An Qing mentally cursed Ji Shulang but obediently sat down in the booth. She ordered a non-alcoholic mojito and sipped it while texting Ji Shulang. The gist was: if the person coming today wasn't Ji Shuhe, she wouldn't let him off easy even if he became her brother-in-law.
"Ji Shulang and I... only got in touch two or three months ago. It was really a coincidence. My mom was setting up a blind date for my sister, and the person they recommended through all those connections turned out to be your brother." An Qing took Ji Shuhe's coat as she took it off and placed it with her own.
"As soon as I heard it was him, I immediately thought of you." An Qing pouted and couldn't help but take Ji Shuhe's hand. "The best part of my high school life was spent with you! You don't know how hard my senior year was! My mom compared me to my sister in everything from studies to daily life. And then my new deskmate was a grind king who didn't even talk to me between classes! As if talking to me would waste his study time."
Ji Shuhe smiled and patted the back of her hand soothingly, just like in the old days. "Maybe it's because senior year itself was so tough that you automatically romanticized the time we spent together?"
"Xiaoshu, you're really exactly the same as before." An Qing stared at her for a long time before speaking softly. "You're considerate, but you really don't get romance!"
"Sorry." Ji Shuhe clinked her half-empty milk tea cup against the glass on the table. "I know you miss me. I miss you too. I really miss those two years of high school."
Hearing this, An Qing deflated like a punctured balloon. She no longer felt like making a fuss. With a long sigh, she took a small sip from her glass.
"I'm pacified. I'll forgive your bluntness." An Qing suppressed the sadness that was starting to creep in, sniffled, and changed the subject. "The gathering was organized by Ji Shulang. Why isn't your brother here yet? I'm hungry. Forget about him, let's order first!"
Ji Shuhe was about to reply when a shadow fell over her. "I sneezed twice as soon as I walked in. I knew you two must be gossiping about me."
An Qing, caught red-handed, didn't even blush. "Isn't it only fair to gossip about someone who's late? If it were my sister, she would have left by now."
Ji Shuhe nodded secretly, holding her milk tea, for once not taking her brother's side.
"The lateness is my fault. I didn't expect the subway station to be closed, so I had to walk an extra stop." Ji Shulang was indeed out of breath, with a hint of sweat even in the dead of winter. He took off his coat and hung it on the back of the booth seat on the other side. "But I have to clarify: your sister and I are not going to happen. We've made that clear to each other."
An Qing didn't care whether she got a brother-in-law or not. "Whoever's late treats! That's the rule!"
"Fine, fine, I'll treat." Before sitting down, Ji Shulang casually grabbed the milk tea cup Ji Shuhe was still holding. "You've loved this stuff since you were a kid. Sis, since you're at a bar, you should at least have a drink. Here, take the drink menu. Today's tab is on your brother."
Alright, if Lawyer Ji was willing to pay, Ji Shuhe wasn't about to stop him.
On the small stage in front of the booth area, a resident singer strummed an acoustic guitar, singing folk songs and acoustic R&B. A spotlight bathed the singer in a soft, warm glow. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, and with every breath, you could taste a hint of intoxication.
Ji Shuhe began to understand why Ji Shulang had chosen to meet here. Adults rarely spoke their true feelings. Only after half a drink, when they were slightly tipsy, could they find an excuse to ask what they really wanted to ask.
So they talked about An Qing's failed college entrance exam, about how after graduating from a second-tier university, she didn't listen to her mother's advice to go to graduate school but instead worked hard to get a civil service job at the library and chose to coast.
Ji Shuhe rested her chin on her hand, listening to An Qing swear that she wanted to be different from her sister. Her sister had gotten into Xinhai University and went on to graduate school, then became an elite in investment banking. That was great. An Qing herself worked at the library from 8 to 5 with a two-hour lunch break, and that was great too.
"An Qing has an independent life. You're not just An Yao's little sister. Even twins don't need to be compared." Ji Shuhe raised her glass to toast An Qing. "To your courage!"
"Cheers!" An Qing raised her glass. "And to you. I was afraid that after you came back to China, you wouldn't want to find us. It's so great to see you again!"
"Me too, me too!" Ji Shulang joined in. "To a reunion after so long!"
When the three glasses clinked together, Ji Shuhe had a fleeting feeling that someone at the next table was watching them.
Or maybe not. Ji Shuhe thought she might be drunk. The cocktail was called Possessiveness—white rum with lemon juice and grape soda, topped up with ice filling half the glass. It didn't taste strong, but she felt a pleasant buzz, both body and mind relaxed.
"So, Xiaoshu, why didn't you contact us after you went abroad?" An Qing, fueled by a bit of alcohol, finally asked the question.
Ji Shulang didn't stop her. He wanted to know Ji Shuhe's story too, even if he didn't ask.
"It's not that I didn't want to, it's that I couldn't." Ji Shuhe set down her glass and let out a long sigh. "When you log into social apps on a new device, you need phone verification. But my phone was smashed by my mom. I couldn't find the SIM card, and I never got a chance to get a new one. As for your phone numbers, QQ accounts..."
Ji Shuhe paused, and An Qing tactfully filled in, "I can't recite them either. Except for my parents' numbers, which I memorized as a kid, I don't even know my sister's number."
Ji Shulang had a sudden realization. "That makes sense. It's not that you didn't want to contact us; you just couldn't. Your mom treated you like a prisoner..."
Realizing he had slipped up, Ji Shulang immediately fell silent. "But you're back now, that's what matters. Welcome home."
A flicker of pain passed through Ji Shuhe's smile, but she forced herself to act as if nothing had happened. It was New Year's Eve, everyone was happy—she could wait to tell them she planned to go back to the UK after finishing work.
They chatted for a while longer. They hadn't drunk much, and there were still over two hours until midnight. But An Qing, who had a curfew, was starting to get restless. Ji Shuhe noticed her checking the time on her phone a few times. Feeling a bit dizzy herself, she suggested they head home early.
Just as they were debating who lived in which direction and how to get a taxi in the crowded city center, Ji Shulang calmly spoke up: "Don't worry. I've thought of that. I already arranged for someone to pick us up."
At that moment, the classic song "Four People's Tour" started playing on stage. The vocal runs drowned out Ji Shulang's smugness, but Ji Shuhe's right eye twitched violently for no reason.
Then the person at the next booth stood up, grabbed his coat, hung it over his arm, and walked straight toward them.
Ji Shuhe's intoxication faded by half. She turned to Ji Shulang and whispered angrily, "Brother! Didn't you say he wasn't coming?!"
"No, no, no." Ji Shulang corrected her seriously. "I said I'd bring you to meet an old friend, and that it wasn't him. But I never said Wen Shaoyu wouldn't come!"
Author's Note: Yes, tomorrow is the big heart-to-heart talk! [Let me see]