My Best Friend's Crush Is A Spoiled, Dramatic Girl [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

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

The bronze casing of the lighter was worn, and the pale blue flame leaped out, reflecting off Zhou She’s prominent brow bone, giving it the mark of an old photograph with a lingering, nostalgic quality. The flame shifted slightly due to the wind Ji Tan brought with him, its tongue of fire licking at Zhou She’s pitch-black pupils, yet failing to dilute even a hint of the coldness within.

“Why is Tuantuan so enthusiastic?” Zhou Wenbo, who had emerged from behind Zhou She, naturally drew Ji Tan into his arms and brushed the back of his hand against Ji Tan’s slightly cool cheek. “Are you cold out here?”

Due to the limited angle, Ji Enyi, who was in his wheelchair, only now noticed the elegant and refined Zhou Wenbo behind Zhou She. Ji Enyi stared steadily at Ji Tan, who was behaving with such intimacy and dependence toward Zhou Wenbo, then looked away, his gaze falling straight ahead. “The Ji family forbids smoking.”

Click. Zhou She pressed down firmly on the cap with his thumb. The flame vanished instantly into the air, and the night once again covered Zhou She’s cold, stern face.

Ji Tan felt a pang of guilt and lifted his head slightly from Zhou Wenbo’s arms, saying obediently, “I am not very cold.”

Zhou Wenbo’s slender fingers reached into the back of Ji Tan’s warm, soft neck and gave a firm, warning pinch, catching Ji Tan off guard and causing him to shudder.

“It itches,” Ji Tan pouted. He fumbled for Zhou Wenbo’s fingers and pulled them away from his neck.

Zhou Wenbo complied with Ji Tan’s movements, a hint of helpless amusement crossing his lips. “Tuantuan uses all his cleverness for things like this.”

It did not matter if he could not tell them apart; after all, he was the only one who had agreed to let Ji Tan call him “husband.” And he, for his part, had no way to refuse. Ji Tan’s call was so sweet and soft that Zhou Wenbo had no other thoughts than to draw him into his arms.

“So, you are all here,” Ji Yunxin’s voice appeared at just the right moment. “There will be thunderstorms tonight. Grandfather is worried about the roads being slippery, so he has asked the servants to clear out rooms for guests to stay the night.”

Ji Yunxin walked up, steadied Ji Enyi’s wheelchair, and looked at Ji Tan, who was leaning against Zhou Wenbo. “Ji Tan, stay at home tonight. Your room is still there.”

Ji Tan did not want to stay, but before he could speak, Ji Enyi beat him to it.

“His room is right next to mine,” Ji Enyi said, his lips pale as he glared fiercely at Ji Yunxin behind him. “Are you not satisfied unless he kills me in the middle of the night?”

“You are truly vicious,” Ji Enyi sneered.

“Enyi, do not say that,” Ji Yunxin said disapprovingly. “Tan would not do such a thing.”

“Tan?” Ji Enyi repeated softly, his bottomless black eyes staring straight at Ji Yunxin as he tugged at the corners of his lips like a puppet. “Ji Yunxin, do you treat me like your brother, or do you treat Ji Tan like your brother?”

Ji Enyi’s aggressive questioning made Ji Yunxin knit his brows. “You and Tan are both my brothers.”

Ji Enyi clearly did not accept this answer. “I am your half-brother by the same father, but what relation are you to Ji Tan? Do you consider him a brother, too?”

Ji Yunxin remained silent in the face of Ji Enyi’s sharp, aggressive attack. The autumn wind blew through the trees in the Ji garden, causing the rustling leaves to spin. A slight sound of footsteps occurred at an inopportune moment.

Ji Tan, whose feet were shifting, was suddenly gripped by the wrist by the person beside him.

Ji Enyi scanned the tense, impending storm of an atmosphere on the opposite side. The thorns on his body were blown away by the wind, and he leaned back into his wheelchair, listless. “I forgot, I am Ji Tan’s half-brother by the same mother, but he does not even consider me his brother.”

A cold-hearted little monster who acknowledged no one, let alone a brother with whom he shared only half his blood.

“I will push you back to your room,” Ji Yunxin said, breaking the silence. Before leaving, he glanced at Zhou She, who was still gripping Ji Tan’s wrist, and raised his eyes. “Lawyer Zhou, Grandfather has asked the servants to prepare the master bedroom on the third floor for you. I wish you a good night’s sleep.”

There was indeed rain tonight, and Mr. Ji was genuinely worried about the roads being slippery. However, the invitation to stay was Mr. Ji’s excuse to set up time for Zhou She and Ji Tan to spend together. It was a gesture from an elder that he knew about but could not refuse.

