I’m Dating My Big Brother’s Roommate Online and I’m Way Too Cute! - Chapter 23

“Did you order this?” Shan Juncheng asked the question again.

Ji Yanyan was certain: “I didn’t.”

Now it was the turn of Ji Yan and the other two to be bewildered.

Thinking of a certain possibility, though it seemed unlikely, Ji Yan walked to the breakroom where they ate. He fished the packaging bag out of the trash can. The address on the order receipt was indeed Old Times Cafe, but the recipient’s name was written as “Kitten.”

Kitten. Zhuo Yu’ang always liked to call him that.

“He ordered it?” Ji Yanyan appeared by Ji Yan’s side like a ghost.

“Ninety percent chance.”

“Did you give him the shop’s address?”

“No,” Ji Yan replied, though it clicked immediately. “I have been sending him random photos lately; the address must have been exposed somewhere.”

“The address does not matter since we are open for business anyway, but you had better be careful not to get exposed,” Ji Yanyan said, taking the receipt from his hand and transferring the amount to Ji Yan’s phone. “I sent you the meal money; forward it to him.”

“Okay, Sis. I am heading out then. You and Brother Shan go ahead and eat.” Ji Yan left the breakroom.

He walked out the back door of the coffee shop. It was quieter here than the front street. Leaning his back against the wall, he sent a message.

It was always better to confirm first.

Ji: [Brother, did you order a meal for us?]

Zhuo Yu’ang did not keep him waiting long: [I ordered it. Finished eating?]

Ji: [Yes, finished. I keep burping, I am so full.] Ji: [But how did Brother know the address of my part-time job?]

A moment later, Zhuo Yu’ang sent a photo.

The day before yesterday, Ji Yan had made a cup of latte art and took a photo to invite Zhuo Yu’ang to a “cloud drink.” At the time, Zhuo Yu’ang had smiled, praising the “baby’s” exquisite skills and saying the taste was excellent even through the screen.

Ji Yan looked closely at the photo and noticed a bag of packaged coffee in the corner. The checkout slip stapled to the bag displayed the exact address of the coffee shop.

He suddenly remembered being in the fifth grade when his older brother, then in seventh grade, was obsessed with horror movies. His brother had dragged him to watch Ju-On: The Grudge. They had pulled the curtains shut in broad daylight, and his brother used him as a human shield, hiding behind him. Ji Yan had glimpsed a corner of a ghost’s face appearing in the movie’s window, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

The memory remained vivid to this day.

It was the same feeling Zhuo Yu’ang gave him right now.

So crafty!

Ji: [Brother, you scared me.]

Zhuo: [?]

Zhuo Yu’ang uncharacteristically stalled for a moment. Once he understood, he laughed and explained via voice message instead of typing to be faster: “I was not intentionally keeping tabs on you. You kept crying about being hungry, so what else could I do? I had to look for clues in our chat history. If I could not find it, I definitely would have asked you; I was just afraid you would not want to say.”

Ji Yan breathed a sigh of relief. According to that, his acting had not been seen through yet.

Ji: [So that is how it is. I misunderstood Brother.] Ji: [It is not that I would not say. I am willing to tell Brother anything, as long as Brother asks!]

His “love-brain” persona was back online in an instant.

Zhuo: [So good. I will give you a gift the day we meet.]

Ji: [Okay!]

Ji Yan transferred the meal money his cousin had given him: [Brother, please accept this. The boss gave it to me and asked me to pass it to you.]

Zhuo: [I ordered it specifically for you. The others were just incidental. No need.]

Ji: [But the boss said I cannot let you be a sucker.]

Zhuo: [But the one I am being is clearly your husband.]

Ji Yan pursed his lips, his face cooling: [Shy.]

He sent another message: [Brother should still take it, otherwise I cannot explain it to the boss.]

Zhuo Yu’ang could not bear to make things difficult for him, yet he seemed to be doing exactly that: [Baby, if you want me to take it, call me something nice.]

Ji Yan had already figured out Zhuo Yu’ang’s personality to some extent. How could he not know what “something nice” meant? He sent two words: [Husband.]

Zhuo: [Baby, Brother wants to hear the voice version.]

