Love, Gun, Cupid

Seeing that the young man seemed a bit down, Du Juan asked curiously, "What happened?"

"I went for a morning run and saw Jasmine's wheelchair overturn. I cut my hand while helping her. She took me back to get it treated, and I saw her house."

Life made a mess of her, and then she gave up on herself, making a mess of her life as well. No one helped her, and she gave up on seeking help.

You're right, Dujuan. The self in a dream isn't the real self. The girl who happily played football with me in the dream, and the green field where we played so joyfully—it was all just a dream.

Lin Jiade couldn't continue. He leaned back in his chair, all his emotions condensed into a single interjection—

"Ugh."

Chapter Fourteen: The Leaky Husband

Azalea's shadow fell over Lin Jiade. She reached out and ran her hand through his black hair, gently stroking it. The scent of her floral sweetheart and the rustling sound invaded Lin Jiade's senses.

"Are you very sad?" Du Juan asked.

"Yeah, even strangers would feel a little sad to see their lives sinking into an abyss. But I won't be sad for long."

Lin Jiade thought he would soon forget Jasmine, but Jasmine was like a thorn in his heart. After his afternoon classes, he went to play soccer with his best friends. Today, he kept getting distracted on the field, all because he was thinking about Jasmine.

In football, skill is everything, and opinions about players are always fickle. When he plays well, everyone calls him "Emperor Lindsay," but when he plays poorly, he becomes "Lindelof."

Today, Lindelof's team lost the game, so the losing team bought the drinks from the opposing team as well. Lindelof drank half of the mineral water, poured the other half over his head, shook his head, and the splashing water carried away some of the heat, making him feel a little better.

The young man put his coat under his head, lay on the grass, and stared blankly at the horizon where the sun lit up the clouds. He recalled a dream in which he and Jasmine lay together on the court, in a cradle woven from four-colored turf, the girl's silhouette as dreamlike as a dream.

His good friend next to him nudged him and said, "How about we get together for a meal sometime?"

"...Alright then."

"You used to be quite enthusiastic about this, why are you so reluctant today?"

Lin Jiade hesitated for a moment: "There is something uncertain that may interfere with my schedule at any time."

"Why are you being so mysterious? You've been acting strange this week. What's wrong? If you're hesitant to say something, don't. If you can, don't hesitate to speak up and see if anyone can help."

Du Juan's existence and character setting are not suitable to be discussed with his best buddies, and as for Jasmine... Lin Jiade felt that discussing it with a bunch of virgins was pointless.

However, his strong urge to confide in others made him unable to hold back and say, "Tell me, I feel sorry for a girl, and I know that feeling sorry is not liking her, but I still care about her a lot... What does this situation mean?"

"Damn, you really have relationship problems!" His good buddy exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, come here, our Loufu has someone he likes!"

"Call him Emperor Lin! And don't talk nonsense!"

Lin Jiade sighed helplessly. People's joys and sorrows are not shared; to these animals, his thoughts were merely gossip. Even if he told them the whole story and asked them what they thought, they would only answer, "Shoot!"

A player should be decisive when shooting, and should the same apply to relationships?

After joking around with his good buddies for a while, the matter was over, and Lin Jiade felt a little better. He sat up and was about to stretch when he saw Teacher Yang walking towards him, so he quickly lay back down.

You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me... he murmured to himself.

He realized he had said something foolish on Tuesday, touching a nerve with Ms. Yang, and had been caught red-handed. The fact that Ms. Yang didn't immediately transform into Kirisu Mafuyu already demonstrated her good manners.

However, he didn't know whether she cared about it or not, so whenever he saw her, he would always feel guilty and avoid her.

Contrary to expectations, Teacher Yang went straight to the track and said to the boys lying near the goal, "Come on, a few of you. Your counselor said there's a batch of textbooks to move."

This kind of work was naturally the boy's responsibility, so Lin Jiade slowly stood up and stepped back. Unfortunately, he was the tallest person in their department, and even when he stepped back, Teacher Yang could still see him clearly.

"Besides the textbooks distributed to you, some need to be sent to the office. Lin Jiade, I remember you're quite strong, can you help the teacher?"

Teacher Yang spoke naturally, with a sincere attitude and a smile on her face, as if she were simply asking a student for a favor. However, to those in the know, this was a prelude to personal revenge.

