CHAPTER 15: Realizing My Boyfriend Is Actually Adorable

Ji Jing took a cab to Jincheng and went to meet up with Chen Xu—or more accurately, to talk to him first.

That photo, that message—they hit him like one thunderbolt after another. Ji Jing was already feeling on edge, and now he was fully rattled.

If Su Jiasui had started dating him for “fun,” for “novelty,” or just “for the experience,” then maybe what she felt for him had never gone beyond friendship.

And Jiang Yan… Jiang Yan was smarter than him, more favored by Uncle Su, carried the halo of a genius who’d never taken a single extra class yet always ranked first, and—he was with Su Jiasui day in, day out.

All of that made Ji Jing feel extremely insecure.

Still, in front of Chen Xu, he kept up the act—pretending he didn’t care about this so-called slow-burn romance.

“Didn’t you say you were going to a temple with your grandma this weekend?”

“Hmph.” Chen Xu gave a short snort, refusing to bring up what had just happened. “My second aunt came early this morning, so they didn’t need me anymore.”

Chen Xu’s parents had both remarried and were living their own well-off lives. His grandmother doted on her eldest grandson and had already stated clearly that everything she owned would go to Chen Xu. Unsurprisingly, Chen Xu’s second uncle and aunt weren’t happy about that. His dad already had it better than them—why should the inheritance go to his son too? So they kept coming over to suck up to the old lady and trash-talk Chen Xu whenever they got the chance. It was basically a real-life modern-day family drama.

“So why are you here then?”

“My laptop broke. I came to get it fixed.”

“Oh… fixed yet?”

“Still waiting. Should be done around seven.”

Eventually, Ji Jing gave up pretending. “Did you see them?”

“You mean Cheng Xiangxue and the others? Yeah. My bad, seriously. I overreacted. I jumped to conclusions. I was a petty jerk projecting onto decent people.”

After years of fighting with his second aunt and uncle, Chen Xu hadn’t learned much else—but sarcasm? That, he had down to an art. Ji Jing really wanted to strangle him.

Some things are just written in the eyes—and the look Ji Jing gave him practically screamed I want to stab you. Chen Xu covered his mouth and cleared his throat. “Ahem. Jokes aside, as your brother, I’ve got to warn you—keep your eyes open. You don’t want someone stealing your girl. Not that I’m saying Jiang Yan’s trying to do that or anything. But feelings can grow, and if the two of them do end up together and you get dumped, how’s that gonna look? People will say your girl got stolen. How are you supposed to hold your head up in Xinghai after that?”

As for how Ji Jing would actually feel if Su Jiasui dumped him… well, Chen Xu was considerate enough not to spell it out.

“So what should I do?”

“Clicking your tongue. You gotta go to the root of the problem. He’s got the advantage of proximity, so take that away. Get Jiang Yan his own dorm room and have him move out.”

Ji Jing frowned. “But he’s tutoring Jiahe.”

Chen Xu looked at him like he was witnessing the second coming of Mother Teresa. “Wow. Brother of the year right here. Okay then, forget I said anything. I clearly shouldn’t have stuck my nose in.”

Truthfully, Ji Jing was also afraid this tutoring situation might just evolve into a brother-in-law situation. Still, nothing had happened yet—maybe he was just overthinking it.

“We’ll figure it out. You got any other plans?”

“Does ‘freighter ship sniper duel’ count?”

“…As your brother, I also have to remind you: don’t disappoint your grandma. The college entrance exam doesn’t test your FPS kill count.”

“Fuck, are you possessed by Su Jiasui or what?” Chen Xu laughed and cursed, then straightened up and said, “Relax. I’ve got my own plans. The college exam’s not the only path in life anyway. And honestly, I’m just not cut out for studying—plus no one’s breathing down my neck with a little wooden ruler every day.”

Ji Jing ignored Chen Xu’s teasing and took out his phone to call Su Jiasui. She had just finished shopping and was about to go ice skating. She told them to meet her at the elevator on the sixth floor.

Jincheng Mall was fully equipped—not only did it have an arcade and a cinema, but also an ice rink, swimming pool, rock climbing gym, yoga studio, dance studio, taekwondo school, tutoring centers for all subjects… and more. On weekends, the place was packed with students. The elevators were always crammed with people.

Unfortunately, Ji Jing’s foot was stepped on, leaving a very noticeable black mark on his clean white sneakers.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s fine.”

