Read Novel Full Chapter 157 Part 2 – We Are Also Running Now (II)
Chapter 157 Part 2 – We Are Also Running Now (II)
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Jiang Li hesitated a little. “If I suddenly tell Eldest Brother about us, he’ll probably be pretty shocked, right?”
Tong Yi smiled and said, “Then let me do it.”
He picked up his phone from the coffee table and called his aunt. After about thirty seconds, the call was finally answered—but the person who picked up wasn’t Tong Nian.
“You’d better have something important to say.”
Feng Yang’s voice sounded unfriendly, and he was panting heavily, seemingly having just finished some intense exercise.
“Watch your tone. Ask Xiao Yi… if something happened.” Tong Nian’s voice sounded weak.
Tong Yi blinked in surprise. “You two were working out this early in the morning? I didn’t interrupt, did I?”
Because of the time difference, it should’ve been just after 8 a.m. in the U.S. Given his aunt’s habit of sleeping in, she should still be in bed!
“People like you—single and clueless—have no idea how disruptive you can be.” Feng Yang’s tone grew even more unfriendly.
Tong Nian let out a soft gasp and then went quiet, only whispering, “You’re so annoying…”
Tong Yi: “…”
His aunt’s shy tone made him realize that the two of them probably weren’t outdoor exercising… but rather doing indoor activities.
“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out already,” Feng Yang said, clearly running out of patience.
Tong Yi replied immediately, “Yeah, it’s important. I’m dating someone and wanted to tell Auntie. But you guys seem busy, so maybe I’ll just tell you later.”
Feng Yang scoffed. “You’re already in your twenties and still need permission to date? What are you, a giant baby?”
Tong Yi smiled. “I can decide for myself. I’m just torn on whether I should keep calling you Uncle-in-law… or start calling you Eldest Brother like Jiang Xiao Li does. It’s a bit of a dilemma.”
Though he said it lightly, he was actually pretty nervous. After all, Feng Yang was Jiang Xiao Li’s brother. If he strongly opposed their relationship, that could be a real problem.
Feng Yang was silent for a full thirty seconds before finally speaking. “Don’t tell me… your girlfriend is Xiao Jiang Li.”
“Xiao Yi and Xiao Jiang Li are together? That’s great! A perfect match—ah! Feng Yang, you jerk!”
Tong Yi: “…”
If he wasn’t sure before, now he was completely certain—he had definitely interrupted their good time.
Just as he was about to hang up, Feng Yang asked sharply, “Didn’t you have a girlfriend when you were abroad? You two broke up?”
The moment he heard that, Tong Yi almost jumped off the sofa. “When did I ever have a girlfriend abroad? Don’t make stuff up, alright?”
This was completely fictional, but Feng Yang sounded so convincing that if Jiang Xiao Li took it seriously, he’d have to spend a lot of effort explaining!
Tong Yi turned his head toward Jiang Li, and sure enough, she was looking at him intently. Clearly, she had already taken that line to heart.
Feng Yang clicked his tongue. “I’m making it up? Fine. Maybe it was just one-sided, and you never managed to win her over.”
Tong Yi immediately said, “Brother Feng Yang, uncle-in-law, I’m begging you, please don’t talk nonsense!”
His reaction was so dramatic that Feng Yang became suspicious. “Where are you right now?”
Tong Yi replied without hesitation, “It’s late—of course I’m in my dorm. Where else would I be?”
Just as he finished speaking, Jiang Li’s phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that it was Feng Yang calling—and her heart instantly sank.
Feng Yang sneered, “You said you’re at your dorm, so why do I hear Xiao Jiang Li’s ringtone?”
Tong Yi: “…”
Compared to the sweet and naive Feng Bai, the sharp and dark-humored Feng Yang was truly hard to deal with. Talking to him was exhausting.
“Let Jiang Xiao Li answer the phone,” Feng Yang said—and then promptly ended the call.
When Tong Yi had called Tong Nian, he’d turned on speakerphone, so Jiang Li had heard everything. Now, with her phone still ringing in her hand, she had no choice but to pick up.
After the call connected, Feng Yang’s voice came through the phone: “You’re really dating Tong Yi?”
