Chapter 63 - Lightbulb
Apparently being served by a beautiful woman is not every teenage boy\'s dream. Some would rather it be a handsome lad while others like Ji Yao are just like \'why me?!\'
The moment she picked up that pair of chopsticks and raised that cake towards him time seemed to slow down. Ji Yao had undoubtedly been blindsided. He knew she liked him but she had always kept it on the down-low. A blush here, a timid smile there and that\'s it but today she looked like she was high on something.
Ji Yao had no idea how to handle a direct and abrupt attack like this. He had zero experience dealing with someone pursuing him openly which meant this boy had no idea how to deal with Xiaoyu.
He was overwhelmed by a sudden rush of anxiety making him feel like he was losing control. There was a slight shudder on his clenched fists inside his sleeve as he tried to maintain his state of mind.
He subconsciously leaned back but Xiaoyu kept coming while saying some coquettish words Ji Yao wasn\'t paying attention to. But just as the cake touched his lips, the cake was suddenly confiscated.
This was so unexpected that both Ji Yao and Xiaoyu turned to look at the person who had already stuffed the cake inside their mouth. "Mmmmm... Jiejie\'s cooking is sensational," said Rui Fei struggling to maintain his effulgent expression like he was eating something delicious but Rui Li and Rui Yewan had looks of horror on their faces.
Their dear brother hated anything sweet because he couldn\'t stomach it. Even a lick would have him dry heaving like a cat with a hairball stuck in its throat. Sweets wouldn\'t kill him but it would definitely make him uncomfortable for days and he just ate the thousand layer cake for Ji Yao.
As expected Rui Fei didn\'t last. Two seconds later his face turned green before he ran out of the room in a flash. In fact, one couldn\'t call it running because it was more like vanishing into thin air without saying a word.
The two siblings stood up and tried to follow him but before they got up Ji Yao had already disappeared going after him. Rui Yewan uncrossed his legs intending to follow behind but Rui Li pressed his shoulder down and whispered, "What are you going there for? To be a light bulb?"
Rui Yewan who didn\'t want to be a third wheel sat back down without overanalyzing the meaning of Rui Li\'s words. Amongst them, the one who took the biggest hit was Xiaoyu who started questioning the cooking aunty.
She had asked the aunty to teach her how to make this but in truth, the aunty was the one who did most of the work. She started to suspect there was something in that cake otherwise why would Rui Fei have such a big reaction? Fortunately, Ji Yao didn\'t eat it otherwise he would be the one hurting.
"I..... le-let me check if he is okay," she said as she tried getting up.
Ji Wen looked concerned as well as he turned his inquiring gaze to the Rui siblings seeking answers. There shouldn\'t have been anything wrong with the cake hence it must be more of a Rui Fei issue than a cake issue.
As expected Rui Li clarified. "Dage doesn\'t eat sweet things so... yep," she said trying not to look too happy. She wasn\'t happy that her brother was ill but she was happy that her ship was sailing. Step one to capture the cold beauty would be sacrificing oneself and her brother had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Xiaoyu exhaled deeply after realising that it had nothing to do with the cakes but her look of relief suddenly turned sour when she recalled how Rui Fei had deliberately sabotaged her. Even if he likes her he shouldn\'t be this willful, right?
The so-called willful brat who had deliberately messed with his crush\'s plans to pursue another guy was retching the cake in the forest. He looked especially miserable with one hand on the trunk of an unfortunate tree that was graced with throw up as a nutrient source.
His hair hung loose with beads of cold sweat lacing his forehead. His eyes were teary and his nose was itchy from all the retching making him look pitiful.
At this moment he regretted it so much. If one was to ask him now what he was thinking when he deliberately consumed poison despite being fully aware of it beforehand, he wouldn\'t know the answer.
The fact of the matter was that he didn\'t think. That\'s right he didn\'t think. It was like his brain took a leave of absence and his emotions took over without consulting the rest of his body. Now he was stuck in this miserable predicament. He was glad that his Yao-ge didn\'t see him in this state otherwise he would be embarrassed to death.
Unfortunately, the universe was against him because the one person he didn\'t want to see showed up right beside him. Because he was out of it he assumed it was Rui Yewan approaching him but that hard to describe scent with a calming effect infiltrated his nose making his blood run cold.
Ji Yao was standing behind him with his hand hovering above his back contemplating whether to touch him or not. His hand clenched into a fist in hesitation as he pursed his lips dithering. Thinking of how Rui Fei shielded him from Xiaoyu\'s advances while ultimately sacrificing himself, Ji Yao\'s hand unclenched before gently landing on Rui Fei\'s back. Rui Fei\'s back stiffened but right after that he retched again. He was glad Ji Yao was caring for him but he also didn\'t want to show him his vulnerable side. But what was he supposed to do now? Chase him away.
Ji Yao\'s initial nervousness wore off almost instantly making him breathe out a sigh of relief. He rubbed Rui Fei\'s back before reaching out to pull back his hair. The feel of this young man\'s hair in between his fingers was especially nice that he couldn\'t help but want to touch more in the future.
"You didn\'t have to do that...," said Ji Yao before passing him a waterskin, "you don\'t have to make yourself feel uncomfortable for me." His voice was especially nice and pleasant to the ear.
Rui Fei took a mouthful of water to rinse his mouth before saying, "Mn, it\'s nothing Yao-ge. I will be fine," while wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His gaze met that of Ji Yao and this older brother finally saw Rui Fei\'s miserable appearance.
The corner of his eyes was slightly red, his face a sickly shade of pale with his forehead sweat shimmering under the sunlight.. His hair was also out of place fluttering with the cool breeze but despite all of this he looked incredibly handsome like a peerless immortal after ascending.