Huff! Huff! Huff!!
Ji Yue-nian suddenly bolted upright from his bed, his forehead drenched in a fine sheen of sweat.
He gasped for breath, eyes still clouded with lingering terror.
He glanced around; the other three in the dormitory were all there, staring at him in surprise.
He had no idea how long he’d been asleep. When he finally woke, the sky outside the window was already dim and gray, night having quietly fallen without him noticing.
“Old Ji, are you alright?” Luo Yi-kang frowned as he spoke. He could see the pallor on Ji Yue-nian’s face, even the fear still evident in his eyes.
“I’m … … fine.” Ji Yue-nian shook his head repeatedly, struggling to suppress the strange fear lingering deep in his heart.
“What time is it now?”
“Past 10 p.m.,” Yao Shi-ming answered, then looked at Ji Yue-nian with a slight frown. “Old Ji, are you really okay? You slept for twelve hours straight. We couldn’t wake you up for class this afternoon, so I had to ask for leave on your behalf.”
“I guess I’ve just been exhausted lately.”
Ji Yue-nian said, then yawned.
After yawning, he fell silent for a moment, then hesitated before looking at the other three.
“Um … Old Luo, Old Yao, Old Hu, did I say any weird things in my sleep?”
Luo Yi-kang scratched his head. “Uh … I wasn’t paying much attention, but I don’t think so.”
Yao Shi-ming shook his head as well. “I didn’t notice anything either.”
Hu Li thought for a moment before replying, “I did hear something, but I didn’t catch what it was. It was just Brother Ji mumbling something quietly to himself.”
Didn’t catch it?
That was a relief.
Ji Yue-nian silently thanked his lucky stars.
He didn’t know if it was guilt over manipulating Jiang Chi, but recently he’d been plagued by nightmares, all involving Jiang Chi.
The last time he’d had such a terrifying nightmare was when he dreamed he’d turned into a long-haired noblewoman, and after Jiang Chi exposed his true identity, he was severely punished.
This time… Ji Yue-nian recalled the dream.
Perhaps because he’d woken up, the eerie figure in the dream no longer seemed as frightening.
The Tulip Plains, the long-haired noblewoman, the escape, the gun, and… Jiang Chi!
Arrogant, overbearing, insane like a demon, aggressively oppressive, sinister and cunning, ruthless and merciless… he was like a completely different person.
“Brother Ji.”
A voice called softly in his ear, pulling Ji Yue-nian out of his thoughts.
He came back to his senses just in time to meet the gaze of the three others.
Yao Shi-ming spoke first, “How about we all go cycling tomorrow? It just so happens that Hu Li’s boss is closing the shop for a few days to renovate, so he got a few days off.”
“Cycling? Sounds good! Afterwards, I’ll treat you all to a foot massage!” Ji Yue-nian was about to agree enthusiastically, but suddenly remembered his promise to Jiang Chi, so he couldn’t help but ask, “What day is it tomorrow?”
“Saturday,” Yao Shi-ming answered with a strange expression. “Old Ji, are you really that out of it?”
“Then I’m going to have to break my appointment,” Ji Yue-nian said as he got out of bed and went to the water dispenser to pour a cup of warm water.
Under the puzzled gazes of the other three, he finally explained, “I have to accompany my girlfriend to meet her parents tomorrow. No time for cycling.”
“Old Ji, you’re progressing so fast!” Luo Yi-kang’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and even Yao Shi-ming and Hu Li looked on curiously.
“Of course! Who else am I?”
“I’m Ji Yue-nian, your Brother Ji! Wooing girls is nothing but second nature to me!!”
Proudly, he spoke without a hint of embarrassment.
If he hadn’t said it, things might have stayed quiet, but once he did, it sparked a lively discussion, as the dormitory was never short of scheming strategists.
“Where is your fiancé from?”
“By the way, Brother Ji, we’ve been together so long, but we don’t even know what your fiancé’s name is.”
“How about this, Old Ji—why don’t you bring your fiancé tomorrow? Then you can cycle and date at the same time, and we brothers can give you some backup.”
Bring Jiang Chi here?
Ji Yue-nian’s mouth twitched slightly.
That scene was “too beautiful” to even imagine.
“She’s really shy and afraid of strangers. Once I’ve fully won her over, I’ll bring her out.” He said it casually but quickly pulled out his phone to change the subject.
“Come on, guys. I just woke up from a good sleep. Let’s play some ‘Golden Shovel’ and I’ll carry you all to victory!”
