Sunlight filtered through the mottled leaves, casting patches of golden light across the campus pathway. Su Yao was humming a tune as usual, holding a few books in her arms as she headed to the library to return them. She was in an exceptionally good mood today because she would get to see Lin Yu shortly—the two of them had agreed to have lunch together.
However, as she passed the artificial lake on campus, a familiar figure caught her eye. It was Lin Yu, walking and chatting merrily with another girl. Su Yao instinctively stopped in her tracks and looked closer; the girl was Zhou Yue. Su Yao's smile froze instantly on her face, and an inexplicable sense of unease surged into her heart. She watched Lin Yu and Zhou Yue, noticing how Zhou Yue occasionally tapped Lin Yu's arm lightly with a radiant smile on her face, while Lin Yu showed not the slightest sign of displeasure, even leaning in close from time to time to listen to her.
A trace of suspicion and jealousy welled up in Su Yao's heart. She had known Lin Yu for so long, and he had always been polite to her. Although their relationship was good, Lin Yu had never been this close to her. She gripped the books in her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She consoled herself inwardly, thinking perhaps it was just casual chatting between ordinary friends, nothing to make a fuss about. Yet, her eyes remained glued to Lin Yu and Zhou Yue, unable to look away.
Finally, Lin Yu and Zhou Yue reached the opposite side of the lake and gradually disappeared from Su Yao's sight. Su Yao took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and quickened her pace toward the library. While returning the books, her mind was absent, filled entirely with images of Lin Yu and Zhou Yue together. After finishing at the front desk, she sat in a corner of the library, staring blankly out the window, completely devoid of any inclination to do anything else.
By noon, Su Yao arrived at the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Lin Yu. She sat at a window seat, her eyes fixed on the restaurant entrance. Before long, Lin Yu appeared. He was wearing his usual white shirt, looking clean and handsome. Seeing Su Yao, a smile bloomed on his face, and he walked over quickly.
"Have you been waiting long?" Lin Yu asked as he sat down.
"No, I just got here myself," Su Yao replied, managing a forced smile.
During the ordering process, Su Yao kept stealing glances at Lin Yu, noticing that he seemed to be in high spirits, the corners of his mouth turning upward involuntarily. This only deepened her suspicions. Once they ordered, a brief silence fell between them. Hesitating for a moment, Su Yao finally blurted out what was on her mind.
"Lin Yu, I saw you and Zhou Yue together today." Su Yao tried to keep her tone casual, but her gaze locked intently onto Lin Yu.
Hearing Su Yao's words, the smile vanished from Lin Yu's face in an instant, and his eyes darted away, unsure how to respond. He hadn't expected Su Yao to see him with Zhou Yue, nor had he expected her to ask about it so directly. He didn't want to lie to Su Yao, as she was a very important friend to him, but he was also worried about hurting Zhou Yue. Zhou Yue was a sensitive girl, and if he told Su Yao about what was going on between them, he feared it might have a negative impact on Zhou Yue.
Seeing Lin Yu's hesitation, Su Yao's heart sank. Her suspicions were confirmed; there really was something between them. Her eyes stung slightly, but she fought hard to hold back her tears.
"What is your relationship?" Su Yao continued, her voice trembling slightly.
Lin Yu opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew that no matter how he answered at this moment, he risked hurting someone. Inwardly, he blamed himself: why hadn't he managed his relationship with Zhou Yue properly, and why had he let Su Yao find out?
"Lin Yu, you don't have to put yourself on the spot. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you." Seeing Lin Yu's dilemma, a wave of disappointment washed over Su Yao, but she put on a magnanimous front anyway.
"No, that's not it, Su Yao, I..." Lin Yu wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.
At that moment, the waiter brought over the dishes they had ordered, breaking the awkward atmosphere between them. Lin Yu and Su Yao began to eat in silence, neither speaking another word. The restaurant was bustling with a steady stream of patrons, lively and full of chatter, but the two of them felt as though a thick wall of ice separated them, the atmosphere dropping to a freezing chill.
After the meal, Lin Yu and Su Yao stepped out of the restaurant. The sunlight outside was still bright, but their hearts felt terribly heavy. Su Yao kept her head down, at a loss for words; an insurmountable chasm seemed to have suddenly appeared between her and Lin Yu. Lin Yu was equally at a loss as to how to break the deadlock; he longed to clear things up with Su Yao, yet feared making a bigger mess of it.
"Su Yao, I'm sorry." Lin Yu stopped abruptly and looked at Su Yao.
"Why are you saying sorry?" Su Yao raised her head, looking at Lin Yu with eyes full of confusion.
