Chapter 14: To Be Free, To Be Unfettered

A faint smile graced Ye Mo's delicate face as she glanced at Lin Jie before turning her gaze out the window. "Haha, I can tell... you're not in the best mood, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Quite so."

Their eyes met briefly before they both burst into soft laughter.

"So, why the gloomy mood, little brother?"

"And why are you down, elder sister?"

They had spoken at the same time, their questions overlapping.

Lin Jie fell silent, his curiosity piqued as he watched Ye Mo, her exquisite features bathed in the afternoon light.

With a thoughtful glance upward, Ye Mo's voice lowered as she spoke, "I just felt down all of a sudden, and then decided to take a trip."

"A trip that somehow led you to driving lessons?" Lin Jie teased with a slight grin.

Ye Mo paused, then laughed. "Yeah, exactly. I was traveling through Tianbei City and suddenly got tired of planes and high-speed trains. I wanted to do a road trip, so I rented a place here for two months to get my driver's license."

Lin Jie couldn't help but raise his thumb in admiration.

"I've never been on a plane before," Lin Jie remarked with a tinge of wistfulness.

"Plane tickets aren't that expensive, you should try it sometime," Ye Mo replied casually.

Lin Jie glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips. "I know they're not. I can afford the ticket."

He had saved for a long time, and while it wasn't much, it was enough to ensure he wouldn't have to endure hours upon hours in hard seats when traveling.

He didn't want her to go through such hardship. He just... didn't know where to go.

So, where exactly is Su Jiamei traveling now?

Who is she traveling with?

And how did she get there?

The questions swirled in Lin Jie's mind, yet he felt a strange calm, his emotions surprisingly steady as he pondered them... He still cared, but his heart had grown quieter.

"Wow, impressive. I thought you didn't have much money," Ye Mo's voice held a straightforward admiration as she regarded him.

Lin Jie looked at her and, after a moment's thought, offered, "How about I treat you to dinner? You can choose anything."

"Even something really expensive?" Ye Mo asked with a playful smirk.

Without hesitation, Lin Jie nodded. "Anything."

"I could eat a meal that costs you ten thousand yuan," Ye Mo quipped.

Lin Jie was left speechless, unsure of how to respond, simply watching her in silence.

From the moment they had met, Lin Jie had sensed that Ye Mo came from a wealthy family.

At twenty years old, her vibrant youth and grace were impossible to conceal.

"I'm just teasing. I wouldn't let you treat me," Ye Mo said, her tone softening as she chuckled at his expression. "I invited you out, remember? You don't need to spend a cent."

"I insist. Dinner's on me," Lin Jie replied, determined.

As they reached their destination, Ye Mo, unable to argue further, relented with a smile.

The shopping plaza in Tianbei City was expansive, its commercial streets lined with trendy shops and popular photo spots for social media influencers.

Lin Jie had once visited this place with Su Jiamei. They had eaten here, sipped on milk tea, and even bought some clothes... Neither of them had much money.

Back then, Lin Jie thought money was the issue, but even when he'd scraped together a bit more, nothing between him and Su Jiamei had changed.

It wasn't about money, after all. It was him. He was the problem.

Su Jiamei didn't like Lin Jie, and that was all there was to it.

As you linger at every place, every moment, drowning in memories of the past, you torture yourself in a lonely cycle of bitter thoughts. Everything you see reminds you of her... but what about her?

Does she ever think of you?

Lin Jie knew the answer. Su Jiamei probably didn't. She was likely telling her friends about the guy who followed her around like a lovesick puppy... She was probably letting other boys ruffle her hair with playful intimacy.

A sudden wave of suffocating despair gripped Lin Jie's chest. He felt as though he might choke on the pain.

Perhaps some passersby might wonder why this handsome young man, walking beside such a stunning girl, still seemed shrouded in such a dark cloud.

"How about we have hotpot? Tianbei City has great hotpot," Ye Mo said, her eyes scanning the surroundings as she occasionally took out her phone to snap pictures. The evening breeze played with the hem of her clothes, giving her an air of carefree elegance.

Lin Jie couldn't see any trace of sadness in her. Shouldn't someone in a bad mood feel like him—like they didn't belong in such a bright, beautiful place, like they should slink into the shadows and hide?

"Hm?"

Noticing his silence, Ye Mo turned to look at Lin Jie in confusion. He was undeniably handsome, but his eyes always seemed to hold a tinge of grey.

Ye Mo understood that grey. It was the kind that came only after going through something deeply painful.

When life is good, the world is vibrant, and you carry yourself with confidence and vigor. But when things go wrong, all of that fades away, carried off by the wind.

"Ah, yeah, hotpot sounds good."

Ye Mo's gaze lingered on him with playful curiosity. "Did you even hear what I said?"

"...I guess not."

With a mischievous grin, Ye Mo stepped closer, her cool fingers brushing Lin Jie's cheek as she leaned in and spoke louder, "I said, shall we go for hotpot?"

Her voice was crisp, with a hint of coolness, yet the combination made it oddly endearing.

A faint blush crept up Lin Jie's face. He glanced at Ye Mo, only to notice a similar rosy tint on her own pale cheeks.

"Alright."

"It's my treat."

Ye Mo burst into laughter, clearly amused. "Why are you so obsessed with who treats whom?"

Lin Jie shook his head. He didn't know.

Ye Mo didn't press the issue further. Instead, she led Lin Jie towards the hotpot restaurant, moving through the city with the ease of someone who knew it better than any local.

"I always make plans for the places I want to visit... Though, sometimes I don't follow them," Ye Mo said with a smile.

Lin Jie nodded. "You sure it's alright for you to take this time off, sister?"

Ye Mo smiled lightly at him. "What's the problem? I've already finished what I needed to learn. And besides, I'm not short on money. I can take care of myself."

Lin Jie raised his thumb in admiration again. Wealthy people seemed to always be right... Even Mo Jiale used to say the same thing—that when money isn't a concern, everything else falls into place.

He could tell Ye Mo didn't care. In the hotpot restaurant, she deftly ordered from the menu, exuding a sense of freedom and ease.

It was precisely that quality Lin Jie had always envied.