"Love and Future Prospects Chapter 14 Love Minus Zero Equals?"

  Point: When a man is still a boy, his world is small. The so-called prospects and responsibilities are still just things that can be imagined but not touched. No matter how beautifully one thinks, it's ultimately just imagination.

  Jiang Yuan always felt that Xiao Ning had become a bit strange recently. Sometimes she would suddenly appear in his classroom, making him feel delighted; sometimes when they were really together, she was somewhat lukewarm. In the midst of busy studies, insensitive boys quickly ignored these issues and threw them out of their minds.

  Ji Hua Ning's mind was always preoccupied with the relationship between Yuan Ying and Xiao Yi, as well as his own growing apathy towards his studies. She would occasionally burst into his classroom in a nervous frenzy, just to see what he and Xiao Yi were up to. At times, she was extremely disgusted with herself, wondering when it all started, and how she had become so anxious and indecisive.

  In the midst of such doubts, both of their grades began to slip to varying degrees, especially Ji Huaning, who even fell out of the top ten at one point. There is no wall that doesn't leak air; early love, as the only stain on this pair of good students, was considered by the teachers who had once turned a blind eye as a reason for poor academic performance, completely forgetting their previous tacit consent. She spoke to each of them separately, issuing warnings about their future prospects, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as if she had preserved the school's excellent promotion rate.

  As they approached the entrance of Ji Huaning's home, the atmosphere was unusually silent. Both of them had their own concerns from their youth, and the troubles that had been magnified in their small world made it impossible for either of them to speak up. Just then, a slender figure with a gentle appearance slowly walked towards them from across the street. Ji Huaning saw Lin Jinglan carrying a small backpack, wearing her school uniform neatly, looking calm and composed, her eyes fixed on Ji Huaning and Jiang Yuanying.

  As if she had been granted a great amnesty, Ji Hua Ning let out a sigh of relief. "Xiao Lan, you're here." She walked towards Lin Jing Lan, Jiang Yuan Ying following silently behind her.

  She introduced the two to each other. One was a classmate, and the other was the child of her parents' friend. Jiang Yuanying smiled at Lin Jinglan, who nodded slightly in response. The height difference between the two was quite noticeable, making Lin's serious expression look somewhat comical compared to the adult. After exchanging a few casual words, Ji Huaining bid farewell to Jiang Yuanying and led Lin into the building.

  The distant shadow watched them, and the little boy with the surname Lin suddenly turned his head around. His bright big eyes stared at him fiercely, as if warning him of something, yet seemingly wanting to reprimand him for something. Must be an illusion, after all, he's just a kid. Jiang Yu Ying smiled nonchalantly.

  He didn't expect that when he got home, an unprecedented negotiation was quietly waiting for him. In the conversation between his teacher and Jiang Mu, it was revealed that Jiang Yuan Ying had a premature love affair. Jiang Mu was furious, her son coming home so late every day was not because of school classes, but because of so-called romance!

  But the Jiang family was after all a family with some learning, and she knew that if she forcibly separated young people, her son would certainly resent her in the future. So she had a few words to say. When Jiang Yuan Ying came back, she looked at her own increasingly handsome son, like a rising star, and felt more and more satisfied.

  Jiang Yuan Ying's conversation with his mother didn't have the explosive tone he had imagined. His mother didn't strongly oppose him, but instead said: "Yuan Ying, I completely understand your current mood. Although we're older now and there's a so-called generation gap, after all, we've also gone from being young to middle-aged. Who hasn't had their heart moved like that before?"

  "You're very sensible, you know how much effort we've put into raising you to be a better doctor than your father and I. Now that I see you stumbling at the critical moment, how can I as a mother not lend you a hand? Listen to me, break up with that girl! Let's not talk about your studies, just think about family. Far in the future, society is very realistic, once you climb up there, you'll understand. In the future when you become a famous doctor, with your talent and charisma, marrying the daughters of hospital directors or authorities will be a piece of cake! They must also be talented and beautiful, and won't be unworthy of you, you can at least save yourself ten years of hard work! Think about it, how many decades does one have in their lifetime? Don't say that you can't compare, by then your perspective will definitely change too, because you'll only have common language with them, and be people in the same world. Ask your heart, when that time comes, will your current girlfriend still be on the same wavelength as you? Don't blame me for being nosy, you're my everything, I do everything for you."

  Jiang Yuan's shadow remained silent, thinking. Jiang's mother was undoubtedly very intelligent, her words were not sharp or hurtful, and none of them insulted the girl, but everywhere revealed a mother's sour and thorough love for her son. In front of such comfort, even the most determined firmness turned into tender affection. His mother's last sentence happened to hit his heart: Not to mention in the future, even now, he began to not understand Xiaoning, that strong and white jasmine in his heart, he had become somewhat unclear. At that time, the layer of gauze that Ji Huaning lifted, I don't know when it quietly returned to where it was, separating their distance.

  At this time, his world was still very small. Parents, studies, plus a girl who was consciously his girlfriend. Society and responsibility, prospects and life, for him, were just an idea that he couldn't quite grasp, he hadn't really spread his wings and flown out of the sky given to him by his parents. His parents' words were still as effective on him as they had been when he was a child.

  On the other side, Ji Huaning and Lin Jinglan had dinner, and then both of them went into her small room. Xiao Lan quietly finished her homework, but found that Ji Huaning, who had been silent all along, was staring blankly.

  He sat gently on the edge of her bed. "Aren't you happy?"

  "No." She sat on the bed, her hands clasped around her knees. Upon hearing his words, she stubbornly turned her head away.

  Hua Ning

  She doesn't speak.

  "...it's for that person from earlier."

  She buried her head in her arms and curled up into a ball.

  "I recall that a while back, you said you didn't know what to do in the future and we thought about it together for a long time. Are you going to give up now? Your dreams."

  "Today at dinner time, your uncle and aunt both saw that you were unhappy, and they kept serving you dishes. They care about you so much, don't make them worry."

  "Aren't you always very proud? What did you used to look down on? You're like this now, not at all like you...” The impression he had of her was that she was a girl who would proudly show off her sly smile, being arrogant and having many bad ideas. This was her true nature. Being gentle and weak was just her disguise, just like how she is now, which was the side of her he didn't like.

  Chattering on and on, like an old man. Ji Huaning's scattered melancholy was defeated by Xiao Lanping's flat statement. One by one, like a familiar meal, he recounted them with relish.

  "I know everything you're saying, it's so annoying." She raised her head, picked up the plush rabbit beside her and hit him with it.

  Thirteen-year-old Xiao Lan slightly turned her body to avoid, calmly blinked, "If you know, don't let us worry. Compared to grades and all that, Uncle and Aunt definitely hope you're happier."

  Ji Huaning leaned to one side, with his back to him. After a long while, a low voice finally came through:

  "Uh-huh, I know."

  With a nasal tone that couldn't be hidden. Lin Jinglan felt a wave of emotion and quietly lowered her eyes.

  Ji Hua Ning's heart was on the verge of collapse. She had never thought that such a pure emotion - perhaps its original intention was not pure, but she had indeed invested in it and would encounter crises everywhere. Now, just one spark could ignite the cracks that had infiltrated and blow her love into ruins at any time.