Chapter 36: Troubled and Confused
“No problem, because I couldn’t sleep last night and thought about a lot of messy things, I’ve already come up with a plan for the current situation.”
“As long as I answer well and steer things in the direction I want, there won’t be any issues.”
Taking a deep breath and calming myself, I smiled slightly and answered composedly.
“Ah, of course I like her. If I didn’t, why would I be dating her?”
I voiced the standard answer I had prepared long ago.
But in reality, how did I feel?
I wasn’t even sure myself, but… I probably did like her.
Even though I knew she was very dangerous, I had already gotten used to her being by my side.
I didn’t find her annoying even when we bickered, and her occasional intimate gestures would make my heart flutter.
Especially with Ruansui… When I faced her, I felt a sense of inadequacy. I would even fall into self-doubt: Was it really okay for a girl like her to be my girlfriend? Was I dreaming? Could I really fall for her? Such thoughts kept flooding my mind.
This… perhaps this was what they called love.
“Really? Then what do you like about her, Big Brother?”
“What do I like about her… maybe her gentleness…”
Was that really true… liking her for her gentleness? It didn’t feel quite right…
Let me ask myself again, what is it that I truly like about her?
I didn’t want to lie to Keling, nor did I want to lie to myself. I closed my eyes and began to recall my memories with Lianbing.
The most vivid memory was still that scene, being chased by her in the science building.
At that time, I only felt fear, but looking back now, the smile flickering under the starlight at the beginning possessed a strange beauty that made one want to die for her… And at that time, all I could see was her smile…
And then, my first date ever in my life… Remembering that day, a smile involuntarily appeared on my face.
That was perhaps the ordinary happiness I was seeking.
Both of Lianbing’s personalities had their own charm that attracted me, and she wouldn’t be the complete Lianbing without either side.
So, the conclusion was reached.
“No, it’s not just her gentleness. I just like her. All sorts of things about her attract me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, hehe.”
“Ugh…!”
Keling’s expression crumpled after hearing my sincere, thought-out answer.
Good, good, that’s the way it should be!
If I made it clear to her that her big brother already had a girlfriend and that their relationship was too strong for her to interfere, she would give up on me.
However, my plan was good, but I forgot that it wasn’t just Keling, butXinran was also present…
Just as Keling was pouting, unsure of how to respond, Xinran suddenly interjected.
“Then… does Ji Lianbing also like Big Brother?”
Keling’s eyes lit up, and she asked aggressively.
“That’s right! Isn’t she the daughter of a wealthy family? How could a young lady from high society like Big Brother? Haven’t you ever suspected him? Maybe she’s approaching you for something else…”
She was actually right.
Lianbing did approach me initially for my corpse… Hmm, maybe she still is, she’s just not in such a hurry anymore.
Hmm… I absolutely cannot say this. I can’t mention anything about “that dangerous thing” at all. It’s enough that I’m caught up in it; I absolutely cannot drag my family into it… This is the one thing I will never compromise on!
“Even if you say that, I have nothing to gain. Rather, precisely because she’s a young lady from a wealthy family, choosing me makes it appear more sincere, doesn’t it?”
“Mmm…”
Reasonable and well-supported.
Neither of my younger sisters pressed further.
Phew… it seems I’ve safely passed this hurdle.
“So, do you really like Ji Lianbing, Big Brother?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Keling lowered her head and asked with a dejected look.
“…More than Keling?”
“Why compare? I like both of you very much.”
I never expected to be asked this question. It seems girls just love asking these difficult either-or questions.
Can’t there be a third option?
“No! You have to be clear! Even if you like both, there must be one you like more!”
Keling, for some reason, suddenly stood up, slapped the table, puffed out her cheeks, and said to me indignantly.
“There’s only one thing a person likes the most… only one!”
She’s… she’s gone dark!
“Ugh…”
Oh no! How am I supposed to answer this? It seems no matter which way I answer, the situation will only get worse!
“Keling, that’s too much.”
Fortunately, Xinran intervened at this moment, pulled Keling down, and persuaded her.
“Don’t make Big Brother uncomfortable.”
“Mmm…”
Phew, well done, Xinran!
You’re truly my thoughtful little angel~ I’ll make an exception and let you sleep in my arms tonight~
Although Keling still looked unconvinced, she temporarily backed down under Xinran’s persuasion.
Just then, the food we ordered arrived, and we began our lunch.
Sigh, I’m so tired…
Lunch seemed to pass relatively smoothly, but what about the afternoon?
I wish I hadn’t suggested this earlier…
After a brief, quiet lunch, we finally moved on to the main event of the day.
Choosing a birthday gift for Lianbing.
Miss Shirley had specifically informed me about this, so I had to take it seriously.
However, I really couldn’t think of anything Lianbing might want, so I hoped my sisters could offer some useful suggestions… That was what I thought before.
But who knew it would turn out like this!
Bringing up Lianbing now would be like pushing myself into a fire pit!
But! But! I had no choice but to talk about it…
Before I could even bring it up myself, Xinran blurted it out.
“So, where do we go next? I remember Big Brother said you were going to pick out a birthday gift for your girlfriend.”
“Well, yes…”
I nodded and secretly observed Keling’s reaction… The main purpose of this outing was to pick out a birthday gift for Lianbing. Keling would surely be unhappy again…
As expected, Keling keenly sensed the ambiguity in my words and immediately said.
“Hey, are you going to pick out a gift for that Ji Lianbing? That young lady doesn’t seem like she’s lacking anything~”
“Uh, yes… So, I was hoping you could give me some advice…”
“Oh really~ I think it’s best if Big Brother picks it out himself, doesn’t that show more sincerity? Hmph!”
