MGRMFL Chapter 11

Something wasn’t right.

 

Yan Linjian kicked the pebble under his feet to the side of the road and glanced at Qi Jingzhi beside him.

 

His heartbeat had returned to normal, as if everything just now had been an illusion caused by his nervousness. But Yan Linjian knew very well he wasn’t afraid of that man’s incoming fist as he had trained in taekwondo. If it really came down to a fight, that guy might not even be a match for him.

 

Qi Jingzhi knew that, yet he still stepped in front of him.

 

Such a moving display of brotherly loyalty! That was what Yan Linjian should have thought of.

 

But in truth, in that brief moment, Qi Jingzhi standing protectively in front of him strangely overlapped with the image of God Yuè coming to his rescue in-game back then. A chilling thought flashed through his mind: if God Yuè were by his side, he might’ve done the same thing.

 

In fact, the two of them weren’t just similar in personality. Their tone and texting style were also alike. Both were sparing with words, rarely used filler words, and almost never ending their messages with punctuation marks… The only major difference was that God Yuè would sometimes send him plain and simple love notes.

 

Yan Linjian rubbed his chin, growing more and more convinced that something wasn’t right.

 

“Still thinking about Jiang Mei?” Qi Jingzhi glanced over at him, his eyes clouded with unreadable emotion.

 

Tch. Even his voice was annoyingly attractive.

 

Yan Linjian’s mind was a tangled mess. He didn’t notice the look in Qi Jingzhi’s eyes and replied with a half-hearted nod: “Mm.”

 

“Hey. Don’t forget, you have a boyfriend now.”

 

Qi Jingzhi’s tone suddenly turned stern.

 

“Huh?” Yan Linjian looked up, unsure why Qi Jingzhi was suddenly angry. He responded instinctively, “I know, that’s why I was thinking…”

 

Thinking how much you and my boyfriend are alike.

 

Yan Linjian mulled it over the entire way back, but still couldn’t find any other clear difference between the two.

 

He kept that thought to himself, while Qi Jingzhi looked more and more confused. His tone also turned colder than before: “Thinking about what? That maybe you still like girls?”

 

“Qi Jingzhi, what’s wrong with you today? Did you take the wrong medicine or something? And isn’t it really strange for you to be asking that? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re my boyfriend getting jealous here! Or are you saying that, in your eyes, I’m that kind of morally lacking person?” Yan Linjian was already feeling overwhelmed, and being questioned like this only stirred up his frustration.

 

Qi Jingzhi usually didn’t pay much attention to the matters between him and God Yuè. At most, he’d give a few opinions when asked. But whenever it involved his ex-girlfriends, Qi Jingzhi would react very strongly. His tone and attitude were as if God Yuè’s best friend had come to punish him for being a cheating scumbag.

 

The two of them didn’t even know each other, so why was Qi Jingzhi helping God Yuè keep an eye on him?

 

Qi Jingzhi’s face turned red. He put his hands into his pockets and avoided Yan Linjian’s gaze: “That’s not what I meant.”

 

“Then shut up.”

 

Qi Jingzhi really did shut up. His mouth stayed closed, but his body didn’t behave. He bumped Yan Linjian’s shoulder with his arm.

 

“What’s wrong with—”

 

Yan Linjian turned his head in anger. Qi Jingzhi instantly widened his eyes, giving him the pitiful look of a little puppy.

 

“……”

 

Qi Jingzhi clearly knew how to handle him.

 

Yan Linjian’s anger fizzled out like a dud firecracker. He raised his hand and gave Qi Jingzhi a hard punch: “Stay out of my business from now on.”

 

Qi Jingzhi nodded and followed obediently at his side.

 

Yan Linjian’s thoughts were a complete mess from this sudden realization. Normally, he’d either talk to God Yuè or Qi Jingzhi about things like this, but now that it involved both of them, he had no choice but to find someone else to vent to.

