“And then?”
At the Ji family home, Ji Yuenian, with bite marks still visible on her lips, escaped back home. Faced with her parents’ interrogation, she hesitantly mentioned being forcefully and overbearingly kissed by a man. Huang Qingchuan and Ji Haotong were greatly shocked, and they both looked up at the same time, pressing for more details.
Being stared at intensely by two pairs of eyes, Ji Yuenian’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she suddenly appeared quite bashful.
“Mom, Brother, don’t look at me like that, it’s really embarrassing.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? This is about your lifelong happiness, little brother. Come on, keep talking. Did you agree?” Ji Haotong urged with the expression of someone eager for gossip.
“Tongtong is right. Little Rourou’s boy is indeed quite good. Yueyue, if you really like him, I’ll go to Little Rourou’s house in a few days to propose a marriage match,” Huang Qingchuan echoed.
However, at the mention of the experience of being overbearingly kissed, Ji Yuenian’s face turned red with shame. She didn’t know how to answer and lowered her head, not daring to look at them.
Seeing this, Huang Qingchuan gave Ji Haotong a meaningful look. Receiving the signal, Ji Haotong first moved toward Ji Yuenian’s seat to close the distance, then asked tentatively.
“You agreed?”
Ji Yuenian was momentarily stunned, then a hint of gloom flashed through her beautiful eyes as she shook her head.
“Then you rejected him?” Ji Haotong frowned.
Ji Yuenian shook her head again.
“Then what? You neither agreed nor refused?” Ji Haotong rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before asking again.
“I ran away,” Ji Yuenian whispered, her voice so low it was almost audible only to herself.
Hearing this, the corners of Ji Haotong and Huang Qingchuan’s mouths twitched. Both stared at her with strange expressions, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Ran away?
She ran away in the face of such a desperate, all-or-nothing confession?
This was just too…
“How do you expect me to accept something like that!” Feeling embarrassed by their stares, Ji Yuenian’s cheeks turned a deep crimson, filled with a sense of humiliated anger.
“Think about it, who is Jiang Chi? He’s been my arch-rival since we were kids. If I agree to be his girlfriend now and word gets out, how will I ever show my face again!!”
Huang Qingchuan was momentarily speechless, and Ji Haotong remained silent as well.
They thought the “tsundere” trope had already phased out of the current environment, but they hadn’t expected to see a living example right in front of them.
“Since you see Little Rourou’s A-Chi as an arch-rival, Yueyue, why didn’t you reject him?” Huang Qingchuan hit the nail on the head.
“I, I, I…” Ji Yuenian was at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain herself. she stuttered for a long time without being able to say anything coherent.
How could she say it?
It was impossible for her to say that she actually felt something for Jiang Chi in her heart.
How could she say that?
If she said that out loud, how could she keep her dignity!
Finally, Ji Yuenian slammed her hand on the table, her beautiful eyes widening. She glared fiercely at the two gossiping spectators next to her, baring her teeth in a menacing manner.
“We’re not talking about this anymore! No one is allowed to mention it again! Anyway, I’m a girl now, I have the right to be willful! If anyone mentions it again, believe it or not, I’ll cosplay as a Sunny Doll tonight!!”
“Also, Jiang Chi said he’s coming to our house in a few days. I don’t know what he’s coming here for, I’m just responsible for passing on the message! When the time comes, if you talk about anything, I won’t have heard a single word of it!”
“Hmph! You guys can chat, I’m going back to my bedroom to play games!”
After saying that, Ji Yuenian got up and left.
“I thought our old man’s Tai Chi skills were high enough, but I didn’t expect my little brother to be the true Tai Chi master of our family!” Watching Ji Yuenian’s back as she pulled her bedroom door shut, Ji Haotong muttered under his breath.
After speaking, he glanced at a certain man on the sofa who was looking at the Financial Daily but whose ears were constantly eavesdropping. Ji Hong immediately returned to his nonchalant state, continuing to flip through the newspaper with great interest.
Ji Haotong shook his head helplessly. Fine, Dad was also a Tai Chi master!
Suddenly, someone patted his arm gently.
