Just as Ji Li turned his head, his sleeve was grabbed.
Ying Yunsheng looked at him and swallowed hard: "Is it too late for me to say I have social anxiety now?"
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 55
Chapter 55
The Truth Bureau
Ying Yunsheng's question did not receive a direct answer, only a meaningless rhetorical question like "What do you think?".
He sat down on the sofa with a blank look in his eyes and began to contemplate life.
Ji Li went to the kitchen, ladled out the heated breakfast, and touched his lips with a shumai she picked up with her chopsticks.
Ying Yunsheng opened his mouth and took a bite without any sense of purpose.
Looking at his expression, Ji Li said, "Don't worry."
Ying Yunsheng shifted his gaze.
Ji Li picked up another fried dumpling and fed it to him: "Just think of it as going to a classmate's house to play."
Ying Yunsheng: "I haven't been to any of your classmates' homes except for yours."
Ji Li: "Do you want to go?"
"Uh..." Do you want to?
If he really had the chance to gain the approval of Ji Li's family, how could he not want it?
Ji Li gently poked the small steamed bun: "What are you worried about?"
Ying Yunsheng remained silent.
Are you afraid they won't like you? Afraid they'll find out about our relationship? Or afraid of being separated?
Ying Yunsheng nodded, then shook his head.
Ji Li chuckled: "Which one is it?"
“I feel inferior,” Ying Yunsheng said very slowly. “I feel like I’ve always been bad.”
This word shouldn't be associated with him. From childhood to adulthood, he has always been the one who attracts attention among his peers. Growing up amidst praise and envy, his confidence has long been ingrained in his bones by time.
Like Ji Li, even though he had a heart condition and was once out of touch with normal society because of his health, he never felt inferior to healthy people because of it.
Ying Yunsheng never actually felt this way, either at school or outside of school. He only felt this insecure when he was around people he cared about, such as Ji Li and Ji Li's family.
"You seem to have some misunderstanding about yourself."
Ying Yunsheng was bewildered.
"Who said you're not good?" Ji Li grabbed his hand, stroking the protruding wrist bones under his skin. "Your teachers and classmates at school?"
Ying Yunsheng shook his head: "No."
"Are you a customer of the boss at your workplace?"
"no."
"A stranger?"
"no."
"During your conversation with my grandmother just now, did she show even the slightest sign of dislike?"
"Uh..." Ji Li: "Then why do you feel that you are not good enough?"
Ying Yunsheng was speechless.
He understands the reasoning, but he just can't help himself.
In contrast, Ji Li, as an observer, saw things more clearly. Just by thinking about the other person's childhood experiences, he could understand why the other person was so apprehensive. He kissed the other person's palm: "Don't feel insecure. You are much better than you think."
Ying Yunsheng's palms itched from the kisses: "Only you think so?"
“Ying, if what you just said gets out, it could get you beaten up.” Ji Li flicked his forehead. “Before you speak, at least think about the stack of certificates on your desk.”
Ying Yunsheng covered his head and leaned back, finally managing a slight smile.
“Just remember to follow me tomorrow, and nothing will happen,” Ji Li said. “I promise.”
.
Things went much more smoothly than Ying Yunsheng had imagined.
However, considering Yun's tossing and turning until dawn the night before his death, even the worst situation could be considered "smooth" compared to this.
As the birthday girl, Ji Li's aunt stopped everyone from suggesting going to a hotel and only allowed two tables to be set up at home.
One table was a large round mahogany table, where elders, business partners, and familiar friends were seated.
The other table was a square table, surrounded by a group of young people ranging from their teens to their twenties, who were clearly the younger generation.
When Ji Li led Ying Yunsheng to the square table, not all the dishes had been served yet.
My cousin Ji Yao grabbed a deck of cards, shuffled them, and was just about to deal them when she spotted the person at the door. She immediately threw down the cards and rushed over, shouting, "Brother!"
Ji Li quickly pressed his hand against her forehead: "Stand still."
"Brother, you're so heartless." The little girl's gaze shifted from him to Ying Yunsheng behind him, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "Who's this?"
“My classmate,” Ji Li reminded her, “keep your eyes to yourself.”
"Oh." She averted her gaze.
