Chapter 98: Being Open Is Friendship, Being Careful Is Love
“You're going to the recording studio?” Yu Wanwan's voice on the other end of the call rose several octaves.
“Yeah. I can pay to rent it if necessary...”
“No need to rent it. I'm just curious—how come you suddenly decided to record a song while staying at home?”
Although recording studio rental wasn't cheap, paying wasn't really an issue. The song was for his mother's news report, so it could be reimbursed.
“I'm not even at home. Didn't I tell you? I came out with my mom.”
“I thought that was just an excuse because you didn't want to hang out with us.”
“Uh...”
At first, it really had been an excuse. Who would've thought he'd actually end up going out with his mom afterward?
“So... what song are you recording?”
Even though Yu Wanwan felt she shouldn't ask so much, she couldn't help being curious.
“I'm recording the theme song for Japanese Girl!”
Pu Tong planned to record that song while he was at it. After all, he'd promised her two and a half weeks ago. If he delayed again, it would really be too much.
“What? Did I just hear someone say they're recording a song for me?”
The sudden appearance of Yi Zhi Xuenai's voice from the phone startled Pu Tong.
“You two are together?”
“Ahem... actually, I'm here too,” Lin Yuxi coughed lightly, making her presence known.
They had mentioned going out together before, so it wasn't surprising.
“I thought you forgot. I can't believe you still remembered you owed me a song...” Yi Zhi Xuenai sounded genuinely touched.
“Of course I remembered.”
Thinking about how he had only planned to record it as an afterthought while recording another song made Pu Tong feel that his conscience was a little ugly.
“I'll help you contact the studio. You can just head over when the time comes,” Yu Wanwan paused before asking, “So... are you done with your business? There are still two days left of the holiday. Want to come hang out with us?”
“Maybe another time!”
Pu Tong hurriedly hung up the phone.
The gazes of the three people in the car were simply too piercing.
Normally, when he was home alone, he always used speakerphone. He had done the same out of habit, and everyone in the car had heard the entire conversation.
Switching to the earpiece halfway through would've only made things look more suspicious, so he had no choice but to finish the call on speaker.
Fortunately, nothing inappropriate had been said.
“I never believed in the Pu-Yu ship before,” Jia Yao finally looked away from Pu Tong's phone. “Now I have no choice but to believe it.”
Their conversation had been completely ordinary, but girls understood girls.
The concern in Yu Wanwan's voice had been impossible to hide.
Jia Yao finally gave up on the idea of pursuing this little brother.
There was no way she could compete with Yu Wanwan.
If she couldn't be a girlfriend fan...
Then she'd happily become a shipper instead.
I'll gladly sit at the kids' table during their wedding.
“Looks like you've made remarkable progress while I was away.” Ni Hui smacked her lips.
She could clearly tell that her son had become quite close to those three young celebrities—especially the eldest daughter of the Yu family.
She couldn't say they were lovers yet...
But their friendship had definitely crossed the line.
“Don't say things like that. They're all famous celebrities. Don't start any dating rumors!”
Originally, he'd only sent Yu Wanwan a message.
Who would've expected her to call him directly?
Thus, this entire scene had happened.
“Didn't you say at the beginning that you didn't want to get involved with these people? What? Changed your mind?” Ni Hui smiled meaningfully.
“I...”
This really was Pu Tong's own problem.
No matter how much he had tried to keep his distance at first, he simply couldn't reject people who sincerely treated him as a friend.
Although this wasn't what he'd originally intended, it hadn't caused any real problems.
Instead, he'd simply gained a lot of friends.
He wasn't a monk devoted solely to cultivation.
Nor was he some cold academic genius who ignored everyone except studying.
True learning was a lifelong journey that aligned with one's heart—not a war fought for temporary victories.
If becoming friends with Liu had been due to the original owner's connections...
Then becoming friends with these people had truly been his own choice.
Seeing him fall silent, Ni Hui pressed her advantage.
