For Zhou Ji, Duan Ye is like a bowl of rich chicken soup1 placed right in front of him.
After being rejected by Ning Zhiyu, Zhou Ji felt very disappointed and defeated, but he never thought about giving up. No matter what Ning Zhiyu said, this was the first time in his life that he had experienced the blossoming of love. In the beginning of many relationships, it is not about two people, but about an individual.
Looking at how sweet Duan Ye and Jiang Yumo are together, Zhou Ji doesn’t feel bothered anymore. On the contrary, he observes every interaction between Duan Ye and Jiang Yumo, keeping it in his heart.
However, Jiang Yumo feels quite uneasy.
She always feels like Zhou Ji is some kind of voyeur.
Before, when she whispered with Duan Ye, Zhou Ji would always mock them for being a nauseating couple. At that time, Zhou Ji was really annoying! But compared to now, that was nothing. Now Zhou Ji will stare at them without blinking, then show a mysterious smile, looking very satisfied.
This frightens Jiang Yumo, and she quietly asks Duan Ye while holding his hand, “Should we take him to the hospital for a check-up? Could it be that he went crazy after being rejected by Zhiyu?”
Duan Ye stares at her fair hand and doesn’t take his eyes off it, whispering, “Just ignore him.”
Even Ning Zhiyu finds Zhou Ji’s behavior quite puzzling.
She thought she had made herself very clear. Now they are impossible, and they will remain impossible in the future. Originally, she thought even if he wouldn’t give up so quickly, he would still be upset for a long time. Who knew he would be just the same as before, making her feel like rejecting him yesterday was an illusion.
Although the most important plan had failed, Zhou Ji had clearly made progress. The next day, they did whatever they wanted. Showing his hospitality as the host, taking them out to eat, drink, and have fun, visiting various scenic spots. All four of them were high school students, seemingly having boundless energy. They went to one scenic spot in the morning and another in the afternoon, not feeling tired at all. They even climbed the Great Wall.
While panting, Zhou Ji complained, “You guys should be shedding tears of emotion. I was born here and lived here for seventeen years, yet I’ve never been to the Great Wall or the Forbidden City… Aren’t you touched?”
“That’s because you’re lazy,” Jiang Yumo was also exhausted, being dragged along by Duan Ye. She didn’t forget to turn her head and banter with Zhou Ji, “Saying it like that, do you feel particularly honored?”
“Heh,” Zhou Ji chuckled, “How about a bet? I guess you’re going to attend a university in Yanjing.”
Jiang Yumo was amused by his remark, “You finally said something nice.”
“Our Lao Duan gathers good karma for you every day. At least, he can get you into a university in Yanjing.”
Duan Ye timely corrected Zhou Ji and taught him, “Don’t say such things. If she gets in, it’s because of her own efforts.”
It’s not his credit.
It has nothing to do with those feudal superstitions.
It’s the result of her working harder than anyone else.
Zhou Ji : “…”
Okay, he’ll pay attention to that in the future.
“Ning Zhiyu must be studying at Tsinghua University or Beijing University,” Zhou Ji said, trying to please them. “I knew it the moment I saw you; it’s a sure thing.”
Ning Zhiyu couldn’t argue with him and could only smile helplessly.
“Both of you will be studying in Yanjing for at least four years,” Zhou Ji said, “If you visit the Great Wall during these four years, take a photo and send it to me. I’ll give you a red envelope with 2,000 yuan inside. If you visit the Forbidden City once, it’s also 2,000 yuan. How about that?”
Jiang Yumo and Ning Zhiyu exchanged glances and replied in unison, “Deal!”
Zhou Ji gestured, “I haven’t finished yet. If, during these four years, you don’t visit any of those places, you’ll have to give me a red envelope. It doesn’t have to be 2,000 yuan, 200 yuan will do.”
Jiang Yumo hesitated for a moment and said, “Alright!”
She didn’t believe it would come to that!
Ning Zhiyu agreed, “Sure.”
She wasn’t that lazy.
The four of them chatted and laughed, taking a group photo in front of the Heroes’ Monument. For Zhou Ji, this ‘trip’ might not have been perfect, but it was the most memorable one.
As winter passed and spring arrived, they officially started the second semester of their third year of high school. The teachers had already written on the class bulletin board the number of days left until the college entrance exam. They were still a close-knit group of eight, eating together whenever they had free time, sharing their joys and sorrows of the day.
Jiang Yumo received some fantastic news too.
She passed the audition for the Drama Academy! Her parents were overjoyed; they never expected their daughter to excel so well, nor did they expect everything to go so smoothly. Jiang Yumo enjoyed a period of time with the support and care of her family. In private, she breathed a sigh of relief. Choosing this path made her uneasy, fearing that she might be wasting time, and afraid she wouldn’t perform as well as the original plan. But now, she could relax; all she had to do was focus on her academic subjects.
She could even perceive clearly that she had embarked on a completely different path from the original plot.
From this moment on.
Not long after the start of the new semester, it was Zhou Ji’s 18th birthday. They all cared about his birthday and took out the red envelopes they had prepared before, adding some money to each of them, wanting to hold a relatively grand coming-of-age ceremony for him.
They celebrated his birthday at Duan Ye’s house.
From some point on, Duan Ye’s house had become their secret base. Every time something happened, everyone would gather there.
