Chapter 9-09 - I already know, you're far from the stream...
The man before me had a handsome face, with thin gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose. He wore a black stand-up collar shirt with Chinese knot buttons, and gold-threaded clouds ran from his left shoulder across his chest. Two or three white cranes danced around the clouds, and a moist Bodhi pine bracelet was loosely wrapped around his wrist twice. He exuded the refined and modest demeanor of a gentleman.
It is an ethereal quality that allows one to stand out even in a crowd.
Lin Xi felt a strange sense of familiarity with Ji Jiali's eyes and brows, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
However, his words and actions showed obvious restraint and unease, as if he were a complete stranger who had just met me, rather than someone I had any prior interaction with.
Lin Xi then stopped worrying about it.
Zhou Qi said he went to last year's art exhibition, and maybe they had accidentally brushed past each other then.
Out of politeness, after a few rounds of pleasantries, Lin Xi, fearing she might waste time, found a moment to tactfully interrupt: "Qiqi, Mr. Ji, I'm so sorry, the lighting in this exhibition area is not right. I need to go to the lighting market now, so please excuse me."
"Huh? Then I'll go with you! Brother, you..."
Zhou Qi wanted to say, "You take us there," to give them more time to spend together.
But Ji Jiali's gaze suddenly sharpened, his eyes turning dark and unfathomable, much like his reaction when someone touched his sore spot in the past.
Startled, she swallowed the words she was about to say and instead said, "If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. We're in a hurry, so we'll be going now."
After saying that, he quickly pulled Lin Xi away without stopping.
After the two figures disappeared into the crowd, Ji Jiali moved his stiff neck, let out a long sigh, and unconsciously fiddled with the Bodhi seed in his palm, but the restlessness in his heart did not subside in the slightest.
"Damn it!" Ji Jiali suddenly threw the Bodhi into his palm and tightened it, then reached out and haphazardly loosened the third button on his collar.
Only then did I realize that the surrounding air was no longer as thin as before, and began to circulate slowly.
In his entire life, he had never felt that five minutes was so long.
"Like a fishbone stuck in his throat" is not enough to accurately describe his feelings.
"Hey ho~ The refined man is swearing now~" Zou Song whistled as if he wasn't making enough noise, and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
"Get lost! Stop gloating!" Ji Jiali glared at him angrily, disapproving that he had been watching the show without offering any help.
"Oh~" Zou Song clicked his tongue lightly, "So you don't need my help with this either?"
He raised his hand, pointing downwards with his long, slender index finger.
Ji Jiali looked in the direction he was pointing, and there was a round, chubby panda peeking out from the shadows of the stool.
The furtive, observant gaze and his stare made Gun Gun blink innocently twice, silently lower his head and bend down, then suddenly burst out of the shadows.
"Rolling?! Holy crap!" Ji Jiali quickly tried to stop it, "Zou Song! Stop it!"
Caught in a pincer movement, coupled with Zou Song's consistently accurate predictions of Gun Gun's behavior.
As Zou Song stepped to one side, Gun Gun bumped right into the side of Zou Song's shiny leather shoe.
Gun Gun paused for a moment, then immediately turned around and prepared to escape in another direction.
Suddenly remembering something, it stopped in its tracks, buried its head in its chest, curled up its limbs, and instantly rolled itself into a bulging ball, determined not to let anyone find its neck.
It's obvious that he's been "bullied" by Zou Song by the back of his neck so often that it's become a conditioned reflex.
Ji Jiali, both amused and exasperated, waved his hand, letting Zou Song push him away.
He squatted down and gently patted Gun Gun's back, which was curled up like a tortoise shell: "Gun Gun, open it up first, and we'll discuss this amicably."
Seeing that Gun Gun didn't move an inch, he first assured him, "Let's talk this out, I absolutely won't resort to violence!"
Gun Gun raised its head slightly, revealing its big eyes as it peeked at Zou Song, who was sitting to the side, its face full of wariness.
Ji Jiali usually teases it verbally, unlike Zou Song who always likes to physically tease it, and it always ends up getting its fur pulled.
Zou Song noticed its gaze and couldn't help but get up and make a fake gesture to tease it.
Startled, the panda immediately pulled its head back and buried it in its belly.
