Ji Leyu didn’t want Lin Fei to get involved, so Lin Fei reopened his reading app and continued reading the chapters he hadn’t finished.
Before long, the fight ended.
Upon hearing the news, the KTV boss arrived and saw that neither group had serious injuries, just some minor scrapes, which put his mind at ease.
“Why did you start fighting?” the boss criticized, “What couldn’t be resolved by sitting down and talking calmly? Must you resort to fighting? Damaging my property is one thing, but if someone had gotten seriously hurt, what would you do?!”
Shi Qi quickly nodded at the boss’s words, “Yes, yes, we’ll be more careful next time.”
“Next time?!”
“No more, no more,” Shi Qi immediately corrected himself, “We definitely won’t fight again in the future.”
“That’s more like it.” The boss sighed as he looked at their youthful faces, speaking with deep concern, “I know you’re young and impulsive, acting on spur-of-the-moment emotions. Being young is a good thing, being impulsive is not, and fighting is even worse. If something serious had happened, it could ruin your lives.”
“Yes yes.” Shi Qi replied earnestly, showing a very receptive attitude.
Seeing his sincere acknowledgment, the boss lectured them a few more sentences before leading Xiaoma and the others out. As they walked away, he continued, “Now you know it hurts. Can there be anything painless about fighting?! I should have let you all get a bit hurt so you could see who dares to start another brawl next time!”
Zheng Binbai watched the boss and Xiaoma leave, closed the door, and returned to sit on the sofa.
He looked at Ji Leyu, not quite understanding. “What happened? Did you fight with them?”
“Yeah.” Ji Leyu admitted.
“Why?”
“They were harassing me.”
Shi Qi was drinking his drink and almost sprayed water when he heard this. “Harassing you?!”
“Yeah, in the men’s restroom.” Ji Leyu said calmly.
He was good-looking, smiled a lot, and seemed harmless, so he often faced unwanted advances.
Shi Qi had known him the longest among their circle of friends and naturally knew about his encounters with admirers. He nodded with a hint of regret, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I went too easy on them just now.”
Ji Leyu sighed softly, his tone gentle. “It’s okay, not a big deal.”
“You are still good-tempered. If it were me, I would have destroyed his little guy right on the spot.”
“Hahaha, little guy?” Jian Hao laughed. “Why are you so mean?”
“With his ugly appearance, what else could it be? Probably no bigger than a toothpick.”
Everyone burst into laughter instantly.
Ji Leyu couldn’t help but smile too. Just as he was smiling, Lin Fei asked him, “Did they really harass you?”
Ji Leyu looked up and blinked at him.
Lin Fei understood immediately. “That’s why?”
Ji Leyu didn’t want to say.
“Do you have wet wipes?” Ji Leyu asked.
Even without him saying it, Lin Fei could guess.
It’s not for himself, so it must be for him, Lin Luoqing, or Ji Yuxiao.
These people were about the same age as him. Lin Fei guessed that this matter should be related to himself.
“I only brought tissues.” Lin Fei took out a pack of tissues from his pocket.
Ji Leyu reached out, blinking at him. “Then help me wipe.”
Lin Fei looked at his innocent expression, picked up a bottle of mineral water from the table, moistened a tissue, and then took Ji Leyu’s hand, carefully wiping it for him.
He wiped patiently, starting with the back of the hand, then each finger individually, and finally the palm.
After wiping with the moist tissue, he took another tissue to dry Ji Leyu’s hand.
Zheng Binbai watched Lin Fei’s actions, feeling even more puzzled.
“Why suddenly wiping hands?” he asked with a smile.
“Dirty,” Ji Leyu replied.
“I’m actually going to the restroom, so I’ll accompany you to wash your hands.”
“No need.” Ji Leyu smiled at him and lifted his head. “My brother already helped me clean them.”
Zheng Binbai looked at his smiling face and felt the world brighten up.
He’s really handsome, he thought. He had never imagined a boy could be so beautiful, like an elf living in an oil painting, exquisite and brilliant.
“Then I’ll go first.” He whispered softly, stood up, and left the room.
Ji Leyu let Lin Fei finish cleaning his hands, just in time to catch his song, and quickly took the mic handed over by Shi Qi to start singing.
Lin Fei returned to reading his unfinished book.
As he read, a sudden message notification popped up on the page. Lin Fei clicked on it and found it was from his book friend.
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin [1]“众口铄金” (zhòng kǒu shuò jīn) is an idiom originating from the Spring and Autumn Period, documented in Zuo Qiuming’s “Guoyu·Zhouyu Xia”. It refers to the … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3574276_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3574276_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });: [Oh my god, what happened in these 48 hours? Why did your progress surpass me again!]
Lin Fei didn’t reply.
However, it was clear that Zhong Kou Shuo Jin didn’t need his reply either and was still actively sending messages.
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin: [Let me tell you something, don’t get too excited, though I don’t think you would.]
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin: [You’re in X City, right? I happen to be going there in a few days. How about we meet up? There’s this new bookstore called Huangjinwu in X City, why don’t we meet there?]
Although named “Huangjinwu” [2] Golden House jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3574276_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3574276_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, it’s actually a large bookstore.