Duan Ye’s Mom, Ms. Wu Meiyun, had officially started living with her boyfriend. She occasionally came back to cook a meal for Duan Ye, but most of the time, she stayed at her love nest with her boyfriend. The relationship between mother and son had been like this since Duan Ye was sensible. They were like mother and son who depended on each other, yet they also understood each other like friends, not wanting to be each other’s burden.
Zhou Ji’s birthday celebration was clearly on a higher level.
You could tell from the dishes they had; there was even seafood, and the birthday cake was one of the most expensive ones. After eating and drinking to their heart’s content, the girls lay on the sofa while the boys sat directly on the floor, watching a comedy movie on the television. Perhaps it was because they were in the second semester of their third year of high school, even the students with bad grades seemed exhausted. No one mentioned what the next activity would be, but even so, Zhou Ji was very happy.
He received so many gifts that his hands were sore.
Ever since knowing that Zhou Ji would become a domineering CEO in the future, Yan Qing became very interested in certain aspects of his life. Of course, it was purely an interest in the life of a powerful CEO, and she had absolutely no romantic interest in him. The bond among the four girls was getting stronger. It was an unwritten rule that they would never fall for the person their friend liked, and besides… Zhou Ji, on the surface, had initially attracted people with his height and looks, but after getting to know him, it was generally difficult for someone to fall madly in love with him.
…That might not be the right thing to say.
Because Ning Zhiyu seems to really have feelings for Zhou Ji…
Yan Qing leaned forward, holding a cushion, and suggested, “I propose adding another activity to this birthday party. Zhou Ji, how about you unwrap the gifts, so we can all see what the future domineering CEO receives on his birthday.”
“Just curious?” Zhou Ji lazily asked.
“Well, we have nothing else to do anyway.”
“Alright!”
Today, Zhou Ji received several packages, but he didn’t have time to go home. He asked Uncle Zhong to put them in the trunk of the car and, with a few girls showing interest in the birthday gifts, he brought Zhao Zheng along and went downstairs to bring all the packages up. He then opened them one by one in front of the girls.
They were all gifts from his close friends.
There was nothing particularly surprising, some were basketball jerseys with star players’ signatures, limited edition sneakers, and the latest gaming console.
Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao were quite excited.
Although these two were just average at playing basketball, they enjoyed watching basketball games and couldn’t resist the allure of a cool gaming console, something that boys their age simply couldn’t resist.
Guo Shichao couldn’t help but sigh, “Your friends from Yanjing are much more generous than us.”
In comparison, their gifts are really quite ordinary, at least in terms of price.
Zhou Ji waved his hand and said, “It’s not about being extravagant or not. They give me the same thing every year, and I suspect they buy in bulk and send me a portion each year. I prefer your gifts.”
Whether he meant it sincerely or not, his words comforted all seven of them.
While they were chatting, Zhou Ji’s phone, which was in his pocket, started vibrating. He took it out and glanced at it, instantly feeling affected. In the past, he would never have had the desire to confide in others. He didn’t want to talk about his family matters and had nothing much to say. But now, with this small group being so harmonious, he felt that friends should be more open with each other.
“Another one, oh, wait, two ‘gifts’ have arrived.”
Zhou Ji’s face was filled with a sarcastic expression. “Do you all want to know what my parents sent?”
“What is it, what is it!”
Yan Qing was indeed the most enthusiastic one among the eight.
Zhou Ji tossed the phone to her. “Take a look yourselves. I can’t be bothered to say.”
Yan Qing caught the phone, and Jiang Yumo and Sun Mengting also gathered around, curious to see what kind of gift could make Zhou Ji look so constipated.
And then, they saw it…
Two bank transfer messages arrived within half an hour of each other.
Yan Qing solemnly counted, “One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand2.” The first transfer was two hundred thousand.
The second transfer was just a minute ago, and it was three hundred thousand.
Yan Qing : “…”
Sun Mengting : “…”
Jiang Yumo looked at Zhou Ji with unstable emotions, “Two hundred thousand for one and three hundred thousand for the other; are these the birthday gifts from your parents?”
At this moment, Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao both put down the latest game console they were playing and looked over together.
Even Duan Ye raised an eyebrow and looked in their direction.
Zhou Ji smirked, “Feeling speechless, right? You’ve never seen parents like this, huh? Only transfer messages, not even a ‘happy birthday.’ Oh, right, maybe after they finish being busy, with their assistant’s reminder, they’ll generously give me a phone call. It’s the same every year. The only difference is that the amount might be higher each year. Isn’t it ironic?”
“I’ve never seen parents like this…” Yan Qing swallowed her saliva. Who among them had ever witnessed parents transferring hundreds of thousands for their birthday?!
Zhao Zheng was so jealous he was about to go crazy. He was originally tall and robust, and he rushed over to tackle Zhou Ji, “Damn it!”
“What are you doing!” Zhou Ji fought back, entangled with Zhao Zheng.
“I’ll beat you to death! Damn it, we are so envious!”
Guo Shichao also came over to restrain Zhou Ji’s hands, and Duan Ye took the opportunity to kick Zhou Ji, and the four girls stood up and rushed over. Ning Zhiyu took this opportunity to pinch Zhou Ji’s hand mercilessly, applying great force and successfully making Zhou Ji scream, “Foul! Who’s pinching me!”
Jiang Yumo had wanted to hit him a long time ago, clenching her fist and fiercely pounding him.
Beat this future capitalist to death!
Haha Zhou Ji seems to be enjoying many birthday “blessings” this night. Thank you for the chapter!