Chapter 36: Boyfriend — First and foremost, a boyfriend is a boy.
♕
That night, dinner was steak paired with red wine. Ye Zhen Zhen was astonished that Dr. Ji had learnt how to cook both Chinese and Western food, though she did not forget to casually ask, “Dr. Ji, who was the Aunt Zhang you mentioned earlier?”
Ji Zhe Yan was startled, and his lips frowned imperceptibly. “Not Aunt Zhang, Zhang Shen. Doctor Zhang, who treated you with hypnosis.”1
Pfft! Ye Zhen Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. “He is such a high-end, elegant, and classy person. How can he have such a down-to-earth name. Aunt Zhang…hahahaha.” Ye Zhen Zhen made herself laugh again with her own words.
Ji Zhe Yan shook his head and warned, “Don’t say that in front of him; otherwise, be careful of his revenge on you.”
“He’s a doctor, what’s there to be careful about?”
“His heart is smaller than your brain.”
Ye Zhen Zhen: “…”
That was a really good line since you roasted two people at once, Dr. Ji.
Ji Zhe Yan hid his smile behind his glass of red wine and said to her, “Right, your mental treatments cannot be discontinued. I talked with him earlier and changed it to appointments every half month.”
Ye Zhen Zhen heard this and pursed her lips in distress. Doctor Zhang’s treatment was not cheap.
“You don’t need to worry about the costs. I’ll cover it.”
Although Ji Zhe Yan spoke of such an outcome as if it was to be expected, Ye Zhen Zhen was not very content with this. “Dr. Ji, I don’t think I need hypnosis. I already regained my memory.”
Ji Zhe Yan eyed her, chuckling as he said, “It doesn’t matter. If he cannot cure you, then we’ll have an outstanding account.”
Ye Zhen Zhen looked at him in disbelief. “You can have an outstanding account?”
“Mn.”
“Then if I do regain my memory but say I didn’t, can’t we renege on the debt?” Ye Zhen Zhen immediately winked following her words.
Ji Zhe Yan laughed. “You can try.”
Ye Zhen Zhen really was somewhat eager to try it. She bit into a small piece of steak and suddenly recalled that Dr. Ji said he had something he wanted to talk about. That should be referring to him confessing to her, right? The piece of steak in her mouth suddenly became sour. She set down her knife and fork. Looking at the person across from her, she confirmed, “Dr. Ji, the matter you previously mentioned…was it the confession?”
“Mn…” Ji Zhe Yan dropped his gaze, humming softly in response.
Ye Zhen Zhen immediately wanted to beat her chest and stamp her feet. Then, why did she confess to those things earlier of her own volition?!
“But you did reveal some very interesting things to me.” Ji Zhe Yan raised his head abruptly, his gaze somewhat indiscernible underneath the kitchen lighting. Ye Zhen Zhen itched to slap herself. Those things she had confessed to had been in the past, so why did she bring them up?!
“We will return to these matters later. For now…” Ji Zhe Yan paused. Ye Zhen Zhen nervously looked at him. “For now, let’s eat quickly. I bought movie tickets for an eight o’clock showing. We can’t be late.” Ji Zhe Yan suddenly smiled and lightly rapped her head.
Ye Zhen Zhen was stunned. Her eyes were eager as she looked at Ji Zhe Yan. “What movie are we watching later?”
“Mn…” Ji Zhe Yan realized that he really could not endure this sparkly look in her eyes and seamlessly flicked his eyes away from Ye Zhen Zhen’s gaze. “Tonight is the premiere of 《Asura’s Secret Code 》, and because of that, I assume there will be a lot of people attending the showing.”
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” Ye Zhen Zhen chanted her enthusiasm, like a chicken getting drained of blood through syringes. She then began wolfing down the steak in front of her.
Ji Zhe Yan looked at her with concern. “Eat slower; don’t choke.”
