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October 9, 2023

I Treat You As A Brother

Chapter 71 – To Meet Him

 

 

 

71 – To Meet Him

Translator: tamago

 

Fang Mo originally had thought that the express package Yang Lin brought over was a Christmas gift from Liu Xiaochang.

After all, with Liu Xiaochang’s intelligence in love, it would not be strange for him to make his lover go directly to the package room to get his gift.

He didn’t think that he would be so stupid that he didn’t even prepare a gift at all.

It was a good thing that Yang Lin didn’t mind much. He didn’t know if it was because of Liu Xiaochang’s consistent behavior that he had no expectations, or because he felt that he was in the wrong after making a fuss for no reason.

 

Fang Mo pretended to be on the phone outside the door and secretly peeked in through the crack.

Yang Lin still looked aggrieved, with his eyes looking down and his face red, and said something quietly.

Liu Xiaochang remained silent and kept nodding his head. He put his arms around Yang Lin’s waist, and after listening to a few words, he raised his head and kissed Yang Lin’s lips.

This view made it difficult to tell who was acting like a baby to whom.

A moment ago, it seemed like the world was turned upside down and they were on the verge of breaking up, but now the two of them were whispering sweet nothings and being affectionate with each other.

Liu Xiaochang put on the brand new watch on his wrist and enthusiastically claimed that he liked it very much, but completely did not know this brand at all.

Fang Mo recognized it and knew that it was a niche brand that had recently become popular among the youth. It wasn’t a luxury brand, but it wasn’t cheap either.

He was genuinely happy for Liu Xiaochang. Not only because his lover was willing to spend time picking an expensive gift for him, but also because he found it amusing how cautious Yang Lin was around him.

 Even after believing that Fang Mo was indeed a 1, Yang Lin still couldn’t entirely trust him and was afraid that Fang Mo might have ulterior motives towards his cute boyfriend.

Liu Xiaochang then said he didn’t have someone else that liked him. Little did he know that Yang Lin was worried that he would be stolen away. It seemed like although Yang Lin already knew Fang Mo had Xu Xiran, he still felt insecure.

Fang Mo envied them so much that he felt tired. He comforted himself that this meant that Yang Lin also thought he was very handsome and had competition. 

The young married couple in the room kept being lovey-dovey, and the lonely single dog standing outside of the door felt bored out of his mind.

Fang Mo then suddenly felt he really missed Xu Xiran. This morning, what his other roommate said was right. If he didn’t see him for half a day, he really felt like he was going to die.

 

~

 

Xu Xiran sat in the shopping mall, zoning out.

There were several other male compatriots sitting beside him, most of whom were either playing on their phones or emptying their minds. They were waiting for their partners to come out of the fitting rooms, and when they did, they had to work hard to praise them, with some even needing to pay the bill.

 

Xu Xiran was feeling more exhausted than all of them. When the lady who was traveling with him came with a pile of clothes, the task given to him felt much more daunting.

“Quick, go and try on all of them,” A well-maintained, vibrant, and attractive Ms. Huang piled all the clothes she gathered onto Xu Xiran, “See if they fit.”

Xu Xiran, who had already suffered hardship in many stores, pitifully begged: “I’m hungry, can we go eat first? You’ve already bought enough, I can wear all this until next year.”

Ms. Huang glanced at him with distaste, let out a sigh, and then spread out all the coats one by one on the empty seat next to her. She looked them all over several times, then took out a few coats and gestured at Xu Xiran. After several rounds of elimination, two of them were finally picked out.

“Then go ahead and buy these,” she said.

The shop assistant led her to check out, but Xu Xiran, who stayed where he was, was stared at strangely by those around him.

After all, it was hard to tell that they were mother and son from just their appearances. A mature and beautiful woman bringing a handsome young guy to the mall to frantically swipe her credit cards would inevitably arouse people’s imagination.

Xu Xiran felt extremely awkward. When Ms. Huang came over with the bag, he reached out to take it and asked in a volume that could be heard around him: “Ma, what are we having for dinner?”

Ms. Huang sweetly took his arm, and replied, “Didn’t we already choose a while ago?”

Those gazes then became even stranger.

 

~

 

“This is really not necessary. I can buy this all myself,” Xu Xiran persuaded as he walked, “With so many clothes at once, I can’t fit them all in my dorm drawer.”

With a smile in her eyes, Ms. Huang looked him up and down, and then nodded: “Did you get a girlfriend?”

Xu Xiran was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly shook his head: “No! Why would you think that way?”

When Ms. Huang heard this, she let out a sigh.

Xu Xiran probably knew what she was thinking. This lady had some misunderstandings about her precious son, and always thought he was the most handsome in the world. The only reason why he didn’t have someone was most likely because he really didn’t know how to dress. Three years ago, she had once seen one of Xu Xiran’s T-shirts with a young girl’s face printed on his chest and completely panicked. Since then, she would take him to buy lots of men’s clothing every year she came back.

