Chapter 97: The Matchmaker’s Revelation

When a playful remark falls flat, most people would find it mortifyingly embarrassing.

But Li Jianren was no ordinary person; his thick skin rivaled a city wall, and even in such a situation, he remained completely unfazed, calmly taking a sip of water.

Not far behind him, Zhong Tian, who had been listening in, was so embarrassed his toes were practically curling.

‘I really admire this guy…’

‘No, wait! Isn’t this a complete conversational disaster?!’

‘Li Jianren isn’t speaking, Bai Ruijin looks quite awkward, isn’t this going nowhere fast!?’

‘If you don’t know someone well, don’t just throw out inside jokes!’

Observing the two in front of him, Zhong Tian began to fret.

‘I’m the King of Urgency.’

‘Li Jianren, are you even capable?!’

Zhong Tian pressed a hand to his forehead.

‘How could these two possibly make any progress?’

Upon closer reflection, it seemed these two shared few common interests and even fewer topics for conversation.

If they were together—even with a chatterbox like Li Jianren leading the conversation—they might never connect on a deeper level.

This was precisely the situation now.

Li Jianren sipped his water, and Bai Ruijin remained silent.

At this moment, Zhong Tian seemed to realize the biggest flaw in this “Operation LJR Conquest.”

How to deepen the feelings between these two.

Previously, their focus had solely been on how to bring Bai Ruijin closer to Li Jianren and create opportunities for them to spend time together.

Yet, they had rarely considered how the two should interact to foster mutual affection.

It was akin to waiting in line for food at the cafeteria, only to realize when it was finally your turn that your card was empty, with no immediate way to top it up.

‘This is bad.’

‘What now?’

Today was Wednesday.

Three days remained until the weekend date.

In three days, Bai Ruijin and Li Jianren would need to at least have topics to discuss.

Zhong Tian pondered deeply and could only recall what he had previously suggested to Bai Ruijin: playing games together online.

This seemed to be the most suitable method for now to bridge the distance with Li Jianren.

‘……’

After a moment of thought, Zhong Tian rose from his seat.

He decided to ask Zheng Qiao, as a girl, for her opinion.

Zheng Qiao, who had been observing from a short distance away, noticed Zhong Tian walking towards her.

She straightened up and asked, “What is it?”

“Bai Ruijin’s matter,” Zhong Tian said.

“I wanted to ask you if there’s any way to deepen the feelings between those two.”

“Huh? Ask me?” Zheng Qiao frowned.

“I don’t understand… I’ve never been in a relationship, so asking me would be pointless, wouldn’t it…”

“…Let me rephrase.”

“How do you think two people with few common topics could improve their relationship?”

“People with no common topics…” Zheng Qiao glanced at Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin.

Understanding Zhong Tian’s meaning, she also grew perplexed.

“This… that’s difficult, isn’t it?

After all, common topics usually stem from shared interests… and those two…”

“What are Bai Ruijin’s hobbies?”

“Hobbies, hmm, let me think…” Zheng Qiao ticked off on her fingers.

“She likes cats, enjoys getting her nails done, loves sweets, and binge-watching dramas…”

‘These are completely mismatched with Li Jianren’s hobbies, aren’t they?!’

‘It’s over! “Operation LJR Conquest” can be declared a total failure!’

Zhong Tian should have considered this from the very beginning.

But as soon as he learned someone was interested in Li Jianren, he had rushed to play matchmaker, fueled by six parts joy and four parts relief, without thoroughly considering whether the two were actually compatible.

Thinking back further, Zhong Tian didn’t even know the specific reason Bai Ruijin liked Li Jianren.

‘It seemed he had been far too hasty in his attempt to help.’

“Zheng Qiao, do you know the reason Bai Ruijin likes Li Jianren?”

“Hmm? The reason?” Zheng Qiao pondered for a moment.

“She never told me… I suppose she developed feelings for him during a Literature Club event.”

“Literature Club…”

“Oh, right!”

“I remember the Literature Club President also knew about Xiao Bai and even helped her out.”

“Right.”

Zhong Tian had a faint recollection of it as well.

“If you want to know, you could find some time to ask the Literature Club President,” Zheng Qiao suggested.

“But I think asking her directly might be faster.”

“Hmm.”

Zhong Tian believed that understanding the reason for her affection towards Li Jianren was crucial, as it might more effectively foster their relationship.

“I’ll ask her directly.”

Zhong Tian had initially intended to learn the full story from the Literature Club President’s observer perspective.

However, he realized that using his mind-reading ability on Bai Ruijin would be more direct and guarantee greater authenticity, so he discarded the idea of questioning the Literature Club President.

‘……’

“Bai Ruijin.”

Zhong Tian approached Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin.

“Could you come with me for a moment?”

“Alright…”

Zhong Tian led Bai Ruijin to the last row of the auditorium.

Lowering his voice, he said, “Bai Ruijin, this might be a bit sudden, but I’d like to know the reason you like Li Jianren.”

“The reason?”

Bai Ruijin hesitated.

“The reason… how should I put it…”

“It feels like there are many, yet also none at all…”

“Then what was the catalyst for your feelings for him?”

“……There was no specific catalyst; I just gradually… fell for him,” Bai Ruijin said, her voice barely a whisper as she lowered her gaze.

“At the time, he didn’t even know my name, and we could hardly claim to know each other, yet I unwittingly developed feelings for him…”

“Perhaps it was his bold demeanor during presentations… perhaps his appearance… perhaps his optimistic outlook…”

She paused.

“Perhaps I liked all of it…”

‘……’

Although Bai Ruijin’s words lacked clear logic, Zhong Tian could discern the innocent, nascent affection she held for Li Jianren.

Zhong Tian now understood.

What Bai Ruijin cherished was the feeling of being by Li Jianren’s side, quietly watching him.

More than superficial common topics, perhaps Bai Ruijin yearned for a calm, soulful connection.

And Li Jianren, too, sought precisely this kind of spiritual exchange.

Their needs aligned perfectly.

The path forward, then, became clear.

“Bai Ruijin,” Zhong Tian said with a serious expression.

“From now on, talk to Li Jianren more about your innermost thoughts, and let your confessions draw out his.”

“Deep down, Li Jianren is quite a lonely person, and the best way to win his heart is to help him share his solitude.”

“Good luck with your weekend date.”

“Alright…” Bai Ruijin nodded.

“Then, I’ll head back now…”

“Okay.”

****

Yu Yinlian had not eaten breakfast.

She gazed at the large bag of stolen daily necessities, her heart still heavy with guilt.

She was now contemplating whether she should return them.

If she returned them, it would mean she’d have to borrow money from Zhong Tian to get by in the coming days, which would incur yet another debt of gratitude.

She didn’t want to owe her only friend so much.

Yu Yinlian knew this couldn’t justify her theft, but now, existing in this world where no one could observe her, did she still need to abide by society’s morals and laws?

It seemed both necessary and unnecessary.

Lost in confusion, she could only curl up on her bed, silent.