Chapter 24.1 – The First Video

Translator’s Note-Thankyou Yanyanchan for your support on ko-fi.This will be the extra chapter.Enjoy reading it guys!!!!

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Through the phone, the two men fell into a brief silence.

Jian Changjia was somewhat surprised. He thought the other person would be flustered upon hearing his voice. However, Lu Xingwang was not only calm but exceptionally composed. His strong presence even momentarily overwhelmed Jian Changjia himself.

Even before Jian Changjia could react, Lu Xingwang took the initiative to ask, “Where is Jian Mei?”

Jian Changjia felt annoyed. “Why are you looking for him?”

Lu Xingwang countered, “What are you doing with his phone?”

“…”

The air was filled with an invisible scent of gunpowder for a moment.

Jian Changjia inexplicably felt as if he was being suppressed by Lu Xingwang. To regain his dominance, he cleared his throat and shouted, “I’m his brother. Why can’t I use his phone?”

Hmph, this should scare the kid.

Unexpectedly, Jian Changjia was met with skepticism, “Why should I believe you?”

Jian Changjia choked, “Can’t you see that I’m his real brother?”

Lu Xingwang seemed to have achieved his goal and calmly said, “Then let him answer the call.”

Jian Changjia, stimulated by the provocation, was determined to prove that he was absolutely superior to this kid. He walked back to his room while holding the blanket, opened the door, and handed the phone to Jian Mei, saying, “Here, it’s for you. Talk to him and let him know who I am.”

Jian Mei, still drowsy and confused, hadn’t fully processed the situation when he saw the lit-up call screen. His tiredness instantly vanished, and he quickly rubbed his eyes. Holding the phone against his face, he softly said, “Hello?”

Hearing his stable voice, Lu Xingwang responded, “Everything okay?”

“It’s alright, everything’s fine.” After realizing what Lu Xingwang was talking about, Jian Mei quickly explained, feeling the intense gaze on him. He looked up and met Jian Changjia’s eyes before adding, “Oh, right, the person who just called was my brother, no one else.”

?

A question mark appeared above Jian Changjia’s head.

Was it his imagination, or why did his own younger brother now seem to be explaining as if he had no affair with someone?

Lu Xingwang responded, “Got it.”

“After sending that message, as if not forgetting someone was present, Lu Xingwang added lightly, ‘Send my regards to your brother on my behalf.'”

Jian Mei acknowledged before ending the call.

As soon as the call ended, Jian Changjia crossed his arms and looked at Jian Mei with a scrutinizing gaze. His piercing eyes seemed ready to interrogate a criminal.

Jian Mei became nervous and held the blanket, looking at him. “Why are you looking at me like that, brother?”

Jian Changjia inquired, “Who is he?”

“He’s… he’s my friend.”

“What kind of friend? Classmate or someone from the hospital?”

Jian Mei hesitated, and that hesitation made Jian Changjia understand. He immediately scolded, “Don’t tell me he’s neither. Is he an online friend? How come he suddenly stopped talking? Jian Mei, are you really that naive? Haven’t you even met him in person, yet you chat with an online friend so fervently? Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?!”

Jian Mei shrunk back in fear and timidly replied, “But he has never deceived me.”

Jian Changjia was on the verge of exploding with anger. He decided to sit down next to Jian Mei. It was the first time he felt that maybe he and his parents had been neglectful towards Jian Mei, leading to his overly simplistic mindset. So, he decided to have a serious conversation with him.

“It’s not just about being deceived or not, Jian Mei. I don’t care about your friends, but you need to have reliable friends, do you understand?”

Jian Mei surprisingly responded seriously, “He’s reliable. He teaches me how to solve problems.”

Jian Changjia took a deep breath and said, “…That’s just about studying. Can he help you when you face real difficulties?”

“He can,” Jian Mei said softly. “When I got lost, he helped me find the way by looking at the map and guided me down the mountain.”

