Chapter Twenty-Two: Mayflies
The next morning, Yao Fangfang, still suffering from a high fever, woke up with a burning sensation in her throat. Dragging her aching body, she groggily went to the living room to get some water. There she encountered a family of three who had already eaten breakfast and were watching TV in the living room.
She glanced at the spotless dining table and heard her stepmother speak first. "Fangfang, did you throw a tantrum with your boyfriend again? Girls should learn to say a few kind words, live a good life, and stop making your father and me worry."
Yao Fangfang ignored him and turned to rummage through the medicine box under the TV cabinet. But she hadn't been back for so long that the furnishings in the house had become unfamiliar. She couldn't find what she was looking for for a moment. When she stood up, everything went black, and she quickly grabbed the corner of the TV for support.
Seeing Yao Fangfang's perfunctory attitude towards her stepmother, the father's tone revealed a hint of impatience. "You're not a child anymore. How can you always be so willful? In a couple of years, when you get married, your in-laws will think we haven't disciplined you properly."
"Discipline? You dare to talk about discipline?"
“I’ve only ever been disciplined by my mother in my entire life. Now that she’s dead, I’m just an ill-mannered wild girl!” Yao Fangfang’s face was deathly pale, and her hand gripping the TV trembled uncontrollably. But her eyelids were dry, and she had no more tears to shed.
“If you suddenly feel like being a father, then you should really discipline your adopted son.” He then pointed to his “brother” who was lounging on the sofa.
When Zhang Cheng heard Yao Fangfang mention him, the 1.8-meter-tall man jumped up from the sofa, pointed at Yao Fangfang's nose, and cursed, "Say that again, you damn good-for-nothing who can't even hold onto a man!"
The stepmother quietly tugged at her son's sleeve, feigning dissuasion, but when her father couldn't see, she cast a mocking sneer at Yao Fangfang.
Too lazy to argue with them any longer, Yao Fangfang took the keys and went downstairs to buy medicine. When she returned home after having breakfast downstairs, the door was locked from the inside.
......
When Lin Yu received Yao Fangfang's call, he was having dinner with Lin Min and her new boyfriend.
The logistics director, Liu Wenbin, was a short, stout middle-aged man, about the same age as Lin Min. He always had a hunched back and a fawning smile on his face, displaying a submissive demeanor.
But he was a down-to-earth person and also a rare good cook. The first time they ate together at home, the table was full of dishes that Lin Yu used to love.
She maintained a neutral stance towards Liu Wenbin. As long as it made her mother happy, she didn't object to Lin Min entering a new relationship. In other words, she was merely an observer of Lin Min's life, and none of this was truly her concern.
The fact that the relationship was established solely through Lin Min, yet they would have to interact as family members in the future, still made Lin Yu feel a subtle awkwardness when interacting with Liu Wenbin.
Yao Fangfang inquired about Lin Yu's situation over the phone, but Lin Yu keenly noticed her unusual behavior. "Where are you? Didn't you go to Qu Lei's place?"
Upon hearing Qu Lei's name, Yao Fangfang was momentarily lost in thought. "He...cheated on me. I think it's over between us."
Lin Yu's heart sank, and he asked nervously, "Where are you now? Why does your voice sound so strange?"
"I have a slight fever, but I've already taken medicine." Yao Fangfang's thin voice echoed in the corridor.
"Don't worry, I'm with my dad." Just then, a neighbor auntie who happened to be passing by saw Yao Fangfang squatting alone at the door and asked her in surprise why she hadn't gone home yet and whether she had forgotten her keys.
"Did your dad lock you out?" Lin Yuteng suddenly stood up, startling Lin Min and Liu Wenbin. "Find a place to wait, I'll come get you right away."
"Really, it's not necessary. I'll call a locksmith in a bit. You're not from the city, it's too much trouble for you to come all the way here." Yao Fangfang hugged her shoulders and started to tremble, holding the phone between her cheeks and curling up into a small ball in the corner.
She really didn't want to trouble Lin Yu or anyone else, but she was extremely helpless at the moment, and she didn't know who else to ask for help besides Lin Yu.
"Stop talking nonsense and just wait." Lin Yu's heart suddenly clenched. Yao Fangfang's voice on the other end of the phone was unusually vulnerable. She was always proud and would never call him unless she was in a helpless situation.
Although he didn't know what had happened between her and Qu Lei, a long-lost protective instinct welled up within him, making Lin Yu feel compelled to do something for her at this moment.
There are only two green-skinned trains running between Lin Yu's hometown and Linjiang City, and the carriages are permeated with the smell of instant noodles mixed with sweat all year round.
The train chugged along, stopping at every station. The five-hour bumpy journey was enough for someone to count every single hair on the man's head across from them.
Previously, when Lin Yu returned home, Lin Min had suggested that Liu Wenbin drive to pick her up, but Lin Yu, still feeling that their relationship wasn't at that stage, politely declined, citing the uncertainty of the time. Now, however, he had no choice but to trouble his prospective stepfather.
While warning Lin Yu to avoid associating with disreputable classmates at school, Lin Min pulled Liu Wenbin aside and told him to keep an eye on whether Lin Yu was really going to see his roommate or was going to meet some non-existent "ghost fire" boy.
Because he often worked as the principal's driver while at school, Liu Wenbin was a good driver. He drove fast and steadily on the highway and arrived at Yao Fangfang's building in less than two hours.
Before the car even got close, Lin Yu could see Yao Fangfang sitting on the steps at the intersection, shivering in the wind.
Once the car had come to a stop, she flung open the door, rushed over, and gave Yao Fangfang a firm hug. Overwhelmed with pent-up affection, Lin Yu instantly felt like a genius when it came to friendship.
