My Best Friend's Crush Is A Spoiled, Dramatic Girl [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

An Expert at Feigning Tears and Acting Like a Spoiled Brat × A Cold-Faced…

Ji Yuan was a very strong-willed person. From the trivialities of Ji Tan’s daily schedule to the grand design of his life plan, Ji Yuan arranged everything clearly. Ji Tan once suspected that Ji Yuan had been worked to death by him. Regardless, Ji Tan grew up exactly the way Ji Yuan hoped: into a person who followed the rules. Even when Ji Tan occasionally deviated, he stayed within the frame Ji Yuan had set, never crossing the boundary.

Ji Tan walked the path of life planned for him by Ji Yuan, including the selection criteria for a future partner. Zhou Wenbo was highly educated, had a respectable job, and above all, he looked like a good person at first glance. As for not spending his money, that was just a minor, negligible merit added to Zhou Wenbo. Ji Tan truly felt there was no one more suitable for marriage than Zhou Wenbo.

“Tuantuan, are you unwilling?” Zhou Wenbo’s voice was slightly cold. His calloused fingertips pressed against the corner of Ji Tan’s lips. A faint scent of disinfectant brushed past his nose, followed by a warm, elegant, woody fragrance. Aside from needing a moment to react to Zhou Wenbo’s winding conversations, Ji Tan was very compliant. Ji Tan tilted his bright, pretty face, puckered his lips, and answered incoherently, “Okay.” He had the air of someone who would agree to anything.

Zhou Wenbo was instantly amused by Ji Tan’s behavior, breaking the ice. He wrapped his long arms around him, pressed against Ji Tan’s soft, tender cheeks, and his Adam’s apple slid up and down as he chuckled. “What is ‘okay’? You do not understand anything.”

Ji Tan was forced to bury his face in the crook of Zhou Wenbo’s neck, muttering, “Kissing, I understand.” What did he mean by finding little pearls in his mouth? There were no pearls in his mouth. He was just being pretentious about kissing. Zhou Wenbo was immensely entertained. He lifted his chin and tapped Ji Tan’s forehead. “We will talk about that when Tuantuan wants to kiss me.”

Ji Tan blinked, discovering that Zhou Wenbo, who had been in low spirits the whole way here, had strangely improved.

“Tantan,” Ji Yunxin walked out from the night, a thin jacket draped over his arm, acting as if he had not seen the intimacy between Ji Tan and Zhou Wenbo moments ago. “Why are you wearing so little? Are you cold?”

Ji Yunxin walked forward a few steps, shook out the jacket, and draped it over Ji Tan. “Grandfather asked me to come out to get you. It is cool at night. I brought one of my thicker coats; you never take care of yourself, so do not catch a cold.”

“Is it cold?” Prompted by Ji Yunxin, Ji Tan hesitated and reached out toward Zhou Wenbo. Zhou Wenbo understood and held Ji Tan’s warm little hand, squeezing it gently. “It is not cold. I made sure Tuantuan wore an extra layer before we left.” Ji Tan had no concept of aesthetics; he just wore whatever he was told, making him very easy to take care of. Ji Tan avoided Ji Yunxin. “I am not cold, and I am not wearing it.”

Ji Tan was led into the villa by Zhou Wenbo. Ji Yunxin gripped the thick, soft fabric in his hands, feeling as though he were about to freeze. He stood rooted to the spot, took a few breaths, and followed them inside.

After so much delay, it was not yet eight o’clock when Cheng Jiayan came out and apologized to the guests. “Enyi is not feeling well, so I am afraid he will not be able to come out to thank everyone for attending his birthday banquet.”

Everyone knew Ji Enyi had a heart condition and expressed understanding for his absence. Mr. Ji cared deeply about this frail grandson. “Yunxin and Tan, go see Enyi. The three of you brothers must support each other,” Mr. Ji instructed.

Ji Yunxin took the opportunity to step forward, distancing Ji Tan from Zhou Wenbo, and gently supported Ji Tan’s shoulders, replying obediently, “Grandfather, I will take Tan to see Enyi.” Mr. Ji was satisfied with their display of brotherly love. Ji Tan was unwilling, but he followed Ji Yunxin upstairs anyway.

“Why did Peiyi not come?” Once Ji Yunxin and Ji Tan disappeared around the stairwell, Mr. Ji turned to Zhou Wenbo, who had arrived late. “Is she still at the sanatorium?”

Zhou Wenbo’s attitude was impeccable. “Mother’s health is still not great. Since Father passed away, the sight of familiar objects brings back sad memories. She prefers to stay in a sanatorium where no one knows her, with the nursing staff.”