When he spoke to Jiang Li, his tone was gentle. If she hadn’t just heard how he talked to Tong Yi, she might’ve mistaken it for him being in a great mood.
Jiang Li hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “Yes, but it hasn’t been long. I was actually planning to tell you just now. I just hadn’t gotten the chance yet.”
Feng Yang gave a quiet “Mm” and said, “What I said earlier about him having a girlfriend, that was old history from years ago. If he hadn’t ended things cleanly and still came to mess with you, I wouldn’t let him off.”
Jiang Li instinctively gripped her phone tighter and asked, “Did Tong Yi really have a girlfriend abroad?”
Tong Yi had clearly told her more than once that she was his first love… Could he have lied?
She trusted Tong Yi’s character, but she also didn’t think Feng Yang would joke about something like this. Could it have been a misunderstanding?
Tong Yi immediately declared his innocence, “No! Absolutely not! You’re my first love—don’t listen to your brother’s nonsense!”
“Oh, nonsense?” Feng Yang’s voice came back, “Back then, that girl you liked did badly on an exam, and you were moping around like a ghost every day. You even called your aunt for advice on how to comfort a girl. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
Tong Yi was silent for a while before asking, “Was that the time in the first year of high school when I called while you two were out running?”
Feng Yang gritted his teeth. “We’re running right now too.”
“Stop… stop talking nonsense,” Tong Nian’s voice sounded shy and breathless.
Tong Yi: “…”
Was he ever going to be able to hear the word “running” normally again?
“Xiao Jiang Li,” Feng Yang said, “This guy doesn’t say a single honest word. You’d better not let him fool you.”
With that, he hung up. Carrying Tong Nian, he walked into the bathroom. “Let’s change the location and keep running.”
Tong Nian: “…”
Feng Yang was seriously a bastard. They’d been married for years, and he still didn’t know how to behave himself!
“Your sister is dating now—shouldn’t you be worried about her?” Tong Nian tried to divert his attention.
Feng Yang smirked. “She’s an adult now, capable of making her own decisions. And your nephew isn’t a bad kid. That ancient gossip from years ago doesn’t really concern me. What am I supposed to do?”
Tong Nian: “…”
Tsk. Diversion failed.
“Instead of worrying about them, I might as well focus on you. That relative of yours visited recently, and we haven’t ‘run’ in days. Don’t you think we should make up for it?”
Tong Nian twisted his arm weakly and muttered, “You’re such a scoundrel.”
Feng Yang gave her a smirk. “If I were really a scoundrel, I wouldn’t bother bringing you to the bathroom to run.”
Tong Nian frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Feng Yang smiled and looked at her. “Running should be done on a track, obviously. Say, wouldn’t it be fun if the two of us went night running on the track in the middle of the night?”
Tong Nian: “…”
She really should’ve kept her mouth shut just now!
…
After the call ended, Jiang Li turned to look at Tong Yi, her expression unreadable. “Am I really your first love?”
Tong Yi immediately nodded. “You’re not just my first love. You’re the first girl I ever liked, and you’ll also be the last. That’s absolutely certain.”
Jiang Li, seeing that he didn’t look like he was lying, couldn’t help frowning. “So you’re saying my brother was falsely accusing you just now?”
Tong Yi sighed. “I wouldn’t say falsely accusing… I did call my aunt to ask how to comfort a girl.”
Before Jiang Li could question him further, he quickly added, “And the girl I wanted to comfort was you. You were upset at the time, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Jiang Li frowned even more. “But my brother said it was because that girl didn’t do well on an exam, and that’s why you wanted to comfort her.”
Tong Yi nodded immediately. “Right, at the time…”
Jiang Li interrupted him. “But as far as I remember, I always did pretty well on my exams. Why would I need your comforting?”
Tong Yi could only try to jog her memory. “Do you remember back in first year, when you signed up for the school’s competition prep class? They gave you all an entry test?”
Jiang Li clearly froze. After a long pause, she asked, “Are you saying… You thought I didn’t do well on that test, so you wanted to comfort me?”
Tong Yi shook his head and explained, “It’s not that I thought you did badly—it was you who thought you did badly. I called you, and you were in a pretty bad mood. I didn’t know how to comfort you, so I called my aunt for help.”
