LRAPTC Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Birthday (4)

Shen Jue stared intently at Ji Yuanan, unwilling to miss any expression on Ji Yuanan’s face. He saw Ji Yuanan’s momentary surprise, but he didn’t immediately take the bouquet of flowers.

Shen Jue felt as if he had gone through the longest few seconds of his life. He thought that he was indeed too impulsive, maybe Ji Yuanan didn’t want to accept the flowers he had given at all. He had unilaterally created this awkward situation.

It doesn’t matter if he can’t give it away. Shen Jue would take back the flowers—it couldn’t get any more embarrassing anyway. He comforted himself in this way. But to his surprise, in the moment before he was about to withdraw his hand, Ji Yuanan seemed to sense his intention and took the bouquet of Juice Balcony roses, carefully placing it against his chest.

Then he looked down at it. After a few more seconds, he looked up and said to Shen Jue, “Thank you for the flowers. They are a very beautiful color, I like them very much.”

Shen Jue didn’t pay much attention to Ji Yuanan’s thanks, only the word “like” resonated and swayed in his chest. It was clear that Ji Yuanan was just politely saying that he liked the flowers, but he suddenly didn’t dare to look Ji Yuanan in the eyes.

Ji Yuanan looked at the roses again and asked him, “What kind of flower is this?”

“The shop assistant helped me choose it, it seems to be called Juice Balcony, I think.” Shen Jue’s gaze drifted to the floor-to-ceiling window to the right, pretending to admire the scenery outside.

Ji Yuanan couldn’t be seen showing any signs of anger now. He looked at Shen Jue’s profile and said the invitation he had already prepared, “A new shopping mall has opened nearby, and I heard that there’s a very delicious restaurant inside, would you like to try it for lunch today?”

He should have refused, Shen Jue thought, sitting in the restaurant. This newly opened restaurant was located in a lakeside mall with a beautiful environment, and with the new opening, there were many customers. They were lucky enough to get a window seat.

But they had just ordered, and regret was useless. Shen Jue propped his head on his hand and looked out the window, sighing softly and comforting himself with a bit of gallows humor: at least the environment here is very good.

Ji Yuanan asked him seemingly casually, “Where did you go this morning?”

“I went to the airport to see a friend off.” Shen Jue didn’t turn his head, still looking out the window, at the glittering lake.

Ji Yuanan followed up, “Is it Yu Zhuo?”

“Yes.” Shen Jue nodded. Hearing this, Ji Yuanan exclaimed in surprise, “I didn’t expect him to leave so soon.”

“Because the art exhibition is over.” Shen Jue explained.

Ji Yuanan looked particularly regretful, as if, unknown to Shen Jue, he had already developed a close friendship with Yu Zhuo and was now sad that he couldn’t see off his good friend.

Shen Jue didn’t want to continue this topic, so he asked, “Did you encounter any difficulties this morning? You don’t seem to be in a good state.”

“Is it related to work?” This was the only thing he could think of. “If you don’t mind… you can tell me about it, maybe I can help you.”

“Not really.” Ji Yuanan shook his head and added, “It’s okay. It’s perfectly resolved now.”

As he spoke, the drinks they had ordered were brought up by the waiter. Shen Jue took the vanilla milkshake he had ordered, said “thank you” with a smile, and then took a big sip through the straw. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ji Yuanan across from him staring at him silently, the juice in front of him untouched, without taking a single sip.

Without the lenses blocking his eyes, Ji Yuanan’s gaze was even more direct and ardent, making Shen Jue’s heart skip a beat. He endured Ji Yuanan’s gaze and casually moved the glass of milkshake forward a little, asking softly, “Do you want to try some?”

Ji Yuanan also pushed the cantaloupe juice in front of him forward, concisely saying, “Exchange.”

They each exchanged straws and tasted each other’s drinks. Then, the waiter brought over the lunch, and they switched back to their own drinks and began to eat.

Ji Yuanan was still the driver on the way back. Gripping the steering wheel, Ji Yuanan asked Shen Jue if he would like to attend Ji Yuxin’s birthday party in a few days, his tone as light as if he were talking about the weather today.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Jue subconsciously turned his head to look at Ji Yuanan. He wanted to ask if he had the right to refuse and say “no,” because Ji Yuxin didn’t seem to like him very much, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

In the end, he only asked Ji Yuanan, “Do I need to prepare a gift?”

“So,” Zhao Youming stepped to Shen Jue’s side and handed him a glass of warm water, “you actually don’t want to go to that birthday party at all, but you didn’t refuse.”

Shen Jue took a sip and said slowly, “Well… it’s not that I don’t want to go at all.” He thought for a moment and changed to a more euphemistic way of saying it: “It’s mainly because I feel like his sister doesn’t like me very much.”

“I think she may have misunderstood something, so she is hostile to me. She tried to provoke me with words before, to make me take the initiative to stay away from her brother.”

“I can’t take it anymore.” Zhao Youming questioned, “Are there any normal people in their family?”

Shen Jue didn’t speak, staring at the photographic work hanging on the wall not far away.

The owner of the work questioned, “You’re not going to prepare a birthday present for his sister, are you?”