Mr. Ji thought of the past and could not help but feel touched. “Your mother is also a woman with a difficult life. Let us not talk about those sad things.”

Zhou Wenbo and Zhou She sat side by side. Even with identical features, it was easy for Mr. Ji, despite his age and failing eyesight, to distinguish them. “They say they are twins,” Mr. Ji joked, “but I find Wenbo to be more mature and steady; he truly has the air of an older brother.”

Zhou Wenbo and Zhou She were identical twins. While people sometimes mistook them for each other when they were younger, it rarely happened now, except for Ji Tan, who was still dazed by them.

“I think it would be fine if Wenbo discussed Xiao She’s marriage on Peiyi’s behalf,” Mr. Ji mentioned casually. “I was just saying earlier that your mother is very fond of Tan and wants them to spend more time together.”

Zhou Wenbo raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhou She beside him. “Is that so? If Mother likes him so much, it must have been discussed already.”

Mr. Ji caught the teasing in Zhou Wenbo’s words and laughed. “Even you, the big brother, do not know, so how would we old folks? They are young and shy. Even if you ask them, you will not get a straight answer.”

Zhou Wenbo’s expression did not change. “That is true.”

Mr. Ji and Zhou Wenbo were chatting enthusiastically, and Zhou She, the party involved, had no intention of participating. “I will go outside for some fresh air.” Zhou She stood up directly. Mr. Ji let Zhou She go and joked with Zhou Wenbo, “They say they are thin-skinned and cannot handle a few words. They feel shy, so let them go. Ultimately, we elders will decide their marriage. Call Shouxin and Jiayan over; they need to be present for this.” Mr. Ji instructed the servants.

The sound of Mr. Ji and Zhou Wenbo’s conversation gradually faded behind Zhou She. An autumn night is no less biting than a winter day, and the cold wind drills into the bones. Zhou She was wearing only a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, revealing tight, fluid muscle lines. His excellent physical conditioning helped him withstand most of the cold. Zhou She stood in a corner of the Ji garden, most of his figure hidden in the dark, like a panther crouching in the deep of the night.

“Aunt, I will help you look after the cousin,” a sweet voice came through the cold autumn air. If Zhou She had not identified the owner of the voice, he might have mistaken him for a helpful cousin. Cheng Jiayan looked hesitant, her amber eyes, so similar to Ji Tan’s, clouded with shallow worry. Ji Tan reminded her, “Aunt, Grandfather is looking for you.”

Cheng Jiayan could not let Ji Enyi and Ji Tan stay alone. After all, Ji Tan was truly worrying; the scene of him pushing Ji Yunxin down the stairs at the age of six was still vividly etched in her mind from the surveillance footage. Later, Ji Tan was adopted by Ji Yuan, a famous psychology expert who could straighten even the most twisted saplings. Ji Tan had been taught by Ji Yuan for fourteen years. Yet, Cheng Jiayan dared not bet the life of her cherished youngest son on him. Ji Tan was rotten to the core; no matter how much effort Ji Yuan put in, it might have been in vain.

“Tan, Mother will take Enyi back before seeing your grandfather.” Cheng Jiayan gave Ji Tan a soft smile, though the wariness in her eyes remained deep. Cheng Jiayan turned Ji Enyi’s wheelchair, and the nurse stepped up to help. Ji Tan stepped back nonchalantly. Cheng Jiayan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ji Tan yield.

Before she could fully exhale, she was stopped. The person who stopped her this time was not the abandoned Ji Tan, but the cherished Ji Enyi. “Are you afraid of him?” A faint sneer appeared on Ji Enyi’s pale face, dampening the youthful radiance that should have been his, leaving only gloom. “I insist on staying here. If he has the ability, let him kill me.”

Cheng Jiayan had a gentle personality and could not bear to hear such words from Enyi. She hurriedly interrupted, “Enyi, do not say such things in anger to Mother. The night is cold and the dew is heavy, and your heart is weak. Let Mother take you back to your room to rest.”

Ji Enyi was born with a congenital heart defect and had been bedridden and medicated for years. The Ji family treated him with extreme caution, fearing he might have an attack. In such an environment, Ji Enyi’s personality became increasingly extreme and cynical.

“I will stay here,” Ji Enyi grinned, though there was no warmth in his eyes, staring straight at Ji Tan. “Ji Yunxin will be here in a moment, and I will see where he can push Ji Yunxin this time.”

