Why Not (Lily ABO) - Chapter 4

On Saturday afternoon, Shi Jing drove to A University to pick up Fu Shuyun. The continuously running air conditioner in the car contrasted sharply with the sticky air outside.

Shi Jing was a little worried now. After Shi Xu told her that the school had plans for the weekend and he couldn’t go, she hadn’t informed Fu Shuyun. After agreeing on a time with Fu Shuyun, she told Shi Xu that the time was set for Saturday, but 10 minutes later, she received a notification from Shi Xu about the school’s arrangements. So, she opened WeChat and reserved seats for two people.

Now, at the school gate, she just remembered she had forgotten to tell Fu Shuyun about it. Their communication was so natural that Shi Jing almost forgot that Fu Shuyun was Shi Xu’s classmate and that they had met because of him. Oh well, she’d have to tell Fu Shuyun once she picked her up.

After parking the car, she wandered around near the school. The agreed-upon time hadn’t arrived yet; she seemed to be a bit early.

“Sister!”

Hearing the voice, Shi Jing looked in the direction of the sound. It was the same single ponytail, the same pure white T-shirt, but today she was wearing a dark pleated skirt. Hmm, very youthful, vibrant, and girly. Then she noticed there was another person beside her. Just as she was thinking she might need to add another seat, she heard her speak.

“This is my roommate. She’s out buying something, so we came out together.”

“Hello.”

“Hello, Sister. I’ll go buy my things now, bye-bye~”

China’s Good Bestie, Yun Yan, really just met them, said hello, and left, which touched Fu Shuyun deeply. After seeing Yun Yan off, she looked at Shi Jing. Unlike the formal, rigid work attire she wore, Shi Jing in casual clothes was also full of charm, every look and glance exuding maturity and intellect. Sister looks so good!

“Shuyun, Shi Xu said his department has a collective off-campus study trip this weekend, so it’ll just be the two of us. Is that okay?”

Fu Shuyun, of course, knew this; she had specifically set today’s date because she knew about it. Shi Xu had personally handed her the chance for a solo date with her sister, so how could she not seize it? She smiled and confidently pulled Shi Jing towards the parking lot.

“It’s fine, he’s busy with his stuff, we’ll just go eat. I’ll send him photos later, as if we ate together.”

The car drove smoothly towards the World Trade Center. Shi Jing had only visited this Japanese restaurant once, when the owner invited her to try it out during its opening. Her job required her to travel frequently, and she had been to almost all Southeast Asian countries, especially Japan, many times. The owner, of course, knew all this, and it was he who made the arrangements. Before opening the Japanese restaurant, Zhang Hooming was Shi Jing’s direct superior, and his last act in his position was to promote Shi Jing to project manager. He resigned from his director position and, in a blink, opened a Japanese restaurant.

At the time, Shi Jing found it hard to understand. He had worked for 8 years to finally become a director, a position countless people coveted, and he gave it up so easily. When she received the opening invitation, Shi Jing initially refused, but grudgingly went. Seeing Zhang Hooming, who had lost a lot of weight, she suddenly understood. Business entertaining had caused Zhang Hooming’s health to deteriorate, and long nights of overtime had made his mental state unstable. After choosing a career he loved, he became more energetic and his health improved.

Taking Fu Shuyun into the restaurant at 6:30 PM, it was dinner time. There were already quite a few people. As soon as they entered, she spotted Zhang Hooming.

“Mr. Zhang, long time no see.”

“Welcome, welcome. I’ve reserved a private room for you. Follow me.”

“Xiao Shi, just call me Brother Ming. I’m not your superior anymore.”

Leading the two to the private room, the ambiance was indeed very nice, and the room was spacious. “Fate brings people together from a thousand miles away, and distinguished guests arrive.” Zhang Hooming, as the owner, personally hosted them.

“Does this young lady have any dietary restrictions?”

This was the first time Zhang Hooming had seen Fu Shuyun so close to an Omega, let alone bringing her alone to his restaurant. Naturally, he was more enthusiastic. Shi Jing wasn’t picky; she only had favorites, nothing she wouldn’t eat, so the young lady’s preferences were important.

“I’m fine with cooked food. For raw fish, as long as it’s not too fishy, I’m okay. Thank you, Brother Ming!”

“Hahahaha, good. Then wait a moment; I’ll go arrange it.”

Before long, the table was filled with sashimi, salmon, tuna, sweet shrimp, Arctic surf clam… At a glance, most of it was raw. There were even raw oysters; can these really be eaten raw? As she was thinking about where to start, she reached for the soy sauce, but someone beat her to it. She looked down and saw Shi Jing had already placed the prepared soy sauce in front of her.

“This oyster is very delicious, want to try it?”

Saying this, she squeezed lemon juice onto the oyster, then used chopsticks to pick it up and dip it in the sauce. She couldn’t ignore the curious gaze from Fu Shuyun sitting opposite her. Hesitating for a moment, she placed the already-dipped oyster into the other’s bowl, but unexpectedly, just as she was about to put it down, Fu Shuyun took it directly with her mouth.

Fu Shuyun was completely drawn to Shi Jing’s hands—slender and fair. Her mind was filled with nothing but “beautiful” and the desire to lick them. Seeing Shi Jing offer the chopsticks, she instinctively opened her mouth to receive it. Upon entry, she first tasted the sour lemon and sauce, then biting into the oyster, a fresh sweetness flooded her mouth. Sister didn’t lie to her; it was truly delicious.