"I... I didn't mean to make you misunderstand. Zhou Yue and I are just ordinary friends," Lin Yu said, well aware of how hollow his words sounded, but still trying to offer some explanation.
"Are you really just ordinary friends?" Su Yao asked, skepticism etched across her gaze.
"Really, I swear," Lin Yu said earnestly.
Su Yao looked into Lin Yu's eyes, searching for a trace of deceit. But she found his expression sincere, not at all like someone lying. The suspicion in her heart subsided a little, though a lingering sense of unease remained.
"Then what were you two talking about today? You looked so happy," Su Yao asked.
"We... we were just talking about some schoolwork," Lin Yu said, knowing full well how flimsy the excuse sounded, but unable to conjure a better one on the spot.
"Schoolwork?" Su Yao found it hard to believe. She and Lin Yu often talked about schoolwork, but they had never laughed that happily.
"Yeah, we're preparing for a group project lately, so we've been talking a bit more," Lin Yu explained.
Hearing his explanation, though doubts still lingered in her heart, Su Yao chose not to press further. She didn't want to ruin things with Lin Yu over this; after all, they were great friends.
"Alright, I believe you," Su Yao said, a faint smile touching her lips.
Seeing Su Yao's smile, Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief. He knew Su Yao had chosen to trust him. He silently vowed to keep his distance from Zhou Yue in the future so that Su Yao would never have cause to misunderstand again.
"Let's go then, we still have classes this afternoon," Lin Yu said.
"Okay." Su Yao nodded and walked with Lin Yu toward the teaching building.
On the way to the building, they resumed their usual pattern of chatting, but both could sense a subtle shift in the dynamic between them. That trace of suspicion and awkwardness was like a thorn stuck deep in their hearts, hard to fully uproot anytime soon.
During the afternoon classes, Su Yao's mind wandered. Images of Lin Yu and Zhou Yue together kept flashing through her head; she tried hard to concentrate, but to no avail. When class finally ended, Su Yao packed her bag and prepared to return to the dormitory.
Just then, her phone chimed with a message from Lin Yu. He said he had business that evening and couldn't join her for dinner. Reading the message, Su Yao felt a pang of disappointment. She replied with a simple "okay" and slipped her phone into her bag.
Back in the dorm, Su Yao lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She couldn't understand why she cared so much about Lin Yu and Zhou Yue. She and Lin Yu were only friends; she had no right to interfere in his life. Yet her mind refused to stop dwelling on it, and the more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt.
That evening, Su Yao skipped dinner entirely, having lost all appetite. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Picking up her phone, she opened her chat history with Lin Yu and stared at their past conversations, a tumult of emotions churning inside her. Suddenly, she saw a post on Zhou Yue's Moments—a photo of Zhou Yue and Lin Yu together, both smiling brightly. Seeing the picture, the fires of jealousy flared up in Su Yao once more. In a fit of anger, she tossed her phone aside and pulled the blanket over her head.
That night, Su Yao tossed and turned, finding it hard to sleep. The figures of Lin Yu and Zhou Yue danced incessantly across her mind, and she had no idea how to face it all. She felt trapped in a dilemma: on one hand, she didn't want to lose Lin Yu as a friend; on the other hand, she couldn't bear the thought of Lin Yu getting so close to Zhou Yue.
The next morning, Su Yao woke up with dark circles under her eyes. After a quick wash, she headed to class. In the lecture hall, her mind remained adrift, not a single word of the professor's lecture sinking in. When class ended, she wandered off alone to a quiet corner of the campus and sat blankly on a bench.
Just then, Lin Yu appeared. Seeing Su Yao sitting there alone, a look of concern crossed his face. He walked over quickly and sat down beside her.
"Su Yao, what's wrong? You don't look well," Lin Yu asked.
"I'm fine," Su Yao shook her head and answered.
"Don't lie to me. I know you're still upset about what happened yesterday," Lin Yu said.
"I'm not mad, I just... I just care a little," Su Yao said, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.
"Su Yao, there really is nothing between Zhou Yue and me. You have to believe me," Lin Yu said, his eyes filled with sincerity.
"I know, but... I just can't stop myself from thinking about it," Su Yao said, tears glistening in her eyes.
Watching Su Yao cry sent a sharp pang through Lin Yu's heart. He didn't know how to comfort her; he knew the knot in Su Yao's heart wouldn't be untied so easily.
"Su Yao, I'm sorry. It's my fault for making you so sad," Lin Yu said, gently taking her hand.
Feeling the warmth of Lin Yu's hand, Su Yao trembled inwardly. She raised her head and looked at Lin Yu, her eyes brimming with deep affection. At that moment, she realized with a start that her feelings for Lin Yu seemed to have crossed the boundary of friendship.
