My Favorite Ship Became My Sister-in-Law - Chapter 14

“I do not know, I just arrived myself.”

It was truly a rare occurrence. Shi Yue stared at his phone and laughed. Ji Chenchuan had actually replied to him in seconds.

“Oh, did the client say what time they would arrive?”

“The client said they are stuck in traffic. About half an hour.”

“Oh!”

Shi Yue sent another message: “If we get there and you are still not finished, we will wait for you there.”

“You guys go in first. No need to wait for me.”

“But I want to wait for you.”

Shi Yue sent it without a second thought. He did not feel there was anything inappropriate about it, but after waiting for three minutes, Ji Chenchuan still had not replied. The screen indicated three times that the other party was typing.

Shi Yue wondered what Ji Chenchuan was typing. Did it really take that long?

After waiting another two minutes with no response, Shi Yue sent a teasing message: “I have been staring at the screen for five minutes. It showed you were typing three times, yet I have not seen a single word. So, Brother Chenchuan, are you writing my college graduation thesis in advance?”

As he sent the message, Shi Yue could imagine Ji Chenchuan’s expression at that moment. He was definitely smiling with that helpless look on his face again.

The phone suddenly vibrated. Knowing it was a new message notification, Shi Yue rushed to check. It was Ji Chenchuan’s reply, just two words:

“I am not.”

Shi Yue could not help but laugh and deliberately asked, “Not what?”

“Writing a thesis.”

Suppressing his laughter, Shi Yue pressed further: “Then what are you writing?”

Ji Chenchuan stopped replying again.

Shi Yue: [Diving GIF]

Shi Yue: “Do not ignore me, please. [GIF]”

Shi Yue: “Come back, do not go. [GIF]”

Just as Shi Yue was about to send a fourth emoji, Ji Chenchuan finally replied: “I was just taking a call from the client. They are here. I will try to finish the talk as early as possible. Wait for me at the main gate.”

“OK.”

Having made the arrangement with Ji Chenchuan, Shi Yue was once again filled with endless anticipation for the trip.

“Based on my seventeen years of experience being single, I conclude that anyone who smirks at their phone is chatting with someone they like. So, Zhiruo, could it be that Shi Yue already has a girlfriend? We just do not know about it.” Ding Nana whispered to Ji Zhiruo. Sitting in the elevated seats at the front of the bus, they had a clear view of Shi Yue’s every move in the very back row.

“Nonsense. If he had a girlfriend, I would definitely be the first to know.” Ji Zhiruo flatly denied Ding Nana’s conclusion.

It was nearly eleven o’clock by the time Shi Yue and the others reached the aquarium.

The entrance was lined with various restaurants and snack stalls, crowded with people. Shi Yue told the two girls that Ji Chenchuan wanted them to wait at the main gate, so the three of them found a snack shop in a prominent location to sit and wait.

The snack shops here were practically daylight robbery. In the Lincheng city center, a bowl of handmade sparkling ice jelly only cost eight yuan, but here the price had nearly tripled to twenty yuan a bowl. Moreover, the toppings were pitifully sparse, lacking even rose jam.

After taking a bite, Ji Zhiruo tossed it aside in disgust and asked Shi Yue, “How much longer until my brother arrives?”

“It should be soon. Before we got off the bus, Brother Chenchuan said he would arrive in about twenty minutes. It has been sixteen minutes since then.” Shi Yue’s answer was precise down to the minute.

“You remember it so clearly.” Ji Zhiruo sounded a bit jealous of her brother.

“Hey,” Ji Zhiruo added, “I have always wanted to ask you something, Shi Dayue. Why do you like sticking to my brother so much? I feel like he is like my dad, a bit serious. I am actually a little afraid of him. Do you not feel pressured being with him?”

“Not at all. I think being with Chenchuan is quite interesting.” Shi Yue took a spoonful of ice jelly, swallowed it, and answered slowly with a smile.

“Then what do you two do together?” Ji Zhiruo tried to probe into Shi Yue’s interests indirectly.

