Chapter 12: Lucky Choice

The water didn’t reach them, and their voices quickly faded.

Jian Mingzhou struggled in the water and accidentally swallowed some water.

But soon, there was a loud splash nearby! Immediately after, a strong arm wrapped around his waist, lifting him up.

Splash! The two emerged from the water.

“Cough, cough…” Jian Mingzhou coughed suddenly, subconsciously clinging to the person’s shoulder. The strong heartbeat came from the figure in close proximity, carrying a slightly elevated body temperature.

The surrounding voices became clear again:

“Brother Mingzhou, Xie Jing!”

Xie Jing? Jian Mingzhou’s vision was still blurred by water.

But the touch in his palms was firm and warm; it should be Xie Jing, without a doubt.

He Yi was leaning on the shore. “Are you okay? Did I pull you up in time?”

A low and hoarse voice came from in front of him: “No need.”

Jian Mingzhou wiped his face, and when his vision recovered, he saw that Xie Jing, with one hand around him, had floated to the shore. The other hand propped against the edge, and the bulging veins showed strength.

Splash… The pool water splashed over the shore.

Jian Mingzhou sat on the ground and coughed a few times.

A hand reached over to pat his back.

Jian Mingzhou looked up and saw Xie Jing, his wet eyes still deep and calm, maintaining that seemingly unchanged expression.

Making him feel that the slightly faster heartbeat during that moment was perhaps just his own illusion.

Xie Jing asked, “Uncle, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Jian Mingzhou took the towel handed over by Zhou Xuyang and said, “Thank you.”

Seeing that they were okay, the people around them sighed in relief.

He Yi, back to her cheerful self, recalled the scene just now and praised, “Xie Jing is indeed the main force in track and field, so fast!”

He demonstrated, “Just like this, a swipe.”

Xie Jing remained silent, droplets of water hanging from his forehead.

Jian Mingzhou looked at him and said, “Xiao Jing, in the future, if something like this happens, you don’t need to jump in to save me…”

“Uncle, are you unhappy?”

“Not unhappy.”

Jian Mingzhou put down the hem of his clothes, only to find that Xie Jing had turned around at some point. He was actually pleased, even feeling a slight burning sensation when he heard “Xie Jing” as he surfaced.

“It’s just too dangerous. What if next time I have too much strength…”

Speaking halfway, it became quiet in front of him.

Jian Mingzhou raised his head and saw Xie Jing quietly approaching. Then, the other party grabbed his hand and twisted it aside.

“?” Jian Mingzhou: !!

His wrist was twisted unexpectedly, and he reflexively tried to twist it back. However, the hand holding his was wide and powerful, and it didn’t budge.

Xie Jing effortlessly twisted it a bit and stopped. “Too much strength?”

“…,” said Jian Mingzhou.

He pursed his lips, patted his hand, and said, “I understand; let go.”

…

The two changed into dry clothes and returned downstairs.

The one-size-fits-all T-shirt was a bit tight on Xie Jing, but Jian Mingzhou’s was quite loose.

一 out, his sister immediately exclaimed, “Different body types…!”

Jian Mingzhou’s eyelids twitched.

He Yi was still happily repeating, “Exactly, Brother Mingzhou and Xie Jing, your body types are different!”

“…”

Jian Mingzhou smoothly changed the topic, “Are the things ready for dinner?”

They planned to have a barbecue outdoors in the evening.

He Yi glanced around. “Almost done. The ingredients and sauces are in the kitchen. We just need to bring out the barbecue grill later—Oh,” he suddenly called out to He Lucheng.

“There’s no soup tonight, cousin; how about making a soup?”

He Lucheng, sitting at the table with an English book in his hand, asked, “What kind of soup?”

“The tomato seafood soup you made when you visited our house last week.”

“…”

As the words fell, both Jian Mingzhou and Xie Jing turned their heads.

Jian Mingzhou took a slight breath and stepped back. So, the bag of tomatoes was what you wanted to eat!

—

In the end, because there wasn’t enough seafood, He Lucheng made a creamy corn chowder instead.

It might not be authentic, but it was likely to be mild.

When dinner time arrived, they moved the ingredients and barbecue grill to the lawn, with decorative lights shining around.

Jian Mingzhou was decent at cooking, so he took the initiative to barbecue.

White smoke rose with a sizzling sound, mingling with the dim night and scattered lights. Laughter and noise came from nearby, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

Midway through the barbecue, Ni Ran walked over and asked, “Brother Mingzhou, have you eaten? Shall I serve you some?”

“It’s okay; I’m eating too.”

“But I see you…”

Just as she was speaking, someone else appeared beside Jian Mingzhou.

Holding a plate, Xie Jing stood by, offering a skewer of grilled chicken gizzards. “Uncle, want to try this?”

Jian Mingzhou turned his head and took a bite. “Hmm.”

His hands were occupied now, and the atmosphere around him was so dim and relaxed that he finished eating while being fed by Xie Jing, feeling it was quite natural.

Seeing that Xie Jing was feeding him, Ni Ran, reassured, walked away.

“Do you want anything else?” Xie Jing asked.

Jian Mingzhou glanced at the table and spotted something white in the dim night. “What’s that, some kind of pancake?”

Xie Jing looked and said, “It seems like napkins that He Yi cousin brought.”

