Chapter 152: She Cared About Jin Shi Yue’s Emotions
A strong, powerful arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Having shared a bed for many nights, Lian Li subconsciously hugged the man, her cheek pressed against his firm chest, seeking a comfortable sleeping position.
The next morning, when Lian Li woke up, the man’s shadow was no longer beside her; the night of sleeping in each other’s arms felt like a dream.
She didn’t pay it any mind, got up, washed, and changed her clothes.
The housekeeper prepared food and brought it to the dining table. As Lian Li slowly ate her porridge, Jin Shi Yue walked over and sat opposite her for breakfast.
Lian Li looked up at him briefly, remaining silent. Both were people who didn’t talk while eating, so this breakfast was as quiet as the meal the night before.
After he finished eating, Lian Li spoke, “I’m going to stay at school for a few days.”
Jin Shi Yue’s movement of adjusting his cuffs paused. He lifted his gaze, his dark, serene eyes looking at her.
Lian Li said, “Before graduation, there’s still…”
Before she could finish, Jin Shi Yue interrupted, “As you wish.”
Lian Li swallowed her explanation and stared at him, unblinking.
“Is there anything else?” Jin Shi Yue asked.
Lian Li: “…No.”
Jin Shi Yue’s gaze swept over her, and he strode upstairs at a leisurely pace.
Lian Li understood his attitude perfectly.
It was because she hadn’t admitted to being with him yesterday, hurting his pride.
But he had promised her he wouldn’t make it public.
Lian Li, driven by her emotions, also acted impulsively. She held back, not saying, “Let’s end it here, you can find a girlfriend who’s willing to be public.”
He had mentioned that boyfriends weren’t meant for breakups. If she were to talk about breaking up, he would likely be in a bad mood… Lian Li suddenly realized.
She cared about Jin Shi Yue’s emotions.
Realizing this, Lian Li looked back towards the second floor, pursed her lips, and didn’t go to him.
She needed to return to school for the next few days to finalize her graduation project and conduct theoretical research with Professor Lu, leaving her no time to think about other matters.
Xue Shufan spent one-third of her holiday playing, one-third sleeping, and the remaining third in the laboratory.
When Lian Li returned to school, she asked Xue Shufan to meet for a meal at the canteen. Xue Shufan said on the phone, “Lili, Senior Sister also wants to eat with you, but I really can’t get away today. I have to keep an eye on things, or if the experiment explodes, I’ll be torn limb from limb.”
So, Lian Li packed up food and went to the experimental building to eat with her Senior Sister.
In front of the experimental building, on the lush green grounds, stone tables and benches were set up. Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters had picnics there, while students occasionally jogged past on the path by the lake in the distance.
Xue Shufan, holding her chopsticks, spoke freely, “Many children from wealthy families go abroad to study after high school. Putting aside what knowledge they gain, just the fact that schools abroad don’t have physical fitness tests, campus runs, or military training – isn’t that very freeing?”
“Indeed,” Lian Li nodded.
“As for you, graduate well, pursue further studies at Princeton, and then shine brightly in the field of mathematics. If you happen to win a Fields Medal, then I can brag about it.” Xue Shufan opened a bottle of drink for her.
Lian Li smiled, “It’s not that easy.”
“Professor Lu is the first female mathematician in the country to win a Fields Medal. You are her student, so it’s only logical for you to be the second.”
“Professor Lu has more than just me as a student. Logically speaking, my fellow senior brothers and sisters are more likely to win.”
“No, no, no,” Xue Shufan wagged her finger. “They are your senior brothers and sisters, not mine. If they win, I can’t brag that the Fields Medalist is my Junior Sister. For Senior Sister’s sake, Junior Sister, you must work hard!”
Lian Li was amused.
Seeing her relaxed smile, Xue Shufan took a sip of soup. “Are you happy now?”
“Mm.”
“Did you run into some trouble?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Lian Li lowered her eyes. “It’s just that Jin Shi Yue and I have some differences in our views.”
