It went without saying that Ji Xinxin had different ways of dealing with Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu due to their personality differences.
While Bai Zhou looked like a violent child who would dive into every fight that he could, he was exceptionally obedient before Ji Xinxin. No matter what Ji Xinxin was scheming, her attitude toward Bai Zhou—at least on the surface—was made extremely clear: I view Bai Zhou as my younger brother.
This made things convenient for Ji Fanyin. It meant that it was fine for her to berate him whenever he acted out of line since it was normal for an older sister to keep her unruly younger brother in line. Bai Zhou had also grown accustomed to this interaction too. In fact, he even thought that this was how she expressed her concern for him.
Bai Zhou was unnaturally quiet throughout the dinner. Ji Fanyin had to bring up the conversation topics to avoid the air growing too awkward while he simply went along with the flow. It was clear that he hadn't gotten used to this service yet.
Ji Fanyin kept piling up food in his bowl, specifically picking out the ones that Bai Zhou liked. He didn't say anything about it, but he still obediently ate everything that she put in his bowl.
It was when he finally put down his chopsticks that he suddenly asked, "Is this how you behave when you're with Song Shiyu too?"
Despite the rude words, Bai Zhou's attitude was considered friendly pared to how he usually acted.
"Shiyu?" Ji Fanyin rested her chin on her hand leisurely as she poured a cup of tea for Bai Zhou and pushed it over to his side. "Well… the two of you are different."
"… In what ways?" Bai Zhou eyed the cup of tea sitting right before him. The water was clear with only three to four pieces of tea leaves floating around—just the way he liked it.
"Hmm…" Ji Fanyin half-jokingly kept him in suspense as she murmured contemplatively. "I wonder how the two of you are different."
"Did Song Shiyu tell you to bee his lover?"
Ji Fanyin sighed softly, almost as if she was dealing with a kid throwing a tantrum here. "You know that I've already rejected him."
"That's not what I asked!" Bai Zhou glared at Ji Fanyin sharply. "Is this how you act during your meetings with him too?"
Ji Fanyin chose not to respond to the question. She leaned her head on her arm and looked right into Bai Zhou's eyes with a gentle smile sitting on her lips.
After ten seconds of eye contact, Bai Zhou's ears began reddening, and his eyes started to swim around nervously.
He clenched his jaws in frustration before jerking his head away. "How did that idiot Song Shiyu get duped by your face? You don't even hold a candle to big sis at all!"
Ji Fanyin responded to his remark by patting his head, but the latter smacked her hand away.
"I know what you're thinking," said Bai Zhou contemptuously. "You like Song Shiyu. You wish to remain by his side even as a substitute. You put on this facade in order to convince him and yourself that it's all just business."
Ji Fanyin thought that Bai Zhou had a truly imaginative mind.
"But I'm not like Song Shiyu. I know who's the one I love, and there are no substitutes for her," declared Bai Zhou. "However, I'd more than wele it if you can really steal Song Shiyu away from big sis. I'd have one less rival to deal with."
That's true, Ji Fanyin thought, but that won't happen.
She had no intention of getting together with Song Shiyu. If she really wanted to look for a life partner, she would very much rather go for a boyfriend with a pure heart who didn't have anyone he fancied yet.
"I don't need you to impersonate big sis and pretend to be her," said Bai Zhou as he rose to his feet. He impatiently kicked away a chair blocking his way. "If we ever meet under any setting, you better not try to approach me. You may only talk to me if I talk to you first, do you understand?"
Ji Fanyin thought that it was much less troublesome that way. She would be spared from having to think up lines on the spot for him, and her pay would still be the same anyway.
Nothing lost.
So, she nodded with a smile and replied, "Sounds good to me."
"Get up." There was finally a satisfied look on Bai Zhou's face. "We still have time left. Follow me."
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