My Favorite Ship Became My Sister-in-Law - Chapter 15

“Can you follow him for a lifetime?”

The restaurant Ji Zhiruo mentioned was not far from the Mermaid Theater. It served items like fried chicken and cola.

Ji Zhiruo ordered a glass of warm water for Shi Yue. She had already called Ji Chenchuan, and the two sat at a table against the wall. She watched Shi Yue with concern. As far as she knew, Shi Yue did not have any illnesses, so how could he suddenly become like this?

About five minutes later, Ji Zhiruo stood up and called out, “Brother!”

Ji Chenchuan entered the restaurant with an anxious expression, taking long strides. Ding Nana followed close behind at a jog.

Shi Yue had still not fully pulled himself out of that inexplicable emotional state. Hearing Ji Zhiruo’s call, he forced his pale face upward and squinted to see. Before he could focus, the cool back of Ji Chenchuan’s hand was pressed against his forehead. Ji Chenchuan leaned down and asked softly, “Where are you uncomfortable?”

Shi Yue gripped the half-filled glass of water. He intended to shake his head and say he was fine, but his gaze uncontrollably drifted past Ji Chenchuan to Ding Nana standing behind him.

This was arguably the first time Shi Yue had looked directly at her. Ordinarily, Ding Nana should have been pleased, but she was so stunned by the sheer complexity of the emotion in Shi Yue’s eyes that her only instinct was to flee.

Ding Nana lowered her head and hurried toward the restroom. She had eaten here during a previous visit to the aquarium and knew the layout.

Standing before the brightly lit mirror in the restroom, Ding Nana looked at her reflection. Recalling Shi Yue’s complicated gaze, her sensitive female intuition told her that Shi Yue liked Ji Chenchuan. Subconsciously, he viewed her as a romantic rival, but Shi Yue himself likely did not realize it yet because that look lacked the clarity of resolve.

“Zhiruo, can you come to the restroom? I have something to tell you.”

Ji Zhiruo, who was watching her brother anxiously question Shi Yue, received the message from Ding Nana. She worried about leaving Shi Yue, but after a moment of hesitation, she went to the restroom.

“What is it? Speak quickly. Does it have to do with my brother?” Ji Zhiruo asked impatiently as soon as she entered.

“It does involve your brother,” Ding Nana said with a conflicted expression. “Do you not feel that Shi Yue treats your brother differently?”

Ji Zhiruo replied without a second thought, “Of course it is different. He has been clinging to my brother since they were children. He is closer to my brother than he is to his own parents.”

“Is that really all it is?”

“What else could it be?”

Ding Nana did not know what she was trying to prove by asking. Perhaps her intuition was simply wrong; she hoped it was. Given the current social climate regarding homosexuality, and with Shi Yue’s academic excellence, she truly did not want to see him walk down a path of self-destruction.

“I am asking you! Tell me, have you made any progress with my brother?” Ji Zhiruo asked excitedly.

Feeling the cold sweat that had not yet dried on her palms, Ding Nana shook her head dejectedly. A boy as well-bred and outstanding as Ji Chenchuan was not someone a beginner like her could hope for. It was better to just admire him from afar as a god.

“You did not even say a single word to him, did you?” Ji Zhiruo asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“How is that possible!” Ding Nana snapped.

She had indeed been too intimidated to initiate conversation, but Ji Chenchuan had noticed her nervousness and spoke to her first. He had even slowed his speech to help ease her tension.

“And you and Shi Yue? Are you having fun together?” Ding Nana asked expectantly.

At the mention of Shi Yue, Ji Zhiruo shrugged and sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat.

When the two returned to the restaurant, they were both internally shocked by Shi Yue’s state. The boy who had looked terrible moments ago was now chatting and laughing with Ji Chenchuan as if nothing had happened. He even smiled and greeted them when they arrived, looking nothing like the person who had just been incredibly ill.

In truth, even Shi Yue did not know the reason. He only knew that Ji Chenchuan was like a panacea that required no ingestion; no matter how sick he felt, the mere sight of this “medicine” cured him instantly.

