Chapter Seventy-Two: Youthful Spirit

The next morning, Lin Yu was awakened by an irregular knocking sound. She turned around and looked at the bed next door, and found that Yao Fangfang had returned at some point. The quilt was piled up high, with only a few strands of hair showing.

Lin Yu tiptoed to his feet, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains open a crack. He saw Chen Guang standing in the snow, dressed in his favorite white clothes, almost blending into the silvery landscape.

He was holding a snowball, about to throw it, when he saw Lin Yu open the window. He immediately broke into a bright smile, raised the box in his hand, waved at her, and exhaled a large cloud of white mist.

This scene suddenly reminded Lin Yu of that night at the love hotel, when she had hoped that he could stand downstairs and confess his love loudly, just like in a youth movie.

Fantasy and reality gradually overlapped at this moment. Her heart stirred slightly, and she grabbed her coat and rushed out, but then stopped in front of the glass door in the foyer.

She took a deep breath, calming her suddenly racing heart, and slowly pushed open the glass door of the guesthouse.

"Here you go." Chen Guang took two steps forward and handed her the box, still warm from his body. His ear tips were red from the cold, and tiny ice crystals clung to his eyelashes. "See if you like it."

Lin Yu took it, opened the lid, and a brand new iPhone 5s was lying inside.

"This is too valuable!" She quickly closed the lid and pushed it back. "I have my own money to buy it. Just send me the backup data."

"Consider it compensation from me." Chen Guang shoved the box back into her hands without further ado. "This phone is unused; it's just sitting at home unused. Besides, the contacts, photos, memos... everything's already been imported."

Lin Yu suddenly realized something and looked up at his tired face. "So, you disappeared last night to take care of this?"

She had been sulking because she couldn't reach him, but she never imagined he would spend the whole night working on her behalf. Thinking of this, her voice softened involuntarily. "But you didn't bring your phone, how did you get it back?"

"That's none of your business." Chen Guang raised the corners of his mouth, a hint of youthful smugness in his eyes. "Just trust me unconditionally!"

"Yes, yes, you're the best!" Lin Yu hugged his phone and smiled at him.

Chen Guang gazed at Lin Yu's smiling face, took a half step back, and added casually, "I've pinned my phone number and WeChat to the top of my chat list. If you have any urgent matters in the future, you can find me immediately, okay?"

Lin Yu looked up at him, puzzled. "What urgent matter could I possibly have?"

"You really do have no memory..." Chen Guang said with exasperation, "I don't know who it was, but last time at the library restroom entrance..."

"Hey, okay, okay, stop talking." Lin Yu quickly covered his ears to interrupt Chen Guang.

"Actually, you can call me even if it's not urgent. Remember to call me even if there's nothing wrong." Chen Guang smiled and pulled Lin Yu's hand away from her ears. After hesitating for a moment, he gently took her wrist into his hand.

"What do you mean?" Lin Yu was completely confused, letting Chen Guang pull him along.

"For example, shopping, eating, watching movies, skiing, studying, etc."

Chen Guang racked his brains to think of all the things a boyfriend and girlfriend could do, and said vaguely, "Anything that other people don't have time to do with you, you can come to me."

"Are you very free? You have all your time devoted to me."

"Free?" Chen Guang thought to himself, he was probably the busiest person in the world. He was busy trying to get rid of his love rival and racking his brains to please Lin Yu. He barely had time to play games or basketball.

But he felt more fulfilled than ever before, as if only the time he spent with Lin Yu truly belonged to him.

"Have you forgotten? I told you, from now on you'll have the highest priority with me. So..."

"So what?" Lin Yu's heart was filled with an overwhelming joy, and he felt inexplicably shy, sweet, and at ease.

“So… don’t even think about doing these things with other people anymore.” Chen Guang looked intently into her eyes. “Especially Zheng Qi.”

The moment the words left his mouth, both of them seemed to pause for a moment. Chen Guang's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his shoulders tensed slightly.

The moment he uttered this request, it felt like laying his heart bare before her. Zheng Qi's return to single life instilled in Chen Guang a strange sense of crisis.

He was afraid that Lin Yu would get too close to him, afraid of witnessing them alone together, and even more afraid of seeing her focused attention and concern for someone else in her eyes.

At this moment, he revealed a rare hint of uncertainty. His words were both a test of Lin Yu and a way of forcing himself to see things clearly.

Lin Yu gazed at Chen Guang's taut jawline, catching a fleeting unease in his eyes. A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her, but she deliberately put on a stern face.

"So domineering?"

Lin Yu and Zheng Qi have always been just ordinary friends. She doesn't think their interaction is excessive, and there's no need to deliberately cut off contact with Chen Guang for his sake.

