Chapter Eighteen: The Watchdog
After their unpleasant encounter at the hospital, Lin Yu finally had another chance to observe Chen Guang up close. In less than half a month, his hair seemed to have grown considerably longer, no longer clinging tightly to his scalp, and his features appeared less sharp and aggressive.
It was a little after 3 p.m., and the cafeteria was nearly empty. The three of them sat in a corner by the window on the first floor, with Lin Yu sitting upright and properly opposite the other two.
Her hands were folded on her knees, her fingers chilled by the old ceiling fan overhead. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, showed visible bluish veins beneath her eyelids.
Her lower lip, unconsciously bitten, bore a ring of bright red blood. Her cheeks were also unnaturally flushed from excessive rubbing. But she was clearly much calmer than she had been in the library.
"Thank you so much!" Lin Yu said gratefully to the two people opposite him.
Chen Guang slammed the iced cola down in front of Lin Yu. "What? Are you a cassette tape, playing side A and then switching to side B?"
He leaned back lazily in his chair, teasing her about the words Lin Yu had used to insult him at the hospital, but seeing her still shaken appearance, he felt no satisfaction at having gotten his revenge.
"You said you could borrow books and end up at the police station? That's quite a unique way to warm up for summer vacation."
Lin Yu gripped the cold aluminum can, water droplets sliding down his hand. "What would you like to eat?...My treat."
She ignored Chen Guang's words and no longer confronted him as usual, becoming unusually docile.
"Has the stubborn mule changed its mind?" Chen Guang's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. "If we eat in the cafeteria, even if we factor in the cost of two incredibly handsome guys' escort services, it would probably take a year to break even!"
"It's the end of the month, and I'm short on cash. I'll treat you to something nice when my allowance arrives next month." She looked up at him with her wet eyes, like a little animal that had been caught in the rain.
Chen Guang felt a slight tingling sensation on the back of his head from that unusually observant gaze, and he swallowed back the sarcastic remark that was about to slip out. "Ahem... Although you weren't at fault this time, you were far too careless."
He tapped the two books of literature spread out on the table with his fingers. "Such a big living person following me and I didn't even notice. That guy's footsteps were like machine gun fire. Could it be that these two books really damaged his brain?" He then leaned closer to Lin Yu.
"You didn't even call me when you went to study? Is my number charged per call? Is it too precious for you to call?"
"I'm not going to study," Lin Yu retorted instinctively.
"Is this the important point, Lin Yu!" Chen Guang's voice suddenly rose, drawing stares from the neighboring tables. He scratched his head in frustration.
"If we hadn't just happened to be passing by, you might be on the news tomorrow!" Chen Guang was furious when he saw Lin Yu looking silly. He launched into a tirade against her, completely forgetting the solemn oath he had sworn before.
Lin Yu lowered his head, fiddling with his fingers, his voice barely audible. "...Didn't someone say that if you ever study with me again, you're a dog?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Guang grinned, striking a pose of a true man who can bend and stretch, and without hesitation barked, "Woof woof woof!"
Meeting Lin Yu's incredulous expression, he lowered his voice, his tone laced with a hint of roguishness. "I suddenly have a urge to be a dog, okay? I'm happy to be your watchdog, Miss Lin!"
Then he sighed dramatically, resting his chin on his hand. "He worries more than your father does every day. If he ever manages to drive me to my death, my epitaph will read: Here lies Chen Guang, the wronged son who was driven to his death by Lin Yu."
Lin Yu couldn't help but want to laugh, but the moment she curled her lips up, she pulled at the wound on her lower lip, and the slight stinging pain made her subconsciously purse her lips again.
At that moment, she realized with absolute clarity that her relationship with Chen Guang had undergone a subtle and irreversible transformation the instant she lost control and threw herself into his arms.
The initial hostility she felt because Chen Guang had unintentionally "interfered" with her and Zheng Qi's study session had long since vanished with the arrival of Zheng Qi's real girlfriend. In its place was an indescribable stirring of affection.
Chen Guang's witty remarks acted as a remedy, perfectly easing her embarrassment and tension. Although this heroic rescue was purely coincidental, something beyond friendship had already taken root and sprouted amidst this chaotic opportunity.
Just as Lin Yu was not yet fully processing this subtle emotional shift, a familiar "Banban" suddenly came from behind him.
She subconsciously turned her head and immediately saw Yao Fangfang wearing a pink Hello Kitty nightgown. Her hair was loosely tied back, with a few strands hanging unruly by her ears, swaying gently as she hurried over.
"Fangfang!"
"This is my roommate Yao..." Lin Yu's words were only halfway through when he turned around and was caught off guard by Zhang Yunzhou's face, which was filled with surprise. Zhang Yunzhou's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg. As if frozen in place, Zhang Yunzhou's gaze passed over Lin Yu and was fixed on Yao Fangfang.
There was a focus in his eyes that Lin Yu had never seen before. The surrounding noise seemed to be muted at that moment. Lin Yu's words caught in his throat.
