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Chapter 102: Young Master Ji

Every winter, around the final exams, was Mi Xue’s birthday. The little girl’s birthday was in the twelfth lunar month. If she was lucky, it would be just when the school had started its winter vacation. At that time, Mi Yang would spend several days with her, going to the zoo, the museum, and also taking her to the amusement park, buying a pass and staying there all day, until she had had her fill of fun.

This year was no exception. Mi Yang had prepared in advance and took her to the amusement park. Last year at this time, Mi Xue was not tall enough to ride the “Jungle Mouse,” but now she was over 1.2 meters. She had had Cheng Qing help her measure her height early in the morning to confirm it, and had confidently gone out with Mi Yang with her small schoolbag on her back.

Mi Yang and she were wearing matching brother-and-sister outfits. It was just that as soon as they arrived at the amusement park, Mi Xue had an extra pink cartoon hat. Mi Yang squatted down and adjusted it for her. “A gift for the little birthday girl.”

Mi Xue said, “Brother already gave me one last night!”

Mi Yang smiled. “This is an extra little gift.”

The little girl stood there and let her brother put it on for her, her little face flushed and very happy.

Mi Yang played with her for most of the day, and then Bai Luochuan’s call came. The amusement park was noisy. Mi Yang kept an eye on his little sister while talking to him. It took him a long time to explain his current location. Not long after he hung up, the young master Bai had found them.

The weather was a little cold. Bai Luochuan was wearing a pilot-style short bomber jacket. His hair was cut a little shorter, and he looked handsome with a youthful and unrestrained air. He looked around in the crowd for a few times and soon saw Mi Yang waving at him, and he strode towards him.

Bai Luochuan asked him, “How much longer are you going to play?”

Mi Yang showed him the cartoon wristband on his wrist and smiled. “It’s an all-day pass. It’ll be a long time. Why don’t you go and do other things first? We can go back in the evening.”

Bai Luochuan clicked his tongue, leaned against the railing, and looked at the colorful, flashing amusement park rides around them. “So troublesome. Forget it. I’ll stay with you.”

Mi Yang had also grown taller this year and was 1.7 meters. Bai Luochuan was still half a head taller than him. The two of them were waiting by the carousel, talking in low voices. From a distance, they looked very pleasing to the eye. They were both handsome young men, one tall and handsome, the other gentle and handsome.

Bai Luochuan lowered his head and complained about something to Mi Yang, and Mi Yang started to laugh. He was still holding a rather large pinwheel, which was spinning. His eyes were also curved, and he was very easy to like, just like before, without any aggression, and you could talk to him about anything with confidence.

When Mi Xue got off the carousel, she saw Bai Luochuan reaching out to fix her brother’s hair, tidying it up very naturally. When he saw her, he also tilted his chin. “Let’s go. On to the next one.”

That posture, it was as if he were the main character of the birthday, and her brother was here to accompany him to the amusement park.

The little girl felt a little competitive and said to Mi Yang, “Brother, I want to ride the carousel again.”

Mi Yang naturally doted on her and nodded. “Go on. I’ll wait for you here.”

Bai Luochuan’s arm was around Mi Yang’s shoulder. He leaned over and joked with him, “Why don’t you go too? I think that black one looks a lot like Wule. You can get used to it in advance, so you won’t be so nervous and dare not move every time you go back to ride during the holidays.”

The carousel was full of little girls. Mi Yang refused to go and shook his head with a smile. “Next time. You can just teach me more.”

The young master Bai loved to hear that and immediately nodded in agreement.

Mi Xue chose a pink little wooden horse and rode in circles, but she was still looking for her brother. The music in the amusement park was too loud, and she was far away, so she couldn’t hear what her brother was saying over there, but she could see him talking and laughing with someone. The little girl bit her lip, a little frustrated. She felt that she was probably not the number one in her brother’s heart anymore. She had to admit that her brother and Bai Luochuan were the best of friends.

It wasn’t just the little girl who had childish thoughts. The older childish child on the other side was also bargaining with Mi Yang.

Bai Luochuan squinted at the wooden horse and snorted. “You’ve been playing with Mi Xue for so long today. You have to spend the whole day with me during the New Year.”

Mi Yang said, “Why are you always competing with a child?”

The young master Bai didn’t think there was anything wrong and said righteously, “You only spent half an afternoon with me on my birthday. I don’t care. I’ve already asked Auntie Cheng. She said you’re not going back to your hometown this year and will only be back on the fifth day of the new year. You have to be with me during the New Year.”

Mi Yang thought for a moment. “Alright then.”

Bai Luochuan became happy and started to discuss with him where to go for the New Year. Mi Yang had a good temper and would go along with whatever he said. Occasionally, when Bai Luochuan asked him a question, he would have to think for half a day before he smiled and said, “I don’t know either. I used to go back to my hometown with my parents. If I have to choose… um, how about a countdown on Nanjing Road for New Year’s Eve?”

Bai Luochuan sneered. “A female classmate from your class said that, right?”

Mi Yang scratched the tip of his nose. “Everyone says that. Many people go there every year. I heard it’s very lively.”

Bai Luochuan wished he could hide him as soon as the holiday started and not let him see a single female classmate. How could he have the heart to join in the fun? He changed the subject with a few words. It just so happened that Mi Xue’s wooden horse had also stopped. After the little girl came out of the line, she came over to ask her brother for her big pinwheel, chattering like a lark as she talked to her brother.

