Chapter 2

Looking at the girl before him, Lin Xinyu’s heart overflowed with tenderness. If not for her, he would never have achieved everything he went on to accomplish. Ever since he discovered that she was the one who had silently supported him from the shadows all those years, Lin Xinyu had begun a desperate pursuit of Bai Shihan. Unfortunately, by then she was already suffering from severe social anxiety and agoraphobia. Even though she was able to help him, she was completely incapable of communicating like a normal person, making it impossible to even catch a glimpse of her. Because of this, Lin Xinyu felt profound regret. Why hadn't the two of them, who had been desk mates back in high school, talked to each other more every day? From that moment on, whenever the dead of night arrived, Lin Xinyu would reminisce about the timid, frail girl who had handed him that note, beating himself up over why he hadn't spent more time keeping her company and talking to her. "You... can speak. I'm... really so happy." Lin Xinyu fought hard to keep his emotions in check, feeling a surge of excitement. Several times he wanted to reach out and take her hand, but he was afraid a sudden move would startle this timid Little Dilly, forcing him to restrain himself. "I, I really don't have any food left!" Bai Shihan was on the verge of tears. Her nervous, uneasy little hands could only grip the corners of her textbook tighter to calm herself down. He always snatched her snacks to eat; he was an utterly wicked and heinous villain. "I don't want food today. I'm here to tell you something very important. Want to hear it?" Seeing Lin Xinyu's suddenly serious expression, Bai Shihan hesitated and nodded. Usually, this guy was always sleeping or running off to mess around the moment class ended. For him to be so serious all of a sudden meant he definitely had something important to say. "Hear..." "From today on, you're my wife. Understand?" Like a startled little white rabbit, Bai Shihan jerked backward to put distance between them, shaking her head frantically while lowering her head to avoid looking at him. "Head up. Look at me when I talk to you." "No, don't bully me..." Hearing what he said, Bai Shihan obediently raised her head and looked at Lin Xinyu, fear lingering in her eyes. Huh? Could it be that this silly girl already had a touch of social anxiety back then? "I'm not bullying you. I'm confessing to you very seriously. Can you understand that?" Bai Shihan shook her head again. "Can't..." After speaking, she even deliberately scooted her body backward a fraction, signaling for him to check her desk drawer if he didn't believe her. This gesture actually amused Lin Xinyu. So all he used to do back then was steal food from this silly girl? "No, I'm being very serious. From now on, you're my wife. Understood?" Bai Shihan's eyes widened, and she shook her head once more. The neat corners of her textbook were already creased from her crushing grip; this time, she was truly terrified. Normally she was extremely introverted and hardly ever spoke to anyone else, but she wasn't an idiot. Besides, this guy was always bullying people by stealing things. Now that he hadn't managed to steal her snacks, he wanted her to be his wife instead? Wuwuwu... He was a huge scoundrel who only knew how to take advantage of her! "No." Bai Shihan mustered up her courage. She couldn't just give in to his demands every single time; she had to put up some proper resistance. If she didn't have snacks to give him, she had to be his wife—what was he going to demand next time? Have a baby?! At this thought, Bai Shihan felt an even greater jolt of alarm inside and resolved to resist him to the bitter end. "It's fine. After a few more times, you'll get used to it." "!!" Without giving her a chance to refuse, Lin Xinyu turned and sat up straight. The electric fan kept spinning with a creaking sound. The bold boy and the shy girl each harbored their own thoughts... . . 002. You Want to Go to the Same University as Me? High school students basically all wore standard uniforms. By looking at the colors, it was easy to tell who the seniors were. If it were anyone else, Lin Xinyu might not have had much impression of them, but as for Bai Shihan, he knew her fairly well. At this time in her life, although she hadn't yet developed severe symptoms of social phobia, she was still somewhat introverted. For instance, when eating in the cafeteria, she would habitually choose a corner seat where there were few people and basically never interacted with anyone. "Eating? Why didn't you wait for your husband and instead ran off so fast?" Bai Shihan stopped what she was doing and waved her hands frantically. At the same time, she turned her head to look around. Making sure no one was looking at their spot, she said in a halting, intermittent refusal: "N-No, not...!" After saying that, she felt a little like she didn't want to deal with him anymore. Sleeping through morning self-study was one thing, but ever since she woke him up, he had been deliberately or accidentally taking advantage of her. So much so that she was actually starting to get scared now—what if she got used to hearing it and accidentally agreed one day? The two of them sat there facing each other. Lin Xinyu glanced at her custom lunchbox. Inside, besides a cute sunny-side-up egg, there were also some animal-shaped little bread rolls. "Do you... want to eat one?" Noticing Lin Xinyu's gaze, Bai Shihan reached out her small hand, picked out the largest of the little bread rolls from the lunchbox, and handed it to him. It wasn't out of generosity, but rather because she didn't know what other stunts this bully in front of her might pull. What if he got unhappy and made her be his wife again... "Did you make all these?"Looking at the adorable appearance of the bread, Lin Xinyu completely refused to believe it could be the work of the cafeteria.

