Chapter 15

Lin Xinyu could do nothing with her, and his heavy palm naturally rested on her shoulder. This gesture gave Bai Shihan quite a fright. Feeling the warmth transmitting from her shoulder into her body, her legs involuntarily went somewhat weak, and she had to brace herself hard to ensure she wouldn't disgracefully sink to the ground. "Is, is this also something good friends can do?" What Bai Shihan meant, of course, was Lin Xinyu putting his hand on her shoulder. On the other hand, Lin Xinyu was completely calm. "Definitely! My relationship with Fatty is good, right? We often do this—good friends, good brothers." "Mm-mm!" Bai Shihan strongly agreed with this notion. Lin Xinyu reached out and patted her head. This little girl was really easy to fool—oh wait, really smart, she learned as soon as she was taught. ... Walking along the familiar path. In the very beginning, there used to be only Bai Shihan alone, and halfway through, a shameless person inexplicably joined in. Yet for some reason, being with him made her very happy. It was Lin Xinyu who made her realize that having someone accompany her to school wasn't a terrifying thing after all. "What? Looking for your shadow again? The sun won't come out until noon for that. We should be moving on to step two of being good friends for a new day." "Step two?" "Step one was meeting up, and you didn't greet me, so as a penalty, you're buying lunch for me at noon." Bai Shihan opened her mouth wide. "Then, then what is step two?" Bai Shihan hurried to ask, terrified that if she failed to do it, Lin Shinyu would arrange an even more terrifying punishment. "This one you can already do: eating breakfast together." "Mm." Bai Shihan breathed a sigh of relief, her heart full of pride. She had learned how to do this a few days ago! Based on her observations over the past few days, Bai Shihan understood why Lin Xinyu wanted to bring her out for breakfast: because doing so could save a lot of time. Take buying steamed buns, for instance—the whole process only required waiting two or three minutes before heading to school. Making breakfast at home meant waking up earlier; not only was there no time to eat it, but she would also have to wait until after the morning self-study session ended to go to the cafeteria and heat up the food. Now there was no need for any of that. She could go with him and eat the buns right on the way to school. Look at her now—Bai Shihan's cheeks were already puffed out like a little steamed bun. A girl of seventeen or eighteen, especially one like Bai Shihan who spent most of her time at home, had exceptionally tender skin. Coupled with her puffed-out cheeks, she looked white with a rosy flush.Without hesitation, Lin Xinyu reached out and gently poked her cheek, purely out of curiosity as to why Bai Shihan could always puff her cheeks out to be so... round?

Bai Shihan was confused and instantly panicked.

Could he possibly want to eat the imported steamed bun in my mouth?!

"Mmph... It, it's gone."

Stammering, Bai Shihan finally managed to express what she wanted to say.

"What's gone? I'm not after your steamed bun. I just think you're quite cute."

Hearing him say that, Bai Shihan's little face slowly turned into a little red bun. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and pulled away from Lin Xinyu's probing finger.

Good friends should be able to do things like this, right?

Bai Shihan was already quite adept at justifying this to herself, seeing no need to ask Lin Xinyu what was or wasn't acceptable behavior between good friends, and she felt quite proud of herself for it.

She had made progress again...

The path to school was clearly the exact same one as always, but Bai Shihan noticed that with Lin Xinyu by her side, time always seemed to fly by. Could this guy possibly control time or something?

In the past, relying on Lin Xinyu's intimidating presence, Bai Shihan had begun building a world of her own. Over the span of two and a half years, she had grown accustomed to the prolonged solitude.

Going to school, eating meals, heading home.

Back then, she would often inwardly complain about how slowly time dragged on. Yet now, truly feeling like it was passing quickly, Bai Shihan felt a faint reluctance.

The countdown numbers on the blackboard ticked away, each change seeming to remind Bai Shihan that once it hit zero, it would all eventually come to an end.

This was the first time she was afraid of losing something.

Afraid of losing a shameless good friend.

Once upon a time, Bai Shihan had viewed the world in black and white, but now she had changed her mind. Ever since Lin Xinyu barged into her life and led the way, colors had emerged alongside him, and the two of them gradually found joy and enjoyment...

"What are you thinking about? Don't tell me you want to hold hands and kiss little old me, your good friend?!" Lin Xinyu looked at Bai Shihan, who was standing beside him blushing and in a daze, and couldn't resist teasing her.

"N—No..." This time Bai Shihan was more nervous than ever before, not even daring to raise her head to look at Lin Xinyu.

After all, in her dream, she was the one who had reached out to snatch the imported candy.

Seeing the little girl's eyes darting around evasively, Lin Xinyu was thrilled at first, then feigned shock: "No way! You've actually thought about doing that?!"

"H—How could that be!" Bai Shihan shook her head repeatedly.Does he have superpowers? She had clearly hidden herself so well, why was she still found out?

