Wen Shaoyu tapped his fingers on the desk in irritation, turning his gaze to his fingers, trying to shift his focus. "I've said what I should and shouldn't say. It's up to you."
All these little actions caught Ji Shuhe's eye, and she actually saw a tsundere quality on the boy's handsome, expressionless face.
Ji Shuhe couldn't help but laugh—the most relaxed and sincere laugh she'd had in days.
"I've figured it out. I'm not getting involved."
Ji Shuhe waved the paper in her hand, folded it in half again and again, and stuffed it into her coat pocket. "You're right. If she breaks off our friendship over this, then maintaining that kind of friendship would be too hard. It's not worth it."
She didn't want to always be caught in dilemmas like this.
She wanted to try prioritizing her own wishes, and this would be the start.
"Hmph. If she wants to strike up a conversation, tell her to come find me herself. That's sincerity too." Wen Shaoyu hummed with satisfaction. His slender fingers toyed with a black pen. After a moment's thought, he gave Ji Shuhe another option to pass the buck. "Just say I said so."
His tone was quite domineering.
Wen Shaoyu's age-inappropriate tone made Ji Shuhe laugh despite herself, inappropriately reminding her of some CEO romance novel excerpts her female classmates had gossiped about a few days ago.
But she could tell good from bad.
Ji Shuhe took a deep breath and sincerely thanked him. "Wen Shaoyu, thank you."
Wen Shaoyu said nothing, which counted as acknowledgment. He was extremely uncomfortable with this kind of sentimentality, awkwardly turning his head away from Ji Shuhe.
But his mouth seemed to operate on a different circuit from his brain. It stayed quiet for only a moment before stirring up trouble again. "Now you thank me? Not afraid of me anymore? Not avoiding me?"
Ji Shuhe was stunned. So Wen Shaoyu really knew everything.
As for being afraid, she definitely had been in the past. But starting from... well, let's say starting today, Wen Shaoyu's image didn't seem so detestable to Ji Shuhe anymore.
But how could she tell him the truth? Ji Shuhe's round eyes darted around. "Who do you think you are? Why would I be afraid of you? I'm just... not used to talking to strangers!"
"Oh, really?" Wen Shaoyu nodded. "That's perfect. I've given you my contact info. Add me. We two strangers should get to know each other properly."
"It'd be best if you memorize every number on that paper and keep it in your heart. Just in case someone kidnaps you someday, you'll have a chance to call me. For Lizi's sake, I'll come rescue you."
Ji Shuhe thought this guy was just looking for trouble, spouting nonsense again.
These days, contact info was saved in phones. Just click to dial. Who still memorized phone numbers!
When she was little, fearing she'd get lost, she had memorized her parents' numbers. Now, even for her closest uncle and Ji Shulang's family, she didn't know what their phone numbers started with.
Wen Shaoyu was deliberately provoking her, and Ji Shuhe didn't let it slide. She leaned in close to study his expression.
Since Wen Shaoyu was irritating her, she couldn't lose. She had to give it back double. "Wen Shaoyu, aren't you just using this as an excuse to get me to add you as a friend?"
Wen Shaoyu raised an eyebrow, not even looking at her. "It's just to make it convenient to call you for walking Lizi. Don't overthink it..."
"Log in! Log in! Log in!"
"Wen Shaoyu! I read the guide! I'll definitely get a perfect clear this time!"
Before Wen Shaoyu could finish, Ji Shulang's excited voice burst into the room. He pushed open the door with familiarity, but never expected to see his own cousin Ji Shuhe first.
The smile froze on his face.
Three people and one dog, eight eyes, darted across each other's faces.
"..."
"? Xiao Shu, what are you doing here?" Ji Shulang's eyes changed from surprise to suspicion. The question was directed at Ji Shuhe, but his gaze was fixed on Wen Shaoyu.
"I..." Ji Shuhe also looked at Wen Shaoyu, who slightly lowered his eyelids, indicating for her to look at the skewers on the desk. "I, I came to feed Lizi! But after bringing it, Wen..."
Ji Shulang was very sensitive. "Don't call him brother!"
