Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 72 - 71 Zhijin, This is All for Work (Second Update, Please Subscribe First)
Xia Zhijin was trailing shyly behind Li Yuan as they wandered around when she suddenly heard him ask a question with deep meaning. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she didn’t know how to respond.
Did she really hate Li Yuan? Perhaps not. After all, Li Yuan wasn’t ugly; on the contrary, he was tall, handsome, and stylish. Although he was sometimes overbearing, at other times he could be quite gentle. He had gone out of his way to do all these things for her, taking great care to protect her self-esteem... If only he weren’t so touchy-feely and could be a little gentler, then things would be perfect.
Li Yuan could see the hesitation and indecision in Xia Zhijin’s eyes, as well as the complex feelings she had for him. With a self-deprecating, bitter smile, he said, "If you hate me, you have every right to. After all, I’m the one who forced my way into your peaceful life."
Seeing that Li Yuan seemed upset, Xia Zhijin hurriedly explained, "Li-Li Yuan, I don’t blame you. Thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Li Yuan asked, his face expressionless.
For the first time, Xia Zhijin looked directly at Li Yuan. As if mustering all her courage, she said shyly, "Thank you for being so good to me. You’re a good person, different from the others."
Having received the "good person card" from Xia Zhijin once again, Li Yuan grinned. "A good person? You know, I really am quite kind-hearted."
"Classmate Zhijin, you truly have an eye for seeing the good in people. It’s one of my few good qualities, and you managed to find it."
Xia Zhijin let out a soft laugh. Her smile was utterly dazzling, a radiance that neither the morning sun nor the bright moon could rival. That simple expression alone was like the blazing sun melting winter snow, causing all the resentment built up in his heart to vanish completely.
Li Yuan was no longer emo. The past was the past, whether in his previous life or the present. He needed to let go of everything, travel light, and embrace life rather than live in resentment and dissatisfaction, consumed by a need for revenge. With a treasure of a girl like this by his side—one who practically glowed—what power could the so-called shadows of his past possibly hold?
"Zhijin, thank you for helping me realize that."
「* * *」
Next, Li Yuan took Xia Zhijin on a tour of almost the entire mall. Although they didn’t buy much at first, Li Yuan was having a great time, which couldn’t be said for the simple, precious girl beside him.
"Zhijin, this bag isn’t bad. It really suits your style. You’re not allowed to refuse it. You’re the face of our company, which means you represent our entire image...
"This dress is nice, too. You’ll look amazing in it. It’s perfect for you, so just consider it your work uniform.
"Oh, they sell cosmetics here. Let’s go look. A SK-II ’Miracle Water’ set... I feel like it’s still not worthy of your beauty... What do you mean you don’t need it? No way. This is a company perk—a special benefit just for female employees...
"There’s a boutique over here, let’s pop in and see..."
To Xia Zhijin’s horror, Li Yuan fully embraced the role of a rich heir. His philosophy was simple: buy, buy, buy. If he liked it, he bought it, without a single thought for the cost. His one and only goal was a carefree spending spree. He had never experienced such a feeling before, in either his past life or this one. As it turned out, spending money was far more satisfying than earning it.
Xia Zhijin possessed a natural beauty that was impossible to hide and was a born clothes horse. With just a little styling, she radiated a mesmerizing, dazzling brilliance. She fit his ideal of a woman more perfectly than any celebrity he had ever seen.
Watching the transformed Xia Zhijin emerge after trying on the clothes, Li Yuan vowed to himself, Xia Zhijin, in this life, you will stay by my side. I won’t let anyone take you away from me. I promise.
「* * *」
By six or seven in the evening, Li Yuan and Xia Zhijin were loaded down with bags of all sizes. Xia Zhijin had grown numb to it all. "Li-Li Yuan," she asked dazedly, "how much did all this cost?"
Li Yuan chuckled. "Not much, not much. Just under ten thousand." He grinned. "Oh, by the way, all the money we spent today will be deducted from your salary."
Xia Zhijin was stunned. She lowered her head, flustered. She hadn’t even officially started work yet, but including the phone and computer, she was already tens of thousands in debt? How long would it take to pay that off?
Anxiously, Xia Zhijin asked, "Can... can I not take these things?"
Li Yuan put on a stern face. "No. We already bought them, and they can’t be returned."
Worry clouded her already troubled expression. "Then... then when do I officially start working?"
Li Yuan had just wanted to tease her, but when she didn’t argue back, he grew curious. "Classmate Zhijin, why aren’t you protesting? You could argue that I bought all this, so why should it come out of your pay?"
Xia Zhijin replied shyly, "Because... it was all bought for me. It should be deducted from my salary."
Li Yuan burst out laughing. "Zhijin, you’re just too adorable. Why don’t you ask me how much I’m planning to pay you?"
"I... I trust you," Xia Zhijin said, her gaze clear and sincere.
After a moment’s hesitation, she asked in a small voice, "Li Yuan, when are we going back?"
Li Yuan checked the time. It was already seven o’clock. "I’m hungry," he said. "Let’s grab dinner, and then we’ll head back to the university."