Jian Mingzhou, “…”

A barbecue could last quite a while.

As they reached the end, the table was cleared, and the group discussed what to do after dinner.

“Wait for me!” He Yu suddenly burst out and rushed back into the villa. When she came out again, she was holding a large box. “Let’s play the capsule toy machine.”

She civilizedly paused, “Bar~”

“…” Zhou Xuyang assessed, “Capsule toy machine?”

Jian Mingzhou explained, “It’s a machine that randomly dispenses peripherals.”

Xie Jing glanced at him, maintaining a natural expression. “Every editorial department has one. What do you have inside yours?”

He Yu proudly said, “Changed to Truth or Dare~”

Everyone: …

He Yu urged, “Come on, come on!”

Although they were used to playing Truth or Dare, the capsule toys seemed interesting, so they took turns spinning.

The capsule contained a mix of truth and dare.

When it was Xie Jing’s turn, he rolled out a truth:

“Tell everyone here who you have the strongest crush on.”

Xie Jing was handsome and popular.

The friends around immediately cheered, “Oh, oh, oh~ Quickly say!”

Jian Mingzhou, sitting on the side, was curious too.

He glanced at the girls and was guessing what type Xie Jing might be interested in, but then he heard someone speak:

“Oh… then it’s Uncle.”

Jian Mingzhou’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned back.

Xie Jing held a slip of paper, smiling casually.

The people around clapped:

“There’s no such thing—” “Doesn’t count, doesn’t count!”

Only one voice stood out; his sister with twin ponytails was almost jumping. “Count! Count! Count!!!”

Jian Mingzhou, “…”

In the midst of the clamor, Xie Jing calmly sat back down.

As the game continued in this chaotic atmosphere, Xie Jing leaned toward Jian Mingzhou and whispered,

“Cover for me, Uncle.”

Jian Mingzhou guessed he was in on it too: “It won’t be so easy next time.”

Xie Jing shrugged nonchalantly, “Oh, we’ll talk about it next time.”

Just as they were talking, they suddenly heard cheers from the other end.

“Singing! Singing!! Cousin, sing!”

“?” Jian Mingzhou’s attention was drawn.

He Lucheng, who usually stays indoors during the day, sat at one end of the table, holding a note that said “Silence.”

“…” He was quite curious about what He Lucheng would sing.

Given his taste, would it be Beijing opera?

In the quiet scene, He Lucheng stood up and cleared his throat, then began to sing elegantly. Following his mouth, a string of passionate and fluent Russian poured out…

Jian Mingzhou was shocked again: He’s singing in Russian…! Amazingly, he even knows how to roll his tongue.

He turned to ask He Yi, “Does your cousin also know Russian?”

He Yi looked quite composed. “Not in a hurry.”

After He Lucheng finished singing, he applauded, “Cousin, sing it again.”

“Why should I sing it again?”

“I want to listen and see if the lyrics are the same.”

“…” He Lucheng turned his head, avoiding the subject, “Humph.”

Jian Mingzhou: …So, he was singing nonsense!

The game continued in this atmosphere of mischief.

After more than half a round, it was finally Jian Mingzhou’s turn.

He placed a hand on the capsule toy machine, feeling a bit nervous after witnessing so many absurd scenes.

Click. A capsule rolled down, containing a dare.

He unfolded the slip, and it read:

“Make a prank call to any friend, telling them you’re drunk now.”

Jian Mingzhou didn’t know if he had breathed a sigh of relief or held his breath.

The excitement of this dare entirely depended on whether the chosen friend was reliable or would immediately spill his secrets upon hearing that Jian Mingzhou was supposedly drunk.

“Oh! Brother Mingzhou, who are you going to call?” He Yi understood the situation well. “These calls are usually made to ambiguous relationships.”

“I don’t have an ambiguous relationship.” Jian Mingzhou took out his phone. “I’ll just call a friend.”

He Yi was particularly knowledgeable: “It’s usually made for someone you have ambiguous feelings for.”

“I don’t have an ambiguous relationship.” Jian Mingzhou took out his phone. “I’ll just call a friend.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Jing asked, “Calling Uncle?”

Jian Mingzhou hesitated for a moment, thinking about the “cattle and horses” and the “salty and sweet taste.”

He always felt that Xie Chi was unreliable.

“Forget it.” He scrolled down and found Xia Ye. “Let’s call the editor-in-chief.”

After all, he had mentioned to Xia Ye during the day about attending a friend’s birthday party, so Xia Ye should have an idea.

Xie Jing glanced at him. “Calling the Chief Editor?”

Jian Mingzhou nodded. “Yes.”

Xie Jing commented, “He’ll definitely expose you.”

Jian Mingzhou chuckled. “It’s just a game.”

Xie Jing nodded. “Alright.”

As the phone call connected, the surroundings fell silent.

After a ringtone, Xia Ye’s voice came through the speaker: “What’s up?”

Jian Mingzhou adjusted his tone: “I’m outside, and I’ve had too much to drink.”

“…” After the words fell, there was a brief silence on the other end, as if something was brewing. Then, the sound of glasses being put down was heard.

“After getting drunk, I was taken advantage of by my roommate.”

—Click! The call was abruptly hung up.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jian Mingzhou calmly added, “…call again.”