Chapter 36: Xia Mi La This Person…

Her voice remained as gentle and patient as always.

Jin Can now understood that she treated everyone with this same gentle patience.

“Mhm.” He first acknowledged, then asked her, “Can you teach me how to play tennis? I’ve never played before… but I’d like to try.”

The environment Jin Can previously lived in was vastly different from his current one in terms of wealth. Many novel things he’d never seen or tried could easily trigger feelings of inferiority and frustration due to the disparity with those around him.

But he had always maintained a balanced mindset. Xia Mi La thought it was good that he could directly ask for her help like this.

She wouldn’t look down on him for it; instead, she felt somewhat heartbroken for him.

Actually, she wanted to take better care of him. But recently, busy with various matters and having received some help from him, she hadn’t been as attentive to him as she should have been.

This made her feel slightly guilty.

“I can give you my tennis coach’s contact,” she said to Jin Can. “That coach is really skilled they’ve trained a world champion before.”

Jin Can wasn’t particularly concerned about such accolades. Not having her teach him was somewhat disappointing, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

How could he say it? “I don’t need such a great coach, I just want you to teach me…” Wouldn’t that make his intentions too obvious?

However, before he could speak, Xia Mi La continued, “The immediate priority isn’t tennis, but golf. Azure Dragon Hall’s activity this week is scheduled at your family’s golf course. Have you had any experience with that before?”

“No,” Jin Can replied.

Golf was truly a rich person’s game. He had never even touched a golf club.

“Don’t worry,” Xia Mi La told him. “When the time comes, you can stick with me. How about I accompany you to buy some equipment tonight?”

“Okay.” Jin Can certainly wouldn’t refuse.

His mood, which had dipped slightly, lifted again.

Getting what he wanted in another form made him feel considerably lighter.

“Let’s leave together after school,” he said to Xia Mi La.

“Mhm.”

So that day after school, Xia Mi La left in Jin Can’s car.

Zhao Taihe stood at the school gate, watching expressionlessly as the car drove away.

“Huh,” Bian Junye was puzzled. “Why isn’t Cui Zhe hovering around Xia Mi La today? Did he give up that quickly?”

“Give up?” Ding Yuan said. “I think he got rejected. Otherwise, why would he suddenly keep his distance today when they were getting along so well yesterday?”

“True,” Bian Junye said. “They seemed to have a great time yesterday. Xia Mi La posted a lot of photos.”

“Yeah,” Ding Yuan said. “The photos were nice. Xia Mi La is getting more and more beautiful. Seriously, she didn’t seem this outstanding before, right, A Tai?”

Zhao Taihe frowned. “So annoying!”

With that, he strode toward his family’s car.

Bian Junye scratched his head in confusion. “Are we that annoying?”

“What’s with the sudden temper…” Ding Yuan muttered quietly. “He liked Xia Mi La’s photos too.”

*

Dinner was arranged by Jin Can. They went to a Michelin-starred restaurant together.

Xia Mi La had been to this place a few times before and quite liked it.

So she complimented Jin Can: “You’ve done your homework well.”

What to eat, what to wear, even what to do for fun all of these were now like homework assignments for Jin Can.

Jin Can had researched carefully, but he didn’t take credit: “It was Park Young-hyun who recommended it.”

“That kid,” Xia Mi La laughed. “You’re right to ask him more often. He’s an expert at having fun too.”

After finishing their meal, the two went shopping.

Since Xia Mi La knew some stores, they didn’t need to run around to get equipped. Everything was quickly assembled and sent to the car by the store clerk.

With plenty of time left and no rush to return home, they continued strolling along the street.

It was Friday, with the weekend starting tomorrow and no classes, so the streets were particularly crowded with students. In small groups, some were happily gathering with friends, while others were lovey-dovey couples holding hands.

Holding a cup of mint chocolate frappe, Xia Mi La asked Jin Can: “Back when you were in Busan, what would you do on weekends?”

“Go out to do part-time jobs for pocket money,” Jin Can replied. “Most of the time I’d help out at the orphanage… and occasionally get into fights.”

Xia Mi La could imagine the first part, but when she heard the last part, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Jin Can’s eyes also held a smile as he explained while holding his drink: “Though I say that, I’m not the kind of trouble-making bad student.”

“I know,” Xia Mi La responded.

From the start of school until now, observing his behavior at Tan Ming made it clear he was quite low-key.

Someone who didn’t act arrogantly even with Han Lin backing him up why would he get into fights back at the orphanage?

Actually, it probably wasn’t him starting fights but rather others picking on him. Those without parents are easily bullied anywhere.

