Chà Chà Novel

After a moment’s thought, Ji Shileng looked up. “Mom, isn’t this a little rushed?”

Why was everyone arranging to meet him on August twenty-sixth?

Forget being auspicious for everything. As far as he was concerned, August twenty-sixth was suitable for absolutely nothing.

Wen Qin couldn’t bear to pinch his arm, so she merely glared at him. “One question. Are you going or not?”

Ji Shileng turned toward Ji Shiyun, who was covering her mouth to hide a smile, and sent her a pleading look.

Seriously, he and the Guo family’s boy simply didn’t get along.

What normal middle schooler chased after him with a handful of clinking coins, insisting on telling his romantic fortune?

He followed him around every day. It had been unbearably annoying.

Left with no alternative, Ji Shileng and Su Ke had picked a time when no one was around and given him a beating.

“Don’t look at Ji Shiyun. She can’t save you”, Wen Qin said, smiling at her daughter.

A chill ran down Ji Shiyun’s spine. Ignoring Ji Shileng’s pleading gaze, she hurried inside. “Mom, Xiaoshi, I’m going to bed”

Keeping hold of Ji Shileng, Wen Qin glanced around and failed to spot her second son. “Where’s your brother?”

The driver unloading the suitcases called over, “Madam, the second young master said he was taking Su Ke home”

Wen Qin nodded and returned her attention to Ji Shileng. “Mrs. Guo and I have already booked the restaurant. You’re going whether you like it or not”

“Mom”, Ji Shileng wheedled, trying to charm his way out of it. “You know we’ve never gotten along. Those feng shui people are always so mystical and strange”

“Then ask him to tell your fortune. The Guo boy charges several million for a single reading in our circles”, Wen Qin replied, unmoved.

She had met him recently and formed quite a good impression.

His suit was buttoned neatly, his smile gentle and refined. He was exactly the sort elders liked.

“Then I’ll pay him for the reading. I can’t owe him a favor”, Ji Shileng said with several dry laughs, wishing he could knock himself unconscious and painlessly fast-forward to August twenty-seventh.

“I’ve met him. He’s a good young man”, Wen Qin said, narrowing her eyes, her mind made up. “I’ll go with you on August twenty-sixth. You two can have dinner while Mrs. Guo and I visit the beauty salon”

Ji Shileng: “…”

She called it going with him. In reality, she would be escorting him there under guard.

He raked a hand through his hair with a headache. “Fine”

A mother’s orders were hard to defy. His meal with Qin Si would have to be postponed yet again.

Between his nap on the starship and his mother’s “disciplinary intervention” once he got home, Ji Shileng was wide awake in the middle of the night.

Wrapped in a light blanket with a tablet in his hands, he sat cross-legged in the rocking chair on his balcony, basking in the moonlight.

The Federation’s climate was always more comfortable than the Empire’s. At least it didn’t cycle through three kinds of weather in a single day.

The night breeze was gentle. Flowers bloomed throughout the garden, their fragrance drifting softly through the air like cotton candy.

He opened a work document in his inbox. Dozens of minutes passed, yet he failed to absorb even one complete sentence.

His thoughts refused to settle. He wasn’t angry or upset. He was simply feeling the awkwardness in advance.

The only thing more awkward than a matchmaking date with an acquaintance was one with an “acquaintance” he had a history of friction with.

Besides, he had already made plans with Qin Si. Changing them at the last minute made him feel as though he was breaking his word and stringing the man along.

With his thoughts in disarray, Ji Shileng decided to get it over with and take things one step at a time. He opened his chat with Qin Si.

After considering his wording, he typed the message out carefully.

Winter Snow Is Very Cold: Qin Si, I’m really sorry, but something urgent has come up on August twenty-sixth. Would it be okay to reschedule our meal?

Meanwhile, Qin Si had just finished speaking with Ji Shiyun’s assistant when Ji Shileng’s message appeared.

Ji Shileng hadn’t expected him to reply almost instantly.

[Qin Si]: Of course. I understand that urgent things come up. Take care of that first.

Ji Shileng breathed a sigh of relief, only for another message to appear.

[Qin Si]: Would August twenty-seventh work? I checked the star calendar. It isn’t auspicious for everything like the twenty-sixth, but it’s good for outings and meeting friends and family.

Ji Shileng: “???”

So Guo Weishui hadn’t actually calculated anything?!

He had been wondering why even meeting for a meal required choosing an auspicious day.

Apparently, all it took was opening the star calendar.

When daytime came, he was going to expose Guo Weishui’s true colors to his mother!

Winter Snow Is Very Cold: August twenty-seventh works!

[Qin Si]: If possible, could we meet at noon? I’ll arrange something for the afternoon.

Ji Shileng: “…”

Why was he starting to take a mile when given an inch?

Hadn’t they originally agreed on just a meal?

And was he suggesting noon because he knew Ji Shileng couldn’t get up in the morning?

There was no helping it. He was the one who had canceled first. Refusing Qin Si again would seem rather rude.

[Qin Si]: Then it’s settled. Driving must be difficult with your injured ankle. May I pick you up at Qingshui Creek?

Winter Snow Is Very Cold: We have a driver at home, so there’s no need to trouble you. Let’s meet at the restaurant.

Qin Si’s words had touched another sore spot.

Ji Shileng had planned to take Ji Shifeng’s cars out for a spin once he got back. Then he had sprained his ankle, forcing him to postpone that plan.

Suddenly, he remembered: Su Ke still hadn’t brought him Ji Shifeng’s communicator!!!

Given the current circumstances, the answer was clear whether he saw it or not. Ji Shifeng was definitely the one playing on Su Ke’s account.

He would have to think of another way to bluff a confession out of his brother.

[Qin Si]: All right. Get some rest.

Ji Shileng replied with an “okay” and left the conversation there.

Opening the interstellar network, he found that the uproar had diminished considerably since Imperial Capital News’ director and owner had been arrested.

He browsed for a while without finding any ridiculous reports about himself, then suddenly remembered that he was back in the Federation.

No media outlet in the Federation dared invent stories about Ji Shileng.

The air grew colder, and drowsiness slowly crept over him. Ji Shileng stopped resisting and obediently took his crutch back inside.

It was past noon when Ji Shileng emerged from his heavy sleep. Pressing his slightly dizzy temples after sleeping too long, he sat up and waited for his head to clear.

Holding his head with one hand, he picked up the communicator from his bedside table and tapped it twice. The screen remained black.

Only then did he realize the battery was dead. He had forgotten to charge it the night before.

Pulling on a white T-shirt, he groggily plugged it in and went to the bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face finally cleared his head considerably.

Facing the spotless mirror, Ji Shileng studied his reflection.

He touched the corner of his eye, where water still lingered, and blinked softly.

Having spent most of the past few months indoors, rarely going out, his skin looked almost luminous beneath the water.

His peach-blossom eyes naturally held a smile. When he smiled, they curved slightly, ripples spreading through his dark irises with an almost unreal gentleness.

He wiped away the water and slowly went downstairs.

Seeing him without his crutch nearly scared the life out of the butler.