I’m Dating My Big Brother’s Roommate Online and I’m Way Too Cute! - Chapter 17

“Can you not handle this already?”

Ji Yan chose to remain silent.

Zhuo Yu’ang suddenly asked, “Besides me, have you ever called anyone else ‘husband’?”

This was, of course, Ji Yan’s first time. As a straight man, he would never have uttered such a title if not forced by circumstances. If another scumbag appeared, he would choose to use his fists instead of his mouth and just beat the person up to settle the matter.

Ji Yan replied, “Gege, I have not.”

“And the photos? From the first one you sent to today’s video, have you ever sent them to a second person?” Zhuo Yu’ang asked again.

“No, I have only sent these to you, Gege.”

“Good. Now, delete all your leg photos and the video.”

“Why?” Ji Yan asked instinctively.

Zhuo Yu’ang said, “Do you really want those photos and videos floating around? What if you accidentally lose your phone or it gets hacked? Are you not afraid of someone using your photos for widespread publicity?”

“That makes sense. I will listen to you, Gege, and delete them.”

“Record your screen and show me.”

“What?”

“The deletion process. Record the screen and show it to me,” Zhuo Yu’ang repeated.

Ji Yan realized belatedly that this man was a bit domineering. A thought suddenly occurred to him: “Gege, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You have my leg photos and videos on your phone, too. Have you saved them?”

“I saved them.”

“How shameless,” Ji Yan thought as he cleared his throat. “Are you going to delete them too, Gege?”

“I am not deleting them,” he replied, perfectly open about his shamelessness.

Ji Yan’s mouth twitched. “What if you lose your phone one day or it gets hacked?”

Zhuo Yu’ang let out a soft laugh. “Did you forget what my major is?”

“Oh,” Ji Yan thought to himself. That means no one can hack him. He noted the man’s arrogance.

“I will not lose it either, so do not worry.”

“All right.” Ji Yan narrowed his eyes, giving a fake smile toward the darkness. It was a total double standard.

After ending the call, he opened his photo album. Ji Yan’s album only contained some sheet music he had recorded, photos of his guitar, roadside scenery, and a Corgi he saw outside a mall last time. Its butt was wiggling so joyfully that he had taken two quick snaps. The screen recording would not expose his gender.

But just in case, he went online and downloaded a few pictures of desserts and cartoon figurines to save in the album. Then he began recording the deletion process, checked it once, and sent it over.

Ji: [Gege, I have deleted everything according to your request.]

Zhuo: [Very obedient.]

Ji Yan scoffed, feeling as if the other man was praising a puppy.

Ji Han took a taxi to the hospital and arrived in about ten minutes. He went straight to the ward and pushed the door open to find Zhuo Yu’ang lying flat on the hospital bed, holding his phone up. As he typed with one hand, the phone almost slipped and hit him in the face, yet he was wearing a smile.

“It seems I worried for nothing,” Ji Han said as he gently closed the door, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I was wondering how you suddenly got appendicitis. You are usually quite healthy.”

“There are unpredictable storms in the sky and unexpected fortunes or misfortunes for people. How can anyone say for sure?” Zhuo Yu’ang rested one arm behind his head. “I am sorry to trouble you to make the trip.”

“I consider you a brother, so how is it a trouble?” Ji Han sat down in the chair next to him. “How do you feel now?”

“As you can see, the surgery was successful. The wound just hurts a bit.”

“That is good. Fortunately, it is not a major illness, and you were treated in time. After resting for a while post-surgery, you will be lively again.”

“Yes.”

“Then I will stay here tonight to keep you company.”

“Even if I tried to kick you out, you probably would not leave.”

“By the way, have you notified your family?” Ji Han asked. “It is a surgery, after all. It may not be huge, but it is not small either.”

“No,” Zhuo Yu’ang said frankly. “I do not have much affection for them. It does not matter, and I cannot be bothered to tell them. I can handle this on my own.”

“Oh, I am sorry. I did not know your situation.” They had lived in the same dorm for two years, and thinking back, Ji Han had never heard Zhuo Yu’ang mention his family.

Ji Han shifted to break the awkwardness: “Were you messaging someone just now? You were smiling so happily.”

Zhuo Yu’ang looked at him and did not speak for a moment.

Ji Han looked puzzled. “What is it?”

Just then, another message arrived. Zhuo Yu’ang reached for the phone with his other hand. Ji Han immediately stood up and said half-jokingly, “You are a patient, so why are you still playing with your phone? Come on, give it to me. I will help you send whatever you want.”

“No need.” Zhuo Yu’ang placed the phone face down on the bed.

“Oh,” Ji Han chuckled. “You are still being secretive. Hey, are you really in love?”

“I do not know about being in love,” Zhuo Yu’ang said with a faint smile, “but I have a wife.”

Ji Han was stunned for a moment, then shocked, and then he let out a laugh of disbelief. Someone from the neighboring ward came over to knock on the door, so he quickly quieted himself. He looked at the pale but inexplicably high-spirited Zhuo Yu’ang with incredulity.

“What do you mean by you do not know?” Ji Han said amusingly. “As far as I am concerned, having a wife means you are in love!”

Zhuo Yu’ang smiled.

Ji Han pressed for details: “Who is it? Is the person from our school? What year? What department? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Too many questions. I will tell you at the right time,” Zhuo Yu’ang dismissed him with a single sentence.

Ji Han felt quite aggrieved: “Wait, how can you be like this? Do you still consider me a brother?”

“It is because I consider you a brother that I have to think carefully and be cautious before telling you.”

