Chapter 67

After resolving the inner conflict.

His grades didn't skyrocket; he remained at the bottom of the advanced class, but he stopped declining and began a slow but steady climb back up. 630, 640... every small improvement brought him and Tong Yao comfort.

On the eve of the college entrance examination, after evening self-study, the two walked side by side on their way back to the dormitory.

"Are you nervous?" Tong Yao asked.

"A little, but more than that, I'm... looking forward to it." Lin Li looked at the starry sky and smiled. "It feels like I'm about to embark on an unknown adventure."

Tong Yao smiled and said, "No matter what the dungeon is, just do your best."

“Tong Yao,” Lin Li stopped and looked at her earnestly, “thank you. Thank you for not really giving up on me, and thank you for… for helping me find myself.”

Tong Yao looked at him. In the moonlight, the boy's eyes were clear and firm, having long since shed his former confusion and restlessness.

"Idiot," she whispered, reaching out to take his hand.

Their hands were clasped tightly, conveying each other's strength and warmth.

_

The summer after the college entrance exams ended, the sun was exceptionally blazing.

Lin Li walked out of the examination room, took a deep breath, and felt the fragrance of gardenias and the scent of freedom in the air. Unlike the others who frantically checked their answers, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace. He had done his best, and that was enough.

On the day the college entrance examination results were released, Lin Li looked at the score on his computer screen—a close call to the admission cutoff line—and breathed a long sigh of relief. He had done it; with a mere three points above the previous year's cutoff, he had secured his place at the same top university as Tong Yao.

However, when the time came to fill in the specific major, faced with the dazzling array of top-tier majors at that comprehensive university—physics, chemistry, computer science, economics… Lin Li hesitated like never before.

These choices, once considered the "right path," now failed to stir any ripples in his heart. He recalled the confused years of his senior year of high school, when he confessed to Tong Yao on the playground that he "didn't know what he wanted to do."

Just hours before the deadline for submitting his application, an extremely obscure, even somewhat mysterious, major caught his eye—Ancient Architecture Conservation and Feng Shui Culture Research, or, in layman's terms, Feng Shui.

This major, belonging to the School of Architecture, is extremely rare even nationwide. Unlike finance or computer science, it doesn't seem glamorous, yet it inexplicably resonated with a certain inexplicable feeling deep within Lin Li's heart.

He recalled his budding interest in hands-on activities and spatial design, and remembered Tong Yao's words: "Find the path you want to take."

An almost insane impulse gripped his heart.

Without consulting anyone, he lightly clicked the mouse and filled in this controversial and unknown major as his first choice and first major.

The Lin family was in an uproar the moment the acceptance letter arrived.

"Feng shui?!" Lin's father held the admission notice, his hands trembling. "You risked your life to get into a top university, and you're going to study this? Fortune telling and palm reading?!"

Lin's mother was so anxious that she slapped her thigh repeatedly: "Son, are you under too much pressure and have become confused? What kind of job will you be able to find after you graduate? Who will recognize you?"

Despite her parents' worry and the puzzled looks from her relatives and friends, Lin Li remained unusually calm and resolute.

“Dad, Mom, this isn’t superstition.” He spoke with a rare calmness. “It’s a discipline that integrates environmental psychology, architecture, geography, and traditional culture. I want to try this path.”

His gaze drifted out the window, as if he could already see that battlefield that belonged to him, a battlefield unlike any other.

_

after.

Driven by an inner impulse, Lin Li made an even bolder decision.

He clutched the still-scented admission letter tightly, took a deep breath, and strode out of his house, heading straight for the neighborhood where he used to have to pretend to be "Lin Lili" to enter.

Standing in front of Tong Yao's house, he looked down at himself—a plain T-shirt and trousers, a neat buzz cut, no gifts in his hand, only that heavy acceptance letter. This time, he wasn't "Lin Lili," he was Lin Li.

He raised his hand and knocked firmly on the door.

It was Tong's mother who opened the door. When she saw Lin Li standing there, someone she hadn't seen in years but who still looked familiar, her smile vanished instantly, her brows furrowed instinctively, and she was about to speak, presumably...

Phrases like "Why are you here?" or "Yaoyao is studying."

