My Favorite Ship Became My Sister-in-Law - Chapter 18

Ji Chenchuan lost his focus once again.

“To be honest, who exactly are you?” Shi Yue stared fixedly at Ji Chenchuan, speaking with utmost seriousness. “You certainly are not my Brother Chenchuan. My Brother Chenchuan would never have the heart to drive me back alone to a cold, empty house with no one in it.”

The phrase “cold, empty house with no one in it” was like a fine, sharp needle pricking Ji Chenchuan’s soft heart. What else could he do but agree?

Shi Yue smiled, having successfully gotten his way. In truth, those were Shi Yue’s genuine feelings. That house was empty most of the time; whether he returned or not made little difference. To Shi Yue, wherever Ji Chenchuan was, that was the best place to be.

He asked Ji Chenchuan if he had eaten. If not, he would go buy something. Ji Chenchuan said he had already eaten the food his mother brought.

“Is there any left? I want to eat Aunt Feng’s cooking,” Shi Yue asked with a grin. He had been so focused on showering and changing to rush to the hospital that he was truly hungry now.

“There is, but it has tomatoes in it. You cannot eat it,” Ji Chenchuan said.

“Fine, I guess I will have to buy my own then.” Shi Yue stood up. “I will go buy dinner and be back in a bit.”

Ji Chenchuan nodded.

Shi Yue smiled and left the ward. In the hallway, he ran into Feng Liuyu, who had just finished a phone call, along with Ji Zhiruo, who was clinging to her mother’s arm. Shi Yue took the initiative to greet Feng Liuyu.

Seeing Shi Yue, Ji Zhiruo’s eyes immediately lit up. She asked if he had turned in his exam paper early because she could not find him at the testing center. Testing centers were assigned based on grades, so Shi Yue and Ji Zhiruo were naturally not in the same room.

Shi Yue gave a simple “Mhm.”

Ji Zhiruo felt a bit unhappy hearing this. As far as she knew, Shi Yue never turned in his papers early. However, realizing it was so he could see her brother, her unhappiness vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“By the way, Aunt Feng,” Shi Yue said, “let me stay and keep Brother Chenchuan company tonight as well.”

Last night had already made Feng Liuyu uneasy. She worried that a lack of rest would affect Shi Yue’s performance on his exams. No matter what, she would not agree to it tonight. But Shi Yue would not back down; he had finally managed to get Ji Chenchuan’s consent to stay.

Ultimately, after Shi Yue’s repeated insistence and guarantees that it would not affect his exams, Feng Liuyu could not win the argument. She had to give in, and Shi Yue went off to buy dinner, feeling satisfied. Feng Liuyu and Ji Zhiruo went into the ward to spend time with Ji Chenchuan.

The man in the neighboring bed had been woken up by the doctor for an intravenous drip, so the ward was very quiet at the moment. Seeing her brother in high spirits, Ji Zhiruo was especially happy. Whether she was boasting or being serious, she claimed the exams were particularly easy this time and that she would surely get a good grade, finally escaping her rank among the bottom eight. Both Ji Chenchuan and Feng Liuyu praised her ambition and encouraged her to keep it up.

The mother and her two children chatted until Shi Yue returned with dinner. After the four of them talked for a while longer, Feng Liuyu and Ji Zhiruo finally headed home.

After eating, Shi Yue remained leaned against the side of the hospital bed, chatting with Ji Chenchuan. Ji Chenchuan moved toward the other side of the bed, leaving half the space for Shi Yue to work on his practice problems.

This suited Shi Yue perfectly. Taking advantage of the fact that the man in the next bed was not snoring and it was quiet, Shi Yue used a book to prop up his exam paper. Using the hospital bed as a desk, he began his practice. He asked Ji Chenchuan to time him; he wanted to finish two papers in one hour.

Ji Chenchuan leaned against the headboard, his phone with the timer running beside him. He watched Shi Yue quietly as the younger boy focused on his work. The white light of the ward shone on the crown of Shi Yue’s head, casting a halo over his dark, soft hair. Shi Yue wrote down answers to the simple questions with lightning speed. When he encountered a difficult problem, he would pause, concentrating with absolute focus.

If Shi Yue’s smile had the magic to make others smile with him, then his expression of serious contemplation had the divine power to make one lose themselves. Ji Chenchuan unconsciously lost his focus once again.

Just then, a sudden burst of noise erupted in the ward. A group of men and women carrying milk and fruit swarmed in, surrounding the man in the neighboring bed. They acted as if they were at a tea party, completely disregarding their surroundings. They chattered loudly, asking about the man’s condition, and the noise made everyone’s ears go numb.

Shi Yue’s pen came to a complete halt. He pouted helplessly at Ji Chenchuan. Ji Chenchuan gave him a reassuring look. He immediately pulled the curtain separating the two beds and spoke politely to the group of visitors.

“Hello, everyone. Could I please ask you to keep your voices down? My brother has final exams tomorrow and needs to study. Thank you!”

Ji Chenchuan’s pleasant voice was highly distinct amidst the coarse noise, cutting through the chatter of the relatives. The visitors looked at Ji Chenchuan and then at Shi Yue, who was sitting with his exam papers. The men envied the family with such a studious child, while the women envied the family for having two such handsome sons. Consequently, the visitors fell silent, began using hand gestures with the patient, and quickly moved out into the hallway.

“Brother Chenchuan is so amazing,” Shi Yue whispered with a laugh.

Ji Chenchuan pulled the curtain shut and gently ruffled Shi Yue’s hair, telling him to get back to his work. Because of the interruption, the timer was useless. Shi Yue stopped timing himself and simply focused on finishing. After completing the papers, he moved on to the advanced problems in “Olympiad Classics.” He did not stop until eleven o’clock, having finished his planned workload for the day. He stood up and gave a long stretch. He wanted to chat with Ji Chenchuan, but his phone suddenly rang.