Jian Changjia didn’t expect Da Zhuang (referring to Lu Xingwang) to have such capabilities. His heart tightened, and he had to approach the issue from another angle. “How do you know he doesn’t have ulterior motives for helping you? There are many deceitful people who speak sweetly but have hidden agendas. Can you distinguish them?”

“I can,” Jian Mei sat on the bed, hugging the blanket. When he heard this question, he really pondered for a moment. Then, he looked up at Jian Changjia and smiled. “Isn’t it the same as with my brother?”

Jian Changjia was stunned. He didn’t expect the fire to burn himself.

However, Jian Mei’s round, bright eyes still looked at him earnestly, with a hint of tenderness. “Brother, you have never been deceitful. You may appear fierce, but when you talk to me about these things, it’s because you genuinely care for me.”

The rain outside continued to pour heavily, creating a pitter-patter sound as it hit the window. The voices of people speaking became somewhat fainter due to it, but inside the room, they were exceptionally clear. Jian Changjia, who had been full of momentum, seemed to deflate as if a button had been pressed. He hurriedly walked over and turned off the lights, then fumbled around in the dark to lie down on the floor.

Jian Mei sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. “Brother, why did you turn off the lights? Can you see clearly?”

“I wanted to turn them off. It’s none of your business.”

“Oh.”

Jian Mei wanted to get off the bed and help. “Are you tired of laying the bedding by yourself? Let me help you, or if you want, you can sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Jian Changjia paused for a moment and turned around angrily. “You stay obediently on the bed, got it? If you dare to come down and cause trouble, I’ll break your legs!”

Jian Mei shrank back and obediently returned to the bed.

After a while, the room finally became quiet. Jian Changjia also managed to calm down his emotions. Just when he thought he could have some peace, a weak voice came from the bed, “Brother…”

Jian Changjia grumbled, not in a good mood. “What now? What do you want?”

“Goodnight,” he said softly.

Jian Changjia didn’t say anything, turned over, and no longer faced the person on the bed. If there really was a saying that “like attracts like,” then the thing he least wanted to deal with in this lifetime might be interacting with his younger brother. Even if they slept in the same room, he wouldn’t pay too much attention to Jian Mei.

…

A while later,

The person on the bed turned over, and the neatly covered blanket was thrown aside. Jian Mei, who was sound asleep, sprawled in a messy position, with the cold night rain covering his body without any blanket.

Jian Changjia glanced at him under the moonlight, grinding his teeth in frustration.

After glaring at the person on the bed for a long time without any response, Jian Changjia reluctantly got up and pulled the blanket back to cover Jian Mei. But as soon as he returned to his own bed, which hadn’t even warmed up yet, Jian Mei, who was sound asleep, turned over again. This time, he extended his leg and exposed half of his body outside the blanket.

“…”

Forget it, I don’t care about him.

Jian Changjia closed his eyes, preparing to sleep. But before half a minute had passed, he couldn’t bear to ignore his brother and sat up in frustration. He walked briskly to the edge of the bed, pulled the blanket over to cover Jian Mei properly. From then on, it was like a battle of wits with his mischievous younger brother. Jian Changjia half-lay by the bedside, always ready to subdue the restless Jian Mei.

Strangely enough, as if sensing that someone was watching by the bedside, the person in his sleep became much more obedient. Apart from the bad habit of kicking the blanket, Jian Mei was generally well-behaved while sleeping. The sound of gentle breathing filled the quiet room. Perhaps he was truly scared by something at night, as he didn’t seem to have a peaceful sleep. His delicate eyebrows furrowed, and he occasionally muttered a few words in his dreams.

Jian Changjia became curious for a moment and approached, wanting to hear what he was saying. As he got closer, he could faintly hear Jian Mei’s soft murmur, somewhat indistinct but discernible upon careful listening. He called out softly, “Brother…”

He didn’t know what he was dreaming about, but he looked very sad.

Nightmares disturb peaceful sleep, and that soft calling was like a drop of water falling into his heart, stirring up ripples of calmness.

