CH 18

Quick, come and confess.

Adhering to the mentality of “the earlier he went out, the better” for picking up garbage, Ji Chen Ai walked out while holding an umbrella.

After observing for a while, he basically knew the road nearby. They lived near public facilities that were relatively complete and with public security that was also good. Thus, the family could rest assured to let Ji Chen Ai go out alone.

The temperature today was hot; although it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon, the sun was still shining bright outside. At about 4 p.m, Ji Chen Ai came out from the house. He planned to pick up garbage for an hour and come back home to take a bath. After that, he would let Zhou Yaoyun push him out for a stroll.

Ji Chen Ai came out from the gate like this; wearing a pair of sunglasses and with an umbrella in hand. Xiao Qi expressed admiration for Ji Chen Ai’s perseverance and said, “My previous hosts wept and yelled that they don’t want to pick up trash, I didn’t expect……”

Ji Chen Ai said, “Didn’t expect that you would meet an environmentalist in your life.”

Xiao Qi had never thought that there would be a day when it would be left speechless by its host.

Holding an umbrella, Ji Chen Ai spent an hour picking up trash under the surge of heat waves. After he earned a dozen of positive energy, he was ready to go home, which was in another direction. Ji Chen Ai intended to go home as soon as possible to cool himself, so as to avoid Zhou Yaoyun discovering that he was still going out from home.

It just so happened that Ji Chen Ai’s road back home would pass through the gymnasium where Zhou Yaoyun played basketball. He was wheeling home from the sidewalk at the door, but suddenly he heard a loud noise.

Ji Chen Ai followed the source of the sound and saw several young boys in jerseys standing at the gate of the gymnasium. It seemed like they were arguing about something. Ji Chen Ai took a careful look and found in shock that among those people, there was his younger brother, Zhou Yaoyun. 

Ji Chen Ai’s location wasn’t far from the gate of the gymnasium, but it happened to be covered by a thick bush. He stopped at the same location, discerning the contents of the quarrel between those people and soon he understood what those people were quarreling about.

It turned out that someone was deliberately trying to find fault with Zhou Yaoyun and his gang. When playing in the gymnasium, they always smashed the ball to Zhou Yaoyun’s side of the court. Once or twice was fine, but after several more times, Zhou Yaoyun and his party became angry. They were all youngsters full of sap [1].  After a few words of disagreement, they almost started to directly raise their hands against each other.

[1] 血气方刚 [xuèqìfānggāng]: full of sap (idiom); young and vigorous

But Zhou Yaoyun still had some sense left and stopped his buddies.

Standing next to Zhou Yaoyun was a big-statured male student who had a loud voice, he said, “Zhou Yaoyun, don’t stop me, I really want to beat up this grandson today! F*ck, everyday he always bothers you, it’s so annoying!”

The person who was scolded as “grandson” by the big-statured male student also yelled, “Wang Yao, you come, if you don’t beat me up today, you are my grandson!”

Zhou Yaoyun angrily said, “Fu Angran, that’s enough! I would usually just let it go whenever you made trouble for me, but why the heck are you here today!” 

The schoolboy named Fu Angran was about the same size as Zhou Yaoyun and his appearance could be regarded as pure and handsome. But right now his face was merely full of anger, and he said: “Zhou Yaoyun, are you f*cking look down on Laozi [2]? Not playing basketball with Laozi [2] yet you play with these trash? Ha, I give you trouble, serve you right!”

[2] 老子[lǎozi]: father / daddy / “I, your father” (in anger, or out of contempt) / I (used arrogantly or jocularly)

In a short while, the smell of gunpowder [3] grew stronger and stronger among several people, it could be seen that they would start fighting anytime soon. 

[3] 火药味 [huǒyàowèi] smell of gunpowder / (fig.) combative tone / belligerence

Ji Chen Ai, who’s hiding behind the bush watching anxiously, couldn’t help with anything. He wanted to call the police but then he remembered that he forgot to bring his cellphone.