Zhou She nodded. Ji Yunxin did the same and pushed Ji Enyi away.

“What are you doing?” Ji Tan shook the wrist being held by Zhou She.

Zhou She retorted, “Should you not be asking yourself that?”

Ji Tan feigned innocence.

Zhou She exposed him without mercy. “Why were you walking forward?” Straight toward Ji Enyi’s direction.

Ji Tan was stubborn. “I was just cold.”

Zhou She released his hand and glanced at Ji Tan. “I was cold, too.”

Ji Tan was speechless. Just as he was about to argue, Zhou She gave him no chance and walked away directly.

“Dr. Zhou,” Ji Tan turned his head instantly to complain indignantly to Zhou Wenbo. “He clearly looks like a bad person; why does he always think I am going to do something bad? Could I not be helpful and kind-hearted, pushing Ji Enyi back to his room?”

Zhou Wenbo did not commit to an opinion. He rubbed Ji Tan’s pouting cheek and rarely expressed his own confusion. “Tuantuan, I am Zhou She’s twin; do I look like a bad person?”

Ji Tan had not considered this layer at all. “Twins are not necessarily identical,” Ji Tan said flatteringly, hugging Zhou Wenbo and stuttering out a statement he did not even believe himself.

The words were correct, but for Ji Tan, who had never distinguished between the two, they were illogical. If they were twins, why were they called twins if they did not look exactly alike? And if they were identical, was it not normal for him to be unable to tell them apart?

“Is that so?” Zhou Wenbo raised an eyebrow, asking deliberately.

Ji Tan’s bristling little head deflated, and he complained gloomily, “Dr. Zhou is also not perfect.” For instance, being a twin was Dr. Zhou’s biggest flaw.

Zhou Wenbo pulled Ji Tan, whose sweatshirt had been chilled by the night dew, toward the villa, lowering his voice. “Hmm?”

Ji Tan gave Zhou Wenbo a look that could only be understood, not explained. Zhou Wenbo chuckled, ruffled Ji Tan’s little curly hair, and said helplessly, “Fine, blame me.”

Ji Tan resisted the urge to nod and said profoundly, “It is not entirely Dr. Zhou’s fault.” Of course, Ji Tan would never blame himself, either.

Zhou Wenbo’s laughter resonated through his chest and onto Ji Tan’s shoulder before he slowly pushed Ji Tan safely back to his room.

Ji Enyi lived on the third floor, where most rooms had been converted for his treatment. Ji Tan’s room, located right next door, had been left untouched for some reason and was even cleaned regularly.

As Zhou Wenbo walked out of Ji Tan’s room, Zhou She was standing at the door of the master bedroom, which was directly across from Ji Tan’s. Ji Enyi did not like sunny rooms and had always lived in the side bedroom, so the master bedroom was conveniently empty for Zhou She today.

Zhou Wenbo complained to his own brother, “Why did you grab him so hard? His wrist is red from your grip; I had to coax him for quite a while.”

“I do not see you minding the trouble,” Zhou She lifted his eyelids, speaking coldly. “I think you enjoyed it quite a bit.”

Zhou Wenbo was evasive. “I do not mind the trouble.” Then, changing the subject, he smiled, “It was indeed quite enjoyable.”

Zhou She sneered. “I hope you still find it enjoyable when you see him push Ji Enyi into the water and drown him, despite his severe heart condition.”

Zhou Wenbo fixed his gaze on Zhou She’s face for two seconds and clicked his tongue. “You have no sense of romance.”

Zhou She did not want to be complimented on having a sense of romance. He glanced at the closed door across the hall. “He has romance. He still cannot tell me apart from you; that is indeed quite interesting.”

“These days, it is rare to see someone with such poor eyesight,” Zhou She stated the fact slowly.

Zhou Wenbo did not think this was a problem and smiled slightly at his younger brother, who was speaking in riddles. “It does not matter. Tomorrow, when you take him to school, you can pretend to be me.”

Zhou She froze, slowly shifting his gaze to Zhou Wenbo. Zhou She lowered his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.” Zhou Wenbo’s voice gradually deepened.

Zhou She spoke. “Did she tell you to go back?”

Zhou Wenbo did not deny it.

Zhou She wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Zhou Wenbo: “Take care of Tan for me, and remember to take him to school tomorrow.”

Zhou She remained silent for a long while. “How long do you intend to keep it from her?”