“It’s fine. Eat faster, Dr. Ji. It won’t be good if we’re late!” Ye Zhen Zhen continued wolfing down her food while urging Ji Zhe Yan to do the same. Ji Zhe Yan smiled helplessly and finished the plate of steak in front of him.
Ye Zhen Zhen impatiently held her bag, dragging Ji Zhe Yan outside when he finished getting ready. Ji Zhe Yan glanced at her and said, “It’s very windy today, so go put on a coat.”
“Alright!” Ye Zhen Zhen zoomed into her bedroom like a whirlwind and put on a tiny shawl before flying back out. “Dr. Ji, how do I look? This is the dress you bought me!” In fact, not just the dress, but her entire outfit was bought by Ji Zhe Yan.
Ji Zhe Yan tugged her outside by the hand. “I already said that you look pretty in anything.”
Ye Zhen Zhen looped her arm through Ji Zhe Yan’s and rubbed her head against his arm.
As it turned out, was this how it felt like to be in love? It was sweeter than the chocolate she ate earlier in the day.
When they reached the movie theater, there was a boiling cauldron of voices, as was expected. Ye Zhen Zhen observed the scene. Nearly the entire crowd was made up of sweetheart couples. Moreover, quite a lot of the girls had flowers clasped in their hands. Ji Zhe Yan subconsciously grasped Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand and said from above her head, “Follow me; don’t get lost.”
Although she was being treated like a child, Ye Zhen Zhen was entirely willing to hold onto Ji Zhe Yan’s hand. She snuggled deeper into his side.
《Asura’s Secret Code》was a foreign film, so when Ye Zhen Zhen saw that there were a lot of native actors and actresses in the film, she was especially surprised. “The lead is a Chinese actor?”
“Mn.” Because of the lighting, Ye Zhen Zhen could not clearly see Ji Zhe Yan’s expression, but she felt that his emotions was somewhat complex when he responded. “Do you like this actor?” As the makeup applied to the actor’s face was quite exaggerated, Ye Zhen Zhen could not recognize the actor’s true face and could barely approximate his age to be around forty to fifty years of age.
Ji Zhe Yan muttered to himself irresolutely and then quietly said to Ye Zhen Zhen, “Before Emperor Mo made his debut, this actor was always the favorite for the Golden Bull Award. He earned three Film Emperor titles and had a lot of influence in the entertainment circles. After Emperor Mo made his debut, he fought for a place in film industries overseas.”
“Oh.” Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. “What is his name?”
Ji Zhe Yan thought for a moment and replied, “Anderson. He named himself.”
Ye Zhen Zhen only gasped again and watched the film with single-minded devotion. The number of people in the theater this time rivaled the number of people who previously came to watch 《Ghost School》, with barely any empty seats. 《Asura’s Secret Code》’s atmosphere differed from 《Ghost School》’s creepy, terrifying atmosphere, however, as American-style humor would crop up from time to time and repeatedly cause the audience to split their sides laughing. Ji Zhe Yan watched the happily laughing person next to him and suddenly asked, “Did you understand the line just now?”
Ye Zhen Zhen subconsciously answered, “I understood.”
“Then repeat it for me.”
Ye Zhen Zhen: “…”
A random English quiz during a movie?!
She did not want to watch a foreign blockbuster movie with Dr. Ji again from now on.
Bowing her head to take a drink of her coke, Ye Zhen Zhen sulked, glancing at Ji Zhe Yan from the corner of her eye. Her wronged look caused Ji Zhe Yan to laugh in spite of himself, with his desire to quiz her on random English evaporating instantly. “Alright, then I’ll repeat it for you, okay?”
He amused Ye Zhen Zhen to the point where she nearly choked on her coke. Raising her head, she pecked Ji Zhe Yan’s lips with lightning speed.
Ji Zhe Yan was startled by her audacity. “Don’t do that; this is a public venue.”
Ye Zhen Zhen tugged at Ji Zhe Yan’s hand and pointed to a row up ahead but to their left. “Look, they’re kissing too!”