“What do you think of those three girls' personalities? Which one would make the best girlfriend? Tell me.”
“Why would I waste my time thinking about something so pointless?”
“Come on, tell us. Or are you feeling guilty?”
Pu Tong remained silent.
He had absolutely no intention of falling into his mother's trap.
“If I had to choose among the three,” Old Ye said while driving, “I'd recommend Lin Yuxi. Excellent family background, beautiful, gentle personality, elegant and graceful.”
“You should think about it.”
“Please don't.”
Pu Tong immediately rejected the suggestion.
“She looks gentle, but she's actually incredibly sly. She's an expert at steering conversations and loves making subtle sarcastic remarks. Being with someone like that would leave you questioning your entire existence.”
I don't approve.
Besides...
What kind of recommendation was that?
Just because you recommend her doesn't mean she'll magically become my girlfriend.
Why don't you recommend that I score a perfect 750 on the college entrance exam while you're at it?
“If you put it that way,” Jia Yao immediately became excited, “then I'd recommend Yi Zhi Xuenai.”
“She takes good care of people, she's gentle and delicate, playful and adorable. Sure, she's a little lazy, but if you treat her well by one point, she'll return ten points of sweetness.”
Come to think of it...
Jia Yao actually had a point.
He had only planned to record her song while conveniently recording another one, yet she had been so touched she almost cried tears of joy.
The problem was...
He treated that girl more like a mascot than anything else.
“Japanese Girl is way too laid-back. I'd probably get infected by her laziness. I don't want to lose my motivation or sense of responsibility.”
He smiled.
“Besides... she's just too silly. If we got together, she'd probably make me cry from sheer stupidity.”
Jia Yao shook her head disdainfully.
This kid simply didn't know how to appreciate cute girls.
“And Yu Wanwan?” Ni Hui brought up the third candidate.
“I don't even need to list her good qualities. You already know them all.”
“Hiss...”
He had already roasted the first two.
If he didn't roast the third one as well, it would seem unfair.
Following the principle of treating everyone equally, Pu Tong decided to mercilessly point out his deskmate's flaws.
“She has all the bad habits of a rich young lady. Overthinks everything. The slightest thing happens and she starts imagining all kinds of scenarios in her head. She's just... inexplicably troublesome.”
After saying it, Pu Tong felt his evaluation had been fairly objective.
He glanced at his phone again to make absolutely sure the call had already ended.
If he had forgotten to hang up...
That would've been legendary.
“My son... you're really different when it comes to Yu Wanwan.”
Ni Hui narrowed her eyes, as though she had seen through everything.
“How?”
Didn't he roast all three of them?
Wasn't that treating everyone equally?
“When you talked about Lin Yuxi and Yi Zhi Xuenai, you imagined the possibility of dating them.”
“But when you talked about Yu Wanwan... you never made that assumption.”
“Doesn't that just prove I have absolutely no romantic feelings for her? I couldn't even be bothered to imagine it!”
Pu Tong frowned.
His comments about all three girls had been completely instinctive.
He truly hadn't consciously made any distinction.
If he hadn't imagined "being together" with Yu Wanwan...
Didn't that simply prove he'd never thought about it?
“Oh, my silly son...”
Ni Hui smiled but said nothing more.
“What? What's wrong with me?”
“You can openly imagine yourself dating Lin Yuxi or Yi Zhi Xuenai because you truly don't have those kinds of feelings for them. You simply see them as friends, so you're completely at ease.”
“But when it came to Yu Wanwan, you unconsciously avoided even making that hypothetical...”
Jia Yao couldn't hold back anymore.
She decided to expose what was really in his heart.
“Have you ever heard this saying?”
'Being open and natural is friendship. Being cautious and careful is love.'
(End of Chapter)
✨ Love this novel?
Visit my Patreon for fast access and advanced chapters! patreon.com/BbingTranslations Thank you for your support.❤️
Comments
Post a Comment