Ji Zhiruo and Ding Nana sat across from them.

Ji Chenchuan handed his phone to Ji Zhiruo to scan the QR code and order whatever they liked. Ji Zhiruo looked at the order history; her brother and Shi Yue had only ordered two cups of lemon black tea and one serving of chicken nuggets. She knew her brother disliked fried food, but this was far too little for Shi Yue. Consequently, Ji Zhiruo ordered a massive, disorganized pile of food.

Since there were few people today, the service was exceptionally fast. Before they could say much, the staff called their number. Ji Zhiruo and Ding Nana went together to collect the food; it took two trips to bring back four overflowing trays.

Shi Yue accurately located the chicken nuggets he had ordered and began to eat. He actually liked fried chicken quite a bit. However, Ji Chenchuan had told him this shop did not have chili powder, only ketchup. Since Shi Yue was allergic to tomatoes, eating plain chicken was not very appetizing, so he had only ordered a small amount to fill his stomach.

Ji Chenchuan only drank the lemon black tea.

“I think we ordered too much,” Ding Nana whispered to Ji Zhiruo, glancing at the boys.

“If we cannot finish it, we will pack it up,” Ji Zhiruo said matter-of-factly.

Ding Nana knew she was only saying that. Ji Zhiruo never knew the meaning of restraint when it came to spending money; it must be nice to have a wealthy father and a doting brother.

Seeing Shi Yue eating plain nuggets, Ji Zhiruo felt bad for him. She remembered how, as children, Shi Yue would always fight her for the drumsticks. She broke off a fried chicken leg, squeezed a thick layer of ketchup onto it, and offered it to him pleasingly.

Shi Yue looked at the thick layer of ketchup and declined, “Thank you! I will not eat it. You should have it yourself.”

“Wow, you are really not giving me any face, Shi Dayue! I finally decided to be kind for once, and you make me look bad. I do not care; you must eat this drumstick today.” Ji Zhiruo willfully tried to force the chicken leg on him.

Shi Yue: “…”

“Give it to me,” Ji Chenchuan said, reaching out to take the drumstick. “Shi Yue is allergic to tomatoes; he cannot eat that.”

“Huh?”

Ji Zhiruo looked at Shi Yue with her large, watery eyes and pouted apologetically toward him. Compared to her brother, she was a completely unqualified pursuer. In reality, Ji Zhiruo had simply never noticed that whenever Shi Yue ate at her house, Feng Liuyu never used tomatoes in her cooking.

“I thought you did not like fried food!” Shi Yue took the drumstick from Ji Chenchuan’s hand. “Give it to me. I will peel off the crispy skin, and then there will be no tomato left.”

Shi Yue peeled off the skin and ate the drumstick in small, tasteless bites. Ding Nana watched them quietly. She felt more certain than ever that her intuition was correct; there was an indefinable magnetic field between the two of them.

After eating, the four decided to finish the remaining half of the aquarium. Shi Yue did not know how the others felt, but he found it fascinating. He pointed at the glass tanks and discussed with Ji Chenchuan which jellyfish was the prettiest, how the stingray’s face looked endearingly silly, and how two sea turtles were fighting.

Ji Zhiruo and Ding Nana could not get a word in edgewise. Bored, they eventually decided to leave the boys to it and find a place to take photos, agreeing to meet at the exit at 4:30 PM.

Since Ji Chenchuan had driven, they did not have to squeeze onto a bus. After a long day of walking, the soles of Ji Zhiruo and Ding Nana’s feet were burning. They sat in the back while Shi Yue took the passenger seat. As soon as the car started, the two girls leaned their heads together and fell asleep.

“Sleep if you want to. You do not need to force yourself to talk to me,” Ji Chenchuan said, seeing Shi Yue struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open.

Going out was much more exhausting than studying. If Ji Chenchuan had not been there, Shi Yue would have preferred to stay home and read.

“I cannot do that. If I sleep, you will be bored driving by yourself.”

“I am used to it.”

“Well, I do not care. As long as I am here, I will stay with you. Once I turn eighteen and get my driver’s license, I will do the driving so you can rest.”

