Chapter 41: Returning to school is someone I've been thinking about for a long time.
As summer vacation ended, the high temperatures in Tongcheng gradually began to decline. Lin Yu still remembers the day she returned from Jiangcheng. The morning sun slowly rose from the horizon, and its warm light instantly bathed the bustling city.
The day before I left, it drizzled in Tongcheng. I opened the window and fresh air rushed into the room. The old locust tree outside the window was lush and green, its leaves washed by the rain into a glossy emerald green.
Only a dim, yellowish lamp was lit in the room, casting two sticky, embracing shadows on the white walls.
Lin Yu leaned against Zhou Ke's chest and said in a low voice, "Brother, I'm going back to school soon."
Zhou Ke whispered in her ear, his voice low and husky, "I know."
Lin Yu raised her hand, her fingertips tracing Zhou Ke's eyebrows and eyes, and asked, "Do you know how far it is from Tongcheng to Jiang City?"
"I know." Zhou Ke held her hand and replied accurately, "Four hundred and thirty-two kilometers."
Lin Yu was slightly taken aback. Zhou Ke's words were absolutely true. Her mind was drifting, and she suddenly remembered that her brother had said he had come to the school to look for her, but she had no idea. Her heart ached, and tears welled up in her eyes. She choked out, "Have you been to Jiangcheng many times?"
"Twelve times," Zhou Ke admitted frankly.
Upon hearing this number, Lin Yu suddenly couldn't hold back. She only knew it was five times. As for the rest, Zhou Ke had never mentioned them, and she had no way of knowing. "Why did you come to me but not tell me?"
Zhou Ke hugged her and smiled helplessly: "My sister was being stubborn and chose a university so far away from home. She's become a heartless little thing as soon as she leaves home. She might not even come back once a semester. So I'll have to come see you."
"I'm sorry, I just..." Lin Yu bit her lip, managing to utter a few words with difficulty, "I don't know... how to face you. I'm afraid to come back, I'm afraid to let you know that I have these thoughts."
Zhou Ke knew how difficult that period was for her. She clearly loved him so much, yet she had to go against her longing and dare not see him. He patted her head and said softly, "It's okay, don't avoid me in the future."
"Will you come to see me again in the future?" Lin Yu was pinned down by him as he rolled over. In this position, she couldn't see him and couldn't help but resist. "I want to see you."
"Okay." Zhou Ke pinched her waist, turned her around, and gently kissed away the sweat on her forehead, replying as he kissed her, "Of course."
Lin Yu: "How often...?"
"Half a month?" Zhou Ke asked her in a low voice.
Lin Yu was still somewhat unwilling, "I will miss you."
Zhou Ke laughed: "Then once a week."
"Won't it be too tiring?" Lin Yu hooked her arms around his neck and said in a choked voice, "How about you come to Jiangcheng on odd-numbered weeks and I go back to Tongcheng on even-numbered weeks?"
Zhou Ke kissed her eyebrows and eyes, his voice becoming hoarse: "Silly girl, don't just feel sorry for men. If he finds seeing his girlfriend painful, then what's the point of having him?"
This was the first time Lin Yu had heard Zhou Ke utter those three words from his own lips, and her heart skipped a beat. "Brother..."
As the event was drawing to a close, Zhou Ke hugged Lin Yu and reminded her, "Remember to spend the money I gave you."
Lin Yu looked up and saw his pointed chin, then nodded weakly, "Okay."
On the day she left, Zhou Ke drove Lin Yu to the station. Just like when she returned, she didn't have much luggage, just a simple suitcase. With it, Lin Yu reluctantly set off from home.
As soon as she got on the bus, Lin Yu couldn't help but lean against the seat and doze off.
Last night was too intense, and Lin Yu barely slept a wink. She refused to sleep no matter what, and kept dragging Zhou Ke around, making him eat all the cheeses he had never wanted to try before.
Zhou Ke, mindful that she had to go to school the next day, refused to comply. She blinked her watery eyes and stared at him, silently shedding tears.
Separation is a painful experience. She had been trapped in the cage of her love for a long time, unable to move forward or backward. Now that she had finally escaped this damp swamp, she really didn't want to be separated from her brother.
When the red light came on, Zhou Ke turned his head and looked at his sister, who was squinting at him with her eyes barely open. He reached out and cupped her cheek, his fingertips tracing her face, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Lin Yu shook her head, her lips brushing against the back of his palm.
As she was about to enter the station, Lin Yu, carrying her suitcase, looked at her brother standing in front of the security checkpoint, walking and stopping intermittently.
Zhou Ke looked at her, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips. He raised his hand and ruffled her hair, saying, "You know, the first time you went to kindergarten, you were just like today, turning back every few steps. When we got home that night, you grabbed my hand and asked why you couldn't go to school with your brother."
