Chapter 23 - Unfortunately, There Were No Ifs

Xu Xiao Jing stared blankly at He Cheng Ming as he passed by her. She hated herself for not coming back earlier!

If she had come back earlier, she might have been able to catch the two of them being affectionate!

Ah, she wanted to eat dog food!

Annoyed, she returned to her seat. Xu Xiao Jing craned her neck to check on Ji Liao. Seeing that he was doing his homework seriously, she didn’t have any excuses to disturb him and withdrew her head.

People came into the classroom one after another as the afternoon classes would begin soon.

The afternoon passed with the prolonged sounds of lectures. It wasn’t until the evening bell rang that the quiet and serious classroom relaxed.

Yu Jin had sent Ji Liao a message, asking him if he would like to play basketball after school, and Ji Liao had replied in agreement. So once the class was released, Yu Jin rushed out with a basketball to reserve a spot.

After Xu Xiao Jing tidied up her belongings, she looked up to find that Ji Liao was gone. She checked the drawer and found his schoolbag still there.

She wrote a note and put it in a book, then placed the book on Ji Liao’s desk.

Hehe, this was her favourite novel. Especially since the male protagonist resembled He Cheng Ming, which should help him out, Xu Xiao Jing thought naively.

Ji Liao returned from playing basketball. He was sweating profusely, so Yu Jin handed him a bottle of water as usual.

Ji Liao drank a big mouthful before quickly packing his schoolbag and leaving the classroom with Yu Jin.

They would often play basketball after school, then head home together.

On the way, they made idle conversation. Then Yu Jin suddenly asked Ji Liao, “Have you thought about which university you want to go to next year?”

Ji Liao stared blankly for a moment and did not know how to respond. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

If it was a month ago, he would have given a confident reply, such as somewhere close to home, because if it was too far, he would worry about Xu Ai Wen. But now, there was He Cheng Ming to consider, and his results were so good that he would definitely go to the capital, right?

“I’m just asking. So what did you decide on?” Yu Jin looked at him.

Ji Liao frowned slightly and thought about the difference between his and He Cheng Ming’s grades. When the time came, they would have to separate. If he didn’t want to accept that outcome, he would need to work hard in the coming year.

“Actually, my mom wants me to study art.”

Seeing that Ji Liao was slow to respond, Yu Jin stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued, “She said it’s easier for arts students.”

His results were worse than Ji Liao’s. If he wanted to be in the same school as Ji Liao, he needed more points. Studying art was a good choice — the threshold was low, it was quick to pick up, and he also didn’t mind it.

“Ji Liao, why don’t you join me?” Yu Jin tried to persuade him.

“Huh?” Ji Liao looked at him strangely. “You know my family’s situation. We can’t afford it.”

His family’s finances had always been Xu Ai Wen’s responsibility. Not only did she take care of his clothing, food and daily expenses, but she also put him through school with the income from her job. It was already very exhausting, and he couldn’t add on to her burdens.

Yu Jin was silent. Actually, he knew that Ji Liao wouldn’t agree, but he still wanted to try, just in case.

If he really went to study art, he wouldn’t be able to go to class with Ji Liao again. Then…the days would be hard to endure.

The two of them walked out of the school gate and immediately parted ways.

He headed left while Ji Liao headed right.

After a few steps, Yu Jin suddenly stopped and looked back at Ji Liao. He gazed at his thin back, as if seeing him again during the second year of junior high when his father had just died. From then on, he had seemed so alone.

Yu Jin often wondered, if their family hadn’t moved out of the neighbourhood that year — if he could have stayed by Ji Liao’s side at that time — could they have grown closer to each other during these past three years?