Zhou Ji discovered that Duan Ye really is quite awesome.
Because within two days, Duan Ye had already managed to get rid of his jealousy. This was something that impressed Zhou Ji because he himself was cunning and intentionally mentioned Ye Wenxu in front of Duan Ye, yet Duan Ye did not reveal his true feelings as he did that night. Through this incident, Zhou Ji realized the reason why Zhao Zheng had said that Zhou Ji couldn’t compare to Duan Ye at all. So, whether it was Zhao Zheng or Guo Shichao, they would only call him Zhou Ji, and he would never hear them call him ‘Brother Zhou’ in his entire life.
Objectively, Zhou Ji felt that he indeed couldn’t do it like Duan Ye did.
After all, just the thought that Ning Zhiyu had once liked Ye Wenxu drove him crazy and made him want to go to the First High to confront Ye Wenxu!
That day, Duan Ye asked for leave from the homeroom teacher and left Fifth High after the last afternoon class. Zhou Ji had been paying attention to his movements these past few days, so when he saw Duan Ye leaving early, he hurriedly followed and asked with enthusiasm, “Are you going to the First High to return the gift?”
How could Zhou Ji miss such an exciting scene?
Besides, the other party was Ye Wenxu, whom he also had some unpleasant history with.
Duan Ye glanced at Zhou Ji, didn’t answer, but didn’t refuse Zhou Ji from coming along either.
To Zhou Ji’s surprise, Duan Ye didn’t directly go to the First High. Instead, he took a detour and arrived at another sports store, seriously selecting… basketballs?
Zhou Ji was puzzled and asked, “What act are you performing?”
Duan Ye didn’t directly answer the question. “Help me choose, pick a better basketball.”
Zhou Ji raised an eyebrow. “Give it to Ye Wenxu?”
—Is he worth it?
Duan Ye ignored him and tried out the basketballs one by one. Zhou Ji sized him up and clicked his tongue in admiration. “Lao Duan, I’ve discovered another virtue in you today, which is generosity! Of course, in my book, generosity has a synonym, and that’s hypocrisy.”
Not beating up Ye Wenxu was already exceptionally courteous. And now, Duan Ye is buying Ye Wenxu a basketball? Zhou Ji felt that even if he were to be enlightened by Buddhism for five hundred years, he wouldn’t reach such a noble state.
Duan Ye wasn’t angry and even rarely joked with Zhou Ji, “Then don’t follow a hypocritical person like me.”
In the end, Duan Ye picked a very nice basketball, paid for it, and left. Then he hailed a taxi and headed to First High.
Duan Ye was a local in Ningcheng, and he had friends at First High. After casually greeting one of his friends and asked to call Ye Wenxu out. On a winter evening, Ye Wenxu was wearing a black down jacket. Even in such gloomy weather, when he appeared at the entrance of First High, he still caught people’s attention immediately.
Zhou Ji : Ouch, it hurts my heart.
He looked at Duan Ye. In this matter, he and Duan Ye were like brothers, both had their hearts pierced by Ye Wenxu.
Ye Wenxu had actually anticipated that Duan Ye would come to find him. Seeing Duan Ye with Zhou Ji was also not surprising. He quickly walked up to them, greeted them, and asked, “Have you eaten yet? There’s a snack street over there. I heard there’s a restaurant with good food. Let me treat you guys.”
Zhou Ji couldn’t help but sneer, “You treating us?”
He doesn’t have much else, but he has a lot of money.
Duan Ye nodded, “Alright.”
Zhou Ji: “?”
Is it really okay to dismantle their brotherhood like this?
The three boys were all about the same height, handsome, and naturally drew attention as they walked down the street, attracting quite a few people to look back. Led by Ye Wenxu, they came to a small restaurant where there weren’t many people. The owner arranged a small private room on the second floor for them.
Ye Wenxu took the lead and naturally took charge of ordering the dishes.
He was originally a gentle and polite person, very considerate of their tastes.
Zhou Ji felt something was off in his heart, “We eat anything, just not sour or vinegar.”
Duan Ye coughed, reminding him not to talk nonsense, and said to Ye Wenxu, “No restrictions. Order what you think is good.”
Ye Wenxu nodded and, considering their appetites, ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Duan Ye handed him the basketball he had bought, “This is for you. I tried it out, and it should be good.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Ye Wenxu’s eyes, but he still accepted it and sincerely thanked Duan Ye.
