The original plan was just to take Bai Shihan to the study hall and skip the evening self-study session. Seniors were indeed allowed to do that, though they risked being noted down by the substitute teachers.
He had initially just wanted to help her build up some courage, intending to keep her from going back once evening self-study started, but he hadn't expected to run straight into their homeroom teacher the moment they stepped out. Still, he had achieved his goal, and the girl had known how to play along.
"So, think about it—hasn't your courage grown? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Hearing him say that, Bai Shihan nodded.
Telling a lie was indeed a sign of growing bolder; under normal circumstances, such a thing would have been impossible for her.
"See? I'm going to win you over to be my wife, so why would I lie to you? Come on, hold out your hand. Let’s make peace; we almost ruined our friendship."
The girl, completely taken in, subconsciously held out her hand, and their palms met. Her face turned rosy.
"That's right, for the sake of friendship." Lin Xinyu didn't forget to lightly stroke the back of her hand with his fingers, which frightened Bai Shihan so much that she immediately snatched her hand away.
Just friendship...
During the evening self-study session, Bai Shihan, desperate to keep the lie from becoming reality, stubbornly spent the entire evening explaining practice problems to Lin Xinyu.
Even though Lin Xinyu already knew how to solve them all, he pretended not to understand just so he could hear her talk more.
Moonlight spilled onto the floor, and a stray cat passing by the window looked at the two of them curiously before curling up lazily. Even though the girl was so nervous she kept stammering, she was the one doing most of the talking.
The cat stretched, licked its paw, and seemed to decide that it didn't quite understand humans.
The bell rang to signal the end of school.
The two packed their things without any rush and walked out of the study hall. Along the way, Lin Xinyu tried to reach out and hold Bai Shihan's hand, but she dodged him the moment his fingertips touched her.
"Tomorrow is the weekend, so I might be a little busy. Be a good girl and wait for me at home."
"Okay."
Bai Shihan was very obedient; she would agree to whatever Lin Xinyu said and never asked what he was doing. All she cared about was that he would come back.
As they walked, Kong Yu emerged from the side. "Brother Yu, let me ask you something."
He had been so focused on Bai Shihan lately that the two of them seemed to have swapped roles—in the past, it was the girl who would always follow him around silently, but now, that role had fallen to Kong Yu.
"We're brothers. Just say what's on your mind.""Well, you know how it is. My mom wants to buy a place in Magic City. She says she wants to wait until I go to college, somewhere far away from here, to get away from some bad memories." Every word of Kong Yu's carried a sense of lingering reluctance. He was truly at his wit's end, which was why he had thought of asking Lin Xinyu.
Even though his parents were divorced, this place was still where he had grown up. The thought of suddenly having to leave made him feel reluctant, no matter how he looked at it.
Upon hearing Kong Yu's words, Lin Xinyu's very first reaction wasn't to offer comfort; his eyes were filled with envy.
The Fatty's family coming into money had happened quite suddenly. At the time, his mother hadn't dared to buy too much, just wanting a place to live with some savings left in the passbook—one apartment for herself, and a slightly larger one for Kong Yu. Later on, this kid had cashed out right at the peak of the real estate market and made a fortune, becoming a textbook upstart.
The only problem was that he wasn't very bright, and women had swindled him out of a good chunk of it, after which he swore off ever playing the devoted lover again.
"Buy. My advice is: buy as many as you possibly can." Lin Xinyu was never stingy with a close buddy like Fatty. Besides, back then, most of his own startup capital had come from him anyway, so there was no need to worry.
On top of that, real estate couldn't be liquidated into cash overnight. Getting Fatty to snap up a few properties could serve as a backup fund if the need ever arose. Of course, that was only to be used as an absolute last resort.
Standing to the side, Bai Shihan didn't dare say a word. It was her first time seeing Lin Xinyu look so serious.
On the flip side, Kong Yu was completely baffled.
He had clearly come over looking for comfort, so how did it turn into buying as many apartments as he could?
"Brother Yu, I honestly don't really want to leave this place," Kong Yu admitted straightforwardly, without beating around the bush.
"Brother, just trust me. Have Auntie make her decision early. You can always come back on your own later, can't you? It's not like they're saying you can never come back for the rest of your life."
"Oh yeah, I can still come back." Kong Yu had a sudden flash of insight, and his melancholy vanished without a trace. "Then why did you tell me to have my mom buy as many as she can?"
Lin Xinyu found it somewhat difficult to explain: "Do you want to be a second-generation rich kid? Do you want to be rich enough to drive luxury cars and have a different girlfriend in the passenger seat every single day?"
"No shit, who wouldn't? But what does that have to do with buying houses?"
"Just trust me and do it."
