Chapter 64: Chapter 64 - 64 Letting Down His Guard

Ji Yuqiao looked at Lin Xu, then at her phone, the selfie of the two of them still vivid in her mind.

In the photo, Ji Zeqiu was dressed in ancient costume, it seemed to be taken on set, and their cheeks were very close together.

Why did Lin Xu have a selfie with Ji Zeqiu?

Could it be…

“You’re a fan of Ji Zeqiu?” Ji Yuqiao asked, puzzled.

Many of her classmates were fans of Ji Zeqiu, attending events, so having a few selfies with him wasn’t unusual.

Ji Yuqiao also understood his appeal, from ten-year-old girls to women in their forties and fifties, he had a wide fan base.

“Yes.” Lin Xu smiled faintly, knowing she must have seen the picture on the screen.

After Ji Zeqiu deleted the photo, Lin Xu had been upset for a while but eventually retrieved it from his chat history with Ji Tingyang and immediately saved a copy for herself.

However, as it was a family matter, she didn’t elaborate to Ji Yuqiao.

“Then next time, I’ll invite you to our house,” Ji Yuqiao said with a mysterious smile.

If she met her second brother, she’d definitely be very happy.

It would be like returning a favor.

Inviting friends over was normal. Without overthinking, Lin Xu laughed and said, “To visit your house, you’d have to make up with your family first, right?”

“Maybe after some more time…” When Ji Yuqiao thought about this, her mood visibly dropped, and she pursed her lips.

So much time had passed, and her eldest brother still hadn’t called to check on her.

Was he really going to cut ties with her?

“If you delay it further, you’ll have sold all the bags around you,” Lin Xu said.

Ji Yuqiao looked down, pursing her lips.

“Don’t be sad. Can I treat you to coffee? Or maybe… bubble tea?” Lin Xu ruffled her hair and offered.

Even though Ji Yuqiao was at the age for college, Lin Xu subconsciously always treated her like a child.

“Really! Can we go to the coffee shop next to the mall?” Ji Yuqiao’s eyes lit up.

She used to frequent that coffee shop, but since her bank card was stopped, she hesitated to indulge in coffee.

Lin Xu: “Sure.”

Drinking her favorite coffee, Ji Yuqiao’s eyes were smiling, her happiness visibly growing.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Ji Yuqiao took out her phone and opened the message. After a moment, she widened her eyes, staring blankly as she set her phone face down on the table and gulped down her coffee, grimacing at the bitterness.

“What happened?” Lin Xu asked, confused.

“I failed a course,” Ji Yuqiao said with a tear-streaked face. “Now my brother is even less likely to give me money.”

She had just scraped by in her previous exams and hadn’t expected to fail this time.

“Don’t lose heart. Isn’t there a retake? Just study hard these days, and you’ll pass,” Lin Xu said.

“But I have to work part-time these few days, I don’t have time to study.” Ji Yuqiao worried.

The final exams and retakes were closely scheduled at their school, with only a week in between, followed by the collective winter vacation.

“Which is more important, part-time work or exams?” Lin Xu thought she would realize once reminded, but…

“Of course, the part-time job! I got hired at a restaurant, and the guy I like works there too, I can get one step closer to him,” Ji Yuqiao said excitedly, her eyes dancing.

Lin Xu held her forehead.

She had forgotten that Ji Yuqiao was always romance-driven.

“The guy you like, are his grades good?” Lin Xu asked.

“Of course, he’s the top of their major in every exam and has won many awards in different competitions.” Ji Yuqiao said with a proud and happy face, as if she were talking about herself.

Lin Xu: “Then he must really love studying. If he finds out you failed and have to retake a course, don’t you think his impression of you will get even worse?”

“This…”

“And, someone who loves studying would definitely go to the library often, right? You should go to the library to read too; then you’d naturally run into each other. You can take that chance to ask him questions, and as you interact more, wouldn’t your relationship get closer?”

Listened to Lin Xu’s words, Ji Yuqiao’s eyes shined brighter and she suddenly realized, “You’re absolutely right! I’ll go to the library tomorrow!”

——

The next day.

Ji Yuqiao walked around the library with a book in hand, but didn’t see Xiao Yu. She found a corner to sit down and sent a crestfallen message to Lin Xu.

Raining Qiao: [He’s not at the library today.]

Raining Qiao: [Big cry.jpg]

Willow Wadding: [Maybe he will come later. Focus on your reading for now and don’t rush it.]

Ji Yuqiao reluctantly replied with an “Okay” and had no choice but to review the calculus she’d failed.

She flipped through the book absentmindedly, occasionally looking around.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that she finally spotted Xiao Yu sitting at a table about ten meters away.

Raining Qiao: [He finally came to the library!]

Raining Qiao: [Spinning.jpg]

Ji Yuqiao took out her phone to share the good news with Lin Xu, then hurried over and sat opposite Xiao Yu with her book.

Xiao Yu looked up and frowned displeasedly when he saw Ji Yuqiao, “Can you stop bothering me?”

“I didn’t follow you here; I… I came to read!” Ji Yuqiao lifted her calculus textbook to show him.

“If you’re here to read, then why did you come over to my side?” Xiao Yu glanced at her indifferently.

“I, I just wanted to say hi,” she said.

“No need. Go back to your seat,” he replied.

After that, Xiao Yu opened his book and returned to reading with a focused look, clearly signaling he wouldn’t pay her any further attention.

Ji Yuqiao bit her lip in anger.

Just then, Lin Xu’s message came through.

Willow Wadding: [Don’t rush over as soon as you see him. We need to take this step by step.]

Willow Wadding: [Listen to me, ask him a few questions, then go back to your seat after. Let him realize you’re not there for him, and start by lowering his guard slowly.]

Understood.

Ji Yuqiao quickly turned to a page in the textbook and said to Xiao Yu, “Actually, I came over to ask you about a problem; this question is too hard, I don’t understand it.”

Xiao Yu looked at her skeptically, then looked at the calculus problem she was pointing to; it was indeed a difficult one.

But he didn’t want to interact with Ji Yuqiao, so he simply wrote down the solution on a piece of scratch paper and handed it to her, saying coldly, “Think about it yourself.”

“Okay, thank you!” Ji Yuqiao took the paper and without another word, she went back to sit down in the corner.

Her departure was quick and decisive, with not a hint of hesitation, as if she really just came to ask a question.

A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Yu’s eyes.

Ji Yuqiao had come to the library before to disturb him, sitting opposite him, staring at him, not doing anything else, always talking in his ear.

Could it be that this time she really came to study?

But he didn’t think too much about it and soon cast the doubt aside, continuing to read.

Until a few days later, when he was seen by Wen Li…