You don't have to avoid my sister this time, do you

Rubbing his chin where short stubble had grown without him noticing, Lin Yu couldn't figure out what Zhao She was thinking.

But he quickly stopped dwelling on it.

After all, their affairs had little to do with him. As long as that madman could be dealt with swiftly and no longer posed a threat to Xia Muzhu and her brother, that was all that mattered.

With a major worry off his mind, Lin Yu felt much lighter, even finding more energy to memorize vocabulary!

As finals approached, the classroom atmosphere grew livelier.

Though in this class, few could hand their report cards to their parents with a smile.

But hey—it was almost New Year's.

That was always something to look forward to.

During the holidays, he could laze around at home, eat delicious food, receive red envelopes stuffed with cash, and hang out with friends without a care.

If he lost a video game, he could even vent his frustration by playfully scolding some bratty cousin visiting for the holidays.

Honestly, it was the best time of the year!

No contest!

Speaking of which, he wondered how good the Spring Festival Gala was in this world.

Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any cringe-worthy skits about making dumplings or whatever.

Hmm.

He just hoped the Gala wouldn’t add to the loneliness of his solitary New Year’s Eve.

Stretching his arms, Lin Yu took a short break before diving back into his studies, wrestling with complicated formulas and endless vocabulary.

Time was such a fickle mistress.

When you cherished her, she’d brush you off and slip away unnoticed.

But when you wished she’d just hurry up and leave, she’d cling to you stubbornly, making every second drag like an eternity.

Right now, Lin Yu was experiencing the former.

It felt like he’d barely done anything—just solved a few tough problems, memorized a couple of long poems—and suddenly, a whole study session was gone.

As if he were some tragic heroine that time itself was avoiding.

Scratching his stomach, Lin Yu slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed home.

Downstairs, he ran into an unusually cheerful Gu Yue. Waving at her, they walked together.

Seeing her radiant expression, Lin Yu asked, as usual:

"What’s got you so happy?"

"Did you eat a jar of honey or something?"

Gu Yue shook her head, her face brimming with excitement—but then she suddenly paused.

Her expression turned puzzled.

She blinked at Lin Yu and asked curiously:

"Hey, Long-ge, how come you didn’t ask me if I won the lottery this time?"

"Huh?"

Lin Yu was momentarily stunned, but then it clicked. With mock surprise, he asked:

"Wait… did you actually win the lottery?"

"Nope."

Gu Yue shook her head again.

"Then why’d you bring it up?!"

Lin Yu grumbled.

"Hehe."

Gu Yue giggled sheepishly, scratching her cheek.

"You suddenly changed your usual question! It threw me off!"

"My mom set up a new reward system for my exams."

"For every rank I improve in the school standings, she’ll give me ten yuan!"

"And if I break into the top 500, she’ll give me an extra thousand!"

"Wow, that’s one heck of an incentive!"

Lin Yu was impressed.

"Right?!"

Gu Yue puffed up proudly.

"Let me calculate…"

Lin Yu glanced upward, doing mental math.

"Ten yuan per rank… You’re in the 800s now, so if you climb to 500, that’s like… four thousand yuan!"

"Holy crap!"

Lin Yu’s eyes sparkled with greed as he grinned at her.

"Rich girl, wanna sponsor me?"

Gu Yue’s cheeks flushed slightly. Lifting her chin in a haughty rich-girl pose, she waved a hand dismissively.

"Sure, sure. We’ll talk."

Laughing and chatting, they reached the school gates—where Lin Yu’s smile vanished instantly.

Standing outside was a young boy with thick bandages wrapped around his hand.

Lin Yu hurried over to Xia Yueshan, guilt and concern in his voice.

"How bad is your hand?"

"Not too bad. Just a scratch."

Xia Yueshan waved his uninjured hand dismissively.

Despite his casual tone, Lin Yu knew the injury was likely more serious than he let on.

It had been over ten days since the incident. If it were minor, the bandages would’ve been off by now…

Wait—

Lin Yu stared at Xia Yueshan’s hanging hand, shock flashing across his face.

"That’s… a cast?"

"Did you fracture your hand?"

"Nah."

Xia Yueshan shook his head, still casual.

"Just a severed tendon."

"…"

Lin Yu was speechless at his nonchalance.

Seriously?

With that attitude, you’d think you just skinned your knuckles!

"What did the doctor say? Will it heal properly?"

Lin Yu pushed aside his exasperation, focusing on the important question.

"Yeah."

Xia Yueshan nodded.

"No long-term issues?"

Lin Yu pressed.

"Nope."

Xia Yueshan clearly hadn’t come to discuss his injury. After answering, he got straight to his own question.

"Lin Yu-ge, you said before that my sister might still be in danger."

"Was this what you meant?"

"But you also said if she stayed away from you, nothing bad would happen."

"Uh…"

Lin Yu faltered. He had no good answer—his earlier "prophecy" had just been an excuse to distance himself from Xia Muzhu. Who knew she’d actually face danger again?

"W-well, maybe I was wrong."

"Fate’s tricky. I’m no expert—sometimes I misread things."

Under Xia Yueshan’s expectant gaze, Lin Yu could only offer a flimsy excuse.

"Oh."

Xia Yueshan nodded, his expression shifting to understanding.

"So that’s it."

"No wonder things didn’t add up!"

"My sister hasn’t even seen you lately, but she still got hurt."

Then, with a sudden mischievous grin, he added:

"I thought maybe you two were secretly meeting behind my back, and that’s why this happened."

"Quit talking nonsense."

Lin Yu ruffled Xia Yueshan’s hair, chuckling.

After a moment, Xia Yueshan’s smile faded. His next words were dead serious.

"Lin Yu-ge."

"Whether you were wrong or not… now that this danger’s passed, you don’t have to avoid my sister anymore, right?"