It was a pity that most of her efforts were spent in vain. Xu Xiran still liked to wear the simpler and lighter clothes she would buy, didn’t bother to spend time on matching outfits, and felt that two coats were enough to last the whole season.

“Then you seemed to have improved,” Ms. Huang said, “The coat you have on today looks really nice, I was secretly wondering if your girlfriend gave it to you.”

Xu Xiran’s face suddenly felt hot.

The coat he was wearing today was forcibly swapped by Fang Mo. Fang Mo always had a good taste in style. Xu Xiran didn’t have this kind of awareness before, and never paid much attention to other people’s clothes. He only knew that Fang Mo always very easily looked eye-catching and attractive. Recently, he had often been wearing the coat Fang Mo gave him, and within a short period, different people had complimented him many times, making him realize the difference.

“What is it?” Ms. Huang was very sensitive, “Did someone else give it to you?”

“Not really, it’s my friend’s,” Xu Xiran lowered his head, “He accidentally ruined one of my clothes, so this was his compensation for me.”

“Ai, that’s true,” Ms. Huang sighed again, “If you really had a girlfriend, how would you be spending Christmas with me?”

Xu Xiran tilted his head down and did not make a sound.

 

~

 

During dinnertime, besides him and his mother, some other relatives came as well. Since Ms. Huang rarely came back to visit, everyone would always want to get together. They reserved a private room in the restaurant, and the table was filled with guests.

Xu Xiran was actually not close with most of them. Ever since his parents divorced, his mother’s relatives had little contact with him. Before he went to university, since they were not in the same city, they seldom saw each other, and his only contact with them was a call every year during the New Year.

The elders chatted enthusiastically with each other. As the only young one at the table, after he endured the routine bombardment of questions, such as “What year are you in?”, “Do you have a girlfriend?”, “What school and major are you in?”, “How are your grades?” and “When do you graduate?”. When he was finally released, he was able to quietly play on his phone for a while.

He clicked on the chat with Fang Mo and then closed it. Then he thought, why didn’t Fang Mo talk to him? Did he not miss him at all? That didn’t make sense.

He had lately been having this feeling that Fang Mo probably liked him.

For instance, whenever Fang Mo looked at him, he would always have a smile in his eyes, and the corners of his eyes would bend downwards. His appearance was different from when he looked at others and was very gentle.

Another example was whenever Fang Mo talked to him, his tone would always be soft, and he would sound different from when he was talking to others — especially gentle.

In short, Fang Mo was very gentle to him. He was gentle when he joked around with him, and gentle when he teased him. In their quiet moments, he exuded gentleness. 

Back in the olden days, when someone suspected someone of stealing the axe, he couldn’t help but wonder if his symptoms were known as being delusionally in love.

A narcissistic straight man’s delusion.

After consciously reminding himself not to make assumptions, he looked at Fang Mo again, and still felt that Fang Mo probably liked him.

He had proof.

Fang Mo was willing to wake up that early just to say happy birthday to him.

That was exceptionally special. Xu Xiran put himself into his shoes, and if he were him, Fang Mo would be the only one in the world that he would be willing to do that for.

Because he liked Fang Mo.

See, the reasoning holds.

As he thought about this, he scrolled through his Moments. On this special day, the whole world was showing public displays of affection.

Zou Shun had just posted a photo ten minutes ago. In the photo, a man with his back to the camera was standing by the door of a coffee shop, appearing to be hanging a “closed” sign on the door. Zou Shun captioned underneath: Business is closed, my turn to be the boss.

Scrolling down further, it was Yang Lin, whom he hadn’t contacted for a long time but had been kept in his friend list. The photos Yang Lin posted were nothing too special. There were several beautifully plated meals and two sets of tableware on the dining table. Because of the filter, the pictures looked warm and lovely.

As he continued to scroll down, Xu Xiran suddenly knit his brows.

A few days ago, he had just added Xia Diandian as a WeChat friend. This girl’s Moments seemed to be divided into groups, and what he and Fang Mo could see were different. Fang Mo’s explanation for this was that she accidentally had put him in the group of fellow enthusiasts in the beginning, but later found that Fang Mo had really become a fellow enthusiast, so she made the best out of her mistake. As an ordinary classmate, Xu Xiran wasn’t able to see those bad things.

But now, in the ordinary classmate group, she had posted a photo filled with a sweet atmosphere. The photo showed two hands with their fingers intertwined, with a slightly smaller one on top and a larger one on the bottom. With both hands on the table, from the color and the pattern of the table, it looked a bit like the second floor of the school dining hall.

It was clearly just an ordinary public display of affection, but for Xu Xiran who still had a little grudge in his heart, he couldn’t help but overthink. Because the slightly larger hand in the photo was pressed underneath, he could only see a few white and slender fingers from it.