Ever since they first met, Kong Yu had always stuck close to Lin Xinyu. It was always the other guy standing up for him, and whenever anything happened, it was Lin Xinyu who looked after him.I still remember the time when Lin Xinyu was cornered and beaten by a rival class in the restroom. Though standing at a full one-eighty centimeters and looking scholarly and gentle on the outside, once he actually started throwing punches...
That was also the exact reason why Kong Yu had stepped up without a second thought when Lin Xinyu ran into trouble later on, determined to lend his full support to whatever lay within his power.
"Got it, I'll mention it to them as soon as I get back."
There was hardly any hesitation needed on that front; given that his family had already been leaning toward that idea anyway, passing along the word was practically a matter of course.
As for why Lin Xinyu refused to let his own parents buy it, the reason was simple.
They would never trust him in the first place, and would likely just scream and curse him out instead. He wasn't about to go looking for trouble, so he had no choice but to find another angle of approach.
Until they stepped out of the school gates, Bai Shihan hadn't said a single word, wearing a deeply pouty expression the entire time.
Lin Xinyu hadn't noticed it at first. It was only after Kong Yu left that he turned his gaze toward her. Just as he reached out to grab her hand like a good friend, she suddenly quickened her pace and shook him off.
"In such a rush to go home and cook for me, huh?"
As if something had just clicked in her mind, Bai Shihan stopped in her tracks the moment she heard Lin Xinyu's words. Her cheeks were still puffed out in a pout, but her gaze was fierce and resolute.
"Y-You're a bad person."
Even though she hadn't said anything out loud earlier, Bai Shihan had heard every single word of the conversation between the two boys.At first he didn't pay much attention, but when he heard Lin Xinyu talk about wanting to change girlfriends every single day, she suddenly looked quite displeased.
"No, I won't make it for you!"
Bai Shihan put on a fierce expression, her speech suddenly becoming much more fluent.
Stripped of her school uniform, Bai Shihan habitually changed into a white spaghetti-strap maxi dress. When she walked out of her room, she instantly felt a bit at a loss.
Lin Xinyu hadn't left, pushing the thick-skinned nature of a guy to its absolute limit. Bai Shihan had no choice; it was her first time interacting with such a scoundrel, and she had no idea how to deal with him.
She was now so nervous she forgot how to walk.
Especially after meeting Lin Xinyu's unblushing gaze, she stood rooted to the spot, hesitating whether to go back inside and change into another outfit.
After wavering for a short moment, she still didn't take a step forward.
"Come here, walk over."
Lin Xinyu just stared at her like that, wanting to see if the other person had changed.
Bai Shihan's personality was very simple, cute, and poor at socializing, the kind that naturally made people want to cherish her. Coupled with the fact that she had taken off her school uniform, she looked tall with fair skin.They say girls change a lot as they grow up, and by now, Bai Shihan’s own charms were already beginning to shine through.
With her plump, rosy cheeks, charming eyes, and a way of speaking and moving that set her apart from everyone else, she was striking. Her eyelashes were long and thick, and her delicate features rested on a face so soft and smooth it seemed as if one could pinch it and see water bead on the skin. Most importantly, she possessed a pure, unsullied aura—both endearingly silly and elegant at the same time.
"I, I’ll go make dinner."
She looked flustered, her slender fingers tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, her clear eyes filled with a trace of vulnerability and fear.
"I can cook, too. We can do it together."
Lin Xinyu wasn't about to let an opportunity for some one-on-one time slip away. It was the only way to slowly ease the fear she felt toward him.
Upon hearing this, the apprehension she had felt about Lin Xinyu bullying her vanished, and her little eyes instantly lit up. "You, you know how to cook?"
All her previous emotions were replaced by pure disbelief. Could this bad guy in front of her actually cook?
When two people spend time together, they often grow closer quickly once they discover a shared skill. The initial tension and fear are cast to the back of their minds before they even realize it.
Bai Shihan hadn't always been this way, but having grown so familiar with Lin Xinyu lately—and having been dubbed his "good friend"—she wasn't nearly as scared of him anymore.
"Want me to show you what I can do?" Without waiting for an answer, Lin Xinyu stepped forward and, familiar with the layout, found the refrigerator. "Wow, you’ve got so much good stuff in here!"
"Mm." Bai Shihan followed behind him, the tension from before completely gone. She even started pointing out the ingredients one by one, afraid he wouldn't know what they were.
It felt as though she had found a kindred spirit.
"All the seasonings are here, too. Do you want to do it, or should I?" Lin Xinyu looked at her and, seeing the anticipation in her eyes, already knew what he had to do.
He had come over for a free meal, but it looked like he was the one who would end up doing the cooking.
At that moment, Bai Shihan had completely forgotten to cling to her definition of Lin Xinyu as a big villain. She was entirely focused on wanting to see how he cooked, her eagerness clearly written all over her face.
"You, you do it."