Wen Shaoyu rolled his eyes, thinking this guy still remembered.
Ji Shuhe was feeling guilty and couldn't bother to figure out what history was behind that. She immediately went along. "Wen Shaoyu said Lizi probably can't eat this."
Ji Shulang said nothing, just kept staring at Wen Shaoyu.
Only Lizi happily circled Ji Shuhe, occasionally barking, the only sound in the awkward atmosphere.
"Is that so..." Ji Shulang pulled out a chair and sat down, but his eyes never left Wen Shaoyu. "Xiao Shu, listen to your brother. You and this guy are considered childhood sweethearts who met halfway. At your age, you should be at the stage where you find each other more annoying than a dog... Lizi, don't bite my slippers..."
Ji Shulang bent down and picked up the wagging puppy, handing it toward Wen Shaoyu. After dealing with the troublemaker, he cleared his throat and continued. "According to the script, you should be at the stage where you find each other more annoying than a dog. Don't let a pretty face make you ignore someone's boring soul, you know?"
Ji Shuhe was speechless. Watching her brother speak so earnestly, she wanted to tell him not to have such wild imaginations.
"And you!" Ji Shulang faced Wen Shaoyu with a different attitude. "Mind your own business! Don't you dare have designs on my sister!"
Wen Shaoyu didn't even lift his eyelids. He pinched Lizi's little paw and waved it toward Ji Shulang. "Come on, Lizi. Call him uncle for us."
The puppy didn't understand grudges, but he was obedient. Grinning, he barked "Woof" at Ji Shulang, sticking out his tongue.
Ji Shulang reacted as if he'd eaten white phosphorus, immediately pouncing on Wen Shaoyu. "Ah!!! Wen Shaoyu, that's a blatant provocation!"
"Come on! Let's fight! I'll show you for harboring ulterior motives toward my sister! I'll make you know who's the real boss at No. 86, Yong'anli, Fuxi East Road!"
"...Ji Shulang, stop being crazy."
Wen Shaoyu's hand restrained Ji Shulang's outstretched arm. The two teenagers twisted together and fell onto the bed. Lizi took advantage of the chaos to escape, running straight to Ji Shuhe.
They were about the same height and build, sometimes one gaining the upper hand. Since there was no real harm, Ji Shuhe hugged the warm little dog head and watched them spar playfully.
One kept shouting "Don't seduce my sister!" and the other insisted on calling him "Psycho." The scene was chaotic and absurd.
Ji Shuhe felt both helpless and amused, and also deeply speechless at what her brother must have imagined between her and Wen Shaoyu.
Wen Shaoyu was deliberately annoying him, and he actually took the bait.
Ji Shuhe grumbled inwardly. Her dear cousin didn't use his brain. Not only did they have little interaction on the surface, but their actual relationship was just at the stage of reaching a peaceful coexistence, so there was no way she would be fooled by that pretty face.
Even asking Lizi to call him "uncle" was justified. She was half of Lizi's provider. By seniority, it was perfectly fine.
But the more she explained, the more confusion it would cause. Ji Shuhe gave up struggling and just watched them tussle. They'd stop when they got tired, anyway.
As Ji Shuhe expected, Ji Shulang surrendered first. He turned over and lay flat on Wen Shaoyu's bed. "Tired. I'll let you off this time."
Wen Shaoyu was disgusted that he was lying on the bed in his dirty clothes. He kicked Ji Shulang's leg dangling off the bed. "Get up quickly. You're getting my bed dirty."
"No! I'm staying!"
Ji Shulang was also deliberately annoying. He turned on his side, propped his head up with his hand, and struck a very seductive pose. Ignoring Wen Shaoyu, he looked at Ji Shuhe instead.
"Oh, by the way, Xiao Shu."
"It's almost December. Next year's Spring Festival is early. Winter break starts on January 10th, and a week later is New Year's Eve. Are you going back to Yuanjing? Where are you planning to spend the New Year?"
Author's Note:
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It dropped temperature overnight. I'm extremely afraid of the cold, so as soon as it gets dark I want to burrow into the blanket! A new discovery while writing: I find it very comfortable to trap myself between the bed and the blanket [pleading]