Chapter 89: The Unseen Strings of Friendship and Lingering Affection

After evening self-study concluded, Zhong Tian and Su Linxi cycled back to their home.

The moment Zhong Tian stepped through the door, he spotted empty takeout containers and disposable cutlery strewn across the dining table.

As expected, Zhong Jing had clearly opted for takeout.

‘Sigh, she could at least clean up after eating…’

With a sense of resignation, Zhong Tian paused his routine of changing shoes, made his way to the dining table, gathered all the discarded items into a bag, and disposed of them in the large dumpster outside the building.

‘This won’t do. Ever since Linxi started school, my sister has reverted to her old habits, constantly ordering takeout or subsisting on instant noodles…’

Zhong Tian was considerably vexed by Zhong Jing’s eating habits.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried teaching Zhong Jing how to cook before, but no matter how Zhong Tian instructed her, Zhong Jing invariably committed some incredibly peculiar error at a crucial step, invariably sending the entire dish to an untimely demise.

One might even suspect she was trying to impress the Hells’ envoys with her culinary ‘creations’.

Every single dish prepared by Zhong Jing left Zhong Tian utterly dumbfounded, to the point where he lost all courage to even sample them.

This cycle of exhaustion and culinary failure led Zhong Jing, who was inherently indolent, to simply give up entirely.

Consequently, even at the age of twenty-six, Zhong Jing only knew how to order takeout and prepare instant noodles.

While a diet solely of instant noodles and takeout wasn’t particularly healthy, Zhong Tian didn’t find it overly concerning, especially since Zhong Jing’s own cooking truly seemed unfit for human consumption.

However, failing to clean up after finishing takeout and instant noodles? That, he deemed, was utterly unacceptable!

The more Zhong Tian pondered, the more his frustration mounted, as he wrestled with how to instill good living habits in Zhong Jing.

After much deliberation, Zhong Tian concluded that the situation appeared to be without a solution.

He simply couldn’t stand firm against his own sister.

‘Too weak, utterly powerless.’

‘Forget it… I won’t dwell on it.’

“Linxi, I’m going to take a shower first.”

“Alright.”

Rather than fretting over Zhong Jing’s affairs, he decided it would be more productive to consider how to question Editor Lin Chu about Li Jianren.

****

Zhong Tian spent half an hour showering, then, while drying his hair with a blow-dryer, he opened WeChat on his phone, logged into his main account, and located Editor Lin Chu in his contacts.

[Editor Lin Chu, I have a private matter I’d like to ask you about. Are you available at the moment?]

Using the 26-key input method, Zhong Tian found himself typing with one hand while blowing his hair dry with the other, resulting in neither quick typing nor properly dried hair.

Su Linxi walked over, sat beside him, gently took the blow-dryer from his hand, lifted his long hair from his back, and began carefully drying it.

“Ah, please don’t trouble yourself, I can manage…”

“…”

Su Linxi offered no reply, continuing to use her small hands to lift Zhong Tian’s long hair, directing the blow-dryer to its inner layers.

“…Thank you…”

This was the first time anyone other than his mother had helped Zhong Tian dry his hair, leaving him feeling a mix of embarrassment and slight discomfort.

A buzz—

[Yes, I’m free. What is it? Tell me.]

Editor Lin Chu replied, and Zhong Tian shifted his attention back to his phone.

[I have a friend who has a secret admirer, and I’m trying to set them up. However, my friend says he doesn’t want to be in a relationship. After some probing, I’ve realized it’s not that he doesn’t want one, but that he can’t be in one for certain reasons. Editor Lin Chu, what do you think those reasons might be?]

[Alright, may I ask if this friend you’re referring to is yourself?]

[No! It really is a friend!]

[It’s that guy from the late summer beach party! His name is Li Jianren!]

[I see.]

Editor Lin Chu sent a sticker of a nodding cat.

[I’m going to ask you a few questions.]

[Okay, ask away.]

[First, is the girl who likes Li Jianren someone from that late summer beach party?]

[Yes, it’s the one in the pink swimsuit. Her name is Bai Ruijin.]

[Alright, second question: she doesn’t know you’re a boy, right?]

[That’s correct.]

[Hmm, third question: you and Li Jianren have a particularly close relationship, don’t you?]

