I’m Dating My Big Brother’s Roommate Online and I’m Way Too Cute! - Chapter 21

Zhuo Yu’ang sat down on a bench under a tree, his elbow resting on the backrest. He tilted his face up and squinted against the stinging sunlight; a faint trace of weary hostility and disgust flickered in his half-closed eyes.

Entering a hospital always reminded him of a truly wretched experience; it was deeply unpleasant.

Snapping out of the memory, he immediately dialed Ji Han’s number.

Ji Han was currently having lunch in the cafeteria, his voice muffled by the sound of chewing. “I was just wondering if I should come see you later, but Zhang Shuo and the others said visiting in the afternoon is bad luck; it has to be in the morning.”

“You are on a different level than them,” Zhuo Yu’ang said. “You count as family; there is no such thing as morning or evening for you.”

“Spoken like a pro!” Ji Han slapped his chopsticks down with a clack. “I knew it; what is early or late between brothers?”

He then asked, “Why did you call? Is something happening at the hospital?”

“Small thing. I want you to take a break from the lab and bring me two books,” Zhuo Yu’ang said. “Hospital life is boring; I need to kill some time.”

“No problem. I will go to the library and borrow some for you.”

“Do not go to the trouble. Just grab two at random from my bookshelf.”

“Have you not read all of those already?”

“Reviewing the old helps one understand the new.”

Ji Han picked his chopsticks back up and shook his head with a click of his tongue. “A Study God is truly a Study God. It is not that we cannot out-compete you; it is that we never expected you to keep competing with yourself on a loop.”

“Heh,” Zhuo Yu’ang chuckled. “Just eat your food.”

At 4:00 PM, after helping his seniors organize experimental data, Ji Han tucked two books under his arm and headed to the First People’s Hospital.

Zhuo Yu’ang had ordered takeout from Ji Han’s favorite restaurant and insisted he stay in the ward for dinner.

Ji Han felt quite embarrassed. Here he was, feasting on meat and fish, while his brother could only have clear soup and plain noodles. He was plagued by guilt, but the food was too tempting to resist. He gorged himself while simultaneously feeling remorseful. “Once you are discharged and fully recovered, it is my treat. We will go out to a restaurant and have a real feast.”

The noodle bowl sat on the small dining table, but Zhuo Yu’ang did not pick up his chopsticks yet. He was not in a hurry to eat. “Why would it be your treat? You came to the hospital to keep me company and visit; by all rights, I should be the one treating you.”

“Why are you being so formal with me?” Ji Han asked.

“It is not formality. I just do not like owing favors.”

“Then, fine! Your treat it is.”

But then Zhuo Yu’ang added, “Buying a meal is a small thing. How about this: I will also buy that guitar for your younger brother.”

“Huh?” Startled, Ji Han choked on his food. His face crumpled in distress, and he had to thump his chest hard. Once he finally managed to swallow, he heard Zhuo Yu’ang continue: “You said we are brothers. Your brother is my brother. Buying him a guitar is just returning the favor; it is the same thing.”

Ji Han got a fishbone stuck in his throat this time. He immediately raised a hand, signaling Zhuo Yu’ang to stop talking, and rushed to the bathroom to clear his throat.

A few minutes later, Ji Han came out, drying his hands with paper towels. He sat down by the side cabinet and said seriously, “His guitar costs over 50,000 yuan. That is no small sum. You absolutely must not buy it; even if you do, he will not accept it.”

“Reason?”

“Does that even need a reason?” Ji Han pointed between the two of them. “We are classmates, brothers, and roommates. What relationship do you have with my brother? You are you, and he is he. It would be a miracle if he accepted it.”

Ji Han then started talking about his and Ji Yan’s childhood.

That year, he was in fourth grade and Ji Yan was in second. The two of them were walking home from school together when Ji Yan found a five-yuan bill, which was not a large amount. Ji Han suggested they go to the supermarket and buy two popsicles, but Ji Yan refused. He insisted on turning it in to the police station; he was not even willing to give it to the teacher at the school gate. As a result, the two of them walked an extra five kilometers. It was dark by the time they got home, their parents were frantic with worry, and they both got a beating.

Zhuo Yu’ang commented, “Hmm. Bad older brother, good younger brother.”

Ji Han was speechless.

Returning to the topic of the guitar, Zhuo Yu’ang fell silent for a moment before saying, “Why do we not just say you bought it?”

