How come you're also my ex-girlfriend?

Lin Jia actually has a love-hate relationship with men.

Because sometimes, guys really are great foils. His refined and handsome appearance, his impressive background, and the way he fawns over you might all be tools to showcase his own charm.

It can give you a great sense of accomplishment and vanity from the envious glances of others at certain moments.

But sometimes, the boys are the unqualified actors in this game.

Not clear-headed enough, not measured enough, too involved.

Those who got so caught up in the game forgot that at the beginning, no one was responsible for everything.

Just like Xu Yan, who was engrossed in eating breakfast in front of me.

Without him, what an uneventful life did he lead in that class? No one paid attention to his train of thought, no one listened to his soliloquy. It was his own presence that gave him a safe space to confide in, a goal to strive for, and even led some to connect him with themselves, elevating his sense of self-worth...

He got promoted, he got people to talk about him, and people cared about his existence because of him... He should actually be grateful to himself, so why did he have to make such a mess of things?

Is it because someone more attractive has finally appeared in your life, and you've suddenly realized that those other things weren't worth it?

She had never agreed to any romantic possibility with him. It was all just his own wishful thinking and lack of boundaries. She was just a bit of an avoidant person. Why couldn't he just wait patiently?

Was it because I was too direct that day in the park? Not at all. I was so considerate of his feelings, and I carefully considered my words before speaking them... He's too sensitive, too smart.

So, it's hard for people like that to find happiness, right?

Lin Jia lowered her eyes slightly, facing Xu Yan who remained unresponsive, and the girl's gaze, and sat down as if possessed.

He should have sought advantage and avoided harm, avoided direct conflict, and prevented Xu Yan from "taking the initiative," so that all thoughts of regret and actively seeking him would vanish in that instant. What instinct had overridden his reason? Lin Jia didn't know, even though the girl beside him was excessively beautiful.

She still harbored a sliver of hope: What if they weren't close? What if their relationship was as fragile as chicken cartilage?

Xu Yan would still realize that he was the only one who had ever reached the place closest to him.

Xiao Yujie was a little confused until her best friend sat down next to her, at which point she realized what was going on.

Looking at Xu Yan, who seemed completely oblivious to them while eating noodles, and that girl who looked indifferent but was excessively beautiful... what a pathetic guy, even when eating noodles he has to sit with pretty girls!

Xu Yan pretended not to see them? Xiao Yujie didn't care; she would just pretend not to see Xu Yan too. What was there to be afraid of?

But to her surprise, her good-for-nothing best friend Lin Jia sat down for a while and then said quietly, "What a coincidence, you're eating noodles here too."

The boy ignored him, focusing on eating his noodles, and didn't even respond when he added a little vinegar.

Jiang Yiyao, who was eating leisurely beside her, looked up with interest at Lin Jia, who had a hesitant expression, and asked, "You two know each other?"

Facing such a beautiful girl, Lin Jia naturally felt pressured. However, she didn't rush to explain her relationship with Xu Yan, because she knew very well that the competition between girls lay in these subtle details, and whoever rushed first would lose.

She wasn't sure what the relationship was between this girl and Xu Yan. Maybe she was a new friend they had just met? Or maybe she was one of the people attracted to the boy's appearance... But it didn't matter. She knew all too well how to sow discord between them and make the other person feel 'distrust' towards Xu Yan.

After all, she had accumulated a wealth of experience over the previous two years. She was best at dealing with teenagers who harbored naive fantasies about love but whose personalities were riddled with flaws.

Lin Jia wore a forced smile, her eyes seemingly holding countless unspoken words: "We should know each other, right? But those things seem to be in the past, they're not important anymore."

She was clearly saying those words to Jiang Yiyao, but as she finished speaking, she glanced at the seemingly unresponsive boy with endless regret.

Xiao Yujie was a little anxious. She didn't understand why Lin Jia was putting on such a humble posture in front of this strange girl.

Of course, she didn't understand her best friend's intentions, but Lin Jia was already imagining the "damage" of her behavior.

Perhaps after leaving, this pretty girl will become restless and will be unable to resist subtly probing into what exactly their relationship is.

How Xu Yan answers is not important; the key is that the seed of doubt has been planted. She will then give up on Xu Yan because of his presence, just like many other girls who had approached him before.

Jiang Yiyao chuckled, but the laughter displeased Lin Jia.