Holding the glass, Shen Jue shook his head and said, “I don’t need to do that. He told me that we can give one gift together.”

This time it was Zhao Youming’s turn to be silent. He thought for a while, and suddenly called out his friend’s name with a heavy expression, then he suggested, “Why don’t you just divorce Ji Yuanan?”

“Stop playing those boring stand-in games with Ji Yuanan, you kick him out today when you get back, and then I’ll take you away and you can find a new obedient and well-behaved one, you can have any type you want, or I can help you find one, what do you think?”

Shen Jue looked at his friend’s animated face and said, “I don’t think much of it.” He immediately poured a big bucket of cold water on him.

Zhao Youming was incredulous: “Are you already in love to this extent?”

Shen Jue said “no,” quickly denying it, his expression helpless. He wouldn’t say “love” to Ji Yuanan, because the word love was too solemn, with a kind of determination that it had to be that person, but Shen Jue didn’t think he had reached the point where it had to be Ji Yuanan.

He just liked him a little bit.

Shen Jue didn’t know if Zhao Youming had heard it in the end. In the end, he was still dragged to the bar opened by Song Jing by Zhao Youming. Maybe there will be unexpected surprises, Zhao Youming said to Shen Jue the second before he pushed open the bar door.

Then, in the next moment, Zhao Youming’s voice was drowned out by the noisy cheers that came at him. The band was about to start playing. They walked forward a few steps, the cheers gradually receded like a tide, the guitarist first plucked the guitar strings, and Zhao Youming also hummed softly along with the tune.

Zhao Youming really has a soft spot for this bar. Shen Jue listened to the soothing melody and thought silently.

They found a place to sit down. Over there, the band’s lead singer had already started singing, and Zhao Youming could only lean close to his ear and say, “Try to forget him for a while.”

“It’s my treat tonight.” Zhao Youming quickly distanced himself from Shen Jue, adding with a smile.

But before Shen Jue could choose, the bartender in the store brought them two cocktails, leaving a message: “Our boss said that he’s treating you to these two drinks, and he also asked me to say hello to you both on his behalf.”

Shen Jue asked the bartender, “Is your manager here now?”

“Yes.”

So Shen Jue followed the bartender’s line of sight. Song Jing was sitting on a bar stool not far away, his hair was a little longer, he had a new hairstyle, and he looked radiant, as if he could blend into the resident band in the next second. He was now propping his head up with one hand, his eyebrows and eyes curved as he waved to Shen Jue. Zhao Youming looked stunned and subconsciously muttered, “When did you get to know the manager of this store?” His tone was shocked.

Shen Jue greeted Song Jing, sighed upon hearing this, and turned to explain, “The manager of this bar is Ji Yuanan’s friend.”

The bartender completed the task assigned by the boss, bowed slightly, left a sentence “I wish you both a pleasant meal,” and hurriedly left.

A few seconds later, Zhao Youming seemed to have finally digested this surprising fact, and said softly with emotion, “This world is so small.”

Shen Jue silently took a sip of his cocktail, without responding. Seeing this, Zhao Youming didn’t say anything else. The two of them just sat quietly listening to the music until the wine in their glasses was empty.

Later, Zhao Youming went to the bathroom, leaving Shen Jue alone. Shen Jue heard the band change a song, Wu Bai’s “Last Dance”. The lead singer’s low and hoarse voice floated into his ears. Shen Jue closed his eyes lightly, suddenly thinking that it would be nice to just sit like this until the end of time.

He was about to immerse himself in his own world, but he met an uninvited guest the moment he opened his eyes. A young man dressed in a flamboyant manner sat directly across from him, where Zhao Youming was originally sitting. Shen Jue saw him smiling and asking, “Handsome guy, are you alone too?”

Without waiting for Shen Jue to answer, he presumptuously wanted to reach out and touch Shen Jue. Shen Jue watched his malicious hand getting closer and closer to him, frowned upon seeing this, and intended to refuse.

In the next second, the man’s wrist was tightly gripped by a sudden hand, unable to move, and then the owner of that hand said coldly, “Sorry, this person is mine.”

The man scrutinized the two of them back and forth, his expression changing again and again, before sputtering out a swear word and slinking away. From beginning to end, Shen Jue didn’t have much reaction to this pick-up attempt, and didn’t look at anyone. That person then called out to Shen Jue.

Shen Jue finally turned to look at him. At this moment, the lead singer’s voice came faintly through the crowd: The love you give is a sweet hurt. Ji Yuanan, his sweet hurt, was standing in front of him at this moment. He wasn’t wearing a suit jacket, fully revealing his fitted vest, with every button buttoned up properly, he didn’t look like someone who would appear here at all. Shen Jue thought, Ji Yuanan shouldn’t be here.

So, Shen Jue told himself: Forget him.

Like Zhao Youming said, that sentence floated in Shen Jue’s mind. Forget him, don’t think of him.

But Ji Yuanan was still lingering in his sight. Even the illusion had become a sweet hurt. Shen Jue wanted to frown again. Ji Yuanan seemed to see through him, and took the initiative to cover his cheeks with his hands, asking softly, “Why do you look so unhappy?”