Chapter 106: What Matters More

Chen Lin had tagged along with Jin Jie, feeling nervous the whole way. But once he heard what Jin Jie actually needed, he felt his worry lift. He was almost overjoyed.

It seemed Liying had kept her promise. She wasn’t using his good friend as a tool anymore.

Jin Jie might be in a rough spot right now, but Chen Lin thought cutting ties this cleanly was the best outcome for him.

Still, he chose to comfort his bro.

He patted Jin Jie on the shoulder and said solemnly, “You didn’t do anything wrong. The world is the one that’s wrong.”

“Come on, is that really how you comfort someone? Did you catch a bad case of chuunibyou?” Jin Jie immediately fired back.

He’d called Chen Lin here for advice, not to listen to him spout anime protagonist lines.

“I read the chat logs. I don’t think you made any mistake,” Chen Lin replied.

“Really? You sure?” Jin Jie sounded doubtful.

“Anyone you showed this to, aside from me, would agree there’s nothing wrong with your messages,” Chen Lin said firmly, taking another sip of Coke.

Man is iron, rice is steel. Skip a meal and you’ll be starving.

With his worries gone, Chen Lin’s stomach started to growl. He tore open his burger and took a bite.

Jin Jie had no appetite. He stood there with his hands on his hips, frowning hard in thought.

Actually, even without Chen Lin telling him, Jin Jie didn’t think his messages were a problem. Every text he’d sent Liying had been carefully thought through.

There was no reason she should be angry.

Chen Lin had only looked at the chat to confirm that. And as expected, he said it was fine.

Your best friend wouldn’t lie to you. But then what was the issue? Where had it gone wrong?

Chen Lin finished his burger, but Jin Jie was still lost in thought.

To stop his friend from going down a dead end, Chen Lin said, “Maybe Liying just lost interest in used audio gear all of a sudden. She originally added you to ask about secondhand equipment, right? Now that she’s not interested anymore, she’d naturally stop contacting you.”

“That can’t be it…” Jin Jie didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t deny there was some sense to it.

“Probably something like that,” Chen Lin analyzed.

There were no other possibilities, so Jin Jie could only accept it. He scratched his head in frustration. “Damn it, should I have explained things in a more interesting way…”

He thought back to the day he took Liying to the secondhand store. Had he been too casual? Too stiff in his explanations, making her lose interest in high-end audiovisual gear?

Chen Lin took another gulp of Coke and checked the time on his phone. “It’s getting late. Eat your meal quickly. We need to head back soon.”

Jin Jie didn’t even look at his food. “How can I eat at a time like this?”

He’d finally had some connection with a girl he liked, and now it was gone. He couldn’t accept it.

Under Chen Lin’s urging, Jin Jie eventually took a few bites of his burger just to get something in his stomach.

They’d wasted so much time that when they got back to class, they nearly arrived late.

****

Liying’s high school was a key school with a brutal admission rate.

All day long, Liying couldn’t focus in class.

She kept glancing out the window and sighing.

Normally, Liying was a model student who excelled in both academics and conduct. She never daydreamed during lessons.

This unusual behavior soon got her called into the homeroom teacher’s office for a one-on-one talk.

“Liying, is something on your mind?” the teacher asked, her tone kind rather than accusing.

“There’s nothing on my mind,” Liying replied.

But such a weak lie couldn’t fool an experienced teacher.

The teacher got up and poured Liying a cup of hot water. “Have a drink and calm down first.”

Liying took a sip as instructed. After a moment, the teacher continued, “Can you tell me the truth now? I’m not blaming you for anything. I’m just worried about you.”

“Thank you for your concern, Teacher, but I really am fine,” Liying answered politely.

Seeing that Liying didn’t want to open up, the teacher frowned. She didn’t push further. She just sighed. “I know that as your teacher, you might be resistant to talking to me. But since you say you’re fine, I hope you won’t zone out in class anymore.”

“I understand. Can I go back to the classroom now?” Liying asked.

“Wait…” The teacher thought for a moment. “I know the academic pressure at our school is high. Many students, on top of homework, also attend tutoring outside school. High school is different from middle school. The material is much harder. If you’re feeling stressed, I hope you’ll tell me.”

“Thank you, Teacher, but I really don’t feel stressed about my studies.” After saying goodbye to her teacher, Liying left the office.

Walking down the hallway, warm sunlight slanted in. Liying didn’t care about her studies anymore.

She’d studied hard in the past simply because she thought that was what a student was supposed to do.

She didn’t hate studying, but she didn’t love it either.

But now, with someone she liked, academics felt far less important. Having more time by his side mattered more than getting into a good university.

Before, Liying never understood why people said love ruined your grades. Now she felt she finally understood. It was simply because she’d found out what mattered more to her.

She took out her phone. Her sparkling phoenix eyes held a hint of charm, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she looked at the screen. On it was the chat history between her and Chen Lin.

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