A subtle, curious impulse suddenly bubbled up inside Shi Jin. He leaned in slightly toward Fei Yujing and asked to confirm, “You don’t want me to be too polite to you?”

Fei Yujing didn’t actually like being this close to people, but when he noticed that Shi Jin’s mood seemed to subtly improve, he found himself wishing Shi Jin would draw even closer.

“Yes, Xiao Jin, I am also your brother,” he replied softly.

Right, you are my brother too.

Afraid of becoming the only “polite friend,” anxiously unable to bridge the gap— only his brother could be so foolish and leave him so helplessly exasperated.

No longer holding back his thoughts, Shi Jin suddenly reached out and cupped Fei Yujing’s face in his hands.

Fei Yujing froze, then knitted his brows. He instinctively wanted to lean back but restrained himself, asking with a stiff body, “What is it?”

Shi Jin stared intently at him and suddenly began squishing and rubbing his cheeks, asking while rubbing, “Are you angry?”

“Wait… Xiao Jin, let go first.” Having never been “offended” like this before, Fei Yujing hurriedly raised his hands to pull Shi Jin’s hands away.

Shi Jin nimbly dodged, placed his hands on Fei Yujing’s head, and vigorously ruffled his hair, asking again, “Are you angry?”

When had the ever-calm and collected Lawyer Fei ever been in such disarray? He quickly raised his arms to block Shi Jin’s elbows and asked, “Xiao Jin, what is wrong with you? Don’t play pranks.”

Shi Jin didn’t answer. Leveraging his agility, after ruffling his hair, he grabbed Fei Yujing’s ear and tugged it playfully, even itching to pinch his nose.

“Xiao… Xiao Jin!” Fei Yujing’s voice raised slightly as he finally caught Shi Jin’s hands. He frowned at him— his hair was messy, his face slightly flushed from being squished, and a bit of sweat glistened on his forehead, likely from pulling on his injury during the struggle. All in all, he was a total mess.

Shi Jin let his hands be held obediently, carefully observing his current appearance, and asked, “Are you angry now? Do you dislike me now?”

Fei Yujing looked at him in total confusion and said, “Xiao Jin, what are you—”

Snap.

Shi Jin suddenly broke free from his grip, pulled out his phone, and took a photo of him.

“I’m going to spread this photo so everyone in the world sees it,” Shi Jin declared with utter seriousness.

Fei Yujing finally couldn’t help himself and asked with uncertainty, “Xiao Jin, what on earth are you doing? Do you… do you dislike me? Are you teasing me?”

“I don’t dislike you,” Shi Jin said as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “I’m just treating you with less politeness, even picking on you a bit. Do you hate it?”

Fei Yujing paused, glanced at the phone, and murmured, “Less polite…”

“You really aren’t a robot.” Shi Jin leaned in even closer, closely examining his face, then suddenly reached out, pinched his ear again, and pulled it outward.

How miraculous— that ever-powerful, ultra-rational Fei Yujing actually had a day where he let someone squeeze and pull him around like dough without getting angry. Indeed, Shi Jin had been far too polite to him in the past; or rather, he had labeled and idolized Fei Yujing too much.

This man was indeed rational, but he wasn’t nearly as cold-blooded as Shi Jin had imagined.

“Politeness and distance mostly arise when you don’t understand someone well or harbor fear toward them. Me picking on you like this is to pull us closer and erase that sense of distance,” Shi Jin coaxed in all seriousness, his tone and expression entirely sincere. “Second Brother, you used to seem far too lofty and inaccessible in my mind. We need a little bit of this kind of closeness.”

Was that so?

Fei Yujing stopped trying to pull his hands away and attempted to digest his logic, asking, “Then doing this… does it make you happy?”

“It does,” Shi Jin nodded.

Fei Yujing fell silent, striving to suppress his awkwardness and try to enjoy this “closeness.”

Seeing how dead serious Fei Yujing was being, Shi Jin couldn’t help laughing. Yet as he laughed, his nose tingled with emotion. Looking at the intimate distance between them, he released Fei Yujing’s ear and whispered, “That’s wonderful… you’re not a real robot. Many of the things I wanted are actually possible to get.” No, rather, he had already gotten a part of it.

The Fei Yujing whom he had thought was high above was actually standing on equal ground with him all along.

Although Fei Yujing couldn’t fully comprehend Shi Jin’s words, he could feel his emotions. Hearing Shi Jin’s soft murmur filled with relief and contentment, an indescribable ache swelled in his heart. Tentatively, he raised his hand to stroke Shi Jin’s hair and said, “I was never a robot to begin with… Although I don’t quite understand why, when you treated me without politeness just now, I wasn’t angry at all. Xiao Jin, I want to be close to you, too.”

“…I know,” Shi Jin answered, lowering his head to let him stroke his hair. After savoring his clumsy yet caring comfort for a moment, he suddenly looked up and said to him, “Second Brother, if you’re afraid of me guarding against you, then come over and break down my defenses. I told you just now what I want.”

Fei Yujing didn’t really know how to break down Shi Jin’s defenses— otherwise he wouldn’t have angered him before. Looking at how Shi Jin trusted and felt close to him now, and fearing he might say the wrong thing and ruin this rare, warm atmosphere, he carefully measured his words and replied conventionally, “You said you want me to care about you deeply. I will do it.”