Bai Shihan said nothing, instead watching as he popped the rabbit-shaped little bread into his mouth.

Even without a single word of inquiry, just from that expectant gaze, Lin Xinyu could tell that the silly girl at this moment wanted to know his verdict.

"So-so."

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Xinyu's review, Bai Shihan seemed not to have gotten the answer she wanted. She pouted, shifted the lunch box, turned her body away, and refused to look at the big bad villain in her heart who simply didn't know how to appreciate good food.

Lin Xinyu looked at her with a gentle gaze, and especially upon seeing her cute, pouting lips, the corners of his mouth curved upward as well, feeling exceptionally happy.

On the other hand, Bai Shihan had originally decided that once she turned sideways, she wouldn't look at that so-called bully anymore. Yet, because she didn't sense any movement from him for a long time, she inevitably grew a bit curious.

Sneakily turning her head back, intending to use the corner of her eye to observe Lin Xinyu's actions, she discovered that the villain opposite her was staring straight at her...

"Want me to feed you?"

Bai Shihan, like a child caught doing something bad, began to dodge his gaze, shook her head in a panic, and then started taking small, careful bites to finish the bread in her container.

Lin Xinyu's eyes were filled with doting affection, and multiple times he wanted to reach out and touch her face, but considering the current situation, he had no choice but to forcefully restrain the impulse in his heart.

Even though Bai Shihan could now communicate normally, that didn't mean he could just do whatever he pleased.

A bold confession, expressing emotions without any hesitation—he only wanted to make her not feel too constrained. After all, with such a shameless rogue around, if both of them were timid and reserved, how could they even communicate?

Perhaps noticing that the smile on Lin Xinyu's face had vanished, Bai Shihan picked up the very last piece of bread and, even though she was somewhat afraid of the person in front of her, she still extended it toward him.

"Eat..."

Looking at the girl's small hand reaching out—fair and petite—Lin Xinyu could no longer hold back. As he took it, his palm brushed against her wrist, and his mouth naturally ate the bread right off her hand.

The movement was extremely intimate, giving the distinct impression that Bai Shihan had taken the initiative to feed him.

"You, you..."

Bai Shihan panicked, suddenly not knowing which thing she should focus on first.

First was that her wrist had been captured by him, and second was that her chopsticks had also been commandeered. Was this what they called an indirect kiss?Flustered, Bai Shihan broke free from his grip. Fortunately, she had already finished everything in her lunchbox and no longer needed the chopsticks. She let out a sigh of relief, then darted away quickly like a startled little rabbit.

Lin Xinyu didn't rush after her, choosing instead to wait outside the cafeteria, knowing she would come out once she finished tidying up her meal box.

To be honest, this kind of time together was something he had dreamed of. He had never imagined it would actually come true one day.

Scenes that had appeared in his dreams over and over were now unfolding right before his eyes, solid and real...

A gentle breeze drifted past, brushing against his face with a refreshing coolness.

In his field of vision, the shy girl slowly emerged from the cafeteria with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Looking somewhat puzzled, she glanced all around, clearly searching for someone. The moment her eyes landed on the big villain, she began to move toward him. On the surface, she looked a bit scared, but her actions showed not the slightest bit of retreat.

"Not bad, you actually know to come find me."

The senior high school uniforms were white with red trim, which did a great deal to mask everyone's appearance. Even students with striking figures suddenly looked quite ordinary in them.

They had been walking one behind the other, but noticing that the other person was deliberately holding back, Lin Xinyu purposely slowed his pace as well, which brought them walking side by side.

With a noticeable height difference, the two of them were now separated by barely the distance of a clenched fist. Combined with the rosy flush that never quite faded from Bai Shihan's face, she looked rather demure and clinging.

"You... in the future, can you... stop sleeping in class..."

Gauging her courage, Bai Shihan finally spoke the words she had once written on the note.

He might just brush it off as he always did, but she still wanted to remind him, regardless of her underlying motive.

The spring breeze was cool and crisp.

Lin Xinyu stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look at Bai Shihan beside him as she caught her breath in small gasps, knowing how much courage she had mustered just to say that.

In his memory, she rarely ever spoke such words of care to him in person. Most of her expressions and messages were passed along via notes. In normal conversation, she only ever spoke in a soft, timid voice when she wanted something to eat or needed to copy homework.