Lin Jiade wanted to refuse, but he couldn't find a suitable reason. At this moment, his good brother came to his aid and joked, "Your husband might not be able to do it today. He's been lovesick this week, can't eat or sleep well, and has no energy at all."

"Find a different teacher, even a donkey in a production team needs a rest."

Teacher Yang was a little confused: "Lou Fu? The one who led the German team to victory in the National Games?"

"That guy is called Löw, and he's about to leave office. Good times have come."

The National Games is short for the Global Games. After incorporating the World Cup, a top-level national football tournament with its own established system, the National Games has become the most prestigious sports competition in the world, held every four years.

Every time the National Games are held, popular events attract many online viewers who discuss topics they don't understand with great interest.

Just like when Löw led the German national team to victory, many people who didn't even know the names of the German national team players or their clubs inexplicably became die-hard fans of the German national team for 20 years, a phenomenon that lasted only three months.

Teacher Yang, who was one of the online viewers, suddenly realized, "The 'leaky husband' you're talking about is Lin Jiade. No wonder I felt he wasn't in good spirits this week; it turns out it's a relationship problem."

The female PhD student tried hard to show understanding and sympathy, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her true thoughts—

For a 28-year-old single woman, hearing that others, especially students who talk badly about her behind her back, are also single is a comforting thing.

Despite being annoyed by her gloating, Lin Jiade knew that his relationship with Teacher Yang couldn't continue like this.

With that thought in mind, he said with a sense of relief, "I'll help."

Lin Jiade and Teacher Yang were walking on the road. He tried to keep up with Teacher Yang's pace, but she didn't seem to understand and quickened her pace, always leading him by a step. Her high heels made a crisp "clack-clack" sound on the ground.

He could understand the female PhD student's decision to keep her distance, because even in high heels, she only reached his shoulder level.

If they walk side by side, it will challenge Ms. Yang's above-average self-esteem, making it difficult for her to maintain her authority as a teacher in front of her students.

Ms. Yang possesses difficult knowledge, but she herself is very easy to understand.

Groups of students passed by, chatting about current events. Basketballs hit the rim, ping-pong balls bounced on the table, someone danced to music playing from the speakers, and skateboards made a clear scraping sound on the road.

A breeze from afar caused the trees lining the road to tremble, and the shadows of the leaves swayed on Teacher Yang's jacket and Lin Jiade's short-sleeved jersey. On this noisy afternoon, everything they passed brought a commotion, but the teacher and students maintained a silence.

After a while, they arrived at the school's warehouse. Teacher Yang received the office supplies and struggled to lift them to hand to Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade reached out and hugged them from below, looking quite relaxed.

Perhaps because he accidentally brushed against the back of her hand, Ms. Yang covered her hand and looked at Lin Jiade's broad palm, sighing, "Boys are so great. They are tall and strong, and can do most things independently."

She probably has a story to tell, but Lin Jiade didn't want to hear it for the time being, so he replied casually, "I wish I were shorter."

"why?"

"Because it will scare people," he said.

Chapter Fifteen: Talking to Each Other Like Chickens and Ducks

When Lin Jiade first entered university and everyone was still getting to know each other, he was called back by a classmate after leaving a class.

He stopped abruptly, turned around, his expression serious, like a Middle Eastern bandit whose brother had just died in battle. His shadow loomed over the short female classmate behind him like a mountain. The latter was so frightened that she stumbled backward, tripped over herself, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Even now, this incident is occasionally brought up for jokes, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

He told Ms. Yang about it, and she smiled. On the way back, she walked a little slower than usual, stopping beside him, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Is there anything else we need to move, Teacher Yang?" Lin Jiade asked.

"No, that's all." Teacher Yang waved her hand. "Teacher... I'm just curious, who is that person who haunts your dreams?"

For a female PhD student who had immersed herself in her studies until the age of 28, her understanding of love was like that of a fledgling bird. Therefore, she was extremely curious about Lin Jiade's romantic life, even asking questions that seemed incongruous with their current relationship.

Lin Jiade was a little embarrassed: "I wouldn't say I'm obsessed, but I'm just a little concerned."

Teacher Yang said with a hint of pride, "Hmph, I do care a little... I know all too well how boys your age can be two-faced when it comes to feelings."

When I was in college, the girls could usually tell who the boys in my class liked, but if you asked them, most of the boys would answer "no" or "I care a little."