Chen Guang glanced sideways at Zhang Yunzhou's absent-minded look, then leaned close to Lin Yu's ear and sneered, "The school beauty's charm is indeed not to be underestimated. Look at how much he's drooling; it's as worthless as gutter oil."
In just a few words, Yao Fangfang had already run to Lin Yu's side, grabbed her shoulders, and nervously checked her over from head to toe.
"I rushed over as soon as I saw the message. How did it go? Did you call the police? Did they catch them?" The two boys opposite her were like junk files on a computer screen, which she deleted in the blink of an eye and dragged into the recycle bin.
"I reported it to the counselor immediately, and the police have also come," Lin Yu explained.
"He was caught by Chen Guang's friend not far after he ran out." She pointed to Zhang Yunzhou sitting opposite her, who looked on expectantly to be chosen. She thought to herself that having long legs was indeed an advantage; he could run faster than anyone else at crucial moments. Then she smiled gratefully at him.
Watching the two exchanging glances as if no one else was around, Chen Guang's competitive spirit surged instantly. "If someone hadn't been holding me so tightly back then, clinging to me like a koala, severely limiting my performance, who knows who would have gotten out of the way?"
Lin Yu was baffled by Chen Guang's unvented competitive spirit and ignored him as she continued talking to Yao Fangfang: "But the corridor outside the library toilet is a blind spot for surveillance cameras, and this person is a migrant worker from outside the school. Without any evidence, he will most likely be released after being detained for 24 hours."
"Didn't he see your face?" Yao Fangfang asked anxiously, while gently patting Lin Yu's back to comfort him. "Don't let that kind of person remember your face. He will definitely find a chance to get revenge."
"No." Lin Yu shook his head firmly.
"That's good!" Yao Fangfang breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, then said seriously, "There are more boys than girls at our school, so you should be careful when you go out around the time before and after the start of the semester. I'll put some pepper spray in your bag later, just in case."
"It's nothing." Lin Yu looked at Chen Guang, his eyes wide and bright. "I have a watchdog."
"What dog? When did the school start allowing dogs?" Yao Fangfang was completely confused by Lin Yu.
"Pfft..." Hearing this, Chen Guang finally couldn't help but cover his face with his hands, but a muffled laugh escaped from between his fingers, and his shoulders shook with laughter.
Yao Fangfang then noticed the two people opposite her, and blinked at them in confusion. Her gaze swept back and forth between Lin Yu and Chen Guang, as if she had glimpsed some significant clue.
"What's going on between you two? You've only studied together a few times, and you've already developed a little secret?" The word "secret" was like a needle threaded through a thread, instantly sealing Chen Guang's mouth shut.
His eyes began to dart around, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, as he tried to distract everyone with these small movements. This sudden silence made the atmosphere among them even more subtle, even carrying a hint of inexplicable eeriness.
"Ahem!" Zhang Yunzhou suddenly snapped out of his daze, bowed slightly with a sense of mission, and broke the awkward silence.
"I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zhang Yunzhou, and I'm Chen Guang's childhood friend." After saying that, he nodded politely to the two girls, and gave them a perfectly timed smile, trying to get the atmosphere back on track.
Zhang Yunzhou lived up to his name, with a tall and slender figure. Standing at nearly 1.9 meters, even someone of Chen Guang's stature had to look up to talk to him. He had a face like a Korean male lead, with fair and translucent skin and a lean yet sculpted bone structure.
Lin Yu noticed his unusual attention to Yao Fangfang with just one glance. After all, the contrast was too obvious for someone who always seemed so composed to lose their composure so quickly.
Of course, this isn't surprising. Yao Fangfang has always been a hot commodity among boys; at least nine and a half out of ten boys would have a crush on her, and the remaining half might even be a lesbian. But in Lin Yu's mind, Zhang Yunzhou always seemed a bit lacking when it came to being a match for Yao Fangfang.
It wasn't because of his appearance or character. On the contrary, Lin Yu had a very good first impression of him. This guy seemed to have a warm smile that was open 24 hours a day, and his words and actions were considerate, thoughtful, and just right.
In stark contrast to Chen Guang's roguish and capricious style, Zhang Yunzhou's demeanor exudes a gentle and considerate sense of propriety that is truly refreshing.
Lin Yu thought that her subtle sense of resistance was probably just a result of her best friend's protective instincts.
However, she quickly put the thought out of her mind. After all, Yao Fangfang and her boyfriend had a stable relationship, and the person involved didn't even take this little incident to heart.
In the end, Lin Yu didn't have a chance to take out his meal card. The planned dinner in the cafeteria was changed to a Cantonese restaurant off campus due to Yao Fangfang's sudden visit and Zhang Yunzhou's strong suggestion.
Lin Yu touched her empty wallet and nervously winked at Chen Guang. Chen Guang glanced at her, patted her shoulder knowingly, and indicated that she didn't need to be nervous, as Boss Zhang would pay the bill.
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