Ji Zhe Yan: “…”
His face burned slightly, but he simply continued to hold Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand and did not let go.
When the movie was over, it was already ten o’clock. As they exited the theater, the wind was, as expected, slightly chilly. Ji Zhe Yan tightened his hold on Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand, and when he felt her ice-cold fingertips, he frowned slightly. “Cold?”
“Not when I’m holding Dr. Ji’s hand.” Ye Zhen Zhen raised her head, her eyes shining in laughter.
Ji Zhe Yan quirked his lips and quickly fled with her to the car.
When they returned to the apartment, Ji Zhe Yan let Ye Zhen Zhen take a shower first while he went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of warm milk. He then went to his bedroom. Ye Zhen Zhen saw the cup of warm milk on the table after she got out of the shower, and seeing the steam waft from the milk caused her heart to warm up as well. The temperature of the milk was just right, so she happily drank it all. It still did not help her sleep though. After rolling around in bed for a while, she finally sneaked out on tiptoes to Ji Zhe Yan’s room.
Ji Zhe Yan was still in the shower. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom caused Ye Zhen Zhen to have a heart like a frisky monkey, a mind like a cantering horse.2 She carefully climbed into Ji Zhe Yan’s big bed and settled in. She had slept in Ji Zhe Yan’s bed once before, but she felt that sleeping in it this time was a bit different.
As if…this time was more blush-inducing and heart racing.
She buried her face into the pillow and sniffed it. Upon smelling the familiar scent, her heart, which had been high in the clouds, gradually calmed.
By the time Ji Zhe Yan finished his shower, Ye Zhen Zhen had already fallen asleep in his bed. He froze subconsciously and then furrowed his brows.
She actually did not bother to cover herself with the blanket and just fell asleep directly.
Walking forward softly and quietly, Ji Zhe Yan originally wanted to carry her back to her own room, but after seeing her sleep with such a happy look on her face, he gave up on this idea.
Forget about it. It would be like just for tonight.
He sat down beside Ye Zhen Zhen and observed her sleeping face. He couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time he experienced the feeling of his heart being squeezed tightly. He lightly stroked her hair and then slowly leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Good night.” As he murmured this, Ji Zhe Yan could not fully decipher his complex emotions. He thought, This probably is love.
After covering Ye Zhen Zhen with the blanket, Ji Zhe Yan turned off the ceiling lights and lay down beside her.
That night, the two of them slept exceptionally well.
♕
When Ye Zhen Zhen opened her eyes again, the sky had already brightened immensely. She drowsily snuggled closer into the chest in front of her… Wait a minute, chest?
She raised her head in shock and saw Ji Zhe Yan’s sleeping face in front of her.
“You’re awake?” As if awoken by her rustling just moments ago, Ji Zhe Yan slowly opened his eyes. Ye Zhen Zhen’s face burned. Although the feelings of shame in her heart were unbearable, she could not help but cuddle Ji Zhe Yan. “Mn, I slept very well last night.”
Ji Zhe Yan’s expression shifted. He then warned her solemnly, “You are not allowed to come and sleep in my room again.”
“Why?” Ye Zhen Zhen immediately felt wronged. “You are my boyfriend…”
Ji Zhe Yan’s ears unnaturally turned slightly red. He looked at Ye Zhen Zhen and said with an expression stuck in between solemnity and helplessness, “First and foremost, a boyfriend is a boy.”
♕
This wordplay doesn’t translate well into English. Ye Zhen Zhen misheard and thought Ji Zhe Yan said (张婶) Zhāng Shěn, when he actually said (张深) Zhāng Shēn. The former reads as Aunt Zhang (wife of father’s younger brother) whereas the second is Doctor Zhang’s full name, with the second character being (深) for deep/dark in color. Idiom meaning to be hyperactive, antsy, etc. … I just kept it in it’s literal form because it’s hilarious
Chapter 36: Boyfriend — First and foremost, a boyfriend is a boy.
