I love you
night.
Lala Lala: So, do you like me?
Pretentious: I don't like it.
Spicy, spicy, spicy: You're being hypocritical; you clearly like me.
Pretending to be serious: I'm putting my phone away now, goodbye.
Lin Li glared angrily at the now-blacked-out profile picture. "Pretentious" was the new nickname he had given Tong Yao a while ago.
One day, he will make Tong Yao tell him in person that she likes him!
Footsteps came from outside the curtain, and Lin Li turned off her phone and looked over.
Lin Hu, wearing a black mask, lifted the curtain and walked to the computer desk to sit down.
"Little brother, sit over there and play. I'll take you home after my live stream."
Lin Li obediently hummed in agreement.
The house Lin Hu rented was just a few kilometers above Tong Yao's house.
After dropping Tong Yao off at home, he stopped by Lin Hu on the way to check on his livestream.
Lin Li sat next to him, watching Lin Hu's live stream on her phone.
The live chat was flooded with comments like "Husband!" and "So scared yet so excited!"
The number of viewers on the live stream gradually increased from a few dozen to several thousand.
Lin Liming and Bai Linhu's live streams have truly taken off.
More than an hour later.
"Okay, that's all for today. See you tomorrow."
After saying his last words, Lin Hu took off his headphones and mask, and walked out with Lin Li.
Lin Hu hailed a taxi, let Lin Li get in, and then sent Lin Li a transfer via his phone.
Lin Li clicked on it and saw it was 50,000 yuan.
“Little brother, my live streaming business is slowly taking off now. If you ever run out of money, just ask me for some!” Lin Hu said, standing outside the car door.
"Brother, why don't you move?"
"Yes, we're preparing to move. Tomorrow I plan to settle my brother's grandmother downstairs in our building, and then rent a parking space to do live streaming."
"Alright, see you later, bro!"
"Um."
Lin Hu turned and left, hands in his pockets.
The car started, and Lin Li looked out the window at the receding scenery.
The live stream has been going so smoothly so far, could it be that his butterfly effect has played a role? Does that mean Lin Hu's fate has been changed?
_
Over the weekend, Lin Li helped Lin Hu move.
I also officially met Lin Hu's grandmother.
It turns out the brother's name is Wang Qingyun, and he'll be out in six months.
His grandmother is 78 years old this year, but fortunately she is still in good health.
Lin Hu originally planned to rent a storefront in their apartment building to open a small shop for his grandmother.
However, Grandma refused, saying she was too old to do such a thing.
Lin Li felt that she was just embarrassed to trouble Lin Hu.
But he didn't interrupt; at 78 years old, he should be enjoying his retirement.
Lin Hu didn't have much stuff; besides the computer, he only had a few clothes, and he could move it all by himself.
Lin Li followed behind and took some blankets and other things.
Grandma had even fewer things left; she rented out her house and small shop in the urban village at a low price.
_
on Monday
Lin Li looked at Zhou Yuan in front of her, puzzled.
"Why do you bring me milk every day? I don't need it."
Zhou Yuan was too lazy to make excuses, so she simply confessed:
"I like you, can you tell? I'm pursuing you!"
Lin Li was stunned, wondering what she had done to make her fall in love with her.
After thinking it over, it seems like I haven't done anything! Perhaps—
“You’ve probably been fooled by the image I present.” He decided to lay it all out: “My real personality is nothing like that.”
“It’s okay.” Zhou Yuan looked at him stubbornly. “I know, but I still like you.”
“But I like Tong Yao.” Lin Li pointed to the honor roll in the corridor. “She’s the girl who’s ranked first in the grade. I can’t possibly like anyone else but her.”
"Not even a chance?"
“No.” Lin Li said firmly, “I was born for her.”
Seeing that Zhou Yuan still wouldn't give up, he couldn't help but start lecturing:
"I don't know what you like about me? Maybe just my looks? You're still young, you don't understand what love is."
Do you know what it means to like someone?
"We've only known each other for a few days, and you're already saying you like me?"
"To like someone is to want to see them all the time."
"Liking someone is about restraint and forbearance."
