Mad Dog

“Jiliang-jie wants my brother’s contact info?”
Originally half-asleep and groggy, Zhi Qi suddenly woke up completely, thinking for a moment before cautiously replying: “[Liang-jie, did my brother offend you again?]”
She had been so busy today that she really hadn’t paid attention to the details.
The reason she said “again” was because Zhi Qi still remembered last time on the outskirts at the filming site, where Jiliang and Zhi Yu had interacted like needle against needle*. She could still recall it clearly!
So aside from thinking her brother, that stubbornly straight man**, might have offended Jiliang again, Zhi Qi really couldn’t think of any other reason why Jiliang would want Zhi Yu’s contact information.
During the wait for a response, she felt a bit uneasy.
In the end, Zhi Qi saw the screen flash, and the line Jiliang sent over was unexpectedly calm: “[No, I just want to be friends with him, that’s all.]”
Friends? Weren’t they like fire and water?
Zhi Qi was even more confused, feeling like she had somehow missed out on a major plot twist.
–
After sleeping until late the next morning and slowly waking up, Zhi Qi’s brain started to process what had happened the night before.
“Jiliang-jie said she wants to be friends with my brother.”
Sitting face-to-face with Jiang Qi at the dining table while biting into a steamed bun, Zhi Qi shared this bit of gossip with him in a somewhat uncertain tone: “I’m a bit worried though. My brother offended Jiliang-jie before, could he have done something to upset her again this time?”
In front of outsiders, the girl was always well-mannered, never talking while eating or sleeping, and even if she had something to say, she would wait until she swallowed her food.
—It was only in front of those closest to her that she would talk while eating, her words muffled and unclear.
Jiang Qi noticed this little habit of hers and was completely content with it, so much so that he didn’t care at all about anyone else’s business.
He merely responded with a nonchalant “mm.”
Zhi Qi was a bit speechless, but not surprised by Jiang Qi’s reaction.
Jiang Qi was the least “gossipy” person she had ever met, always uninterested in other people’s affairs.
But Zhi Qi was very interested.
So when Jiliang found some free time two days later and asked her out for a meal, Zhi Qi didn’t hesitate to go.
“Qi Qi, your brother is really quite distant.”
Once they sat down at a restaurant, Jiliang got straight to the point. Holding a white porcelain spoon, she slowly stirred her dessert, and there seemed to be a hint of frustration in her eyes as she pursed her lips: “I’ve added him three or four times now, and he still hasn’t accepted my request.”
Uh-oh, did her brother really do something wrong?
Hearing this, Zhi Qi’s heart skipped a beat, and she cautiously asked, “Liang-jie, my brother… what exactly did he do to offend you?”
Just give her a straight answer!
Jiliang paused, looking at the big-eyed girl in front of her, whose eyes were blinking with the words “fear,” and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you talking about? He didn’t offend me. Like I said, I just want to be friends with him.”
Jiliang tapped her fingers on the cold porcelain bowl, paused for a moment, then nonchalantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear: “Actually, I think your brother isn’t bad at all.”
Although Jiliang’s tone and expression were perfectly normal, with nothing seeming out of place, it was only at this moment that Zhi Qi, a fellow woman, slowly began to realize what was off—what kind of mindset would a woman have to think a man wasn’t bad at all?
—
Especially a single woman and a single man.
Zhi Qi almost wanted to laugh. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Jiliang and asked bluntly, “Liang-jie, do you like my brother?”
This girl really was good at throwing straight punches.
Jiliang’s lips pressed together somewhat awkwardly, very subtly, almost imperceptibly. She just smiled and said, “Right now, I just feel like your brother is a good person, and I’m quite interested, that’s all.”
As for whether she liked him or not, that would only be determined after they spent more time together.
It was too early to say anything now.
“Really?”
Zhi Qi excitedly cupped her face with both hands. “My brother has a terrible temper, how did you figure out that he’s nice?”
Could it be that Jiliang-jie had the ability to see through appearances to the essence of things?
After saying this, Zhi Qi quickly added a caveat: “But as long as you can get past my brother’s bad temper at first, you’ll find that he’s actually really great.”
As she spoke, Zhi Qi began telling the story of how, when Zhi Minglin and Mei Ran were busy with work during her childhood, it was often Zhi Yu who took her to and from school, playing both the roles of brother and father.
She remembered the time she was kidnapped, and Zhi Yu was almost frantic with worry. Later, he even personally thanked Jiang Qi—Zhi Qi guessed that’s why, when it came to her and Jiang Qi’s relationship, Zhi Yu opposed it fewer times than her parents did.
It wasn’t about who genuinely wanted what was best for her, but parents sometimes had more concerns. Her brother, on the other hand, truly understood from the bottom of his heart how much she liked Jiang Qi.
So, he knew that forcing them apart would only make her unhappy, and Zhi Yu couldn’t bear to see her unhappy.
As Jiliang listened, her eyes involuntarily showed a trace of envy.
“To be honest, the reason I have a good impression of your brother is because I think he’s quite caring.”
The last time they had a meal together on set, even though Zhi Yu was verbally jabbing at Zhi Qi without mercy, his long fingers had been honestly peeling shrimp for her. That scene left a deep impression on Jiliang.
Not to mention, some people, no matter what they appear like on the surface, have their gentlemanly manners ingrained in their bones.
As a man, Zhi Yu naturally wasn’t suited to peel shrimp for any woman besides his own sister, but he also understood that taking care of one person often means inadvertently neglecting another.