The name is derived from the phrase “in books there are golden houses and jade-like beauties,” which, despite having no direct connection to its merchandise, has made it a trendy spot for the bourgeois due to its spacious area, diverse selection of books, and the hype generated online.
Capitalized on its popularity, the owner opened another branch, conveniently located near them. Zhong Kou Shuo Jin, being a book enthusiast, and having met through books, choosing this place for a meeting was indeed appropriate.
However, Lin Fei wasn’t interested in going.
[No need.] He calmly replied.
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin: [Why not? Don’t you think the Huangjinwu is good? Then where do you think is more suitable? You decide, I’ll listen to you.]
Dragon: [No need to meet.]
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin: [You don’t want to see me? !!! We have known each other for three years!!! Three years!!! Aren’t you curious about what I look like? !]
Dragon: [Not curious.]
Zhong Kou Shuo Jin: […This makes me feel so awkward.]
Lin Fei looked at the words on the screen, not quite understanding why he felt awkward.
He and Zhong Kou Shuo Jin are indeed online friends who can chat well. They have a wide range of reading interests, and often discuss the content and writing styles of certain books.
But this kind of communication can be done online and doesn’t require meeting in person, nor is it necessary.
Lin Fei had never been good at coaxing people other than Ji Leyu, so he just said to him: [I’m going to read.]
Just as he finished sending the message, Ji Leyu came over and handed him the mic, “Hurry up, it’s our turn to sing together.”
Dong Junbo looked at Lin Fei in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe it. When he came to KTV, he wasn’t just sitting there; he could actually sing, and he was singing a duet, even a love song duet.
While he was still surprised, Lin Fei started singing. Dong Junbo was almost shocked to the point of dropping his jaw.
“H-He’s singing the female part?!!”
Dong Junbo looked at Shi Qi in astonishment.
Shi Qi raised his hand to close Dong Junbo’s jaw gently and advised him, “Stay calm. Do you know what a ‘brocon’ is? As long as little brother is happy, he is happy.”
Dong Junbo: “Is this what girls call the aloof genius? The iceberg heartthrob?”
“Are you suggesting the genius isn’t aloof with you?”
Dong Junbo thought about it; indeed, it was exactly the same kind of aloofness.
“Did they sing like this before?” he quietly asked Shi Qi.
He and Zheng Binbai became friends with Ji Leyu only after the second year of high school, but Shi Qi was different; he had known Ji Leyu since elementary school.
Shi Qi nodded, “You could say he’s always been a brocon.”
“Just always the female parts, every song?”
“Well, not exactly. Some songs Ji Leyu likes both male and female parts, so he sings both, and Lin Fei accompanies him, providing harmony.”
Dong Junbo: …
“That genius has a pretty good temper.”
“I told you, as long as little bro is happy.”
It’s truly a waste of talent. He uses his speaking voice to sing harmony for his younger brother and wipes his brother’s hands with the same hands he uses to secure first place in exams. It’s no wonder Ji Leyu can’t walk independently without Lin Fei. If it were him, he probably wouldn’t be able to either.
Ah, it’s really enviable. Who wouldn’t want such a brother?
Just as he thought that, Ji Leyu looked over at him as if sensing something.
Shi Qi: !!! Damn! How can he be so sensitive!
Feeling guilty, Shi Qi quickly lowered his head and poured himself a glass of water.
As they finished singing, Zheng Binbai glanced at the time and suggested they all have dinner together.
Ji Leyu refused, saying, “I’ll eat at home.”
Shi Qi, knowing he was a homebody, offered, “Okay then, the rest of us will go eat dinner.”
“Okay,” Dong Junbo replied.
Ji Leyu said goodbye to them and pulled Lin Fei out.
Instead of having their driver pick them up, the two hailed a taxi.
Before getting into the car, Ji Leyu even called Ji Yuxiao to ask if he needed anything.
“No need,” Ji Yuxiao replied warmly. “Just decide what you two want to eat, don’t worry about me.”
After hanging up, he looked helpless as he glanced at the senior staff in the video. “I received a call from my child. You said this child should just have fun when he goes out to play, but he still thinks about me. He asked if I wanted anything before he went out. Now that he’s back, he calls to ask if I need anything. It’s really annoying, not at all carefree.”
Everyone: …
Ha, hahaha, hahahahaha!
Don’t you feel guilty saying such pretentious things?
Showing off, showing off every day!
From showing off your wife to your children, how can you be so good at showing off! Are you a show-off person?!
Hmph!
But…
Why is it that when their kids go out, they only ask for money, but Ji Yuxiao’s kids always think about buying him things!!
These are all parents, but the gap between being a parent is too big!
The backbone members of the Ji family group immediately started a new round of inner child beating.
Kid, make me proud!!
Author’s note:
Kid: !!! Just crush me to death already! I’m like a cabbage in the hurricane of my overachieving brother!!
[Mini Drama]
Xiaoyu looks at Shi Qi: Do you want to have my brother?
Shi Qi without hesitation: How could that be? Don’t talk nonsense, I’m not worthy! Isn’t this insulting the school god?
Xiaoyu: I just like people who have self-awareness.
Shi Qi: That’s a must.
Shi Qi‘s brain: Steal this person’s brother? Am I tired of living?!
References[+]