“That is impossible too,” Ji Han said bluntly. “I do not have that much cash on hand, and my brother would not believe it. My family would interrogate me for three days and nights. There is no need for that. Drop the idea, but I will thank you on my brother’s behalf.”

“Mm,” Zhuo Yu’ang replied casually, then asked as if in passing, “Did you sell your camera yet?”

“Not yet.”

“No one has asked about the price?”

“There have been inquiries,” Ji Han frowned, “but they think my price is too high. But you know, I have never bumped or dropped this camera. It is perfectly maintained. I would not be lying if I said it was brand new.”

“Which site did you list it on?”

“Poizon.”

Ji Han stayed until about 7:00 PM.

After he left, Zhuo Yu’ang looked up the camera listed on Poizon: a Canon EOS R3. The official price was 36,000 yuan. The market price for a used one was between 20,000 and 24,000 yuan. Ji Han had listed it for 31,000; it was clear he was reluctant to let it go.

Zhuo Yu’ang called a friend, getting straight to the point: “It is me, Zhuo Yu’ang.”

The person on the other end started shouting: “Zhuo Yu’ang?! Holy crap!! It has been like eight hundred years since we last spoke! Are you back in the country? Where are you and what are you doing?”

“Being a normal person. Attending university.”

“Whoa, I seriously cannot imagine that.”

“Let me ask you,” Zhuo Yu’ang’s friends in the country, aside from Ji Han and two other roommates who had gone back to their hometowns, were mostly unreliable. This was the only person he had filtered out from the unreliable crowd who was somewhat decent. “Are you still at your old address?”

“No, my place was demolished for urban renewal. I got over two million in compensation. I used one million to build a house in town and the other million to start a small business. Haha, I am a boss now! I just took another order today.”

“I am not interested in your rags-to-riches story,” Zhuo Yu’ang interrupted. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Want to borrow money?”

“When have I ever borrowed money from you? When I was making money, you were still a street thug.”

The man thought his tongue was still so sharp before shouting back in a rough voice, “What is the favor?”

“I am having something shipped to your place. After a while, you will forward it to me.”

“What kind of scheme is this? Why so much trouble?”

“Thanks.”

“Fine, fine. Send it to my company; I will give you the address.”

“It is a camera. Do not let it get bumped.”

“Understood, understood.”

At around 3:00 PM, Ji Yan, along with Guo Jia, who had taken leave from driving lessons, accompanied Chen Zhansen to play ball to vent his frustration. Afterward, the three of them went to a noodle shop and had a bowl each. It was after 8:00 PM when he finally got home.

He had given the guy the cold shoulder long enough. Any longer and the plan might fall apart.

He contacted Zhuo Yu’ang.

“Hey!” Song Yushu warned loudly. “Watch where you are going! You are about to walk into the door!”

Ji Yan looked up. The door was right in front of him, barely two centimeters from his nose. He had been so focused on sending the message that he had not noticed. He pushed the door open and returned to his room; the messages were sent.

Ji: [o(╥﹏╥)o Brother, I am here!]

Ji: [I am sorry, Brother. I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot my phone. I did not ignore you on purpose.]

Ji: [After work, I ran into that classmate from last time. He insisted on dragging me to the mall, so I got back late.]

Ji: [Bro-ther!]

Zhuo Yu’ang would be a fool to believe him, but at least they were in contact. He felt a bit annoyed, yet also somewhat helpless.

Zhuo: [I do not believe you at all, but I have no choice but to accept it.]

Ji Yan was silent.

Zhuo: [Can you play the guitar for me tonight?]

Ji: [Okay (^o^)/~]

Ji: [But I just got home. Wait for me to take a shower first, Brother.]

Zhuo: [Mm. I will wait for you on the bed.]

Ji: [-_-||]

Despite having learned his lesson, some people just never change. If he did not tease Ji Yan, he would feel like a thousand insects were crawling under his skin. [Oh, missed a word. Hospital bed.]

Ji: [Empty.]

Heh.

While Ji Yan was showering, Zhuo Yu’ang went to the nurse’s station. Coincidentally, a single room, Bed 1, had become available today. Single rooms were expensive, and Bed 1 was a suite, so few patients were willing to pay the premium. Thus, there was no competition for it.