[Yes, we’ve been childhood friends.]

[Inseparable, you mean?]

[Uh… pretty much…]

[Fourth question: does he often hang out with girls at school?] Editor Lin Chu asked. [Or, to be more direct, do you know if he has a crush on any girl?]

[Neither of those.]

[Well, then, isn’t the answer obvious?]

[Obvious?]

[Yes, indeed.]

Editor Lin Chu sent a sticker of a loudly laughing cat.

[I’ve noticed, Xiao Zhong, that you often exclude yourself when you’re thinking things through.]

[What… what does that mean?]

[Let me ask you, what would Li Jianren do with a girlfriend once he found one?]

‘What would he do?’

If anyone else had posed that question, Zhong Tian wouldn’t have thought much of it.

But coming from Editor Lin Chu, he couldn’t help but suspect she was implying something else entirely.

[Dates… and such, I suppose.]

[Exactly! And what does “dates… and such” require?]

[Money?]

[And time.]

[Do you understand now?]

‘Time?’

[Time… what about it?]

[Oh, come on!]

Editor Lin Chu sent a sticker of an angry cat.

[How can you be so sharp usually, yet so dense now?]

[If Li Jianren gets a girlfriend, won’t he have no time to hang out with you?]

[And also, aren’t you pretending to be a girl at school? If he were to date a girl from the same school who doesn’t know the truth, do you think she’d allow him to associate with you?]

[So if he gets a girlfriend, wouldn’t that be like cutting off all ties with you?]

[Xiao Zhong, you’ve also mentioned that you act rather aloof at school.

If your best friend were to spend all his time with his girlfriend, wouldn’t you feel lonely, isolated, and sad?]

[How could your best friend possibly bear to see you lonely, isolated, and sad?]

[You need to recognize when people care about you, you know!]

Zhong Tian, having read the messages from Editor Lin Chu, found himself somewhat stunned.

He realized that Lin Chu’s analysis was likely correct.

For when he put himself in Li Jianren’s shoes, he knew that if he himself had a partner and spent less time with Li Jianren, he would undoubtedly worry about Li Jianren feeling lonely and sad.

‘That guy…’

Zhong Tian let out a soft chuckle.

[My suggestion, Xiao Zhong, is for you to quickly find a girlfriend yourself.

That way, Li Jianren will be reassured, and then you can wholeheartedly push for Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin to get together.

Wouldn’t that solve everything?

And here’s a recommendation: I suggest you consider my pure and adorable younger sister, Lin Yu!]

[…]

‘Why does this feel like the hidden agenda is finally being exposed?’

[Thank you, Editor. I will find a suitable method myself.]

[Oh, don’t be like that! I’m telling you, getting a girlfriend is the absolute best way, there’s no more suitable alternative!

Be decisive, for hesitation leads to defeat!]

[Thank you, Editor. I will find a suitable method myself.]

[Good night.]

Zhong Tian swiftly ended the chat, turned off his screen, and began pondering that ‘suitable method’.

‘I could wait until Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin’s relationship develops significantly, then I could bring Bai Ruijin to confess, and personally explain everything to Li Jianren so he doesn’t have to worry about me.

At the same time, I’d reveal my male identity to Bai Ruijin.

That way, all the problems would be solved!’

‘Yes, the plan is set!

Tomorrow, I’ll go to Li Jianren and probe a bit more to confirm the situation, then I can put this issue aside!’

‘Excellent.’

‘Tomorrow, I’ll congratulate Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao.’

‘Project LJR’s progress has achieved a significant, phased victory!’

****

While drying Zhong Tian’s hair, Su Linxi had silently observed the entirety of his chat with Lin Chu.

When she saw Lin Chu suggest that Zhong Tian find a girlfriend, she nearly ‘volunteered herself’.

‘She almost said they could pretend to be a couple, just to put Li Jianren at ease.’

‘And pretending to be a couple could easily turn their pretense into reality, becoming a genuine relationship…’

‘Which was precisely what she hoped for.’

Yet, she held her tongue.

The changes in this lifetime were too profound; she was uncertain of Zhong Tian’s current feelings for her.

She feared that such a move might only arouse his suspicions and create an even greater distance between them.

Therefore, she remained silent, simply turning off the blow-dryer and rising from the sofa.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”