"Hello, Auntie." Lin Li spoke first, bowing slightly, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.

Just then, Tong's father came over from the living room upon hearing the noise. He was taken aback when he saw Lin Li, but then a smile of reunion spread across his face: "Hey! Lin Li? Long time no see! You seem to have grown taller again? How was it, kid? Did you go fishing again? Go again sometime!"

"You little rascal, I didn't reply to your messages after high school. I was worried something had happened to you!"

The father's enthusiasm acted like a rock, slightly easing the tense atmosphere created by the mother.

Lin Li glanced gratefully at Tong's father, then looked back at Tong's mother, and at the same time saw Tong Yao come out of the room after hearing the noise. She looked at him standing in the doorway, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Lin Li took a deep breath, knowing that the most crucial moment had arrived. Without further hesitation, he straightened his back in front of Tong Yao's parents, his gaze clear and firm.

“Uncle, Aunt,” his voice was clear and strong, echoing in the quiet entryway, “I’ve come here today to solemnly tell you—I like Tong Yao, I like her very much.”

These words were like a bolt from the blue. Tong's mother's eyes widened instantly, and Tong's father also stopped smiling, looking somewhat taken aback.

Tong Yao stood not far away, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she did not avoid his gaze.

Tong's mother realized what was happening, her face darkened, and she was about to speak.

Lin Li, however, timely raised the red admission notice in her hand, like raising a victory flag, interrupting her impending question.

“At the same time, I also want to prove to you,” he continued, his tone carrying an undeniable confidence and gentleness.

"I have worked hard and been admitted to the same university as Tong Yao. Maybe the major I chose seems a bit unusual to you, but it means that I have found the path I want to take and have the ability to walk on this path."

He turned the front of the admission notice towards Tong's parents, where the gold-embossed school emblem and university name were clearly visible.

“I know that I wasn’t mature enough before, and perhaps not good enough to put your minds at ease. But now,” he paused, his gaze sweeping over Tong Yao, before finally looking at Tong’s mother again, “please believe that I have enough determination and ability to stand with Tong Yao in the same world and face the future together. I’m not here to ask you to agree to anything immediately; I just want to tell you my determination and hope to gain your… understanding and the test of time.”

He finished speaking in one breath, and the living room fell into a brief silence.

Looking at the notice and then at the determined-looking, sincere boy in front of him, Tong's father's expression slowly shifted from astonishment to a complex, thoughtful look tinged with appreciation.

Although Tong's mother's tightly furrowed brows did not completely relax, looking at the solid acceptance letter from a top university and the unusual composure and confidence emanating from Lin Li, she found it difficult to utter the words of rejection and denial that were on the tip of her tongue for the first time.

This "bad boy" she used to guard against so closely seems to have really... changed.

Standing behind her parents, Tong Yao looked at the boy who was standing at the door, arguing for her and trying to prove himself. Looking at the admission notice in his hand, which symbolized the intersection of their lives, her heart felt like it had been gently bumped by something, and a bittersweet feeling slowly spread through her.

Lin Li stood there, awaiting the final "verdict." He knew this was just the beginning, but he had finally, openly and honestly, knocked on this door for his and Tong Yao's future with resounding force.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze.

Looking at the bright red admission notice in Lin Li's hand, and then at the boy in front of her with clear eyes and a straight back, Tong's mother was at a loss for words.

She knew better than anyone the weight of that acceptance letter; it was the culmination of countless days and nights of hard study, a stepping stone to the future. And now, Lin Li was using that stepping stone to knock on her family's door, as if knocking on the layer of prejudice that clung to her heart.

Tong's father broke the silence first. He stepped forward, not to look at the admission notice, but to pat Lin Li on the shoulder, his touch neither too light nor too heavy: "Good job, kid! You really got in! And you're going to the same school as our Yao Yao!"

His tone carried the satisfaction of an elder and a sense of "I've always thought you were a good kid," which subtly eased the atmosphere.

Tong's mother took a deep breath and looked at Lin Li with a complicated expression. Although her tone was still not exactly warm, it was at least no longer cold: "Getting into university is a good thing. It proves that you have worked hard. But Lin Li, relationships are not a game, nor can they be decided by just an admission letter. You and Yao Yao are still young, and you have a long road ahead of you."