Jian Changjia furrowed his brows and flicked his forehead. “Always lost in your thoughts.”

For a moment, as he looked at the child in front of him, he suddenly recalled events from many years ago. In fact, he had disliked Jian Mei since childhood, not just because of the staircase incident, but long, long before that. He despised the appearance of this child who took away his parents’ love, despite both of them being their parents’ children. He also resented the fact that just because he became the older brother, he had to accommodate everything for his younger brother.

Why should he have to acknowledge this family member just because he was the older brother? No one had ever asked him if he wanted to. He was expected to accept this sudden arrival, this brother who took away everything from him.

“Stay away from me.”

That was what he often said to Jian Mei.

The situation began to ease when Jian Mei turned five years old, also on a rainy night like this. The school suddenly announced a temporary suspension of classes, and when he returned home, he found the nanny resting in her room. He went upstairs to Jian Mei’s room but couldn’t find him. Just as he thought Jian Mei was missing, he heard a slight noise coming from the wardrobe. Then…

He saw it.

His foolish little brother sticking his head out and calling him in a pitiful and aggrieved voice, “Brother…”

Because he was so scared, the bed was big, and the room felt too empty, so he hid inside the wardrobe. Jian Changjia saw that there was a simple makeshift bed inside the wardrobe, prepared by Jian Mei himself, with his own teddy bear as a pillow.

He found it quite amusing at the time and said, “You have a bed, why are you sleeping here?”

Jian Mei’s reply, which he could never forget, came in a cheerful tone from the child who was only waist-high: “The bed in the cabinet is also mine. This is a secret base. Monsters can’t catch me here.”

Jian Mei crawled in to demonstrate, eager to share with him, the child who always seemed to be showered with love and lacked nothing. “Brother, do you want to come in and try it too?”

…

At that moment, for some reason, he suddenly didn’t dislike Jian Mei as much. A moment of tenderness could last a lifetime. No matter how many reasons there were to resent his younger brother, he had to admit that deep down, he didn’t dislike Jian Mei as much as he showed.

The next day,

The air in the small countryside was exceptionally fresh after the rain.

By midday, the grandfather carried a medicine box on his back, saying he wanted to stroll up the mountain after the rain to gather some herbs. Winter was approaching, and some medicinal plants needed to be collected during this autumn season. Jian Mei also carried a small medicine box and followed behind while walking. Although he had never been physically strong since childhood, fortunately, they walked slowly all the way due to herb gathering. During the walk, the grandfather would also teach them techniques in the same place.

Herb gathering seemed simple but required various techniques and experience. The quality and effectiveness of an herb were closely related to its completeness. Only when the herb itself was intact could it exert its best medicinal effects.

While walking, the grandfather would teach and instruct them, saying, “For herbs like this, you cannot dig them because the mushroom next to it is poisonous. Although this herb is not poisonous, it can be influenced by the toxicity of the mushroom.”

“And this one.” The grandfather, being a Chinese medicine practitioner his whole life, always tried his best to pass on knowledge to the younger generation. “This type of herb requires special attention to protect the roots. You cannot dig it directly with a shovel. You need to wear gloves and dig the soil, as its medicinal properties are concentrated in the roots.”

Jian Mei listened attentively beside them.

Meanwhile, Jian Changjia wasn’t interested in medicine at all; he simply served as a porter for the medicine box.

Along the way, Jian Mei behaved unusually and actively asked the grandfather about the effects and collection methods of various herbs. His mind wasn’t very sharp, so he would record things by keeping the recording function of his phone on, enabling him to take notes later.

Jian Changjia had been wanting to ask, “What brand is your phone?”

Jian Mei honestly replied, “I don’t know. Grandfather found it on the mountain.”

“Found it on the mountain?” Jian Changjia expressed his doubt. “You’ve been recording for the whole morning. Is the battery and everything sufficient?”