"Lin Yu, I..." Su Yao started to say something, but a sudden phone ringtone interrupted her.
Lin Yu let go of Su Yao's hand and pulled out his phone; it was a call from Zhou Yue. He glanced at Su Yao, hesitating whether to answer. Seeing his hesitation, Su Yao felt an extra layer of heartache.
"Go ahead and answer it, it's fine," Su Yao said, forcing her tone to sound calm.
Lin Yu nodded and answered the call. Zhou Yue's voice came through the receiver.
"Lin Yu, where are you? I need to find you about something," Zhou Yue said.
"I'm in the campus corner, come on over," Lin Yu replied.
Hanging up, Lin Yu looked at Su Yao, at a loss for words. Su Yao managed a strained smile and said, "It's fine, go handle your business, I'll head back first." With that, she stood up and turned to walk away.
Lin Yu watched Su Yao's departing figure, filled with helplessness and guilt. He knew his relationship with Zhou Yue had hurt Su Yao, and he had to set things right immediately so as not to cause her any more pain.
Before long, Zhou Yue arrived. Seeing the worried look on Lin Yu's face, she couldn't help asking, "Lin Yu, what's wrong? You don't look happy."
"It's nothing, Zhou Yue. There's something I want to tell you," Lin Yu said, his expression serious.
"What is it? So serious," Zhou Yue asked curiously.
"I think we should keep our distance a bit from now on. I don't want to give Su Yao the wrong idea," Lin Yu said.
Hearing Lin Yu's words, the smile vanished from Zhou Yue's face in an instant. She looked at Lin Yu with eyes full of disappointment.
"Why? We're just ordinary friends, can't we even be friends anymore?" Zhou Yue asked.
"That's not it, Zhou Yue. I know we're ordinary friends, but Su Yao... she cares a lot about this," Lin Yu explained.
"What does her caring have to do with me? I didn't do anything wrong," Zhou Yue said, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
"Zhou Yue, I know you didn't do anything wrong, but Su Yao is my good friend, and I don't want her to be unhappy because of us," Lin Yu said.
Zhou Yue looked at Lin Yu, unwillingness churning inside her. She had liked Lin Yu for a long time and always thought that with enough effort, she would have a chance to be with him. Yet now, Lin Yu wanted to keep his distance from her just because of Su Yao—a reality she found hard to accept.
"Lin Yu, do you like Su Yao?" Zhou Yue asked abruptly.
Hearing Zhou Yue's question, Lin Yu felt a jolt in his chest. He had never considered the question before; he had always treated Su Yao as a very good friend. Yet, through the events of recent days, he realized his feelings for Su Yao might indeed be somewhat different.
"I... I don't know," Lin Yu said, looking bewildered.
"You don't know? How could you not know? You know your feelings for her better than anyone," Zhou Yue said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Lin Yu fell silent, at a loss for how to answer Zhou Yue's question. His mind was flooded with images of Su Yao, and he realized just how much he cared about her feelings and how he never wanted to see her hurt.
"Lin Yu, if you like Su Yao, go after her. I won't bother you two anymore," Zhou Yue said, tears flashing in her eyes.
With that, Zhou Yue turned and walked away. Lin Yu watched her retreat, a wave of guilt washing over him. He knew his words had hurt Zhou Yue, but he had no other choice; he had to consider Su Yao.
From that day on, Lin Yu and Zhou Yue truly kept their distance. They no longer chatted and ate together as frequently as before. Meanwhile, the relationship between Lin Yu and Su Yao gradually returned to normal. Through this ordeal, both of them came to understand each other's true feelings, and their bond shifted without either of them noticing.
On a sunny afternoon, Lin Yu invited Su Yao to the edge of the campus artificial lake. They sat side by side on a lakeside bench, watching the sparkling ripples on the water, their hearts overflowing with happiness.
"Su Yao, actually, I've always liked you," Lin Yu said suddenly, his gaze full of deep affection.
Hearing those words, a joyful smile broke across Su Yao's face. She looked at Lin Yu, tears twinkling in her eyes.
"I like you too, Lin Yu," Su Yao said, gently leaning her head against his shoulder.
Lin Yu wrapped his arms gently around Su Yao, and the two immersed themselves in the sweetness of the moment. The sunlight washed over them like a golden veil. At that instant, they became the happiest couple on campus. As for Zhou Yue, though a twinge of guilt remained in Lin Yu's heart, he knew that everyone had their own path in life, and he hoped Zhou Yue would find her own happiness too.