Chapter 4

    Slender fingers clicked the mouse to upload the video clip to his personal channel. Once the screen showed that the upload was complete, he stretched to relieve the stiffness from sitting and editing the clip for so long. It had taken him nearly four days to make it the best it could be, partly to make it up to his fans for not posting anything for a while.

    “Auntie brought you some snacks.”

    “Thank you, Aunt Tan.”

    Ramin flashed a sweet smile at the elderly woman. He had been here for a week, but Aunt Tan had only returned to work two days ago. Yet, she got along with Ramin very well, partly because he was naturally good with people and carried himself in a way that endeared him to everyone on the farm.

    Except for the owner of the farm, that was...

    “Hmm, these cookies are delicious. Did you make them yourself, Aunt Tan?”

    “I bought them from the shop at the entrance of the farm. It just opened the other day.”

    “I had no idea.”

    “How would you know, Mr. Min? You never go out to the front of the farm.”

    Ramin wanted to go out too, but he was busy editing the video clip and also had to help take care of Wayu, as he had not brought his laptop. Phayu had told him he could use the one in the office. It was then that Ramin realized he had been tricked about the other person’s phone.

    Cao Cao came to mind, and there he was. Seeing that the boss and the guest likely had some business to discuss, Aunt Tan left to attend to her duties, leaving Ramin to face the homeowner alone.

    The slender figure rose from the desk and went to check on little Wayu in his crib. Seeing that he was sound asleep, Ramin refrained from disturbing him to avoid waking him up and making him cry again. However, the father was not cooperative at all. When he saw that Ramin was only interested in his child, he decided to annoy him by poking Wayu's white belly with his big finger, causing Wayu to frown in irritation.

    Smack!

    “Ow!”

    Phayu quickly withdrew his hand after being slapped by the temporary babysitter. Look at that, in just a few days, he had managed to win over everyone here. Now, he even dared to lay a hand on him.

    “It was really hard to get Wayu to sleep, you know. Go sit over there and don't cause any trouble.”

    “Am I the homeowner, or are you?”

    Seeing the younger man glare at him, Phayu reluctantly moved to sit at the desk as instructed. Earlier, Ramin had insisted on paying for his stay and meals since he planned to stay for a while. But because Phayu did not want to charge Ramin, who did not like taking advantage of others, Ramin offered to babysit Wayu while he stayed here.

    "I just uploaded the clip here. Have you seen it yet?"

    After tucking the little blanket around Wayu, Ramin returned to sit beside the tea plantation owner of the large estate in Chiang Mai Province. Though he was just an outsider passing through, he genuinely hoped to help it recover, even if just a little.

    "Not yet. Let's watch it."

    Ramin nodded slightly, taking a deep breath to gather his courage. He was eagerly anticipating feedback from his fans, wondering if his popularity was still holding strong. He had high hopes for this project.

    Phayu glanced at the younger man's profile for a moment. Having known each other for almost a week, sharing meals every day—morning, noon, and night—and even helping to lull Wayu to sleep before bed, he had come to realize that Ramin was a genuinely kind person. He exuded a positive energy that never seemed to run out, making everyone around him feel at ease.

    It was hard to believe that someone who had faced so much misfortune in life like him could still have a bit of luck left, bringing someone as good as Ramin into his and his child's life. Right now, Ramin was practically the only friend he had left.

    If Ramin wanted to be friends with him, that was.

    Phayu shifted his focus back to the computer screen, momentarily ignoring the person beside him. He could not decide whether the lush green of the tea plants or the smile of the channel owner was more vibrant.

    "What are you smiling at?"

    The clear voice questioned the tall figure next to him, who did not respond, just kept smiling creepily at the screen. How was he supposed to know what was going on?

    "Is it wrong for me to smile?"

    "It's creepy as hell."

    The beautiful eyes stopped paying attention to Phayu and turned to open the comment section instead. The clip had been uploaded for less than an hour, yet the views were already skyrocketing. It was quite satisfying, even surpassing his expectations.

    "What did you put in the clip?"

    Seeing a cartoon character pop up and shake its butt in the clip, followed by a question mark appearing above Ramin's head, Phayu furrowed his brows in confusion. He had not understood since seeing the length of the video—just thirteen minutes, yet Ramin had spent four days editing it.

    "It's called adding effects to make our clip more colorful and less boring."

    "Is that necessary?"

    "It is. The image and presentation techniques affect the viewers' interest."

    "I don't get it."

    Ramin sighed heavily in exasperation. Phayu always acted like an old man, so how could he believe that the guy was only twenty-six? His brother was not like this at all, even though they were the same age.