Seeing Yao Fangfang, who had always been at the top of the love food chain, ruin herself to this extent for Qu Lei, she felt sorry for her and realized how terrible love could be, turning a person into a complete stranger.
Yao Fangfang had nowhere to go, so Lin Yu decided to take her home first, and then the two of them would return to school together after the start of the semester.
Lin Yu helped Yao Fangfang into the back seat of the car. After she politely thanked Liu Wenbin, she succumbed to sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep. By the time the three of them returned to Lin Yu's house together, it was already time for dinner.
After her long journey, Yao Fangfang developed a low-grade fever again. She stood respectfully at the door and thanked Lin Min and Liu Wenbin once more. Liu Wenbin, not wanting to linger, bought some fever-reducing medicine downstairs and then excused himself to leave.
Lin Yu omitted Qu Lei's part and simply told Lin Min about Yao Fangfang's situation. Lin Min had a natural empathy for children who grew up in dysfunctional families, as if they were all Lin Yus in different bodies.
She took a clean blanket from the closet, wrapped it around Yao Fangfang, and warmly invited her to sit on the sofa and rest.
Lin Min wasn't a good cook and didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her classmates, so she specially ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant for dinner. Considering Yao Fangfang's situation, the dishes were generally light and bland.
After dinner, Lin Min found a brand new set of toiletries and pulled out an old set of Lin Yu's pajamas. She then stuffed them all into Yao Fangfang's hands, urging her to take her medicine and get some rest as soon as possible.
The cotton fabric was soft from washing and carried a faint scent of mothballs. Yao Fangfang held it in her arms and thanked her softly again.
Back home, Lin Yu's biological clock was forced to reset. Urged by Lin Min, she obediently followed Yao Fangfang to wash up. After having her temperature taken, taking medicine, and drinking the milk that Lin Min had warmed up, the two lay down on Lin Yu's slightly cramped bed.
Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft veil over Yao Fangfang's face. Lin Yu gazed at her slightly trembling eyelashes and suddenly recalled the butterfly specimens his father brought back from business trips when he was a child. Like Yao Fangfang at this moment, they possessed a breathtaking beauty.
"Is this apartment small? The bed is also narrow. My mom always said she wanted to move to a bigger one, but every time it came time to go see an apartment, she would put it off, saying she would wait until I had a stable job."
"Given her personality, she could live in this house until I retire. Do you believe me?"
Lin Yu turned and put his arm around Yao Fangfang, making a nonsensical monologue, as if nonsense could dispel sadness.
"Was that your stepfather just now?" Yao Fangfang asked, staring at the ceiling, without any apparent reason.
"Not yet." Lin Yu's tone was vague and ambiguous when he mentioned Liu Wenbin, and Yao Fangfang, seeing this, promptly ended the conversation. Lin Yu touched her forehead.
"I'll feel much better now. In a few days I'll be full of energy again! Everyone will love Yao Fangfang again!"
"Actually, I'm quite envious of you, Banban!" Yao Fangfang's voice was hollow, like a wisp of smoke.
“At least you have a home, and there are people in your family who genuinely care about you. Even your stepfather is very attentive to you.”
"And I am more like a floating object on the water. No matter how beautiful I am, I am only alive for a day and die at night. Who would really care about the life and death of a floating object?"
Lin Yu tightened his arms around Yao Fangfang's chest and pulled her into his embrace.
"Fangfang, you will have a home someday, a home with hot meals, and someone who will always leave a light on for you, waiting for you to come back. And I will stay with you until that day."
"So don't be discouraged, tomorrow is another day."
It wasn't until the morning of the fourth day that Yao Fangfang's high fever finally subsided.
Despite it being a holiday, Lin Min remained busy. At the school's arrangement, she gave up her rest time to provide tutoring for students staying on campus.
High school teachers earn a considerable amount of money from tutoring during holidays, but Lin Min has a longer-term plan for her wealth. She invests a significant portion of her tutoring income in the stock market. With the arrival of a bull market, her assets have grown like a snowball, and she has made a fortune in the past few years.
Lin Yu didn't have many friends, so in previous years, her life during winter and summer vacations was always as monotonous as the pendulum of a clock. She would either stay at home alone or occasionally be taken out to eat by her father, Lin Jianguo.
Alternatively, she would take the train from the station and leisurely visit her grandmother at the farm for a few days. But most of the time, she was alone, preferring to spend her time in the town library, surrounded by books.
But with Yao Fangfang's visit, life suddenly became lively during the holiday. Lin Yu took the initiative to help her get over her heartbreak, taking her around the streets and alleys. He deliberately packed their schedule full and introduced Yao Fangfang to his few high school friends, not letting her catch her breath for a moment.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the new semester began. Yao Fangfang and Lin Yu boarded the train back to school, their suitcases filled with local specialties from their hometown, packed full by Lin Min.
Lin Yu knew Lin Min's culinary skills well and knew that most of the food was prepared by Liu Wenbin for her, so she couldn't help but feel a conflicted fondness for him.
Back in her dorm room, Yao Fangfang calmly stuffed everything in her wardrobe related to Qu Lei into a trash bag, officially declaring herself single.
Life returned to normal. She continued to attend classes, eat, and sleep on time. She would even occasionally join in the dormitory's late-night chats, complaining with Zhang Yimeng about the groping behavior of a certain boy she encountered in the cafeteria, and would also invite Qian Zan to have his fortune told.
Time, like rough sandpaper, wore away Yao Fangfang's love for Qu Lei. Their past, along with that bag of trash, was forever discarded by her on that violent night.
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