“Play basketball, visit bookstores, go cycling…”

“Fine, stop right there.”

Before Shi Yue could finish, Ji Zhiruo interrupted him. She could not bring herself to share his hobbies, especially visiting bookstores. She had followed Shi Yue there three times last week, and each time she felt like she was practically being driven out by the glares of the people reading. She truly detested reading. Just seeing those dense clusters of words made her head spin.

“Zhiruo, look, look! That guy is so handsome! Though he looks familiar, like I have seen him somewhere before.” Ding Nana nudged Ji Zhiruo with her elbow and whispered.

Ji Zhiruo followed Ding Nana’s gaze. Was that not her brother, Ji Chenchuan?

In the outdoor parking lot, Ji Chenchuan was wearing a black shirt and black trousers. The first button of his shirt was undone, and it was tucked into his trousers. The sophisticated cut and perfect fit accentuated his broad shoulders, solid chest, and long, straight legs. The outfit was mature and steady without appearing too business-like or stiff, a perfect “gentlemanly” style. Combined with his handsome face, he perfectly matched the image of a male god in any woman’s mind.

Ding Nana only felt the man looked familiar but could not recall where she had seen him. Perhaps he was a fashion model from some magazine, she thought.

When she saw Ji Chenchuan smile slightly toward them, Ding Nana felt as if her heart no longer belonged to her, thumping as if it were about to jump out of her chest. She hurriedly adjusted her bangs. At this moment, the term “refined and elegant” took on a physical form in her mind.

“Brother Chenchuan.”

Shi Yue stood up and waved happily at Ji Chenchuan. His heart was also racing for some inexplicable reason. Ji Chenchuan looked truly handsome today.

Ji Chenchuan walked toward them.

When Ding Nana heard Shi Yue call out “Brother Chenchuan,” she nearly screamed. This handsome man was actually Ji Zhiruo’s brother! No wonder he looked familiar. She had thought he just had a great side profile, but his face was even more handsome from the front.

“Wow! Brother, it is the first time I have seen you dress in this style. You look way too handsome.” As Ji Chenchuan approached, Ji Zhiruo could not help but praise him.

“The client I met today is a very meticulous person. I could not dress too casually,” Ji Chenchuan answered his sister.

“So, did the deal go through, Brother Chenchuan?” Shi Yue asked. He was very concerned about this. Ji Chenchuan rarely had a day off yet still had to work, and Shi Yue did not want his efforts to be in vain.

“It went through. Let us go!”

With that, Ji Chenchuan led the way like a parent, taking the three “kids” to see the wonderful underwater world.

“The hard work paid off, that is great!” Shi Yue felt happy for Ji Chenchuan in his heart.

After collecting their tickets at the window, they went through the entrance where a security guard checked them. The four of them entered the aquarium, and the coolness of the air conditioning instantly washed away the outdoor heat, lifting everyone’s spirits.

Perhaps because exams were approaching, the aquarium was a bit quiet today.

Shi Yue and Ji Chenchuan walked in front, while Ji Zhiruo and Ding Nana walked behind, arm-in-arm. The lighting inside the aquarium was soft and somewhat dim.

Except for Shi Yue, all three of them had been to this aquarium before. After walking in five or six steps, they saw a wall designed to look like a rockery. A realistic imitation tree made of cement rose from the middle of the rocks into the air, its branches and leaves sparse but well-distributed.

“Do not look up,” Ji Chenchuan reminded Shi Yue.

“Why?”

Unable to resist his curiosity, Shi Yue looked up anyway. He saw a snake as thick as a noodle bowl coiled on the branch, its tongue flickering as it hung upside down in mid-air. Shi Yue spun around abruptly to face Ji Chenchuan and grabbed his arm. They were so close they were practically embracing. Shi Yue’s voice carried a hint of nervousness, “Is this an aquarium or a tropical rainforest?”

“I warned you not to look up.” Ji Chenchuan raised his other hand and gently stroked Shi Yue’s back in a soothing motion.

