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The decision to pursue Lin Jiayu was something Lu Ji had carefully considered. Neither he nor Lin Jiayu could afford to play games, cause trouble, or endure heartbreak. Lin Jiayu was a girl worth pursuing and one who should not be let down.
Over the years, Lu Ji had met quite a few girls and even tried dating a couple of times, but each attempt fizzled out. He lacked both the mindset and the scheming necessary for chasing someone, and he even found dating to be rather tiresome.
That sense of annoyance, however, melted away like ice in water when it came to Lin Jiayu.
Lin Jiayu had once asked Lu Ji what he intended to do with her photo.
Lu Ji replied, “To ward off evil spirits.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
Ward off your sister’s spirit... Ward off evil spirits... Can I just wish you good luck instead?
On second thought, if Lu Ji was keeping her photo, did that mean he liked her?
Lin Jiayu amused herself for a while before turning back to work. She decided not to press him further about what he intended to do with her photo. Sometimes, leaving some things unknown was more beautiful than digging for answers.
This way, she could imagine various outcomes, much like writing a novel. When the plot reached a certain point, there were many possible directions it could take. This self-entertainment was something she enjoyed.
Xu Xiangyang and Zhou Yuan had come to First High School over the past two days. Xu Xiangyang was there to scout locations for his proposal, and Zhou Yuan, the photographer for this proposal, tagged along.
Lu Ji hadn’t come.
On the third day, in the afternoon of Xu Xiangyang’s proposal, Lu Ji arrived.
He called Lin Jiayu on the way: “Should I bring some food?”
Zhou Yuan, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at him, curious about whom he was calling.
Lin Jiayu didn’t hold back: “Yes! If you’re coming, don’t just bring food for me. The director, screenwriters, and main actors all need to eat too. Buy plenty. If not, order takeout. I won’t tell them that you’re the damned second male lead.”
Lu Ji’s lips twitched: “Well, thank you.”
After hanging up, Zhou Yuan quickly asked: “Are you calling Lin Jiayu?”
“Mm.” Lu Ji tossed him his phone, casually driving. “Order some afternoon tea. There are quite a few people, so order a lot. Choose well, and I’ll pay.”
Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow: “You really intend to pursue Lin Jiayu?”
“Mm.”
Zhou Yuan looked at him for a few seconds and laughed: “That’s great. Lin Jiayu should be pretty sought after now. Not only has she become prettier, but she also makes money. You know each other well. If you can really be together, then...”
“What do you mean ‘if’?” Lu Ji frowned. “If I’m going to pursue her, then we definitely have to end up together.”
Zhou Yuan was taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh: “Right, right, right. She liked you in high school, and she must still like you now; otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited until now. With our Lu God making a move, how could there be any chance of failure?”
Lu Ji chuckled.
He had almost forgotten that he used to be Lin Jiayu’s idol.
When Lu Ji arrived, the afternoon tea had already been delivered. A group of people gathered around to eat. Tang Xin watched Lin Jiayu with interest, seeing through her immediately: “Is that the prototype for the second male lead? No wonder they call him a god. In person, he’s much more handsome than those secretly taken photos on the forum.”
Lin Jiayu ate her dessert and glanced at Lu Ji, who was standing not far away, talking to Xu Xiangyang and Zhou Yuan.
Undoubtedly, Lu Ji was handsome. Unlike Jiang Tu’s cold and restrained demeanor, Lu Ji appeared much more approachable.
Lin Jiayu smiled: “Of course he’s handsome. How else could he be the second male lead?”
Tang Xin nodded: “There are indeed many handsome guys from your First High. The senior Song from the previous year was also incredibly handsome. Could it be a feng shui issue?”
Lin Jiayu seriously replied: “Perhaps.”
Both burst into laughter. Lu Ji turned his head and glanced over.
Lin Jiayu’s gaze suddenly met his. Her smile faltered, and she hurriedly lowered her head, pretending not to see, continuing to eat her dessert.
Lu Ji couldn’t help but chuckle.
What was she pretending for?
The filming set was busy setting up the starry lights. Lin Jiayu was occupied and didn’t have much time to entertain him. Not long after, Zhu Xingyao arrived, bringing another round of afternoon tea. The crew indulged in another round of eating. Lu Ji watched from afar, sometimes truly admiring Lin Jiayu’s carefree nature, though it went a bit too far.
He still hoped she would care a little more. But... perhaps that carefree attitude was laced with pretense.
Thinking this way made him feel better.
At a little past ten in the evening, after Xu Xiangyang’s proposal event ended, Lu Ji and Lin Jiayu watched as Jiang Tu and Zhu Xingyao walked into the starry lights. After a brief exchange, they fell silent for a few seconds.
Lu Ji leaned over and softly asked: “Lin Jiayu, shall we give it a try?” Back when she was 17, she had seen his worst side yet still fell for him. Now, she had quietly transformed, becoming attractive and radiant.
