LRAPTC Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Substitute (4)

On the appointed day, Ji Yuanan and Shen Jue arrived as planned. They walked into the store side by side, attracting a lot of attention. Guided by a waiter, they entered a private room.

Seeing the two of them appear at the door together, Zeng Qi’s eyes visibly lit up.

“Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way.” Shen Jue took the initiative to apologize to everyone, and then introduced, “Ji Yuanan, my…lover.” It was the first time introducing Ji Yuanan like this, and Shen Jue wasn’t used to it yet.

“It’s okay! We’re still ordering.” Zeng Qi smiled and invited, “Shen Jue, do you want to take a look at what you want to eat?”

You guys can order whatever you want, I’m fine with anything. Shen Jue originally wanted to say this. But Ji Yuanan, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up, “Can I order for Shen Jue?”

“Absolutely.” Zeng Qi smiled and emphasized her tone, “Please, both of you, take a seat quickly.”

So the two of them sat down, and Ji Yuanan leaned close to Shen Jue’s ear and whispered, “Do you have any food restrictions?”

No, Shen Jue replied silently. Ji Yuanan nodded, checked a few dishes on the menu, and handed it to Zeng Qi.

Shen Jue wasn’t very comfortable in crowded situations. He didn’t join in the chat, while Ji Yuanan skillfully handled the questions coming from all directions. Shen Jue didn’t pay attention to the topics being discussed and gradually began to drift off.

Ji Yuanan seemed accustomed to Shen Jue’s wandering mind. He simply touched his face lightly and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Suddenly touched, Shen Jue subconsciously turned to look at the person beside him. The surroundings were noisy. It seemed like something funny had been mentioned, and Zeng Qi giggled. They stared at each other in a corner that no one paid attention to, and for a moment, it was as if all the noise had been shut out.

Shen Jue suddenly remembered an article he had read about Ji Yuanan not long ago. It said: In the process of chatting with Ji Yuanan, I always feel very comfortable. His attentive listening gives me a sense of being respected.

And now, Ji Yuanan was tilting his head slightly, patiently waiting for his answer. He was being treated seriously by Ji Yuanan.

The dishes were brought up by the waiter one after another. Zeng Qi called everyone to eat. Shen Jue regained his senses, shook his head, and decided to tell the truth, “I was daydreaming.”

Ji Yuanan then smiled very softly.

During the meal, it was still noisy. Shen Jue didn’t participate, just ate quietly. He tasted all the dishes on the table, and after tasting each one, he gave a short comment in his heart. This meat is a little overcooked, that one has too much salt, the one from before was okay… Ji Yuanan put a piece of fish in his bowl. This fish is quite tender.

Ji Yuanan’s actions were natural and practiced, as if he had done it thousands of times. Shen Jue thought that he should also learn from Ji Yuanan and put food in Ji Yuanan’s bowl. So he chose a dish that he thought tasted pretty good and put it in Ji Yuanan’s bowl, silently telling Ji Yuanan: This is delicious.

Zeng Qi, who was sitting across from them, was forced to watch the entire process of their interaction. She couldn’t help but complain, “You two are too much. You’re constantly flirting! I can’t take it anymore. My eyes are about to be blinded!”

Shen Jue began to wonder if his actions were too intimate, making everyone around him unable to watch. He would try to improve next time.

The dinner was coming to an end, and everyone had drunk some wine. The atmosphere was just right. Zeng Qi clapped her hands and decided, “Let’s play Truth or Dare.” After speaking, she winked mischievously at Shen Jue.

“Everyone should know the rules, right? If you don’t want to answer or complete the task, then drink three glasses of wine.” She paused and then announced, “Then let’s start.”

Actually, Shen Jue didn’t like this game. He didn’t like Dare, and he didn’t like completing various strange tasks. He was a very boring person, and there were no interesting answers to Truth questions. Fortunately, his luck had always been good. He hoped that this good luck would continue tonight.

But he didn’t get his wish. He and Ji Yuanan didn’t seem to have very good luck tonight. Shen Jue refused to answer questions related to Ji Yuanan. He didn’t have anything to say. He and Ji Yuanan were just the most ordinary friends. They didn’t like each other, and the closeness between them was all fake.

Shen Jue chose to drink, not mentioning those answers. He had barely finished three glasses of wine when he heard Ji Yuanan next to him say, word by word, “I choose Truth.”

Shen Jue put down the glass and listened for the question.

“Who confessed first?” Like the question he had just been asked, Shen Jue couldn’t understand everyone’s obsession with their relationship issues.

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Yuanan then smiled. He admitted, “It was me.”

As soon as Ji Yuanan finished speaking, some people showed surprised expressions. Shen Jue turned to look at him. Ji Yuanan had a faint smile on his lips. Shen Jue couldn’t imagine that Ji Yuanan could say nonexistent lies without changing his expression. Ji Yuanan’s acting was so good that even Shen Jue was almost deceived by him.

The game continued, and Shen Jue unknowingly drank too much. He was a little dizzy, and he listened dully to the sounds around him. Later, everyone was able to piece together the beginning and end of their love story from the fragmented answers to the questions—a false story.

Everyone believed it, but only the two of them knew that they hadn’t actually met in high school. Ji Yuanan might have really been attracted to someone at the time, but it was definitely not Shen Jue. They were just two strangers who were forced to be tied together, and they had only known each other for a short time.

Someone couldn’t help but sigh, “You guys got married so early.”

“I proposed it. I wanted to do it sooner,” Ji Yuanan said.

This sentence was completely outside of the game questions. Shen Jue looked at the ring on his hand and briefly remembered the day he received the engagement news.

