Was he trying to provoke me on purpose? Even so, there was no need to be so vile.
Calling me a dog? Doesn't that make me the dog, then?
Never in her life had anyone spoken to her like that, least of all the person who had been in love with her for ten years.
At the thought of this, tears welled up in Yu Jiaxin’s eyes, spinning on the brink of falling.
No matter how you apologize to me or how many gifts you buy, I will never talk to you again!
Yu Jiaxin thought to herself.
"You weren't actually using me to get back at Yu Jiaxin, were you?" Ling Yinluo asked halfway there.
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. It was common knowledge that Lin Xuan had been infatuated with Yu Jiaxin for a full decade.
They had been in the same class since elementary school. Even though she was his deskmate, Lin Xuan would spend almost all his time secretly staring at Yu Jiaxin, giggling at her back whenever he had nothing to do, and rarely ever spoke to her.
He would even prepare gifts for Yu Jiaxin in secret—she had seen it all with her own eyes.
"Why would I want to get back at her? Is she more important than you?"
In his past life, he had given everything for Yu Jiaxin, and what had it gotten him? She hadn't even come to see him once before he died!
In Yu Jiaxin’s eyes, he had been nothing more than a common housefly; if he disappeared, it wouldn't have drawn even a flicker of notice.
Yet, Ling Yinluo, the girl he had never paid attention to, had saved his life when it mattered most!
Thinking of this, Lin Xuan felt more and more like he hadn't been human in his past life.
"Re... really?" Ling Yinluo blinked her large eyes, looking at him in disbelief.
"I haven't properly thanked you yet. Yinluo, thank you! If you hadn't saved me yesterday, I probably would have drowned."
Lin Xuan was grateful to Ling Yinluo from the bottom of his heart.
"I never would have guessed a grown man like you wouldn't know how to swim! But you really are heavy; dragging you out made me choke on quite a bit of water." Ling Yinluo said with a smile.
"You’d better be more careful next time. You’re lucky you ran into me! Oh, and since I saved your life, don't you think you owe me?"
"Of course I owe you. How about this: I’ll offer myself to you as payment!"
"Get lost! ...You’re asking for a beating!"
Ling Yinluo pretended to strike Lin Xuan.
"My mistake, I was just joking! I’ll treat you to lunch!"
"That’s more like it!"
...
Ling Yinluo looked at Lin Xuan, feeling as if he were truly different from before.
In the past, whenever he was rejected by Yu Jiaxin, he wouldn't be able to crack a smile for at least a few weeks. Once, he even went three days without eating and fainted in the classroom from hunger, forcing his classmates to rush him to the infirmary.
The hospital was not far from the school, and Lin Xuan quickly brought Ling Yinluo there.
Lin Xuan handled the registration with practiced ease, accompanying her through blood tests and X-rays.
When the results were ready, they brought them to the doctor, and sure enough, it was a lung infection!
Looking at the report, the doctor said, "Young man, it’s a good thing your girlfriend brought you in early. If you had dragged it out any longer, it could have become serious—possibly even life-threatening!"
"Ah? Doctor, don't misunderstand, we aren't a couple!"
Ling Yinluo’s face turned bright red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
She hadn't expected Lin Xuan to be right. It was a good thing he had brought her in for a check-up in time; otherwise, she would have dismissed it as a common cold, and the consequences of letting it linger would have been unthinkable.
"We understand, we understand! I’ll prescribe some medicine for you shortly; take it on time and you'll be fine!"
After picking up the medicine, the two walked side by side.
"Lin Xuan, thank you. But how did you know it might be a lung infection?"
"Er, well... I happened to hear on the news that you can't be careless about inhaling water. I just wanted to be safe, so I brought you in to get it checked. I didn't expect it to actually be the case."
Lin Xuan made up a random excuse. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had been reborn.
The two returned to the classroom, laughing and chatting along the way.This scene happened to be witnessed by Yu Jiaxin.
