Chapter 9: I Like to See Him Smile
It was so late. Why wasn’t Su Younian sleeping? Why was he going to his eldest brother’s room, especially when his injured foot made it difficult for him to walk?
Ji Suize pondered this as his feet had already moved on their own, following the direction Su Younian had gone.
In truth, Niannian hadn’t fallen asleep. The moment Su Yanheng left, he opened his eyes. He tossed and turned in bed for a while, wrestling with whether he should go to his eldest brother’s room.
If you’re sick, you should seek treatment promptly. Stopping halfway through treatment was even more inadvisable.
Whenever he closed his eyes, Niannian could recall the final outcome of his eldest brother in the original story. He didn’t know what sudden death felt like, but he understood the sensation of nearing death. He had experienced it once and didn’t want his kind eldest brother to suffer that same pain. So, he had to treat his eldest brother’s condition!
Niannian stopped hesitating and struggled to climb out of bed.
Considering how mischievous children could be, the family doctor had deliberately described the injury in the worst possible terms. Niannian moved his foot, it didn’t hurt as much as when he first woke up. Holding onto the edge of the bed, he grabbed the small children’s crutch leaning against the wall and slowly shuffled toward the door.
He walked carefully, trying not to strain his left foot, which made his progress extremely slow. The distance from the bed to the door was only five or six meters, yet it took him several minutes. Fortunately, his eldest brother’s room wasn’t far from his own, just around the corner.
Once he got used to the crutch, Niannian gradually picked up speed. When he finally reached Su Yanheng’s door, he flashed a triumphant smile at it. He was still pretty capable, after all. Would his eldest brother praise him when he found out?
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. Niannian was startled, his body tilting to the right. Just as he was about to fall, Ji Suize swiftly caught him, preventing a disaster.
Still shaken, Niannian recognized who it was and instinctively called out, “Brother.”
Ji Suize nodded, his throat working as if he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
He had frightened Su Younian. If he hadn’t caught him in time, Su Younian’s other foot might have been injured too.
He should apologize, but he didn’t know how to begin.
“Brother, can’t you sleep either?”
Ji Suize stared intently at the little one’s face. There was no panic, no fear, and no blame, as if no matter what he did to this little one, the other would never get angry.
Ji Suize nodded and pointed at the door.
Niannian thought for a moment, guessed what his third brother meant, and explained, “I want to sleep with Big Brother.”
Ji Suize’s brow furrowed slightly, and he listened as the little one continued, “Big Brother always sleeps poorly. When I sleep with him, he can sleep well.”
Ji Suize was aware of his eldest brother’s condition. No matter how many doctors he saw, it couldn’t be cured. Could this little one really make his eldest brother fall asleep without doing anything?
Recalling what he had witnessed in the garden that afternoon, Ji Suize wasn’t so sure anymore.
He was still holding Niannian’s arm, and as he thought, he unconsciously tightened his grip.
Niannian endured it for as long as he could before softly speaking up, “Brother, you’re holding me too tight. It hurts. Can you let go?”
Hearing this, Ji Suize immediately released Niannian’s hand. Niannian said “thank you,” then turned around and reached up for the doorknob above his head.
Su Yanheng's door was larger than his own, with the handle positioned higher up. Niannian stood straight but still couldn't reach the handle. Stretching his arm upward, he could barely grasp it, but mindful of his left foot, he didn't dare stand too upright. He extended his arm fully and finally managed to grab the handle.
Ji Suize watched with bated breath, standing behind the little one with his arms outstretched, ready to catch him at any moment. He saw the little one grasp the handle, only to let go again as his strength gave out.
This body was truly too weak. Having already expended most of his energy just getting here, he had now reached his limit.
Niannian panted heavily, turning his head to cast a pleading look at Ji Suize: "Brother."
Ji Suize blinked, as if responding to Niannian's call.
Niannian took another breath, his voice even more slurred than usual from exhaustion: "Can you help me?"
Ji Suize didn't speak but suddenly reached out and poked the left corner of Niannian's mouth.
Niannian was taken aback, momentarily unsure of what Ji Suize meant: "Brother?"
Ji Suize pressed harder, slowly moving his finger to lift the corner of Niannian's mouth upward.
Niannian: "..."
Hesitantly, Niannian asked, "Brother, do you want me to smile?"
Ji Suize nodded, and Niannian immediately broke into a smile. The moment his dimple appeared, it enveloped Ji Suize's index finger, wrapping tightly around the tip.
Having received his reward, Ji Suize reached out and pressed the door handle. Under Niannian's expectant gaze, the door remained firmly shut, it was locked.
Ji Suize glanced at the disappointed little one, then at the tightly closed door, and raised his hand to knock. But halfway through, Niannian grabbed his arm.
"Don't knock. Big brother might already be asleep. If you knock, you might wake him up."
Ji Suize listened but didn't withdraw his hand, letting the little one hold onto his arm. It seemed as long as he didn't pull back, the little one wouldn't let go either.
Unfortunately, the little one soon released his arm, turned around, and pressed his head against the door panel, as if listening for any movement inside. After a while, he straightened up and concluded, "Big brother must be asleep."
