"Oh," Hua Tong looked surprised when he saw Qin Fang, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," Qin Fang wore a black mask, his voice nasally, "Just trying to look cool."

"Forget it with that voice," Hua Tong tapped Qin Fang's shoulder with the book in his hand, "Got a cold?"

Qin Fang grunted, "A bit, I guess."

"Even a big beast can catch a cold?" Hua Tong blinked, "Turned into a mortal?"

"Piss off." Qin Fang couldn't be bothered with him, his head felt like it was stuffed with paste, heavy and hard to lift, his eyelids also heavy.

It had been too long since Qin Fang was last sick, he almost forgot what it felt like. This time he experienced it deeply. His bones and muscles ached together, a sourness seeping out from between the bones, he just wanted to lie down and not move.

He had class in the same teaching building as Hua Tong that day, their classrooms one floor apart. Hua Tong had asked to have lunch together. Qin Fang actually didn't have much appetite, but not eating wasn't an option either, it would only make him recover slower.

"How long has it been since you went home?" Hua Tong asked while they ate.

Qin Fang thought for a moment, "Haven't been back since my birthday. Yangyang has a little brother now, so he hasn't been pushing me."

"If he doesn't push you, you really won't go back," Hua Tong said, "You should go back and make your presence known from time to time."

Qin Fang looked up, "You see the state I'm in, you think I have the energy to make my presence known?"

"If you go back like this, your stepmom will probably think you're putting on a pitiful act," Hua Tong snickered, "I say you should just go, looking all miserable like this could probably earn you a hundred or two hundred thousand."

Qin Fang spooned some porridge into his mouth and shook his head.

He really didn't want to go back, he just wanted to lie in the dorm when not in class. He only went back to the Jian house when he missed Jian Muyang, let alone now when he wasn't feeling well.

But in the end he couldn't stay put. Qin Fang still went back after Jian Muyang called.

He hadn't seen Jian Muyang for over three weeks. Although the boy didn't say he wanted Qin Fang to come back over the phone, he spoke in a soft voice that Qin Fang couldn't bear.

It was a last minute decision. Qin Fang got up to change clothes, grabbed his phone and car keys, and left.

He arrived a bit late, they had already eaten by the time he got back. Jian Mingtao wasn't home, Dong Yin sat on the sofa playing with the baby while Jian Muyang sat beside her on the carpet watching. In addition to the original auntie, there was now also a confinement nanny and a childcare worker.

As soon as he opened the door, everyone in the room looked over.

Jian Muyang let out a shriek and instantly jumped up, throwing himself at Qin Fang, "Bro, why are you back?!"

Qin Fang, wearing a mask, patted his head and said, "Came back to see you."

After saying that, he turned to Dong Yin and greeted, "Auntie Yin."

"Xiao Fang caught a cold?" Dong Yin looked at him, sounding quite concerned, "Have you taken medicine?"

"I have." Qin Fang changed his shoes and came in.

"Come see your little brother." Dong Yin called to him with a smile.

Qin Fang shook his head, clearing his throat behind the mask, "I have a cold, better not."

Qin Fang had forgotten about this, otherwise he wouldn't have come back today. Infants have weak immunity. Although Qin Fang's cold was likely from catching a chill himself, not some virus or flu, he still didn't go over.

Jian Muyang stuck to Qin Fang in the room, overjoyed.

"Bro I missed you soooo much!" Jian Muyang said, eyes wide.

Qin Fang leaned back a bit to avoid him, "Stay away from me, I have a cold."

"It's fine!" Jian Muyang still snuggled over, "I'm not afraid of catching a cold."

Qin Fang wasn't as cautious with Jian Muyang. He pinched the boy's cheek, "If you catch a cold, you'll have to be isolated from your little brother."

"He's your little brother too!" Jian Muyang retorted in a low voice.

Qin Fang smiled and nodded, "He is."