Her teammates at the card table were already calling for help, so Ji Yao had no choice but to pick up the cards and deal them. She looked at her hand, a look of utter dismay on her face, and turned to call for backup: "Brother! Help me!"
Ji Li walked over and glanced at Ying Yunsheng: "Do you want to give it a try?"
He remembered that Ying Yunsheng would occasionally play a game of "Landlord" on his phone.
Ji Yao got the priority in this round.
Ying Yunsheng stepped forward, turned over the three landlord cards, arranged them one by one, and then drew a card and played it.
The landlord wins the first round.
In the second and third rounds, the civilians became the villagers, and they ultimately won.
The fourth and fifth rounds were played as landlords. After the fifth round, Ji Yao counted the pink banknotes she had just received and looked at Ying Yunsheng as if he were a living treasure trove.
There were more than three people at the card table. Their rule was that the loser would leave the game and someone else would take their place. After five rounds, the opponents on the other side had changed, but Ji Yao's side remained unchanged.
The person on the other end couldn't hold back any longer: "If someone wins a hand, shouldn't the money go to them? Why should you get the money?"
Ji Yao smiled, her eyes crinkling: "If you're so capable, why don't you find a guy who's good at playing cards?"
"Uh..." His brother had just played a game, but he was eliminated after only one round.
Ji Yao waved the banknotes in her hand, deliberately making a clattering sound: "Envious? Jealous? Hateful?"
"Uh..." Damn it.
The dishes on the table were finally all served.
Knowing that Ji Li couldn't stay in crowded and noisy environments, the old lady asked for Ji Li's opinion and then instructed her son to serve a small portion of each dish, making a large plate of more than a dozen dishes, and place it in the living room on the second floor for Ji Li to eat.
Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were also served.
When Ying Yunsheng realized he didn't need to sit at the same table as Ji Li's family, his expression relaxed as he went upstairs.
Ji Li didn't tease him like usual, peeled a shrimp and fed it to him: "Open your mouth."
Ying Yunsheng habitually accepted, and just as he bit into one end of the shrimp, a voice suddenly rang out from downstairs: "Xiao Li!"
His heart skipped a beat, and he almost bit off his own tongue.
Ji Li's uncle had just arrived when he was met with this epic scene: "What are you all doing...?"
Ji Li withdrew his hand: "Uncle, is there something you need?"
"Oh!" Uncle slapped his forehead and put down the soup bowl in his hand: "Your grandma asked me to bring you this bone broth, remember to drink it."
Ji Li: "Thank you, Uncle."
My uncle waved and left.
Ying Yunsheng watched the other person disappear, his heart still pounding for a long time: "He didn't see anything, did he?"
“No.” Ji Li saw that he looked absent-minded. “Don’t worry, if he really felt something was wrong, he would have asked directly just now. But he didn’t, either he didn’t care at all, or he had already automatically found an explanation in his mind and didn’t need to say anything more.”
Ying Yunsheng: "Really?"
"Really." Ji Li poked another meatball. "Here, have a bite to calm your nerves."
Ying Yunsheng hesitated for a moment, but still bit down.
"Yun Sheng!"
He swallowed the meatball in his mouth whole.
This time, it was Ji Li's aunt who came up the stairs. Fortunately, Ji Li had already put his chopsticks away when she came up. She only saw Ji Li patting her back and asking, "What's wrong? Did you choke?"
Ji Li didn't have time to pour water, so he simply pulled over the soup bowl next to him and said, "Take a sip."
Ying Yunsheng took a big gulp of soup from his hand, and after catching his breath, he said, "It's so delicious, I ate it a little too fast."
Auntie said reproachfully, "Even if it's delicious, you should still chew it slowly." She put down the plate. "I heard you like to eat shrimp, right? This was specially sent up by Xiaoli's grandma. It should taste pretty good. Eat more."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"You're welcome, you're welcome," the other person said before leaving.
Ying Yunsheng recalled his performance just now and felt like packing himself up, deleting his save file, and starting over.
Ji Li poked his face: "Don't be upset."
Ying Yunsheng couldn't help but scratch the table: "This was my first impression on them, and it turns out one of them is lazy and the other is a wolf who eats like a dog."