Lu Yanchu had danced around his point earlier, but his last sentence was practically an outright declaration.
He braced himself for Ji Yanzhi's impending fury, but to his surprise, the other man merely folded his arms and let out a cold laugh.
"Hmm..." Ji Ting thought for a moment. "Mr. Lu, have you heard of the 'counterfactual thinking effect' in psychology?"
Lu Yanchu hadn't expected Ji Ting's answer to head in this direction at all. He froze for a moment. "...What?"
"For example, if the male lead gives the female lead the highest priority in his heart, his actions will inevitably lead him toward her. Conversely, his choice to go in the opposite direction clearly reflects his true priorities."
Ji Ting looked at him and continued his analysis, calm and rational. "So whether it's too late is a false premise in itself, because people tend to romanticize the road they didn't take in their memories, imagining it led to an ending strewn with flowers."
The moment he finished, the amused snort Ji Yanzhi had been holding back finally escaped, brimming with undisguised triumph.
He had known long ago that the flashy magpie's convoluted way of expressing his feelings was like flirting with someone who hadn't a clue.
Of course, Ji Ear was certainly no fool. His mind was sharp, and he could handle any cutting-edge scientific problem with ease. It was only in the realm of romance that he was utterly, innately clueless.
Lu Yanchu forced the corners of his mouth upward, trying to maintain his usual composure, but the smile in his eyes seemed veiled in a thin mist. "You're... quite right. But a movie is still just a movie. It can't represent even a ten-thousandth of the complexity of the real world."
Ji Ting gave an "Mm," merely