Chà Chà Novel

While Qin Si dealt with the others, Su Ke seized the chance to ladle some bone broth for Ji Shileng.

“Shileng, drink plenty of bone broth so your leg heals faster”

“What if it’s still injured when we get back? Hopping into a blind date would be so embarrassing”

Having said that, Su Ke burst into laughter. His hand shook, his shoulders bounced, and he simply couldn’t stop.

Ji Shileng took a small, deep breath and reminded himself not to argue with someone whose brain was missing several connections.

Sooner or later, Ji Shifeng would deal with Su Ke. He just had to remain calm.

Fortunately, lunch was drawing to an end. Ji Shiyun and the others went out to see the guests off, leaving Ji Shileng, temporarily “disabled,” behind to drink his soup.

After two mouthfuls of beef and radish soup, he had no appetite left and listlessly put down his spoon.

Bored, he slumped over the table and slowly scrolled through his communicator.

They didn’t need him to see anyone off. If anyone tried to discuss matchmaking again, he would pretend not to understand.

A shadow fell over him. Ji Shileng turned and met his eldest sister’s gaze.

Yawning, he asked, “Sis, why are you alone? Where is everyone?”

Ji Shiyun sat in Qin Si’s former seat, her back straight.

“I wanted to ask you something, so I sent them away”

“Oh”

“Are you and Qin Si close?”

After some thought, Ji Shiyun decided she ought to clarify things.

She had previously mentioned setting the two of them up, but she had mostly been joking.

Ji Shileng turned back to the comments.

“I don’t know. We’re friends, I suppose”

Ji Shiyun didn’t want to waste time probing insignificant details.

She took his communicator away, then ladled him a bowl of millet porridge.

“We still don’t know the real reason Qin Si suddenly came to the Federation. Surely it wasn’t for you?”

Despite her lively conversation with the guests, she had kept an eye on Ji Shileng throughout the meal.

Apart from the dumplings Qin Si had encouraged him to eat, he had only taken two sips of the soup Su Ke served him.

He never ate properly. No wonder a single misstep had left him with a sprained ankle.

Ji Shileng stirred the porridge with his spoon and offered a vague answer.

“How could it be? Do you think I have that much influence?”

Of course he wasn’t going to tell her that it was, in fact, the truth.

Qin Si had been doing perfectly well in Stegala. Coming to the Federation to “polish his credentials” was hardly necessary.

He was staking his future on something uncertain.

Ji Shiyun would think he wasn’t thinking clearly and that there was no reason to do it.

Stegala had recently been experiencing internal turmoil. Among its many young politicians, one had taken direct aim at Qin Si.

Now that Qin Si had left, there was no guarantee he could return.

Even if he did, whether he could regain his former position was another question.

Ji Shiyun nodded. How could someone in his position abandon everything for romance?

Everyone had ambitions of their own. Perhaps Stegala simply could no longer satisfy his.

When Qin Si had spoken to her about the matchmaking list outside the dining room, she had sensed something unusual.

But Ji Shileng’s explanation dispersed her doubts. She merely remarked:

“Qin Si certainly has ambition”

After all that stirring, Ji Shileng still hadn’t taken a single bite of porridge.

“Exactly, exactly,” he replied absently.

After a while, Ji Shiyun noticed that he had stirred the perfectly good porridge until it turned watery. Realizing he truly didn’t want it, she stopped insisting.

He could always order delivery when he got hungry. There was no need to force him to finish food he didn’t want.

She took out her communicator, opened several documents, made a few edits, and set it in front of him.

Finally freed from the millet porridge, Ji Shileng pushed the bowl aside and sat up.

“Sis, what’s this?”

“The proposed matchmaking list”

Ji Shiyun picked up the certificate box he had handed her when they entered the dining room.

“Take a look. Unless anything changes, we’ll be going home tonight. Choose someone you like, and you can meet them tomorrow”

The densely packed spreadsheet…

Ji Shileng looked up in astonishment and stared at her.

“Sis, isn’t that a little rushed?”

Ji Shiyun slowly untied the elegant bow on the gift box.

“You spend every day at home with nothing to do anyway. Going out to meet people and chat would be good for you”

Ji Shileng didn’t think so.

“What if I like all of them?”

Ji Shiyun couldn’t be bothered to look at him.

“I’d be impressed if you liked even one. All of them?”

She added, “I’m not sure I could imagine that even in a dream”

All of them? How low would Ji Shileng’s standards have to be?

Treating it as entertainment, he scrolled through the list. It was nothing but friends and friends of friends.

There were hardly any strangers he could go on a proper blind date with.

The spreadsheet seemed endless. Ji Shileng paused, making no effort to conceal his distaste.

“Sis, why is Su Bai on here? He’s so prissy. Every time he sees me, he practically tries to glue himself to me and says he wants to share his perfume”

Ji Shiyun was speechless.

She had heard a little, but hadn’t realized Su Bai was quite that strange.

“Liao Xinxin is Su Ke’s friend. Su Ke told me he gets carsick. If he gets carsick, we won’t enjoy the same outings. Pass”

“Why is the son of LILALI’s owner on the list too?”

Ji Shileng turned toward his sister.

“You don’t think I’d go on a date with him just for LILALI’s glass dolls, do you?”

Without taking her eyes off the Outstanding Graduate certificate, Ji Shiyun hummed in agreement.

Ji Shileng brooded for a moment.

“All right. I am that kind of person”

“But being friends would be enough. Whenever LILALI releases a new glass doll, I could ask him about it”

At last, Ji Shiyun looked away from the certificate.

Slumped over the table, Ji Shileng scrolled straight to the bottom.

He was genuinely curious where his sister had found so many prospective dates.

“Sis, why is Qin Si at the very bottom?”

Ji Shiyun snorted and put the certificate away.

“He specifically told me outside the dining room that he wanted to be on the list”

He was a new addition, so she had put him last.

“Oh”

Ji Shileng thought she had been rather casual about it.

“You just added him?”

Ji Shiyun tried to recreate the original bow on the box.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“He asked me in person. The least I could do was add his name”

“All right,” Ji Shileng answered.

“If you don’t want to have dinner with him, just don’t choose him”

Ji Shiyun finished tying a crooked bow.

“Still, there is something unusual about the way Qin Si looks at you”