Who Said That? I’ll Definitely Like Him!
After Su Jingyang sobered up in the evening, he opened his eyes in a hazy daze and immediately saw Ling Li sitting by the bed, unable to hide the joy on his face.
Su Jingyang assumed he was happy about Lin’s Small Eatery. He sat up with Ling Li’s support and was about to speak, but Ling Li couldn’t wait and blurted out a piece of unbelievably good news. News so shocking Su Jingyang couldn’t process it for a long while.
Su Jingyang’s hair was sticking up in wild directions, and he still couldn’t quite believe it. “Y-you, you mean it? Ah Xuan’s condition might still be salvageable?!”
Ling Li nodded hard, then told Su Jingyang what Ah Yi had said.
Su Jingyang lifted his hand and slapped the quilt hard, eyes blazing, and very much ecstatic. “If that’s true, then that’s absolutely wonderful!!!”
If this worked out, both Ah Xuan and Ling Li would finally get their redemption. How could Su Jingyang not be happy?
Ling Li had always known Su Jingyang doted on Ah Xuan, but seeing how worked up he was now, Ling Li understood Su Jingyang’s joy was no less than his own. An uncontrollable tremor ran through his chest, and he gripped Su Jingyang’s hand tightly in return.
Su Jingyang asked, “You just said… a shaman?”
“Yes.” Ling Li looked at him gently and said, “I heard of it when I was very young. The Rong clan’s lineage was once the Wu clan. The power they possess is mysterious and unfathomable. If Ah Yi hadn’t mentioned it, I never would’ve thought it could help Ah Xuan.”
“Then when do we leave for Rongcheng? Right now?” Su Jingyang hadn’t been superstitious before, but the very existence of the system forced him to believe there were many unknown forces in this world. Besides, this was a novel’s world. Since the author had set up a Wu clan, it definitely meant they were given real “power.”
Su Jingyang threw off the quilt, ready to get up, but Ling Li helplessly stopped him and tucked him back in. “Don’t rush. Ah Yi said it might still take a while, because the shaman is in seclusion and…” Ling Li hesitated, then continued, “He said he doesn’t have full confidence. He told us not to be happy too soon.”
Su Jingyang said, “I know, I know. Nothing’s ever absolute. Still, having hope is better than having none.”
After the initial shock, Su Jingyang gradually calmed down. He put away his grin and asked curiously, “Hey, wait. How does Ah Yi know a shaman from the Rong clan anyway?”
Su Jingyang was worried Ah Yi might be saying it just to please Ling Li, tossing him something sweet to make him happy. Still, a lie like that would be easy to expose, and Ah Yi didn’t look like someone stupid enough to do something so reckless.
Ling Li said, “He’s from Rongcheng. One of his friends knows the shaman. He said that when the time comes, they can try to speak on our behalf.”
“Huh?” Su Jingyang’s eyes widened, and his first brain-dead reaction was, “So he’s from Rongcheng. Does that mean his full name is… Rong Yi? Like ‘easy’?”
Ling Li couldn’t help turning his head and letting out a soft laugh. Then he said, “Not necessarily. I’ve heard only the City Lord’s branch uses the surname Rong.”
Su Jingyang got the explanation and finally understood. “Oh, so that’s how it is.”
Earlier, when Ling Li said “the Rong clan,” Su Jingyang had assumed it meant everyone in Rongcheng. Now it was clear it referred to Rongcheng’s nobles. If the shaman only answered to nobles, Su Jingyang couldn’t help worrying. Did Ah Yi really have any confidence he could get the shaman to help treat Ah Xuan? What if they ended up with nothing but false hope?
Ling Li saw Su Jingyang frowning and zoning out. He lifted his hand and smoothed down Su Jingyang’s messy, bold hair. After Su Jingyang finished spiraling through his thoughts, he realized Ling Li was quietly watching him.
Su Jingyang pressed his lips into a smile. His eyes curved, bright and open, the smile touched with a faint sweetness.
“Ah Li. Ah Li.” Su Jingyang called his name, like he could already sense what was coming.
Ling Li tightened his grip on Su Jingyang’s hand and gave him a gentle smile. His gaze was warm, yet also so quiet and deep it was hard to read.
“Thank you, Jingyang.”
“What are you thanking me for? You’ve been so good to me, I should be the one thanking you.” If he wanted to get sentimental, Su Jingyang had grown up with no parents. No one had ever treated him with the kind of careful, attentive devotion Ling Li gave him. Being with Ling Li, Su Jingyang truly felt like he had gained family, someone who loved and cared for him.