Lin Jiayu was stunned. She turned her head and hummed: “What do you mean by ‘try’? Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
Lu Ji paused, then nodded: “Mm.”
Lin Jiayu blinked and said unhappily: “Lu Ji, hasn’t anyone taught you that if you want a girl to be your girlfriend, you first have to chase her? Back in high school... although you weren’t as hardworking as Jiang Tu, you were still pretty good at chasing.”
Lu Ji: “...”
After a few seconds, he chuckled softly: “Alright.”
A moment later, he said: “Lin Jiayu, you’ve changed from before.”
“That’s because we’ve grown up,” Lin Jiayu said, looking at him. “You’ve grown up too.”
Lu Ji corrected her: “Men don’t say they’ve grown up; they say they’ve matured.”
Lin Jiayu burst out laughing: “Alright, mature man.”
Lu Ji: “...”
He reached out and lightly tapped the back of her head.
“Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.” He stood up.
Lin Jiayu hesitated: “I drove my own car here.”
Lu Ji paused, looking down at her: “Leave it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
Lin Jiayu’s heart skipped a beat. She stared blankly at him, instinctively pursing her lips. Lu Ji pulled her up, and she quickly bent down to grab her bag, calmly saying: “Alright, since you’re on vacation anyway.”
She simply hadn’t expected him to slip into the role so quickly—saying he’d pursue her and immediately arranging to pick her up and drop her off.
She almost didn’t react in time. In her heart, she mocked herself: Have you never seen the world?
The two slowly made their way to the parking lot.
Lu Ji’s hands were in his pockets, appearing somewhat lazy. Lin Jiayu felt he was different from last year, regaining some of the spirited confidence from their youth. She found her heart racing uncontrollably.
She almost wanted to say: I agree.
After all, what would it feel like to date Lu Ji?
She couldn’t bear it, feeling an intense itch, desperately wanting to try and find out.
Under the faint moonlight and gentle breeze, their shadows stretched long.
Lu Ji suddenly turned to look at her and smiled: “You’ve secretly looked at me over a dozen times today.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
She justified herself: “If you weren’t looking at me and paying attention, how would you know I was secretly looking at you?”
Lu Ji frankly admitted: “I was watching you.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
She grinned: “Then, we’re even.”
Lu Ji unlocked the car, and Lin Jiayu quickly opened the door and got in. While he hadn’t yet sat down, she secretly took a deep breath. Lu Ji chuckled, opened the door, and got in. Knowing her address, he drove straight out.
On the way, Lin Jiayu suddenly remembered the matter of the photo. She turned to ask: “Lu Ji, why did you want my photo?”
Lu Ji’s fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel: “To look at it.”
Lin Jiayu blinked: “How often do you look at it?”
Lu Ji paused: “Does that matter?”
“Yes. If you look at it more than ten times a day, it means you think about me a lot and like me a lot.”
“Do you look at my photos?”
“...”
“No?”
“...Yes.”
“How many times do you look at them a day?”
Lin Jiayu felt this conversation was going nowhere. She had been extremely busy lately and didn’t have time to keep looking at his photos. Lu Ji chuckled: “So, this theory doesn’t hold. It’s something romance authors like you make up to fool young girls.”
Lin Jiayu was indignant: “Have I ever offended you as a romance author?”
Lu Ji pursed his lips and said lightly: “If you haven’t offended me, then why did you write those stars and moons? Why did you have a crush on me? Lin Jiayu, do you misunderstand the concept of offending? If this doesn’t count, then what does?”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
“If you haven’t offended me, I wouldn’t be driving you home now, nor would I be pursuing you.” Lu Ji chuckled, driving into the neighborhood. He turned to look at her. “Lin Jiayu, stop pretending. You understand everything; be honest.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
Her face flushed red. What was she pretending about? What did she understand? Was he implying she was some kind of expert?
After a few seconds, she managed to blurt out: “What if I do understand? Even if I understand, I still want you to chase me. What’s wrong with that?”
Lu Ji smiled: “Don’t rush. I didn’t say I wouldn’t chase.”
Lin Jiayu: “...Why am I rushing?”
“Which way?”
There were two diverging paths ahead, and Lu Ji didn’t know which to take. He slowed the car.
Lin Jiayu softly said: “Left.”
Lu Ji turned the steering wheel, and she added: “That building ahead is it.”
The car stopped in front. Lu Ji turned to look at her and smiled: “I’m alright, not particularly in a hurry, but my mom and grandpa are quite anxious. Especially my mom. After seeing your photo, she told me to put in more effort.”
Lin Jiayu’s mind froze: “Huh? Your mom?”
The next second, she suddenly realized, eyes wide: “Y-you showed my photo to your mom? That one?”
“Mm.” Lu Ji nodded, matter-of-factly. “She wanted me to go on blind dates, which I didn’t want to do, so I had to bring you up. She praised you for being beautiful, smart, and a good writer. Oh, by the way, send her a few signed books. She said she wants to give them to friends.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
Send you... a big fat ghost!
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