Jiang Chi rubbed his temples, let out a helpless sigh, and said, “Ji Yuennian, don’t be anxious about this yet. Trust me, I can think of a way.”
“I already have a rough plan in mind, don’t ask, just trust me.”
“But before that…” He shook the golden bell, its clear and forceful sound echoing through the air. The man’s lips curved into a smile: “Let’s play a game first…”
The man’s decision left Ji Yuennian with no choice but to comply. After all, it seemed only Jiang Chi could help her at the moment. Yet the whole process of the game was far from smooth—she couldn’t bring herself to trust him, just as her heart never intended to rely on anyone.
By the time the game ended, two hours had passed and dusk was already falling gray outside. Jiang Chi sent Ji Yuennian back to her school, then returned home himself.
As he opened the door, he saw his elegant mother, mask on her face, earnestly practicing yoga in the living room while following the instructions from the TV. After changing his shoes and closing the door, Jiang Chi nodded in greeting upon seeing his mother practicing yoga, then slung his bag over his shoulder and walked toward his bedroom.
But he had barely taken a few steps when Chen Mengrou called out, “A-Chi, I’ll be out tomorrow, so you’ll need to handle lunch yourself.”
“Okay, Mom.” Jiang Chi nodded, then casually asked, “Mom, are you going bungee jumping with Aunt Huang again?”
“I’m going to see your Uncle Mu. Uh… don’t tell your dad. The relationship between your dad and your Uncle Mu isn’t too good. If he finds out, he’ll get jealous again.”
Uncle Mu?
Jiang Chi couldn’t help but suddenly recall how he had sent a sample to Uncle Mu’s paternity test center last time. He still didn’t know if the results were out, when suddenly there was a fire and everything was burned up.
Could there be some connection between these things?
He pushed down the strange thought that popped up in his mind, and after bidding his mother farewell, Jiang Chi returned to his not-so-plain-white-anymore bedroom.
He opened his laptop, found a certain website through his browsing history, turned on the accelerator, entered the secret login, and clicked into “Super Cool LeCat’s” private chat.
Cure: Senior, are you there? How much does it cost to hack the hospital patient info database and rewrite patient records?
……
“Little bro, don’t be so stubborn, I’m not asking for your kidney, just a simple checkup.”
“Dad left you in my care today for something urgent, so don’t make it too hard for me. If you think it’s too far to go out of town, I’ll decide—let’s go to the City Central Hospital. Half an hour and it’ll all be done.”
“It’s almost ten-thirty, little bro, don’t make me beg. If Dad asks later, neither of us will be spared.”
In a parking lot in Wanqing City, inside the driver’s seat of a yellow Jaguar, Ji Haotong was patiently persuading Ji Yuennian, who still refused to get in the car.
Ji Yuennian angled her body to shield her phone, her fingers flying swiftly over the keyboard.
“Jiang Chi, where are you? Where, where?!”
“I’ve already stalled for so long just like you asked! Why aren’t you here yet!”
“Aaah! If my gender really gets exposed! Do you believe I’ll transfer schools and start dating boys—and with ‘Ji Qingchan’s’ face, no less.”
“Chi-bao, you wouldn’t want the virtual girlfriend you love to get kissed by another man, would you?”
After her words—half-pleading, half-threatening—Jiang Chi finally responded.
“Bring him to City Central Hospital. Leave the rest to me. Ji Yuennian, please trust me.”
Trust you.
An odd feeling welled up in Ji Yuennian’s heart, but at this point, there really was no better way but to trust Jiang Chi.
She put away her phone. Ji Haotong was still patiently persuading her in the car, but Ji Yuennian simply opened the passenger side door and plopped herself into the seat.
She crossed her long legs, leaned back, exuding a lazy yet arrogant air.
“Let’s go, big bro, to the City Central Hospital!”
“The sooner we finish, the sooner I can rest.”
Seeing her move like this, Ji Haotong’s eyelid twitched. Damn, has it been too long since I let off some steam? How come my little bro looks so delicate and pretty now?
“Hmm?” Seeing Ji Haotong still motionless, Ji Yuennian turned to look at him in confusion.
Her beautifully arched eyebrows lifted slightly with the motion. Her black-and-white eyes were like a clear lake—pure and transparent.
Just one look, and it was hard not to get lost in those limpid pools, unable to pull yourself out.
“Big bro, what are you looking at?”
“N-nothing, nothing.” Ji Haotong quickly turned his face away, embarrassed.
He’d never admit that he’d just been mesmerized by his little bro.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started the car and set off for the City Central Hospital, racing all the way before parking steadily in the underground lot nearby. Ji Yuennian, following Jiang Chi’s previous instructions, quickly sent her precise location to Jiang Chi.
The two got out of the car and took the elevator up to ground level. Sunlight poured in like water, and a graceful figure seemed to have been waiting there for a long time—she suddenly flung herself into the arms of the unsuspecting man.
“Haotong-gege, why are you here?” The girl’s voice was crisp and sweet, tinged with surprise and delight.
She looked just over twenty, dressed in a white shirt and tight pants with flat shoes. Her delicate doll-like face wore a gentle smile, every frown and smile radiating youthfulness.
Ji Haotong’s body stiffened, making no move, but his gaze drifted past the girl to meet his little bro’s. Ji Yuennian’s eyes were full of hidden meaning, as if to say, “Tsk, tsk, so this is why you called me to the hospital, you’re meeting someone.”
“Don’t overthink it, this is my blind date from before.” Ji Haotong explained, exasperated.
At the same time, he gently tried to shake off the girl clinging to his arm. “Meng Mengtu, let go for a second, I’ve got things to do.”
Hearing that, Meng Mengtu’s cheeks flushed red. She pouted playfully, her eyes tinged with reproach, as if to say, “Bad big bro, you don’t understand how I feel.”
“Haotong-gege, who is this big sister?” Not only did she not let go, she tilted her little head, blinking curiously at the short-haired, mature-looking girl beside Ji Haotong.
“This is my little bro.” Maybe meeting his blind date again just made Ji Haotong even more frustrated; he didn’t even notice her word choice as he replied, troubled.
He still had no idea how his mom found out about his siscon tendencies, but she’d burned through three computers at the matchmaking center just to find him a girl with that pure little sister vibe.
Meng Mengtu, twenty-three years old, senior in college, likes kung fu, her family runs a dojo. But don’t let her student status fool you—she’s got a pure and adorably silly heart.
Their first blind date had gone well—she kept calling him “Haotong-gege,” and Ji Haotong, with his siscon tendencies, was a little charmed. Later, though, he realized she really did see him as a brother.
On their second date, Meng Mengtu said she liked boyfriends with an “older brother vibe”—uh… brother first, then boyfriend.
That scared Ji Haotong so much he ran away after the second date. Damn it, he might be a siscon, but if he gets called “Haotong-gege” every day, and even after marriage she still calls him “Haotong-gege,” how’s he supposed to make a move?
Suddenly the elevator behind them began to move, and the doors slowly opened. Out walked a boy with a camera hanging around his neck. Seeing the three of them, he was clearly surprised.
“Haotong-ge, Yuennian, what are you guys doing here…”