In the past, whenever she walked into a quiet, uncrowded place, Bai Shihan would secretly feel happy for a while, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure trove. Now, whenever Lin Xinyu was by her side, even the air smelled sweet. The fresh morning breeze blew gently against her face. Bai Shihan was extremely happy, tugging at the corner of the boy's jacket as she trotted all the way into the teaching building. High school was a lot like middle school in that students would be stationed outside to inspect. Anyone who exceeded the stipulated time would have their names recorded, points deducted, and reported to the respective homeroom teacher. Bai Shihan didn't like cutting it close. That heart-pumping feeling wasn't just scary, it was downright nerve-wracking. Yet Lin Xinyu was taking his time, insisting on bringing her along to experience cutting it close to the exact second. At that moment, Bai Shihan felt that her good friend's way of thinking was dangerous and that he would surely lead her astray in the future. Upon returning to their seats, Lin Xinyu still wore that same cheeky grin: "See? What did I tell you? That's what you call professional." Bai Shihan was amused by him, while silently vowing never to experience cutting it close again. The feeling of walking into the classroom with most of her classmates staring at her was truly somewhat uncomfortable. Besides, being late even once would brand her as a bad student in the teachers' eyes. In Bai Shihan's impression, her parents had told her that girls who got led astray would run around everywhere with boys and do terrifying things she knew nothing about. She didn't want that, which was why she had always been a good student. Every move the two of them made was closely watched by Li Hua. The smile on Bai Shihan's face was one he had never seen before. Previously, he had thought she really was as the rumors said—incapable of smiling, hardly knowing how to speak, and communicating only through notes. And now look at her! That made it all the more important not to let Lin Xinyu ruin her! They say birds of a feather flock together; she should be deskmateing with him to solidify her grades. If she kept hanging out with Lin Xinyu, she'd probably never even make it into Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Morning self-study began, and the morning reading commenced. Sitting at her desk, Bai Shihan kept suppressing her emotions. She had done something today that she had never done before! Although it might turn her into a bad girl, as long as she was still a good student right now, then she wasn't one yet. That long-suppressed psychological state—forced to change herself to cater to others—now seemed to be released, and she felt an unprecedented sense of joy. Bai Shihan, who had always read textbooks silently to herself, made a sound for the very first time. It was very soft, but she had mustered up tremendous courage. Lin Xinyu was busy doing practice questions on the side. The article writing had to be done to the best of his ability every night, so studying had to be taken care of at school. Thanks to his good memory, he could quickly draw inferences from past examples with the types of problems he had already written: chemical equations, physics and mathematics formulas, English vocabulary, and classical Chinese recitation—all these basic things were neatly organized in the stack of notebooks Bai Shihan had given him for easy memorization. He had to admit, Bai Shihan was truly marriage material. A treasure of a girl like this was someone whose back you could completely and safely trust to her. Similarly, for Bai Shihan, walking ahead of her, she could completely and safely let Lin Xinyu protect her. Morning self-study ended. Lin Xinyu's eyes felt a bit sore, so he rested his head on his arms and looked at Bai Shihan. The little girl was staring right back at him, feeling that Lin Xinyu had changed a bit lately. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different, but he was definitely working very hard. Even though she didn't know what he was up to, as long as he was studying hard and earnestly, that was enough. As for why they couldn't date, Bai Shihan was very clear in her heart. Even if she didn't know what it felt like to be in a relationship, she couldn't agree to be his wife. If she did that, not only herself, but even Lin Xinyu might be dragged down. This was the main reason why Bai Shihan had chosen to refuse from start to finish. Aside from fear, the biggest factor was her family. If it weren't for her younger brother, and the fact that her parents' attention had shifted entirely to him, she probably wouldn't have been able to stay home alone to study at all—she would either be with them or hiring private tutors instead of going to school. Her brother understood her very well. In order to let his sister have some breathing room, he was the one who said he didn't want their mom and dad to separate; otherwise, one of the two would definitely have stayed with Bai Shihan to accompany her to school. "What are you thinking about again? You were staring at me in a daze." Seeing the girl staring at him motionless without even reacting when he looked back, she must be brooding over something again. Lin Xinyu also knew that in just these few days, it was impossible to completely untie the knots in her heart. All he could do was try his best to make Bai Shihan happy, while working hard himself; otherwise, the possibility of getting married in the future was still very slim. Lin Xinyu was well aware of all this, which was why he was methodically raising funds with a plan in mind.Taking advantage of the time difference, he had already prepared the books that would soon become massive hits in his memory, earning a certain amount in monthly royalties so that when he went to university, he could use a small amount of capital to conduct local on-site investigations and expand his ventures.