Ji Yuanan added him and sent him a “hello” in a very official tone. That should have been their first conversation.

After the game ended, someone suggested going to KTV to sing later. Zeng Qi looked at the slow-moving Shen Jue and was a little annoyed. “Crap.” She muttered to herself, “Shen Jue can’t drink much. I accidentally gave him too much tonight.”

“Then I’ll take him back first. You guys be careful,” Ji Yuanan said, getting up to say goodbye.

He helped Shen Jue out of his seat. Shen Jue was very well-behaved when he was drunk, and he was led out slowly by Ji Yuanan. They stopped at the entrance of the store. Ji Yuanan whispered to Shen Jue, “I’ve already called a taxi. Can you wait here for a moment?”

Shen Jue nodded, his eyes fixed on Ji Yuanan. Ji Yuanan was wearing a pure black turtleneck today, as if he was about to melt into the thick night. For no reason, Shen Jue remembered the face in his dream, which gradually overlapped with Ji Yuanan in front of him. He thought that perhaps he and Ji Yuanan had met a long time ago, but he had forgotten it later.

He put his hand on Ji Yuanan’s cheek, then leaned forward, forcing Ji Yuanan to look at him. Ji Yuanan was a little caught off guard by his sudden movement and could only helplessly look at him. Ji Yuanan’s pupils were very, very dark, like a cloud of black mist that couldn’t be dissolved, and even he was swallowed up.

Seemingly very satisfied with Ji Yuanan’s obedience, Shen Jue smiled, and in the next second, he asked without thinking, “Have we met before?”

The street lights stretched their shadows very long. The two black shadows were close together, overlapping each other. Shen Jue was still holding Ji Yuanan’s face, quietly waiting for his answer.

A car passed them. After a few seconds, Ji Yuanan finally said, “You’re drunk.” His tone was steady, stating a fact.

Shen Jue reluctantly lowered his hand, thinking that he was probably really drunk to be caught up in these messy thoughts and unable to think rationally anymore. He frowned slightly and didn’t dwell on the question just now. He leaned straight onto Ji Yuanan’s shoulder, muttering unconsciously, “A little uncomfortable…”

“Yeah. I know.” Ji Yuanan replied quickly, then gently comforted him, “Can you wait a little longer? The car will be here soon.”

Shen Jue buried himself in Ji Yuanan’s shoulder, not answering. They stood there quietly, like two statues. Ji Yuanan’s appearance was really eye-catching. Some people glanced at them quietly before looking away. Shen Jue couldn’t see. He heard the horn sounding one after another. Vehicles were constantly passing by them. Those sounds were transmitted to Shen Jue’s ears through a layer of transparent substance, distorting them.

Shen Jue’s silence continued until they got into the car. Ji Yuanan once thought that Shen Jue had fallen asleep. Shen Jue obediently got into the car by himself, and Ji Yuanan closed the door.

The car started, and Shen Jue looked out the window. The street scenes were constantly retreating in his eyes. The speed was too fast, and the lights were blurred and unrecognizable. Their legs accidentally touched each other, then separated in the next second.

In the rare quiet time, Shen Jue began to list his unqualified behavior tonight—sometimes too intimate, sometimes too distant. Shen Jue had never received relevant training, and no one had told him, so he always did it badly.

But Ji Yuanan was much more experienced than him. He recalled what Ji Yuxin had told him, thinking that perhaps that story didn’t necessarily have no prototype. Ji Yuanan might have taken one of his past experiences and put it on them, making slight changes that would be enough to make people believe it.

The car stopped at the gate, and the two got out of the car. Shen Jue followed behind Ji Yuanan in small steps, and the room finally lit up. Ji Yuanan pushed Shen Jue toward the sofa and said, “Sit down and rest for a while. I’ll go cook hangover soup.”

Just like that, Shen Jue tried hard not to fall asleep so quickly. He looked up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling and felt a little dizzy. Finally, Ji Yuanan came out with the freshly cooked hangover soup and placed it on the coffee table.

Shen Jue held it and took a small sip, and said “thank you” to Ji Yuanan. Ji Yuanan asked him, “Are you still uncomfortable?”

The worry on Ji Yuanan’s face didn’t seem fake. Shen Jue was stunned, not expecting Ji Yuanan to still remember his incoherent statement just now. It was just an unimportant complaint. Shen Jue was used to being ignored by others and not getting a response, so he learned to comfort himself. And Ji Yuanan’s concern was like Shen Jue talking to himself in an empty room for a long time every day, and suddenly one day, he got an echo.

“Thank you, I’m feeling much better now,” Shen Jue said.

Only then did Ji Yuanan feel relieved. At ten o’clock, they said good night to each other at the staircase and went back to their respective rooms.

Shen Jue turned on the light in the bedroom, and the entire room was instantly bathed in a dim yellow light. Through the window, Shen Jue could see the camphor trees standing quietly next to the house, their leaves swaying in the wind, making a slight sound. He was no longer sleepy at this time.

When they said goodbye just now, Shen Jue saw Ji Yuanan hesitate several times, not speaking for a long time. He thought that Ji Yuanan must be very tired tonight, so he took the liberty of saying “good night” first. Ji Yuanan was a little surprised, but he quickly replied “good night.”

The entire house was completely quiet. After turning off the lights, Shen Jue was wrapped in the blanket, clearing his mind and forcing himself to fall asleep. But he kept thinking about Ji Yuanan standing at the staircase, staring at him intently, looking like he had a lot of things he wanted to say to him. Perhaps he should have asked him directly just now.