Chapter 13

Are you alright?

The Song family's family meetings have always been very democratic and fair. Regardless of the member's status or age, as long as it is related to the family, everyone will be notified.

Song Jinrou, who had just entered her senior year of high school, was also present at this meeting.

She only learned of Song Jinyu's coma not long after she was admitted to the school, which was under closed management. The little girl's eyes were still red from crying, and suddenly receiving another piece of news left her stunned and bewildered.

There was an outsider at this family meeting.

Xiao Ji placed the doll in his arms on the table and said, "At first, we really didn't know what was going on, so we chose to keep it a secret for the time being."

He and Xiao Ji chose this doll together.

The male doll, slightly more muscular than the previous slender female doll, didn't have the eight-pack abs Song Jinyu had been longing for, but had six. He wore a school-style shirt and jeans. Even as a doll, Song Jinyu still didn't dare to misbehave in front of her parents, obediently wearing a black wig and black glasses.

The usually calm Old Song looked at Song Jinyu on the table, who was so flustered that she couldn't even hold the water in her hand, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhou Qingwen was in a daze for a long time before reaching out and poking the palm-sized doll on the table. "Is this really Jin Yu?"

The BJD doll wasn't wearing makeup, so Xiao Ji used the cinnabar that Jiang Hui had given her to dot the lips, but her skills weren't very good, and the lips she drew were crooked and uneven.

Song Jinyu tilted his head to the side after being poked by his mother. He reached out to steady it and said, "It's true, more real than gold. I not only know who your secret crush is, but I also know where Old Song hides his secret stash of money."

Song Huaishan spilled the water from his hand, looking at Song Huaishan with an expression that said, "Comrade, how could you betray the revolution?"

Zhou Qingwen poked it again.

"Mom, can you please stop poking me? You're shaking my brain to its core."

Zhou Qingwen: "..."

That dim-witted look of his is definitely his son.

Song Jinyu thought they would ask him all sorts of questions or have concerns about his appearance, but none of those things happened. His parents were much more accepting of his new identity than he had imagined. The only one who was particularly surprised was Song Jinrou.

She circled the doll on the table twice, then reached out and touched it, saying, "Why does it look a little different from the dolls I saw online?"

Song Jinyu slapped her hand away, "That's because your brother is exceptionally handsome."

Song Jinrou grinned and said, "I know, it's because you're uglier than those dolls."

"..."

Song Jinyu jumped up and hit his sister's hand.

Song Jinrou stretched her hand out in front of him, "It hurts so much, do it again."

Song Jinyu cried out, "Mom! Look at your daughter!"

Zhou Qingwen: "..."

She nudged Song Jinrou, "Your brother is already like that, he can't even hit your knee when he jumps up, why are you arguing with him?"

"..."

Song Jinyu felt that his mother hadn't let him off the hook either.

After a while of commotion, Zhou Qingwen, the head of the family, finally remembered the important matter.

"Given Song Xingxing's condition, according to what that person said, does that mean she can only stay by Xiao Ji's side?" She looked at Xiao Ji with some guilt in her eyes. "Wouldn't that be a lot of trouble for you?"

Xiao Ji's expression remained unreadable.

"No trouble at all, Aunt Zhou."

Zhou Qingwen then asked, "Did that person say when his master will return?"

“I don’t know…” Song Jinyu plopped down on the table. “Jiang Hui said his master went into the mountains. The signal is bad in the mountains, and we can’t get through on the phone. We can’t urge him to come back. But he said he would notify us as soon as his master comes back.”

Although Zhou Qingwen and Song Huaishan didn't say anything, they were clearly relieved when they saw Song Jinyu, who had turned into a doll, standing lively and energetic in front of them.

The Song family felt extremely guilty that their child had become like this and could only stay by Xiao Ji's side.

They already owe Xiao Ji enough.

Zhou Qingwen said, "Although it's a doll, Song Jinyu has always been a troublemaker since he was little. Aunt Zhou will give you some money later, and his expenses will be deducted from that money. Don't be silly and spend your own money. As for clothes, don't buy too many. He's still in the hospital, so I'll take advantage of this time to make a couple of clothes for him. Don't waste money on unnecessary things."

Song Huaishan chuckled, "Xiao Ji, you've worked hard. I'll catch a couple of fish for you to nourish yourself another day."

Song Jinrou asked Xiao Ji, "Brother Xiao Ji, won't my brother be completely under your control from now on? Can you dress him in a pink servant outfit? I can use my allowance to buy it."

Song Jinyu: "..."

He sharpened his knife, ready to strike his own sister.

The family meeting came to an end, and Xiao Ji saw the Song family out. Song Jinyu, perched on his shoulders, watched her mother walk ahead, secretly wiping away tears, and couldn't help but say, "Anyway, I just can't bear to leave that string of beads on your wrist. Maybe I should just go home?"

Xiao Ji's hands, hanging by his sides, suddenly froze. A cool breeze swept into his neck, making him feel a little cold.

He always selfishly wanted to keep Song Jinyu by his side, but he couldn't even come up with a despicable excuse, and he even found it hard to say words of persuasion. In the end, all he could say was two stiff and cold "Look at you".

