Since you're here, take a lesson with you

"Wow!"

"Not bad at all!"

Lin Yu grinned as he stared at the 10,000 yuan in his account, feeling the weight of university tuition fees lift slightly.

Twenty-two thousand yuan.

That was more than enough to cover all his first-year expenses.

Sure, he might have to tighten his belt a bit when it came to food and daily necessities, but at least he wouldn’t be broke, right?

Clutching the knowledge that he had enough to get through his first year of college, Lin Yu let out a long sigh of relief, his mood soaring.

But the joy didn’t last long. His face quickly fell.

"Tang Manman… Tang Manman."

"What the hell am I supposed to do about her?"

Just thinking about her made his already throbbing head ache even worse.

How was he supposed to face her from now on?

What approach should he take?

Avoid her?

Act cold and indifferent?

Or keep up the delinquent act to scare her off?

Lin Yu rubbed his chin, unable to decide.

After a long deliberation, he settled on trying all three methods!

First, he’d avoid her. If he could minimize their interactions—or better yet, never see her again—that would be ideal.

If avoidance failed, he’d switch to the cold-shoulder treatment, giving her the silent treatment.

And if even that didn’t work? Well, then he’d have no choice but to go nuclear—transform into the kind of delinquent every girl would run from.

No way she’d dare stick around then!

Having mapped out his three-step "Stay Away from Tang Manman" plan, Lin Yu’s serious expression suddenly froze, then crumbled into self-mockery. He shook his head and chuckled.

"Pfft, who do I think I am?"

"Assuming she’d cling to me like some obsessed fan."

"Am I some kind of celebrity?"

"Just look at that mop of yellow hair on your head."

"Any sane girl would cross the street to avoid you!"

The moment the self-deprecating thought hit him, Lin Yu’s eyes lit up with realization.

Right.

Why would Tang Manman even want to stick around him?

He was just some troublemaker, the kind of person every good student avoided like the plague.

Why would someone like her ever cling to him?

Her three visits had probably just been about returning his clothes and expressing gratitude—nothing more.

That was normal behavior for anyone with a sense of decency.

How had he twisted it into some delusion about her being an obsessive stalker?

And last night? Maybe she’d just been trying to repay him for helping her escape bullying.

Hell, maybe she didn’t even want to see him either—maybe she was racking her brain trying to figure out how to stay away from him too.

Why had he assumed the worst of her?

Lin Yu shook his head with a bitter smile. Now that he’d sorted through his thoughts, the heavy weight in his chest lifted.

Yeah.

He’d been overthinking things.

As his mind cleared, his body’s senses gradually woke up—especially his stomach, which growled painfully.

He ordered takeout through a food delivery app, deciding to settle for that for lunch.

Lately, it was better not to wander around outside. The area was crawling with members of the Black Blood Gang, and if any of them spotted him out and about—instead of in the hospital like he was supposed to be—and reported back to Li Yuan, things could get messy.

Li Yuan’s anger was the least of his worries.

The real problem would be losing his cash flow from him!

Lin Yu made up his mind—he’d stay indoors as much as possible. As for school? He’d skip that for now too.

In his current state, he wouldn’t be able to focus on studying anyway.

The food arrived quickly. After wolfing down the noodles, Lin Yu flopped back onto his bed to rest.

His mind was still foggy, like the lingering haze after a few drinks, making it impossible to concentrate. So, he figured he might as well sleep a little longer.

It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

He slept straight through the afternoon, only waking as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Ordering another round of takeout, Lin Yu lounged in bed, idly scrolling through his phone while waiting for the food to arrive.

This world had short-video apps too, though compared to the one from his past life, the content here was far less regulated.

Violent clips and overly suggestive videos were everywhere.

Even in the comment sections of small-time streamers with barely any followers, there were open discussions about pricing for "private services."

Having only been in this world for four days, Lin Yu was both shocked and amused—and he may or may not have followed a few of those streamers.

Gotta admit, their looks and figures were on point!

Knock knock knock.

A soft rapping at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Assuming it was his food, Lin Yu got up to answer.

But the moment he opened the door, he froze in place, staring wide-eyed for a solid thirty seconds without blinking.

Tang Manman!

Why the hell is it you again?!

Seemingly flustered under his intense gaze, Tang Manman lowered her head slightly and held out a bag of medicine.

"Lin Yu, these are the meds I bought for you yesterday."

"You forgot to take them."

Lin Yu ignored the bag, his eyes locked onto her face.

Damn, she really is sticking to me like glue!

"How did you find my place?" he demanded, his tone sharp.

"I… asked your friends in class," she murmured.

Lin Yu still didn’t take the bag, continuing to stare her down.

At this point, he knew the usual tactics to push her away wouldn’t work.

Seriously? She actually came to my doorstep?

Does she not realize how dangerous that is?

Fine. If she’s this persistent, I’ll have to hit her with something stronger.

She needs to learn just how risky this world—and people like me—can be.

"Oh, is that so? Well, thanks a lot."

Lin Yu abruptly switched from hostility to politeness. After taking the bag, he stepped aside and gestured inside with a smile.

"Come in for a bit."

"I’ll pay you back for the meds. You already helped me yesterday—I can’t let you cover the cost too."

"I-I don’t need it," Tang Manman stammered, lingering at the doorway, her expression wary at his sudden friendliness.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me the past two days."

"The money… it’s fine."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Lin Yu insisted, sensing her hesitation.

"You did me a huge favor yesterday—I can’t let you pay for the meds too."

"By the way…"

He paused, then added casually,

"Tang Manman, doesn’t your mom sell skewers near the commercial district?"

"That’s tough work. You shouldn’t be wasting money—think about her."

"And these meds aren’t cheap, right?"

As he spoke, he rummaged through the bag. The receipt was missing, but the prices were printed on the boxes.

"Huh?"

Lin Yu pulled out a large bottle of oral medicine, feigning surprise.

"This ‘Blood-Nourishing Circulation Tonic’ costs 86 yuan?"

"That’s expensive!"

"And this one—"

Lin Yu pulled out a smaller box of medicine and exclaimed in shock,

"This box of Shuxue capsules actually costs 65 yuan!"

"Oh my god."

"That's so expensive!"

At this point, Lin Yu stopped rummaging through the rest. He looked at the bag stuffed full of various medications, weighed it in his hand, and estimated,

"This whole bag of medicine must cost over 500 yuan?"

"Tang Manman, you can’t spend money like this!"

"Five hundred yuan."

"Do you know how long your mother has to work to earn that much?"

Lin Yu glanced at Tang Manman with a hint of reproach in his eyes.