“Brother, let me tell you about the constellations, okay?” Mi Xue held her brother’s hand and swayed as she walked, happy again. The little girls in their school all liked to buy that kind of cartoon magazine. The last two pages would always talk about the constellations. They would buy them to analyze, and the girls were very enthusiastic about this. “I calculated it the other day. Brother is a Libra!”

Mi Yang played along. “Oh, how is Libra? Is it good?”

Mi Xue said, “Very good!”

Bai Luochuan also asked, “How is my constellation? Is it compatible with Libra?”

Mi Xue had been eating cake for so many years and naturally also remembered Bai Luochuan’s birthday. But usually, she would only look at her brother’s, and she hadn’t looked at the other constellations much. She thought hard for a while. “It should be okay, I guess.”

The young master Bai was naturally not satisfied with this result. It just so happened that there was also an astrology house in the amusement park. They passed by it and simply went in to have it tested.

Mi Xue was taken in to touch a crystal ball. The little girl was excited by everything she saw, but the young master Bai didn’t have so much leisure. He sat down and directly had someone analyze whether his and Mi Yang’s constellations were compatible.

“…Libra will often like Leo’s straightforwardness and courage, and Leo will also appreciate Libra’s gentleness and elegance. But if they become a couple and are together all day, after a long time, the feeling will no longer be the same as in the beginning. Life will change a lot.” The staff member was reading from a manual in a dry voice. She had also just started working not long ago. Seeing the person in front of her’s face getting worse and worse, she didn’t dare to continue and tried her best to squeeze out a sentence that was not in the manual, “Well, actually, there are no incompatible constellations, only incompatible people. Don’t you think so?”

Bai Luochuan’s face was still not good. He sat there with a stern face and didn’t say anything.

The staff member gave up on the manual and started to make things up, trying her best to make the two constellations very compatible, very well-matched.

Only then did the young master Bai’s face slowly start to relax a little.

“…In short, these two constellations are very compatible. If you have someone you like, you can pursue them with confidence. You will definitely succeed!”

When Mi Yang walked over, he happened to hear the staff member say this. He glanced at Bai Luochuan and smiled. “You still believe in constellations?”

Bai Luochuan stood up and walked out with him, saying lazily, “I was just bored and asked casually.”

Mi Yang looked at his little sister, who was walking lively in front of him, and thought of the sentence he had just heard. With a bit of a selfish motive, he cleared his throat. “What did you ask just now?”

The young master Bai chuckled. “Nothing.”

Mi Yang then pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “Did you fall for a girl? It seemed to go quite smoothly when you were talking about pursuing her just now.”

Bai Luochuan held his hand and swayed it a couple of times like Mi Xue. Sure enough, his mood also improved. He smiled. “It’s alright. I’ll tell you when I’ve caught her. It’s a secret for now.”

Mi Yang’s heart was a little blocked, and a trace of sourness also rose. His nose was as stuffy as if he had a cold, and he was in a daze for a long time.

He felt that he was very pathetic.

Just hearing Bai Luochuan say that made his heart start to feel uncomfortable. But with this person by his side, just a few words could make his mood rise and fall. The hand he was holding was very warm, as if there was a little bit of sweetness in the sourness, and he had to hold it in his mouth for a long time to taste it.

Among the three of them, only Mi Xue had had a good time all day. The other two were thinking about their own things.

They played until the evening, when the Bai family’s driver came to pick them up and took them all the way to Mi Yang’s house.

Bai Luochuan was originally going to leave, but when he saw a car parked nearby out of the corner of his eye, he immediately got out and followed. “I’ll go up and have a look too.”

Mi Yang didn’t know what he wanted to see. The young master Bai had been to his house no less than he had been to the Bai’s. Naturally, he agreed and even joked with him, “Why don’t you call Auntie Luo and stay at my house for dinner? My mom is definitely making a lot of good dishes today, and there’s also braised pork, the sweet kind…”

The door opened, and a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy was sitting in the Mi family’s living room. He had probably been here for a long time. His windbreaker and plaid scarf had already been taken off and were draped over a coat rack on the side. Now, he was holding a children’s magazine and reading with relish. Hearing the doorbell ring, he looked up and immediately smiled. “Oh, you’re all back? I was about to call and rush you. Auntie Cheng’s food is almost ready. If you’re late, you’ll miss out!”

Mi Yang was taken aback for a moment. He looked at him and felt that he was a little familiar. Bai Luochuan, beside him, called out with a dark face, “Ji Bai’an!”

Only then did he remember that this was the young master Ji from before, Bai Luochuan’s cousin, and also a problem teenager back then, the kind that he would subconsciously avoid. Perhaps because his impression of him as a child was a little better, or perhaps because he had been particularly well-protected by the young master Bai these past few years, he was no longer afraid of him now.

Bai Luochuan was even more wary than Mi Yang. “What are you doing here?”

Ji Bai’an put down the magazine in his hand, still smiling. “I’m here for dinner, and I also heard that it’s Xiaoxue’s birthday, so I’m here to give her a gift.”

Bai Luochuan said, “How many times have you seen her that you’re already calling her by her name?”

Ji Bai’an thought for a moment. “That’s true. I should call her ‘little sister’ with Mi Yang, right?”

Mi Yang said with a stiff upper lip, “Either is fine, I guess.”

Bai Luochuan snorted heavily from the side, very dissatisfied.

The two cousins were at odds, both openly and secretly. But when Cheng Qing came out, the two of them became gentle and polite again, their mouths one sweeter than the other. Bai Luochuan rolled up his sleeves to help serve the dishes. Ji Bai’an was pushed aside and couldn’t get anything, but that didn’t stop him from standing to the side and praising, and he could say anything with a thick face.