CH 17

To Persevere Everyday

It happened so suddenly that almost everyone couldn’t understand what had happened.

As everyone stared blankly at the thieves kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and admitting their mistakes, some of them even took out their cell phones to call the police. Meanwhile, Zhou Yaoyun, who went to buy tickets, came back.

With three tickets in his hand, he went to Zhou Leling and asked, “Xiao Ling, what’s going on?”

Zhou Leling was also bewildered. “I don’t know…” Then she told Zhou Yaoyun what had happened.

After listening to Zhou Leling’s narration, Zhou Yaoyun wasn’t surprised, then he directly said, “Now that everything is resolved, let’s go. I’ve bought the tickets.”　　

Zhou Leling affirmed, then seeing how Zhou Yaoyun was already pushing Ji Chen Ai and was ready to leave, she also hurriedly followed after the two people. When the crowd saw that the relevant party had left, most of them also gradually left. However, some people did not disperse until the police finally took away the thieves who were still kneeling on the ground.

It was a trivial matter that didn’t seem to have set off any waves in the world.

Zhou Yaoyun pushed Ji Chen Ai’s wheelchair into the park. Zhou Leling, who was originally an active person, kept on chattering, it seemed like she was still immersed in the scene from just now.

Zhou Yaoyun asked Zhou Leling what she wanted to play, Zhou Leling naturally chose her favorite roller coaster. However, she secretly looked at Ji Chen Ai while choosing and seemed to be struggling whether to go or not.

Yet, Ji Chen Ai only nodded, and said, “Go, I will wait for you two on the side.”

After hearing this from Ji Chen Ai, Zhou Yaoyun asserted, “I don’t like to ride roller coasters, the two of us will wait for you on the side.”

If it was on a regular day, Zhou Leling would’ve definitely started acting spoiled, requesting Zhou Yaoyun to accompany her, but today was an exception. Zhou Leling took a look at Zhou Yaoyun, then at Ji Chen Ai, before agreeing.

Zhou Leling didn’t like this brother who was known as Zhou Yaoqin. Compared to Zhou Yaoyun, he was too gloomy. Although his face was good, he had a sensitive personality and could lose his temper quite easily. Zhou Leling could remember clearly that one day when she came to play at Zhou’s house, she saw Zhou Yaoqin smash a bowl directly on the ground and the broken pieces of porcelain scattered everywhere, nearly having scratched Zhou Yaoyun’s eyes

Zhou Yaoqin’s parents were also very used to it because of his legs. So seeing this, they just stood by in silence, allowing Zhou Yaoqin to vent his emotions with a sharp voice. And the Zhou Yaoyun whom she liked just stood there silently. There was no smile on his face, but there was indifference in his eyes.

So it was hard for Zhou Leling to like this kind of person, but today’s Zhou Yaoqin was very different. He actually stood up when someone bullied her. Although this incident ended in a very absurd way, it did not prevent Zhou Leling’s impression of Zhou Yaoqin from changing. She had to admit that when Zhou Yaoqin patted her on the back and told her it was ok, her first thought was to cry in his arms.

⧭⧭

There were a lot of people who wanted to ride the roller coaster, so the line was particularly long. The mood between the three of them was somewhat frozen, but Zhou Yaoyun, contrary from how he usually didn’t seem to care about Ji Chen Ai when they were at home, had his hands resting on Ji Chen Ai’s shoulders. 

Facing Zhou Yaoyun’s change of attitude, Ji Chen Ai didn’t dare to ask why. He had only extracted part of Zhou Yaoqin’s memory, so he was afraid of asking too many questions that might lead him to reveal his cloven foot [1].

[1]露出马脚 [lùchūmǎjiǎo]: to reveal the cloven foot (idiom); to unmask one’s true nature / to give the game away

Today, Ji Chen Ai had been too impulsive in using the stealer’s regret in front of so many people. But he didn’t want to see Zhou Leling do a good deed yet end up being bullied instead. That would make him think of himself.

After becoming disabled from trying to save someone, what Ji Chen Ai faced was not only sympathy but also even ridicule from the people around him. Whenever he hears others take his story as a joke, Ji Chen Ai even wished he could rush up to beat them up, but he can’t do that because he’s sitting in a wheelchair, where he couldn’t even stand up.

Ji Chen Ai didn’t want Zhou Leling to no longer dare to do good deeds afterwards, so he finally chose to use the skill.

Xiao Qi understood Ji Chen Ai’s worries quite well, so it said very bluntly, “You don’t have to worry too much. In the future, the range of your skills will become wider. When you reach level five in positive energy, the range can even include this entire planet.”

Ji Chen Ai asked, “Then what skills do you have to help me keep from being noticed?”

Xiao Qi said very good-naturedly, “Of course there are some. In order to protect the host, allowing the host to continue to do good deeds, the developer has developed a fuzzy system. However, your level is still too low. When you reach about level two, you will be able to open it.”

Hearing this from Xiao Qi, Ji Chen Ai felt relieved. His previous skills were used on perverts like Liu Ziming and children of only a few years old. Even if he had used them once in front of Zhou Yaoyun’s classmates, it had seemed to have nothing to do with him, but this time, he used the stealer’s regret in full view of the public. Naturally, he needed to be a bit more careful than before, so that no one would notice.

After waiting in line for an hour, it was finally Zhou Leling’s turn to get on the roller coaster. After she got on, Zhou Yaoyun pushed Ji Chen Ai to the exit to wait for her.

On the way walking there, Zhou Yaoyun suddenly asked, “Brother, do you know what happened to those people just now?”

After hearing this, the first thought that came to Ji Chen Ai’s mind was that Zhou Yaoyun was doubting him, so he replied, “How would I know.”