Aside from Bai Shihan's parents, there was no need to worry about anyone else. Her aunt and her younger brother both held no objections and simply hoped that Bai Shihan could be happy.

"No, I wasn't..." Bai Shihan wanted to deny it, but she was somewhat afraid. "I... I was wondering if, after high school graduation, we... we won't be good friends anymore."

In the past, Bai Shihan had never thought about leaving any mark in high school. She felt it would be just like junior high: as long as she worked hard to construct a secure world and passed through it peacefully, quietly waiting for the time to come and then leaving.

"There are ninety-two days left in the countdown."

"Ninety-two days..."

Lin Xinyu smiled, then took out a White Rabbit creamy candy and handed it to her. "That's right. When the ninety-two days are over, our friendship as high school students will end, and then our friendship as university students will begin. And then graduate school, starting work—through all those times, we'll still be good friends."

"We'll... we'll still be?"

"You want to apply to Zhejiang University, and I want to as well. So let's work hard and get in together. I'll do my best to pass the exams, and you gather your courage and put it down on your application. Don't go filling in Tsinghua and Peking Universities at the last minute and leave me behind at Zhejiang University, or we won't be good friends anymore."

Bai Shihan nodded. While she felt happy, she was also afraid that her parents would make demands of her again when the time came. If she listened to her parents, she definitely wouldn't be good friends with him anymore.

But now, the little girl was long gone; she was a wonderful Bai Shihan with her own thoughts, and she certainly wouldn't listen to their opinions.

She was going to choose Zhejiang University!

"Lin Xinyu."

"Hm?"

This was the first time Bai Shihan had called him by his name, and she didn't stutter at all. On the contrary, her expression was solemn and serious.

Bai Shihan began, "We... we will definitely be the best of friends at Zhejiang University!"

Since there were still people in the classroom, Bai Shihan didn't dare to speak too loudly. Her voice was very soft, and the flush on her face was extremely noticeable at that moment.

Lin Xinyu knew that the little girl had mustered her courage and made up her mind; whatever she promised, she wouldn't go back on.

"Right, the best of friends."

Bai Shihan smiled, then buried her face in her desk, not daring to look at Lin Xinyu.

Her little heart thumped wildly against her ribs.

How humiliating, Bai Shihan. You agreed you were just good friends, so this definitely counts as a foul, right?

037. None of Your Damn Business (3/3)

Bai Shihan didn't understand the feeling of being in romantic love, but she knew some basic common sense—for instance, what constituted a foul between good friends. At the very least, this kind of urge to get closer to the other person was definitely a no-go.

Kong Yu and Lin Xinyu were good friends. In Bai Shihan's eyes, whenever Kong Yu poked him, he would make snarky remarks or the two of them would banter back and forth. Therefore, good friends shouldn't have overly intimate physical interactions.

Poor Lin Xinyu had no idea that Kong Yu, who had originally been used as an example, was now being treated as a benchmark.

If he had known, he certainly would have said that they were in a good-friend relationship, just like the male and female leads in the movies.

"Lin Xinyu, the head teacher wants to see you."

Bai Shihan had been resting her head on the desk, but upon hearing what class monitor Li Hua said, she quickly raised her head, looking somewhat worried.

Lin Xinyu also stood up from his resting position, glanced at Li Hua without speaking, and could guess without thinking that the other guy was definitely behind this.

When Lin Xinyu came out, Li Hua deliberately gave him a wide berth, terrified that Lin Xinyu would intentionally bump into him to vent his anger.

"Don't worry, I'm not petty enough to be like some people." Lin Xinyu said this, then looked down at Bai Shihan. "It's fine. Remember to teach me when I get back."

"Okay." Bai Shihan obediently nodded.

In Li Hua's eyes, this scene was simply more agonizing than being killed...

Inside the office.

Old Chen sat right at his desk and motioned for Lin Xinyu to take the seat opposite him.

"I don't listen to explanations, I only look at facts. Tell me, what are your plans lately?" Old Chen took a sip of tea, then looked at Lin Xinyu, signaling that he could explain.

This was why Lin Xinyu liked his head teacher: he distinguished right from wrong and never showed favoritism to anyone.

"Teacher Chen, I know. It's probably because of how I acted in the past that most of my classmates view me as someone who doesn't study and wastes his time. It's just that this time, I asked Bai Shihan to help me with tutoring during her free time. It hasn't delayed her regular studies at all."

"Hmph. Whether what you're saying is true or not, I'll just call Shihan over and ask her, and I'll know. I hope you aren't lying to your teacher. You go back first and tell Bai Shihan to come here." Old Chen capped his teacup and, as Lin Xinyu stood up, didn't forget to add, "Verbal arguments are useless; what matters is results."

"I know. Thank you, Teacher Chen."

"Go on."

Stepping out of the office, Lin Xinyu was well aware of this.