He thought Duan Ye would come today to return the crystal ball.
But Duan Ye didn’t.
In reality, Duan Ye had also thought about this issue for a long time and discussed it with Jiang Yumo. In the end, they both decided not to return the crystal ball. After all, it was a heartfelt gift from Ye Wenxu. If they returned it, it would be awkward for both parties. So, they left the crystal ball with Duan Ye, and Duan Ye would give Ye Wenxu a gift in return. This way, both parties would feel comfortable, and the matter could be put behind them. There was really no need to make things awkward and embarrassing.
Because from the beginning to the end, Ye Wenxu didn’t know that his online friend was Jiang Yumo. Even after finding out, he didn’t reach out to chat with her again.
Handling it this way was just fine!
Ye Wenxu took the basketball and weighed it in his hand, smiling contentedly, “Not bad, thanks.”
Duan Ye nodded, “You’re welcome, it’s nothing.”
Without mentioning the matter of the online friend, the three of them had a hearty meal. It was a pity that they were all students; otherwise, they could have ordered some bottles of wine and had a great time. After finishing the meal, Ye Wenxu paid the bill, and the three of them walked out of the restaurant. Ye Wenxu hesitated for a moment, then called out to Duan Ye, “How did her exam go?”
Perhaps afraid that Duan Ye would misunderstand, he whispered, “Actually, we really are just regular online friends. We didn’t talk about anything else. I acted impulsively this time and gave her a gift. After finding out it was her, I did want to explain to you, but I was worried it might complicate things.”
Zhou Ji was very clear about his role today.
He was Duan Ye’s temporary bodyguard and protector.
After hearing these words, he immediately leaned on Duan Ye’s shoulder, with a smug tone, showing off to Ye Wenxu, “No misunderstanding, they are getting along well. Jiang Yumo tells him everything, otherwise, how could we find out so quickly? Also, he knows Jiang Yumo’s social media account password and often helps her manage it. I’m not saying this, but these two are really too close.”
Duan Ye warned Zhou Ji with a glance. He didn’t like Zhou Ji talking about these things in front of others.
Zhou Ji : “…”
Ye Wenxu didn’t show any disappointment on his face, just a hearty smile and a clear voice, “That’s good.”
Duanyan nodded and replied, “She passed the exam. Next, she’s preparing for college entrance exams.”
Ye Wenxu felt relieved.
He couldn’t really explain his feelings towards Xiao Jiang. Perhaps she was like a breath of fresh air during his dull third year of high school. If, if Xiao Jiang didn’t have Duan Ye by her side, maybe he would have taken the initiative to approach her after the college entrance exams. But she already had Duan Ye by her side, and any subtle feelings he had must be buried deep in his heart. He had more important things to focus on at the moment.
These past few days, this matter had been weighing on his mind.
Thankfully, everything has been clarified today.
Ye Wenxu looked at Zhou Ji again and remembered what had happened at Ning Zhiyu’s family alley before. After a few seconds of contemplation, he carefully explained, “Ning Zhiyu and I were classmates in junior high school, in the same class, and our grades were similar. Teachers often placed us close together, which might have led to some misunderstandings. However, it’s not as others have said. We were classmates and friends. Something happened during our third year of junior high, I don’t know if Ning Zhiyu told you about it. I’m sorry for that incident, and I know that she went to Fifth High because of some emotional distance.”
Zhou Ji’s face was cold, and his jaw was tense.
Duan Ye listened nonchalantly.
“She never kept in touch with her junior high school classmates. She didn’t join the class group chat, nor did she attend the teacher’s farewell banquet after the high school entrance exam,” Ye Wenxu said. “I understand what she means, and I can’t force her to maintain a superficial harmony with us. Zhou Ji, I’m telling you all this to let you know that she dislikes me, to the extent that she doesn’t even want to maintain a regular friendship between ordinary classmates and friends. So, you don’t need to be concerned about anything.”
Ye Wenxu knew, of course, about the things that happened between Ning Zhiyu, Shen Yawei, and himself.
In fact, during junior high, what did he know? He couldn’t even claim to have any favorable impression of Ning Zhiyu. He just admired her as a fellow student and was aware of her family situation. So, within his capacity, he wanted to offer her some help. He treated other classmates the same way, but Shen Yawei… Initially, he wanted to repair the relationship between the two, but after some thought, he decided to respect Ning Zhiyu’s wishes to stay away from them, away from all junior high school classmates.