Jian Muyang seemed normal on the surface, but Qin Fang's intuition was quite accurate. After the initial excitement passed, he could tell the boy was a bit down, not as talkative as usual.

Qin Fang watched him for a while, then called him over.

Jian Muyang had already changed into pajamas. He came over and sat cross-legged beside Qin Fang, "What is it?"

Qin Fang asked him, "If you have any little moods, tell your big brother about it."

Jian Muyang shook his head, "I don't."

He didn't want to say, so Qin Fang respected his little thoughts.

Jian Mingtao only returned the next morning. Qin Fang had already packed and was ready to leave. After sleeping with Jian Muyang for a night, Jian Muyang didn't have class on weekend mornings, so Qin Fang played with him for a bit before planning to head back to school.

Jian Mingtao opened the door and came in, having just landed from his business trip. Qin Fang greeted, "Dad," and Jian Mingtao responded.

Dong Yin came down from upstairs, holding the baby. As soon as she came down, Jian Muyang went over wanting to see his little brother. Dong Yin couldn't see her feet while holding the child, and on the last step, she nearly missed her footing.

Jian Mingtao scolded Jian Muyang, "Always so restless."

Jian Muyang glanced at his dad without a word and took a step back.

Dong Yin walked over and sat on the sofa, putting the baby down. Jian Muyang reached out to touch his little brother's face, but Dong Yin blocked him with her hand, asking, "Did Yangyang wash his hands?"

Jian Muyang pursed his lips and nodded, "I did."

Qin Fang was about to leave, but he didn't go. Wearing a mask, he sat on the single sofa playing with his phone. Jian Muyang sidled over to stand beside him. Qin Fang patted the armrest, indicating for Jian Muyang to come sit.

The two of them squeezed together to watch Qin Fang play a game, though Qin Fang was playing half-heartedly and kept losing.

Seeing Qin Fang wearing a mask, Jian Mingtao asked what was wrong with him.

Qin Fang didn't look up, "It's nothing."

Dong Yin smiled and said to Jian Mingtao, "Xiao Fang really does like Yangyang."

"Mm, they're brothers." Jian Mingtao replied offhandedly.

"Xiao Fang hasn't even held his little brother yet. Yesterday when he came back, I told him to hold the baby, but Xiao Fang only wanted to play with Yangyang, letting Yangyang cling to him." Dong Yin's voice was neither loud nor soft as she spoke slowly.

Qin Fang glanced up at her, then lowered his head to continue playing the game.

Jian Mingtao said to Qin Fang mildly, "They're both your little brothers."

Qin Fang grunted, "And they're both your sons."

Jian Mingtao frowned, his lips moving, but in the end he didn't say anything.

With a mask covering his face, only Qin Fang's eyes were exposed, making it more direct when he stared at someone like this. Dong Yin took the child upstairs to nurse, leaving only Jian Mingtao and the two brothers downstairs. Qin Fang said to Jian Muyang, "Yangyang, go to my closet and find me a black coat."

Jian Muyang ran upstairs with pattering footsteps.

"The younger one is your son, and the older one is also your son." Qin Fang's voice was very low as he glanced up at his father. "In families with a second child, the older one is often neglected. Children at this age are very sensitive."

Jian Mingtao raised his eyebrows: "What are you trying to say?"

"I want to say," Qin Fang stood up, putting his phone into his pants pocket, "you and your wife shouldn't focus all your attention on the new son. Yangyang is well-behaved enough, don't always give him the cold face because of the younger one. No child likes to see their parents' cold faces, it doesn't feel good."

"What did Yangyang say to you?" Jian Mingtao never paid much attention to these things and didn't care much about the children in the first place. Qin Fang didn't know if he would take it seriously even if he told him.

"He didn't say anything." Qin Fang coughed dully a couple of times behind his mask, "I saw it myself."

Jian Muyang brought him a coat. Qin Fang took it, patted his head, said a few words to him, and then drove away.

