I’m Dating My Big Brother’s Roommate Online and I’m Way Too Cute! - Chapter 12

The previously tense atmosphere relaxed slightly.

Several people present now understood clearly that Lin Chenyu had not joined them for tennis because he loved the sport; he was there specifically for Zhuo Yu’ang. His true goal was to pursue him.

“Well,” said Xie Junwei, who had brought Lin Chenyu along. Xie was known for being loyal and generous, but he had a flaw: he loved to meddle. Seeing that Lin Chenyu clearly wanted to be alone with Zhuo Yu’ang, he immediately chimed in, “Yu’ang, why do you not take Chenyu to the hospital? None of us are as attentive as you are. We would not be able to look after him properly.”

“Yes, that is right,” Zhang Shuo and Li Feng nodded in unison. Everyone could see what was happening.

Ge Jiarui usually enjoyed a bit of gossip and would help out by passing items or drinks, but she never offered her opinion. She did not like letting her views influence the judgment of others. She signaled to Ji Han, “Shall we go over there and play a couple of rounds?”

“Ah? Oh! Coming!” Ji Han’s excitement to join the commotion was interrupted, and he hurriedly followed Ge Jiarui.

Lin Chenyu sat on the floor with his head down, his ears burning a deep red.

Zhuo Yu’ang said, “I will take him.”

Xie Junwei helped Lin Chenyu to the entrance of the sports club and watched as the two caught a taxi before returning.

“Senior,” Lin Chenyu began, not daring to look at Zhuo Yu’ang sitting beside him. He said haltingly, “I… my sprained ankle is real.”

“Mhm.”

Zhuo Yu’ang showed no expression. When he made that sound, his lips barely moved. His right hand played with his phone. As the taxi arrived at the hospital, his phone emitted a low battery warning, but the sound was masked by the noise of the car door closing.

After finishing his part-time job, Ji Yan stayed in the shop. He sat by the window and chatted with Zhuo Yu’ang, acting very clingy.

Around four o’clock, Guo Jia arrived. After having a free dinner at the shop, the two went to a nearby outdoor basketball court to play. Around 7:00 PM, a group of elderly people arrived with speakers for square dancing and pushed them aside. The other players gradually left.

Ji Yan and Guo Jia sat on a bench by the court. The first thing Ji Yan did was contact Zhuo Yu’ang.

Ji: “Gege, are you still playing tennis?”

Guo Jia sat close to him, staring with wide eyes. Five minutes passed.

“Hiss!” Guo Jia’s eyes were so dry they started to water. He covered his face with both hands. “Looking at a message almost made me go blind.”

“Looking at a message is not a Guinness World Record attempt. Why are you not blinking?” Since the other party had not replied, Ji Yan put his phone away, assuming the tennis match had not ended.

The two stayed by the basketball court and talked about the scumbag. Every ten minutes, Ji Yan sent a message. By the fourth message, he sensed something was wrong. It might be true that Zhuo Yu’ang was in the lab in the afternoon, but it did not mean his claim about playing tennis with roommates in the evening was true. With a scumbag like him, half of what he said was false.

Guo Jia agreed. “Who exercises for several hours without stopping for a few minutes of rest? Even a national athlete cannot act like a robot, working without resting or drinking water.”

Ji Yan picked up a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it easily, and took a few gulps. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and said, “Actually, I thought of that too. Tennis might just be a cover. He is probably on a date with another girl.”

“Exactly!” Guo Jia said firmly. “That is highly likely.”

“Since I have already voice-chatted with him, I will call him directly to see if he answers,” Ji Yan said. “If he does not answer, he is intentionally on silent mode because he has a guilty conscience.”

“That makes perfect sense!”

Ji Yan made a voice call, but the other party did not answer. Guo Jia felt frustrated and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I am sorry for making you do this favor and deal with such a scumbag. I have wronged you, brother.”

“It is fine,” Ji Yan said. “Everyone has to deal with some crap in their life.”

“Let us just forget it for tonight. Take a rest, and we will plan further tomorrow.”

“Do you not realize this is a good opportunity?” Ji Yan asked.

The dim yellow glow of the streetlights illuminated their backs. Half of Ji Yan’s face was in the light, appearing calm and steady as usual. The other half was in the shadows, making his eyes look exceptionally bright.

Guo Jia had always felt that Ji Yan was very sharp. He seemed like someone who did not like to meddle, but whenever there was bullying in their grade, the culprits were always punished because Ji Yan interfered behind the scenes. Of course, those punished never knew who the true mastermind was. This was why Guo Jia only asked Ji Yan for help, even though he had other friends. According to his male intuition, only Ji Yan could succeed.

Guo Jia asked, “What kind of opportunity?”

Ji Yan said, “It is the perfect time to push him.”

