Don't Be Sad

Xia Aodi: Lin Yu, help me!

Xia Aodi: Heizi and his gang have me cornered in Room 8 of Mountain City Restaurant!

Xia Aodi: Hurry!

Lin Yu paused mid-bite, staring at the three rapid-fire messages lighting up his phone screen. Confusion washed over him.

Who the hell was Heizi?

It took Lin Yu a moment to place the name, but after a brief mental scramble, he remembered—Heizi was the school bully who used to torment Xia Yueshan.

Once the memory clicked, a question mark practically materialized above Lin Yu’s head.

That bastard got his ass handed to him right in front of his parents. How the hell did he still have the guts to mess with Xia Yueshan again?

It didn’t make sense.

None of it did.

Lin Yu stroked his chin, gears turning.

First off, the fact that Heizi even dared to retaliate was suspicious.

He’d been beaten to a pulp by Xia Yueshan in a one-on-one fight. His dad had gotten wrecked by Lin Yu himself. And afterward, Lin Yu had even arranged for some thugs from the Black Blood Gang to give Heizi’s father a special "welcome."

And yet, here he was, still bold enough to go after Xia Yueshan?

Was he not afraid of getting his face rearranged again?

Or did he secretly hate his own dad?

Secondly, the location of this supposed ambush was fishy. A restaurant wasn’t exactly a secluded spot. Even if Heizi, being a middle-school punk, was too chicken to start a fight inside, dragging Xia Yueshan outside wouldn’t be hard.

But a private room? A closed-off space?

Was this just a ploy to lure Lin Yu into meeting Xia Muzhu?

After some thought, Lin Yu decided it was highly likely.

Picking up his phone, he immediately video-called Xia Yueshan to check his surroundings and see if he was lying.

The call rang endlessly before disconnecting—no answer.

Lin Yu tried again. Still nothing.

Staring at the unanswered call screen, his suspicions solidified.

Ignoring the call to avoid slipping up, huh?

This little brat was definitely trying to trick him into showing up.

With that conclusion, Lin Yu set his phone down and resumed shoveling food into his mouth.

...

Damn it.

Ninety percent chance it was a trap.

But what about the remaining ten?

Memories of his fallout with Xia Muzhu resurfaced, tangling his thoughts.

Forget ten percent.

Even if there was just a one-in-a-million chance Xia Yueshan was actually in trouble and needed him...

Fine.

He’d go take a look.

If the kid was lying, he’d regret it—permanently.

...

And honestly, even if Xia Muzhu was waiting for him, so what?

Some things were better said face-to-face.

Lin Yu glanced out the window at the leisurely pedestrians, exhaling softly.

Using Xia Yueshan as a messenger had been cowardly.

Wolfing down the last of his meal, Lin Yu stood, strapped on his helmet, and revved his motorcycle toward Mountain City Restaurant.

Inside the bustling eatery, he weaved through the crowd until he found Room 8.

Pausing outside the door, hand on the handle, Lin Yu imagined the scene awaiting him.

A panicked Xia Yueshan?

A resentful Xia Muzhu?

Or Heizi and his gang of punching bags?

Who knew?

Lin Yu took a deep breath.

Only one way to find out.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing the room’s occupants:

A spacious, square layout with simple floral decorations in the corners. A round table fit for ten, surrounded by untouched chairs. And beside it—Xia Yueshan, grinning like an idiot, and Xia Muzhu, who shot up from her seat with guilt written all over her face.

Hah!

Called it.

Lin Yu gritted his teeth, swallowing his irritation as he stepped inside. He flashed Xia Muzhu a warm smile while advancing toward Xia Yueshan.

"Long time no see, Sis Muzhu."

SMACK!

Mid-greeting, Lin Yu reached Xia Yueshan and delivered a sharp slap to his cheek, then yanked his face like dough, his smile turning razor-edged.

"P-Please don’t blame him! I made him do it!" Xia Muzhu pleaded, wincing as her brother’s mouth stretched comically.

"Oh, I’d never blame him," Lin Yu cooed, his voice sickly sweet. "I just missed his adorable face so much."

He punctuated the sentence with a few more firm pats to Xia Yueshan’s reddening cheek.

After venting his frustration, Lin Yu gave the boy’s face a final condescending tap and smirked.

"Alright, scram. I’m here now—no need for you to stick around."

Xia Yueshan chuckled and bolted without protest.

Silence reclaimed the room.

Lin Yu studied Xia Muzhu. She looked rough.

Her makeup was flawless, but it couldn’t mask the exhaustion in her eyes—puffy, red-rimmed, betraying sleepless nights spent crying.

Worse was her expression: a mix of remorse, sorrow, and something deeper, something that twisted Lin Yu’s insides just by looking at her.

He couldn’t hold her gaze.

After a steadying breath, he forced another smile.

"So, Sis Muzhu... what did you want to talk about?"

Her eyes dimmed briefly, as if disappointed by his casual act. But she masked it quickly, lips curving into a fragile imitation of a smile.

"I... wanted to thank you. And apologize."

Her voice cracked.

She’d thought she could stay composed, but the words unraveled her.

"I’m sorry... for saying such awful things."

A sob escaped as she covered her mouth, tears breaking through her fragile composure.

"Don’t apologize," Lin Yu cut in gently. "You didn’t do anything wrong. If I’d found out a friend’s ‘heroic rescue’ was just a staged scam, I’d have slapped them silly. You were way kinder than I’d have been."

He softened his tone.

"After all... I did lie to you."