A physically disabled group seems prone to producing geniuses. Ji Enyi was wiser than his peers and had memories from a very early age. The four-year-old Ji Enyi had stood beside Ji Yunxin and watched Ji Tan push him down the stairs, frightened to the point of a heart attack. The fear of Ji Tan had tortured Ji Enyi, eventually brewing into a rich, toxic resentment.

Cheng Jiayan could not win against Ji Enyi. She feared his heart condition might worsen, and Mr. Ji was urging them. Cheng Jiayan comforted herself and tentatively left Enyi there.

After Cheng Jiayan left, Ji Enyi’s pitch-black, chilling eyes turned toward Ji Tan. He scoffed, “Ji Tan, was it Zhou Wenbo or Zhou She who held your hand walking into the hall?”

Ji Enyi rarely went out and could only recognize them as the Zhou twins. Having only glimpsed them upstairs earlier, he could not distinguish between them. Ji Tan had let go of his hand the moment he entered the house and never thought anyone would see. He did not feel he had the obligation as an older brother to answer his younger brother’s questions. He adopted the air of an elder and lectured Ji Enyi, “What does adult business have to do with you?”

The mockery on Ji Enyi’s face deepened. “Ji Tan, can you tell who is who between the two of them?”

Ji Enyi knew about the marriage arrangement between the Ji and Zhou families and knew that the person Mr. Ji favored was Ji Tan. Ji Yunxin was the eldest grandson and healthy, so Mr. Ji could not push him out. Nor could he bear to let his youngest grandson, who had a heart condition, suffer. All that was left was Ji Tan, who was adopted by Ji Yuan and had no blood relationship with the Ji family, and was used by Mr. Ji as a tool to connect with the Zhou family.

Ji Enyi never thought Ji Tan would agree. In his eyes, Ji Tan was always a cold-blooded animal, a little monster that no one wanted except for Ji Yuan. Ji Enyi said maliciously, “If they swap places on your wedding night, I am afraid you would not even know. Just like when you wanted to push me down the stairs, but pushed Ji Yunxin instead.”

After Ji Enyi finished his last sentence, the bleak night wind blew, causing him to cough in short, sharp bursts, his face growing even paler. Ji Tan was indifferent to these dark histories. He frowned, looking as if he did not understand. “Did I not stop pushing people after that?”

His glaze-like eyes were clear and pure, living in the simplest logic, completely unable to grasp Ji Enyi’s point of anger. Ji Enyi stared at Ji Tan, who still did not think he had done anything wrong, his gaze clinging tightly to him.

Ji Tan retorted to Ji Enyi, quite displeased, “Who said I cannot tell them apart? Why would I not be able to recognize my own boyfriend?” Ji Tan said with righteous indignation.

Ji Enyi choked back his cough, pressing his palm hard, and his lips curved downward. “Boyfriend? Do you really recognize a marriage arrangement that should have been abolished eight hundred years ago?”

Not only did Ji Tan recognize it, but he even felt that the commands of parents and the introduction of a matchmaker made for a very serious and proper marriage. Ji Enyi looked at Ji Tan with a bizarre, silent gaze. “I did not know you were such a stickler for rules.”

Ji Tan, with his fluffy little curly hair, arguing that he was a rule-abiding, proper person, did not have much credibility. Ji Tan was angered by Ji Enyi’s questioning and took a step forward. Ji Enyi did not miss Ji Tan’s little move and sneered, “Want to push me into the pond?” There was only a small fountain with rippling water in the Ji garden that could cause harm.

“No.” Ji Tan, who had been seen through by Ji Enyi, denied it and turned his head away, trying to cover it up. Zhou She had stepped out just as Ji Tan wanted to push Enyi into the water. His deep, calm gaze met Ji Enyi’s sharp eyes, and he looked away after a cursory glance. Ji Enyi also withdrew his gaze, deliberately choosing his words with an ambiguous tone: “Your boyfriend is here.”

Zhou She came out from a remote, dark place. Ji Enyi had only glanced at Zhou She’s features before speaking, but only when Zhou She walked into the light did he realize this was not the same person holding Ji Tan’s hand in the hall. Ji Enyi only now understood what Ji Tan meant by saying he would not fail to distinguish them. Beyond appearance, they were two completely different people.

Ji Enyi had only seen them a few times; mistaking them was not embarrassing, so he did not correct himself. It was just that Ji Enyi never expected that Ji Tan, who had just shouted confidently, “How could I not recognize my own boyfriend?” would move naturally to greet him and call him…

“Husband.”

Ji Enyi was stunned. Zhou She also stopped. A thin, prominent vein pulsed at his temple where it was not covered by hair, and his eyes were half-veiled as the vein disappeared into his cold, white brow.