"Difficult?" Seeing him remain silent, Kiyono Lin asked.

"Difficult," Dubian Che nodded.

"Then let me help you analyze it," she said, staring at her right hand that only had the index finger raised, "Choose this side, and you have to give up two people, plus the possible appearance of a fourth, a fifth."

"Choose this side," she turned her head to look at her left hand, "Two, no, with Jiutiao Meijie's intelligence and capability, it will sooner or later be discovered, and then considering her jealousy and possessiveness... you know better than I do what would happen to Mayi Asuka."

She drew back her hands, took a sip of her lemon water, and looked over to where Mayi Asuka was.

As Dubian Che had said, there was a wall between her and the other three people in that reconstituted family.

It was partly due to the parents, and partly due to Mayi Asuka's own aloof personality.

Mayi Asuka looked back in their direction, and their eyes met briefly.

"Are you going to tell Meijie about me and Mayi?" Dubian Che asked.

"It's none of my business and I'm not interested in spreading other people's private affairs. However," Kiyono Lin averted her eyes, "I have no connection with her; I'm not as gentle as you, so whatever happens to her with Jiutiao Meijie, I won't intervene."

"I'll protect her," Dubian Che said.

"You mean you're choosing them?"

Dubian Che had no ready answer, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I've already wronged Meijie once."

"Then get ready for a second time."

"... What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?"

"I can sense your feelings. It won't be long before you fall hopelessly in love with me and get down on your knees to ask me out."

"Where did you sense that from? Why don't I feel it? Or are you starting to lie?"

"Look at our chat history from today," Kiyono Lin said, sipping her lemon water.

Dubian Che pulled out his phone and scrolled through: "There's, there's nothing much to it."

When sending the messages, he didn't think much, he just felt happy, very happy, his hands moved faster than his brain.

"Mr. Dubian," Kiyono Lin put down her glass, "Prepare yourself to sever ties with them and think about what you're going to say when you're on your knees begging me."

"You're really full of confidence," Dubian replied, putting away his phone with nothing else to say.

Suddenly, a tumultuous noise arose.

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw Mayi Asuka's mother storming off, her husband hastily following.

The young middle-school girl glanced at Mayi Asuka left behind, then looked at her parents, picked up their coats and bags, and ran after them.

The waiter cautiously approached Mayi Asuka, who was left alone at the table, and asked her something in a low voice.

Mayi didn't say a word, picked up her bag, and walked over to Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin, sitting down at their table.

Dubian Che pressed the service button and ordered the waiter: "Please bring three more servings of Normandy veal, Burgundy-style escargot with herb sauce, tender chicken soup, cold fresh perch slices, and Sichuan-style baked Garoupa."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

After the waiter left, Dubian Che took Mayi Asuka's hand,—without asking what happened—just said:

"I'm here for you."

"... Che," Mayi Asuka gripped his hand tightly in return, her eyes unwavering as she looked into his.

"How long are you planning to hold hands?" Kiyono Lin watched their clasped hands with a cold eye.

Dubian Che released her hand awkwardly, while Mayi Asuka still gazed at him.

Kiyono Lin took another glance at Mayi Asuka. She had faintly sensed something amiss before, but hadn't realized it was to this extent.

"What happened just now?" Dubian Che finally asked.

"I told them they don't have to give me living expenses and rent. They asked why, and I said I was being kept. They want to break ties with me," Mayi Asuka said simply, her voice devoid of emotion as if she was talking about someone else's affairs.

"Kept?" Kiyono Lin couldn't help but snicker coldly, telling Dubian Che, "You're even more foolish than I thought, using Jiutiao Mei's money to buy things for another girl. It seems you're about to be finished."

"Che?" Mayi Asuka tilted her head slightly.

"Don't worry, I used my own money, and Meijie will absolutely not find out," Dubian Che comforted.

Mayi Asuka nodded, trusting his words unconditionally.

Kiyono Lin rested her slender fingers against her chin, muttering to herself, "I'll have to be careful about this in the future."

"You're overthinking it."

