"Ah?" Tang Manman’s lips parted slightly in surprise, her questioning gaze directed at Lin Yu, looking utterly bewildered as if his question had completely baffled her.
"I'm asking, where is this?" "How did I end up here?" "And why are you here?" Lin Yu repeated his questions through gritted teeth despite the headache.
Manman finally understood the questions after taking a deep breath to calm the tumult of emotions stirring within her. She softly replied, "I found you in a small alley. Your face was covered in blood, and you were unconscious, so I took you to the pharmacy where the nurse helped clean your wounds." "I tried to use your phone to call your friends to pick you up, but there were no contacts saved. The only number in there wasn't going through either." "I had no choice but to…" Her cheeks flushing once more, she whispered, "bring you back to my place…"
Listening to Tang Manman’s account, Lin Yu recalled the memories leading up to his unconsciousness. The new phone he got yesterday, the barbecue at dusk, that hefty brick, and the cramped alley he'd hidden in before blacking out. With the situation now clarified, Lin Yu no longer harbored any aggression towards Tang Manman. Instead of continuing to spew harsh words to push her away, he fell silent.
Even Lin Yu, determined as he was to make Tang Manman dislike him, couldn't maintain a hostile facade any longer. Asking for help like this was akin to owing her a life-saving debt. Passing out in such a place would have almost certainly led to him being found by the Scorpio gang. Lin Yu’s headache intensified. What now? Was he destined to become what he loathed most—to ruin Tang Manman’s relationship with her childhood friend? To betray the pure love forum he led? To turn into a villain?
This could not stand! Absolutely not!!! Lin Yu’s inner persona of pure love screamed in protest; he couldn’t let his long-held principles crumble like this. Fueled by this inner resolve, Lin Yu took a deep breath, filled his eyes with supposed anger, and turned towards Tang Manman ready to lash out, but he abruptly froze. The harsh words he intended to spit out got stuck in his throat as he beheld something unexpected.
What did he see? He saw Tang Manman’s shy, yet intensely focused gaze, her panicked turn away when she noticed him looking, saw her as an inexperienced bud of youth. And despairingly, Lin Yu realized he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh to her.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"I need to leave!" Lin Yu struggled to sit up, keen on ending this untenable situation. Retreat was the only option when the battlefield turned unfavorable. "Be careful," Tang Manman instinctively reached out to steady him, fearing he’d fall again in his haste.
"No need!" Lin Yu recoiled from her touch as if avoiding a venomous snake, dodging her helpful hand. "I can do it myself!" He stood, steadied himself against the dizziness in his head, and fled the small, humble house without looking back.
Tang Manman remained still, watching his retreating figure until he vanished beyond the doorway. Her gaze then dropped to the hand Lin Yu had so vehemently avoided, her expression dimming with sadness. Did he really dislike me that much? ... After heading home, Lin Yu collapsed onto his bed, succumbing to sleep until a series of calls woke him the next afternoon.
"Hello?" Lin Yu answered, annoyance clear in his voice from having his rest disturbed. "Little Dragon, where are you now? How are you feeling? Nothing serious, I hope?" A familiar booming voice came through – it was Li Yuan. Lin Yu quickly feigned weakness, his voice frail after a bout of coughing. "Uncle, I just left the hospital. I’m not feeling great, my head hurts and I feel dizzy moving around." "What? Why’d you leave the hospital? If you’re that hurt, go back and rest up!" Li Yuan's concern was palpable. "Uncle, it’s not that I don’t want to stay..." Lin Yu feigned distress. "I ran out of money. Couldn’t pay the deposit for the hospital stay... they kicked me out." "What hospital dares to kick out my nephew? They’re asking for trouble!" Li Yuan raged. "Tell me where you are; I’ll come and make it right!" As Lin Yu was about to fabricate a hospital name well outside Li Yuan's influence, he overheard another man in the background, "Bro, calm down, you’re not in any state to go out now." Lin Yu quickly urged, "Really, Uncle, don’t bother. Just rest up, don’t worry about me." "...Alright then." Li Yuan relented after a moment but didn’t forget Lin Yu’s predicament, promising, "Go back to the hospital, Little Dragon. I’ll send you the money for it." "Once you’re healed, we’ll get back at Yellow Black together. That damned traitor!" Despite Li Yuan’s curses, Lin Yu struggled not to laugh, maintaining a weak voice. Shortly after, a bank transfer notification popped up on his phone. Seeing the amount, Lin Yu couldn’t contain his elation. "Ten thousand! My college fund just got a hefty boost!" "At this rate, saving up for all four years of college within a year isn’t a dream!" Calming down, Lin Yu’s spirits soared. This injury had proven useful—not only for the ten thousand but also for future medical expenses he could claim from Li Yuan.