Zhou Yaoyun heard Ji Chen Ai’s words and explained, “I’m very worried about Brother.”

Ji Chen Ai let out an “En.”

Zhou Yaoyun lowered his head and whispered towards Ji Chen Ai’s ears, “I truly, really like you, Brother.”

Ji Chen Ai slightly frowned. He knew that Zhou Yaoyun wasn’t lying when he said he liked him, because the last time he opened the skill ‘the end of the liars’, Zhou Yaoyun had already clearly said: “I like Brother.” [refer chapter 13]

But according to Zhou Leling, Zhou Yaoqin had developed incestuous feelings towards Zhou Yaoyun which Zhou Yaoyun obviously knew about, so then, why had the other said something that could so easily be misunderstood towards him?

Before Ji Chen could think of the answer, Zhou Leling already came back. Her hair was now a bit messy from the wind, but her face was full of smiles. “Let’s go and play something else.”

This afternoon could be said to be a pleasant one. Although Ji Chen Ai only rode the ferris wheel once, Zhou Leling no longer continued to find fault with him and Zhou Yaoyun also reverted back to that gentle person he was at school.

But when they reached home,  Zhou Yaoyun again turned back to how he was before.

Zhou Yaoyun didn’t say a word to Ji Chen Ai throughout dinner. The parents also seemed to be used to this strange atmosphere between Zhou Yaoyun and Zhou Yaoqin, and didn’t say anything about it.

That night, Ji Chen Ai laid in the bed as he looked up at the ceiling. Since returning home, Ji Chen Ai did everything himself, be it taking a bath or something else.  Zhou Yaoyun had asked him if he needed help but after he refused, Zhou Yaoyun never asked again. 

Ji Chen Ai thought it was strange, but according to Zhou Leling, everyone in the family knew that he liked Zhou Yaoyun, so it seemed normal for Zhou Yaoyun to treat him coldly. After all, if they really were blood-related brothers, then it would have been absolutely impossible for them to be together.

When Ji Chen Ai was about to fall asleep, Xiao Qi told him that he made more than 200 positive energy today. He also said that the police dug up a theft gang according to the thieves’ confessions, and that it would probably be announced in a few days. The deeper they dig, the greater the number of thieves they would catch, and greater the energy Ji Chen Ai would get.

Ji Chen Ai suddenly asked, “Why would catching some petty thief change someone’s life trajectory?”

Xiao Qi answered, “There is someone who will be taking an important exam tomorrow, but his wallet was stolen with his ID card inside.”

Ji Chen Ai asked, “What would happen if he didn’t go for the exam?”

Xiao Qi said, “If he didn’t go to the exam, he would be killed by a runaway truck at the school gate tomorrow afternoon.”

Ji Chen Ai was stunned. He hadn’t thought that a small wallet would change so many things. He asked again, “Will someone’s fate become worse because of this?”

Xiao Qi replied, “Naturally not. Otherwise, what do you think all the collected positive energy is for?”

Ji Chen Ai said, “…The collected positive energy is used to change destiny?”

Xiao Qi said, “To be exact, it’s used to change fate that has been affected by negative energy.”

After listening to these words, Ji Chen Ai was suddenly a little bit curious. What kind of a person made Xiao Qi? Was he full of love for the world, or had he been completely disappointed in this world?

However the answer for this question was too far from Ji Chen Ai, so he only pondered for a moment and dazedly fell asleep.

A mere week later, Xiao Qi’s prediction came true.

About a week after the park incident, Ji Chen Ai saw on TV that the police had knocked down a large theft gang. At present, the main suspect has already been controlled, and they managed to find this gang due to the proactiveness of the public in reporting crime.

Ji Chen Ai surmised that probably even the police didn’t understand why while who they caught were a few petty thieves, these people ended up outing the gang’s superior. 

Stealing was just a small crime, but if there was a large-scale organization involved, the sentencing wouldn’t be as simple.

Ji Chen Ai was having breakfast when he saw the news. Zhou Yaoyun was sitting opposite him, wearing a set of jerseys, bending over to tie his shoelaces — these shoes were the pair he had given the other.

Although he was home now, Zhou Yaoyun still had to practice basketball every day. Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian had long gone to work, leaving only the two of them at home.

When Zhou Yaoyun saw that Ji Chen Ai was watching TV, he called out, “Brother, I’m going.”

Ji Chen Ai nodded.

Zhou Yaoyun hesitated for a moment. “Brother, are you going out later?”

Ji Chen Ai took a look at Zhou Yaoyun. “En, I’ll be fine.” He thought that Zhou Yaoyun was worried about him being home all alone.

Zhou Yaoyun saw Ji Chen Ai’s expression and seemed to understand what Ji Chen Ai was thinking. He sighed, “I’m not worried about you here all alone. I’m afraid you’ll go out and bask in the sun.” He then looked out of the window at the bright sunshine.

The temperature here could reach 37 to 38 degrees in mid-July. They were playing basketball indoors, but Ji Chen Ai wasn’t someone who could just sit still. If he can’t go out for even a day, he would feel uncomfortable.

Ji Chen Ai also felt that the temperature was a bit high, so he relented, “Fine then, I’ll go out in the evening.”

Zhou Yaoyun nodded. “Good, I’ll come back early today. I’ll push you out when the sun’s going down.”

Ji Chen Ai agreed. He watched Zhou Yaoyun head out of the door, then he turned and entered the bedroom. He took out an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses.

Xiao Qi helplessly advised, “It’s so hot, just forget about it today.”

Ji Chen Ai said, “No! I’ll stick to it!”

Xiao Qi, “…..” This is the first time I met a host who likes to pick up garbage this much, my mood is very complicated.

The author has something to say

Ji Chen Ai: Hello everyone, I’m the the prince of garbage.