Mayi Asuka looked back and forth between the two, her eyes revealing a faint puzzlement. She asked with a flat voice:

"Che isn't with her?"

"With whom?" Dubian Che was puzzled.

"Kiyono Lin."

"Since when were the two of us together?" Dubian Che was perplexed.

"The Wind Instrument Club is all talking about it," Mayi Asuka replied.

"They don't know that Meijie and I are dating?"

"They do."

"Then why are they still spreading rumors that I'm with Kiyono?"

"Che, you have me too." Mayi Asuka's tone was nonchalant, yet it sounded somewhat naïve and cheerful at that moment.

"..." Dubian Che was at a loss for words.

Kiyono Lin looked at him with a mocking cold smile.

Seeing her smile, Dubian Che's heart suddenly broadened—or perhaps he pretended it did.

He said nonchalantly, "Whatever, rumors will be rumors, let them talk."

The waiter began serving the food, and the three of them ate intermittently.

After finishing the meal, Mayi Asuka decided to go look for her biological father and sever that relationship as well.

"I'll go with you," Dubian Che said.

"No need," Mayi Asuka shook her head gently, "I've already troubled you enough, Che."

Having spent some time together, Dubian Che knew her personality well—if she made up her mind, she would definitely see it through.

Like baking a cake.

It was Dubian Che who suggested she try it, but after failing four times (either it didn't rise or it deflated), he advised her to rest, yet she still persisted.

After Mayi Asuka left, Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin went back to Toyosu Park, planning to sunbathe and finish the rest of the book.

"Such behavior and psychology are really fitting for a lover; no wonder you can't bear to leave her," Kiyono Lin said.

"It has nothing to do with meeting any criteria; I can't bear to leave because I promised to be her family."

Kiyono Lin sighed resignedly, "I don't know whether to call you a scumbag or responsible."

"Humans are complex animals, and relationships derived from humans are even more complex."

"The Human Observation Department needs to add one more project, to study whether Dubian Che is really a scumbag."

"I'm already grateful that you haven't directly labeled me as a scumbag," Dubian Che said.

"Because I know whether you're lying or not, and I understand the psychology behind your choices. If it were Jiutiao Meijie, no matter how you explain, it would be no use."

"That makes sense," Dubian Che nodded, "Wait a second, was that just one of your tactics to make me fall for you?"

"You can think of it that way."

"I clearly don't have such thoughts, yet when faced with others' compliments, you unabashedly accepted them, Kiyono, you have an endearing way of being shameless."

"Thank you, I really like myself too."

Upon entering Toyosu Park and walking on the green grass, they saw familiar faces.

It was the three who had just left, Mayi Asuka's mother and her friends.

Rika, the young girl, was chatting with another girl of the same age in the distance, while Mayi Asuka's mother and her husband were whispering something.

As Dubian Che and Kiyono Lin walked past, they happened to overhear a part of the conversation.

...

"Actually, severing my ties with Mayi has been a relief for me, finally shedding a burden so I can focus on you and Rika."

"You've had it tough."

...

Kiyono Lin glanced at Dubian Che, whose expression was serene, and instinctively offered consolation:

"There are children who grow up hoping their parents would disappear quickly; there are parents wishing their children would get sick and die. Such people exist everywhere."

Dubian Che turned his head, looking into Kiyono's clear, pure eyes.

"Kiyono, I will come to save you, whether it's in Tokyo Bay or the river of life."

Kiyono Lin's expression softened, and with a voice tender enough to be frightening, she asked:

"Is this your way of preparing to date three people at once?"

"Hey, how are you? I'm doing great!" Dubian Che waved to someone in the distance.

After greeting, he turned back to Kiyono Lin with a smile and said, "Trains, I absolutely love trains. My future dream is to become a professional train photographer."

"What about becoming the Prime Minister?"

"I've given that up."

"And the Tokyo hottie?"

"Those two don't conflict, do they?"

In the direction where Dubian Che had just waved his hand, the 'Yurikamome' monorail train traveled through the clear spring sky, amongst cherry blossoms that were just a little short of full bloom.

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