CH 4.3

…

Song Shiyu deleted all of the harsh words he had typed out before finally responding with a simple ‘That’s all’ with a deep frown. He tossed his phone aside afterward, as if trying to keep it out of his line of sight.

Something had gone wrong with him ever since his last meeting with Ji Fanyin.

In the past, he only liked Ji Fanyin for her face, thinking how good it was that Ji Xinxin had a twin sister in the world. However, as soon as Ji Fanyin started moving or talking, the difference would be immediately made apparent.

He knew logically that Ji Fanyin wasn’t Ji Xinxin, but the three hours he spent together with Ji Fanyin… it was as if Ji Xinxin was right beside him.

After Ji Fanyin walked away that day, he felt so frustrated that he nearly smashed the restaurant’s cup.

The following day, he found himself inexplicably reaching for his phone and dialing Ji Xinxin’s number. It took two tries before she finally picked up.

Her voice was as cheerful and relaxing as ever. “Shiyu, you were looking for me?”

“Yeah…” There was a momentary pause from Song Shiyu before he continued on, “There’s something I have been hiding from you all this while. Your big sister likes me. She confessed to me once before.”

“How could that—” exclaimed Ji Xinxin in horror. A moment later, she murmured in self-reproach, “You confessed to me that day before I left for Paris… My big sister must be devastated! If only I knew, I would have…”

“You don’t need to do anything. She knows that I like you, and she has accepted what I was going to do that day,” Song Shiyu consoled his kind crush. “You don’t have to feel guilt-ridden. I just thought that you should know about this after some thought.”

Ji Xinxin was silent for a while before heaving a long sigh.

“So my older sister likes you,” she muttered softly.

“But you’re the only one I like,” replied Song Shiyu.

The moment he said those words, he felt the heaviness that had been weighing down his heart all this while leaving him, as if he had been freed of his burdens.

Indeed, the only one I like is Ji Xinxin.

Two days later, Song Shiyu received a call from Ji Xinxin.

With a choked-up voice, she cried, “I spoke to my big sister. She said that she still likes you… Shiyu, can you stop liking me? I don’t want my big sister to be unhappy.”

Song Shiyu was at a loss for words for a long time. “I’m sorry, Xinxin. I can fulfill any other requests that you have, but I can’t do that for you.”

When he finally hung up the call, he felt like he could almost taste a faint metallic smell at the back of his throat, as if someone had pounded his chest with a sledgehammer.

I can’t contact Ji Fanyin anymore. Ji Xinxin will get mad if she finds out about it.

With such thoughts in mind, Song Shiyu endured for a day.

Yes, just one day.

…

Just one day, for one last time. I’ll really break things off with her after that.

It was with such thoughts in mind that he finally dialled Ji Fanyin’s number and said, “… Tomorrow, I’ll reserve you for the entire day.”