Soon enough, a few rounds of Golden Shovel ended with Ji Yue-nian’s brilliant leadership scoring consecutive high marks.
After the game, Ji Yue-nian relaxed deeply, stretching out comfortably on his bed while scrolling through short videos.
After a while, he noticed the other three were all busy with their own things, not paying much attention to him.
He carefully turned his body to shield his phone, repeatedly checking to make sure no one was looking his way before logging out of his account and logging into the “Ji Qing-chan” account.
Ji Qing-chan: How should I present myself at your house tomorrow? The pure and cute Ji junior?
The message was sent, and in less than a minute, he received a reply.
Jiang Chi: Just your truest self.
Ji Qing-chan: Will Aunt Chen be okay with that?
Jiang Chi: My mom is very enthusiastic.
Ji Qing-chan: Fine, looks like I’ll have to get my hair done early tomorrow morning. Braids are such a hassle. Xiao Jiang, have Aunt Chen do something nice. I love spicy food. evil grin JPG
Jiang Chi: You don’t have to do your hair. I want to see your true personality, not your appearance. Cute looks are common, but interesting souls are one in a million.
Jiang Chi: It’s your soul I like. heart JPG
Hmph! Such a smooth-talking scoundrel.
Ji Yue-nian huffed proudly but couldn’t help feeling his face warm and the corners of his lips twitch into a small smile.
However, at that moment, he didn’t notice the silver coin in his pocket quietly flicker with a faint green glow that vanished as quickly as it appeared, as if it had never existed.
Saturday, clear skies.
Originally, Ji Yue-nian had planned to go to Jiang Chi’s house at noon, but he simply couldn’t resist the temptation of cycling.
He had no choice but to trouble Jiang Chi, using the excuse: “My inhuman, tyrannical boss made me work overtime, so I’ll be a little late~ Senior Jiang, you’ll understand, right~~”
The sky was already dim, the half-set sun blocked by the mountain slopes.
Just after finishing his ride, Ji Yue-nian dashed through the streets in the dusky light.
The street lamps shone even brighter in this special hour.
The light footsteps of the young girl echoed crisply in the hallway, like a unique melody being played.
As soon as he entered, Ji Yue-nian was warmly welcomed by Chen Meng-rou.
She had originally thought Jiang Chi’s “My mom is very enthusiastic” was just an expression, but she never expected it to be literal—a fiery enthusiasm!
At the dining table.
“Chan-chan, have some spicy chicken feet.”
“Chan-chan, here’s the freshly cooked spicy beef.”
“Chan-chan, spicy chicken just slaughtered this morning.”
One spicy dish after another was piled high in the bowl by the beautiful woman using her chopsticks.
Ji Yue-nian looked at the small mountain of food in front of him and couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
Jiang Chi sat silently beside him, wearing gloves, carefully preparing the crayfish.
First, pinching off the heads, then peeling the shells, removing the veins, until only the bright red spicy tail remained, which was gently placed onto a plate beside Chen Qing-chan.
Ji Yue-nian had only casually said he liked spicy food, but the entire table was a sea of spice.
Spicy chicken feet, spicy beef, spicy hotpot, spicy crayfish!
Mrs. Chen, you really deserve some credit for your son’s lifelong affairs!!
Thinking about how he’d been manipulating Jiang Chi, Ji Yue-nian felt a small pang of guilt.
“Qing-chan, open your mouth.” A familiar voice rang gently, full of warmth and care.
A peeled spicy crayfish tail was brought to her lips.
The clear blue eyes reflected the girl’s image clearly, with a faint smile in them.
It was the first time a man had looked at her so directly.
Ji Yue-nian felt a shiver crawl up his scalp, goosebumps rising involuntarily all over his body.
“Thank you, Senior Jiang.” Suppressing the awkwardness, the girl lowered her head and bit down on the tail, chewing a few times before swallowing.
Not to mention anything else, the taste was good—better than her mom’s cooking.
Seeing her enjoy it, the boy’s smile grew wider. “Good?”
“G-good!” She quickly swallowed and looked up at him.
“Then eat more.” He peeled several more crayfish and placed them on her plate.
Ji Yue-nian: ……
After a somewhat awkward yet satisfying dinner, Ji Yue-nian wanted to leave quickly, but Jiang Chi insisted on keeping him around.
Helpless, Ji Yue-nian asked Mrs. Chen where he would sleep tonight, the sofa or a separate room, but to his surprise, the answer was…
“Chan-chan, you’re sleeping with Ah Chi tonight.” Chen Meng-rou pinched the girl’s pure face and said with a bright smile.