Zhou Ke remembered Lin Yu's matter very clearly. People's memories do not fade with the passage of time, but rather grow into roots that are deeply embedded in the trunk of a large tree through the accumulation of time.
In the distance, a high-speed train was approaching the station, making a low growling sound as it entered the station. Announcements were constantly playing, reminding passengers to enter the station on time.
Sitting in the train carriage, Lin Yu gazed blankly at the distant, rolling mountains. She recalled how, at eighteen, she had left her brother alone, filled with girlish longing. Since then, she had always longed for this city, yet she never had the courage to return and see him again. Now, at twenty, she was once again boarding a train to leave, only this time, her girlish longing had turned into the longing of a lover.
Longing replaced melancholy.
After returning to school, Lin Yu's life revolved entirely around the school. Although there were no major changes compared to before, her state of mind underwent a complete transformation.
With more classes during her junior year, Lin Yu stopped taking part-time jobs. However, the parents of a child she had tutored before contacted her again these past few days, asking if she could continue tutoring this semester.
Lin Yu originally intended to refuse, but then she thought of something and paused, saying she would consider it.
She had a deep impression of the child in the family. She came from a divorced family, and her parents were busy with work and had no time to take care of her. She was not lacking in material things, but she lacked emotional care. That's why she didn't know that her daughter was being bullied at school. As a result, her daughter developed a dislike for school and locked herself in her bedroom for a long time.
Lin Yu was the seventh tutor her mother had hired. When the girl first saw her, she just stared at her blankly for a moment, then looked at the mess of books on the table and said with a cold smile, "Even after all this, you still want to force me to study?"
Lin Yu took off the bag from her shoulder and said calmly, "If you really don't want to study, that's fine too. We can sit down and chat. But I've taken your mother's money, so my job is to tutor you. Since you don't want to, I won't come tomorrow."
Lin Yu did not force the other person to study, nor did she lecture her with profound principles; she simply sat quietly beside her.
After that day, Lin Yu never went to her house again. Only a week later did the girl call her on her own initiative.
The same thing happened this time. The day after Lin Yu said she was considering it, she received a call from the other party asking if she was free recently and if so, if she had time, they could go for afternoon tea together.
When she received the message, Lin Yu and her roommate Wen Qian were coming out of the classroom. Holding her phone, she thought about her plans for the next few days and replied that she was free after 4 p.m. the day after tomorrow.
Wen Qian noticed her unusual behavior lately, nudged her arm lightly with her elbow, and asked with a smile, "Who are you chatting with? You're always on your phone these days."
Lin Yu put away her phone and replied with a faint smile, "She's a little girl; I'm her tutor."
Upon hearing this, Wen Qian gave a meaningful "oh" and then asked, "This time it's a little sister, but what about before? Don't think I don't know. Forget about checking your phone, you've been making phone calls more frequently lately. Tell me honestly, are you in a relationship?"
Over the course of summer vacation, Lin Yu has changed so much. If the Lin Yu of the past was like a melancholy and damp rain, then the Lin Yu of now is definitely the rising sun in autumn, becoming more vibrant. And it's not just Wen Qian who thinks so; the other two roommates have also noticed it.
Lin Yu didn't try to hide the fact that this relationship was with her brother; she nodded honestly.
Upon seeing this, Wen Qian's eyes widened instantly. She instinctively wanted to scream, but remembering that they were outdoors, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Damn, I was right!" she exclaimed. Then, she grabbed Lin Yu's arm and said excitedly, "During military training, a bunch of guys tried every possible way to get your WeChat, but over the years, not one of them could win you over. I was so curious back then, wondering what kind of person could make you willingly fall into the mortal world. I never thought I'd actually find someone like you."
"That's an exaggeration," Lin Yu said, amused by her choice of words.
Holding the book, Wen Qian asked with curiosity in her eyes, "Then why don't you tell me what kind of person he is that has captured your heart?"
Lin Yu hummed in agreement, thought for a moment, and finally used only one sentence to describe it: "It's someone I've been thinking about for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Wen Qian was shocked again: "So you have a crush on her?"
Lin Yu smiled calmly, neither confirming nor denying: "I suppose so."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Qian exclaimed in surprise, then raised her hand and turned her chin upside down, scrutinizing her closely, and said, "You've already grown up like this, and you're still playing the 'secret crush' game. If you just stood there, would anyone not like you?"
Lin Yu was amused by her words.
Getting back to the point, Wen Qian was genuinely curious: "When will there be a chance for us all to meet your boyfriend whom you've successfully had a crush on?"
Lin Yu: "It's hard to say. Let's wait until he comes to Jiangcheng to see."
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