"Ah, I'm so tired today," I complained while massaging my shoulder.
Shi Qiang glanced at me and shrugged. She took another slice of beef from the hotpot and continued eating, totally ignoring this big sister of hers.
"Shi Qiang! Help your Jiejie Ah! Don't you see that I'm dying here?" I turned my back at her and pointed at my shoulder. "Massage me here! I'm so tired after carrying so much stuff."
"Why should I? Ying Jie, you are the one who said that we are not buying stuff at the convention. And you are also the one who bought all those stuff," Shi Qiang pointed at a bunch of BL merchandise lying at the corner of the room.
"Tsk, tsk, Shi Qiang, you don't understand the beauty of two men kissing! They are worth my hard-earned money!" I insisted.
Shi Qiang looked nonchalant.
"I'm also a fujoshi, but I know how to control my spending, Ying Jie," Shi Qiang said. But she slowly sat behind me and started massaging my shoulder. I cracked my neck and put on some essential oil, so it felt less strained.
"How is your work with Feng Group? You are Feng Xiaojun's secretary, right? How lucky, my boss is old and a henpecked husband!" I complained as I tried to recall what happened in the office. "I remember one time when Mr. Yang was eyeing a new intern right when Madam Yang came to the office. That day, Mr. Yang asked me to prepare a blanket for him in the office. Because his wife wouldn't allow him to return home!"
"I don't want to talk about my boss," Shi Qiang rolled her eyes and pressed on my shoulder harder. "Anyway, MeiMei called me yesterday. She said that you are going to be matched with mom's distant cousin's son."
My eyes widened in an instant. "Didn't I tell her to say that I already have a boyfriend?! I already bribed her with an extra monthly allowance!"
"MeiMei said that your bribe is not enough, so she told mom and dad about it already."
"That little shi--" I cursed my youngest sister, Shi Meili, in my heart. Meili or MeiMei was already 16 years old, and her gold-digging talent was already at its peak.
"You guys are my sisters! We should be staying strong together! How could she do this to me?!"
"Maybe she is just worried that you will be called a leftover woman by our neighbours," Shi Qiang commented. "Don't be too harsh on her. She cares for you."
I took a deep breath and calmed down. To think about it, what Shi Qiang said was true. Even if she tried to deny it, their neighbours in their hometown would start calling her a leftover woman soon.
"Well, I guess I can forgive her--"
~Cuz it's all fake love, fake love, fake love~
We paused when Shi Qiang's phone rang. We glanced at each other, and I asked Shi Qiang to check the caller. "It's MeiMei."
"Oh, thank god, I thought it's mom or dad!"
Shi Qiang picked up the call, "Yes, MeiMei, what is it?"
"Dad wants to talk," Shi Meili said on the phone. Shi Qiang's eyes widened, and she dared not to speak until a heavy, and slightly hoarse voice rang on the phone.
"Qiang, where is your Jie?" dad said on the phone.
Shi Qiang and I stared at each other, and I shook my head in response. I signalled with my mouth movement. 'I am not here. Tell dad that I'm working.'
"Shi Qiang, I know that your Ying Jie is with you right now. Give the phone to her," Dad said.
"H--How did you know?!" I responded in agape.
"MeiMei said that you went to a convention or something with Shi Qiang today. So you must be with her right now," Dad replied.
Feeling helpless, I picked the phone and asked, "Yes, Dad?"
"Shi Ying, your mom's distant cousin's son wants to meet you. Can you return home next week?" Dad asked.
"But I'm busy."
"If you have time to join a homo convention, then you have time to come home. Come home before you start disliking all men," Dad said.
"I AM NOT A LESBIAN!" I yelled on the phone after dad accused me again.
"Aren't you, though?" Shi Qiang added.
"SHI QIANG!" I glared at Shi Qiang, who giggled mischievously.
"Don't forget to bring your best dress. You are pretty, but you can be messy sometimes," Dad warned. "Don't even try to run away, or I will burn your precious homo comics at home."
"NOT MY BL COLLECTIONS!" I yelled desperately. Those BL books I've collected since I was in senior high school were like precious treasure inside my room. "Fine, I will return home! But… but promise that you are not going to match me again if I bring my boyfriend home!"
This time, dad was the one who got shocked. "Shi Ying, I know that you are desperate, but you don't need to lie to your dad like this…"
"I'M NOT LYING!" I had lost all my composure. Even though I had no boyfriend right now, as long as I could find one before next week…
Dad cleared his throat and finally yielded. "Okay then, your mom's distant cousin's son would still come. But if you bring your boyfriend home, then we can talk about this later."
Dad hung up the call, and I could only exchange stares with Shi Qiang, who almost burst out laughing.
"BWAHAHAHA! Boyfriend? You don't even have a male friend!" Shi Qiang quipped. "You are just digging your own grave, Ying Jie!"
I raised my chin and took out my phone, "Who said? I have this application!" I said while showing a new application on my phone.
Rent A Boyfriend.
"You are going to use this app for real?"
"Of course! I will rent the cheapest boyfriend to shut mom and dad for a while!" I said as I clicked on the Rent A Boyfriend app. "You will see me with a man back home!"