Eye-catching Salute

Following his usual routine, Lin Yu took Tang Manman to the breakfast shop in the neighboring residential area.

A bowl of century egg and lean pork congee for three yuan, with unlimited refills.

A small plate of pickled vegetables for three yuan, plus two meat-filled buns.

This was the optimal combination Lin Yu had settled on after countless trials.

Tang Manman, on the other hand, ate much less.

Just a bowl of soy milk and a honey-glazed fruit bun.

Lin Yu couldn’t stand her skinny frame and her reluctance to eat, so he took it upon himself to add a tea egg and a beef-stuffed bun to her order.

The two found a corner in the breakfast shop to sit.

Between bites, Lin Yu asked,

“What brings you to me today?”

Tang Manman still wore the same expression she’d had on the way here—her delicate willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, looking like she had something on her mind but didn’t know how to bring it up.

“Is it about Gu Yue’s apology last night?”

Recalling what White Hair had mentioned over the phone the previous evening, Lin Yu ventured a guess.

Only after Lin Yu brought it up did Tang Manman give a slight nod, hesitantly asking,

“Lin Yu, do you think I should forgive her?”

???

Lin Yu’s brows knitted together as he stared at Tang Manman, who seemed genuinely serious about seeking his opinion. Puzzled, he replied,

“Why are you asking me this?”

“If you want to forgive her, then forgive her. If you don’t, then don’t.”

“It wasn’t me she bullied.”

“If you’re still hung up on what happened before and can’t let it go, then don’t forgive her.”

“But if you feel like you’re over it—”

“How could I possibly be over it?!”

Tang Manman’s emotions flared up instantly at those words. Even after all this time, just mentioning the past made her eyes redden with unshed tears, her voice thick with grievance.

Lin Yu paused, taking the opportunity to bite into his bun. Once Tang Manman’s emotions settled slightly, he continued,

“Then don’t forgive her.”

“But…”

Tang Manman hesitated again. She glanced at Lin Yu cautiously, as if afraid of upsetting him, and asked in a soft voice,

“If I don’t forgive her… will you be unhappy?”

???

Another wave of question marks floated above Lin Yu’s head.

“Why would I be unhappy if you don’t forgive her?”

“It’s not like I’m the one who did something wrong.”

Lin Yu was baffled, unable to fathom the strange logic in Tang Manman’s mind.

“Wasn’t it you who made her apologize to me?” Tang Manman asked suspiciously.

Lin Yu nodded. He wasn’t sure whether Tang Manman had heard this from someone else or deduced it herself, but he didn’t deny it.

“Then… don’t you want me to forgive her?” Tang Manman ventured timidly.

“What does what I want have to do with it?”

Lin Yu was almost amused by Tang Manman’s bizarre train of thought.

“The key here is whether you want to forgive her.”

“If you don’t want to, if you still resent her deep down, do you really think you could force yourself to forgive her just because I said so?”

Tang Manman stared at Lin Yu for a moment before slowly lowering her head. In a small, fragile voice laced with grievance, she murmured,

“I could.”

Lin Yu’s eyes widened. He was utterly thunderstruck by this absurd answer.

“Wait, hold on.”

“Tang Manman, even if you listened to me and forgave her, you’d still hate her in your heart. Wouldn’t that kind of relationship make you miserable?”

Lin Yu asked, both shocked and bewildered.

Tang Manman kept her head down, giving a tiny nod. Her voice grew even more pitiful.

“It would.”

“Then why would you still listen to me?”

Lin Yu was even more confused now.

Tang Manman lifted her gaze briefly, her peach-blossom eyes glistening with vulnerability and sorrow. Then she looked down again, whispering,

“I’m afraid… if I don’t listen to you, you’ll start to dislike me…”

“Tsk—”

Lin Yu sucked in a sharp breath, his body instinctively leaning back. He couldn’t help but regard her with newfound awe.

Tang Manman.

You truly live up to your title as the born-to-be-bullied saint!

You’re making even a normal person like me have wicked thoughts!

The kind where I just want to mold you however I please!

Rubbing his temples, he forcibly suppressed those dark impulses before looking at Tang Manman seriously.

“Tang Manman, you don’t need to care so much about what I think—”

“No, wait.”

“Actually, you don’t need to care so much about what most people in this world think.”

“Sometimes, you have to put your own feelings first.”

“Not everyone else’s…”

“But you’re not ‘everyone else.’”

Tang Manman suddenly cut him off, her tone firm and resolute, carrying a decisiveness that brooked no argument—a stark contrast to her usual meek self.

“…”

Lin Yu’s cheeks flushed as he scratched his head.

Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t withstand such a direct hit.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he took several gulps of his congee, waiting for the heat in his face to fade before meeting Tang Manman’s eyes again.

“Whether you forgive her or not has nothing to do with me.”

“I won’t be angry if you don’t forgive her, and I won’t be happy if you do.”

“The reason I made her apologize is because she did something wrong. An apology is just the bare minimum.”

“Whether you accept it is entirely up to you.”

“In that case… I don’t want to forgive her.”

Tang Manman stirred the creamy-white soy milk in her bowl, muttering under her breath.

“Then don’t forgive her.”

Lin Yu gave a small nod, fully supporting her decision.

Breakfast finished and Tang Manman’s worries resolved, the two strolled leisurely toward campus.

As they passed the intersection where a certain lively girl always seemed to spawn every morning, Lin Yu felt a twinge of nervousness.

If Gu Yue suddenly jumped out now, given her current relationship with Tang Manman, things might get awkward…

Fortunately, whether because she’d overslept or had other business, Gu Yue didn’t appear today. No sudden ambush from behind a building.

The two ambled past the intersection and, under the watchful gaze of two pairs of eyes, made their way toward the school.