The girl fumbled through her bag and pulled out a packet of wet wipes, blushing as she handed it over. “I’m really sorry…”

Ji Jing took the wipes and casually stuffed them into his pocket.

“Um…” The girl looked at him shyly. “Could we… maybe get to know each other?”

“I have a girlfriend. It’s not convenient.”

“Oh—sorry! I didn’t know…”

Her face turned completely red, and she quickly turned away, not daring to look at him again.

The elevator soon reached the sixth floor.

Su Jiasui was waiting alone by the elevator. A circle of timid yet eager-looking boys stood nearby, clearly wanting to approach but too intimidated to try.

Although she and Ji Jing were both stunning standouts even among beautiful people, their looks were so striking, so aggressive, that they rarely got approached first. Unless, of course, the person in question had similarly outstanding features—like the girl in the elevator just now.

As soon as Chen Xu saw Su Jiasui, he couldn’t help but grumble, “I really f*cking hate walking around with Ji Jing. Girls only have eyes for him. And after he turns them down, can’t they consider me? I’m not ugly either!” He grabbed Ji Jing by the shoulders and shook him. “She said she wanted to ‘get to know you!’ Do you know what that means? Make a friend, dude!”

Ji Jing pushed him away. “You didn’t jump at the chance in the elevator. Why are you whining now?”

“Exactly,” Su Jiasui laughed. “That ship has sailed. Or hey, you could just stake out the elevator. That girl’s probably coming back down soon.”

“See, Xiao Jing? She doesn’t even care about girls hitting on you. Not a shred of jealousy.” Chen Xu glanced at Su Jiasui and said with exaggerated seriousness, “A true beauty.”

“I’m not too shabby either.” Su Jiasui flicked her soft, bouncy curls, her gaze both clear and charming.

“Ugh—” Chen Xu turned away and pretended to gag. “Self-promotion at its finest.”

“Hmph! No taste!” She turned to Ji Jing. “Doesn’t my hairstyle look good?”

Ji Jing was certain: if he so much as hesitated for a second, Su Jiasui would chop him in half with a palm strike.

“It looks great.”

“Knew I could count on your good taste. Let’s go! The others are probably getting impatient.”

Ji Jing took his girlfriend’s wrist and gave Chen Xu a look. Chen Xu pressed his lips together, looking a bit resigned. “I’ll go find them first.”

Su Jiasui glanced at Ji Jing, a little confused. “What’s up?”

“Mm… I want to buy some clothes. Help me pick something.”

“Sure! Let’s take the stairs—way too crowded right now. I’m telling you, I nearly suffocated on the way up.”

Compared to the brightly lit and spotless interior of the mall, the stairwell was a whole different world. Dim lighting, dirty walls, and at every turn, groups of oddly dressed young people gathered—leaning against walls, sitting on the steps, smoking, cursing… like demons ready to devour you. Not even the average adult would dare take this stairwell alone, let alone a timid teenager.

But Su Jiasui was no ordinary girl. She exercised regularly and wasn’t as frail as others her age. Today, she was wearing a lotus-pink camisole dress that made her skin look even fairer—glowing almost like it was infused with moisture. Her figure was full and healthy, her chest full and perky, her waist slender but not in an overly showy way. The flared skirt swayed softly, and her legs were long and straight, accentuated by white sneakers—every detail radiated the vitality and spirit of being eighteen.

She was beautiful, and she knew just how beautiful she was. After carefully doing her makeup and curling her hair, she was borderline arrogant about it. A few guys in the stairwell whistled at her and made crude jokes. But before Ji Jing could react, she had already widened her eyes and shot them a glare, not holding back in the slightest: “Stare one more time and I’ll gouge your f*cking eyes out.”

If she’d been alone, maybe the situation wouldn’t have ended so easily. But she had Ji Jing with her.

Maybe it was something that had broken in him back in his third year of middle school when Ji Hanhua beat him senseless. But whenever Ji Jing’s eyes darkened, there was a chilling intensity in his expression—like if you crossed him, he wouldn’t stop until one of you was destroyed. Being stared at like that made it hard not to feel afraid.

What’s more, he had this natural air of privilege, like someone with serious backing, someone untouchable.

The guys loitering in the stairwell were just idle drifters. They knew how to weigh their options. Faced with two clearly dangerous people like Su Jiasui and Ji Jing, all they could do was shrink back.

“So disgusting,” Su Jiasui muttered, utterly contemptuous of guys who only knew how to catcall and make dirty jokes at girls.

