The thick, dark clouds that had blanketed the sky showed no signs of dissipating throughout the entire afternoon. Even with the streetlights on, the view remained blurred, to say nothing of the thunder that roared intermittently.
To Bai Shihan, the dangerous look on Lin Xinyu’s face was like that of a devil as he bore down on her step by step.
"Go on. Just follow behind me. Don't worry about me."
Why… did he feel like he had become the villain?
Just as Lin Xinyu was about to leave his seat, Bai Shihan reached out and tugged precisely at the corner of his shirt.
"T-together."
She didn't know how much courage she had mustered, but once the words were out, she felt much lighter.
"I’m not bullying you this time."
For some reason, Bai Shihan felt like something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She could only follow obediently behind him, hand him the umbrella, and, despite her nervousness, take the first step to share the shelter.
"Yu..." Kong Yu had just arrived to find Lin Xinyu, only to witness this scene. "Never mind, pretend I was never here."
Under the eaves, the birds, having waited for their feathers to dry, found no end to the rain. Watching Kong Yu slink away, they chirped with a sense of schadenfreude, as if they had found a companion in his defeat.
***
012. Is this what bullying is?
Sharing an umbrella was something that had never happened before. Even being close to someone of the opposite sex was awkward enough, let alone such an intimate act.
Bai Shihan’s face flushed red. She dared not speak the entire way, listening only to the "pitter-patter" of the rain landing on the umbrella.
To keep the girl beside him from panicking, Lin Xinyu tilted the umbrella toward her side, leaving half of his own body exposed to the rain.
Even so, his heart was filled with satisfaction. At the very least, she was now standing beside him without a hint of resistance.
"Are you still nervous?" Lin Xinyu leaned down and whispered into her ear.
"A-a little..." The great villain from her memory seemed to have grown gentle, but why did scenes of him bullying her keep popping into her head?
She must be broken.
Bai Shihan felt a bit wronged. Clinging to the corner of Lin Xinyu’s shirt, she began to earnestly reflect on the changes of the past two days.
She had always been a loner, her inner world locked away. Suddenly, he had torn a hole in that wall, and it was hard to go back to how things were before. She had carefully navigated around the puddles, having planned to step on his shadow all evening, but with that plan ruined, she had no way to vent her frustration.
"We’re here." Lin Xinyu, half-soaked by now, shielded Bai Shihan as they stepped into the building before finally closing the umbrella.
The rain showed no signs of stopping. Even the wind had picked up, howling through the alleyway.
Bai Shihan shivered. Usually, at a time like this, she would be tucked away under her covers, terrified that something might suddenly jump out at her. After all, the sky was pitch black, the thunder was crashing, and the strange noises echoing about made it impossible not to be nervous.
"Grumble..."
A sudden sound from the girl’s stomach broke the standoff of their eye contact.
Bai Shihan felt embarrassed. Seeing the water droplets sliding down his face, she hesitated for a long time before saying, "H-home, have... a towel."
Even though she had never let anyone else into her home, Bai Shihan knew that if she let Lin Xinyu leave like this, he would most likely catch a cold.
"Wipe, wipe it dry." Seeing his puzzled expression, she added.
"Let’s go, upstairs then." Lin Xinyu responded immediately.
Huh?
Bai Shihan had expected a rejection, but she hadn't anticipated him agreeing so quickly, even closing his umbrella and preparing to head up.
She could only nod. "Okay..."
It felt as if she were inviting a wolf into her den. Lin Xinyu intentionally walked behind her; if he had headed straight for her apartment, the little girl would have been scared out of her wits.
Bai Shihan had a lovely silhouette. Despite her petite frame—barely 1.6 meters tall—when she walked away, there was a certain air of a mature executive about her. The only flaw was her extreme social anxiety; she wouldn't communicate with anyone.
"W-we’re here." As the door opened, Bai Shihan felt as if her heart might fly out of her chest.
Generally speaking, a girl shouldn't let a boy into her home so casually. If he bullied her, she’d be doomed—especially someone as dangerous as Lin Xinyu.
But out of guilt, and having no other choice—and certainly not because she was afraid of the wind, rain, and thunder outside—she relented. Regardless, he had bought an umbrella in the rain and gotten soaked just to walk her home.
"Remember to have a pair of men's slippers ready next time." Lin Xinyu kicked off his rain-soaked shoes and socks and left them by the doorway."At home, it's always been... just me, alone," Bai Shihan said with a grievanceed look. How could she have known such a scoundrel would show up? What was even more unbelievable was that she had brought him home with her own hands.
"Then I'll come over to keep you company more often in the future." Lin Xinyu walked into the house barefoot, turning his head to stare at her.