But judging from Chen Guang's attitude, she seemed to have finally confirmed one thing: he had always cared about her.

Chen Guang's jealousy and concern placed her in a position different from others, making her clearly feel his favoritism towards her.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that the misunderstanding about Zheng Qi had to be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise the feelings that she and Chen Guang had finally developed could be killed by suspicion at any time.

The previous imposing manner deflated like a punctured balloon, causing Chen Guang's voice to unconsciously weaken. "Of course, the choice is yours."

He put his hands in his coat pockets, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white out of sight. Lin Yu's attitude made him feel a little uncertain.

He suddenly became afraid to hear the answer, afraid that she would push him away for Zheng Qi, afraid that this hard-won relationship would be pushed back to square one by his own impulsiveness.

"What if I refuse..." Lin Yu shook the phone box. "Here, can I have this back?"

"No, it's yours if I give it to you."

Chen Guang's eyelashes drooped, and fine snowflakes landed on his high brow bone. His voice was almost blown away by the wind, as if he was trying to convince himself to give up, or as if he was begging for the other party's pity for a moment.

At this moment, he finally understood the most bittersweet feeling of liking someone. He realized that being attracted to someone could make one so timid, yearning to get close yet forced to restrain oneself, wanting to possess yet fearing to overstep boundaries.

This feeling of powerlessness was like the tide overflowing a dam, and he could only stand there, letting the tide rise and fall.

Seeing Chen Guang's dejected face, Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh and gently patted his chest with the back of her hand. "Just kidding! I promised you, it's not a difficult thing."

Although she knew that a healthy relationship didn't require cutting off all contact with the opposite sex, she didn't mind giving Chen Guang a little more sense of security when he expressed his feelings for her.

Perhaps she also wanted to respond to Chen Guang's concern for her by occasionally making concessions. Hearing Lin Yu's words, Chen Guang's eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile instantly bloomed on his lips.

Lin Yu simply lowered her head and rubbed the snow with the tip of her shoe, her voice soft and gentle. "Thank you for these past two days..."

"Thank me for what?" Chen Guang raised an eyebrow, seemingly regaining his confidence. "For breaking your phone?" He tugged at his collar, secretly relieved.

"Thanks for teaching me how to ski, thanks for giving me a ride on the snow, and... this." Lin Yu waved his new phone. "But I still have to pay you back, how about installments?"

"No, no!" Chen Guang looked at her, his gaze gentle yet weary. "There's no need to be so clear about who's between us."

He suddenly called her by her nickname, his voice like melting snow, warm and cautious. "I actually..."

"What?"

Lin Yu dared not breathe, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the phone case, his heartbeat pounding like a rapid drumbeat in his ears.

She saw Chen Guang's Adam's apple bob slightly, and a certain emotion, about to burst forth, slowly solidified between them like snowflakes, as if every snowflake falling at this moment held an unfinished confession.

"Hey, are you putting on an idol drama so early in the morning?" Roommate Cheng Yuan walked towards them with a smile, carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks.

Chen Guang turned around abruptly, a rare hint of panic flashing across his face. "What's it to you?"

Cheng Yuan was an unreliable person. He would approach and chat up any girl who was even slightly attractive. He subconsciously shielded Lin Yu behind him and his gaze fell on the breakfast in Cheng Yuan's hand.

"But what about you? Why are you fawning over the girls' room?"

"Only officials are allowed to set fires, while common people are forbidden to light lamps?"

Cheng Yuan shook the breakfast bag in his hand, his gaze shifting between the two of them before pausing meaningfully. "Where did you two run off to last night? Did you desert the group without permission..."

Chen Guang's ears turned bright red, and he was about to speak when the door behind him opened. Lin Yu turned around and saw Yao Fangfang walking out, wearing a cashmere coat casually over her nightgown, her slender, snow-white legs bare.

She stepped across the porch to Cheng Yuan and took the breakfast from his hands.

"Thanks!"

Yao Fangfang sang all night last night, her voice still hoarse from sleep, and she lazily yawned. "But don't send me off anymore, I have a boyfriend."

"What?"

Lin Yu's eyes widened in surprise, and he almost dropped the phone box, reacting even more strongly than Cheng Yuan beside him.

"Who is it? Zhang Yunzhou? When did this happen?"

Yao Fangfang winked at her, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

Chen Guang opened his mouth but froze on the spot. The confession he had been preparing all night was abruptly cut off by this unexpected interlude, stuck in his throat, leaving him no time to consider his good brother's emotional issues.

Lin Yu grabbed Yao Fangfang's wrist and dragged her into the room, leaving the two heartbroken boys standing outside in the freezing cold.