Ji Jing hated their eyes on her even more. Honestly, he didn’t like it when Su Jiasui wore camisole dresses. Sure, she looked good, but she was showing too much skin. People kept staring at her. Even if it was just appreciation, it still made Ji Jing uncomfortable.

But on this matter, he had no say. He’d tried to bring it up gently last summer, and she’d immediately exploded—eyes blazing, swearing at him, then ignored him for half a month. Ji Jing had no choice but to reflect deeply and undergo a philosophical transformation—he told himself Su Jiasui’s summery dresses were simply her way of making the world a better place.

Still, that didn’t stop him from buying her a white knit cardigan out of his own pocket.

“It’s cold in the rink. And it goes well with your shoes.”

“Mm… I kind of want a red one too, to match that rose-colored dress.”

“Sure.”

Hearing that, Su Jiasui turned to the sales assistant and asked, “How much is this one?”

The clerk had sharp eyes. Just one glance at Ji Jing’s watch told her this was a rich second-generation who didn’t blink at spending money.

“You two have excellent taste. This cardigan is a new fall release—hand-knitted with 100% wool. It’s 6,603 yuan.”

“This really isn’t cheap,” Su Jiasui muttered. She glanced in the mirror again, then gradually curved her lips into a smile. “But hey, it’s Chanel. Makes sense, right, Ji Jing? Ji Jing?”

“What do you think of this bag?”

“No, I don’t want it. I hardly have a chance to carry one anyway. My dad said once I get into college, he’ll buy me a Hermès.”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“Do you even know how much a Hermès costs?”

“As long as you like it, it doesn’t matter how much it is.”

The sales associate looked like her eyes might start bleeding from envy. Still, she managed to squeeze out a professional smile. “Your boyfriend is so good to you.”

Yeah, he was pretty good. Maybe even too good.

Su Jiasui narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Ji Jing. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Although Ji Hanhua saw Ji Jing as a thorn in his side, he couldn’t mistreat him outright. The pocket money had to be given. Since he had to give it anyway, Ji Hanhua didn’t care about giving a little extra—he’d actually be glad to see Ji Jing squandering it on partying and luxury. But Ma Hui was stingy by nature; the most she’d ever wired to Ji Jing’s card at once was fifty thousand.

Ji Jing would sometimes provoke Ji Hanhua on purpose, saying that kind of money wasn’t even enough to buy his girlfriend a bag—meaning a Hermès.

“What could I be hiding from you?”

“Then did you suddenly strike it rich?”

“Nope.”

So weird.

Su Jiasui turned back to the mirror, very satisfied with the white cardigan she was wearing. “Forget the Hermès. I don’t even like it that much.”

Ji Jing swiped his card and felt instantly more at peace, like his soul had been comforted.

He’d completely forgotten the excuse he gave for dragging Su Jiasui downstairs was to have her help him pick out clothes. Now that she’d bought two cardigans, he felt quite content.

“Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“To find the others.”

“You’re not buying clothes anymore? Let’s check out the store next door.”

Next door was Louis Vuitton.

Ji Jing mentally calculated his card balance and shook his head. “I just wanted a set of workout clothes.”

“Then why’d you ask me to help you pick them? Don’t all sportswear outfits look the same?”

“…Looks like your foundation’s caking a bit.”

“Where?” Su Jiasui pulled a compact out of her bag and examined herself in the mirror. “It looks fine. Super smooth.”

Ji Jing held back a laugh. “Yeah, your makeup looks great today.”

“Right? I even used sparkly eyeshadow. It’s super glitzy.”

His girlfriend might be a “flammable and explosive” type, but as long as you mastered a few “fire safety” skills, she was actually pretty manageable. If it had been someone else, like Jiang Yan, they’d have made a huge deal out of the workout clothes thing and started a fight. No one else had Ji Jing’s level of patience and tactical thinking.

Thinking of this, Ji Jing suddenly felt very at ease. Then he coaxed his girlfriend into going to the first floor’s Adidas store and bought a workout outfit—gray short-sleeved shirt and black shorts, total of 480 yuan. Ji Jing quite liked it because Su Jiasui said he looked especially handsome in it.

After buying the clothes, they needed to go back to the sixth floor. Not wanting to squeeze into the elevator or climb the stairs, they silently agreed to take the escalator even if it meant going a longer way.

The escalator from the first to second floor faced a large maternity and baby store, with lots of baby clothes and toys displayed outside.