Ji Yan’s idea of a “push” was to intentionally act out and throw a tantrum. He believed that being difficult was not always a negative trait. For a scumbag who liked to be surrounded by admirers, seeing girls act out or fawn over him would satisfy his psychological need for attention. If he acted difficult while the scumbag’s ego was inflated, things might fall into place.

“Wow!” After hearing this theory, Guo Jia could not help but applaud. “Yan Ge, you truly are my Yan Ge! But how do you know all this?”

“I do not know it, but I remember it,” Ji Yan said, pointing to his head.

“?”

“My older cousin once had a lover she pursued. I saw her do this.”

“What happened later?”

“Later, my cousin was diagnosed with heart disease, and that man broke up with her overnight.”

Guo Jia was speechless and stood there with his mouth open.

“Alright,” Ji Yan said. “Let us get back to business. I will send him a few more messages to transition into the tantrum.”

He began to type.

Ji: “Gege, why are you ignoring me again?”

Three or four minutes later, he sent more.

Ji: “Gege, what is wrong with you? You have ignored me for the whole evening!”

Ji: “Is it because I am not performing well enough?”

Ji: [Sticker: Crying Face]

At eight o’clock, he officially started throwing the tantrum.

Ji: “Gege, do you think my feelings are cheap because I am always chasing you?”

Ji: “If that is the case, I will never contact Gege again.”

At that moment, a commotion broke out on the basketball court. A woman with curly hair grabbed the hair of another woman in a floral shirt, accusing her of flirting with her husband during square dancing. They fought bitterly, and a crowd of elderly people gathered to watch. Soon, the police arrived, and the crowd dispersed.

However, a five-year-old girl with pigtails was left behind. She was crying very hard. Ji Yan walked over and knelt down in front of her. Seeing someone paying attention to her, the little girl stopped wailing and sobbed, “Big brother, are you going to help me find my grandma? Grandma left me behind.”

“No,” Ji Yan said. “I want to record some of your crying sounds.”

The little girl suddenly began to wail even louder. Guo Jia covered his forehead in embarrassment.

Ji Yan felt a bit guilty and said, “Little girl, cry a bit softer, like you were doing when you were talking, but do not speak. Just sob and gasp. I will buy you ice cream once I am finished recording.”

The wailing stopped instantly. The little girl’s eyes were red as she asked, “Really?”

“Really,” Ji Yan replied.

Guo Jia thought his friend looked like he was kidnapping a child.

The girl said, “Then you must promise not to put medicine in the ice cream, and you cannot sell me!”

Ji Yan thought for a moment and said, “Usually, if a stranger buys you food, there is a ninety percent chance they want to sell you. So you can only trust me this once. You must never do this again because you will not be lucky every time.”

“Okay,” the little girl nodded.

“I will take you to the police station to find your grandma afterward.”

“Okay!”

“Now, cry.”

The little girl sobbed for a minute. With the help of some audio editing software, it sounded like an adult woman’s crying voice, very natural and convincing. Ji Yan then picked up the girl, bought her ice cream at a nearby shop, and took her to the police station just around the corner. Her grandmother was the woman in the floral shirt, who was still having her hair pulled.

After saying goodbye to the girl, Ji Yan and Guo Jia returned to the court. He sent the audio to Guo Jia to play it aloud, then recorded his own voice message to send to Zhuo Yu’ang.

Ji (Voice): “Gege, say something!”

Ji (Voice): “My throat is hoarse from crying!”

Ji (Voice): “Can you give me a clear answer? If you do not like me, I will vanish from your world!”

Ji (Voice): “Fine, I understand what you mean. Goodbye.”

By this point, the acting was mostly finished. Ji Yan stopped pestering him to avoid overdoing it. The two played basketball for a while since the court was empty. Shortly after, Chen Zhansen called them to have a late-night snack. Around nine o’clock, the three of them sat around a table at a barbecue stall.

Zhuo Yu’ang took Lin Chenyu to the hospital emergency room. The doctor ordered an X-ray, and while waiting for the results, Zhuo Yu’ang realized his phone was dead. Ji Yan had chatted with him so much in the afternoon that he had not noticed the low battery.

“Senior, you,” Lin Chenyu began, biting his lip.

Zhuo Yu’ang remained unmoved. Lin Chenyu finally asked directly, “Senior, are you in a relationship?”

“Does it matter to you whether I am in a relationship or not?” Zhuo Yu’ang glanced at him with cold, heartless eyes.

“It does not matter to me, I just,” Lin Chenyu lowered his head and stared at his shoes. “I admire you very much. No one can compare to your excellence. During that ACM competition, if you had not turned the tide, it would not have been possible.”

“Do you know why I agreed to bring you to the hospital?” Zhuo Yu’ang suddenly interrupted him.

Lin Chenyu was stunned. He looked up and asked, “Why?”

“Because I have something to say to you in private,” Zhuo Yu’ang stated.

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