6

Every day after school, we would eat together, watch movies, chat...

Life was incredibly comfortable.

In the blink of an eye, graduation was approaching.

That day, I excitedly returned home, planning to discuss graduation travel with Jared.

As soon as I entered, I saw an elegantly dressed, beautiful woman having an intimate conversation with him.

The woman had a great temperament and was clearly an elite.

Jared also seemed very close to her, and the two of them were laughing and talking, creating a very ambiguous atmosphere.

That scene deeply pierced my eyes.

Just then, the woman's hand seemed to rest on Jared's shoulder.

"No."

I screamed.

Both of them were startled and turned their heads in unison to look at the door.

I only then realized my loss of composure, my ears turning red with embarrassment.

The woman, however, quickly returned to normal and even looked me up and down a few times.

"Jared, is this the 'little sister' you mentioned."

She curled her lips, smiling ambiguously. "She's quite pretty, just a bit of a crybaby."

My face instantly flushed red.

Jared's gaze shifted between the two of us, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

In the end, he only said faintly, "It's getting late.

You should head back early."

The woman stood up understandingly and gave me a meaningful look before leaving, squeezing her eyes at Jared.

"Alright, I'll take my leave first.

I won't get involved in a lover's quarrel."

After she left, the atmosphere was a bit awkward for a moment.

Jared took the groceries from my hands and turned to enter the kitchen.

I felt a bit disappointed.

This guy always liked to avoid the important issues at critical moments!

Seeing me feeling down, Jared stopped what he was doing. "Jasmine, I..."

"I need to submit my thesis.

I'm leaving first."

I fled out the door in a panic.

Actually, I had already received feedback on my thesis.

I just...

didn't know how to face him.

The scene earlier made me realize that the relationship between Jared and me might not be as close as I thought.

Seeing them chatting and laughing together, I actually felt jealous.

But what right did I have to be jealous? What was I to him?

Over the years, Jared had done so much for me.

Perhaps...

I had become too dependent on him.

Maybe in his heart, I would always just be a little sister who needed to be taken care of.

Thinking of this, my eyes became moist again.

Perhaps it was time for me to leave him.

Just then, I noticed a figure appearing in front of me.

Looking up, Jared was standing there.

Just like four years ago, he was standing against the light under the street lamp, like the sun.

The moment our eyes met, it was as if time had frozen.

The next second, he strode towards me.

"Where are you going."

He suddenly stopped, his tone a bit unpleasant. "Do you know how anxiously I've been looking for you?"

"You..."

I was tongue-tied, at a loss for words.

Jared sighed and wrapped a scarf around me, the one I had made for him with my own hands.

"Silly girl, if you have a cold, you should rest at home instead of coming out here to catch the cold wind!"

He nagged while stuffing me into the passenger seat, fastening my seatbelt and turning on the heater.

The warmth of Jared's palm transmitted through the back of my hand, and my nose turned sour.

I almost shed tears.

"Why did you lie to me."

He started the car, his tone flat.

"I..."

I panicked.

What had I lied to him about?

"Last month, on the day your thesis was approved, we celebrated together."

His gaze was like he was looking at an idiot.

I coughed guiltily a couple of times.

I had been in such a hurry that I forgot about that.

Jared stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched.

After arriving home, he went straight into the kitchen.

I stared blankly at his back, feeling a mix of emotions.

How I wished that his feelings for me were the same as mine for him, that we understood each other without any barriers.

Jared walked over with a bowl of ginger tea, his tone softening a bit. "Drink it while it's hot."

I took the bowl and slowly stirred the soup.

"Jared..."

I tentatively spoke up. "The person who came to see you today...

is she your girlfriend?"

He froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You little silly goose!"

Jared pinched my cheek. "She's my cousin.

She came to see me today because of some family matters."

I felt relieved, and my tense nerves finally relaxed.

"But...

I've never heard you mention your family before.""That's because..."

Jared paused, a hint of darkness flashing in his eyes. "My mom ran off with someone else and left me with my grandparents.

Later, they passed away too, so I've been living alone."

"So, before I met you, I never really had any close family around."

He laughed self-deprecatingly.

He seemed so nonchalant about it, but my heart ached for him.

It turned out that he, like me, was an abandoned child.

"But Jared, you're so wonderful..."

My eyes grew moist.

"What good does that do."

He let out a bitter laugh. "With my background, I'm not worthy of you."

"But."

I grabbed his hand. "I don't care about those things! I only care about you as a person! I..."

"Jasmine."

Jared interrupted me. "Let's be together."

I stared at him blankly, thinking I had misheard.

"I know I'm more than a decade older than you and don't have as much life experience.

But Jasmine, these past few years, it's you who made me believe in love again."

"I thought I would never love again in this lifetime.

But I fell in love with you."

"And, silly girl, your reaction today clearly shows that you were jealous.

Only I can accept such a little jealous jar like you."

He ruffled my hair, grinning smugly.

"I was not."