I’m Dating My Big Brother’s Roommate Online and I’m Way Too Cute! - Chapter 20

Zhuo Yu’ang’s retribution had arrived.

When Ji Yan woke up that day, he finished washing up, threw on a white T-shirt with block lettering, pulled on his jeans, and left the house biting into a meat bun. Before stepping out, he turned off every single alarm he had set for messaging Zhuo Yu’ang and put his phone on silent.

That guy was far too unfiltered, to the point that Ji Yan’s face turned sallow just looking at his phone. He needed to cool down; otherwise, he really felt like hitting someone.

At the shop, Shan Juncheng arrived earliest, followed by Ji Yan, and then the day-shift workers, Xiao Ma and Xiao Hui.

At nine o’clock, Guo Ying and her best friend, Tan Jiawen, arrived as well. Guo Ying felt that memorizing vocabulary alone at home lacked atmosphere, so she wanted to form a study group to prepare for university in advance. They chose the Old Times Coffee Shop as their base.

Why here?

It was because Ji Yan worked here part-time, because he was handsome, because he could play the guitar, and because his grades were excellent. In the entire Zhiheng High School, no one was more popular. Only by setting the base here would other students be willing to join.

Guo Jia stood behind the two girls, baring his teeth and mouthing silently that his sister did not love studying; she was clearly just transforming her grief into strength since she had not yet emerged from the shadow of being cheated on. When Guo Ying turned around, Guo Jia’s expression instantly returned to normal.

Guo Ying glared at him, then turned to ask Ji Yan, “Do you want to join?”

“I will pass,” Ji Yan said. “I do not have the time for now.”

“That makes sense. Studying after finishing a part-time job would be quite tiring.” Guo Ying pulled Tan Jiawen to find a seat.

Ji Yanyan arrived almost at the same time as them. Knowing they wanted to study, she was very supportive and decided to provide a free snack every day. She specifically spoke to Shan Juncheng: “You are the oldest and most well-built person here. When I am not in the shop, you need to look after them a bit more.”

Shan Juncheng agreed.

Guo Jia sat on a high stool in front of the ordering counter, leaning his body forward against the surface. For a while, he watched Shan Juncheng expertly make coffee, then he watched Xiao Ma prepare ingredients, and after a bit, he stared at Ji Yan.

“What are you doing? You look suspicious,” Ji Yan glanced at him.

Guo Jia just wanted to chat about the progress with the scumbag, but with so many people around, it was inconvenient to speak.

“Xiao Jia, do you not have to go to driving practice today?” Ji Yanyan held a cup of coffee in one hand. The coffee cup was small and exquisite; the single piece of tableware alone brought out a sense of elegance.

“Sister,” Guo Jia followed Ji Yan’s way of addressing her and grinned. “I go to practice in the afternoon. I am free this morning, so I came to add a bit to your turnover.”

The wind chimes on the door made a crisp, pleasant sound. Several pairs of eyes looked toward the entrance.

The newcomer was Chen Zhansen. His eyes were lifeless, his face was sallow, and he looked completely dejected.

“What is the situation, buddy? Did a fox spirit move into your house and suck out all your energy?” Guo Jia joked cheerfully.

“Sister, morning.” Chen Zhansen ignored Guo Jia, greeted Ji Yanyan, and sat in the seat next to Guo Jia. He said to Ji Yan, “Yan Ge, give me a drink.”

Ji Yan’s cheek twitched slightly. “Are you crazy? This is a coffee shop.”

Guo Jia laughed. Ji Yanyan also chuckled but patted Guo Jia’s shoulder, signaling him not to laugh too hard. Guo Jia pursed his lips, but the corners of his eyes were still curved. At that moment, they heard Chen Zhansen say dejectedly, “My parents got a divorce.”

In an instant, the coffee shop fell into a dead silence. Ji Yan gently put down the glassware he had just finished wiping and asked, “What happened?”