Seeing Lin Xuan smiling so happily with someone else, Yu Jiaxin suddenly felt a bit dazed.
A heavy, uncomfortable feeling welled up inside her, though she had no idea where it came from.
Why could he be so happy when he was with other people?
Back when he used to pester her relentlessly, why had she never noticed how dazzling his smile was?
As Lin Xuan walked past her, Yu Jiaxin forced herself not to look at him.
Yet her eyes drifted toward him involuntarily.
However, Lin Xuan didn't even spare her a single glance!
In an instant, a profound sense of loss flooded Yu Jiaxin's heart.
Perhaps she hadn't even realized it herself, but she had inexplicably started paying attention to this former simpering follower of hers.
"Jiaxin, want to grab lunch together?" Zhou Lin asked with a grin.
As the campus belle and the goddess in the hearts of countless male students, many people would break their necks just to get a chance to have lunch with Yu Jiaxin.
Naturally, Zhou Lin, being her number two simpering follower, wouldn't miss out.
"Sure! I'm in a bad mood anyway, it would be nice to have someone keep me company for lunch!" Yu Jiaxin raised her voice on purpose, wanting Lin Xuan to hear.
She stole a glance at Lin Xuan again.
Yet Lin Xuan acted as if he hadn't heard her at all, calmly flipping through his textbook.
Hearing that Yu Jiaxin agreed to have lunch with him, Zhou Lin was ecstatic.
He had already prepared himself to be rejected, never expecting that Yu Jiaxin would actually say yes!
Still, why did it look like Yu Jiaxin had been peeking at Lin Xuan just now? Did he see wrong?
It had to be that. Everyone knew that Yu Jiaxin despised a loser like Lin Xuan more than anyone else!
Although Zhou Lin could be considered a wealthy second-generation heir, some of the things he did in private were no different from a creep.
He frequently used his phone to secretly take photos of Yu Jiaxin, and even kissed and fawned over her pictures every single night.
You could say he was utterly perverted!
When Lin Xuan heard about this from others in the past, he had even gotten into a fistfight with Zhou Lin over it.However, because he could not produce any evidence, and with Zhou Lin flatly denying everything, he ended up being scolded by Yu Jiaxin instead, who accused him of stirring up trouble for no reason.
"Do you think everyone is as sleazy as you are!?"
That was what Yu Jiaxin had said to Lin Xuan at the time, her eyes filled with nothing but contempt.
Due to the intense academic pressure in high school, and the fact that they were seniors approaching the college entrance exams, all students and teachers ate at the cafeteria. Leaving campus without special permission was prohibited.
Time flew by, and soon it was lunchtime.
"Jiaxin, let's go!"
Zhou Lin, playing the part of a sycophant, had finally waited until lunch. This time, he was determined to show off his masculine charm and make Yu Jiaxin fall in love with him.
"Hmm..."
Yu Jiaxin replied softly, but she didn't move for a long while.
She was observing Lin Xuan.
For all three years of high school, whenever it was time to eat, Lin Xuan would immediately rush over to her, bowing and scraping as he fetched her lunchbox, water bottle, and tissues.
Once at the cafeteria, he would get her food first and then bring it to her.
Sometimes, Lin Xuan would even bring her chicken soup he had simmered at home, or fresh fruit.
Over the span of three years, she had long since become accustomed to having Lin Xuan do everything for her.
"Let's go. Ling Yinluo, it's a date—lunch is on me!"
"Huh!? Are you sure you aren't going to have lunch with Yu Jiaxin?"
Ling Yinluo was somewhat shocked; for three years of high school, Lin Xuan had spent every lunch hour trailing after Yu Jiaxin like a lost puppy.
"Have lunch with her? Does she deserve it!?"
"Besides, didn't we agree on this this morning? Let's go!"
Lin Xuan urged her.
Yu Jiaxin, who had been eavesdropping from the side, heard every word clearly.