What an arrogant and contemptuous laugh! It seemed as if the laugh could see right through one's own thoughts.

Jiang Yiyao didn't respond to Lin Jia's question. Instead, she turned to Xu Yan, who had almost finished eating, and asked, "Hey, what do you say?"

Xu Yan looked at Jiang Yiyao, puzzled. "What did you say?"

"It sounds like she's saying your past doesn't matter anymore, but it sounds like there's a lot of unresolved issues hidden behind it all?"

Before Xu Yan could answer, Lin Jia interjected, "This classmate, you don't need to misunderstand our relationship... It's nothing to begin with. It's not worth letting those past events affect your current relationship..."

"It's definitely not worth it."

Actually, Lin Jia had some things she didn't finish saying, such as: Let the past be the past. Or: Don't worry about my existence. I'm just relieved to see that he's living a good life now.

The extent of this girl's relationship with Xu Yan is not important. The key is that just by saying that, she will definitely feel resentful and unhappy, which will be amplified infinitely in subsequent developments.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yiyao interrupted Lin Jia directly.

Not only that, she smiled and looked up, her expression unreadable, yet it inexplicably put pressure on Lin Jia.

It's the kind of sense of crisis that a hunter involuntarily feels when encountering a more skilled hunter.

Before Lin Jia could think of a next move, Jiang Yiyao put down her chopsticks, pulled out a tissue, and said with a smile that remained unchanged, "Boys are very childish creatures..."

Is she now resorting to belittling Xu Yan to prove her worth? Or is she trying to distance herself completely to demonstrate her arrogance?

Lin Jia suddenly felt a little bored.

But soon.

"They can hardly grow without experiencing certain things. Sometimes, even knowing the truth, they can't help but have wishful thinking, which is commonly known as 'not turning back until hitting a brick wall.'"

No, something's not right.

Lin Jia squinted her eyes.

Jiang Yiyao continued, "But I think it's actually a good thing to meet girls who aren't so great, like 'green tea' girls or 'white lotus' girls, because that's how they'll realize what's the best."

"..."

"Moreover, because of these girls, they grow, like leveling up in a game. The girls who appear later are actually grateful for their appearance, as it makes them more mature and rational."

It's hard.

Lin Jia's fist, gripping the chopsticks, hardened.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yiyao, who was opposite her, began to shine brightly. She even felt that this girl was radiating a light as dazzling as the rising sun.

Jiang Yiyao didn't mince words and went straight to the conclusion.

"So it's not that the past isn't important, it's that the people from the past aren't important."

After saying that, she smiled and looked at the boy who had also put down his chopsticks, "What do you think?"

Xu Yan nodded dismissively, "That's well said, but I didn't quite understand..."

Jiang Yiyao chuckled and pulled out two tissues, but instead of taking them from the table, she took out wet wipes from her pocket, which seemed to have been prepared for a long time.

As she handed it to Xu Yan, she smiled and said, "Whether you understand or not doesn't matter. Are you finished eating? Wipe your mouth."

"oh."

Xu Yan took the tissue, wiped her lips briefly, and then said with a strange expression, "I'm not that delicate. You can use it yourself."

As Jiang Yiyao picked up her schoolbag and stood up with Xu Yan, she shook her head: "Who knows if it's clean or not."

"That's true... Let's go, I've already paid."

"Okay, I'll treat you next time."

"You actually have a conscience."

"I've already said I'm a good girl."

"..."

She's right; whether Xu Yan understands or not is completely irrelevant.

The key point is that Lin Jiaquan understood, which is why her expression was so unpleasant.

Xiao Yujie, who was standing next to her and had no idea what these open and covert attacks were saying, was both confused and furious.

Her flushed face seemed even more anxious than Lin Jia's, whose face was somewhat pale.

"Who...who is she? How can she be so annoying!"

Lin Jia looked at her friend with a gloomy expression, "Did you understand what she said?"

Xiao Yujie shook her head. "I didn't understand... but it just makes me so irritable. Why is it so unlucky to start the day like this!"

Lin Jia: ...

More than the 'subtext' of Jiang Yiyao's words, what Lin Jia cared about was that the girl who appeared next to Xu Yan this time seemed to be a type she had never encountered before.

It was still raining outside, but it felt as if I was getting soaked inside the house.

……