Jian Muyang stood at the door to see him off. Qin Fang waved his phone at him, telling him to call if anything came up. Jian Muyang nodded with a grin, after all he was still young and his mood passed after some coaxing.

Qin Fang was a good brother, there was a reason why Jian Muyang was so attached to him.

Staying at the Jian family's home was never relaxing. Staying one night and saying a few words made him feel even worse. Qin Fang parked his car downstairs from the dormitory. As he went upstairs, he greeted some friends he knew. He took out his key to open the door, and his phone rang in his pocket.

He raised his eyebrows, it was actually Xing Yan.

How long had it been since he actively called, Qin Fang was a bit surprised. But he still remembered what they said when they played ball, and thinking about it made him feel a bit stuffy.

"Hello?" Qin Fang answered.

He used to directly call him "Yan-ge" when answering before, but not anymore.

Xing Yan asked him, "Want to eat together?"

Qin Fang said, "I'm not going."

Saying no wasn't because he was angry, there was nothing to be angry about, he simply just felt uncomfortable. He really wasn't feeling well, and it got worse after returning from the Jian family's home. His head hurt and he just wanted to sleep.

Xing Yan said on the phone, "Then it's you who said you're not coming, don't say I want to cut ties with you or get angry at me again later."

Qin Fang pushed open the door and walked in, saying, "When did I ever get angry at you."

"What's wrong with your voice?" After he said that, Xing Yan asked him.

"I have a bit of a cold," Qin Fang took off his mask and threw it on the table, "and didn't sleep well last night either."

"Then sleep." Xing Yan said.

"Mm," Qin Fang said to him, "I'll call you later."

Qin Fang slept for four hours in one go. He actually woke up a few times in the middle, but couldn't open his eyes. He had several dreams, dreaming of too many people, but couldn't remember any of them when he woke up.

But in one of those dreams there was Xing Yan, this he remembered quite clearly.

Qin Fang sat up, stretched his sore arms, and sighed.

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Looking at himself in the mirror, he looked a bit more energetic than before.

He called Xing Yan and asked, "Where are you?"

"Dorm," Xing Yan asked him, "You're awake?"

"Mm, want to go out and eat something?" Qin Fang said.

"Feeling better?" Xing Yan asked on the other end.

"Don't know if I'm better or not," Qin Fang said with a laugh, "but I'm hungry anyway."

Xing Yan said, "I'll be downstairs in twenty minutes."

Actually, Qin Fang wasn't sure if it was right or not for him to still be in contact with Xing Yan like this, but his personality made him not the type to dwell on things. Indeed, regarding his relationship with Xing Yan and the questions Xing Yan made him think about, he hadn't figured it out, but that didn't mean Qin Fang had to shrink back and hide.

He never hid from the time Xing Yan spoke openly with him until now, he had always been proactive.

One reason was that he couldn't bear to lose Xing Yan as a friend, and the other was that the less he understood, the less he could hide. Hiding was the most useless thing to do.

He would rather actively think and solve the problem, whether it was this way or that way, and figure it out as soon as possible. Figuring it out would make himself feel better and also give the other person a clear answer. That was his personality, not so much hesitation and retreat.

Qin Fang still wore a mask when he went out, his face looked bad and he was also afraid of infecting others.

As soon as Xing Yan saw him, he pulled down his mask to look at his face.

Qin Fang asked with a smile, "What are you doing?"

His lips were a bit dry. Xing Yan asked him, "Didn't drink water?"

"I forgot." Qin Fang said.

Xing Yan put his mask back on his nose bridge, his high nose bridge made the mask arch up a little. Xing Yan's fingertips were a bit cool, and that little bit of skin on the nose bridge that was touched by his fingers still felt cool for quite a while afterwards.

It was as if the skin had a memory, that bit of sensation kept endlessly reminding him of that tiny bit of contact just now. Qin Fang sighed inwardly, and later pinched his own nose, wanting to cover up that bit of sensation.

Xing Yan looked back at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Qin Fang shook his head, "Nothing, my nose is sore."