Addicted to My Cutie and Sweetie

Chapter 867: He’s Shutting Himself Off!

The next second, she saw Lu Jing curled up in the corner, pitifully hugging his knees, with his head down in grievance.

Zhang Lingying’s heart suddenly twitched, and she felt a strange sense of guilt.

"Zhang Lingying, is being friends with me something embarrassing?"

"No." Her voice was very small.

"Then, do you like Leng Jian, and are you afraid he’ll get jealous, so you don’t want him to know I’m staying at your place?" Lu Jing’s voice was very calm, as if nothing had happened, just two people having a friendly Q&A.

But his gaze was cold, as cold as the perpetually frozen peak of a snow mountain.

"No, it’s not that either." Seeing Lu Jing still hugging his knees in the corner, Zhang Lingying squatted down too, at eye level with him, and explained earnestly.

"I don’t think you’re embarrassing, nor is it because I like Leng Jian that I’m making you avoid him. I’ve already made it clear with Leng Jian; he doesn’t like me, and his kindness is probably just a gentlemanly gesture. As for me... not afraid you’ll laugh, sometimes I feel like Leng Jian is like a brother to me... not a real brother, just that parental feeling, you understand?"

Zhang Lingying couldn’t explain it herself; every time Leng Jian frowned, she felt like she was about to be lectured by a parent.

Not really afraid, just instinctively not wanting to make the other person angry.

Maybe there’s a bit of compromise too.

She wasn’t sure if Lu Jing could understand what she meant. If he still didn’t understand... Zhang Lingying bit her lip, just about to call him out, when Lu Jing already grabbed her hand, softly saying, "What did you just say? Say it again!"

Zhang Lingying: "..."

Zhang Lingying: "Leng Jian is like a brother to me?"

Lu Jing: "No, the sentence before that."

Zhang Lingying tilted her head, earnestly recalling: "I made it clear with Leng Jian; he doesn’t like me?"

Lu Jing: "Do you still like him?"

Zhang Lingying: "..."

Lu Jing: "You said before, he was your idol, you wanted to marry him, so do you still like him now?"

Seeing she didn’t respond, Lu Jing continued, "If you answer this question honestly, I can stay in the closet until tomorrow, it’s fine."

"... Like him." Zhang Lingying told the truth.

Like liking a brother is still liking.

After all, Leng Jian is really nice.

This time, Lu Jing truly couldn’t leave the closet. Hearing that Zhang Lingying still liked Leng Jian, he shut down.

Before Zhang Lingying closed the closet door to wash up, she saw his face devoid of hope.

But she feared staying too long might make Leng Jian suspicious, so she hurriedly stuffed a cushion into Lu Jing’s arms so he could sit more comfortably in the closet, then quickly left.

Leng Jian cooked some plain congee and a few dishes.

Just simple home-cooked dishes, but they paired perfectly with congee, looking appetizing.

He placed all the dishes on the dining table, even served congee for Zhang Lingying. When she came over after washing her hands, Leng Jian had already handed her the clean dishes, urging her to sit and eat quickly.

"Thank you."

Zhang Lingying was genuinely touched; looking at the warm meal on the table, she felt a warmth in her eyes for a moment.

The two didn’t speak further, just ate quietly.

After the meal, Leng Jian didn’t compete with Zhang Lingying to clean up the dishes to avoid making her feel pressured. Before leaving, he just reminded her a bit: if she gets a fever at night, she should go to the hospital quickly or call him.

Seeing Zhang Lingying agree to each point, he left relieved.

"Don’t look, he’s already far away." Lu Jing drifted silently behind Zhang Lingying, his tone filled with melancholy.