Chen Zhansen said, “Their relationship broke down during my freshman year of high school, and they got divorced then. But they kept it from me because they were afraid it would affect my studies. Now that it is over and I have graduated and can go to university, they have come clean with me. Last night, my dad packed his things and moved out.”

The news was so sudden and unexpected that even those listening were momentarily speechless, not knowing how to comfort him.

However, the usually quiet Shan Juncheng spoke up: “If people cannot get along, separating is the best choice. But the fact that they could pretend to be happily married for two years for your sake shows that no matter how their relationship changed, your place in their hearts remained the same. Even if it did change, you are an adult now and must be able to withstand the storms. Life is like rowing a boat through a long night; you must learn to be your own harbor.”

This was the longest speech Shan Juncheng had ever given in the shop. Ji Yanyan looked at him in surprise.

Shan Juncheng also looked toward her. “Of course, if you want to find someone else to be your harbor, that is also an option.”

Ji Yanyan’s face turned red. “Who are you talking about?”

The atmosphere in the shop was both sad and subtle. The study group in the corner was also listening. Tan Jiawen poked Guo Ying’s hand with her pen and whispered, “Did you hear that? Those words were so philosophical. Life is like rowing a boat through a long night; you must learn to be your own harbor. You also need to move out of the shadows.”

“You are just as annoying as my brother,” Guo Ying muttered.

Chen Zhansen thought seriously about those words and found them very reasonable.

“Xiao Sen, do not be depressed. You still have Xiao Yan and the others as friends, and you have me,” Ji Yanyan rubbed his head.

“Yes,” Chen Zhansen nodded solemnly.

The atmosphere was still not very lively, so Ji Yanyan casually picked a topic and turned it toward Ji Yan: “Xiao Yan, did you forget to bring your phone today? I have not seen you take it out even once.”

Chen Zhansen spoke without thinking, “Are you not baiting that scumbag? If you do not keep in contact, the relationship will cool down easily.”

Suddenly, Ji Yan’s face looked even worse than Chen Zhansen’s when he first walked in. “His appendectomy failed. He is gone.”

Guo Jia sat in shock.

At the hospital, Zhuo Yu’ang let out a moderate sneeze.

“Young man, is the air conditioning too low and you caught a cold?”

In the middle of last night, an older man arrived at the neighboring Bed 13. According to the man himself, he was having a late-night snack at a food stall when he saw two people get into a conflict. He went up to mediate, and as a result, the unreasonable one stabbed him in the butt with a small knife. He was lying face down on the bed, his head propped up by two pillows, looking sideways at the young man in Bed 12.

“I do not think I have a cold,” Zhuo Yu’ang said with a hint of helplessness. “It is probably someone cursing me.”

The man said with an “I can see right through you” expression, “In just one morning, you have looked at your phone no less than ten times. Did you have a fight with your partner?”

Zhuo Yu’ang neither admitted nor denied it.

Indeed, after teasing the person this morning, Ji Yan had not sent him a single message. Even when Zhuo Yu’ang sent messages proactively, Ji Yan did not reply. This time, he had really teased the younger brother too much.

Zhuo Yu’ang sent another message: [Are you really ignoring me?]

However, the message was like a stone sinking into the sea.

It was already Zhuo Yu’ang’s third day in the hospital. This morning felt particularly difficult to endure. Time seemed to have slowed down; even a ten-minute wait felt like an hour. What a beautiful day; it was total nonsense.

In the afternoon, he walked in the hospital garden. He stood under the shade of a tree, his finger rubbing the phone screen. He cleared his throat. The polished screen reflected his somewhat unnatural expression. Some things were a first for him, and he was not used to them.

Zhuo: [Little cat, Gege was a bit excessive this morning. I did not know how to hold back. Gege was wrong.]

Ji Yan originally felt it was about time to reply, planning to use the excuse that he was too busy today to check his phone. However, the words “excessive” and “not knowing how to hold back” caught his eye prominently. His face suddenly flushed red again.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and thought, “Even his apology is so indecent!”

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