"Brother Lin..." Wang Hao began, his voice choked with emotion, a mix of awe and profound gratitude welling up within him.
"Don't start," Lin Yi interrupted smoothly, a faint, familiar amusement in his voice, preempting the torrent of emotion he knew was about to be unleashed. He wasn't one for elaborate displays of sentiment.
"I was going to thank you," Wang Hao managed to stammer out, a genuine protest.
"I know," Lin Yi replied, his expression softening slightly. He knew his friend's heart.
"I was also going to cry," Wang Hao confessed, a wry, self-deprecating humor entering his tone, acknowledging his own emotional nature.
"Then definitely don't start," Lin Yi said, his voice firm but gentle, quashing the impending emotional display with practiced ease. He preferred practicality to effusive declarations.
Wang Hao coughed once, a small, embarrassed sound, and then straightened his back, composing himself, a silent promise to reign in his emotions.