The moment Zhuo Yu’ang mentioned it, the nurse happily agreed and asked the ward’s cleaning lady to help move his things.

The uncle in Bed 13 was unhappy. Lying on his bed, he grumbled bluntly, “Young man, are you disliking this old man? You do not want to stay with this old geezer anymore, do you?”

Zhuo Yu’ang smiled slightly and said, “Uncle, I am going to be having long, mushy phone calls with my partner tonight. I am afraid you will find it hard to stomach if you hear too much.”

“Hahahaha!” The uncle laughed and waved his arm. “Go, go! Get out of here!”

After his shower, Ji Yan sat at his desk with a white towel draped loosely over his head, letting his wet hair drip.

He dialed Zhuo Yu’ang’s number and pulled his tablet over, resting one leg on the edge of the chair. His posture was casual, just as Zhuo Yu’ang imagined him, like a lazy cat that had temporarily retracted its sharp claws.

He began to play an improvisation.

Zhuo Yu’ang stayed in the hospital for exactly one week, not a day more, not a day less. During his stay, he chatted with Ji Yan via text during the day, and at night, he used the excuse of “my wound only stops hurting when I hear the guitar” to get Ji Yan to play or stay on the phone for hours. He had said more words to Ji Yan in this one week than he had to anyone else in his entire life.

By the time he was discharged, he felt a bit reluctant to leave.

He did not notify anyone about his discharge; he only told his Little Cat. However, Ji Han had previously asked the doctor about the discharge date, so he showed up unannounced. As soon as he arrived, he heard Zhuo Yu’ang on the phone in the bathroom.

“The wound is healing well, do not worry.”

“Mm, seven days is enough. Any longer and I would start growing mold.”

“Yes, I asked the attending physician. The post-discharge precautions were explained clearly. Yes, I am heading back to the lab tomorrow afternoon.”

Then, a light, joyful laugh came from inside.

“I am going to the lab to assist with experiments, collect data, and organize logs. It is for learning; I am not going to war. I will not get tired.”

“Whining again? Do you want me to get firm with you?”

Ji Han hugged his own arms and rubbed the goosebumps away outside the door.

When had Old Zhuo ever spoken to someone so tenderly? It was so saccharine it made him feel greasy.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open. Zhuo Yu’ang caught Ji Han’s grimacing face and raised an eyebrow, calmly saying into the phone, “Little Cat, I will talk to you later. Hanging up now.”

“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Little Cat, how sweet!” Ji Han teased, mimicking Zhuo Yu’ang’s tone with a smirk.

Zhuo Yu’ang gave him a light kick.

The day after his discharge, Zhuo Yu’ang returned to the lab. Aside from pausing his morning runs, everything returned to normal.

And yet, things were different.

When going to the cafeteria with his seniors, Zhuo Yu’ang was always the last one to pick up his chopsticks. Though his lips did not curve, the smile in his eyes was visible to everyone. His gaze was focused intently on the phone screen in his hand; clearly, chatting with the brother was far more interesting than eating.

Several times when Ji Han returned late to the dorm, he found Zhuo Yu’ang standing on the balcony with headphones on, talking to that Little Cat.

“It is too late; you should sleep. Do you not have a part-time job tomorrow?”

“Be good. Hang up.”

“You want me to hang up first?” His tone was softer than the passing breeze. “Baby, you hang up first. Once you hang up, I will go to sleep too.”

At that moment, Ji Yan was sitting at his desk. An alarm clock on the table pointed to 23:05. It was indeed late, but his older cousin had given him a tip: if you want to deepen your bond with a scumbag, you have to be clingy and create a push and pull dynamic. A single hanging up conversation should drag on for at least ten minutes.

Five minutes left.

“I am not hanging up! I do not want to! I will not!” He did his best to act spoiled. “Unless you are being super heartless, you hang up first.”

“Alright,” the tone rose and fell, utterly doting. “What else do you want me to talk to you about?”

The next step in the plan was meeting in person. Ji Yan put it on the agenda and asked tentatively, “Have you ever thought about us meeting during the holidays?”

“I have,” Zhuo Yu’ang did not just admit it; his eyes flickered with a mischievous, wicked glint. “I have thought about doing many things with you.”

Ji Yan: ?

Ji Yan: !

Ji Yan was speechless.

Unable to catch his breath, Ji Yan’s face flushed red once again.

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