 

【I found my first love, and we’re dating now】

 

Fox Friend 1:【That’s great news!】

 

【But I realized he’s really similar to my roommate. Like, I don’t know how to put it, chatting with him often feels like I’m talking to my roommate. And sometimes my roommate does things that make me hallucinate that it’s him.】

 

Fox Friend 2: 【Roommate? Him? They’re a male?! Little Young Master Yan, you’ve bent, huh!】

 

Dog Friend 1: 【Congratulations from Country J】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【How similar? Have you two met in person?】

 

【Not yet. I still don’t know what he looks like.】

 

Fox Friend 3: 【No way, people still do online dating without video calls these days? Yan Linjian, how are you this pure and innocent?】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【Sometimes we really can get the same feeling from two totally different people. The human brain is pretty amazing. Maybe at some point they both did something similar that made you momentarily confused. Once that illusion forms, it could last for a while or fade quickly.】

 

Dog Friend 2’s theory sounded quite reasonable, so Yan Linjian messaged her privately: 【Then what do you think I should do?】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【My suggestion: take them both.】

 

【… You’re such a damn dog.】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【Hahaha, I’m just kidding! Your biggest problem now is that you haven’t even seen your first love in person yet. For all you know, the two of them might look nothing alike. Once you meet him, you’ll figure it out.】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【But I’ve gotta say, I never thought you’d actually turn out to be bent, and even crushing on your own roommate, hahahaha.】

 

【Say that again! I am not crushing on my roommate, I just think the two of them seem a little similar, that’s all.】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【That’s exactly what Cheng Song said when he first met that little celebrity. Your brother wasn’t around, so he looked for someone similar to pass the time, then ended up actually falling for him. I heard Cheng Song is all troubled now because he’s in love with two people at once. He even went to see a therapist about it. Anyway, since your first love isn’t by your side, why not just treat your roommate as a stand-in?】

 

【I’m not like Cheng Song, who can’t even figure out his own feelings…】

 

Dog Friend 2: 【Humans can’t imagine something they’ve never seen before. For example, if I told you to imagine a fruit that’s yellow and round, you’d probably think of an orange or a tangerine. So when you try to imagine what your first love looks like, your mind naturally uses something for reference. And since there’s someone right next to you whose personality is so similar to his, it’s no wonder you’re getting them mixed up.】

 

Yan Linjian vaguely understood, but he knew it couldn’t go on like this.

 

He sent God Yuè another invitation to meet up: 【Let’s meet up. I really want to see you.】

 

Little Moon: 【I don’t have time right now.】

 

【I’ve run into something that’s really troubling me. It’s urgent, very urgent. I want to tell you in person.】

 

The other party was silent for a few seconds: 【Alright. You pick the time and place.】

 

Problem solved. Yan Linjian took a deep breath and got down from his bed and pulled out his laptop.

 

A while later, Qi Jingzhi also climbed down from his bed, sat next to him and asked: “What are you up to?”

 

“Doing some research.”

 

The computer screen was filled with images and posts about He Nianjun. Yan Linjian searched for keywords about him on every platform, leaving no corner unchecked, and even went around asking his gang of shady friends.

 

He hadn’t originally planned to get involved in the matter between his brother and He Nianjun. But after just hearing from Dog Friend 2 about Cheng Song’s intentions, he realized he couldn’t stay out of it anymore. Rather than waiting for Cheng Song to stir up trouble right in front of his brother, it was better to warn him in advance, giving him a heads-up.

 

Yan Linjian’s investigation revealed that the relationship between He Nianjun and Cheng Song was much simpler than he had imagined. It didn’t look like a “kept lover” situation at all, it was more like a “business arrangement.”

 

Cheng Song had hired He Nianjun to soothe his lovesickness, and while He Nianjun did take resources from Cheng Song, Cheng Song had never acknowledged him as a lover or romantic partner. To outsiders, he always insisted He Nianjun was just an employee, and if anyone asked, he always made a point of declaring his unwavering loyalty to Yan Linjian’s brother.

 

Absolutely brainless, but it seemed like exactly the kind of thing Cheng Song would do.

 

Cheng Song had this level of perseverance. If only he’d fallen for someone other than his brother, he might have already gotten married by now. Unfortunately, his brother was cold as stone and wouldn’t spare so much as a glance at anyone he wasn’t interested in.

 

After gathering information, Yan Linjian stretched lazily. When he turned around, he saw that Qi Jingzhi was still sitting behind him.

 

“Why are you still here?”

 

“You look like you have something on your mind.”

 

“I don’t have anything on my mind, I’m actually really happy right now. God Yuè agreed to meet with me.”

 

Yan Linjian’s tone was light and casual, but Qi Jingzhi’s brows were still tightly-knit, looking as if he wanted to say something.

 

“If there’s something going on, I can help.”

 

“Well, there actually is one thing.”

 

Qi Jingzhi’s brows twitched. “What is it?”

 

Yan Linjian: “Help me figure out when I should meet little moon, and what I should wear, eat, and do when we meet.”