“By the way,” Shi Yue yawned, feeling a bit more awake. “We have exams next Thursday and Friday. After that, I have two days off from tutoring. Can I go to work with you?”

“I have been going to construction sites lately. It is far.”

“That is exactly why you need company. Then the commute will not be boring. You must say ‘yes.’ You will not get another offer like this!” Shi Yue said with a grin.

Ji Chenchuan smiled helplessly, glanced at Shi Yue, and nodded. “Okay.”

Shi Yue beamed with satisfaction. He knew that whenever he provided the answer, Ji Chenchuan would never refuse him.

They arrived home at exactly six o’clock. Feng Liuyu had already prepared a delicious meal for them. After dinner, Shi Yue returned to his house to shower and change. His parents had not yet returned from their trip. Looking at the large, empty living room, Shi Yue felt he did not want to be alone. He gathered two math papers and his “Olympiad Classics” book, intending to crash on Ji Chenchuan’s bed again. Suddenly, he heard the key turn in the lock. The door opened; his parents had returned, looking travel-worn.

Shi Yue greeted them with a happy surprise. However, He Lin stared intently at the papers and books in his hand. She asked in disbelief if Shi Yue had been sleeping at Ji Chenchuan’s house the entire time they were away.

“No, I only went once. Brother Chenchuan is very busy,” Shi Yue said.

Upon hearing he had gone once, He Lin’s expression turned serious. “Yueyue, it is not that I want to nag, but you will be eighteen in a few months. You are an adult now. Do not always cling to Chenchuan. You need to have your own circle and your own life, understand?”

“I know, Mom. I have my own friends, but I still like following Brother Chenchuan. I can learn a lot from him,” Shi Yue explained.

“Chenchuan is indeed outstanding, but can you follow him for a lifetime?” He Lin asked.

Shi Yue froze. His dark, bright eyes instantly dimmed.

She was right. He could not follow Ji Chenchuan forever. Ji Chenchuan was even going on dates with other girls now!

Shi Yue returned to his room dejectedly and shut the door. He sat at his desk with his papers and books, but even with pen in hand, he could not focus. He heard Shi Jingsong’s voice from the living room, gently advising He Lin. He argued the child was still young and had only slept over once; there was no need to be so serious the moment they got home.

He Lin replied, “I am doing it for his own good. He is almost an adult. He cannot keep clinging to Chenchuan like he did when he was little.”

Shi Jingsong countered, “If he likes to cling, let him. There is only a year left anyway. Once he goes away to university in another province, he will not have the time to cling even if you wanted him to.”

“That is true, I suppose,” He Lin admitted.

“It is exactly the case. Think about it, Xiao Lin. We have been so busy with work all these years, often leaving Yueyue at the Ji family’s house. To be honest, even if we do not like to hear it, Chenchuan might know Yueyue better than we do. Take his tomato allergy, for example. If Chenchuan had not reminded us back then, we might not have even known.”

Mentioning this reminded the couple of Shi Yue’s sixth birthday. Both families had been eating out to celebrate the shared birthday of Shi Yue and Ji Zhiruo. They remembered that Shi Yue loved Feng Liuyu’s sweet and sour ribs, so they had ordered two portions for him. Ji Chenchuan, upon hearing this, immediately instructed the owner to tell the chef not to use tomato sauce to make the sweet and sour glaze.

At the time, the couple had actually asked why.

The more they thought about it, the more guilt they felt. They both looked toward Shi Yue’s room.

Shi Yue listened silently, his mind racing. There was only one year left before he would move to another city for university, just as Ji Chenchuan had done. But back then, he had always kept in touch with Ji Chenchuan. Once he left, would Ji Chenchuan keep in touch with him?

Probably not. He would be busy with work and busy with dating. He would have no time to spare for him.

This hypothesis was terrifying.

Shi Yue suddenly dropped his pen and dashed out of his room like the wind. He had to find Ji Chenchuan to confirm the probability of this hypothesis. Before He Lin and Shi Jingsong could ask where he was going, Shi Yue had already rung the doorbell to Ji Chenchuan’s house.