Jian Mei nodded and said, “It’s enough, and there’s plenty left.”

Jian Changjia didn’t believe it and leaned over to look at his screen. He found that the battery was almost full, and he had never heard of this phone brand before. He said, “Is it a knockoff phone?”

A well-crafted, powerful machine was immediately labeled as a knockoff.

Jian Mei didn’t really mind and said, “I don’t know, but I think it works pretty well.”

Jian Changjia sincerely said to his grandfather, “Grandfather, the phone you found is really impressive in terms of its features.”

They happened to reach halfway up the mountain, and the grandfather pointed to a set of stairs not far away and said, “It was found on those steps. It’s strange, you know. The weather was nice that day, and many people were going up the mountain to gather herbs and cultivate the fields. That road was a common route. But when I went there, this phone box was just sitting there, as if it had been there for a long time.”

Jian Mei whispered, “Was it waiting for Grandfather?”

The grandfather chuckled and said, “Then it must have become enlightened. Is this a gift from the gods?”

Jian Mei laughed along.

When they reached a side of the halfway point, he wanted to go to a public restroom. The grandfather and Jian Changjia stayed in the pavilion to eat the homemade lunch they had brought. Jian Mei went to the nearby restroom alone. Although it was a public restroom, the hygiene was well-maintained. As he came out, he washed his hands diligently at the outdoor sink and splashed some water on his face. While washing, he heard a voice from behind, “Jian Mei?”

The voice startled Jian Mei, and as he turned around, he indeed met a familiar face.

Cheng Yu exclaimed, “It’s really you.”

Jian Mei also found it strange and asked, “Class monitor, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, my family came out for an autumn outing,” Cheng Yu said. “I heard that the scenery of this mountain is nice, and since it’s the National Day holiday and I had nothing to do at home, we decided to come out and play. I didn’t expect to run into you.”

Jian Mei nodded and said, “What a coincidence.”

Cheng Yu smiled and said, “Yeah.”

He wouldn’t mention that he overheard Jian Mei talking about going back to his hometown during the break at school and managed to find out the location. He found a hotel on the mountain and arrived yesterday. Today, when the weather cleared up, he decided to explore the mountain. He didn’t expect his luck to be so good.

In the previous attempts, his methods were used incorrectly, and he didn’t know why it led to a growing distance between him and Jian Mei. He couldn’t find a better way to improve their relationship at school either. Now they were in their second year of junior high school, and if they couldn’t have a good relationship in the remaining year and more, it would be a waste of such a valuable resource. This time, he decided to change his strategy.

Jian Mei dried his hands and said, “Well, you go ahead and have fun. I’m going back now.”

“Hey, wait a moment,” Cheng Yu stopped him, then showed a troubled expression. “I’m staying at a small hotel up the mountain. I just went down for a walk. On the road ahead, I saw a tree with beautiful blossoms, and I wanted to take a photo to remember. But I can’t do it alone. Could you… could you help me take a picture?”

It was lunch break, and his grandfather and brother were having their meal. Jian Mei wouldn’t go far.

Jian Mei had a kind heart and generally wouldn’t refuse people in need of help. He asked, “How far is it?”

Cheng Yu hurriedly said, “Not far, really close. Just ahead, within a distance of 100 meters.”

Jian Mei agreed, saying, “Alright then.”

Cheng Yu smiled in response. He had a naturally handsome and gentle appearance, and his smile carried a refreshing and natural charm. It was easy to be captivated by his harmless aura when being around someone like him. The two walked side by side, occasionally chatting about the homework assigned by their teachers and some of the courses they had taken since the beginning of the school year.

Jian Mei was familiar with the paths on the mountain, so he felt relaxed and at ease. However, unexpectedly, when they were halfway along the road, something suddenly happened.

“Ah!”

One of the loose stones on the ground unexpectedly shifted, causing Jian Mei to lose balance easily and almost fall. He wasn’t prepared for it, but Cheng Yu, who was beside him, acted quite swiftly and grabbed him in the nick of time, saying, “Be careful.”