"No, don't!" Hearing what Lin Xinyu said, Bai Shihan hurriedly refused, not even taking off her shoes in time.
Without needing to think, this must be what he had mentioned earlier about trying a few more times and getting used to it.
At that moment, Lin Xinyu's gaze turned serious: "Aren't we good friends? Between good friends, you keep me company and I keep you company—that's completely normal."
"R-Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't said that, but as soon as those words came out, Bai Shihan immediately reacted: "Y-You're lying... You always bully me..."
"Then I won't bully you anymore in the future. I'll keep my distance and stay far, far away."
Bai Shihan's little face fell, feeling wronged.
Clearly, her world had always belonged just to her, and once she got used to it, she wouldn't feel lonely. But then a scoundrel had insisted on barging in, and now he was saying he wanted to keep his distance...
"I-I'm not going to dry your hair anymore." The little girl took off her shoes, slipped into her cute pink bunny slippers, and prepared to leave.
"Then I'm leaving, okay?" Lin Xinyu deliberately made the sound of footsteps, and then stood right where he was without moving.
Just as he had anticipated, Bai Shihan, already feeling a sense of guilt, quickly turned around with an anxious look in her eyes. But when she saw Lin Xinyu standing there straight and tall, she instantly realized she had been tricked.
"You're bullying me again..."
Bai Shihan decided she wouldn't pay attention to him anymore and quickened her pace as she walked into the bedroom.
Lin Xinyu didn't stay put either. In his memory, he must have been to her place before; otherwise, it was impossible for his mind to feel a sense of familiarity with the surrounding environment.
Relying on his memory, he found where the mop was kept and then cleaned up all the water stains he had left from walking around barefoot.
Just as he was putting the mop away, the little girl came out of the room holding a towel, her face flushed red.
Although there were plenty of clothes in the house, there were very few towels—only three in total: one for bathing, one for drying hair, and the last one for wiping feet.
After a long internal struggle, Bai Shihan took out the pink towel she used for her own hair and handed it to him.
"My wife is always so good to me."
"N-No, I'm not your wife."
Lin Xinyu didn't care about any of that. After taking the towel, instead of rushing to dry his hair, he walked straight up to Bai Shihan.Even though the umbrella shielded most of her head, a few stray raindrops still managed to reach her.
Bai Shihan looked stupidly at Lin Xinyu, then felt a gentle ruffle on top of her head, making no move to dodge it.
After a long while, she spoke up with a wronged air, "No, there's no more water..."
"Let me see if you wiped it clean." Lin Xinyu reached out to cup Bai Shihan's face, examining it closely.
Bai Shihan didn't dare to move, having no choice but to obediently endure the warm breath washing over her face.
So... this was bullying?
"Come on, your turn to wipe mine." Lin Xinyu let go of her face, then handed the towel back to Bai Shihan. Fearing she might not reach, he even thoughtfully crouched down.
Sob, sob, sob.
Just keep bullying me instead...
Bai Shihan stood there blankly, having never done anything like this before and having no idea where to start.
Should she just treat him like homework?
"Do I need to teach you step by step?" Lin Xinyu crouched and waited for a moment, but didn't feel any movement from her. Just as he was about to reach out, the towel fell onto his head.
Once she actually got her hands on it, Bai Shihan discovered that it didn't seem as difficult as she had imagined, and it even brought a trace of strange pleasure, making her suddenly understand.
No wonder he liked to bully her so much...The little girl had never done this before, so she hadn't known her own strength and had just been rubbing his hair around indiscriminately.
"That's about enough. Is there any hot water at home?" Lin Xinyu took the towel from her hands and finished drying his hair properly.
Bai Shihan was terrified now.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he had made her get his slippers ready, then he used her own hair towel, and now he wanted a hot bath—wouldn't the next step be taking over her bed? Just thinking about it was a little terrifying.
"There is..." Bai Shihan was not someone who told lies; even in this situation, she didn't try to deceive Lin Xinyu.
"Go drink a cup of something warm to heat yourself up. If you catch a cold, I certainly won't take care of you."Bai Shihan puffed out her cheeks. Listening to what he said, she couldn't help but feel as if she were nothing but dead weight.
The rumbling sounds from outside grew increasingly frequent. Bai Shihan habitually curled her body into a ball, though fortunately, with Lin Xinyu there, she wasn't overly afraid.
Following his suggestion, she filled a cup with warm water and drank it to warm herself up. She then filled another cup and brought it over to Lin Xinyu.
"Don't worry, my physical constitution is definitely better than yours."