"You and Zhang Yunzhou are really together?" She locked the door, dragged Yao Fangfang to sit on the bed, and asked incredulously.

"Still under observation!" Yao Fangfang drawled, then casually stuffed the breakfast Cheng Yuan had bought into Lin Yu's arms.

"So it didn't work out!" Lin Yu shook his head in disbelief. "This isn't like you at all. When did you start fighting over someone who doesn't even have a formal title..."

"Shh..." Yao Fangfang suddenly turned around, her slender index finger touching Lin Yu's nose. "Instead of worrying about me..." She suddenly leaned closer, her fox-like eyes narrowing slightly, a sly smile on her face.

"Why don't you think about Chen Guang? Is he really trying to give you the phone or yourself?" With that, she gently tucked Lin Yu's loose hair behind her ear.

Whenever the two of them appear together, a subtle, indescribable atmosphere floats in the air, as if the thin, translucent window paper in front of them could be blown away with a single breath.

However, they are overly cautious and tentative when it comes to relationships, always maintaining a distance that is neither too close nor too far, repeating a tacit understanding day after day.

She squinted and began to consider whether she should discuss with Zhang Yunzhou and take some action to change the current situation.

When Zhang Yunzhou was mentioned, Yao Fangfang admitted that her attitude towards him had indeed changed. Perhaps it was that night when they admired the starry sky together, or perhaps it was his silent companionship day after day.

His composure and gentleness were like a gentle rain soaking parched earth, stirring ripples in her long-dormant heart. Unconsciously, Zhang Yunzhou's presence caused her to lose interest in all other pursuits.

She could see that Cheng Yuan had been extremely attentive to her since yesterday, constantly showing concern and care.

Having experienced Zhang Yunzhou's gentle, subtle kindness, she could easily distinguish between genuine and feigned affection. Faced with Cheng Yuan's deliberate attempts to please her, she found it utterly unappealing and couldn't even muster the interest to offer perfunctory responses.

Lin Yu was taken aback by Yao Fangfang's question, his ears burning, and he guiltily retorted, "I bought this phone from him."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered the wrong phone call she had answered the night before, and hurriedly took out her new phone to send a WeChat message to Chen Guang.

"Your mother called you yesterday, but I answered by mistake." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Remember to explain it to her!"

Chen Guang's pocket vibrated twice as he pulled out his phone, the screen reflecting Cheng Yuan's dejected face behind him.

"Explain what?"

He stared at the chat box, typing rapidly, his mind filled with the interrupted confession. At this moment, he and the frustrated Cheng Yuan truly became brothers in misfortune.

"Our relationship..." The phone vibrated again soon after.

Chen Guang stared at the line of text for a long time, then suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. "How do you want me to explain this?" He slammed his fist on the screen, throwing the question back at him defiantly, with a hint of defiance.

Lin Yu stared at his phone, his fingertips moving back and forth between classmates, friends, and study partners, editing and rewriting. Thinking of the unfinished conversation between the two of them at the entrance of the guesthouse, he hesitated before replying, "Just say whatever you want, why ask me?"

Perhaps secretly, she also wanted to see how Chen Guang would define their relationship in front of outsiders.

"What I say goes?" The moment he sent it, he regretted it. He was too hasty, and too obvious.

The dialog box displayed "The other party is typing," but it took a full half minute for Lin Yu's reply to pop up. "What do you mean..." He typed halfway through the sentence and then withdrew it.

She seemed to realize that she wasn't ready to handle the change in her relationship with Chen Guang, hesitated for a long time, and finally abruptly changed the subject. "What were you trying to say?"

Chen Guang stared at his phone, interpreting Lin Yu's shyness as yet another attempt to avoid the situation. This caused the pent-up frustration in his chest to build up, like natural gas about to explode in a confined space.

Just now? The words he had mustered the courage to say were completely distorted by Cheng Yuan. Now the opportunity had passed, the atmosphere had dissipated, and even Lin Yu was pretending not to understand. He was left completely flustered and at a loss for what to say.

He took a deep breath, his thumb hovering over the keyboard, and finally replied with only one sentence.

"I forgot."

Although the two were attracted to each other, the depth of their feelings and their courage to commit were clearly not in sync. While Chen Guang mustered the courage to take a gamble, Lin Yu was still cautiously testing the waters, unsure of what to do next.

This mismatch caused by personality differences is like gears that can't mesh properly, leading to constant misunderstandings and friction between the two. But this is precisely the most bittersweet and touching aspect of adolescent relationships.

The screen went dark, and Chen Guang put away his phone with a sullen expression, wondering when the next opportunity would come. The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became, and he kicked Cheng Yuan, who was still immersed in his heartbreak, next to him.