Sail across the sea

Chapter 482 Chatting Isn't So Casual Anymore
On the other side, Gao Fan and Lin Ruoyi were walking and chatting on the tree-lined path on campus, their hands clasped together, swaying gently with each step.

"Senior Sister Xia has suffered a lot," Lin Ruoyi said.

“She works in geology and has been prospecting in the field for the past few years. She must have suffered a lot,” Gao Fan said.

Why is mineral exploration kept secret? Why can't you even tell your family?

"She went to explore a mine related to national defense and security, right under the nose of the enemy. If the enemy finds out, it could potentially sabotage the project."

"You mean, she came back from abroad?"

"Yes."

"I understand."

Lin Ruoyi responded, but didn't pry into where Xia Shihui had gone. Given her relationship with Gao Fan, if it were something that could be told, Gao Fan would definitely have told her. Since Gao Fan chose to be vague, it was naturally inconvenient for him to say.

"She wasn't happy at dinner tonight."

After a moment of silence, Lin Ruoyi suddenly spoke, and then felt Gao Fan's hand, which was holding hers, stiffen for a moment, but only for a moment.

“We got along really well during our undergraduate years,” Gao Fan said. “Actually, we met very few times, you could count them on one hand. But we hit it off immediately, and we talked without any reservations, saying whatever came to mind.”

“Isn’t that how you are with everyone?” Lin Ruoyi said. “When I went to Peking University to register, you insisted on introducing me to our counselor as your neighbor’s little sister. I was wondering at the time, when have I ever met you before? How come you’re so familiar with me?”

Gao Fan laughed and said, "Your counselor took the same Mathematical Analysis class as us when he was an undergraduate, so we got along quite well. As for you, I definitely knew about you a long time ago. When you were only 2 years old, your mother told my father that she wanted to arrange a marriage between you two as children."

Hearing Gao Fan bring up the topic of childhood betrothal again, Lin Ruoyi squeezed Gao Fan's hand hard to show her dissatisfaction, and then continued the previous topic, saying, "I think Senior Sister Xia is unhappy because she feels that I stole her playmate."

"Why not steal her boyfriend?" Gao Fan asked curiously.

Gao Fan had mentioned Xia Shihui to Lin Ruoyi before; it was a name they had become desensitized to in their relationship. He knew Lin Ruoyi wouldn't be jealous of Xia Shihui, which was why he dared to discuss her with her.

Regarding whether Xia Shihui ever had feelings for Gao Fan, Gao Fan, being a straight man, felt he couldn't tell. Gao Min analyzed it for him and concluded that, at least before Xia Shihui disappeared, she was still clueless about relationships, and treated Gao Fan as a "buddy" far more than a boyfriend.

Now that Lin Ruoyi says that Xia Shihui feels she stole her playmate, Gao Fan becomes interested. Why not her boyfriend?
Lin Ruoyi said, "I could tell from the way she looked at me that she didn't see me as a rival in love. She just felt that I had taken one of her toys, so she was unhappy."

Gao Fan was exasperated: "Wait, didn't you just say playmate? How come it's become toy now?"

Lin Ruoyi chuckled, "Her behavior is like that of a child whose toy has been taken away. I had a similar experience when I was little. Once, a friend brought a toy out to play, and we had a lot of fun. Later, she had to go home for dinner and took the toy with her, and I was really unhappy." Gao Fan was amused by Lin Ruoyi's analogy, and after laughing, he said, "Xia Shihui is actually quite a solitary person. On the surface, she seems very easygoing and gets along well with everyone, but she has almost no truly close friends."

"She is a very career-oriented person. When she was a freshman, she said that her ideal was to go around looking for mines. At that time, most of our classmates' ideal was to be assigned to a good unit in the future, either with power or money. Few people thought about doing anything specific."

“But you’re not like that.” Lin Ruoyi put away her teasing expression, tightened her grip on Gao Fan’s hand, and said.

“Yes,” Gao Fan said. “That’s why we get along so well. Every time we meet, we can talk about business.”

“I heard from Sister Min that she said when she was with you, she talked about rare earth elements, and then Sister Min and Senior Sister Yuan laughed at her for it.”

"Back then, there were rumors in our grade that she and I were dating, but actually we were just talking about rare earth elements. My sister heard the rumor and that's why she specifically asked to meet her. Once we met, she knew the rumor was false."

"She has no friends, and you're the only one she can talk to. She's been away for six years, and she must have a lot to say, so she excitedly came to find you. And then..."

"It turned out I had a girlfriend, so we weren't as casual with each other anymore, and I just lost interest."

"That's about it."

"Actually... by the way, Ruoyi, if she and I still talk about work like we used to, would you be unhappy?"

"What do you think?"

"..."

Gao Fan was having a bit of a headache. Girls getting jealous was truly incomprehensible. Lin Ruoyi had a hundred reasons to believe that there was nothing ambiguous between Gao Fan and Xia Shihui, but she absolutely refused to allow Gao Fan to chat with her about work as happily as before.

Lin Ruoyi was incredibly perceptive; Gao Fan's slight hesitation was enough for her to understand his thoughts. She didn't actually mind Gao Fan discussing work with Xia Shihui, but it was important to show the proper attitude—it was a matter of preventing problems before they arose. Seeing that Gao Fan understood her meaning, she squeezed his hand again and said:

"I was just kidding. Do you think I'm that petty? I just think you shouldn't just focus on talking to her about work; you should also try to introduce her to a boyfriend when you have the chance. She's in the same year as you, so she must be at least 26 this year. She's been abroad for six years and can't even keep in touch with her family, so she definitely doesn't have a boyfriend. As a friend, shouldn't you try to find her one?"

“This kind of thing…” Gao Fan hesitated, “wouldn’t it be more suitable to leave it to my sister? My sister seems to have a natural talent for being a matchmaker. I know she’s introduced boyfriends to Yuan Xiaoyan more than a dozen times. Now, with Xia Shihui added to the mix, it’s enough to satisfy her love of being a matchmaker.”

Lin Ruoyi said, "Sister Min might not have someone suitable. You said that Senior Sister Xia is a very career-oriented person, so you need to find someone like that to have a good conversation with her. You have a lot of contacts, so you should be able to find someone suitable."

“I’ll keep an eye on it,” Gao Fan said. “There’s no rush. Yuan Xiaoyan is single anyway. I’m going to Muyang Province tomorrow to check on the phosphate mines there.”

(End of this chapter)