"Alright, then you can be my sous-chef."Lin Xinyu pulled the ingredients out of the refrigerator and handed them to Bai Shihan to wash. During the process, their fingers inevitably brushed against each other. This time, however, the young girl was not shy at all; she was completely absorbed in washing the vegetables.
At that moment, the smile on Bai Shihan’s face was unmistakable. It is hard not to be happy when something you love is acknowledged by others.
Everything before her eyes seemed to have transformed into a home.
The girl she liked washed the ingredients and handed them to a boy whose feelings remained undefined. Working in harmony, they began to stir-fry.
The entire scene felt like a dream.
When he reached out and made physical contact with Bai Shihan's small hand, Lin Xinyu knew that all of this was real.
It was as if she had already become his wife.
About an hour and a half later, plates of food began to fill the dining table.
Bai Shihan’s eyes widened. Some dishes she had never seen before, while others she recognized. She had thought he was just making things up, never imagining that Lin Xinyu would be so skilled at cooking!
He must be the same kind of person as her.
The naive and adorable girl's thoughts were very simple: in her eyes, anyone who knew how to cook must be gentle.
Shredded pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, green vegetables boiled with fish, plus a uniquely crafted love-heart fried egg.
Bai Shihan blushed, and not for any other reason than what Lin Xinyu said when he brought out the fried egg.
"Come on, an egg this pretty definitely has to be eaten by my wife."
"N—no, not your wife."
Lin Xinyu wasn't going to have that. Did he cook an entire meal just to get no reward? Before he could even speak, the little girl turned tail and fled.
However, once Bai Shihan actually tasted the dishes, her fear and shyness didn't matter anymore. Her wide eyes involuntarily grew even larger as she wanted to look at Lin Xinyu, yet felt a little too scared to actually do so.
"It's fine. If you want to praise me, go ahead." Lin Xinyu wasn't thin-skinned at all; he went straight for the compliments.
"It's... it's so good."
"Is that it? Shouldn't you reach out your hand as a sincere encouragement from a good friend?"
Bai Shihan turned her body away—she wasn't going to fall for that so easily. Ever since they had that reconciliation handshake, he always kept finding ways to try and hold her hand. She wasn't that easy to trick!
Even so, Lin Xinyu still discovered the gluttonous side of this girl, as she cleared off all the dishes on the table in no time.
Finally, feeling a bit embarrassed, Bai Shihan turned her head away, covered her mouth with a tissue, lowered her voice, and stealthily burped a few times.
"It looks like you really enjoyed your meal." Lin Xinyu was amused by her actions. As he gathered the plates, he continued, "How about you just be my wife? From now on, I'll cook for you every day."
Although it was genuinely tempting, Bai Shihan thought about it and shook her head. Clearly, compared to being teased, delicious food had to take a backseat.
Besides, they were still sneaking around right now; her mom and dad couldn't find out. If they ever knew...
Filled with joy, excitement, and a sense of guilt, Bai Shihan picked up a tissue and wiped away the evidence left at the corner of her mouth, as if that would ensure she wasn't caught.
While Lin Xinyu was washing the dishes, Bai Shihan tried to lend a hand, but was always rejected with the threat of holding hands as a condition.
In the end, she could only puff out her cheeks. Right before leaving, she actually summoned the courage to glare at Lin Xinyu before walking over to sit on the sofa.
Seeing Lin Xinyu busy in the kitchen, she angrily hugged a pillow and gave it a few light whacks with her small fists. After finishing this series of actions, Bai Shihan instantly felt a bit regretful. Stroking the pillow, she even remembered to blow gently on it to apologize.
*I'm sorry, did that hurt? Let me blow on it to make it better.*
And then she shifted all the blame back onto Lin Xinyu.
Just like that, the two of them—one washing dishes in the kitchen, the other hugging a pillow on the living room sofa—used the excuse of soothing the pillow to glare in the direction of the so-called big monster.
The entire scene looked thoroughly harmonious.
And sure enough, the little girl pouted again, boldly hatching a mischievous plot...
***
019. You Are Already Incredible [Seeking Reads, Seeking Collections]
How amazing!
How could he be this incredible!
Bai Shihan just watched Lin Xinyu operate his phone, learning about so many things she had never been exposed to before.
Her previous understanding of a phone was that it was only for sending text messages or making calls, but now...
When Lin Xinyu opened something that looked like a Penguin, Bai Shihan learned that people could actually chat on it! It was too amazing!
"D—did you invent this?"
"No." Lin Xinyu didn't deceive her. "Though I can make other awesome things. Want to bet?"
Bai Shihan nodded.
The person in front of her was too incredible. Everything he did was completely unknown to her, and even her favorite thing—cooking—couldn't compare to him...
