Lu Yanchu froze for a moment. The redness in his eyes abruptly deepened, yet the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile that looked almost shattered.
"I think I've finally found a flaw in you."
The subject changed so quickly that confusion surfaced in Ji Ting's eyes. "...Hmm?"
"This is the first time you've said so much to me." Lu Yanchu's gaze dimmed. "And the real reason was that I just dismissed Ji Yanzhi, wasn't it?"
Ji Ting nodded frankly. "Yes."
A brief laugh escaped Lu Yanchu's throat, perhaps self-mocking, perhaps something else. "Then what you said to comfort me about crying-that was real, at least, wasn't it?"
Ji Ting tilted his head in confusion, as though processing a complex parameter. "Comfort..."
A faint ache stirred in Lu Yanchu's heart. "Wasn't that meant to comfort me?"
"No." Ji Ting shook his head. "I simply think that if you're sad, you can cry. You don't have to feel embarrassed about showing your emotions."
"Then..." Lu Yanchu's voice trembled slightly. Tears were already spilling uncontrollably from his reddened eyes, yet he kept asking, as though he needed Ji Ting's permission. "Can I cry now? Because I really am...very sad. What you just said made me feel as though you'd completely dismissed my feelings for you."
Ji Ting was utterly stunned. His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but could find no suitable words, like a precision instrument suddenly confronted with chaotic data it couldn't parse.
Ji Yanzhi watched his gaze dart about with nowhere to settle, his voice full of broken anguish. "Ji Ting, am I really that worthless in your eyes?"
"No, and neither are your feelings."
"But what you said made me feel like my feelings for you were something terrible to you." Lu Yanchu's