Love, Gun, Cupid

Lin Jiade stood with his feet on the door line, arms outstretched, twisting his body like a comical comedian. This was certainly not to amuse Jasmine, but to distract her and disrupt her concentration.

Jasmine stepped back, measured her steps, took a run-up, and kicked the ball horizontally below, releasing a half-high ball with insufficient speed and spin.

Even a novice like Lin Jiade, with his low skill level, could easily judge the direction and swat the ball out with his hand... towards Jasmine's direction.

Jasmine followed up with a shot, kicking it in the opposite direction of Lin Jiade's center of gravity. The ball went into the net, and the young man gave the shooter a thumbs up.

Jasmine's lips curled up. The girl's smile was perhaps like morning dew, or perhaps it was his illusion, because when he looked closely, she had already returned to calm.

"Again?" he asked.

Jasmine hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. Before they knew it, the darkness was replaced by the dawn, and the two exhausted women lay side by side on the lawn, bathed in golden light, enjoying the refreshment that followed their exercise.

When the morning light shone on Jasmine, her body began to disintegrate, floating into the sky like bubbles.

"Time is up."

Jasmine looked at Lin Jiade: "My father is a fan of Swansea Stadium, and he used to play football with me. I don't like it, but I can't deny that it can make some people happy... I understand my father's happiness."

Lin Jiade opened his eyes and looked out the window; the dawn of reality replaced the dawn of his dream. He reluctantly got up, put on his casual clothes, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Du Juan standing outside.

Du Juan took a step forward, Lin Jiade took a step back, and finally he retreated to the edge of the bed, sitting down abruptly, feeling a little nervous.

Du Juan arranged a blind date in a dream, but he and Jasmine didn't talk much. Instead, they had a great time on the football field, which deviated from the main topic.

Unexpectedly, Du Juan smiled at him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and said, "You did a good job, you did a good job!"

"???"

"Before Jasmine left your dream, I took a look, and the fate between you two has become 52."

Lin Jiade was utterly puzzled: "This thing can change?"

"Yes, the compatibility score is fixed before lovers meet, but it often changes after they meet, which means that one party is satisfied or disappointed with the other."

Judging from Jasmine's stats, this was a positive encounter. You planted a seed of goodwill in her heart, waiting for you to nurture it in reality so that the seed can sprout and bear fruit.

Du Juan was very happy, but Lin Jiade had to pour cold water on her enthusiasm, saying, "Sorry, I'm not sure if I like her yet."

"You see her, and your heart is beating faster than usual."

"My heart beats faster when you're near me!"

Lin Jiade immediately regretted his words. It sounded as if he was lusting after Cupid's body... Well, he was a little lusting after him. It's a man's instinctive reaction, how could he control himself?

However, the fact that Du Juan saved his life put a shackle on his relationship with her. The young man felt that "repaying kindness" was not the same as "hugging" kindness, and he could not try to repay Du Juan's kindness by being in love.

The air fell silent for a moment. Lin Jiade stole a glance at Du Juan and noticed that her cheeks were flushed and her lips were slightly parted. Du Juan's reaction made him blush as well.

"I don't have classes this morning, so I'm going for a run," he said softly.

"Ah, um."

Lin Jiade was dressed in sportswear at home. He washed his face, changed his shoes, and went out. He saw Du Juan sitting on the sofa; her expression had returned to calm.

“Lin Jiade, people are not exactly the same in dreams as in reality. In most cases, they are better in dreams. Therefore, the self in dreams is not the real self.”

Du Juan offered him ambiguous guidance, and the young man left home, delighted to discover a new side of his live-in partner. Du Juan's shyness was endearing, but he preferred her alluring and assertive side.

On the way, he encountered Jasmine, whose wheelchair had inexplicably tipped over to one side. He reacted quickly, rushing to her aid and preventing an accident.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Jasmine looked up, her emerald eyes meeting brown eyes, and memories of last night stirred within them simultaneously.

“I had an incredible dream that I was playing soccer with boys on a soccer field,” she said.

Lin Jiade laughed and said, "Me too, I had a lot of fun."