Shi Jing’s inner thought upon seeing this scene was “???”. Are young people nowadays all like this? Their intermittent conversations this week were mostly about daily routines, she replied when she saw them, and probably spoke less than she would in a single meeting. Why did their current interaction feel so natural and not repulsive?

She suddenly remembered when Shi Xu was born, when she was 8 years old. She cried her eyes out in her mother’s arms. Her parents thought Shi Jing was happy to be an older sister, but she wasn’t. Didn’t they say they were having a sister? Why was it a brother?

So that’s how it was. She had already regarded Fu Shuyun as a younger sister. It was true that she preferred Fu Shuyun over Shi Xu. When Shi Xu was little, he was too mischievous; nothing worked on him except Shi Jing. That’s also why, after Shi Xu got into A University, her parents specifically told her to “take good care” of him, and she simply gave him a room for his convenience. In Shi Jing’s eyes, that room was more like a storage room; he barely slept there for a few days before his things accumulated, and during holidays, he always went back home. He mostly stayed in the dorms during school.

No longer confused about their interaction dynamic, Shi Jing chatted with Fu Shuyun here and there, learning that her major was chosen by her family, learning about her usual preferences, and also that she had a special fondness for hotpot. Kids are really cute.

“Is it good? These are all fresh seafood that just arrived this afternoon.”

“By the way, Xiao Shi, are you free next month? I’m planning to add Japanese hotpot to the menu. Would you like to come and try it for me first?”

Zhang Hooming came in with a bottle of sake. He knew Shi Jing collected sake and intended to give it to her as a gift, and also invite her to try the new item. Anything Shi Jing said was good wouldn’t be bad.

“Tell me when next month works for you. You don’t mind if I bring one more person, do you?”

Fu Shuyun, hearing “hotpot” and then Shi Jing wanting to bring “one more person,” her eyes lit up. She had just told her sister how much she loved hotpot, and her sister took it to heart, even saying she’d bring her. Even though Shi Jing hadn’t explicitly invited her yet, she automatically assumed Shi Jing’s “one more person” referred to her.

“Haha, of course I don’t mind. Don’t just say one person, I welcome ten!”

Good times always pass quickly. After dinner, it was already past 8 PM, prime time for bustling activity. It was still early, so Shi Jing suggested taking a walk to digest. Fu Shuyun, eager to stick together, was naturally delighted. The school curfew was 10 PM, after which no entry or exit was allowed at the school gate. If she could just drag it out past 10 PM, then she could spend the night with her sister. Although nothing ultimately happened.

Of course, she didn’t tell Shi Jing this little plan. Shi Jing would definitely send her back to school on time if she knew. Although she didn’t know if Shi Xu had told her sister, it was impossible for her to bring it up herself. The two were strolling along the pedestrian street, just about to order bubble tea, when a ringing phone suddenly broke the pleasant atmosphere. Fu Shuyun was about to get annoyed, but then saw the caller ID: it was her mother. She reluctantly answered the phone.

Mother asked if she had any plans for the upcoming National Day holiday and if she wanted to travel together. She replied that she would check later and quickly hung up, leaving her mother on the other end of the phone bewildered. Her daughter never hung up on her so quickly. Now, about these flight tickets and hotel reservations, should she book them or not?

“I ordered the signature drink you recommended. One is sugar-free, and one is the recommended sugar level. Which one do you want?”

After hanging up, she saw Shi Jing, who had already ordered the bubble tea, walking towards her. The drink was cold, and the cup had a layer of condensation. Shi Jing was holding it, and as the condensation met the warmth of her hand, it formed droplets that dripped down Shi Jing’s fair palm onto the floor. Coming back to her senses, she took the cup with the recommended sugar level and pulled out a tissue from her bag to wipe Shi Jing’s hand.

“Sister, why didn’t you get a bag for it? Your hand must be so cold! Don’t move, I’ll help you wipe.”

Her hand was indeed very cold. Fu Shuyun carefully wiped it with the tissue, not missing even the gaps between her fingers. Hmm… Sister’s hand was bigger than hers; holding it would definitely feel very secure. After putting away the tissue, the two slowly strolled along the pedestrian street. Fu Shuyun shared some interesting anecdotes from school, and Shi Jing listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two. Again, the phone rang. Shi Jing took Fu Shuyun’s drink, letting her answer the call first.

It was Yun Yan. Fu Shuyun glanced at the time: 9:30 PM. It would take about half an hour to drive back to school, and their current location to the parking lot was more than a ten-minute walk. Everything was just right. Fu Shuyun silently thanked Yun Yan, planning to treat her to hotpot next week, and picked up the phone.

“Yunyun, it’s 9:30, have you come back? Can you bring me some bubble tea?”

Yun Yan had waited all evening for Fu Shuyun to return. She knew her best friend was on a date and didn’t want to disturb her, but seeing that the school gate curfew was approaching, she decided to call. If Fu Shuyun wasn’t coming back, she could just go downstairs and buy one herself, and it would put her mind at ease.

“Sister…”

“Hmm? Time to go back? Let’s head back now.”

Saying this, she started walking towards the parking lot. Turning around, she saw Fu Shuyun wasn’t responding. Just as she was about to reach out and hold her hand, Fu Shuyun spoke.

“The school curfew is 10 PM. Are we going to be late?”

“I’m sorry, I was just too happy and forgot about that…”