Zhou Ji tightly pursed his lips and coldly replied, “I don’t mind.”
Ye Wenxu responded with a soft “Okay.”
“Let’s find some time to play another basketball game,” Ye Wenxu said to Duan Ye while holding the basketball. “Us First High lost once, then we lost again; I wonder if there will be a third time.”
Duan Ye replied, “Sure, why not.”
After bidding farewell to them, Ye Wenxu left. His back was straight and upright, exuding a warm and gentle aura.
Zhou Ji thought, It hurts.
Zhou Ji watched expressionlessly. People are like this. They aren’t afraid of having rivals in love; they are afraid that the rivals might not be inferior. Perhaps, in the eyes of others, the rivals might even be superior. Just thinking about it is irritating. Moreover, they can’t show their jealousy or darkness in front of such the person they like. After all, in front of the person they like, if they get jealous and envious, they’ll end up looking inferior.
At this moment, Zhou Ji finally understood why Duan Ye had to hold it in, not revealing even a hint of jealousy to Jiang Yumo, and not letting anyone see it.
Once others notice it, it’s like adding one more thing in which he’s inferior.
Zhou Ji and Duan Ye both stood under the utility pole with expressionless faces.
They were both feeling discontented.
Very discontented, but they were both enduring it, not revealing the slightest hint of being seen through.
“Want to play basketball?” Duan Ye proposed.
Zhou Ji thought for a moment and shook his head, rejecting, “No, I probably don’t feel like playing for the next week.”
He was tired of it, and it was painful.
Moreover, Duan Ye was obviously still jealous, yet he was holding it in and enduring it. Playing basketball with someone like that was unbearable, and Zhou Ji would end up being tormented.
Duan Ye : “…”
Zhou Ji was feeling bothered in his heart. If it were in the past, he would definitely not hold back and ask Ning Zhiyu directly about her feelings for Ye Wenxu. But now, after this incident, he realized that he would never ask that question again unless she told him voluntarily.
Otherwise, he would feel like he’s humiliating himself.
Not asking, he couldn’t ask. To be a man like Lao Duan, even if he felt jealous enough to kill, he had to show himself as magnanimous.
It’s hypocritical, but it’s also his pride.
He had to do something, right?
He didn’t want to play basketball, so…
Zhou Ji suggested, “How about going to the supermarket?”
Since coming to Ningcheng, he had developed a liking for supermarket shopping, of course, it would be best to go with Ning Zhiyu.
Duan Ye glanced at him. Obviously, he didn’t want to agree. What was there for the two of them to do at the supermarket? Jiang Yumo wasn’t there, and neither was Ning Zhiyu.
“I think so,” Zhou Ji looked at the time, “It’s still early. They will probably be hungry after their evening study session. How about going to the supermarket to buy some food for them?”
He thought more and more, feeling that this idea was feasible.
What stage is it now? The competition stage. He has to let Ning Zhiyu see countless advantages in him.
After careful consideration, what can he do?
As for studying, he decided to let himself off the hook.
Money… He could show off in front of others, but it’s pointless to do so in front of her.
His height and appearance are things she sees every day, nothing special. He has already played basketball in front of her, so there’s no need to show off again.
“Just like that,” Zhou Ji said, “I heard that being able to cook now is a plus.”
Duan Ye looked at Zhou Ji as if he were looking at a fool.
“Really, let me think! When did Ning Zhiyu treat me better? Oh, it was when I peeled garlic for her,” Zhou Ji became more convinced that this was the right path for him, “and the last Christmas, I did her laundry, and she actively asked me if I had eaten, and even fried two eggs for me. She must be receptive to this kind of caring, she must be.”
Zhou Ji looked at Duan Ye again, only to find that Duan Ye’s gaze at him was like looking at an idiot.
Zhou Ji touched his nose.
Duan Ye hailed a passing taxi, and Zhou Ji followed suit, thinking Duan Ye was going back to school or home. Unexpectedly, after Duan Ye got in the car, he said to the driver, “Go to the supermarket.”
Zhou Ji : “?”
birds of the same feather flocks together, indeed 😆
My Little idiots in love , my two blorbos wanting to show the best of themselves to their girls ♡♡♡♡ so cute
Ah, these two fools, so cute 🥺