It had been years since then, and he hadn’t expected Feng Yang to have such a sharp memory. He’d just mentioned dating, and the man immediately brought up the past.
Was it because he had interrupted their “running” session back then, and Feng Yang had held a grudge all these years?
…Probably not, right?
After hearing Tong Yi’s explanation, Jiang Li immediately remembered that time in the first year.
She had taken the test for the competition prep class, and after overhearing Qin Zheng and Wang Simin comparing answers, she had genuinely felt she wouldn’t make it in. She’d even started considering trying again the next year.
After the exam, Tong Yi had indeed called her, but she hadn’t been in a good mood and ended the call after saying a few perfunctory words.
But based on what Tong Yi said now, he hadn’t known how to comfort her, so he’d actually gone to his aunt for advice?
Jiang Li stayed silent for a long while before quietly saying, “Didn’t you say you developed feelings for me at my brother’s wedding? Then how come…”
Tong Yi immediately replied, “I didn’t lie. Back then, I saw you as my best friend. When a friend is upset, of course I want to comfort them.”
He absolutely couldn’t let Jiang Xiao Li suspect that he had fallen for her back in the first year.
Jiang Xiao Li was not even sixteen years old at that time. If I had been attracted to her at that time, it would have been… worse than a beast.
She hadn’t even been sixteen at the time. If he’d had feelings for her then, that would’ve been… unforgivable.
Jiang Li said softly, “You don’t have to be so nervous. I believe you.”
Tong Yi let out a sigh of relief, then said with righteous indignation, “You should believe me—rather than trusting your brother who’s always trying to stir things up.”
Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh. “You said I was your best friend—did you have a lot of other best friends before?”
Tong Yi immediately shook his head. “I don’t have many friends, and when it comes to girls, you’re the only one. Now that you’re my girlfriend, I don’t have any female friends at all.”
He unlocked his phone and said, “I’ll add your fingerprint to my phone. You can check it whenever you want, see if I’m talking to any girls.”
Jiang Li pulled her hand back. “Let’s not. That would mean you have no privacy.”
Tong Yi smiled at her. “Is privacy really that valuable? What do I need it for?”
Then, without giving her a chance to object, he added her fingerprint to his phone and said, “This is called being a gentleman—open and aboveboard.”
Jiang Li said in a low voice, “Do you want to see my phone, then?”
Tong Yi hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “I trust you. If you don’t want to add my fingerprint, I won’t force you.”
Jiang Li’s expression stayed flat. “It’s just adding a fingerprint. No need to try reverse psychology on me.”
Imitating Tong Yi’s earlier actions, she added his fingerprint to her phone. During the process, her arm brushed against his bathrobe, causing the sash to come undone.
Seeing Tong Yi’s robe fall open, she frowned. “Why are you being a perv again?”
Tong Yi grinned and pulled her closer. “You’re the one who undid it. Come on, tie it back up for me.”
Jiang Li frowned at him. “Don’t you have hands?”
Tong Yi immediately put both hands behind his back. “Not anymore.”
Then he leaned a little closer and said softly, “Didn’t you always want to be my aunt? That makes me your Guo’er. Aunt, can you help me out, just this once, for the sake of my one working arm?”
Jiang Li pressed her lips together, and after a few seconds, a mischievous smile appeared. “You really want me to tie it for you?”
Tong Yi: “…”
His instincts told him that the smile didn’t mean anything good.
Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Li picked up the sash and tied a ridiculously complicated knot. Then she patted his shoulder and said, “Your aunt’s been eating too much honey lately—no strength left. It’s not the prettiest knot, but it’ll do.”
With that, she got up from the sofa and headed toward her room.
At the corner, she suddenly turned back and said, “Guest room or sofa—your choice. Just don’t sleep in tomorrow.”
Tong Yi lazily asked, “Can I pick the master bedroom?”
Jiang Li smiled and nodded. “Of course you can. I just can’t guarantee I won’t sleepwalk and toss you out the window into the garden.”
Tong Yi: “…”
That smile of Jiang Xiao Li’s… was absolutely killer.
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