It was daytime, outdoors, and under the bright light of day. Ji Yan gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He brought the phone to his lips, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. After several attempts, he finally made a sound: “Husband, please accept the payment from earlier.”

He opened his eyes after sending it. Shan Juncheng, who had come out to take out the trash, was staring at him.

Stunned!

Shan Juncheng’s expression mirrored his own: “Does your sister know you are using a pinched voice to call someone husband?”

Ji Yan: “…”

Ji Yan turned and went back into the shop, shutting the door behind him. After a few steps, he retreated back outside the back door: “Brother Shan, I once saw you take one of my sister’s jackets. Did you return it yet?”

Shan Juncheng: “.”

Shan Juncheng: “Pretend you never saw me.”

Ji Yan: “Okay.”

The fewer people who knew about embarrassing things, the better.

On the other end, Zhuo Yu’ang accepted the transfer.

Zhuo: [Baby, Husband has received it.]

Ji: [^_^]

Thanks to this scumbag, he had embarrassed himself once again.

“Ugh!” Ji Yanyan was also full. She patted her chest and, seeing Ji Yan return from outside, said, “That scumbag of yours ordered pretty good food. It is a bit pricey, but once a week is fine. What do you think?”

“Yes, it was quite good.” Ji Yan did not deny it. He pulled Ji Yanyan aside to talk. “Sis, I have another matter to tell you.”

Shan Juncheng’s gaze followed them at a constant speed.

What Ji Yan wanted to talk about was not the jacket, but the meeting with the scumbag. He had to play the role in drag. The clothes were easy; a T-shirt and pants would do, but the makeup stumped him.

Ji Yanyan looked Ji Yan up and down, then circled him: “Your features are so good; doing drag definitely will not be a problem. I have wigs at my place too. As for your height, you are a bit tall, but you are thin, so it is totally okay.”

Ji Yanyan promised: “Leave the makeup that day to me. Sis will make you look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Sis.”

It was settled.

After finishing his part-time job in the afternoon, Ji Yan used the excuse of his classmates dragging him to the mall to tell Zhuo Yu’ang that he would only be free to message or call in the evening.

This was already the third time he had used this excuse. Even if Zhuo Yu’ang were a fool, he would know that the younger brother wanted to carve out some time to go wild outside. Ever since he was hospitalized, Ji Yan had gone home every day after work to chat and play guitar for him. Even the most well-behaved kid would get bored.

Zhuo Yu’ang instructed, almost like an order: [Do not stay out overnight. Remember to go home.]

Ji Yan replied: [Got it, Brother!]

He put on the act again.

Ji: [Brother, next time I definitely will not be so weak. I will definitely refuse her firmly. No one is more important than Brother!] Ji: [Actually, I still want to chat with Brother.]

Zhuo Yu’ang had not been out of the hospital long; it would take a few more weeks to return to his physical peak. He had plenty of time at night: [That is fine. Do not go out, and Brother will keep you company.]

Ji Yan fell silent.

Why did I type so fast?

Seeing no reply from Ji Yan for a while, a certain Zhuo sent: [?]

Then, the input box showed “typing,” then “paused,” back and forth.

Zhuo Yu’ang figured it out after a thought. He let out a dry laugh; he had actually been fooled by the little brat. “More important than Brother” and “wanting to chat” were nothing but pure nonsense.

Zhuo: [Fine, go wild, Kitten.]

Zhuo Yu’ang sent an emoji of Luo Xiaohei hitting his own head.

Ji Yan suddenly felt a sense of inconsistency. Since he started flirting with Zhuo Yu’ang, the other party had never used an emoji. This was the first time. He had an intuition that Zhuo Yu’ang’s use of emojis was influenced by him.

It meant the habit had set in, and the other person had adopted his habits as their own.

His mom’s 8:00 PM idol dramas said that habit is more terrifying than deep affection.

Ji: [Okay.] Ji: [If I see a delicious little cake, I will buy it for Brother!]

Zhuo: [You want me to “cloud eat” again?]

Ji: [Is that not allowed?]

Zhuo: [It is allowed. Anything you buy must be super sweet, right, Wife?]

Ji Yan: “…”

More sleazy talk.

He bit the bullet.

