Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 66 - 65: I, I’m Going to Work Part-time

Xia Zhijin quietly lifted her head to see Li Yuan already at her side. Her jade-white cheeks turned crimson once again.

"Xia, let’s go eat together."

Li Yuan’s gaze fell on Xia Zhijin’s shy face, the corners of his mouth curling upward. This treasure of a girl blushed so easily. This kind of youthful shyness could greatly arouse a man’s protective instincts and compassion, especially for a middle-aged "old man" like him.

Xia Zhijin kept her head down, not daring to look at Li Yuan. She just stood there, rooted to the spot, unsure whether to stay or go.

"I, I’m not hungry."

"Not hungry? It’s already noon, time to eat," Li Yuan said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You helped me out today and kept me from embarrassing myself in front of the whole class. You’re so kind, you won’t refuse my thanks, will you?"

Xia Zhijin looked blankly at Li Yuan and still shook her head firmly. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, barely audible. "No, there’s no need to thank me."

By now, the classroom was empty, with only Li Yuan and Xia Zhijin left.

Li Yuan pulled out a chair and sat right next to her.

Xia Zhijin’s body trembled. She seemed afraid Li Yuan might act inappropriately again. Her voice trembling, she asked, "What—what are you doing?"

Li Yuan’s smile didn’t falter. "I just remembered that I’m not very hungry either. I’ll stay here and read with you for a while."

"Oh!" Xia Zhijin uttered softly, a complex mix of emotions flashing through her eyes. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to say.

"Xia, how did you end up majoring in computer science?" Li Yuan asked, both out of curiosity and to start a conversation. He had already noticed that Xia Zhijin was an extremely timid and shy girl. If he didn’t take the initiative, she could go ages without saying a word.

Xia Zhijin shyly replied, "I was reassigned."

"Reassigned?" Li Yuan was taken aback but thought it plausible. Xia University’s computer science program wasn’t particularly popular. Although it was a Project 985 university, its primary focus was on teacher education.

"What was your original choice of major, then?"

"I applied for Chinese. I wanted to be a teacher..."

"So you don’t like computer science?"

"It’s not that. I—I’m just not very good with computers."

"Xia, can I have your phone number and QQ?"

"Ah, I’m sorry... I—I don’t have one."

Li Yuan paused again. Seeing her helpless expression, an idea flashed in his mind, and he began to understand why she didn’t eat with other students, why she always kept her head down... Looking at her, he couldn’t help but recall stories from his past life about programs like the "Colorful Aid" being exposed.

In 2008, some impoverished university students, especially the women, had to sacrifice so, so much...

Li Yuan felt a lump in his throat. His heart ached for the precious girl before him, who always kept her head down. Despite having ethereal features that could rival any celebrity, she could only go through life with her head lowered, afraid to show her beautiful side to her classmates. At eighteen, in the prime of her youth, she was forced to hide in the shadows. If she were willing to show her true self, the so-called class beauties like Wang Jierong and Xiang Tan Yanqiu would be nothing in comparison. They couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath.

Li Yuan’s voice grew even gentler as he actively sought a new topic. "Xia, are you from Shancheng? I’ve heard it’s a beautiful place with picturesque scenery and lovely people. Can you tell me about it?"

Xia Zhijin looked at Li Yuan, troubled and unsure how to begin. She was terrified of being alone with a boy, even one as gentle as Li Yuan appeared to be.

She opened her mouth and hesitated, then said, feeling it was a bit rude, "I—I have something to do. I have to go."

Li Yuan stood up, still smiling. "Alright, I’ll go with you."

Carrying her faded backpack, Xia Zhijin silently got up and walked through the campus with her head down. Li Yuan leisurely followed by her side, occasionally saying a few words to her. However, it was mostly Li Yuan talking and Xia Zhijin listening in silence. She would occasionally respond with a few words and deliberately kept her distance from him, not daring to get too close.

The Ideological and Political Building was nearly 500 meters from the cafeteria, and so the two walked side by side.

Just as they were about to reach the cafeteria, Xia Zhijin suddenly stopped and spoke softly, "Li—Li Yuan, can you... please stop following me?"

Li Yuan was stunned. He never expected that, after being reborn, there would come a day when someone would find him distasteful.

Li Yuan frowned slightly. "Do you hate me?"

Xia Zhijin quickly shook her head, explaining, "No, I don’t hate you."

Li Yuan grew even more confused. "Then why don’t you want me to follow you?"

Xia Zhijin’s face grew even more bashful, and her head lowered further. She clutched the corner of her jacket, her voice barely audible, "I... I have to go to my part-time job."

Only because Li Yuan had excellent hearing could he make out Xia Zhijin’s murmur. If Liu Jia had been there, he definitely wouldn’t have heard it.

Li Yuan glanced at the school cafeteria ahead, and suddenly, everything made sense. Her claim of not being ’hungry’ was just an excuse because she was short on cash and needed to work a part-time job. And the kind of work she’d be doing at the school cafeteria was predictable—wiping tables, washing dishes, and the like. It was the sort of work most other university students would avoid at all costs. Such a beautiful and precious girl should never have had to soil her hands with such menial labor. And yet here was Xia Zhijin, barely having set foot on campus, already needing to work in the cafeteria to support herself. The thought alone was heartbreaking...

Li Yuan was about to say, "I have money, I can support you," but he swallowed the words. He could guarantee that if he said something like that, their paths would never cross again in this lifetime.

His voice somewhat hoarse, Li Yuan said, "Then you should go."

Hearing his words, Xia Zhijin visibly relaxed, a hint of vitality returning to her voice. "Then, goodbye."

"See you later," Li Yuan said with a smile.

Xia Zhijin didn’t understand what he meant by "see you later." She glanced at him one last time before turning and walking alone toward the cafeteria.

Li Yuan felt a lump in his chest, his appetite completely vanishing. A question surfaced in his mind. How can I help her? How can I make her accept my help without it feeling like charity? Xia Zhijin is clearly the kind of girl who has a deep-seated sense of inferiority but also an extremely strong will. With a girl like her, a direct financial approach is pointless. After all, with her ethereal beauty, getting money would be all too easy if she were willing to trade her dignity for it. I understand that giving her money wouldn’t be helping her; it would be insulting her. I have to think of a good way to help her without hurting her pride. A precious girl like her... I might only meet one in my entire life. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What should I do?

Instead of returning to his dorm, Li Yuan followed Xia Zhijin from a distance. He watched her enter the back door of the cafeteria, and what he saw confirmed his suspicions about her work.

After buying a bottle of Fanta, Li Yuan found a seat in the cafeteria. He sat there, pondering how he could help this precious girl, Xia Zhijin, and at the same time, find a way into her heart.

While he waited, Li Yuan casually browsed the messages on his phone. For the past few days, the little rich girl, Jiang Zhiyu, had been messaging him morning, noon, and night. She shared amusing anecdotes from her life and chatted about music and novel plots. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was her boyfriend.

Apart from frequently chatting with Jiang Zhiyu, Li Yuan also occasionally exchanged a few words with Zhong Tingyue, though their chats were purely platonic, with no hint of flirtation. Zhong Tingyue was probably still racking her brain, wondering which of her old classmates he could possibly be.

Time passed quickly, and at around 2 p.m., Li Yuan finally saw Xia Zhijin emerge after finishing her work.

"Xia, we meet again," Li Yuan greeted her with a smile as he approached.

Xia Zhijin was momentarily stunned. "Li—Li Yuan, you didn’t leave?"