barefoot around the house, only to realize that Jiang Yi had probably been taken home by his father.

Arno pursed his lips, quickly throwing on his clothes and rushing downstairs, eager to ask Lu Ting if he could visit Jiang Yi at his place.

To his surprise, when he reached the dining room downstairs, there sat Jiang Yi at the table, with a fever patch on his forehead, sipping porridge in small mouthfuls. His face looked a bit pale.

Seeing Arno come down, Jiang Yi smiled, revealing a small dimple. Despite his illness, his voice was soft and slightly nasal, and she greeted him happily, “Good morning, Arno.”