"What? Are you hoping I can get into the same university as you?"

Bai Shihan froze, her wide little eyes staring in shock.

She immediately waved her hands in frantic denial.

"N-no, it's not like that...""Then you just hate me and don't want to be in the same school as me?" "No, it's not...!" Hearing the latter half of his sentence, Bai Shihan grew anxious. She waved her hands more frantically, terrified that he might misunderstand, while simultaneously agonizing over her inability to express herself properly. Finally, she groped around in her pocket, and a moment later, a smile bloomed on her face. Lin Xinyu watched with mild curiosity, wondering what she was up to, and waited quietly by her side. Before long, as if by magic, a White Rabbit creamy candy appeared in Bai Shihan's small palm. Judging by her expression, she looked as though she had just found a priceless treasure. Her eyes brimmed with eager anticipation as she waited for Lin Xinyu to take it. "Eat..." Under her gaze, Lin Xinyu took the candy and, following her visual cue, unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. "It's sweet." Seeing Lin Xinyu's smile, Bai Shihan let out a long breath of pure relief. Candy. Eating candy makes her happy. He didn't misunderstand... . . Chapter 3: Eating Something Makes You Happy The creaking rattle of the stool stopped. Bai Shihan blinked curiously, feeling that her desk mate was somehow different today. Usually, during breaks, this guy would always make her scoot her stool over to clear a path, either to go to the bathroom or to mess around and play with the classmates who hated studying. Messing around was fine; what Bai Shihan hated most was him going to the bathroom. Every time he came back, he always smelled of that nasty cigarette smoke. "Are you peeking at me?" Hearing this, Bai Shihan, who was already terrible with words, froze instantly. Without replying, she picked up her pen and pretended to be deeply engrossed in her homework. "It's fine, peeking at your own husband isn't embarrassing." For Lin Xinyu, since he had already embarked on this shameless path, he was determined to see it through to the end and get this Little Dilly used to it. Now that he had the chance to express himself freely, he certainly didn't want to cower like before, deliberately ignoring the treasure of a girl sitting right beside him. On the other side, Bai Shihan bit her lip when she heard him refer to himself that way. How did he become her husband? Was this guy completely shameless? She wanted to retort, but she had no idea how to phrase what she wanted to say. So, after a short while, a slip of paper slowly slid across the gap between their desks. [No way...] Seeing out of the corner of her eye that the note had once again been read and ignored by him, Bai Shihan pouted in displeasure. "Wife, why are you sitting in the back row?" "No!!" Bai Shihan finally panicked completely. This time she didn't even use a note, expressing her meaning directly and bluntly. "It's fine, you will be sooner or later." "You can't call me... I, I'm telling the teacher..." In her world, telling the teacher was the most terrifying act imaginable, as well as the most effective way to deal with the shameless person in front of her. Even though it was a bit of a bluff, it worked well enough as a rebuttal. "Go ahead, huh? You even dare to threaten to tell the teacher now. Not bad." Hearing this threatening remark, Lin Xinyu felt a sense of gratification. In his memory, forget telling the teacher—she wouldn't even dare have a normal conversation with a classmate. By comparison, this was definitely a kind of progress. Before Bai Shihan could continue showing her displeasure, a shout came from the doorway. "Lin Xinyu, the head teacher wants to see you." Bai Shihan was stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked at Lin Xinyu. Her expression seemed to say that she really hadn't told the teacher. "Don't worry, it's nothing. Wait for me to come back." He shifted his stool with practiced ease to make room for him to slip out, but the difference this time was that his destination was the office. According to habit, every time he came back from the office, he would be in a bad mood. She glanced into his desk drawer; all his snacks had long since been swept clean by that big bully. At this, Bai Shihan frowned slightly, hesitated again and again, and finally stood up... The office. Unlike the ceiling fans in the classroom, the head teacher had a dedicated little fan right next to him to beat the heat. Although it rattled with a squeaking sound from time to time, it was comparatively much safer—at least there was no need to worry about it falling down at any second. "Xinyu, my boy, it's your final year. You've got to put in at least a bit of effort. Your mom calls every now and then to ask how your studies are coming along." I have to admit, seeing the head teacher's face again still stirred up a bit of nostalgia. Even though the two of them stayed in touch later on and every time they met he would hand over a few cartons of cigarettes, he couldn't be quite that brazen just yet. Old Chen had actually been pretty good to him in his memories. Even when all the subject teachers had given up on him, Old Chen would still pull him aside for chats. "Teacher Chen, thank you. I know. I was ignorant before, so please bear with me." Whenever Old Chen had called him in for a talk in the past, it was either because he'd just been caught smoking in the bathroom or because he'd been spotted sleeping