Then, only half of them would actually pursue girls, while the other half would spend four years quietly without ever contacting each other again.

With that kind of emotional intelligence, how come you're still single at 28?

Lin Jiade thought about it and decided that he had finally managed to ease the tension with Teacher Yang, so he shouldn't let this landmine explode a second time.

Lin Jiade's silence did not dampen Ms. Yang's interest. She pressed on, "What kind of person is she? Maybe I can give you some advice."

Teacher Yang, do you have any self-awareness? You have zero romantic experience yourself, so what useful advice can you give me?

Lin Jiade sighed heavily. Ms. Yang's family had protected her too well, and coupled with her focus on her studies, even someone like him with low emotional intelligence could sense that Ms. Yang had a somewhat ivory tower-like air about her... naive and innocent. Her heart was younger than her appearance.

The fact that she had never been in a relationship was a joke passed down among the girls in the department to the boys. As for why Teacher Yang would tell the students about this, or who she had offended that caused her scandal to spread to the boys, Lin Jiade had no idea.

Therefore, Lin Jiade did not trust Ms. Yang's ability to keep secrets, and he vaguely said, "She is someone who lives very close to me (at my residence)."

"I see, life is very close to the classroom." Teacher Yang nodded.

"Her appearance (youthful) contrasts sharply with her mind (aged)."

"There's a huge contrast between her mature appearance and her innocent heart..."

"By my standards, she was short, but the red hue in her hair was very beautiful."

"?!"

Ms. Yang glanced at Lin Jiade. Even in high heels, she only reached between Lin Jiade's shoulder and neck, and the color of her recently dyed hair highlights was... red.

"Oh," the woman said, trying to sound calm, "it seems you're attracted to her looks?"

"Yes, there's a significant age gap between us (three years older), and she has a small face, which I quite like."

"Several years apart (eight years younger)..."

The woman's fingers unconsciously twirled the hair at her shoulder as she asked, "Long hair or short hair?"

"It should be considered a medium-length story, but it doesn't really matter. She was all alone (her family was destroyed), and at first I felt sorry for her. However, after talking with her, I realized that my feelings for her were not simply pity."

"She's alone (without a boyfriend)." The woman's hair was almost tangled into spirals between her fingers. "Are you close to her?"

"No, actually, I did something I regret, and I feel like I ruined our relationship. So, I'm struggling with whether this feeling is love, and whether I should tell her how I feel."

Our interactions between university students and high school students may face some criticism from the outside world, even though these moral concerns disappear after graduation (high school).

Teacher Yang's lips trembled slightly: "Indeed, this relationship (teacher and student) is somewhat immoral. Even after graduation (from university), outsiders will still talk."

"Even Teacher Yang said that..."

The woman stole a glance at Lin Jiade, and seeing his dejected expression, she suddenly felt a pang of pity. Her dream of having a boyfriend led her to misinterpret Lin Jiade's words, resulting in a fatal misunderstanding.

Ah, I'm so sinful, to have been liked by a student. The female PhD student thought gleefully, "I've made him so infatuated he can't eat or sleep. Although I can't agree to it, I should encourage this brave young man and not leave him with any trauma from his first love."

This is a thoughtful gesture from an adult.

She cleared her throat and said, "First of all, in my opinion, you definitely care about that person, otherwise you wouldn't still be thinking about her and worrying about her after you backed down."

Secondly, as a boy, you shouldn't be so hesitant. I think you should give it a try. It's like doing math problems; what's the point of just sitting there thinking about it? Pick up a pen and write it down on paper, try it out, and you'll know whether you can actually solve the problem and what your thought process is…

Yes, the important thing is to put it into practice, not just stay in the realm of daydreaming! Girls like brave boys, so show your courage in front of them.

Finally, even in failure, you can learn from the experience and prepare for your next success. Like the rigor of calculus, like Goldbach's conjecture, like the third crisis in mathematics, sometimes success is not a smooth road; there is no success without failure!

The female PhD student blushed as she said this. She turned her head to the other side, leaving the back of her head to Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade, on the other hand, didn't even glance at his companions, immersed in his own troubles.

When he talked to Du Juan in the morning, he was quite resistant to continuing his relationship with Jasmine, but after being given a lot of motivational speeches by Teacher Yang in the afternoon, he realized that it was indeed wrong for him to back down like this.