Ji Ran soon put the conversation behind him.
He had been busy lately, preparing for Zhao Pingchuan's birthday.
He had never celebrated someone else's birthday before, so he could only search online for advice. But most of it was about celebrating a girlfriend's birthday and the like, which wasn't much help. Zhao Pingchuan wouldn't like those things either.
But what would Zhao Pingchuan like?
After living together for half a year, he really didn't seem to have noticed any particular likes or dislikes of Zhao Pingchuan's.
Thinking back to the novel, it hadn't mentioned anything about that either.
What a headache.
Just then, Zhao Pingchuan, who was usually quiet, suddenly spoke. "Ranran, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Ji Ran looked up. "Hmm?"
Zhao Pingchuan hesitated. "I want to borrow some money."
He had an incredibly hard time getting those words out.
He wasn't someone who cared much about saving face, but no matter how he looked at it, it wasn't appropriate to say something like that to Ji Ran.
But he really had no better option.
Ji Ran froze, at a loss for words for a moment.
The silence made Zhao Pingchuan feel even more awkward. He knew his request was a little excessive, and he was just about to take it back when Ji Ran asked in confusion, "What are you talking about, ge? My money is your money. Just take it and use it. Why call it borrowing?"
He put down his phone and pulled Zhao Pingchuan over to sit down. The unfamiliar distance between them made him feel as though they had gone back to when they first met.
Ji Ran deliberately put on a stern face and lectured Zhao Pingchuan. "Ge, if you say something like that again, I'm really going to get angry!"
Zhao Pingchuan lowered his gaze, his long lashes casting a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Ji Ran couldn't bear to hear Zhao Pingchuan apologize. He couldn't bear to see him suffer even the slightest grievance, and he immediately panicked. "Oh, ge, that's not what I meant. I was joking!"
He racked his brains for the right words. "Anyway, you're not allowed to be so polite with me!"
Seeing him get all worked up, Zhao Pingchuan couldn't help laughing again.
Ji Ran grinned foolishly too. He reached out and pulled Zhao Pingchuan's cheeks apart, making his handsome face look comical. "That's more like it!"
The atmosphere grew comfortable again, and Ji Ran couldn't help asking curiously, "Ge, what do you need the money for? Can you tell me?"
Zhao Pingchuan naturally wouldn't hide it from him. "I'm planning to invest it."
Ji Ran thought for a moment, then nodded in full agreement. "Investing is good. I don't know how to invest anyway, and you have a good eye, ge. You can make the decisions."
He wasn't at all afraid of losing the money he had worked so hard to earn.
Zhao Pingchuan felt as though a feather had brushed against his heart. He asked Ji Ran, "You trust me that much?"
Ji Ran said, "Of course. You're the person I trust most in this world."
The corners of Zhao Pingchuan's mouth rose, and his voice was gentle. "Thank you, Ranran."
The day after Zhao Pingchuan brought it up, Ji Ran went through all his savings and showed them to Zhao Pingchuan with a serious expression. "Ge, see if this is enough. I'll put my future wages in there too."
He knew that the more capital there was to invest, the better.
Zhao Pingchuan's heart melted. If Ji Ran had 99 yuan, he would give Zhao Pingchuan 100.
He rubbed Ji Ran's head. "I won't need this much. Investing is risky, so I should only use a small part of the savings to test the waters."
Ji Ran left it all up to him. "You can decide. Don't worry. Even if you accidentally lose it, we can just earn it again."
It was as though he got paid for doing nothing at work.
Zhao Pingchuan thought for a moment. "I'll start with fifty thousand. Let's save the rest in case we need it."
Ji Ran nodded. "Okay."
Zhao Pingchuan knew the passwords to all of Ji Ran's bank cards, so he transferred fifty thousand yuan to a stock trading account.
But neither of them brought it up again after that.
Ji Ran didn't ask Zhao Pingchuan whether he had made any money. He was afraid of putting pressure on him.
Zhao Pingchuan didn't bring up the investments on his own, either.
He had plenty of free time every day to watch the market, and since he did it all during the day, he could spend all his time with Ji Ran once he got off work.
Financial analysis was a required skill for a company president. Although something had gone wrong with his company, Zhao Pingchuan knew there was nothing wrong with his judgment or strategy.
Starting with fifty thousand yuan, he soon began earning returns on his returns.
Then he transferred the fifty thousand back to Ji Ran's card and continued investing with the money he had made.
He wasn't trying to make a fortune trading stocks. He only hoped they could have a little extra to make their lives better.
Zhao Pingchuan's birthday fell at the end of November. When they got up that morning, Ji Ran claimed the kitchen first.
He had gone shopping for a big bag of ingredients the day before and announced that the birthday boy wasn't allowed in the kitchen.
Zhao Pingchuan naturally went along with him.
Ji Ran cooked two bowls of longevity noodles.
They were a little different from ordinary longevity noodles.
He had added carrot juice to the flour and rolled out the noodles himself, giving them a chewier texture than dried noodles. He also added greens and shredded egg. The whole bowl was colorful and tasted wonderful.
Zhao Pingchuan finished his meal and tried to wash the bowls, only for Ji Ran to stop him again.
"We agreed you wouldn't do any work today. Leave it to me."
Zhao Pingchuan had no choice but to let him.
Ji Ran quickly cleaned up the kitchen, then threw up a hand and announced happily, "Now we're going out!"
It was Zhao Pingchuan's birthday, but Ji Ran looked even happier than he did.
Zhao Pingchuan looked at him with a smile. "Where is little Ranran taking me?"
Ji Ran patted his chest. "Just follow me."
It was a novel feeling.
All his life, Zhao Pingchuan had been used to being the one in control, the one others relied on.
Now, he had handed all the decisions over to Ji Ran, and he felt a measure of anticipation and curiosity about what would happen that day.
Ji Ran took him to an arcade.
The arcade was in a shopping mall and took up a large area, with a dazzling array of games. But most of the people inside were fresh-faced students or couples wrapped up in each other. There weren't any pairs of grown men like them who had come to play.
Zhao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow.
A little embarrassed, Ji Ran explained, "Ge, you probably never went to an arcade when you were little, right? Today I'm making up for it."
He hadn't had a chance to go to an arcade as a child either.
Fortunately, he had come a few times with his roommates after starting university, so it wasn't unfamiliar.
He pulled Zhao Pingchuan inside, bought two hundred tokens at the counter, and handed half of them to Zhao Pingchuan. Then he gave him an order. "You have to use all of these."
Most games only cost one or two tokens, so their two hundred would last a long time.
And so the two of them spent the whole morning at the arcade.
They started with a few rounds of a racing game. It was easy for Zhao Pingchuan, but Ji Ran had only just gotten his driver's license. He drove with frequent bumps and naturally lost to Zhao Pingchuan.
He wasn't discouraged at all. "Ge, you're amazing," he praised.
Next came boys' favorite kind of fighting game, the classic Contra.
At first, Zhao Pingchuan wasn't familiar with the controls, and before long, Ji Ran's character knocked his to the ground. Ji Ran burst out laughing and coached him. "Ge, you have to jump and use combos."
After a few rounds, Zhao Pingchuan began to match him blow for blow. This stirred Ji Ran's competitive spirit, and he played with even more enthusiasm. The two of them battled at that machine for a long time, until Ji Ran finally won and ended the game, fully satisfied.
Games really were a good way to relieve stress. Zhao Pingchuan had originally planned just to indulge the child, but after a few rounds, he discovered the fun in them too.
If he had come here ten years ago, he would surely have been even more excited than Ji Ran was now.