All of the sudden, Xiao Qi’s voice started to ring, “Fighting is a bad behaviour!”

Ji Chen Ai, “……So?”

Xiao Qi, “Stopping fights can increase the positive energy value, it is much faster than picking up garbage…..”

Ji Chen Ai looked at his thin arms and legs, and said, “If I run out and tell them not to fight, will they continue?”

Xiao Qi said, “They will knock you over first and then continue.”

Ji Chen Ai, “……So……”

It might be Ji Chen Ai’s illusion, but Xiao Qi’s next tone sounded like it had a kind of indescribable joy and bad taste, “According to the system’s judgment, it suggests turning on ‘The End of Liar’ skill to stop it!”

Ji Chen Ai, “……” He took a look at Zhou Yaoyun and the group of people who were ready to draw their sword and bend their bows [4]. Then he looked down at his immobile feet and said, “Enable ‘The End of Liar’.”

[4] 剑拔弩张 [jiànbánǔzhāng]: lit. with swords drawn and bows bent (idiom); fig. a state of mutual hostility / at daggers drawn. 

Xiao Qi began to giggle hehehe, and Ji Chen Ai made a face that showed that he really wanted to cover his ears.

Just ten seconds after Ji Chen Ai enabled his skill, the originally extremely critical situation had obtained a perfect solution, because Fu Angran, the one who was supposed to speak very rudely, roared, “Zhou Yaoyun, you blockhead, I asked myself why I want to trouble you, Laozi[2] likes you ah!”

That confession resounded through the air. If their jaws could fall off, everyone there would probably be jawless now– among them including Ji Chen Ai, who’s miserably hiding behind the bush.  

The painting style of the scene instantly changed as if going from a bloodthirsty, ruthless gangster film into a Korean love drama that made people blush and their hearts pound. Ji Chen Ai painfully covered his face, “I absolutely didn’t expect……”

Xiao Qi said, “En—-”

However, this was just the beginning of the Korean drama. Due to the attack range of Ji Chen Ai’s skill, everyone happily ‘opened their hearts and confined to each other’. For example, Wang Yao, the big-statured schoolboy who had aggressively confronted Fu Angran, and had been unwilling to back down from his stance, sneered and said, “Fu Angran, you only know how to find Zhou Yaoyun to play basketball, why aren’t you looking for me instead?”

Zhou Yaoyun, “……”

Fu Angran, “……”

Is it really OK for you to say such subtle words with such a sarcastic expression?

Wang Yao’s face turned red instantly after he spoke; fortunately, his skin was tan, it was hard to see it…….

There were still some people in Zhou Yaoyun’s group who had wanted to speak harshly, but as soon as they spoke out, it turned into: “I don’t want to fight. Last time, I had a headache for half a month. I don’t know how long it will hurt this time……” More and more people said similar things, then the crowd became strangely silent.

The hot-blooded youngsters who had seemed like they were ready to fight anytime slowly lowered their head, and looked at their shoes. Unexpectedly, no one spoke anymore.

Ji Chen Ai felt that if he were one of them, he would dig a hole to bury himself in.

Finally, Zhou Yaoyun came to a conclusion, he said: “Today… Let’s break it up first.”

The crowd nodded slowly; their movements were very slow, as if they had been afraid of nodding too quickly or saying things that shouldn’t be said.

Fu Angran had for long now psyched himself up to pretend nothing had happened, so he just hissed and said, “We’re leaving.”

After he said that, Fu Angran and the other few people who had just barely played basketball, took a heavy step and walked far away from there. Ji Chen Ai looked at their backs, and he deeply felt that those backs showed a kind of vicissitude and desolation.

These were all instigated by Xiao Qi! Ji Chen Ai would like to express his sympathy to several people, but the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but bend up.

Xiao Qi, “Just laugh if you want to laugh.”

Ji Chen Ai said in a low-pitched voice: “You have seen through me…”

Xiao Qi, “Because if you dont laugh now, you won’t be able to do it later.”