That was why he hadn't done anything to Li Hua—he was simply waiting for the next mock exams.

Back in the classroom, Bai Shihan basically didn't want to speak.

She just found Li Hua sitting beside her thoroughly annoying, but she didn't want to say it directly; after all, there were other classmates around, and it would make him lose a bit of face.

"Classmate Bai, I'm doing this for your own good. This final stretch is very important, and you mustn't let your grades plummet just because of your deskmate." Li Hua was still lecturing earnestly, striking the pose of a well-meaning person.

Bai Shihan, who had originally wanted to say nothing at all, heard the phrase "for your own good," and her mind immediately flashed back to how her parents used to say that exact thing. No matter what she was doing, as long as they were dissatisfied, they would pull out those four words.

If they were truly doing it for my own good, then why couldn't they even tell whether I was happy or not?

Wasn't it all just for their own selfish reasons?!

"Classmate Bai, students with good grades helping each other and sharing ideas with one another is definitely good for your studies..."

Before Li Hua could finish, Bai Shihan raised her head, her gaze finally turning toward him:

"None..."

"None..."

Li Hua was dumbfounded. None of what? None of the lights? The lights were already all turned off. What was she trying to say?

"None of your damn business."

Bai Shihan forced back the trembling in her heart. Having no idea how to express herself, she had recalled the exact words Lin Xinyu had used on him last time.

She was learning this from Lin Xinyu. He had said those exact words previously, and then Li Hua had walked away.

What?

Not only Li Hua, but even the surrounding students who had been helping Li Hua speak up were completely stunned. They had never imagined these words could come from Bai Shihan. Was this still the Bai Shihan from the rumors going around the class? Wasn't that Bai Shihan supposed to be extremely timid, unable to speak clearly, and always using notes to express her meaning? So why had those four words just come out of her mouth?!

"It, it was I who wanted to teach him! Wh, why do you guys always have to talk about him like that?"

Li Hua still couldn't believe it. "Didn't he threaten you into teaching him? Now that he's gone, Classmate Bai, you don't need to be afraid."

Bai Shihan only felt irritated inside. Her nervousness was gone, replaced by the fact that her absolute best, best, best friend was being slandered by others. Experiencing that feeling, she was definitely unhappy.

"It was completely voluntary. He never threatened me at all. As for you guys, fussing over this and worrying about that, you'd be better off looking at your textbooks and studying yourselves! Mind your own damn business. He works harder than any of you, and none of you are allowed—nor do you have the qualification—to say he's bad."

Not only Li Hua, but even the classmates who had been watching the commotion froze in place.

The air fell still for a moment, and some of the students watching the show chose to leave and return to their seats to study.

With someone taking the lead, the rest of the people began to clear out one after another, until only Li Hua remained.

"Move aside, move aside. Don't block me from going in to study with my good friend."

Lin Xinyu had returned, having witnessed everything that just happened. Seeing that Li Hua still hadn't recovered his wits, well—time for a little reminder.

As Li Hua was about to leave, Bai Shihan thought about it. Lin Xinyu was right; sometimes you had to make things completely clear.

"Class monitor, from now on, you don't need to come to me for homework to check answers or anything like that. I've already told Lin Xinyu that I'll only show my work to him alone. If you come again, I'm... afraid he'll misunderstand." Bai Shihan carefully organized her phrasing.

For the first time, she had smoothly expressed what was in her heart without stuttering. This could definitely count as a new achievement.

Li Hua, who had already turned around, didn't hear the rest of the sentence, but those last four words pierced his heart to the core...

"Not bad, Bai Shihan. You get full marks for your performance today." Lin Xinyu reached out and tapped her on the nose, then told her what the head teacher had said.

Looking at the little girl who was nervous all over again, Lin Xinyu smiled. The fierce little girl who had just been able to spit out "none of your damn business" seemed to have had her trial pass expire, as she reverted right back to her original self.

"It's fine. He's just asking a few questions, don't be nervous."

"Okay."

Bai Shihan was somewhat scared. After saying those things to so many classmates just now, she now had to leave her seat. To say she didn't carry some psychological burden would be impossible.

"Let's go. I'll walk you out. You walk in front, and I'll cover your back."

"Mhm..."

Just like that, Bai Shihan stood up, and Lin Xinyu followed right behind her to block the way. Whenever any stares came their way, he would shoot a glare right back at them. In their eyes, he was just a good-for-nothing slacker anyway, which didn't matter at all—as long as the little girl in front of him didn't think that way, nothing else mattered.

The two of them slowly walked out of the classroom.

Under Lin Xinyu's escort, Bai Shihan arrived at the office door.

"Hang in there. You've already earned the title of fierce little girl; surely you aren't too scared to even talk to the head teacher, are you?"

"N—no, I'm not."

Besides, I am not a fierce little girl.