Shi Yue had left his phone on the bed while studying. He picked it up and saw it was He Lin calling. He could not help but frown.

“Who is it? You do not want to answer?” Ji Chenchuan asked, noticing the frown.

“It is my mother. I will go outside to take it,” Shi Yue said, leaving the ward.

He walked quickly to the quiet, empty stairwell before answering. “Hello, Mother.”

He Lin’s clear, measured voice came through the phone. “Are you asleep yet, Yueyue?”

“Not yet,” Shi Yue paused before answering.

“Finish your problems and go to sleep quickly. You have exams tomorrow. If you do not sleep well, your mind will not be clear, and it will affect your performance.” When it came to grades, He Lin was not as approachable as usual; her tone was as cold as if she were issuing an order.

“Mhm, I know. I am just about to sleep. You should rest early too, Mother.”

Just as Shi Yue was about to hang up, a doctor in a white coat and a man in his thirties came down the stairs. The man followed behind the doctor, speaking cautiously in the Lincheng dialect. “Doctor, my father says it hurts very much. Please help arrange the surgery as soon as possible.”

“It has already been arranged for around 10:30. Once that patient comes out, it will be your family’s turn,” the doctor said.

“Yueyue, are you at the hospital?” He Lin asked urgently, having heard the conversation.

“No,” Shi Yue took a deep breath and lied. “It is the television.”

This was the first time Shi Yue had ever lied. He knew He Lin too well. If she knew he was currently at the hospital accompanying Ji Chenchuan, it was no exaggeration to say she might fly back from Zhejiang just to drag him home to sleep.

“You usually do not watch television, do you?” He Lin clearly did not believe him.

“I am not watching it. It is just a bit quiet at home alone, so I left it on.”

“Oh. I was thinking that no one is sick, so how could you be at the hospital. Good luck tomorrow then. Mother is hanging up.” He Lin believed him and ended the call.

Feeling like a secret agent, Shi Yue let out a long breath. This matter had to be kept strictly confidential; He Lin could not find out. If she knew he had deceived her, she would surely lose her mind. Shi Yue stood at the end of the hallway for a while to let the wind blow over him and adjust his state of mind before returning to the ward.

Ji Chenchuan knew a bit about the high expectations He Lin had for Shi Yue. Although Shi Yue wanted to talk more, he was urged to go to sleep. The main reason was to take advantage of the fact that the man next door was still on his drip and awake, meaning there would be no snoring yet. Though disappointed, Shi Yue took the summer quilt Feng Liuyu had brought from the cabinet and lay down on the recliner.

This was the earliest Shi Yue had ever gone to sleep. He thought he would be unable to rest, but he unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep until he was startled awake by thunderous snoring. The lights in the ward were off, with only the faint light from the window peeking through. Shi Yue sat up abruptly. Hearing the massive noise coming from the corner of the ward, he felt like he was going to lose his mind. He reached toward the cabinet by Ji Chenchuan’s bed for a tissue to stuff in his ears, when he heard Ji Chenchuan’s soft voice.

“You were woken up.”

“Mhm. Brother Chenchuan, you were woken up too.” Shi Yue put back the tissue he was going to use as an earplug. To make up for the disappointment of not getting to talk before bed, he said, “Since we are both awake anyway, why do we not chat?”

Ji Chenchuan did not answer immediately. After a long silence, he finally said, “Come up and sleep with me. I will cover your ears for you.”

Shi Yue was stunned at first, but then, with lightning speed, he lay down beside Ji Chenchuan. This was something Shi Yue had wanted to do all night but had not dared to. The single hospital bed could hardly accommodate two tall young men. Even though Ji Chenchuan lay as close to the edge as possible, it was still a tight squeeze. Shi Yue, afraid of bumping into Ji Chenchuan’s injury, remained completely still after lying down, with half his body hanging off the edge of the bed. In reality, there were still two fists’ worth of space between them.

“Sleep a bit closer,” Ji Chenchuan said.

Shi Yue immediately moved inward. He soon felt a warmth over his ear; it was Ji Chenchuan’s warm palm covering it. In the hazy darkness where they could not see each other’s faces, they shared a single pillow. Facing each other, Ji Chenchuan’s shallow breathing was right by Shi Yue’s ear, and the annoying snoring was blocked out. Shi Yue could feel the intense thumping of his own heart, which seemed to fill the air with palpitations. He followed his heart and asked a question he had wanted to ask for days but had not.

“Brother Chenchuan, do you like the cute type?”

Ji Chenchuan was slightly taken aback and did not answer. He moved his hand away from Shi Yue’s ear.

“Answer me!” Shi Yue pleaded when he did not hear a response.

Ji Chenchuan seemed to be thinking. After a moment, he gave an ambiguous “Mhm.”

“So ‘Mhm’ means yes.” Shi Yue’s heart instantly felt like it had been filled with lead, sinking heavily. His voice trembled slightly, as if he were afraid to hear the confirmation of his next question. He asked, “Then, do you think Ding Nana is cute?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Do you not like her?”

“Who told you that?”

“Ji Zhiruo said so. She said the two of you were a perfect match.”

“That is not true. Go to sleep quickly. You have exams tomorrow; you are not allowed to talk anymore.” Ji Chenchuan covered Shi Yue’s ear and ordered him to stop speaking.

Shi Yue could not see it, but in the dim light, Ji Chenchuan’s lips curled into a smile because he had seen through something that Shi Yue himself did not yet know.