in class by the window, so he used to be a bit resentful when he was being criticized. And that was normal; after all, being right in the middle of puberty, everyone is a bit rebellious. Even knowing the other person had your own good at heart, you just wanted to go against the grain. It was one thing not to lecture him, but the more they said, the more he wanted to do it anyway. His mindset was simple: he thought that made him look cool. Looking back now, it was genuinely rather childish. This sudden shift actually left Old Chen completely bewildered. Where did that rebellious punk go, the one who usually walked into the office and acted like he couldn't care less about talking to him? "You little rascal, you didn't go and stir up some new trouble for me recently, did you?" Other than that, he really couldn't think of any other reason. Lin Xinyu smiled in response, scratching his head with a touch of embarrassment. Recalling all his high school antics felt like experiencing a moment of social death. "Teacher Chen, stop teasing me. With the college entrance exam only three months away, I don't want to just drift through life like a good-for-nothing." Hearing this, Old Chen grew even more astonished. Did the sun rise in the west today? Why was this kid, who always talked back, suddenly so well-behaved this time? "Regardless of what bad scheme you're plotting, hearing you say these words makes me, as your head teacher, genuinely happy. If your mother knew, she'd be thrilled too." "Thanks for caring, Teacher Chen. I won't cause trouble anymore from now on." Lin Xinyu gave a slight bow. His mature mindset meant he could no longer maintain the childish perspective he once had. "Alright, you've made huge progress this time. Sleep less in class from now on, and if you don't want to sit in the corner, you can tell me. Don't think I don't know that you little rascal just wanted to sit in the corner to hide and sleep." Lin Xinyu really had thought that way in the past, though now he actually felt the corner was much quieter—not to mention he had that Little Dilly there. The only thing he didn't understand was why she was sitting in the back row too. Even based on grades, given Bai Shihan's total score, she clearly should have been sitting near the front. There was no way she should have ended up as his desk mate... "Also, that Bai Shihan girl is quite introverted; she won't say a word even if she gets bullied. She originally wanted to sit in that seat of yours, but I was afraid she wouldn't see the board, so I moved you all the way to the back." Well, what do you know? So I'm the only one with good eyesight? Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. After all, Old Chen had just said he could ask to change seats if he wasn't satisfied. If he complained right now, wouldn't that mean getting separated from that Dilly? That would be more agonizing than killing him! Given his good attitude, Old Chen didn't lecture Lin Xinyu too much. After briefly explaining the recent situation, he let him return to the classroom. The classroom. Bai Shihan was breathing in short, shallow gasps, her gaze darting toward the front door every now and then. Inside her desk drawer, her small hands had already neatly arranged and laid out all the cookies and candies she had bought. As she caught her breath, a sense of relief washed over her heart. That way he won't be unhappy anymore... It wasn't until Lin Xinyu's figure appeared in her field of vision that she sat up straight, pulled back her gaze, stopped looking at him, and feigned studying while simultaneously nudging her stool to clear a space. The first thing Lin Xinyu did upon returning to the classroom was look toward Bai Shihan's direction, catching sight of her just as she lowered her head, her movements with the pen appearing somewhat flustered. As he walked closer, he asked gently. "Were you waiting for me to come back?" The moment he sat down at his seat, a note was slipped over. [No, studying.] Realizing that Lin Xinyu hadn't made any other moves, and combining that with her previous conclusion, she guessed he might still be a bit upset. Thus, Bai Shihan mustered her courage once again, fished a small bag of snacks out of her desk drawer, and slid it across the gap onto his desk along with a pre-written note. [Eat, have some cookies.] . . Chapter 4: If You Don't Come Over Here, I'm Going to Hold Your Hand! "Didn't you say you didn't have any food? Where did these cookies come from?" Lin Xinyu tore open the packaging, polished off the small cookies quite naturally, and looked at Bai Shihan in utter confusion. Since there were two questions, replying with notes was getting a bit too slow, and coupled with her inner anxiety, she had no choice but to speak up: "They, they, they appeared again..." Her speech stammered once more, but Lin Xinyu was already used to it. He didn't mind at all; if anything, he was rather happy. Seeing the smile appear on his face, Bai Shihan finally relaxed, feeling a sudden wave of happiness as if she had successfully accomplished what she set out to do. "Which boy bought these for you?" As he said this, Lin Xinyu intentionally put on an angry expression, then turned his head to look at Bai Shihan, waiting for an explanation. The purpose of doing this was primarily to get her to speak more. After all, everything has a first time; once she was broken out of her shell, it would become second nature, and her adaptability would improve by leaps and bounds. "N-No, no, th-th-there weren't any boys..."