"Thank you, both for that time in my dream and for this time now."

"I'm alright, are you okay?"

Jasmine shook her head: "Your hand..."

Lin Jiade looked at his left hand. In his rush over, he had cut a thin, shallow wound on the back of his hand, from which bright red blood was seeping out.

He didn't take it seriously. He used to get minor injuries occasionally when playing football. The most serious one was when he forgot to wear shin guards and his ankle was grazed by the studs of someone else's football boots. His socks were stained red with blood.

Last weekend night, he was almost stabbed through again... These experiences increased the young man's psychological tolerance for pain, so he replied nonchalantly, "It's okay, it can be treated."

“Come back with me and we’ll deal with this,” Jasmine said. “You live on the 7th floor, and I live on the 16th floor, so we can go together.”

"Wait, I don't think I mentioned which floor I live on?"

“I saw you and a very beautiful woman in the elevator going up to the 7th floor and leaving earlier.”

Sure enough, she had no recollection of what happened three years ago. Lin Jiade thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "Thank you, Du Juan, for it was only because I was her appendage that I left an impression on Jasmine."

Jasmine took out a handkerchief and grabbed Lin Jiade's injured hand to bandage it. Lin Jiade did not resist; he even subconsciously held his breath, as if he could blow Jasmine far away with just a gentle breath.

He looked down at Jasmine, having fully appreciated her in his dreams, but this was the first time in reality. He fantasized about all sorts of wonderful things, superimposing the image of fourteen-year-old Jasmine onto the Jasmine from his dream last night.

The result left him disappointed and heartbroken.

Jasmine was wrapped in a black gauze dress. Her hands and feet were slender, her face was small, and she spoke in a soft voice, looking like a junior high school student, even though she was actually almost eighteen years old.

However, more details revealed that she was not so fresh: her unkempt hair was dry and split, her once smooth and creamy skin was pale from long-term seclusion, and her tragic past made her eyes deep, her expression cold, and her voice weak.

Thus, her youthful appearance and mature personality became an obvious contradiction.

Seeing her like this, the residents of the community felt she was an oddball and didn't want their family members to associate with her. At seven o'clock in the morning, before the rush hour for going to school, work, and morning exercise had passed, the once bustling community was now completely devoid of Jasmine.

At this moment, Lin Jiade finally understood the meaning of what Du Juan had said when he left.

Chapter Thirteen: The Abyss of a Young Girl

Three years ago, Jasmine wasn't like this. She was serene but not desperate, her eyes were bright, her expression was lively, and she still had family to take care of her for three months every year.

Over the course of three years, his life improved, while Jasmine's life declined, transforming from a lifelike doll into a lifeless ghost.

High school Chinese classes often require students to copy down content and read it aloud during morning reading sessions. Lin Jiade copied down some content from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities".

He still remembers the classic grand narrative at the beginning of the book, which is also a showy description: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

The contrast between his life and Jasmine's suddenly reminded him of these words, and he became somewhat lost in thought until Jasmine patted the wheelchair, conveying the tremor, which brought him back to reality.

The rejected monster was pushed into the elevator by her silent neighbor. The silver elevator doors closed, and the metal cage carried them toward the sky, only to stop again soon after.

The young man pushed the wheelchair to the door and watched her turn around to unlock it with her key. He followed behind, curiously looking around Jasmine's house.

If Lin Jiade's house is like a level 90 Surtr with Elite 2 and Mastery 3, then Jasmine's house is like a level 1 Skadi gathering dust in a corner.

Jasmine's house was empty. There was no TV, no air conditioning, no coffee table, no decorations. Only a single sofa, a wooden chair, and a water dispenser stood forlornly in the living room.

The bedroom door opened, revealing a simple setup with only a bed and a wardrobe. The floor was fairly clean, but a large amount of women's clothing was piled on the bed. Lin Jiade glanced at it and then politely looked away.

The kitchen was covered in dust, and the trash can was full of takeout boxes. Lin Jiade could almost picture Jasmine's life in his mind; it was more like desolation than loneliness, which made his nose sting with tears.