Shi Yue was afraid of snakes. Ji Chenchuan knew this because once, when Shi Yue went to the affiliated high school to wait for him, they encountered a small snake the size of a chopstick in the grass on their way back. Shi Yue had burst into tears of fright on the spot.

“But you did not say there was a snake,” Shi Yue grumbled, feeling wronged.

This aquarium was truly bizarre. Shi Yue could not understand who would come up with such a jarring entrance design.

“It is only here. Everything is normal further back,” Ji Chenchuan said, seemingly knowing what Shi Yue was thinking.

“Shi Dayue, so you are actually afraid of snakes. I thought you were brave, but you are even scared of a fake one.” Ji Zhiruo laughed as if she had discovered something significant.

Shi Yue could not tell if Ji Zhiruo’s laughter was mocking his cowardice or if she simply found it funny. Regardless, she had been acting strange lately, so why not let her believe he was truly a useless coward to keep her at a distance? Thus, Shi Yue pretended and said he really was afraid. Not just of snakes, but of every living creature except humans.

Ji Chenchuan glanced at Shi Yue strangely but said nothing.

“Perfect. Since I am not afraid of anything, I will protect you.” Ji Zhiruo sensed Shi Yue was saying that on purpose, so she grabbed him and ran off.

“Zhiruo…”

Seeing Ji Zhiruo suddenly abandon her, Ding Nana was instantly flustered and at a loss. She did not know how to interact with Ji Chenchuan. Just as Ji Zhiruo had said, she felt a great deal of pressure being near him.

“Brother, she is my good friend Ding Nana. Please take care of her for a bit!”

Watching his sister, who was dragging Shi Yue away, suddenly throw back such a sentence, Ji Chenchuan’s brow furrowed slightly. As a brother, he naturally had the responsibility to look after his sister’s friend.

Shi Yue was dragged along by Ji Zhiruo until they stopped in front of a large rectangular glass tank embedded in the wall. The tank was filled with various colorful fish, and above it hung a sign: “Mermaid Theater.”

Shi Yue shook off Ji Zhiruo’s grip. “What kind of madness has suddenly taken over you?”

“Did you not say you are only not afraid of carbon-based life forms? So I brought you to see the mermaids. It is almost twelve o’clock, and there is a performance then.” Ji Zhiruo said with a grin.

In reality, she wanted to take the opportunity to be alone with Shi Yue and simultaneously create a chance for Ding Nana and her brother.

Shi Yue: “…”

Shi Yue looked up, searching for the exit path. He wanted to go back and find Ji Chenchuan.

“I say, without my brother, you become like a fish out of water, you cannot even survive. It was like this this morning, and it is still like this now. You are so boring.” Ji Zhiruo huffed, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

“Great, you have finally realized I am boring,” Shi Yue laughed and prepared to head back.

“Are you going back to be a third wheel?” Ji Zhiruo said petulantly.

Shi Yue came to a sudden halt, looking bewildered. He asked urgently, “What do you mean?”

Seeing Shi Yue stop, Ji Zhiruo smiled, looking quite accomplished. “You did not know, right? My brother likes cute girls. I introduced Nana to him; maybe they are hitting it off right now. So, for the sake of my brother’s future, you should just stay with me! I have been here before, I will be your guide…”

Ji Zhiruo went on to say many more things, but Shi Yue did not hear a single word. He did not know why, but hearing that Ji Chenchuan was hitting it off with another girl made him feel unsettled. His footsteps faltered, and his body felt as though it had lost its gravity.

“Shi Dayue, are you okay?”

Seeing Shi Yue’s face suddenly turn as pale as paper, Ji Zhiruo asked anxiously twice before Shi Yue seemed to snap out of it and shook his head.

“Forget it. You do not look like you are okay. There is a restaurant ahead; I will take you there to rest first, and then I will call my brother.” With that, Ji Zhiruo prepared to support Shi Yue.

Shi Yue did not know what was wrong with him. He did not let Ji Zhiruo help him, walking on unsteadily by himself.