The incident happened too quickly and suddenly.

When Jian Mei reacted, Cheng Yu had already fallen to the ground. It seemed that he hit his arm and scraped his skin, with faint traces of blood visible. It didn’t look light.

“Are you okay, class monitor?” Jian Mei hurriedly went to help him up.

Cheng Yu shook his head and looked concernedly at Jian Mei. “Mai Mei, are you injured?”

Jian Mei shook his head, looking puzzled at the loose stone behind them. “Strange, how did it become loose…”

Cheng Yu analyzed from the side, saying, “It’s probably due to last night’s heavy rain.”

Jian Mei felt something was off, but it was indeed possible that the loose stone was related to the rain from the previous night. He looked down and said to Cheng Yu, “Class monitor, are you okay? You seem to be bleeding.”

Cheng Yu glanced at his arm and shook his head, saying, “This little injury is nothing. But… it seems like I twisted my foot.”

Jian Mei frowned as expected, “How did that happen…”

This was exactly what Cheng Yu wanted. Only by getting injured could he make Jian Mei realize his kindness for saving him and receive care. He whispered, “It’s alright, as long as you’re okay.”

According to his plan, Jian Mei would definitely accompany him back to the hotel or stay at his grandfather’s house. Then, during the vacation, he would have a legitimate opportunity to spend more time with Jian Mei.

Unfortunately…

Jian Mei’s face in front of him was filled with a smile as he said, “Well, it really is no problem. I can help you get better!”

Cheng Yu: ?

Jian Mei ran off and quickly returned. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his usually fair face now had a slight blush on his cheeks. He half-squatted next to Cheng Yu, his voice clear and gentle, comforting like speaking to a young child. He looked at Cheng Yu and said, “Just wait a little longer, it will be fine soon.”

He crushed the herbs in his hand with a tool he happened to have with him and gently applied it to Cheng Yu’s wound. The entire process was quick and skillful. The green crushed herbs didn’t look aesthetically pleasing and even a bit unpleasant, which Cheng Yu found repulsive. But the youth holding them seemed very serious. When his eyes fell on the wound, the distance between the two was close, close enough to catch a faint scent of grass from Jian Mei.

“Done.”

Jian Mei raised his gaze, and a smile appeared on his fair and clean face. “It won’t hurt anymore soon.”

Cheng Yu’s pupils contracted. This was the first time he found himself so captivated by Jian Mei’s presence. His entire mind seemed to go blank, and the world became so quiet, as if only the sound of their heartbeats remained. It was strange, wasn’t it? He had learned from a young age to use everything around him to his advantage. He could calmly calculate and skillfully manipulate even the wiliest of foxes. But at this moment, facing an innocent peer, he didn’t know how to react.

“Ah…”

A wave of pain shot up from his ankle, bringing Cheng Yu back to his senses.

Jian Mei pressed a few joints, rubbed a few acupoints, and applied the remaining herbs to the bare part of Cheng Yu’s foot. Then he clapped his hands and said, “Mission accomplished! It’ll be fine very soon.”

Cheng Yu blinked in confusion, realizing belatedly that the area on his arm where the ointment was first applied was no longer hurting. He rested on the ground for a while and gradually even his bare foot stopped hurting. He had never known that Jian Mei actually understood medicine. Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from nearby, “Jian Mei!”

Both of them turned their heads at the same time and saw Jian Changjia, a tall and imposing figure, standing there.

Jian Changjia walked over with an unfriendly expression. The brother who had faced an unknown netizen’s criticism last night was now in a sour mood. As he approached and saw the person sitting next to his brother, he asked, “Why didn’t you come back? I thought you had been kidnapped. And who is this?”

Translator’s Note-The chapter is too long.It is like over 6-7k words.

Schedule for the Novels are “Online Dating Boyfriend is Actually an Alien”

“What can I do, I’m not human”- Monday and Thursday

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