Ji Haotong looked up and saw Huang Qingchuan looking at him with great enthusiasm. The light flickering in her eyes made him instinctively think of the expressions his female colleagues at the company had when they were obsessing over couples in dramas.
“Tongtong, do you think Yueyue really has feelings for Little Rourou’s A-Chi?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and then he nodded vigorously: “Definitely!”
“Really? That’s good!” A smile as bright as a flower bloomed on Huang Qingchuan’s face. She folded her arms, looking proud and smug.
“I knew my Yueyue’s charm was limitless! When a boy, tall and handsome; after becoming a girl, in just one meeting, she hooked Little Rourou’s A-Chi!”
“…” Ji Haotong couldn’t bear to look and silently covered his eyes.
***
“Hello, Auntie Huang. Hello, Uncle Ji!”
Time flew by like a white stallion passing a gap, and in the blink of an eye, the day arrived for Jiang Chi to visit the Ji family. Although it was called a visit, the atmosphere in the entire Ji family home was somewhat solemn.
Ji Hong and Huang Qingchuan sat side by side. Opposite them was a young man with azure blue eyes, holding Da Hong Pao tea in his left hand and high-end cigarettes and alcohol in his right. His eyes were bright, radiating a gentle and refined demeanor.
As for other irrelevant personnel, they had all been cleared from the scene.
“Little brother.”
A large hand suddenly patted her shoulder, and Ji Yuenian, who was leaning against the crack of the door to eavesdrop, jumped in fright. She turned around to see it was her older brother, Ji Haotong.
“Big brother, is something wrong? If not, don’t bother me.” Ji Yuenian waved her hand impatiently and turned back to continue eavesdropping.
“Little brother, why don’t we go for a walk outside?”
“I’m busy.” The words were about to slip out, but Ji Haotong took the opportunity to pull Ji Yuenian down to the pebble path below the apartment building, regardless of her protests.
Ji Yuenian walked along the pebble path of the apartment complex, being pulled by Ji Haotong with a heart full of reluctance. Her eyes kept glancing back, her mind entirely focused on the situation inside the house.
“Little brother, don’t worry. As the saying goes, ‘when a friend comes from afar, though they are far, they must be…’ cough cough, ‘is it not a joy.’ Our family is very hospitable. I guarantee Mom and Dad won’t make things difficult for your boyfriend. They’ll just ask a few minor questions,” Ji Haotong said.
“What boyfriend! And I’m not worried about him. I just wanted to taste the Da Hong Pao tea. Big brother, you’re playing matchmaker again,” Ji Yuenian said with her arms crossed, looking disdainful.
Seeing this, the corner of Ji Haotong’s mouth twitched.
Sure enough, the common trait of a tsundere was being stubborn.
He opened his mouth to say something, but as his gaze fell on Ji Yuenian’s slightly reddened cheeks, he seemed to think of something and suddenly changed his tone.
“Actually, personally, I don’t think much of Jiang Chi. Average looks, average grades, average character. How can he be worthy of my little brother… little sister like you!”
He thumped his chest.
“Your big brother has a wide network. I can find someone better than Jiang Chi—handsomer, richer, more capable. I can find men or women!”
“Since you’re not interested in him anyway, as long as you nod now, I’ll go back immediately and kick that guy named Jiang out of the house!”
Hearing this, Ji Yuenian was stunned for a moment, then she subconsciously started to argue back: “Jiang Chi isn’t as bad as you say. His grades are in the top ten of our school. As for money, he has nearly a million on him, and he earned it all himself. Also…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt she was being too obvious and quickly acted stubborn again: “But he’s just so-so, nothing special.”
“Oh? What else?” Ji Haotong looked at her teasingly.
Ji Yuenian’s face turned slightly red, and she argued stubbornly: “Nothing else! Anyway, I’m just telling the truth. Jiang Chi is excellent. If you’re not convinced, then bite me!” After saying that, she turned her head away, not wanting Ji Haotong to see her embarrassment.
Ji Haotong didn’t expose her, only marveling at the situation.
Just what kind of love potion had Jiang Chi given his little brother… er… little “sister”… no, that’s not right, he should call her “little sister” from now on?
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