Xia Mi La realized that his adding that last part was actually him not wanting to complain, not wanting to appear too pitiful, not wanting her sympathy.

“Actually,” she said to him, “things like tennis or golf are just for show. It doesn’t matter if you don’t learn them. Those who can do these things aren’t necessarily any more outstanding. Even though you can’t do these, you’re more capable than all of us.”

“No,” Jin Can shook his head. “You’re more capable.”

He wasn’t just saying this to make her happy he genuinely believed it.

He didn’t know what kind of person she was before, but since they met, after he transferred to Tan Ming, he could feel that many people and situations revolved around her, most of them not particularly pleasant.

Despite all the rotten people and messy situations, she wasn’t much affected. She didn’t become angry or resentful. She still had her own direction and did what she wanted to do.

He thought that was amazing.

“Really?” Xia Mi La asked.

“Yes,” Jin Can seriously replied again.

“Hmm…” Xia Mi La looked at him, corners of her mouth lifting. “Alright then, we’re both pretty capable.”

After this mutual praise, both of them laughed.

They continued walking forward as if taking a leisurely stroll.

“Actually,” Xia Mi La commented, “you are quite good at fighting.”

“Hmm?” Jin Can glanced at her.

He hadn’t been in any fights recently and couldn’t recall any instance where she might have seen him fight.

“In Busan,” Xia Mi La revealed the answer. “On the day we went to the orphanage.”

“Ah, that day.” Jin Can remembered. It must have been that day, because he hadn’t really been in any fights since then that encounter with the White Tiger Hall could hardly be considered a real fight.

Anyway, that was the day he met her, and his life completely turned upside down.

Looking back now, it seemed major turning points in life often occurred on the most ordinary of days.

When he woke up that morning, he hadn’t felt there was anything different about that particular day.

Xia Mi La suddenly grew curious. “Do you still remember how you ended up in Busan?”

In the comics, Jin Can was merely a side character with limited background details. Information unrelated to the main plot was mostly skipped over.

Jin Can nodded. “I was taken to Busan and sold to an elderly couple. After they died in a boating accident, I ended up in the orphanage.” He paused. “After entering the orphanage, I changed back to my original name.”

“You could still remember your own name,” Xia Mi La said. “That’s quite remarkable.”

Jin Can stared ahead expressionlessly. “Childhood memories fade as you grow older. In the end, maybe all that remains is this name.”

“You were probably the most capable among us when we were young,” Xia Mi La tilted her head in recollection. “Back then, my mother often praised your intelligence… You just had slightly bad luck. If you had run faster back then, you might have been rescued together with A He.”

Then he wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.

But Jin Can didn’t respond to her words. His expression even turned somewhat cold, tinged with a hint of mockery.

When Xia Mi La received no reply after a long while, she glanced at him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve brought up painful memories again.”

Jin Can had already composed his expression.

“No,” he replied. “It was a long time ago. Besides, I’ve returned home now, so hearing about it doesn’t affect me anymore.” He raised his hand slightly. “I just noticed that… there seem to be many people taking photos over there.”

It was a Life Four Cuts shop.

“Life Four Cuts,” Xia Mi La curved her lips into a smile. “Let’s go, we should take some photos too.”

Even as she spoke, she was already turning toward the small shop.

Jin Can followed leisurely behind her, watching her light-footed silhouette with hair flowing over her shoulders.

She was taking care of him again.

She was always taking care of him.

Especially when he showed vulnerability, like at school at noon she would immediately step in without hesitation.

Xia Mi La… he thought, seemed to have a rather soft heart.

In the end, the two of them took a set of photos together.

Initially, Xia Mi La had intended to assist from the sidelines helping him operate the machine, teaching him poses, letting him take a set by himself first.

But Jin Can’s interest in this activity wasn’t as genuine as he’d made it seem. Just like with tennis, he only found it enjoyable when she was involved.

Xia Mi La was quite accommodating, so they ended up taking photos together after all.

Lying in bed that night, Jin Can was still looking at the photos.

It was his first time taking sticker photos a genuinely novel experience for him. The photos turned out quite nice too.

Not that he was particularly narcissistic, but youth itself was simply radiant.

The height difference between the two created a perfect sense of layering, and Xia Mi La’s direction of their poses perfectly matched their respective personalities.

The photograph ultimately captured her gentleness and his aloof demeanor.

Perhaps what mattered most was simply her presence in it.

With a gentle expression tinged with a hint of slyness, the her in the photo was just like the her in everyday life vivid and beautiful.

He considered cropping the photo so he could carry it in his wallet at all times, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to cut up the large print. Instead, he tucked it between the pages of his textbook.

—

Author’s Note: A date! With Acan! [star-eyed]