Chapter 13: "Little Brother, You're So Adorable"

Before seven in the evening, Lin Jie had finished his shower and picked out one of his favorite outfits.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, he dried his damp hair with a towel while occasionally glancing at his reflection, admiring the contours of his muscles.

Suddenly, a pang of regret washed over him. The results of his hard work, the body he had sculpted—this belonged to him alone... Lin Jie thought, he should not let himself fall into despair.

Yes, everything had been for her, but in the end, the benefits were his to enjoy.

He shouldn't give up.

Once he tidied himself up, Lin Jie reached for his phone. As usual, there were countless unread messages, red dots scattered across the screen.

He assumed they were from Ye Mo, but to his surprise, they were from Su Jia Mu.

She had sent numerous photos of her journey, including pictures of herself.

Lin Jie looked through each photo with genuine attention. Su Jia Mu in the images was as stunning as she was in real life, her smile radiant and dazzling.

As he gazed at her photos, he found himself at a loss for words. It felt as though he were looking at a distant celebrity... someone utterly unreachable.

It was as if an unbridgeable chasm, miles wide, stood between them.

Lin Jie: "Beautiful."

Eventually, Lin Jie came to a realization—no matter how hard he tried, he would never fit into Su Jia Mu's world.

After replying to her message, Lin Jie sighed softly, then picked up Ye Mo's call.

"Lin Jie, I've arrived! Where are you? Which building should I wait under?" Ye Mo's crisp, pleasant voice rang out.

"I'll be down soon."

Lin Jie quickened his pace, locking the door behind him as he left his room. At the entrance, he bumped into Su Jia Mu's mother, Shen Qin, who was taking out the trash.

Shen Qin looked at him curiously and asked, "Xiao Lin, where are you off to? Going out to have fun?"

"Yeah, just heading out."

"With whom?"

"A friend. Auntie, would you like me to take the trash out for you?"

"No need, haha. I was just about to take a walk anyway," Shen Qin replied with a smile.

"Alright, I'll be off then." Lin Jie bid her farewell politely before hurrying downstairs.

Although Lin Jie didn't have the best impression of Ye Mo, he treated everyone equally and didn't want to keep her waiting.

As he stepped outside, he found himself confronted by a breathtaking sight.

The setting sun's golden rays had painted the clouds a deep crimson, and in the distance, the sky was ablaze with a brilliant sunset. Amidst this stunning scene stood Ye Mo, who smiled gently at him, her presence effortlessly outshining the beauty of the evening sky.

Unlike their hasty first meeting, this encounter felt like a meticulously crafted masterpiece.

Ye Mo, tall and graceful, wore a white camisole with a light plaid shirt draped over her shoulders. Her long, fair legs peeked out from beneath her short shorts, radiant in the fading daylight.

She still wore sandals, but this time they were black platform ones, perfectly complementing her outfit. Her delicate feet, with toenails painted in a striking red, completed the picture.

"Lin Jie, I'm here."

Ye Mo raised her chin slightly and waved at him with a serene elegance. Light makeup enhanced her natural beauty, giving her an ethereal, cold grace as she smiled, creating an astonishingly picturesque scene alongside the setting sun.

To be honest, Lin Jie found it hard to believe that the girl who sent such brazen messages was the same one standing before him, so cool and poised.

For a brief moment, he wondered if he had mistaken her identity.

But she said, "I'm Ye Mo—'Ye' like a leaf, and 'Mo' like bubbles."

Lin Jie snapped out of his reverie, awkwardly replying, "Hello, I'm Lin Jie—'Lin' as in forest…"

"'Lin' as in forest, and 'Jie' as in mustard!" Ye Mo teased with a playful smirk, stepping closer to him.

"No, no… It's 'Jie' as in 'mind,'" Lin Jie protested instinctively, only to be caught off guard by the mischievous gleam in Ye Mo's beautiful eyes. He faltered, finally mumbling, "Ah… It's just Lin Jie."

"Pfft…" Ye Mo couldn't help but laugh softly. She turned her head aside, and when she looked back at him, her smile was warm and bright. "Little brother, you're so adorable."

Lin Jie felt slightly disheartened. He didn't like being in such a passive position… but he knew that, in truth, he had always been someone who followed others' leads.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated with himself. In his mind, he imagined himself as someone who could hold his own in any situation, speaking confidently and without hesitation. Even in that night's scenario, he would've…

Lin Jie's gaze dimmed as he looked at Ye Mo, helplessly tugging at the corner of his mouth. "By the way… how old are you?"

"I'm a sophomore, soon to be a junior," Ye Mo replied, taking a phone call before lightly tugging at his sleeve. "The car I called is here, let's go!"

"Alright."

Ye Mo's steps were light and carefree, her hair playfully tousled by the evening breeze. She didn't seem to mind and continued humming a cheerful tune—a song so carefree it sounded like pure happiness.

In contrast, Lin Jie's mood was bleak. It was hard to articulate the heaviness in his heart.

During the ride, Ye Mo didn't say much. In person, she exuded a cool detachment, a stark contrast to her lively, almost overwhelming online persona. There was a certain freedom about her, an unspoken sense of liberation.

Lin Jie rested his head against the car window, watching the passing scenery blur by. To him, Ye Mo was like the wind—free in a way that made him envious.

"Mo-jie, you're a college student, right?"

It was absurd. Even though Ye Mo had gone out of her way to invite Lin Jie, she acted as if she had been the one dragged out.

From the way Ye Mo behaved, Lin Jie couldn't tell if she was even remotely interested in him.

Maybe she had mistaken him for someone more attractive during driving practice, and now that they met in person, he didn't live up to her expectations… Beautiful girls always have privileges, and they're never short of admirers.

Ye Mo paused briefly before nodding, her eyes narrowing playfully at Lin Jie. "Of course, I'm a college student."

She smiled, her gaze teasing. "Didn't I tell you before? You weren't paying attention, were you, little brother?"

Lin Jie chuckled, "I was just curious. Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

It was June, far too early for university students to be on summer break.

Ye Mo's smile was lazy, yet captivating. "I wasn't feeling great, so I took an early holiday."

Lin Jie remained silent for a moment, then gave her a thumbs-up. "Impressive."

Ye Mo laughed lightly. "No, I just took some time off…"

"And why did you need time off?" Lin Jie asked.

Ye Mo studied him with a faint smirk before sidling up next to him. Her amused gaze made him seem almost comical in her eyes. "Because I wasn't feeling good."

Honestly, he's so clueless.

"Well, I'm not feeling great either."