Suddenly, Su Jiasui grabbed Ji Jing’s wrist and shook it excitedly. “Look, look! That little strawberry dress is so cute!”

To the staff at the maternity store, every couple in the mall looked like they were legally married. No matter how young they were, they were all potential customers. So, with a friendly smile, one of the clerks said, “We’re offering a 20% discount for newlyweds!”

Newlyweds. Married couple.

In Ji Jing’s mind, an image instantly formed: his girlfriend clinging to his arm as they strolled through a baby store… then a little girl wearing the strawberry cake dress, looking like both of them—more like her.

All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head. His scalp tingled, his face burned, and he nearly started walking with matching hands and feet from sheer nerves.

Thankfully, Cheng Xiangxue’s call came through just in time. Su Jiasui was distracted by answering the phone and didn’t notice his embarrassment.

“We’re coming up now. You guys go ahead and play. Huh? Jiang Yan already figured it out? Haha, guess he’s pretty athletic after all.”

She didn’t talk long before hanging up.

Ji Jing said, “I’m pretty athletic too.”

“If your brain’s simple, at least your limbs better be developed…” Su Jiasui gave him a sidelong glance. The meaning was obvious.

“Who’s got a simple brain? I’m your boyfriend, you know. Even if you think that, you shouldn’t say it out loud, right? Have a little respect for my pride. Seriously, you can be so frustrating sometimes—moody, unpredictable. It’s a good thing I can tolerate you. Anyone else would’ve dumped you already.”

Ji Jing imagined Su Jiasui being scolded, teary-eyed, nodding and apologizing, saying she was wrong. Just the thought made him feel much better.

And since that fantasy was enough, he didn’t actually say any of it out loud.

“Every finger is a different length. I don’t believe Jiang Yan’s good at everything. He’s gotta have a fatal flaw you just haven’t noticed yet.”

“Even if fingers are all different lengths, none of them can be too short. Can you function properly if you’re missing one?”

Ji Jing thought for a moment. “Maybe the pinky? I don’t think I use it that much.”

Su Jiasui stopped in her tracks and stared at him expressionlessly.

Ji Jing hooked the shopping bag on his wrist and mimed typing on a keyboard, both pinkies sticking out slightly. “See? I really don’t use them.”

Su Jiasui raised her hand and smacked him right on the jaw.

“…”

“Do you not understand anything I say?”

“I… I do.”

Honestly, the slap didn’t hurt. Su Jiasui hadn’t used any strength. But the emotional impact? Way more effective than a beating from Ji Hanhua.

Ji Jing pursed his lips, sulking, looking a bit upset. Half real, half fake—he hoped Su Jiasui would notice and come comfort him.

But Su Jiasui wasn’t happy either.

Unlike him, she never bottled things up. If she had something to say, she let it out right away.

“Every time I try to talk about something serious, you just joke around. It’s so annoying. Fine, go ahead and waste your life—barely pass your college entrance exams, get some money, and spend the rest of your days thinking about what to eat, drink, and play with. Just waste away like that.”

“……”

“I really don’t get it. People should at least have some sort of ambition, right? Did you ever write those essays about dreams when you were a kid?”

“I did.”

“What did you write?”

“Astronaut.”

“You were just making it up, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Su Jiasui raised her hand again, and Ji Jing instinctively leaned back a little.

Seeing his reaction, Su Jiasui laughed. “What are you flinching for? There’s a bit of fuzz stuck in your hair.”

That was just how she was—quick to get angry, quick to cool down. Ji Jing had no way to deal with her, so he quickly changed the subject. “Then what did you write?”

“Doctor.”

“Why?”

“Have you ever heard the medical student’s oath? ‘I volunteer to devote myself to medicine, love my country, and be loyal to the people. I am determined to do my utmost to eliminate human suffering and promote health.’ I want to be a doctor, to save lives. Maybe one day, someone will still be alive because of me. Don’t you think that’s cool?”

Cool didn’t even begin to cover it.

Ji Jing stared at her, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath. “Then I’ll be a doctor too.”

“You’re so impulsive.”

“I’m serious.”

“Sure. Work hard and aim to boost your score by, say, 350 points. Even if you don’t end up being a doctor, you’ll still have plenty of options.”

“Don’t look down on me—”

Su Jiasui’s eyes curved into a smile. Her temper had already passed, and now she just thought her boyfriend was ridiculously cute.

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Author’s Note:

Here I am!