In Ling Li’s clear eyes, moisture shimmered. He stared at Su Jingyang for a long time, voice catching, the end of it trembling softly. “Either way… thank you. Thank you for appearing.”
The way Ling Li’s eyes filled with tears while he fought to hold them back made Su Jingyang’s chest ache. He didn’t want to make Ling Li cry, so he deliberately yelped dramatically and claimed the wound on his face hurt.
Ling Li was thrown off by it and immediately wiped at his eyes as he stood up. “Does it hurt a lot? Endure it for a bit. I’ll get the medicine.”
Ling Li quickly fetched the ointment from the cabinet and applied it for him. Seeing how distressed Ling Li looked, Su Jingyang immediately grinned and said it didn’t hurt anymore.
Ling Li obviously knew Su Jingyang had been doing it on purpose. He pressed his lips together and shot him a glare, but his expression was still unbelievably soft.
At dinner, Ah Yi came over. Su Jingyang knew Ling Li had invited him to eat as thanks, so Su Jingyang kept his peace.
Ah Yi walked in, flicked his eyes over Su Jingyang, and naturally sat down in the seat beside him.
Su Jingyang shifted his butt a little on the stool, then in the end didn’t move.
As long as this guy didn’t start provoking him first, the two of them could still coexist peacefully.
During the meal, Su Jingyang hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask about Ah Xuan before Ling Li was already asking carefully. Ah Yi answered in meticulous detail, with not a hint of impatience. Watching from the side, Su Jingyang couldn’t help clicking his tongue in admiration.
Sure enough, in front of someone you like, you become a completely different person!
Ling Li’s eyes carried worry. “I’m only afraid the shaman will listen only to the Rongcheng Lord and won’t treat an unrelated outsider child.”
Su Jingyang swallowed his rice and finally managed to cut in. “I think it will work, because I’ve heard the Rongcheng Lord is kind-hearted. If we go and beg him directly, maybe he’ll have the shaman help us.”
Ah Yi’s chopsticks paused in his bowl. He suddenly lifted his eyes and looked at Su Jingyang, a flicker of light moving in his pupils.
Ah Yi’s lips curled into an ambiguous smile. In an offhand tone, he asked Su Jingyang, “How do you know the Rongcheng Lord is kind-hearted?”
“I heard it,” Su Jingyang replied while ladling soup.
“You heard it?” Ah Yi gave a faint, mocking snort. “Looks like you’re just repeating rumors. That person is actually… not that great.”
Su Jingyang immediately disagreed. He set down his spoon and glared at him, arguing, “He broke old rules and allowed his people to marry outsiders. Do you know how many tragic love stories that prevented? That’s wise and magnanimous. What’s the point of slandering him behind his back? You’re from Rongcheng too.”
For some reason, Ah Yi’s gaze sharpened. He looked at Su Jingyang and got even more aggressive. “You don’t even know him and you’re calling him good. Did he give you money?”
Su Jingyang was instantly unhappy. He stopped eating, stopped drinking, and stared him down with round eyes. “Then you’re badmouthing him like this, does he owe you money and refuse to pay? Does he owe you thousands or tens of thousands of taels???”
Ah Yi paused before answering, “If he owed me tens of thousands, I wouldn’t even bother holding a grudge.”
“…” Heh. Having money sure is impressive.
Ah Yi didn’t blink. He stared at Su Jingyang’s puffed-up cheeks and let out a quiet sigh. Then he concluded, “Anyway, if you meet him, you definitely won’t like him.”
“Who said that? I’ll definitely like him!” Su Jingyang huffed immediately, refusing to lose.
He wasn’t even trying to defend some City Lord he had never met. He just didn’t want to lose an argument. Then he resentfully added, “No matter what, he’s definitely better than you. You’re both young, but how can the difference in character be so huge?”
Ah Yi kept staring at him for a moment, then finally turned his face away. His shoulders shook, and a low laugh slipped out, blurred with something under his breath. “…What a fool.”
Su Jingyang lifted his spoon and drank a mouthful of soup. He saw Ah Yi shake his head, lips tilted as he smiled at him, like Su Jingyang was hilarious.
Su Jingyang muttered something about him being incomprehensible. Just then, Ling Li put a piece of braised beef into Su Jingyang’s bowl and told him to eat more. Su Jingyang couldn’t be bothered to deal with Ah Yi anymore, so he lowered his head and continued eating and drinking soup.
Author’s Note:
Short chapter appears~ I'm going to start saving drafts…
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