As Lu Yanchu listened to his analogy, his expression briefly grew dazed, only to be engulfed by an even deeper bitterness.
The sting of that bitterness made him want only to argue. "You said many people only see the tree you've grown. But Ji Ting, you shine so brightly. How could Ji Yanzhi possibly not be drawn to your flourishing branches and leaves?"
Ji Ting continued calmly, "I believe that when I make a new breakthrough in my own field, Ji Yanzhi will be proud of me. But that has never been the reason he likes me."
He paused, then added, "Sometimes, he even gets angry and jealous because my branches and leaves flourish too much. He feels they take up so much of my time and energy that it's hard for him to spend even a little time with me."
As though he had seized on something, Lu Yanchu's eyes flickered with a complicated light. "He gets angry and jealous... don't you think that's a form of restraint?"
Ji Ting shook his head. "I don't see it that way. Restraint means using your own emotions to hold someone else's choices hostage. But no matter how unwilling Ji Yanzhi feels, even when he complains to me outright, he is never trying to influence my decisions. His emotions are temporary, but his respect is absolute."
Lu Yanchu tugged at the corners of his mouth, his smile bitter and edged with sharpness. "Of course. You've contributed so much to the country that anyone in Ji Yanzhi's position would never dare to restrict you."
He put a little extra emphasis on "dare," implying that Ji Yanzhi's feelings might be mixed with awe and compromise rather than pure love.
Ji Ting keenly caught that implication, and the faintest trace of displeasure crossed his clear