Shi Jin saw right through the confusion and caution hidden beneath his calm and steady exterior. Feeling a mix of helplessness and soft-heartedness at finally seeing through Fei Yujing’s true nature, he resignedly gave up on this abstract communication. He stood up, stepped back three paces from the hospital bed, and said to Fei Yujing, “Second Brother, let me give you a brotherly hug.”

Fei Yujing: “…Ah?”

“I want you to come over on your own,” Shi Jin requested.

Fei Yujing looked at Shi Jin without moving. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a reconciliation hug, but rather… feeling the lingering sensation of his ear being squeezed, he felt a bit self-conscious.

If he walked over now, would he be squished and kneaded again by Shi Jin? He couldn’t help feeling… it would be quite a mental challenge. Yet he couldn’t refrain from going; this was Shi Jin’s way of expressing closeness, and since Shi Jin was trying so hard to bridge the gap between them, failing to respond would be far too hurtful.

“If you don’t come over, then I’ll just leave.” Shi Jin suddenly took a step backward toward the hospital room door.

“Wait.” Fei Yujing stopped him instinctively. Throwing aside all his stray thoughts, he pulled back the covers, got out of bed, and took a step toward Shi Jin.

Shi Jin stopped backing away and stood there watching him, his arms hanging at his sides without any sign of reaching out to welcome the hug.

Looking at him like this, Fei Yujing suddenly recalled how proactive and affectionate Shi Jin was when hugging his other brothers. Frowning slightly, he cast aside all remaining hesitation, walked straight toward him, and opened his arms.

Whatever, if he squishes me, so be it— I’ll get used to it eventually.

The distance between them was short to begin with, and with Fei Yujing’s long legs, he reached Shi Jin in just two strides. Looking down at Shi Jin’s face, after a brief pause, he slowly leaned in and clumsily wrapped his arms around Shi Jin, gently hugging him.

It was a hug with a slight sense of distance— only their shoulders and above were touching. One of them stood completely motionless and stiff, arms hanging down with no intention of responding.

In Fei Yujing’s expectation, the hug Shi Jin actively asked for should have been intimate and filled with reconciliation. Yet as he held Shi Jin, he didn’t feel the distance narrowing. Inhaling Shi Jin’s scent and feeling his body heat, after a brief moment of excitement, his heart slowly sank.

Shi Jin… didn’t hug him back. This was a one-sided embrace, completely different from the hugs Shi Jin gave the other brothers. In the end, he was still different from the others.

Lowering his eyes, he hesitated and slowly released Shi Jin.

Shi Jin suddenly spoke up, asking, “Second Brother, what are you thinking right now?”

Fei Yujing paused, thinking he wanted to change the subject. He quickly collected his emotions and replied while straightening up, “Nothing. It’s late, you should—”

Shi Jin suddenly leaned in, actively hugging him and resting his head on his shoulder.

Fei Yujing’s body stiffened, his eyes widening slightly.

“Second Brother, if you felt down just now because I didn’t hug you back, or if you feel joyful because of my initiative now, then I am completely satisfied.”

Warm breath brushed against his neck, and soft hair grazed his earlobe. Fei Yujing’s heart skipped a beat. After a brief stiffness, he instinctively raised his arms to hug Shi Jin back, saying, “I do… everything you mentioned, I felt it all.”

Although he was always unable to keep up with Shi Jin’s train of thought or understand his mind, he had learned one thing now: when Shi Jin asked about his feelings, he should honestly share his thoughts. This younger brother of his loved listening to these things.

This was the only thing he was currently certain could instantly draw the two of them closer.

Both fell silent, embracing each other quietly.

This was the first time Fei Yujing had held someone so intimately. Frowning slightly, he carefully analyzed his feelings, memorizing the touch of pressed chests and arms locked around each other, feeling a sense of fulfillment rise within him.

So a reciprocal hug felt like this, a close embrace was like this—it was indeed as comforting as he had imagined.

Shi Jin felt the strength in his arms, curled his lips in a relaxed smile, patted his back, and said, “Second Brother, that’s it. I hope you keep this desire for me to respond to your hugs whenever we interact. In the past, our relationship was like that first hug— you held me without wanting a response. I didn’t find warmth in it, only feeling constrained, while you felt I wasn’t affectionate enough and was guarding against you. But if you demand my response, I might not be used to it at first, but in the end, it will surely lead to us holding each other like this. Second Brother, if emotions are to be built healthily, there must be give and take, and communication is essential. One-sided giving and self-centered assumptions are the worst approaches.”

Fei Yujing vaguely grasped a bit of his meaning and turned his head to look at him.

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t understand my thoughts or follow my words. You only need to remember this hug.” Shi Jin released him and gave a relaxed smile. “Try your best. Next time you feel the urge for me to respond to your embrace, don’t let reason swallow it up. Tell me, and I will respond to you. Second Brother, remember your feeling right now, and in this sense, need me fiercely.”

Swish.

As if the fog veiling his eyes had been torn away, Fei Yujing finally understood what Shi Jin truly wanted— just an interactive hug, something so simple. Yet even with something this simple, he had never given it to Shi Jin; or rather, the thought of seeking it from Shi Jin had never even crossed his mind.

He would only stand in his safe territory, saying nothing, guarding his heart tightly, hoping Shi Jin would walk over on his own.

“I’m sorry.” He finally realized what an arrogant and cruel thing he had done to Shi Jin. Looking at Shi Jin’s smiling face, he couldn’t help reaching out and pulling him into his arms again. 

“Thank you.” Thank you for still being willing to patiently teach him all this even now.