Chapter 38: Sweetheart

Chapter 38: Sweetheart

Ji Mingxiu rarely posted on Moments, so it didn’t take long for quite a few comments to pile up underneath the photo of that odd-looking cake he had posted.

However, Shi Ling had no idea that he didn’t have the contact information of those people, so he only saw Ji SiCheng’s like and Ji Linze’s comment among their mutual friends.

Ji Linze: [If you can’t make a cake, then don’t. Brother, you should persuade Shi Ling to focus on making games and stop messing with these. He’s not good at it anyway. I’m waiting for the next chapter! ]

Shi Ling had some self-awareness about his own skills and knew that his craftsmanship wasn’t great.

But was it really that ugly?

Shi Ling looked at the photo again.

Although it didn’t look good at first glance, if you stared at it for a while, it actually became kind of interesting.

After comforting himself, he liked Ji Mingxiu’s post and put his phone down.

He hadn’t completed his tasks for the day since he had been out all day.

Their project timeline was already tight, and if he delayed any further, the release of *Natural Disaster* would be postponed.

Thus, unaware, as Shi Ling put down his phone to start working, Ji Linze’s comment had actually been posted while watching Zhou Su’s dating reality show live stream.

*Love 100%*, the dating reality show, had been running for three years, with a new season every year. Before each season officially started, the participating guests would be gathered to get to know each other and to send a message to the outside world that the show was about to begin.

Ji Linze, like Zhou Su, was currently a college student.

In terms of the show’s significance, Ji Linze might even be less accomplished than Zhou Su.

Zhou Su had already been preparing for his own career. After the movie he filmed during the summer vacation gained some fans, the studio arranged by the Zhou family’s agent had started to negotiate new TV dramas within the industry. On the other hand, Ji Linze had no plans for himself at all.

Backed by the Ji family, and with the Ji family not lacking capable people, the only requirement for Ji Linze was to obey the law.

Ji Linze had a good sense of self-awareness and knew he wasn’t cut out for it, so he had no intention of competing with anyone from the Ji family. He knew he couldn’t win against any of them.

But his background made him seem at a disadvantage among various elites.

Even Jiang Yulin, who used to be like Ji Linze, a second-generation slacker, had somehow seen the light and secured a position in the Jiang family’s company. He was now brimming with ambition, seemingly eager to overthrow his older brother from the general manager position and even seize power from his father.

Apart from Jiang Yulin, there was also Zhong Shao.

Especially in comparison to Zhong Shao, the chairman of the Zhong family, Ji Linze appeared to be a naive and foolish college student.

In such an environment, Ji Linze felt extremely uncomfortable.

Ji Linze: …

These cunning old men.

He was already in a bad mood when he saw his brother post on Moments.

It was just a plain-looking cake, but for some reason, he sensed a hint of showing off in it.

He couldn’t help but wonder what his sophisticated second cousin, Ji Mingxiu, was showing off about.

The host was holding a microphone, continuously introducing the two “successful people” in front.

Feeling quite bored, Ji Linze took out his phone and started chatting with Ji Mingxiu.

Ji Linze: [Bro, what do you mean by the cake you posted on Moments?]

Ji Mingxiu replied quickly, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him this question: [Linze, how did you know Shi Ling made the cake for me?]

Ji Linze: …

He read Ji Mingxiu’s message several times, feeling genuinely confused.

Like… was this really from his second cousin, Ji Mingxiu?

The tone felt so off.

Thinking for a moment, Ji Linze decided to test the waters: [Who are you? A kidnapper? What did you do to my second brother?]

Ji Mingxiu: [...Wake up. It’s easier to kidnap you than me.]

Seeing the reply, Ji Linze breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, that’s more like his second brother, Ji Mingxiu.

Now that he was sure it was Ji Mingxiu on the other side, Ji Linze immediately noticed something off about the previous message.

The phrase “Shi Ling made a cake for me” triggered Ji Linze’s love-struck radar, which had been active since high school.

Combining this sentence with the person who said it, Ji Linze easily drew a conclusion: Ji Mingxiu was very likely dating Shi Ling.

However, Ji Linze, who was usually love-struck, was unusually angry when he reached this conclusion.

How could Shi Ling be dating his brother? He still had to make games! Dating would affect his game-making, wouldn’t it?

What if, because of dating Ji Mingxiu, Shi Ling’s progress slowed down? Who would he go to for his games then?

Ji Linze immediately exited the chat with Ji Mingxiu and started browsing through his contacts.

He didn’t have the guts to persuade his brother. Although Ji Mingxiu could be quite approachable at times, and even patiently explained things he didn’t understand, if he dared to oppose something Ji Mingxiu had already decided on, he would only end up crying after getting scolded.

He needed to find a scapegoat, er, an ally, to help him oppose this marriage.