In theory, they were still in the middle of their “verbal sparring” at that time.
But in the end, when Zhi Yu went to settle the bill, he instructed the waiter to serve Jiliang a dessert—just her, not Zhi Qi, as a form of “compensation” for being ignored. Jiliang still remembered how Zhi Qi curiously asked where the dessert came from. She herself had been a little surprised, but she didn’t say anything, and they ended up sharing it, bite by bite.
After that, the next time they met was at Zhi Qi’s wedding.
Their contact was still minimal, but the memories were vivid.
Sharp-tongued, cold-faced, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, yet many little details proved that he was a cold yet considerate gentleman. When all these scattered memories were pieced together, they formed a complete impression.
And when this image came to life in her mind, it naturally stirred feelings of attraction.
“I’m an only child, and we don’t have many relatives, so I’ve always been on my own since I was little…”
Jiliang propped her chin on her hand, looking at Zhi Qi with obvious envy in her eyes. “So I really think it’s great to have an older brother.”
For a girl who was always so strong-willed, revealing a bit of vulnerability made her even more disarming. Zhi Qi, as a fellow girl, felt her heart soften just watching the beautiful woman before her express these sentiments.
“Liang-jie, my brother is just that oblivious! Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be single!”
Zhi Qi, recalling the key issue of her brother not accepting Jiliang’s friend request, quickly offered comfort and pulled out her phone—
“How about this? I’ll call him and ask him to accept your request.”
“No need.”
Jiliang pressed down on the girl’s hand, and then, seeing her surprised expression, raised the corners of her lips in a smile. “Let’s just go find him directly.”
Although she had thought Zhi Qi was a bit too blunt earlier, wasn’t she the same?
After hearing the little girl’s stories, Jiliang suddenly didn’t feel like communicating through WeChat anymore. She was about to join the production team for a new show in a few days, and she felt it would be more satisfying to meet Zhi Yu in person.
And since Zhi Qi was here, bringing her along wouldn’t seem out of place.
After saying this, Jiliang smiled expectantly at the girl.
Zhi Qi was momentarily stunned, then she nodded eagerly like a little chick pecking at grains, smiling as she said, “Alright, Liang-jie, wait a moment. I’ll call my brother now to ask where he is.”
In Zhi Qi’s heart, her excitement at this moment was almost like winning the lottery—Liang-jie was so beautiful, so career-driven, and so wonderful, yet she was still willing to pursue her grumpy, nitpicky brother. It was enough to make her want to set off firecrackers to celebrate!
As she thought this, she eagerly made the call, listening to the ringing tone as her fingers anxiously tapped the table.
But after ringing for a long time, Zhi Yu still didn’t pick up.
“Strange, why isn’t he answering?”
Zhi Qi muttered, then decided to call Mei Ran instead.
“Sweetie!”
Mei Ran answered quickly, her voice full of delight. “What’s up?”
“Mom, it’s the weekend, is my brother home?”
Zhi Qi bit her lip, feeling a bit frustrated. “I’ve called him twice, and he’s not picking up.”
She was really starting to get anxious—this was such a perfect opportunity!
How could Zhi Yu not answer his phone? If they missed this chance, where would they find such a beautiful girl like Jiliang again?
“Oh, are you looking for your brother?”
Mei Ran’s tone suddenly became a bit strange. “Qi Qi, why do you need him?”
Huh, odd.
In situations like this, Mei Ran would usually side with her in criticizing Zhi Yu, but instead, she asked why she was looking for him?
Knowing her family as well as she did, Zhi Qi immediately smelled something fishy.
She frowned suspiciously and asked, “Mom, do you know where my brother is?”
…
Mei Ran was silent for a moment before replying somewhat sheepishly, “Well, since it’s the weekend, I arranged a blind date for your brother. He’s probably at lunch and didn’t hear his phone.”
Zhi Qi was stunned.
“Ah, you know your brother has such a bad temper. I’m really worried he won’t be able to find a girlfriend.”
Mei Ran sighed, her voice taking on the slightly nagging tone of someone getting on in years. “This time, the blind date is with the niece of one of your dad’s old friends, a high-achieving returnee. She’s got looks and good qualifications, but when your brother heard I set up a blind date, he got angry. Honestly, if I hadn’t cried and made a big scene, he wouldn’t have gone.”
By the end, Mei Ran almost seemed a bit “proud” of herself.
But as Zhi Qi listened, she felt like she was about to cough up blood. She gritted her teeth and said with difficulty, “Mom, how could you… how could you do this?”
“Huh? What did I do wrong? Aren’t you worried about your brother’s future marriage? He’s almost thirty.”
Rounding up, Zhi Yu was nearly thirty. Mei Ran brazenly lectured Zhi Qi: “Qi Qi, you can’t rely too much on your brother. He needs to find someone.”
…
What was this logic? How did it turn into her preventing Zhi Yu from finding someone?
Zhi Qi was utterly speechless. After a long pause, she shook her head. “Forget it—where are they having the date?”
•••
*针尖对麦芒 (zhēn jiān duì màimáng): A Chinese idiom meaning two people are equally matched in a confrontation, both being sharp and aggressive like the tips of a needle and an awl.
**钢铁直男癌 (gāngtiě zhí nán ái): A slang term referring to a man with rigid and old-fashioned views on gender roles, often with a lack of emotional sensitivity.