Ji Jiali glared at Zou Song, signaling him to stay put, and continued to soothe Gun Gun gently: "I promise Zou Song won't do anything!"
Rolling around, then hesitantly poked her head out, her little voice full of doubt: "Really?"
Under the threatening gaze of Ji Jiali, Zou Song shrugged and raised his hand in a gesture of surrender: "I promise!"
Gun Gun slowly opened himself up, then, realizing something was amiss, he paced to a safe distance from Zou Song, sat upright, and looked at Ji Jiali with a docile expression: "Alright, go ahead and say it~"
Ji Jiali was at a loss for words.
He stood up, his slender fingers twirling the Bodhi beads for a moment, then reached out and asked Zou Song for a cigarette. After taking two deep drags, he tentatively asked, "What did Gun Gun see just now?"
The question was obviously meant to elicit a response from others saying "I didn't hear anything," but Gun Gun, being a machine, lacked such cleverness and answered very honestly: "Gun Gun saw that Zhou Qiqi introduced Xiao Xi to you as her girlfriend."
"..."
"Haha—" Zou Song, completely disregarding Ji Jiali's speechlessness, laughed so hard he bent over backwards. "Ji Jiali, I think you're finished!"
Ji Jiali angrily threw the bracelet on his wrist at him, but that didn't stop his unrestrained laughter.
In front of him, Zou Song grabbed the skewer that had hit his shoulder, swung it around proudly, and put it in his shirt pocket.
Ji Jiali turned his head away from him, took a deep breath to maintain his gentle demeanor, and tried to reason with Gun Gun: "Zhou Qi only introduced me to Lin Xi, he doesn't have a girlfriend!"
Gun Gun tilted his head, looking innocent: "But Gun Gun heard Zhou Qiqi and Xiao Zou Zou say that they want to introduce Xiao Xi to you as her sister-in-law."
"..." Ji Jiali was completely bewildered by this turn of events. "No... but I have no other feelings for Lin Xi. This matter will end here and there will be no further developments."
Seeing that Gun Gun looked confused, he continued to coax him, "So Gun Gun doesn't need to tell Brother Fu about such a small thing."
"Fu Lili said that nothing concerning the stream is trivial," Gun Gun declared righteously. "Besides, Gun Gun is an honest child; I can't lie!"
“This is not a lie. Look how busy Brother Fu is every day, let’s not bother him with trivial matters.”
"Irrelevant?" Gun Gun thought for a moment, then proactively placed its paws on Ji Jiali's knees, withdrawing them after two seconds. "But Jiajia, you're nervous!"
"..."
Seeing that reasoning with her was useless, Ji Jiali thought for a moment and decided to try to bribe her. "Gungun, don't you like Meilan from Panda Valley? How about this, as long as you don't tell Brother Fu about this, I'll adopt her in your name, how about it?"
Gun Gun's eyes instantly brightened, and his little voice couldn't hide his excitement: "Meilan Rou Rou~"
"Okay!" Ji Jiali took out his phone and showed it his assistant's contact information. "If you agree, I'll call right now!"
Rolling around excitedly twice, its tone cheerful: "Deal! The adopter must be Lin Xi!"
“Okay!” Ji Jiali made a quick phone call and explained the adoption details to his assistant.
After he hung up the phone, Gun Gun tugged at his trouser leg, her bright black eyes revealing sincerity: "Jia Jia, you're so nice!"
"Then it's a secret..."
But before he could finish speaking, Gun Gun blinked twice.
When it spoke again, it was no longer a soft, cute voice, but a cold, clear voice transmitted through the built-in communication device.
Although the tone is slightly distorted, it feels colder than the metallic sound of a machine, sending a chill down your spine.
"Ji Jiali, I already know. Stay away from the stream!"
"..."
"Come straight here!" With that, Fu Qingli ruthlessly ended the call.
Looking at the awakened Gun Gun, Ji Jiali gritted his teeth: "Gun Gun! Didn't you promise me you wouldn't tell Brother Fu?!"
Gun Gun looked completely innocent: "Gun Gun didn't say anything. Fu Lili heard it herself, so it doesn't count as Gun Gun saying anything!"
After saying that, it didn't forget to remind her, "Jiajia, remember to adopt a succulent!"
"..."
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