No one noticed his stiffness. Zhou Qingwen waved her hand and said, "No need. You can stay here. Since Master said you can't leave Xiao Ji, whether it's because of the bead or the person, you'd better not leave him. Besides, there are too many people at home and too many acquaintances in the neighborhood. You can't stay still and will make a fuss, which will definitely give you away. Xiao Ji's place is quiet and secluded, a good place."

Song Jinyu watched them leave, and the once lively house immediately returned to silence.

After watching for a while, he sighed, "I thought my parents wouldn't be able to accept it..." He explained, "It's not that they can't accept that I've turned into a doll, it's that they can't accept that such a strange thing exists in this world. After all, my dad has been a teacher for so many years, and my mom works for the Women's Federation..."

Xiao Ji said, "Perhaps it's because I prepared them mentally beforehand."

Song Jinyu could only say, "Your preparations are too good..."

-

September isn't over yet, and Xiao Ji's grandfather's birthday is just around the corner.

His birthday was approaching, and his father called him.

The father and son had never spoken much, and their interactions were as businesslike and distant as those between strangers.

Xiao Zheng said, "Your grandfather's birthday is next week. He told me that he hasn't seen you in a long time, so remember to come."

Xiao Ji simply said "okay".

The conversation should have ended there, but Xiao Zheng remained silent for a moment before continuing, "I heard from your Uncle Li that you had him deal with someone?"

Xiao Ji remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement, but Xiao Zheng's emotions were somewhat agitated. "Back then, influenced by your uncle, you insisted on becoming a director. Your mother and I are sorry. If you wanted to be a director, we let you be. The Xiao family is so big; it would be easy for them to promote a director. But you, you didn't want anything and insisted on begging investors. Now look what's happened, such a big thing has occurred, and you didn't even tell the family..."

"There's nothing to say." Xiao Ji remained calm about this. "Saying anything won't change anything."

But these words sounded sharper to Xiao Zheng.

There's not much to say. Back when Xiao Ji moved out of the Xiao family, he no longer had much to do with them.

...

Song Jinyu was playing Candy Crush with a pen in his hand. He listened for a while, then watched Xiao Ji hang up the phone. He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't ask anything.

Xiao Ji returned to his side with a calm expression, opened the specially made makeup box, picked up a pen, and began to learn how to apply makeup.

He looked serious, and even with makeup on, he looked like he was doing some profound research.

Song Jinyu's expression slowly cracked; he felt like he was about to collapse. "I'm begging you, Brother Xiao, please stop learning this. You won't understand it."

Xiao Ji wouldn't listen, "I think I still have talent."

Song Jinyu: "??"

He said, "Does your talent mean you can paint my face black?"

"..."

Xiao Ji coughed. "Last time was just a mistake."

Song Jinyu thought coldly, "But you've been making mistakes for a whole week now."

The reason was that Song Jinyu felt that her pale face, which had been dead for three days, was not good-looking, but if she wanted to do makeup, she would have to make an appointment with a professional makeup artist and send her head over.

He wasn't happy that his head had to be made separately, and Xiao Ji wasn't happy that anyone else would touch Song Jinyu's head.

So Xiao Ji, who had zero interest in the beauty industry, started learning how to do makeup for BJD dolls.

Xiao Ji's overly calm expression gave Song Jinyu the illusion that he was confident of victory, until he applied green eyeshadow to the cool guy outfit that Song Jinyu had chosen, and his blush was so heavy that it looked like a monkey's butt, a round blob in the middle of his face.

Song Jinyu didn't want to look at him a second time after the first glance.

The first time, Xiao Ji could be blamed for his lack of experience. The second time, the third time... until a week later, thankfully, Xiao Ji finally figured out which color to use in which place, but the result was still a pile of crap.

Song Jinyu couldn't bear to see the head she had carefully chosen being tortured so cruelly by him, so she pushed the female doll she had chosen earlier toward him, saying, "Take this one and don't torture my backup doll number three."

Xiao Ji: "..."

Xiao Ji put down his pen. "My grandfather's birthday is in a couple of days. You'll probably have to come back with me."

To be honest, Song Jinyu didn't really like the Xiao family.

They exuded a subtle sense of superiority and condescension from the wealthy, and their gazes towards him always carried a hint of flippant scrutiny, as if they were looking at a commodity awaiting valuation rather than a person.

But this isn't the Xiao family's problem. In fact, many wealthy people are like this. The Xiao family has already been very restrained in front of him, but the things they are inherently like will always show, no matter how well they hide them.

Xiao Ji ruffled his hair. "There's nothing we can do, we can't be separated for now. I'll wear a loose coat, and you can sleep in the pocket."

Song Jinyu agreed.

...

The day of the banquet was a full moon, hanging in the sky like a jade plate, with the moonlight as bright as water. Xiao Ji had just gotten out of the car when he met Rong Huai.

His cousin, the cousin who gave him the doll.

Rong Huai was also taken aback when he saw Xiao Ji, then greeted him with a smile, "Cousin, you're here."

She was usually very easygoing, but for some reason, she seemed unusually hesitant when she saw Xiao Ji today. It wasn't until the two of them walked further in, where there was no one around and the moonlight was hidden in the dark clouds, that they finally understood.

She had just spoken.

"Cousin, I heard that Song Jinyu has been in a coma and is like a vegetable."

"you……"

Rong Huai paused for a moment.

Are you alright?