Zhou Wenbo relaxed his tense shoulders and curled his lips, looking completely indifferent. “I, the official boyfriend, am not in a hurry, so why are you? They all assume you are Tan’s boyfriend, so I am the one suffering the loss.”

Only when they no longer hid it from Zhong Peiyi would Zhou She’s pretense of being Ji Tan’s boyfriend finally end. Before that, Zhou Wenbo, unable to reveal his true identity, clearly was not in a better position.

Zhou She had nothing to say.

“Ji Tan knows you are his boyfriend.” Although he mistook him every time, Ji Tan knew his boyfriend’s name was Zhou Wenbo, not Zhou She, as everyone else assumed.

Zhou She spoke suddenly, sounding as if he were comforting him.

Zhou Wenbo’s eyes warmed. He turned his head slightly, tapped Ji Tan’s mahogany bedroom door with his knuckles, and whispered affectionately, “Little fool.”

How could someone not recognize their own boyfriend? If he could not tell them apart and still acted like a spoiled brat, calling him “husband”—what could he do if he called out the wrong name? Zhou Wenbo thought about it carefully, but had no good solution. Ji Tan was just too slow; if he called out “Zhou She” by mistake, he would just pretend not to hear it.

The autumn night rain was cold and heavy, and Zhou Wenbo walked out into it.

The quiet, warm room, accompanied by the urgent sound of rain, became a perfect place for a good night’s sleep. Ji Tan always slept well, and after the baptism of a night of autumn rain, his brain nerves were massaged and relaxed, making his body feel comfortable and light.

Ji Tan’s good mood lasted until he finished washing up and opened his door. “You are not sleeping; what are you doing here?”

A heart patient should rest more, not sit at his door in a wheelchair at six in the morning, staring at him like a ghost.

Ji Enyi’s complexion looked even paler than yesterday, his dark, pitch-black eyes fixed on Ji Tan’s rosy cheeks. He mocked coldly, “You are sleeping right next door to me; do you think I can rest well at night?”

Ji Tan asked strangely, “Why can you not rest well? I have not pushed you in many years.” After all, every time Ji Enyi argued with him, it would eventually lead back to this matter. Ji Tan paused. “I did not even push you back then; I pushed Ji Yunxin.”

“Do not blame me just because the rain is heavy and you cannot sleep.” Ji Tan looked as if he had seen through Ji Enyi.

The standoff between Ji Tan and Ji Enyi reached a deadlock.

The door opposite opened, and out walked Zhou She.

Zhou She had heard their conversation and glanced coldly at the clueless Ji Tan. “He had a heart attack yesterday and was in emergency treatment until late at night.”

“You slept quite soundly,” Zhou She’s voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up. “You did not hear anything at all?”

Ji Tan had truly heard nothing.

“He would not even know if I died,” Ji Enyi sneered after mocking Ji Tan, turned his wheelchair himself, and slid slowly toward the elevator.

Ji Tan trailed behind Ji Enyi, walking side by side with Zhou She.

“Brother,” Ji Tan’s voice rang out, successfully pausing the two of them.

Ji Enyi turned his head, only to see Ji Tan looking up expectantly at Zhou She, not looking down at him.

“After all these years, you have actually learned to recognize people incorrectly.” Ji Enyi glared fiercely at Ji Tan, controlled the wheelchair into the elevator, and closed the door to avoid looking at him.

The elevator descended.

Zhou She did not take the lead to express an opinion on Ji Tan’s unreasonable address, but asked in a strange tone, “You can actually recognize me?”

Ji Tan nodded and said unceremoniously, “Of course.”

“Dr. Zhou asked you to take me to school; shall we set off now?” Ji Tan blinked. “The exam is coming soon, and Mother said she would deduct my pocket money if I failed.”

The hesitation in Zhou She’s eyes vanished. Ji Tan had not recognized him at all; Zhou Wenbo had probably told him yesterday that it would be him taking him to school today. Seeing Zhou She remain silent, Ji Tan leaned over toward him and called out again: “Brother?”

Zhou She was six years older than Ji Tan and could not accept this address, his expression growing cold and stiff. “Who is your brother?”

Ji Tan was truly brazen to call him that.

Ji Tan had clearly misunderstood Zhou She’s meaning, and his eyes began to grow confused again.

Zhou She glanced past Ji Tan’s clear, glaze-like eyes, his eyelids twitching as if foreseeing a disaster.

“Hus… umph…”

“Shut up.” Before Ji Tan could call out the next word, Zhou She covered Ji Tan’s mouth, his voice low and angry. “I am not your husband, do not call out blindly.”