Chapter 27
It seemed Xiao Yu had discovered that when the shorter “gege” (older brother) held him, his own brother wouldn’t scold him anymore.
Realizing he had found a protector, Xiao Yu leaned closer to Ti Xiao and even sincerely apologized to him.
Ti Xiao, who had a soft spot for kids, felt a warm flutter in his heart and asked Xiao Yao, “How old is he? Does he have a Chinese name?”
“Four years old,” Xiao Yao replied as he tidied up the dishes. “His Chinese name is Xiao Yu—Xiao as in the family name, and Yu as in ‘metaphor,’ with the mouth radical.”
“Oh, I see.” Ti Xiao nodded.
A four-year-old still had a chubby face with baby fat, skin that was fair and bouncy, and a wonderfully soft texture. Ti Xiao sat Xiao Yu on his lap, pinching the child’s squishy cheeks with relish.
Xiao Yao felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched.
But kids being kids, Xiao Yu couldn’t sit still for long. Before long, he was twisting and squirming, almost sliding off Ti Xiao’s lap. He was muttering something incomprehensible, though Ti Xiao couldn’t understand it.
Xiao Yao could, however. The little guy was grumbling about wanting to watch TV because he was tired of being pinched.
“Hey, stop moving! My legs hurt!” Ti Xiao complained as Xiao Yu’s wiggling pressed into his skinny legs.
One sharp glance from Xiao Yao, and Xiao Yu immediately froze, sitting primly with his hands on his knees, quiet as a mouse. He let Ti Xiao pinch his cheeks without further protest.
“Now that’s better.” Ti Xiao patted his leg, feeling like he was playing the role of the future “sister-in-law” with perfect gentleness.
Though Ti Xiao liked children, Xiao Yao didn’t seem to share the sentiment. Even if the boy was his own brother, Xiao Yu’s intrusion into their otherwise perfect duo was an unforgivable offense.
When Xiao Yao came out of the kitchen, he saw Xiao Yu and Ti Xiao roughhousing on the couch… and Xiao Yu tugging at Ti Xiao’s face.
Xiao Yao strode over, face cold, scooping Xiao Yu into his arms. Is that a place you can touch?!
To be fair, Ti Xiao had a knack for entertaining kids. Despite the language barrier, he and Xiao Yu had no trouble playing together like old friends.
When Xiao Yao returned with a plate of fruit, he saw Xiao Yu gleefully messing up Ti Xiao’s hair, though he conveniently ignored the fact that Xiao Yu’s hair was equally disheveled.
“So cute.” Ti Xiao pinched Xiao Yu’s cheeks again, wiping away tears of laughter from his own eyes. “You’re going to trick me into wanting kids again.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yao’s hand slipped, and an apple fell from the plate, rolling onto the floor.
Didn’t you say you liked me? How did we suddenly get to having kids?!
For the rest of the afternoon, Xiao Yu completely monopolized Ti Xiao’s attention. Not a single word was exchanged between Ti Xiao and Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao—lonely, bored, and brooding—sat on the side, his expression growing darker by the minute.
Past: When are you coming to pick up Xiao Yu?
Naomi didn’t reply. Xiao Yao sighed softly and put his phone away. Just as he looked up, a peeled apple slice was offered to his lips. Reflexively, he leaned back.
It was Xiao Yu, holding a little fork with bright eyes full of expectation, waiting for his brother to eat the apple.
Behind him, Ti Xiao was sitting on the carpet, smiling at Xiao Yao.
Something stirred deep within Xiao Yao’s chest, his emotions swirling wildly. Fixing his gaze on Ti Xiao, he opened his mouth and ate the apple.
Ti Xiao’s eyes curved into crescents as he watched. From the moment Xiao Yu entered, he could sense that the relationship between the two brothers wasn’t as simple as the casual “half-brothers” Xiao Yao had described.
Judging by Xiao Yao’s attitude toward Xiao Yu, Ti Xiao couldn’t help but think of his own “pitfall” brother, Ti Jiji, who suddenly seemed like the perfect older sibling by comparison.
Resting his chin in his hands, Ti Xiao watched Xiao Yao eat the apple. He realized just how little he actually knew about Xiao Yao.
So far, he only knew his name was Xiao Yao, his English was excellent, his cooking was incredible, but he didn’t know his age—or even his job.