"Hmph..."Bai Shihan was in a very good state right now—at least, she had never expressed her emotions like this before.
"Go take a shower quickly. Don't keep those wet clothes on; with your weak constitution, it's easy to catch a cold."
"Got it."
Bai Shihan nodded and ran back to her room, only to realize the implication: if she took a shower now, he would be right there in the apartment! Flustered, she backed out of the room again, stammering and not knowing what to say.
"Don't worry, drink some more milk first. Only then will I be interested," Lin Xinyu said deliberately, knowing what she was hesitating about.
Bai Shihan actually had a pretty decent figure; while he could easily span her waist with his hands, she certainly wasn't completely flat-chested.
Realizing he seemed uninterested, Bai Shihan stubbornly straightened her back, as if wanting to prove something.
Just as Lin Xinyu's gaze was about to land on her, she turned around happily, as if she had achieved her goal, and walked away.
Afterward, while she went to get her clothes, he heard the rain outside thoughtlessly tapering off. Lin Xinyu knew it was time for him to leave. Even though his heart desperately wanted to stay the night, the reality was that the time wasn't right yet—he couldn't rush it.
He had to strike a balance between tension and release so that Little Dilly would gradually fall into his trap...
Back in her room, Bai Shihan was still hesitating over whether to take her pajamas and cute little change of clothes out with her. By the time she made up her mind and stepped out with a blushing face, she found that the person who should have been in the living room was nowhere to be seen.
The door, which had been left open, had been thoughtfully closed, and the umbrella had vanished along with him.
He lied.
He clearly said the umbrella was bought for her.
...
The next day.
The rain had already quietly slipped away during the night, leaving only a massive blanket of dark clouds in the sky and puddles on the ground as proof that it had truly been there.
At this moment, Lin Xinyu was filled with deep regret.
He had left in such a hurry last night that he completely forgot to freeload dinner!
The weather was a bit chilly, so the two of them purposely put on their school uniform jackets.
Bai Shihan was snickering beside him. It wasn't because she understood what Lin Xinyu was thinking at the moment, but rather because hearing his intermittent coughs all along the way made her feel like kicking a man while he was down.
Especially when she recalled what he had said yesterday, the smile on her face immediately grew even wider.
"Are you laughing at me?"
Finally, Bai Shihan couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out, right as Lin Xinyu caught her red-handed.
Knowing that admitting it would result in her being bullied, she simply told her very first lie in life: "No, no... I just... thought of something happy..."
"I sentence you to take care of me for a day."
Bai Shihan finally understood the true meaning of a double standard: just yesterday, he said he wouldn't bother with her if she got sick, and today he was making her take care of him.
Seeing that she remained silent, Lin Xinyu stopped walking. "Then I'll just pass it on to you. They say that when two people get close and feel each other's breath for a deeper level of communication and understanding, it's very easy to pass a cold to the other person."
Bai Shihan's little head went blank, and she looked confused. "Th-that... what is that?"
"A kiss."
"No, no, absolutely not!" Understanding what he meant now, Bai Shihan refused repeatedly. Was he already trying to bully her like this?
Her previously blocked-up little head quickly conjured an image of her being bullied by him: waving her hands frantically and resisting with all her might, only for Lin Xinyu to forcefully push her hands aside as their lips met...
No, no, absolutely not!
Bai Shihan grew even more nervous, feeling her heartbeat begin to accelerate rapidly. "You... you can't bully me like that..."
From Lin Xinyu's perspective, she was looking at him with a pitiful expression, pleading with him not to bully her.
"Look around you. If other students see us later, they'll think I'm a bad guy." Lin Xinyu stepped closer to Bai Shihan, reaching out to take her schoolbag.
Yet in Bai Shihan's eyes, this scene looked precisely like he was about to act out the scenario that had just played out in her head.
It was over.
She was going to be mercilessly bullied this time...
In the end, she simply gave up resisting, stood frozen in place, and was too nervous to speak.
Then, her schoolbag was lifted by Lin Xinyu, and he began walking toward the school.
Having escaped danger, Bai Shihan opened her eyes. Seeing that none of the terrifying actions she had imagined took place, she obediently followed by his side.
It wasn't that she had surrendered; it was just that Lin Xinyu had already brought her to the crowded area right outside the school gate, and leaving him now would practically be tantamount to suicide...
The only reason Lin Xinyu did this was because he wanted to help her change and get used to crowded places. She didn't have to talk to others, but in the future, encountering crowded scenes would be inevitable. Doing this now was equivalent to a form of training.