    But wait a minute...

    "Don't tell me you made those flyers I found at the airport."

    Ramin's beautiful eyes narrowed suspiciously. Seeing Phayu shrug in a half-hearted admission, he felt a headache coming on. He was not surprised at all that they turned out so dull, considering who made them.

    "Do you really think anyone will be interested in visiting with that kind of flyer, Mr. Phayu?"

    Ramin furrowed his brows in frustration. Not only did Phayu dress in a way that did not suit a farm owner, but he also pranked Ramin about his phone, liked to disturb the baby after Ramin had just lulled him to sleep, and now there was this negative art issue.

    How many bottles of painkillers would Ramin need to survive here...

    "Why wouldn't they be? You're sitting right in front of me, aren't you?"

    The baskets were cleaned and neatly arranged to dry in the sun. Tomorrow, they had to pick the tea leaves early to encourage new growth. Even if no one bought them, they could not neglect their care.

    "Aunt Tan, why don't we process and sell the tea from our farm? That way, it would last longer."

    Ramin turned to the elder with curiosity. Despite Phayu's dedication, every time they harvested, they had to throw it away. It was too much of a waste for Ramin to bear.

    "We used to do that, but after our farm was boycotted, no one bought our products, leaving us without funds to keep the factory running. All the workers resigned. With no one to work, we had to sell fresh tea leaves to other factories instead. But now, they all buy from other farms."

    Aunt Tan whispered to Ramin, ensuring only he could hear. This issue had been a long-standing wound in Phayu's heart due to those ridiculous rumors. No matter how hard he tried, he was always thwarted. That was why the farm was in its current state.

    Thinking about this, the old woman's eyes grew visibly sad. She had worked here long before Phayu was born. When Phayu was born, she helped raise him herself. Seeing someone she loved like a son or grandson struggle so much was heartbreaking.

    "The few workers you see are just helping out without pay. But Mr. Phayu always buys them gifts on special occasions as a token of appreciation. He's not like what others say, Mr. Min."

    "I believe you."

    Ramin gave Aunt Tan a gentle smile to reassure her. He never believed that Phayu was as bad as people gossiped. Even though Phayu could be mischievous and tease him sometimes, he was kind-hearted and always considerate of others' feelings.

    "Can these tea leaves only be used to make tea?"

    "You can cook with them too. They go well with chili paste, larb, or salad, and you can even coat them in batter and fry them as a snack. They're delicious that way too."

    "I see. Please take care of Wayu for me. I’ll be back in a bit."

    With urgency, he hurried towards the tall owner of the farm, prompting Aunt Tan to shout after him in concern, fearing he might trip. But Ramin paid no mind. He thought he might have found a way to revive the farm.

    "Mr. Phayu."

    The tall figure looked up from his work, frowning as he saw Ramin approaching quickly. He nearly stumbled once before; did he not learn his lesson?

    "You'll trip."

    "I'm grown up now. I won't trip over something like this,"

    Ramin retorted cheerfully before dragging Phayu's strong arm towards the pavilion to sit, as it was a bit hot outside at that time.

    "I have something to ask."

    "Be careful not to trip, Ramin."

    Phayu held onto Ramin's slender arm, his sharp eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he spoke sternly. Ramin was not listening to him at all. The ground here was a bit slippery since they had just washed the baskets, and yet Ramin still did not know how to be careful.

    "I know, I know."

    "If you know, then why aren't you being careful?"

    "I am being careful."

    "You're just arguing for the sake of it."

    Phayu crossed his arms, glaring at the younger man. But Ramin did not seem scared at all. Instead, he crossed his arms and stared back defiantly. What was the point of this?

    "You argue just like Wayu."

    "You're the one who's difficult."

    "How am I difficult?"

    This time, it was Ramin who furrowed his brows. Did he really have to explain it all again? Since he had been here, Phayu had given him countless headaches. Like the day he was going to film a clip, he told Phayu to dress nicely, but he did not listen.

    "You act like a grumpy old man. You dress like an uncle, and you never listen to a word I say. You're giving me a headache."

    "What did you just say?"

    Ramin crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. This time, he had the upper hand. If you asked anyone on the farm, no one would side with Phayu. Everyone knew that Phayu was the stubborn type who did not like listening to others.

    "I said you're old. Hey! Where are you going?"

    Phayu ignored Ramin's loud complaints and gently led him by the slender arm toward the parking lot, taking his time. Even though it was a mix of pulling and guiding, he was always careful in case Ramin might fall.

    "I'm going to get a haircut."

    Let's see if he would dare call me an old man after this...