These questions hung over Ti Xiao’s mind like storm clouds. Even after dinner, when Naomi picked up Xiao Yu and Ti Xiao went home to sketch with his cat snuggled beside him, the clouds hadn’t cleared.
“So another blonde-haired, blue-eyed lady showed up.” Ti Xiao muttered as he turned on his computer.
Naomi wasn’t just beautiful—her curvy figure and open demeanor made her exude pure seduction.
From the way she looked at Xiao Yao, Ti Xiao could sense her intentions were anything but pure. It felt like an animal marking its territory.
With just over a month left until the New Year, Ti Xiao mulled over his jealousy and figured he probably wouldn’t find love before the year ended.
But given how close he already was, should he take the initiative instead?
[Atsu: Look at the moon outside. Doesn’t it remind you of the five cars you owe us?]
[Forget it. Streaming while driving would get the channel banned.]
[Fine, pay us back with six cars another day. 2333.]
“You guys, honestly.” Ti Xiao’s microphone was still acting up, making his voice sound weird. “I’ll make it up to you guys with cars later. For now, I’ll do my usual live sketching of the long-legged cookie buying oranges from behind.”
Since Xiao Yao had figured out Ti Xiao’s online alias, he now understood what the “back view” posts on his Weibo were all about.
Still, the elaborate descriptor made him sweat a little. How had he gone from a regular person to some “long-legged cookie buying oranges”?
“Hang on, I’m going to grab something to eat and be right back,” Ti Xiao announced. Thanks to Naomi’s influence, he hadn’t eaten much at Xiao Yao’s house earlier. Now, after thinking so much, his small appetite had left him hungry again.
To Xiao Yao, however, this sounded different. Why is he hungry again? Was my cooking not good enough?
[What do you want to eat?]
Seeing the comment from Pass By, Ti Xiao tore open a bag of chips and joked, “Oh? Are you planning to buy me food, big guy?”
[That’s not impossible.]
“Haha, I was just kidding! Don’t actually send anything to my editor’s office, okay?” Ti Xiao quickly explained, laughing nervously. The sharp laughter sounded odd through his malfunctioning microphone.
There had been times when fans sent gifts to his editor’s office, which caused quite a headache.
Xiao Yao thought to himself, If not the office, I could just send it directly to your home.
As he mulled this over, the delivery guy showed up with the microphone Xiao Yao had bought for Ti Xiao.
Now it was time to showcase his acting skills.
“Hold on, someone’s at the door. I’ll be right back,” Ti Xiao told his livestream viewers, putting down his stylus.
Opening the door, he saw Xiao Yao standing there with a package in his arms, his expression natural. “Do you need a microphone? I accidentally ordered an extra one, so I thought I’d check if you’d like it.”
Oscar-worthy performance.
Thrilled, Ti Xiao took the package and skipped back home, completely failing to consider why a regular person would need something as specific as a condenser microphone unless they were streaming.
“I’m back! Guess what, I’ve got a new microphone!” Ti Xiao excitedly announced to his viewers, his voice brimming with joy. “My neighbor gave it to me!”
[Wow, is this the start of something?]
[Is it the soup-making neighbor?]
[Did he buy it just for you?]
“It was just a coincidence. He happened to have an extra and gave it to me.” As Ti Xiao opened the box, he peeked inside and let out a surprised “Wow!”
Xiao Yao, watching the stream, smirked in satisfaction. He could picture Ti Xiao’s gleeful expression, and just the thought made him happy. All he wanted was to find ways to make him smile.
“This looks… really high-end. Hold on, let me show you guys.” Ti Xiao was momentarily overwhelmed by the fully packed box, unsure where to start.
After a brief wobble of the camera, the stream displayed the box’s contents clearly: not just a microphone, but also stands, shock mounts, and various accessories. The logo on the condenser mic was especially eye-catching.
[Atsu, your neighbor is loaded!]
[This whole setup costs a few thousand yuan. I wish I had a neighbor like that.]
“Is it really that expensive?” After reading the comments, Ti Xiao hesitated to unwrap the packaging further.
[Yes, it’s a top-tier brand. Look at the logo! You can look it up if you don’t believe me.]
[Your neighbor is so generous! What does he do for a living?]
“I… don’t really know,” Ti Xiao scratched his head. “But he studied abroad and speaks really good English.”
[If he’s good at English, could he be a translator?]
[Or maybe an English teacher, lol.]
Xiao Yao chuckled when he saw these comments and typed a reply:
[Why don’t you just ask him?]