Hearing this, Ji Han instantly felt valued again. He curled his lips into a smile. “Fine, I will be waiting.”

“Then sit down and stop peeking at my messages.”

Ji Han sat back down but kept his neck stretched long. “Does this wife of yours have some mysterious background that requires you to protect her so strictly?”

Zhuo Yu’ang laughed and said, “She is young, so it is not suitable to expose her yet.”

“Is she in elementary school?”

“Get out.”

Ji Han’s shoulders shook with laughter. Zhuo Yu’ang glanced at him but shared some truth: “The person just graduated from high school.”

“Oh, indeed quite young,” Ji Han realized. “I was wondering why no one at our Nanhuai University could catch you. It turns out you, Zhuo Yu’ang, like to rob the cradle and love the younger ones, do you not? Tsk tsk tsk.”

Zhuo Yu’ang just smiled and said nothing.

Ji Han gossiped again: “When did this happen?”

Zhuo Yu’ang said, “Just today, tonight. Before you came to the ward.”

Ji Han gasped.

Ji Yan sent two consecutive messages, telling Zhuo Yu’ang to rest well. He also sent a hugging emoji to comfort him about his hospitalization. The other side replied quickly, telling him to rest early as well.

Ji: [Okay, goodnight Gege!]

Zhuo: [Goodnight.]

The next day, Ji Han helped buy some porridge and purchased toiletries at the hospital supermarket to bring to the ward. The news of Zhuo Yu’ang’s hospitalization spread quickly, and many people came to visit in the morning. Some were acquaintances, and others were strangers.

When Zhuo Yu’ang’s patience ran out, he would close his eyes to rest or pick up his phone, signaling to the visitors that it was time to leave. The waves of visitors were actually disturbing his rest.

Ji Han went back to school after eating lunch at the hospital. He had to go to the lab in the afternoon and could not stay any longer. Before leaving, he instructed, “Rest well during the day. If you need anything, press the bedside bell to call the nurse. I will come back tonight. Tell me if you need me to bring anything.”

“No need,” Zhuo Yu’ang sat halfway up the bed. “I actually will not sleep well if you come tonight because your snoring is too loud.”

Ji Han did not believe it. “Is that for real? Why have I not heard you mention it before?”

Zhuo Yu’ang said, “It is true.”

“Then, all right, I am leaving.”

“Help me ask the supervisor for leave.”

“No problem.”

Ji Han left the ward.

Ji Yan arrived at the shop early. Near noon, Guo Jia arrived to ask about the progress. Ji Yan calmly gave him two words: “It is done.”

“That is great! Quick, let me see the chat history!” Guo Jia leaned against the ordering counter and reached out toward Ji Yan.

Ji Yan was organizing the tableware and had no intention of taking out his phone. With his usual expression, he said, “There is nothing much to see. The timing was just right; we chatted a bit and it was settled.”

Guo Jia gave a thumbs up. “As expected of my Yan Ge, you are amazing!”

“Heh.” Ji Yan barely managed a twitch of his lips.

Guo Jia added, “Our next goal is to meet him in person!”

Ji Yan replied, “Yes.”

As they spoke, his phone alarm rang. It was time to message Zhuo Yu’ang again. In fact, Ji Yan had been in contact with him since the morning. One was busy with a part-time job, and the other was dealing with visiting classmates in the ward. The two had been chatting intermittently.

He pulled out his phone and turned off the alarm. Once unlocked, the chat box was already open. The last message was from Zhuo Yu’ang, saying he had been lying in bed for too long and planned to get up for a walk. Behind him, a new order popped up on the counter, and the receipt printer buzzed as it spat out a slip.

He pocketed his phone, tore off the slip, and scanned the notes: less ice, oat milk, extra espresso, no sugar, double cup sleeve for hot drink. He handled the order methodically and organized the tools on the workstation before taking out his phone again to reply. He was managing both his job and baiting the scumbag perfectly.

Ji: [Gege, it is only your first day after surgery. You cannot walk for too long.]

Ji: [I looked up post-appendectomy precautions. I will send them to you.]

He had started looking up the precautions on the bus that morning, but it was only a few minutes ago that he finished organizing them into a complete document.

A window was open in the ward. The breeze was not exactly cool, but it was more naturally comfortable than the artificial air from the air conditioner. Zhuo Yu’ang sat in the visitor’s chair by the window, holding his phone. The post-operative instruction sheet the nurse had delivered was sitting conspicuously on the white side cabinet. He only glanced at it without much interest, but he read what Ji Yan sent him carefully.

The corner of his mouth hooked up, showing a hint of mischief in his smile.

Zhuo: [Are you so worried about your Gege because you are afraid I will not be capable in the future?]

On the other side, Ji Yan used one hand to push Guo Jia’s face away and the other to type out a lie: [I am a bit worried. I saw a news story last month about having to take care of the stomach after an appendectomy. What if Gege becomes like that?]

Zhuo: [It does not matter. If my baby thinks I am useless, then just squeeze me to death and find someone else.]

Suddenly, Ji Yan’s face flushed with heat. He realized that starting from last night, Zhuo Yu’ang’s way of speaking had become much flirtier.

Zhuo: [Why are you not talking?]

Ji: [Slap emoji]

Ji: [But I only want to have little monkeys with Gege!]

Ji Yan sent the message while gritting his teeth. If Zhuo Yu’ang dared to be flirty, he dared to say anything.

Zhuo: [Understood. Gege will definitely work hard.]

Ji Yan thought, “I still cannot outmatch that level of flirting.”

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