However, no matter how much he searched through his contacts, he couldn't find anyone who might stand by his side to oppose Ji Mingxiu.

Those who dared to oppose Ji Mingxiu were basically the elders of the Ji family. If they heard the news, they would only be curious about who Ji Mingxiu had chosen to pursue, but those who didn’t dare to oppose Ji Mingxiu…

Even if they were to join him in opposition, it wouldn’t make any difference.

While Ji Linze was still hesitating, Ji Mingxiu called him.

He fumbled to answer it, but it was clear that the situation he was in wasn’t suitable for a phone call.

After all, he was still livestreaming!

He looked around, stood up, and walked a few steps away to where the livestream couldn’t capture him before he dared to speak to Ji Mingxiu.

Ji Linze: "Bro, why are you calling at this time? Do you know I'm livestreaming? Be careful or you'll end up on air."

It wasn’t until Ji Linze reminded him that Ji Mingxiu remembered, "You're filming a dating reality show with Zhou Su? I thought it wasn’t starting until December?"

Ji Linze explained, "Oh, we're just doing a warm-up, finding a time when all the guests are available to gather everyone and get to know each other a bit. By the way, bro, why did you call?"

Ji Mingxiu sounded relaxed, "Nothing major, really. I just noticed you suddenly stopped replying and wanted to check if something was up."

Bringing this up, Ji Linze felt a bit resentful, "Bro, be honest with me. Do you have improper thoughts about Shi Ling?"

Ji Mingxiu on the other end of the line seemed surprised that Ji Linze had figured it out. After a pause, he chuckled and asked, "How did you know?"

"It's a bit obvious," Ji Linze replied, then complained, "I mean, bro, how can you have improper thoughts about Shi Ling?"

Ji Mingxiu, not expecting Ji Linze to oppose, asked discontentedly, "Why not?"

Ji Linze was somewhat indignant, "How can you? It's really disrupting his game development!"

Ji Mingxiu: …

He thought Ji Linze might have some valuable insight!

But once Ji Linze opened the floodgates, he couldn’t stop, "Bro, you know how long I’ve been waiting for Shi Ling’s game. I’ve been pestering Fang Lingyun for a while, and he only gave me the first chapter, and it’s still an unfinished version with bugs and unpolished models. I overheard him slip up, they’re already working on the second chapter. The first chapter must be done by now, but he just..."

"Bro, are you even listening?"

"I am listening," Ji Mingxiu said with a laugh in his voice, sounding quite pleased, "Not only am I listening, I can also tell you that Shi Ling and his team are already working on the third chapter."

"And, I just got the completed version of the second chapter from Shi Ling."

"But no, I’m not giving it to you."

Serves you right for opposing me and Shi Ling.

Ji Linze: …

"Bro, you're my real brother, please send it to me. I promise I won’t oppose you and Shi Ling anymore, please, bro!"

Ji Mingxiu coldly chuckled on the other end, "Heh, as if your opposition was ever useful."

With that, Ji Mingxiu promptly hung up.

Hearing only the "beep—beep—" on the line, Ji Linze pouted sadly.

He quietly returned to his original seat and sighed again.

The host, who had been introducing Zhong Shao and Jiang Yulin’s status, noticed this and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had assumed that Ji Linze, just an ordinary college student following Zhou Su to the show, was worried about his own standing on the program. Thinking for a moment, the host steered the conversation toward Ji Linze, "Ji classmate, is there something on your mind?"

Though it was somewhat unfair to Ji Linze, this was also a highlight of the dating reality show drama.

However, to the host’s surprise, Ji Linze didn’t seem to care much about Zhong Shao and Jiang Yulin’s achievements, "Huh? You're asking me? I thought you hadn’t finished introducing them yet!"

This remark left the host feeling a bit awkward.

He did spend an unusually long time introducing Jiang Yulin and Zhong Shao, but it was because their resumes were indeed impressive.

The host looked at Ji Linze, smiled, and pressed on, "Then, Ji classmate, what were you sighing about?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Linze couldn’t help but sigh again, "I was just wondering, why do people even need to fall in love? Isn’t focusing on your career better?"

Host: …

Is this really something you say on a dating show? Is this Ji Linze here just to mess with me?

Not only the host but even Zhou Su was taken aback by Ji Linze’s words, "Linze, why would you say that?"

Ji Linze waved his hand, "It’s nothing. I just got a call and found out my brother has a crush on someone. It’s making me a bit upset."

At this, both Jiang Yulin and Zhong Shao looked over, "Your brother has a crush?"

There were only two people Ji Linze would call "bro." The eldest Ji brother had been married for a long time and even had a daughter. So, the "brother" Ji Linze was referring to now should be the second Ji brother, Ji Mingxiu.

There had been no news about this before!

Zhou Su pursed his lips and cautiously asked, "Who is it?"