“You… you’re right, hahaha…”
Although I had told Keling not to force herself and to show her true feelings in front of me, I still missed the obedient Keling I used to know…
“Then, I’ll pick it myself…”
What should I get her? I had no idea…
Someone, please help me, I’m going to explode!
The pressure from Keling’s sulking and the worry of not knowing what birthday gift to give my girlfriend twisted into a knot in my mind, causing my stomach to ache repeatedly.
What is all this nonsense…
Keling hasn’t even met Lianbing yet, and they’re already feuding in secret?
If these two ever met, what kind of Shura Field would that be?
Ugh, just thinking about it makes me feel incredibly bad… I should try to avoid them meeting as much as possible.
“Sigh…”
I sighed deeply and scratched my head vigorously.
Just then, Keling suddenly tugged at my sleeve and said pitifully.
“I’m sorry, Big Brother. Keling was being spoiled… Please don’t hate Keling, okay? Keling couldn’t help but feel jealous seeing how much Big Brother values his girlfriend…”
She tilted her head up slightly, her eyes already filled with tears, looking like they could fall at any moment.
Give me a slap first, then a sweet?
Even though I knew this sweet was premeditated, I still had to devour it without hesitation!
How could I let my sister be sad! Seeing Keling cry once was enough; it can’t happen again!
“It’s okay! Keling, you’re not wrong! It’s true that it’s more sincere if I pick it myself! I’m not blaming you?”
“Hehe, I love Big Brother the most~”
Her expression turned from gloomy to sunny in about 0.5 seconds. I was dumbfounded.
Keling’s change truly caught me off guard. She really is the little devil type…
A black-bellied little devil…
Next, we wandered aimlessly.
We browsed through various shops, looking for something suitable, but in the end, I didn’t find any gift I liked.
We walked around quite a bit, but still couldn’t find a suitable gift. On the other hand, Keling bought a lot of new clothes and seemed to be enjoying herself. Perhaps she had deliberately ignored the matter of picking out a gift.
As it was nearing dinnertime, and with few other options, I was preparing to return to a clothing store we had visited earlier to buy an outfit as a backup gift when Xinran tugged my sleeve and pointed to a place.
“Big Brother, over there.”
Following Xinran’s gaze, I saw an antique shop called “Destiny’s Embrace.”
Antiques? Would she like such things? And there are so many fakes nowadays… Ah, even if it were real, I probably couldn’t afford it…
Oh well, it’s worth a shot. Since we’re here, let’s go in and look around.
As we entered, we saw a man with the title “Destiny’s Embrace Owner” sitting in a grand chair. He had a goatee, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had a cane leaning against his chair. He was holding a cup of tea.
The man glanced up at me and immediately said.
“Hmm? This is no place for a little brat like you. Get out.”
“Uh…”
Is he trying to do business or not!
Tsk, so I’m supposed to leave just because he said so! I’m not leaving!
“Hey, hey, what are you doing? Didn’t I tell you to get out!”
I was already in a bad mood today, and receiving this treatment only made me want to defy him.
So, I walked further into the shop, and then I saw it.
It was shaped like the English letter C with a small hole at the top – a magatama.
I didn’t know what kind of material it was made of, but it looked old, yet it was still crystal clear.
The moment I saw it, I decided in my heart.
I’ll choose this as her birthday gift.
I couldn’t really explain why, perhaps it was intuition… I just felt it was the most suitable, or maybe I just liked it myself?
The instant I saw the magatama, I made up my mind without hesitation.
“Uncle, that one!”
I pointed at the magatama and had only half-spoken when the man raised an eyebrow and said.
“…Hoho, so you’re one of the ‘customers’ too, huh.”
“Uh?”
“Did you see the name of my shop when you came in? To buy something here, you need fate. It seems you have fate with ‘that’.”
“Then!”
“Since you have fate, I’ll give you a friendly price, six hundred and ninety-nine, how about it?”
“…Uh?”
“What’s wrong? Are you buying or not! If not, get out!”
“I’ll buy it, of course!”
“Alright, I’ll have it wrapped for you then.”
The man didn’t make things difficult for us any further. He neatly wrapped the magatama and handed it to me.
I paid him the money… The money I had left was exactly six hundred and ninety-nine yuan.
Did he calculate the money in my pocket…
Even as we left, I still felt something was off. This antique shop was indeed a bit strange, and that shop owner uncle the sense of weirdness was indescribable.
However, I finally bought a gift.
No matter what, the main mission is finally complete…
Let’s go home.
“…So, the magatama has been delivered to him…”
“Is this really okay? Didn’t he say he was going to give it to someone else?”
“It’s fine, giving it to that person would be the same.”
“Hmm… I don’t really understand, but with this, the task you entrusted me with is completed, right?”
“Yes, it’s completed. Thank you. Here is your payment, the ghost-exorcising talisman.”
“It was nothing. By the way, Yu Hui, is it really okay for you to give such a valuable item to that young boy? And he’s going to give it to someone else… I really don’t know what to say. I’ve been running this shop for many years, and I’ve seen many ‘genuine items,’ but the magatama you asked me to give him is… alas, what a shame.”
“That… it was originally his.”
“Returning it to its owner…”
“Yes, just returning it to its owner.”
“Hoho… I was actually thinking of scaring him away, but I didn’t expect him to fall in love with the magatama at first sight the moment he walked in. I had even deliberately mixed it in with a pile of pretty little things, and yet he still found it at a glance… Fate is truly hard to explain…”
“…Cherish what you have if fate brings you together.”
“I don’t understand… I probably never will understand, even until I die…”
“Then, may we meet again in the next life.”
