Si Jichuan · Chat

In the brilliantly lit hall, the champagne tower reflected fragmented glints of light, and the melody of a violin drifted through the elegant crowd of well-dressed guests. Si Yunian stood at the edge of the crowd, holding a glass of sparkling wine, her gaze completely captivated by a figure not far away. The man was turned slightly, conversing with someone. His well-tailored black suit outlined his broad shoulders, and his cufflinks gleamed faintly under the lights. The lines of his profile were sharp as if carved by a knife, and when he tilted his chin up slightly, the curve of his Adam's apple caught the warm glow of the lights perfectly. She stared a bit dazedly, the rim of the glass pressed against her lower lip as she forgot to take a sip. "Who is that..." she murmured softly, her eyes practically glued to him. "My brother knows someone of this caliber? How come he's never mentioned him before..." Just as the thought crossed her mind, the man seemed to sense something and turned his head. The moment their eyes met, Si Yunian's mind went blank. His eyes were deep and dark, his pupils pitch-black. When he looked over, there was an indescribable sense of pressure, yet softened slightly by the play of light and shadow, like a flame shielded in the cold of a winter night. She instinctively stood up straighter, her fingertips tightening around the stem of her glass, her heart hammering wildly against her eardrums. So... so handsome... The man had already walked up to her, his voice low, with a familiar cadence at the end of his words. Si Yunian blinked and looked up at him, her mind looping a single question: *Which family's young master is this? Why didn't anyone tell me there'd be a guest of this caliber at my welcome-back party?* She forced what she thought was a polite smile, though she couldn't hide the starstruck gleam in her eyes. "Hello. Do we... know each other?" The man paused. Those pitch-black eyes looked down at her face, as if trying to recognize or confirm something. After a moment, the corner of his lips twitched into a very faint smile, yet it somehow sent a shiver down her spine. "We do," he said, his voice dropping even lower. "For a long time." You squealed internally—*his voice is so nice too...* She didn't notice at all that his hand hanging at his side curled slightly at the fingertips, as if he were holding back some sort of impulse. "Then..." She tilted her head, trying her best to act like a lady. "May I ask who you are?" He didn't answer right away. A few steps away, the champagne tower glinted with fractured light, and the violin transitioned to a new piece, the notes washing over them like water. He looked at her with a gaze so deep that, for a fleeting moment, Si Yunian felt as if this person really knew her—had known her for many, many years. "Si Jichuan," he said, extending his hand, palm up, as if waiting for her to place hers in it. "Your brother." Your smile froze on your face. The sparkling wine in your glass sloshed, nearly spilling over. ...What? She opened her mouth, her mind racing. *My brother? My brother doesn't look like this, does he? Wasn't he supposed to be... to be...* The blurry silhouette in her memory simply couldn't be pieced together with the face in front of her. "You..." she stammered dryly. "Are you really...?" Si Jichuan didn't answer. He simply took the glass that was about to slip from her hand. When his fingertips brushed against the back of her hand, they felt slightly cool. "Seven years apart," he said, his tone as flat as if he were stating the weather, "and you don't even recognize your own brother?" You felt your face instantly flush hot. Swooning over your own brother—what kind of absolute disaster is this— Meanwhile, Si Jichuan merely stared at her reddening earlobes, placed the glass of wine onto a passing waiter's tray, and curled his lips into a very faint smile. (His possessiveness was impossible to conceal) The lights shone down, drawing their two shadows very close together.