♕
That night, dinner was steak paired with red wine. Ye Zhen Zhen was astonished that Dr. Ji had learnt how to cook both Chinese and Western food, though she did not forget to casually ask, “Dr. Ji, who was the Aunt Zhang you mentioned earlier?”
Ji Zhe Yan was startled, and his lips frowned imperceptibly. “Not Aunt Zhang, Zhang Shen. Doctor Zhang, who treated you with hypnosis.”1
Pfft! Ye Zhen Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. “He is such a high-end, elegant, and classy person. How can he have such a down-to-earth name. Aunt Zhang…hahahaha.” Ye Zhen Zhen made herself laugh again with her own words.
Ji Zhe Yan shook his head and warned, “Don’t say that in front of him; otherwise, be careful of his revenge on you.”
“He’s a doctor, what’s there to be careful about?”
“His heart is smaller than your brain.”
Ye Zhen Zhen: “…”
That was a really good line since you roasted two people at once, Dr. Ji.
Ji Zhe Yan hid his smile behind his glass of red wine and said to her, “Right, your mental treatments cannot be discontinued. I talked with him earlier and changed it to appointments every half month.”
Ye Zhen Zhen heard this and pursed her lips in distress. Doctor Zhang’s treatment was not cheap.
“You don’t need to worry about the costs. I’ll cover it.”
Although Ji Zhe Yan spoke of such an outcome as if it was to be expected, Ye Zhen Zhen was not very content with this. “Dr. Ji, I don’t think I need hypnosis. I already regained my memory.”
Ji Zhe Yan eyed her, chuckling as he said, “It doesn’t matter. If he cannot cure you, then we’ll have an outstanding account.”
Ye Zhen Zhen looked at him in disbelief. “You can have an outstanding account?”
“Mn.”
“Then if I do regain my memory but say I didn’t, can’t we renege on the debt?” Ye Zhen Zhen immediately winked following her words.
Ji Zhe Yan laughed. “You can try.”
Ye Zhen Zhen really was somewhat eager to try it. She bit into a small piece of steak and suddenly recalled that Dr. Ji said he had something he wanted to talk about. That should be referring to him confessing to her, right? The piece of steak in her mouth suddenly became sour. She set down her knife and fork. Looking at the person across from her, she confirmed, “Dr. Ji, the matter you previously mentioned…was it the confession?”
“Mn…” Ji Zhe Yan dropped his gaze, humming softly in response.
Ye Zhen Zhen immediately wanted to beat her chest and stamp her feet. Then, why did she confess to those things earlier of her own volition?!
“But you did reveal some very interesting things to me.” Ji Zhe Yan raised his head abruptly, his gaze somewhat indiscernible underneath the kitchen lighting. Ye Zhen Zhen itched to slap herself. Those things she had confessed to had been in the past, so why did she bring them up?!
“We will return to these matters later. For now…” Ji Zhe Yan paused. Ye Zhen Zhen nervously looked at him. “For now, let’s eat quickly. I bought movie tickets for an eight o’clock showing. We can’t be late.” Ji Zhe Yan suddenly smiled and lightly rapped her head.
Ye Zhen Zhen was stunned. Her eyes were eager as she looked at Ji Zhe Yan. “What movie are we watching later?”
“Mn…” Ji Zhe Yan realized that he really could not endure this sparkly look in her eyes and seamlessly flicked his eyes away from Ye Zhen Zhen’s gaze. “Tonight is the premiere of 《Asura’s Secret Code 》, and because of that, I assume there will be a lot of people attending the showing.”
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” Ye Zhen Zhen chanted her enthusiasm, like a chicken getting drained of blood through syringes. She then began wolfing down the steak in front of her.
Ji Zhe Yan looked at her with concern. “Eat slower; don’t choke.”
