"You just need to tell me what looks good on me," Jian Ci said with a grin, tugging the black T-shirt down over his torso. "You don't need a fashion class for that."
He turned to the mirror, fingers combing through his hair with practiced ease. "Let's go."
"Wait," Yu Xi suddenly said, stepping forward before he could stop himself. His hand reached out, trembling slightly, and brushed a stray strand of Jian Ci's hair back into place. His fingers lingered for half a second too long.
"There. Fixed," he said, voice low.
Jian Ci smiled, warm and easy, and walked out without hesitation. Yu Xi followed, his chest tight with something he couldn't name. Seeing them wear the same shirt made him feel… connected. Like they belonged together.
But the warmth didn't last.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Yu Xi's eyes widened. Dozens of crew members passed by, all wearing the same black uniform. And every single one of them greeted Jian Ci with familiarity, smiles, waves and casual jokes. With Jian Rui and Jian Wei, the crew was stiff, formal. But with Jian Ci, they were relaxed, chatty, affectionate.
Yu Xi's heart sank.
It was like a bucket of icy water had been dumped over his head. The realization hit hard. Jian Ci was kind to everyone. Friendly to everyone. If any of these people had been in that cell, Jian Ci would've treated them the same way.
Yu Xi wasn't special. He was just another person Jian Ci had helped.
And suddenly, the matching shirts didn't feel like something intimate but rather a uniform.
Jian Ci led Yu Xi down the corridor, the hum of the ship's systems a low thrum beneath their feet. The medical bay was just ahead, its doors gleaming under the sterile lights. Jian Ci turned around mid-step, walking backward with a grin.
"If my brother asks you to do anything you don't like, feel free to say no. He won't hold it against you."
Yu Xi nodded. "Okay."
But Jian Ci's smile faded slightly as he studied Yu Xi's face. "Hey…" He reached out and rubbed Yu Xi's cheeks with both hands, gently squishing them. "Don't be nervous. I am here with you, aren't I?"
Yu Xi blinked, caught off guard. Jian Ci had misunderstood. He wasn't nervous about the medical exam. In fact, he was eager, hopeful even, that something in his blood might help Jian Ci. What weighed on him was the quiet ache of realizing he wasn't special. Jian Ci was just kind to every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Jian Ci, oblivious, beamed again. "Cheer up. Your big brother will get you ice cream after this. I know you will like it." He slung an arm around Yu Xi's shoulders with casual affection.
"I am older than you," Yu Xi muttered.
"No, you are not," Jian Ci said confidently as the doors to the medical bay slid open.
Yu Xi narrowed his eyes. "When were you born?"
Jian Ci grinned. "When's your birthday?"
"I asked you first," Yu Xi retorted. They stepped into the bay, their voices echoing faintly in the white, gleaming space.
"He was born in 2498," Jian Wei said, glancing up from the medical interface. "Fifth day of Thorneal."
Jian Ci turned to Yu Xi with a triumphant grin. "I am older than you, aren't I, little brother?"
Yu Xi blinked. "…"
Jian Wei, still calibrating the diagnostic panel, looked over. "What about you? When were you born?" He needed the information for work purposes.
Yu Xi hesitated, then spoke softly. "Twenty-seventh day of Noctyra."
He remembered it clearly, not from a calendar, but from the lullaby his mother used to sing. She would woven the date into a rhyme, repeating it like a sacred mantra, her voice soothing. Yu Xi hadn't known then that she was preparing him for the day he would d be taken away, hoping her family might one day find him through that song.
He had sung the same rhyme to Xiaobao, his little brother, so he too would remember who he was.
Jian Ci leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Year, little brother."
Yu Xi looked up. "Year 2499."
Jian Ci's face lit up like he'd won a prize. "Call me dage and I will get you ice cream." Yu Xi didn't answer immediately, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Jian Wei finally snapped, his patience worn thin by Jian Ci's relentless teasing. "Yu Xi, don't listen to his nonsense. Come sit," he said, gesturing toward the reclining chair at the center of the room. His tone was brisk, already halfway into pulling on his gloves.
Yu Xi obeyed without protest, moving with the quiet compliance of someone long accustomed to being examined. He settled into the chair, and the headrest adjusted automatically, cradling his neck with a soft hum.
Jian Wei activated the ocular scanner with a flick of his wrist. A translucent screen hovered beside them, flickering to life as the device aligned with Yu Xi's eyes.
"Look straight ahead," Jian Wei instructed.
A soft whirring filled the room as beams of light swept across Yu Xi's irises. The screen displayed shifting graphs, neural overlays, and biometric readouts in real time.
"Open your mouth. Say 'ahh.'"
Yu Xi complied. A slender probe extended from the console, casting a sterile white light into his throat. It scanned silently, recording tissue density, vocal resonance, and trace chemical signatures.
Jian Wei moved with clinical precision checking Yu Xi's ears, pressing gently against his palms, noting pulse points and skin conductivity. His expression remained unreadable, focused.
Then he reached for a comb-like instrument, its teeth tipped with micro-sensors. "Let's get hair samples next," he muttered, already angling it toward Yu Xi's scalp.
Yu Xi sat still, gaze unfocused, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Jian Ci stirred from his quiet vigil, arms uncrossing as he stepped forward. His posture had been relaxed, but his eyes had never left Yu Xi. "Let me do it," he said, voice low but clear.
Jian Wei paused mid-motion, one brow lifting in irritation. "Are you doing the examination or am I?"
"Wei Wei," Jian Ci replied, soft but insistent. "Pleaseeee."
Jian Wei sighed, already exhausted by the familiar rhythm of their disagreements. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he handed over the comb-like instrument. "Fine. Just stop acting cute. It's weird."
Jian Ci smiled happily having gotten what he wanted. He moved behind Yu Xi, his steps deliberate and unhurried. He reached out, fingers threading gently through the long strands of Yu Xi's hair.
There was a reverence in his touch, something almost ceremonial. For a moment, he didn't even begin taking samples. He simply held the weight of the hair, letting it rest in his palms like something precious.
"Let me know if it hurts," he murmured.