"If you miss me in the future, just send me a message on here. It's definitely cheaper than text message fees." Lin Xinyu pointed at the newly added friend, and shamelessly set her nickname as 'Wife'.
Bai Shihan didn't know what he was doing, and looked at Lin Xinyu with a blushing face.
"Alright, see this nickname?" With that, he brought his phone closer to her, flashing the word 'Wife'. "This is a system-default remark. Look, even the system knows we're going to get married in the future."
After listening to what Lin Xinyu said, the young girl looked at the phone doubtfully. When she saw the nickname displayed inside, her mouth fell open: "It... it must be broken..."
While denying it, she also felt a sense of disbelief.
Could it be that she really was going to be this bad guy's wife in the future?
"Alright, I'm heading home first. If you miss me, just tap in and send a message. Don't exit out, or you won't get my replies."
"I—I definitely won't miss you."
Lin Xinyu didn't refute her. He would have to spend the next two days conducting research, so he probably wouldn't have much time to accompany her; staying in touch via phone was their only option.
When chasing a girl, you shouldn't be too rushed. You can slightly accelerate the progress in the beginning, and then suddenly become a bit less enthusiastic—that will make the other person unaccustomed to the change. Once they start taking the initiative to look for you, you're basically halfway to success.
Of course, this method only works on girls who already have a favorable impression of you. If they don't like you at all, it's game over immediately.
The old path under the moonlight gave people a sense of nostalgia. Lin Xinyu walked along it, not hurrying his steps, moving forward at a slow pace. As he neared the street corner, he turned around and looked toward the direction where Bai Shihan lived.
The light on the balcony was still on. Perhaps because the owner was nervous and scared, she accidentally brushed against the switch, and the orange-yellow glow seemed a bit guilty as it gradually dimmed.
...
The weekend had begun.
This meant Lin Xinyu would have enough time to understand the current situation—something he never had the opportunity to do while stuck at school.
Even with his superior memory, it was hard to remember every major event that happened over these few years.
If it were back in 2002, the exchange rates of South Korea were still fresh in his mind...
Writing songs, scripts, or web novels?
Currently, those seemed to be the only options, and none of them required capital. As for how deeply to develop in these areas, Lin Xinyu hadn't fully considered it yet.
He could only say he would use them to quickly earn seed capital to welcome the arrival of the internet age.
Searching his memories, novel websites were currently only beginning to show their embryonic form.
On June 1st, Qidian Chinese Network ranked 100th in the global ALEXA rankings, becoming the country's first original literature portal website to squeeze into the world's top one hundred.
On October 8th, it officially announced its acquisition by Shanda Interactive Entertainment, becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanda.
Based on the VIP system that was already open now, this was indeed a direction worth considering...
Using his phone, he checked the novels currently existing on the websites. Even trashy web novels like those about Dragon King sons-in-law, which would later be roasted to the ends of the earth, didn't exist yet, let alone tropes like "Don't bully a young man into poverty" or "Nine dragons pulling a coffin."
Of course, he wasn't just relying on this method; he could also start with song lyrics—for instance, *Invisible Wings*. It was still 2004, and to his recollection, it was released in 2006, so he could bring the lyrics out ahead of time.
Having simply mapped out his train of thought, he jotted it down in a notebook.
Since his goal was just to earn startup capital, there was no need to do anything explosive. The internet was the biggest wind current.
He turned on his phone.
The one downside to QQ right now was that you had to explicitly click into it to see messages.
He originally thought that timid little silly girl wouldn't dare to contact him, or that she would wait until tomorrow. To his surprise, she had already sent a message just now.
*Silly Bao*: Do you want to eat tofu pudding?
From this, it was clear the young girl still remembered their agreement to go out and eat breakfast together every morning.
Checking the time, it had been sent at 8:10, six minutes ago.
*Yu*: Did you eat breakfast yet? If not, I'll take you out to get some.
After waiting a minute or two, no reply came from the other side.
He figured Bai Shihan might have exited out of QQ, meaning she couldn't receive it, so he decided to just buy some and bring it over directly.
Changing into casual clothes, he didn't forget to fix his hair before heading out, marveling at the handsomeness of youth—at least he didn't have that potbelly yet.
Who hasn't been eighteen? Every youth is a handsome man.
As long as you put your mind to it, anyone can be Daniel Wu.
Closing his apartment door and grabbing some loose change, he was already getting used to this modern life.
Humming a tune and singing a song, he stepped out of his room cheerfully.
Walking into the market, the peddlers' shouts rose and fell across the streets. In the future, sights like this would be practically impossible to see, let alone people beating iron or selling sticky malt candy...
He finally reached the breakfast area.
Following the flow of the crowd, Lin Xinyu froze for a moment, feeling as though he had misidentified a figure.
Looking closer, he quickened his pace and stepped forward immediately.
This silly girl!