Xia Zhijin flinched, her voice growing even fainter. "Oh... okay."
Li Yuan was puzzled. "Are you scared?"
"Mhm."
He grew more confused. "Scared of what?"
Xia Zhijin replied with adorable cluelessness, "It’s... it’s too late!"
Li Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Classmate Zhijin, it’s only seven in the evening!"
"I... I want to go back early," she answered, her voice barely a whisper.
Li Yuan was about to say that the nightlife in Modu was just getting started, but he knew when to stop. He realized that for this simple, insecure girl, his actions today had already been an overwhelming storm.
"Alright then. Let’s just grab something quick. Do you like steak?"
Xia Zhijin quickly shook her head. "No, I don’t."
"What about seafood?"
She continued to shake her head.
"You’re from Shancheng, so you must like hot pot, right? There’s a pretty good, authentic Shancheng hot pot place in this mall. Want to try it?"
Xia Zhijin looked like she wanted to say something but held back, shaking her head again. "I don’t want hot pot."
Li Yuan asked, "Then what do you want to eat?"
Xia Zhijin lowered her head. "I’d like... some steamed buns and chili sauce. Or Shancheng noodles. That would be great."
Seeing her expression, Li Yuan could roughly guess what her life had been like. He was, however, a little puzzled. Do all girls from Chuanyu have such amazing skin? Eating spicy food every day without a single breakout? Moreover, Xia Zhijin’s personality was completely different from the stereotypes he’d heard about girls from Chuanyu. Weren’t they famous online for being feisty and assertive? In his past life, two of his university classmates were from the Chuanyu region, and their personalities were just like Little Chilis, fully embodying the spirit of the women there. A girl with a personality like Xia Zhijin’s was rare and was likely a result of her life experiences.
"Then let’s go get noodles," he said. "There’s a very authentic Shancheng noodle shop in this mall. It’s extremely spicy."
Xia Zhijin quietly looked up at Li Yuan, her gaze softening considerably.
「* * *」
After finishing their Shancheng noodles, Li Yuan checked the time. It was just past eight o’clock. Wanting to spend a little more time with her, he asked, "Zhijin, there’s a cinema in the Longyu Building. A new Hollywood blockbuster with good reviews just came out. Want to go see it together?"
Hearing that he wanted to take her to a movie, Xia Zhijin’s timid shyness vanished. She suddenly stiffened, looked up, and met his gaze with firm determination. "Li Yuan, it’s very late. I want to go back to the university."
Li Yuan opened his mouth, but then closed it without another word. He just smiled. "Alright then. We can go another time."
"Mm," Xia Zhijin hummed softly. That single sentence seemed to have used up all of her courage.
By the time their taxi got back to the university, it was after eight o’clock, peak time for student foot traffic on campus. The entire way, Xia Zhijin kept her head lowered in embarrassment, maintaining a distance of more than a meter from Li Yuan. It was only when they reached the entrance of the women’s dormitory that she finally mustered the courage to speak. "Li Yuan, I... I can carry these up myself."
Li Yuan couldn’t resist teasing her. "But Classmate Zhijin, you only have two hands."
Xia Zhijin’s face flushed a shade of red so deep it looked like it might bleed. Students walking by kept casting curious glances their way.
"I... I can make multiple trips."
Li Yuan pressed, "That’s too much trouble. Let me help you carry them up."
Xia Zhijin hesitated. "But... but boys aren’t allowed in the women’s dormitory."
Li Yuan chuckled, snapped his fingers, and held up the milk tea he was carrying. "Relax. Watch me."
They walked up to the dormitory entrance. Sure enough, a sharp-eyed dorm supervisor stopped Li Yuan. Holding out the milk tea, he approached her to try and win her over. "Sister, here’s a milk tea for you. Could I possibly help my girlfriend take these things up? She can’t manage them all by herself."
The dorm supervisor, a woman in her forties, was inwardly delighted to be called "Sister" by such a handsome, tall young man, but she maintained an impartial front and refused. "Young man, we have rules here. Boys are not allowed in the women’s dormitory. No amount of flattery is going to change that."
Li Yuan didn’t buy it. He’d seen boys go into the women’s dorms more than once in his past life. As long as you knew the right people, you could not only get in, but even spend the night. With enough nerve, you could get away with anything.
"Sister, I only need ten minutes. I’ll just help her drop the stuff off and come right back down. My girlfriend is a freshman; she’s new here and can’t get in touch with her roommates. Please, Sister, just this once? Help us out."
Hearing him call her "Sister" again and again, the supervisor started to soften. Ten minutes... he probably can’t get into much trouble in that time. This handsome young man does look pretty sturdy... he couldn’t possibly be that fast, right?
Li Yuan quickly pressed the milk tea he had prepared into her hands. "Sister, please, have a milk tea. I’d really appreciate it if you’d bend the rules for us. I promise I’ll be right back down."
The supervisor took the milk tea, still feigning a stern and impartial air. "Alright, ten minutes. Don’t take longer than that, or you’ll have me to answer to. Now, you two, hurry inside."
