In the golden cage

Especially my brother.

These four words are harsh no matter how they sound, every time Ji Shaoting uses the word "my brother" to refer to Ji Linzhang, Li Chen is filled with displeasure.

But it was hard for him to wait for Ji Shaoting's forgiveness, and he couldn't take any risk that might damage their relationship.So he tried his best to express to Ji Shaoting in an empathetic tone: "I understand."

Ji Shaoting looked at Li Chen, and felt that he was a little strange, as if his whole background had changed suddenly.

But he didn't say anything, he just continued to push the luggage to the elevator, and said: "That's good, but you don't have to worry too much, my family will definitely support my decision in the end, I can guarantee this, and in During the time I was making my decision..."

He raised his head and glanced at Li Chen, but he didn't express his meaning clearly, but Li Chen knew that during the time when Ji Shaoting was making a decision, he needed to perform well.

But he didn't express anything to Ji Shaoting's hopeful eyes.

An indescribable sourness welled up in Ji Shaoting's heart.Although he also knew that verbal words didn't mean anything, but at this time, he still hoped that Li Chen could at least use words to express something similar to determination, so that he could have a certainty in his heart.

It wasn't until he pushed open the door of the bedroom on the second floor that he realized why Li Chen didn't say a word, and he would behave well if he didn't say anything.

Because he has already shown that this bedroom, where Ji Shaoting first lived, is covered with pink balloons at every corner, and the big white bed is covered with rose petals.

Li Chen clumsily copied the scenes that Ji Shaoting had only seen in movies before.He turned around in surprise to see Li Chen behind the door. He was standing in the corridor, avoiding Ji Shaoting's eyes, looking a little embarrassed: "I remember... I haven't chased you yet."

Their love is incomplete, omitting acquaintance and understanding, skipping the ambiguous period, the passionate love period, and the running-in period, and directly jumped into the final step: marriage.

If Ji Shaoting came to save him, Li Chen thought, at least he should give him a complete love in return when he is empty-handed.

"Do you like it?" Li Chen asked.

Ji Shaoting said softly, "I like it."

Facing this bed of bright and delicate rose petals, he thought that it was hard for him not to like it, not because of this romantic expression, but because of Li Chen's heart.

After all, he was a soft-hearted person, let alone facing Li Chen.

To Ji Shaoting, Li Chen was born different from other people.Countless old-fashioned pictures were copied and pasted, and he was the one who was the most different.

"As long as you like it," Li Chen paused, and then suddenly said nonchalantly, "Then do you want to be friends with me?"

The first thing Ji Shaoting thought of was the kindergarten. On the first day of school, the children met each other for the first time. After having fun, they would suddenly say: "Let's be friends."

Ji Shaoting smiled unconsciously: "Why do you ask such a question?"

Speaking of this, Li Chen's face became serious: "Because we started again, from the beginning, from being friends."

He said solemnly: "We need to exchange names first, then get to know each other, and go through the procedure completely according to the process."

Ji Shaoting was curious about where Li Chen knew this, but he didn't ask. He had a question that he wanted to know more about: "Then since we started as friends, why did you send me a bed of roses? This is not what a friend should do to a friend." What did you do?"

Li Chen was stunned, as if he hadn't considered the inconsistency between his identity and his behavior.Seeing his speechless appearance, Ji Shaoting finally held back his laughter and didn't ask further: "Okay, I like it very much, thank you."

Li Chen said again that as long as he liked it, he kept staring at Ji Shaoting, his lips opened and closed, obviously hesitating to speak.

Ji Shaoting followed along and asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Some time passed before Li Chen really spoke: "When I went to your house for the Spring Festival this year, one night, you said you wanted to go downstairs to find something to eat."

Ji Shaoting immediately remembered which night it was.

"You forgot to put on your coat, so I followed you out, and I saw you go to your brother's room, and then... I overheard the conversation between you and your brother."

Li Chen's narration stopped here.The room was brightly illuminated by the sky, and his wound was clearly reflected: "I heard you say that I am the type that you don't even want to make friends with."

The pictures in Ji Shaoting's mind turned page by page until he reached the chapter on the Spring Festival.On the premise that he knows now, he finally noticed Li Chen's depression during that time, and also realized his indifference after a while.

His emotions are very delicate, in fact, as long as Li Chen glances at him, he can feel the gloom in his heart.

But he didn't want to delve into it, and he didn't want to be considerate.

Li Chen was the first person to make Ji Shaoting feel "hate". Of course, this hatred is born of love, which may be a special feature of Li Chen.

"Did it start from that time?" Ji Shaoting asked, "I mean, did those things all start from that time?"

"Well, that blow was so big that I couldn't even imagine it myself." It was the first time Ji Shaoting expressed his definite dislike for him.

The wall lamp in the corridor was always on for a long time, when Li Chen lowered his head, his facial features turned from bright light to dark shadow.

The action in this scene was very ordinary, but Ji Shaoting's heart trembled for no reason.

He heard Li Chen continue: "I used to be self-righteous, thinking that I was rich and I could give you whatever you wanted, so you wouldn't leave, but it turns out...it turns out I'm not even a friend."

Ji Shaoting was silent for a while, and when he spoke again, he joked in a serious voice: "Boss, you can do whatever you want just because you have money."

Li Chen raised his head again, and the light and shadow flowed on his face again: "Well, indeed."

Their reconciliation was not earth-shattering at all.

The most dramatic part has passed. Those hysterics, those fleeing and arresting, those crying and questioning, all just want to tear a crack in the deadlock and let the long-standing contradictions inside have an outlet.Then in a peaceful daily life, take them out one by one and repair them one by one.

There was no sudden life or death, no entanglement of flesh and blood, they just stood in the corridor in such a homely manner, talking by the wall lamp.

They don't even have a clear date to mark the reconciliation, they circle it in the calendar with a red pen, and commemorate it every year.

"Then—" Ji Shaoting turned his head on one side, slightly raised the corner of his mouth, "My name is Ji Shaoting, what's your name?"

It took Li Chen a while to realize that Ji Shaoting was exchanging names, getting to know each other, and going through the procedure completely according to his expectations.

There was a smile in his eyes, he took a step forward, and looked down into Ji Shaoting's eyes.

"Hello," he said, "My name is Li Chen."