"Liking someone means wanting them to become a better person..."
"You're thinking about these things too early..."
"As a student—"
Zhou Yuan stared in disbelief as his lips moved like a machine gun, speaking so many words without taking a breath, making her involuntarily imagine her parents lecturing her.
Until she heard the following:
Your top priority right now is to study hard!
"ah!"
She finally broke down and covered her ears:
"Ah—I don't want to like you anymore!"
Watching her fleeing figure, Lin Li's unfinished lecture stuck in his throat.
"Restraint?" Tong Yao appeared beside him at some point, her eyes filled with amusement.
"Endure?" A slight smile played on her lips.
"hehe,"
She gave a mocking laugh and left.
The person left standing there, blushing and feeling guilty.
After school, Lin Li grabbed Tong Yao, who was trying to leave, at the school gate.
"I love you."
The implication is that restraint and self-control are things only people who like someone do, and since he loves someone now, what he said doesn't matter to him!
Tong Yao broke free from Lin Li's hand.
"love me?"
He poked Lin Li's chest with his fingertip.
"Wasn't someone just a high school student in their past life?"
"A student's primary task is to study, isn't it?"
"It's too early to talk about these things now, Lin..."
With that, Tong Yao abandoned Lin Li and ran away.
"I'm going home now, goodbye."
Lin Li covered the spot where she had just been poked and muttered, "I didn't plan to be in a relationship right now, did I?"
Tong Yao: Hehe, if it weren't for her insistence...
_
After that day, Lin Li restrained his behavior and kept a distance from Tong Yao.
When he got home, he realized that he and Tong Yao seemed to be getting too close.
Although she says she's not in a relationship, to outsiders it probably makes no difference...
So Lin Li controlled his urge to stick close to Tong Yao, and to restrain himself, he never mentioned moving the seat back from the back door again.
Time flew by and the final exams arrived.
As soon as the final exam bell rang, Lin Li grabbed Tong Yao and quickly slipped into the sheltered alley near the school gate.
The winter sun was rather cold, casting its rays obliquely on the alley walls. Tong Yao exhaled a puff of white breath, looking in surprise at their clasped hands—Lin Li hadn't taken her hand so proactively and eagerly in a long time.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Lin Li didn't speak, but simply held her slightly cool hands in his warm palms, then gently brought her in front of him and wrapped her in his school uniform.
"I want to recharge." His chin rested on the hair on the top of her head, his voice muffled. "Let me hug you for a while."
Tong Yao chuckled softly in his arms, poking his chest with her fingertip: "What happened to your restraint? Your forbearance?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Lin Li tightened his arms, encircling her in the only warm space he had left. "...I love you."
The warmth of his embrace dispelled the surrounding chill, and Tong Yao leaned against him quietly for a while until she felt his tense back gradually relax.
"Alright," Lin Li finally let out a satisfied sigh, as if she were fully recharged, "I'm back to life."
Just as he was about to let go, Tong Yao hugged him back.
"Don't rush," she said, pressing her cool cheek against his warm neck, her voice surprisingly gentle, "...charge a little longer, I'm afraid your battery won't last a month."
Lin Li froze: "A month?"
“Hmm,” Tong Yao looked up, a mischievous yet helpless smile in her eyes, “I’m going back to my hometown for Chinese New Year during winter break, you silly girl.”
"What?!" Lin Li's exclamation was exceptionally clear in the quiet alley. His face was filled with the words "a bolt from the blue." "A whole month?"
"Otherwise what?" She chuckled and reached out to pinch his face, which instantly crumbled.
"Then I want a kiss!" He grabbed her hand, his tone like a child begging for candy.
"Dream on!" Tong Yao's ears burned, and she laughed as she pushed away his face that was getting close.
"Then...a kiss on the forehead is alright, isn't it?" He compromised, his tone softening, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.
Before she could refuse again, Lin Li lowered his head and gently pressed his warm lips to her forehead, which was slightly chilled by the cold wind.
In 2023, Tong Yao quietly grew taller, reaching 168 cm, which meant he didn't have to bend over so hard, and she didn't have to struggle to stand on tiptoe.
This height is just right.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