Xue Shufan’s heroic eyebrows lifted slightly. “Tell me about it.”
Lian Li briefly recounted the conflict: Jin Shi Yue seemed to want to go public, while she adamantly refused.
After listening, Xue Shufan mused, “From your respective perspectives, neither of you is wrong. Honestly, it’s quite surprising that the Second Young Master agreed to a secret relationship with you.”
“Do you know what Jin Shi Yue is thinking?” Lian Li asked.
“Yes,” Xue Shufan countered, “Don’t you? It’s very obvious.”
Lian Li shook her head.
Xue Shufan: “My genius Junior Sister, he likes you.”
Upon hearing this, Lian Li rested her elbows on the table, propped her chin in her palm, and said with a calm expression, “I know that. He told me.”
“He used to like me, that’s why he agreed not to go public.”
“Conversely, now that he wants to go public, does that mean he doesn’t like me anymore?”
But if he didn’t like her, shouldn’t they break up?
“Emotions can’t be reasoned with using mathematical logic,” Xue Shufan said earnestly. “You used to like Jin Yan Ting, didn’t you? Suppose you were together with Jin Yan Ting, but he didn’t want to go public, how would you feel?”
Lian Li replied without hesitation, “I’d agree.”
Xue Shufan burst out laughing. “I’ll hit you!”
That day, Lian Li spent two hours at Jingbei University’s library, engrossed in psychology books.
Psychologist Robert Sternberg believed that love is a triangle, composed of intimacy, passion, and commitment.
She and Jin Shi Yue seemed to have only had passion before, with no intimacy or commitment.
And now, they didn’t even have passion.
The books were thick, and she couldn’t finish them in one day. She used her campus card to borrow them and study them slowly.
Lian Li had originally planned to stay in the school dormitory for a week and return after finishing her tasks, but plans couldn’t keep up with changes. She ended up staying for half a month.
She sent a message to Jin Shi Yue, informing him that she wouldn’t be going to his place anytime soon.
He didn’t say anything.
Lian Li then returned to the orchestra, juggling between the orchestra and school. During her free time, she saw pictures of an extravagant and decadent life posted by Zhong Yang in a WeChat group, sometimes featuring Jin Shi Yue’s long, beautiful hand holding a wine glass, and other times his well-tailored back… He seemed to be living quite comfortably.
It was as if everything had returned to how it was before they were together.
After seeing the photos, Lian Li gave up trying to figure Jin Shi Yue out.
She returned the psychology book to the library, no longer researching what love was.
There was no need to maintain the relationship anymore.
The day before the commercial dinner, Jin Yan Ting’s assistant, He Shu, delivered the formal wear for the dinner to her home. Lian Li left school and returned directly to Qing Teng Road, No. 21.
She didn’t take Ling Yu’s car, telling him not to follow her anymore.
Ling Yu was completely bewildered. “Huh?”
Ling Yu called Li Ye for help. Li Ye said, “If the Second Young Master hasn’t told you to retreat, keep following. Pay extra close attention lately. If Miss Lian gets into trouble, you’ll be shot.”
Ling Yu, filled with trepidation, immediately followed Lian Li.
Lian Li went to Wan Yi Hua Fu to have dinner with Jin Yan Ting. That night, lying in bed, she tossed and turned. She knew that those young masters changed their female companions more frequently than their clothes.
Jin Shi Yue said he liked her, and she believed him.
But only liked… him?
Her mother also said she only liked Lian Jingcheng, but that didn’t stop her from abandoning them, father and daughter.
Now Jin Shi Yue was tired of her and wanted someone new, which was typical behavior in their circle: when they liked you, they treated you like a treasure; when they didn’t, they discarded you carelessly.
However, she hadn’t expected to run into Jin Shi Yue at the commercial dinner.
ps: Books
《Social Psychology》 10th Edition, Chapter 10 《Interpersonal Attraction: From First Impressions to Intimate Relationships》, exploring the mere-exposure effect and the relationship of liking, and Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love.