Ji Suize detected the regret in the little one's tone and felt an inexplicable displeasure: "Do you like sleeping with big brother that much?"
Niannian was startled, then exclaimed with delight, "Brother, you spoke!"
Ji Suize fell silent again. The light from the overhead lamp was obscured by his overly long bangs, casting a shadow over his pale eyes as he stared intently at Niannian. The intensity in his gaze made Niannian uneasy.
Somehow, Niannian understood the meaning behind Ji Suize's look, he was waiting for an answer.
Niannian chose honesty: "I like sleeping with big brother."
Ji Suize raised his hand to knock again, but Niannian quickly grabbed his arm: "Brother, don't knock."
Ji Suize said expressionlessly, "Don't you want to sleep with big brother? I'm helping you."
Niannian: "..."
Why was the third brother who spoke even scarier than the one who didn't?!
"It's not like I have to sleep with him every day. I can sleep alone tonight," Niannian said nervously.
But Ji Suize interpreted his words differently: "Are you afraid of sleeping alone?"
Niannian nodded his little head.
Although he had slept alone for as long as he could remember, he still longed for someone to keep him company.
Ji Suize said, "I'll stay with you."
Niannian widened his eyes. "Huh?"
Without another word, Ji Suize suddenly turned around, crouched down with his back facing Niannian, and offered his still-narrow shoulders, his meaning was clear.
Niannian felt a little embarrassed and tightened his grip on his small crutch. "N-no, it's fine. I can walk by myself."
Ji Suize tilted his head slightly, his expression stubborn. Niannian could tell that his brother was the type who wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. Once he decided on something, he had to see it through.
Niannian nervously rubbed the smooth surface of his crutch, his cheeks flushed. "Brother, I'm heavy..."
He was only two years younger than Ji Suize. While Ji Suize was skinny, Niannian was chubby. He had no qualms about being carried by his eldest brother, but he was afraid his third brother's small frame might collapse under his weight.
Ji Suize insisted, "I can carry you."
Niannian protested, "But..."
Without giving Niannian any more time to hesitate, Ji Suize grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto his back.
His third brother's back was just as unsteady as it looked. Trembling, Niannian wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and pressed himself tightly against his back, his voice quivering. "Brother, am I... am I too heavy? If you can't carry me, I can walk by myself."
Only by comparison did he realize how secure Su Yanheng's embrace felt.
Ji Suize tensed up, straightened his back effortlessly, and held the little one's legs with both hands. Without a word, he carried him toward his room, proving through action that he could carry Niannian, that he wasn't weak.
But Ji Suize had overestimated himself.
How could a five-year-old compare to a twenty-eight-year-old adult? He could indeed carry Niannian, but only for a short while. The distance from the eldest brother's door to his bedroom was over twenty meters. After placing Niannian on his bed, he gasped for breath several times.
A small hand holding a tissue reached over and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. Niannian's face flushed red. "I'm heavy, aren't I? Brother, don't carry me next time. What if you fall?"
The worst-case scenario would be injuring his foot. Niannian had already experienced pain himself, he couldn't let his third brother go through the same.
To Ji Suize, Niannian's concerned words took on a different meaning. For the first time in his life, he understood what embarrassment felt like.
In terms of physical strength, he was no match for his eldest brother, and he had never intended to compete in that regard. Everyone had their own strengths.
Ji Suize walked over to the desk and returned with a three-by-three Rubik's Cube.
Niannian watched curiously. Before he could get a good look, Ji Suize's fingers moved swiftly, restoring the scrambled cube in just a few seconds.
Niannian stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend how Ji Suize had solved it.
Satisfied with the little one's reaction, Ji Suize handed the restored cube to him.
Niannian asked, "For me to play with?"
Ji Suize replied, "Scramble it for me."
From childhood, Niannian's only toys had been a small rabbit plushie and a set of building blocks missing pieces. He had always envied the neighbor's grandson, who seemed to have endless new toys to play with. This was his first time ever touching a Rubik's Cube.
Niannian didn't know how to play with the Rubik's Cube, so he could only imitate Ji Suize's movements, carefully twisting one side.
This cube was specially custom-made for Ji Suize by his grandfather. Its mechanism was smooth and flexible, a gentle push would move it exactly where he wanted.
After playing with it for a while, Niannian ended up scrambling the cube. He wanted to restore it but had no idea how, so he could only look at Ji Suize for help.
Ji Suize took the cube and, just like before, restored it at an incredible speed before Niannian could even see what he was doing.
Niannian let out an amazed "Wow!" Ji Suize's lips curved into a slow smile as he handed the cube back to Niannian, signaling for him to scramble it again.
The scrambled cube once again fell into Ji Suize's hands. In less than five seconds, it was restored, even faster than the previous two times, and Niannian's exclamation grew even louder.
"Want to learn?" Ji Suize held the cube up in front of Niannian.
Niannian nodded his little head vigorously. "Yes."
Ji Suize extended his index finger and pressed it against Niannian's left cheek, his eyes once again revealing that familiar stubbornness.
Niannian: "..." Why does Third Brother like making him smile so much?
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