“Auntie, I understand.” Lin Li immediately replied, her attitude respectful and sincere. “I know that a notice doesn’t represent everything. I just want to prove to you that I have the determination and ability to do my best for the people and things that are important to me.”

"In the future, I will continue to work hard, whether in my studies or in other aspects, I will strive to become a trustworthy and responsible person."

His words, though lacking in flowery language, carried a sincere and resonant quality. Tong Yao stood to the side, listening quietly, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.

She looked at Lin Li, the boy who used to send a string of emojis in a pitiful state after being blocked by her, the boy who used to have to dress as a woman to get close to her, who was now standing in front of her parents, openly and frankly stating his feelings and plans without flinching.

She could almost see the road behind him paved with sweat and the loneliness of being misunderstood.

Tong's mother fell silent. She had to admit that the Lin Li before her was vastly different from the "bad boy" she remembered who might have led her daughter astray. There was something called "firmness" in his eyes.

"Alright, alright, what kind of behavior is it to stand at the door?" Tong's father smoothed things over at the right moment, stepping aside. "Come in and sit down, Lin Li. Perfect timing, tell me about your... what was your major again? Ancient architecture?" He was clearly full of curiosity about this novel major.

This invitation felt like a signal. Lin Li felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He glanced gratefully at Tong's father, then carefully observed Tong's mother's expression.

Seeing that she did not explicitly object, he stepped inside, this time openly and honestly entering Tong Yao's living room.

Tong Yao watched him walk in, their eyes briefly meeting in the air. She saw a fleeting glint of relief in his eyes, and a quiet, growing emotion in her own heart, a mixture of pride and tenderness.

Lin Li sat down on the sofa, still somewhat reserved, but her back was straight.

He began to explain his profession to the intrigued father, trying to describe the connection between environmental psychology, architectural layout, and traditional feng shui culture in simple and easy-to-understand language.

His speech wasn't fluent, and he would occasionally stumble over his words, but his effort to make others understand his choices was clearly visible.

Tong's mother sat to the side, not participating in the conversation, but just listening silently, occasionally picking up her teacup to take a sip of water.

Her gaze kept falling on Lin Li, then back to her own daughter. She noticed that although her daughter still had no expression, her eyes were fixed on the boy who was trying to explain, a focus she had never seen in her daughter when she was with other boys her age.

At that moment, Tong's mother suddenly realized that her daughter had grown up. And the boy at the door, whom she had once considered a "trouble," seemed to be clumsily but earnestly chasing the pace of growth in his own way.

The conversation didn't last long, and Lin Li got up to take his leave. He knew that achieving this much today was already a huge victory.

The ice didn't form overnight; he needed time and sustained action to truly melt the ice in Tong Ma's heart.

Tong Yao saw him to the door.

The hallway was dimly lit. Lin Li looked at her, let out a long breath, as if he had just finished a tough battle, and finally showed a hint of the relieved exhaustion and pride that belonged to his age.

"Did I... do alright?" he asked softly, seeking affirmation.

Tong Yao looked into his bright eyes, which were filled with expectation and a lingering nervousness. She didn't answer directly, but simply reached out and gently straightened the collar of his T-shirt, which had become slightly askew from his earlier nervousness.

This subtle movement made Lin Li freeze instantly, her heart feeling as if it had been brushed by a feather.

"The notification letter," Tong Yao withdrew her hand, her tone calm yet carrying a subtle gentleness, "keep it safe."

"Yes!" Lin Li nodded heavily, as if she had received the most important instruction.

He turned and went downstairs, his steps light and quick. He knew that from today onward, everything would be different. He no longer needed to hide in the shadow of "Lin Lili." He could openly pursue the future he wanted and the girl he loved, as Lin Li.

Tong Yao stood at the door, listening to the footsteps downstairs gradually fading away until they disappeared completely. She turned and went home, closing the door behind her, and met her mother's thoughtful gaze.

“Mom,” she said softly, “he…is different from before.”

Tong's mother didn't speak immediately, but looked at her daughter for a long time before letting out a barely audible sigh: "The road ahead is long, let's see."