Didn’t it look a bit like Fang Mo’s?

The caption of the photo was very simple, with just one word: Us.

What made him more concerned was that Fang Mo had liked her post.

Xu Xiran couldn’t take it anymore and sent a message to Fang Mo.

[“Where are you right now?”]

Fang Mo replied within seconds.

[“I just came out of the dining hall and am going back to the dorm.”]

[“Just you?”]

Xu Xiran asked.

Fang Mo’s answer made him even more anxious.

[“No, I’m with a friend. What’s wrong?”]

Xu Xiran’s brows were immediately knit together. Just as he was about to ask again, he was suddenly bumped with an elbow from the side.

“What are you doing?” Ms. Huang asked him in a low voice, “Why do you look so bitter when we’re having a good meal?”

Xu Xiran shook his head: “It’s nothing.”

Ms. Huang didn’t believe him, looked him up and down several times, and confidently said: “You have something on your mind.”

Seeing that Xu Xiran looked away without making a sound, she asked again: “Who are you messaging? A girl, right?”

Xu Xiran immediately denied: “What no.”

At this moment, the phone in his hand vibrated. Fang Mo had sent him another message.

[“Your gift has arrived, but it’s a shame you’re not here.”]

Xu Xiran glanced at the screen. He was still feeling anxious just then, but now he couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips.

“And you said it wasn’t a girl,” Ms. Huang got a little excited, “Look at you.”

“I…” Xu Xiran was embarrassed, “Uhh…”

“If you like her, why haven’t you confessed yet?” Ms. Huang asked.

Even if they didn’t see each other often, his own mother still understood him after all, and he couldn’t hide anything from her.

Xu Xiran didn’t nod, nor did he say anything, and only lowered his head and scratched his chin with his fingers.

Ms. Huang evidently understood.

“She has a date today and isn’t free?” she asked.

“I don’t think so, he1 said he was alone in his dorm.” Xu Xiran said.

Ms. Huang’s eyes widened immediately: “Then why don’t you go on a date with her?”

What she said was a little unreasonable. Xu Xiran had no choice but to say, “Aren’t I here to see you?”

“Are you dumb?” Ms. Huang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “No wonder my son is so handsome and still doesn’t have a girlfriend! If you had told me ahead of time that you were going to go on a date, do you think I would be this clueless?”

“I…”

“Ahya, ahya,” Ms. Huang was worried, “You didn’t tell her that you weren’t free because you were going to accompany your mother, right? You didn’t do that, did you?”

“…” Xu Xiran blinked his eyes twice, “I can’t say that?”

Ms. Huang slapped her thigh: “How are you this dumb, how did your father teach you!”

“Ah?” Xu Xiran couldn’t understand at all, “Why can’t I say that?”

Ms. Huang shook her head: “I can’t explain this to you men, so I will deduct 100 points anyway.”

Women in the real world are always so difficult to understand, and even his own mother was no exception. It was a good thing that Fang Mo was not a woman, he had always been reasonable.

“He doesn’t mind.” Xu Xiran said.

Ms. Huang looked at him speechlessly with a pained look on her face, and was probably thinking something frustrating like “This is actually my own son”.

“Really,” Xu Xiran explained earnestly and patiently, “Originally… he misunderstood a little, and after learning more, he was worried that I didn’t live a happy life, and probably thought that because I don’t get to spend much time with you, I would feel lonely. When I told him you would come to celebrate my birthday with me, he was very happy.”

Ms. Huang slightly raised her eyebrows.

“Really, I can see that he is really happy,” Xu Xiran emphasized again, “He doesn’t mind.”

Ms. Huang narrowed her eyes a little and nodded.

Just as Xu Xiran was about to say a few more words, his phone vibrated again. After a long delay in waiting for a reply, Fang Mo became sulky.

[“Are you busy? You ignoring me?”]

Ms. Huang craned her neck, took a quick look, and smiled teasingly.

“Yo, not bad,” she said, “Seems pretty promising.”

Xu Xiran immediately asked: “This means it’s promising?”

Ms. Huang lowered her head and thought for a while, then smiled and sighed: “Let me just say, your heart has not been in it all day.”

Xu Xiran felt a little embarrassed. It was rare for them to see each other, so with his heart not being in it, he felt like he was being very disrespectful.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Ms. Huang patted him lightly twice, “Is there still a bus back to your school?”

Xu Xiran was a little surprised and didn’t respond for a moment.

“If there is, you should quickly go back,” Ms. Huang said, “Really, you should tell me sooner next time.”

 

 

Author’s note:

*Fang Mo: Liu Xiaochang is so dumb, he didn’t even prepare a Christmas gift, poor Yang Lin.

*Xu Xiran: Ah? We need to prepare gifts???

 

1

He is using “he” here, but in Chinese it sounds the same as “she”