"See? It's not actually that scary, is it?" Noticing that the little girl beside him had let out a sigh of relief, and that even the grip she had on his jacket had loosened considerably, Lin Xinyu knew she wasn't as nervous as before."Mm." Bai Shihan nodded obediently, though joy remained the dominant feeling in her heart.
A situation like this had never happened before.
Walking to school always meant finding the least crowded route and hurrying straight to the classroom.
Now, with Lin Xinyu accompanying her, she was finally experiencing what she had only ever dreamed of. He had chipped away at the dark world she had created for herself, letting the light from outside slowly seep in and gradually dispelling the pitch-black void. It seemed that being bullied by him wasn't so terrifying after all...
A rare smile appeared on Bai Shihan's face as she looked up at Lin Xinyu walking ahead of her.
"Ahem, ahem."
Lin Xinyu hadn't expected to catch a cold himself. He had assumed he was young enough to act recklessly, and without a second thought, he had taken a cold shower the moment he got home last night. And now...
After coughing, he turned his head to look at Bai Shihan behind him.
The little girl was smiling all over, and her gaze happened to meet Lin Xinyu's.
Realizing what was happening, Bai Shihan thought to herself that she was in trouble.
Just a moment ago, she had laughed and been forced to accept his explanation about "communication and discussion," so now...
Wuwuwu.
"Y-You, can you please not bully me?" This time, Bai Shihan had learned her lesson. Not only did she plead with a pitiful look, but she also gave the answer Lin Xinyu wanted to hear. "I-I'll take care of y-you..."
014. How Is He Still Alive?
He had always weathered illnesses alone. This was the first time Lin Xinyu learned what it was like to be taken care of by a girlfriend.
Fortunately, the cold wasn't severe—just a mild headache with a bit of a runny nose, nothing too serious otherwise.
Bai Shihan carefully poured a cup of hot water and set it on his desk.
Compared to the past two days, the color in her face had improved significantly. Her cute features carried a touch of vitality, lacking the gloomy expression she used to wear.
"Medicine..." Bai Shihan took a capsule out of her drawer and handed it to Lin Xinyu, who was staring fixedly at her.
"Having a wife take care of you really makes a difference."
Before Lin Xinyu could take the capsule, Bai Shihan visibly pulled her hand back. "N-Not your wife."
"Sooner or later you will be." Lin Xinyu snatched the capsule from her hand, completely ignoring whatever expression she was making.
The two or three days of buffering time had been enjoyable enough, but he couldn't let himself sink into a cozy trap and lose his drive.
Judging by Bai Shihan's background, she could casually pull out hundreds of thousands or millions in funds to support something, so Lin Xinyu certainly wouldn't be naive enough to think she was ordinary.
Right now, using the current trends to rapidly strengthen himself was the top priority.
According to the timeline, buying lottery tickets was basically out of the question—he couldn't remember the winning numbers at all. The only viable option was real estate: go all-in on a few properties, flip them later, and reach the pinnacle of life.
The problem was, where would the money come from? That was a real headache.
"H-Have some... candy." Seeing Lin Xinyu's brow furrow slightly, Bai Shihan guessed he must be unhappy again.
Coming back to his senses, Lin Xinyu saw the look of concern in Bai Shihan's eyes and realized she had noticed his distress but didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only offer him candy.
"I'm fine, I was just thinking about how to earn enough for the betrothal gift."
Bai Shihan understood that much.
A betrothal gift, isn't that...
She had heard her dad say that her aunt never got married precisely because of an issue with the betrothal gift. Ever since then, Bai Shihan had engraved it in her mind: the moment betrothal gifts were mentioned, she was bound to end up unmarried too.
"I-I am very expensive." The little girl simply relayed what she understood to Lin Xinyu, trying to make him give up.
"I know, but I only want you for my wife."
Now Bai Shihan didn't understand. Her aunt had clearly said that when betrothal gifts were mentioned, other people would back away—so why was he different?
Noticing the confusion on Bai Shihan's face, Lin Xinyu finished his water. "Then I won't bully you anymore, I'll do everything myself, ahem, ahem..."
His voice was cut short by a fit of coughing.
Seeing that his cup was empty, Bai Shihan proactively reached out to take it, intending to go refill it for him, only to be stopped on the spot by Lin Xinyu.
"No bullying you, I'll do it myself."
She already felt a lingering sense of guilt, especially since he had caught a cold purely because he was walking her home. If she ignored him and left him to fend for herself, her conscience wouldn't be happy.
After hesitating for a moment, Bai Shihan clenched her fists. "T-Then, then, you... bully me instead!"
From Lin Xinyu's perspective, the little girl currently wore an expression as if she were marching to her execution.
Was he really that terrifying?