Ji: [Yes, because I have Brother, Kitten is super sweet.] Ji: [And I only lick for Brother alone.]

(Note: Ji Yan intended to type “sweet” but accidentally typed “lick”.)

“Ji Yan!” A taxi happened to stop at the entrance of the coffee shop. Chen Zhansen waved at him. “Get in.”

He was not going to the mall; Chen Zhansen, Guo Jia, and the others had an appointment to play ball. It was originally supposed to be an outdoor court, but considering the upcoming meeting with Zhuo Yu’ang, he did not want to get a tan that would make makeup difficult, so they decided to go to the gym.

Ji Yan pulled open the back door and stepped into the car.

Only once inside did he realize he had a typo in his last message. It should not have been “lick”; it should have been “sweet!”

His lips trembled. Is it too late to explain?

In the laboratory.

Zhuo Yu’ang, who rarely received such a proactive flirt from his younger brother, stared at the message. He was stunned for a few seconds before standing up, forced to pour a glass of cold water to quench his thirst. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently.

After finishing the water, he replied: [If you want to give it to others, Brother cannot agree to that either.]

Upon receiving the message, Ji Yan died.

…

The weather forecast said it would rain tonight, and the air was particularly muggy. By the time he came out of the gym, the sticky feeling of sweat on Ji Yan’s skin had not dried.

He shook the collar of his T-shirt and entered the code to his front door.

His parents were not in the living room, but a clanging sound was coming from his bedroom. His heart tightened, fearing Ji Chuqun was smashing his guitar again, even though it had already happened once.

His voice was practically a roar: “Ji Chuqun, what are you doing!”

Upon looking, he saw his dad was installing an air conditioner.

“You brat, how are you talking to me? You are even calling your dad by his full name!” Ji Chuqun stood on a stool, pointing a tool at the boy in the doorway.

Song Yushu said, “Your dad’s company had an event, and he had the dumb luck to win an air conditioner. So he is replacing your old one with a new one.”

“Why did you not hire an installation technician?” Ji Yan helped steady the stool.

“Is he not trying to please you?” Song Yushu whispered in her son’s ear. “He wants to show off in front of you; otherwise, he always feels like you are pulling a face at him.”

Ji Yan understood.

Actually, he did not enjoy pulling a cold face in front of his dad; he just did not have a naturally smiling personality. It was his dad who felt guilty about breaking the guitar, which made him think Ji Yan was glaring at him.

“Dad, although you are unreliable most of the time, you are okay occasionally.” For the sake of the new AC, he offered a compliment.

Ji Chuqun was not quite satisfied: “That is it? Just occasionally? You are so heartless!”

Song Yushu slapped Ji Dad’s leg: “Enough, it is good enough that Xiao Yan can compliment you. Be content.”

Ji Yan: “Exactly, contentment brings happiness.”

Ji Chuqun: “…”

After the new air conditioner was installed, Ji Yan cleaned the room himself. Another layer of sweat broke out, so he turned on the new AC to blow directly on him.

There was a difference from the old unit; the old AC’s cooling system was long past its prime and could not get cold even at low settings. The new one was comparable to an ice machine. After a night of cold wind, Ji Yan had a cold the next day.

He woke up with a headache, sneezing one after another; his nose was aching and itchy.

Song Yushu took his temperature; he did not have a fever.

Since both parents had to work, they told Ji Yan to go to the pharmacy himself to buy cold medicine. There was a pharmacy on the street outside the housing complex.

“Do not go to Yanyan’s shop today. Stay home after buying the medicine. Colds heal faster if you take medicine early; do you hear me?” Song Yushu nagged several times before leaving.

Ji Yan agreed to everything.

He found a mask in the TV cabinet and put it on, changed into sneakers, shoved his phone in his pocket, and went downstairs. He walked out of the complex gate, turned right for five or six hundred meters, then right again to find a People’s Pharmacy.

After buying the medicine, Ji Yan was bumped into by someone as he stepped down from the shop entrance.

The phone he was about to use to make a call slipped from his hand. The screen first clipped the sharp corner of a flower bed, then the entire screen slammed onto the concrete ground.

Both the person who bumped into him and Ji Yan froze at the same instant.

The same two words flashed in their minds: It is over.

The phone was trashed.

Support