“It’s fine. Eat faster, Dr. Ji. It won’t be good if we’re late!” Ye Zhen Zhen continued wolfing down her food while urging Ji Zhe Yan to do the same. Ji Zhe Yan smiled helplessly and finished the plate of steak in front of him.
Ye Zhen Zhen impatiently held her bag, dragging Ji Zhe Yan outside when he finished getting ready. Ji Zhe Yan glanced at her and said, “It’s very windy today, so go put on a coat.”
“Alright!” Ye Zhen Zhen zoomed into her bedroom like a whirlwind and put on a tiny shawl before flying back out. “Dr. Ji, how do I look? This is the dress you bought me!” In fact, not just the dress, but her entire outfit was bought by Ji Zhe Yan.
Ji Zhe Yan tugged her outside by the hand. “I already said that you look pretty in anything.”
Ye Zhen Zhen looped her arm through Ji Zhe Yan’s and rubbed her head against his arm.
As it turned out, was this how it felt like to be in love? It was sweeter than the chocolate she ate earlier in the day.
When they reached the movie theater, there was a boiling cauldron of voices, as was expected. Ye Zhen Zhen observed the scene. Nearly the entire crowd was made up of sweetheart couples. Moreover, quite a lot of the girls had flowers clasped in their hands. Ji Zhe Yan subconsciously grasped Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand and said from above her head, “Follow me; don’t get lost.”
Although she was being treated like a child, Ye Zhen Zhen was entirely willing to hold onto Ji Zhe Yan’s hand. She snuggled deeper into his side.
《Asura’s Secret Code》was a foreign film, so when Ye Zhen Zhen saw that there were a lot of native actors and actresses in the film, she was especially surprised. “The lead is a Chinese actor?”
“Mn.” Because of the lighting, Ye Zhen Zhen could not clearly see Ji Zhe Yan’s expression, but she felt that his emotions was somewhat complex when he responded. “Do you like this actor?” As the makeup applied to the actor’s face was quite exaggerated, Ye Zhen Zhen could not recognize the actor’s true face and could barely approximate his age to be around forty to fifty years of age.
Ji Zhe Yan muttered to himself irresolutely and then quietly said to Ye Zhen Zhen, “Before Emperor Mo made his debut, this actor was always the favorite for the Golden Bull Award. He earned three Film Emperor titles and had a lot of influence in the entertainment circles. After Emperor Mo made his debut, he fought for a place in film industries overseas.”
“Oh.” Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. “What is his name?”
Ji Zhe Yan thought for a moment and replied, “Anderson. He named himself.”
Ye Zhen Zhen only gasped again and watched the film with single-minded devotion. The number of people in the theater this time rivaled the number of people who previously came to watch 《Ghost School》, with barely any empty seats. 《Asura’s Secret Code》’s atmosphere differed from 《Ghost School》’s creepy, terrifying atmosphere, however, as American-style humor would crop up from time to time and repeatedly cause the audience to split their sides laughing. Ji Zhe Yan watched the happily laughing person next to him and suddenly asked, “Did you understand the line just now?”
Ye Zhen Zhen subconsciously answered, “I understood.”
“Then repeat it for me.”
Ye Zhen Zhen: “…”
A random English quiz during a movie?!
She did not want to watch a foreign blockbuster movie with Dr. Ji again from now on.
Bowing her head to take a drink of her coke, Ye Zhen Zhen sulked, glancing at Ji Zhe Yan from the corner of her eye. Her wronged look caused Ji Zhe Yan to laugh in spite of himself, with his desire to quiz her on random English evaporating instantly. “Alright, then I’ll repeat it for you, okay?”
He amused Ye Zhen Zhen to the point where she nearly choked on her coke. Raising her head, she pecked Ji Zhe Yan’s lips with lightning speed.
Ji Zhe Yan was startled by her audacity. “Don’t do that; this is a public venue.”
Ye Zhen Zhen tugged at Ji Zhe Yan’s hand and pointed to a row up ahead but to their left. “Look, they’re kissing too!”