After hearing those words, Ji Chen Ai was stunned. However, he soon understood Xiao Qi’s meaning. The people in front of the stadium would naturally head home after dealing with Fu Angran’s matter, and their direction was towards where Ji Chen Ai was hiding now.

Ji Chen Ai couldn’t imagine what would be exposed if Zhou Yaoyun found him here. So, he made a prompt decision, “Enable ‘Invincible fly fly fly legs’!”

Xiao Qi, “You are missing one word……”

Ji Chen Ai’s expression was twisted as he redressed his sentence, “Enable Invincible fly fly fly fly legs!

As soon as his words fell, Ji Chen Ai stood up directly from the wheelchair, then swiftly fled from that site with his wheelchair on his shoulders, the only fly in the ointment [5] was that……He didn’t control his strength in the first two steps and broke two bricks again.

[5] 美中不足 [měizhōngbùzú]: everything is fine except for one small defect (idiom); the fly in the ointment

Zhou Yaoyun walked slowly; he seemed absent-minded but in reality, he had been observing the situation around him since the beginning. However, even until he got to the station, he didn’t see the person he had wanted to find.

Zhou Yaoyun narrowed his eyes, picked up his mobile phone and made a call to his family’s landline — as expected, no one answered. Zhou Yaoyun pursed his lips and followed the crowd to the public bus.

✬✬

Due to what happened today, Zhou Yaoyun and several others’ moods were particularly awkward and it’s not as noisy as usual. Everyone seemed to be very afraid to talk. They were either playing with their mobile phones with their heads down, or dozing off, or turning to look at the scenery outside the window

How could Zhou Yaoyun not be aware of what these people were thinking? He looked at the bright sunshine outside the window and thought about his own affairs in silence.

Ji Chen Ai ran like mad and rushed home after leaving the scene. He knew that usually Zhou Yaoyun and his friend would go  for a drink and take a break, but since there was an accident today, it would be different. If by any chance Zhou Yaoyun came back ahead of time, he would be miserable. 

It only took Ji Chen Ai 40 minutes to reach home. He put the wheelchair in the bathroom, looked for a change of clothes, and wanted to take a bath in a hurry.

However, just as Ji Chen Ai was about to clean up, the bathroom’s doors were knocked.

Faintly he could hear Zhou Yaoyun’s voice coming from the door, “Brother, are you in there?”

Ji Chen Ai hummed in agreement.

Zhou Yaoyun said, “Are you taking a bath? I want to come in and use the toilet.”　

Ji Chen Ai didn’t lock the door for convenience. He hesitated for a moment listening to Zhou Yaoyun’s question, but then he agreed. Anyway, Zhou Yaoyun often helped him take a bath, and they were both men……Wait a minute…….

Ji Chen Ai’s face stiffened for a bit. Before, he unconsciously thought that he didn’t need to be concerned because they were both men, but now he inexplicably felt……. that it would probably be better to have a bit of reservations after all.

But Zhou Yaoyun obviously didn’t know Ji Chen Ai’s train of thoughts, because after he got Ji Chen Ai’s permission, he came in and took his pants off naturally.

Ji Chen Ai lay in the bathtub, pretending as though he was admiring the scenery to avoid looking at Zhou Yaoyun.

After going to the toilet, Zhou Yaoyun turned and looked at Ji Chen Ai, “Brother, why are you suddenly thinking of taking a bath?”

Ji Chen Ai said, “It’s hot……”

Zhou Yaoyun said, “So brother still went out?” His eyesight left Ji Chen Ai and looked at the shirt that had been used earlier on the side, “The clothes are drenched with sweat.”

Ji Chen Ai, “Haha, haha.”

However, Zhou Yaoyun didn’t say much. He walked to the door and helped Ji Chen Ai close the bathroom door, then he said, “When going out, brother must pay attention to safety.”

Ji Chen Ai, “……”_(:з」∠)_ Lovely younger brother, you are angry, right?