He looked at Jasmine, and Jasmine looked at him. Just like three years ago, Jasmine wasn't afraid of him, but she didn't recall anything either. Her eyes were expressionless, like a stagnant pool, which made Lin Jiade feel increasingly pressured.

Even though she was almost eighteen, Lin Jiade still felt guilty because of the huge difference in their body sizes and the other person's condition.

Jasmine is delicate and fragile, and has been tormented by suffering, losing her vitality. He, on the other hand, is a rough and unromantic man. Is she really someone he can have a romantic relationship with? He couldn't help but wonder.

Afterwards, Lin Jiade received more careful treatment from Jasmine. She untied the handkerchief, took out alcohol and bandages from the first-aid kit she found in the bedroom, and then pulled his hand over, using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect it.

Beneath her coral-red hair, Jasmine's features were captured by Lin Jiade, and her breath brushed against his fingers, bringing a ticklish sensation.

Lin Jiade looked at her for a few seconds and thought she was petite, delicate, and lovable. At the same time, he asked himself: Do you like her?

Lin Jiade's feelings for Jasmine were a question; at sixteen, she answered affirmatively, while at nineteen, she answered negatively. The rotation of the sun's corona, the shift in her mindset, and the change in her identity led the same person to give different answers to the same feelings.

Although I feel bad for Dujuan, a forced relationship won't be happy, so let's not force it.

Lin Jiade made a decision in his mind. At this moment, he noticed that there was a laptop behind Jasmine, and the screen was filled with spreadsheets.

With his excellent eyesight, he saw that it was a report card with Jasmine's grades and ranking... a level so bad that it made Lin Jiade feel dizzy.

Jasmine looked up, followed Lin Jiade's gaze, and turned back to him knowingly, saying, "You saw that?"

"Excuse me."

"Feeling disillusioned? People are always like this, making expectations of me before they know me well enough."

Jasmine's tone was tinged with resentment, and her cheeks twisted slightly, but she quickly calmed down and returned to her cold demeanor.

Lin Jiade felt heartbroken and impulsively said, "I'm sorry if you feel offended, but I want to say that it's not too late. You still have a year to prepare for the college entrance examination."

Jasmine glanced at him, seemingly sensing Lin Jiade's sincere feelings, and replied softly, "I know."

Lin Jiade couldn't say anything more. His relationship with her wasn't enough for them to sit down and talk, to pull Jasmine out of the abyss of her life.

Jasmine released his hand. He glanced at her with complicated emotions, stood up to say goodbye, and Jasmine whispered, "Don't waste too much time on other men. Your girlfriend will be jealous."

Lin Jiade blinked, somewhat confused: "My girlfriend?"

"That's what everyone you live with says now."

"Uh, no, that's my cousin. She's staying at my house temporarily for some business. We're not in that kind of relationship."

"Really."

Lin Jiade didn't know what Jasmine meant by saying that. For a moment, Lin Jiade had the illusion that Jasmine's lips were curving upwards.

But when he looked closely, the other person's face turned cold and indifferent, as if they didn't care about anything at all.

Even after the young man closed the door, he felt that Jasmine was watching him from behind, but he didn't turn around. He should have turned around, so that he could have discovered Jasmine's true nature more quickly.

When Du Juan got home, she was dozing on the sofa. Hearing the noise, she sat up abruptly and drew her pistol. Lin Jiade's DNA kicked in, and he raised his hands and said, "It's me."

Du Juan let out a long sigh of relief and put down her pistol: "Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I had a nightmare."

"what's up?"

"I failed my courses in college and can't graduate."

Lin Jiade nodded: "It is quite terrifying."

Du Juan suddenly perked up, straightened her back, and excitedly said, "You smell like another woman!"

Lin Jiade was a little annoyed by Du Juan's reaction, and he replied in a low voice, "Yes, it's Jasmine's."

"Huh? You've been in contact with her? Didn't you say..."

"Something happened that convinced me I wouldn't pursue her."

Du Juan looked at Lin Jiade's bandaged hand, and Lin Jiade shook his head, indicating that he was fine.