Ji Zhe Yan: “…”
His face burned slightly, but he simply continued to hold Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand and did not let go.
When the movie was over, it was already ten o’clock. As they exited the theater, the wind was, as expected, slightly chilly. Ji Zhe Yan tightened his hold on Ye Zhen Zhen’s hand, and when he felt her ice-cold fingertips, he frowned slightly. “Cold?”
“Not when I’m holding Dr. Ji’s hand.” Ye Zhen Zhen raised her head, her eyes shining in laughter.
Ji Zhe Yan quirked his lips and quickly fled with her to the car.
When they returned to the apartment, Ji Zhe Yan let Ye Zhen Zhen take a shower first while he went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of warm milk. He then went to his bedroom. Ye Zhen Zhen saw the cup of warm milk on the table after she got out of the shower, and seeing the steam waft from the milk caused her heart to warm up as well. The temperature of the milk was just right, so she happily drank it all. It still did not help her sleep though. After rolling around in bed for a while, she finally sneaked out on tiptoes to Ji Zhe Yan’s room.
Ji Zhe Yan was still in the shower. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom caused Ye Zhen Zhen to have a heart like a frisky monkey, a mind like a cantering horse.2 She carefully climbed into Ji Zhe Yan’s big bed and settled in. She had slept in Ji Zhe Yan’s bed once before, but she felt that sleeping in it this time was a bit different.
As if…this time was more blush-inducing and heart racing.
She buried her face into the pillow and sniffed it. Upon smelling the familiar scent, her heart, which had been high in the clouds, gradually calmed.
By the time Ji Zhe Yan finished his shower, Ye Zhen Zhen had already fallen asleep in his bed. He froze subconsciously and then furrowed his brows.
She actually did not bother to cover herself with the blanket and just fell asleep directly.
Walking forward softly and quietly, Ji Zhe Yan originally wanted to carry her back to her own room, but after seeing her sleep with such a happy look on her face, he gave up on this idea.
Forget about it. It would be like just for tonight.
He sat down beside Ye Zhen Zhen and observed her sleeping face. He couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time he experienced the feeling of his heart being squeezed tightly. He lightly stroked her hair and then slowly leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Good night.” As he murmured this, Ji Zhe Yan could not fully decipher his complex emotions. He thought, This probably is love.
After covering Ye Zhen Zhen with the blanket, Ji Zhe Yan turned off the ceiling lights and lay down beside her.
That night, the two of them slept exceptionally well.
♕
When Ye Zhen Zhen opened her eyes again, the sky had already brightened immensely. She drowsily snuggled closer into the chest in front of her… Wait a minute, chest?
She raised her head in shock and saw Ji Zhe Yan’s sleeping face in front of her.
“You’re awake?” As if awoken by her rustling just moments ago, Ji Zhe Yan slowly opened his eyes. Ye Zhen Zhen’s face burned. Although the feelings of shame in her heart were unbearable, she could not help but cuddle Ji Zhe Yan. “Mn, I slept very well last night.”
Ji Zhe Yan’s expression shifted. He then warned her solemnly, “You are not allowed to come and sleep in my room again.”
“Why?” Ye Zhen Zhen immediately felt wronged. “You are my boyfriend…”
Ji Zhe Yan’s ears unnaturally turned slightly red. He looked at Ye Zhen Zhen and said with an expression stuck in between solemnity and helplessness, “First and foremost, a boyfriend is a boy.”
♕
This wordplay doesn’t translate well into English. Ye Zhen Zhen misheard and thought Ji Zhe Yan said (张婶) Zhāng Shěn, when he actually said (张深) Zhāng Shēn. The former reads as Aunt Zhang (wife of father’s younger brother) whereas the second is Doctor Zhang’s full name, with the second character being (深) for deep/dark in color. Idiom meaning to be hyperactive, antsy, etc. … I just kept it in it’s literal form because it’s hilarious