Not Being in a Relationship

After asking around, Lin Yu couldn’t get any answers, so he deleted her again.

Deep down, Lin Yu knew better than anyone that neither his looks nor his family background were enough to make these campus belle-level beauties practically throw themselves at him.

They must have their own reasons for doing this.

It definitely wasn’t out of any genuine affection for him!

As for why they were acting this way, Lin Yu couldn’t even begin to guess.

There had been a vague suspicion lurking in the back of his mind.

Could these strange behaviors have something to do with Qing Mo?

After all, if he ruled out divine intervention, the only person he knew who could pull something like this off was her.

But after some thought, Lin Yu dismissed the idea.

If she really wanted to turn against him, why go through all this trouble? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kidnap him outright?

Besides, she should know him well enough to realize he wouldn’t fall for such pointless tactics.

The situation had become utterly baffling, and Lin Yu couldn’t even find a starting point to unravel it.

All he could do was drift along in this whirlpool, dealing with things as they came—meeting soldiers with barriers, water with earth.

Still, Lin Yu felt a small measure of relief. At least things hadn’t escalated into something truly troublesome yet.

Facing these inexplicable advances and flirtations, all he had to do was open his mouth and reject them.

So far, they’d been easy enough to brush off.

After distributing the fruit salad and chocolates among the three girls and sternly warning them not to run errands for others anymore, Lin Yu lay on his bed, trying to recall any adult manga plots set in college.

He thought for so long that drowsiness overtook him, yet nothing came to mind.

Lin Yu had devoured hundreds—if not more—of those "Liu Bei" novels, but aside from a few particularly outrageous ones, the rest had left little impression on him.

With a long sigh, he rolled over and decided to stop racking his brain.

Whatever.

It wasn’t like they could do anything to him anyway.

This was a society governed by law.

Were they really going to tie him up and have their way with him?

Time to sleep!

After a heavy rain, the stifling heat in the air had mostly dissipated, leaving the city with a refreshing coolness.

The long military training period had also faded away along with the oppressive weather. By mid-September, Lin Yu officially began his university life.

College wasn’t as relaxed as he’d imagined. His free time was fragmented, making it hard to string together long stretches, which effectively killed any thought of frequently returning to H City to visit.

After a lecture ended, Lin Yu made his usual trip to the campus supermarket to buy a sweet drink.

With no classes in the afternoon, he decided to wander around campus and take in the scenery.

Carrying his drink, he strolled aimlessly until fatigue set in, prompting him to sit on a wooden bench by the path.

After a while of people-watching, boredom crept in, and he pulled out his phone to scroll through videos.

Suddenly.

A pleasant floral fragrance wafted over, accompanied by a soft, gentle voice.

"Hello, classmate?"

Lin Yu didn’t even look up, replying coldly:

"Not interested."

The delicate voice abruptly stopped.

Lin Yu smirked to himself as he stared at his phone.

This was a phrase he’d recently picked up online, and he found it perfect—short, blunt, and straight to the point.

Ideal for dealing with these inexplicably clingy pests.

But...

This one seemed to have thicker skin than the others, huh?

Lin Yu glanced up slightly, taking in the pair of white canvas shoes and the slender, pale calves peeking out from beneath a white skirt. He couldn’t help but marvel at her persistence.

Still not leaving?

Frowning, Lin Yu raised his head fully, ready to unleash sharper words to drive this nuisance away.

But when he finally saw the person standing before him, he was slightly taken aback.

An acquaintance?

Lin Yu remembered her. Langhua had once dug up her info from the campus belles’ group.

Tao Yaoyao.

The same girl who had passed by during military training and later sat next to him at lunch!

What had left the deepest impression on him back then was the fleeting resemblance he’d glimpsed between her and Tang Manman.

Now, seeing her up close, Lin Yu was certain it had just been an illusion.

She and Tang Manman were completely different—face shape, demeanor, appearance, none of it matched.

If there was any similarity at all, it was that both seemed like gentle, soft-spoken girls.

But Tao Yaoyao gave off the vibe of someone whose gentle exterior hid a strong, confident core.

The kind of person who carried herself with the unshakable assurance of having solid backing—no one could push her around, she wouldn’t bend to others’ whims, and her gentleness was simply part of her nature.

Tang Manman, on the other hand, had always carried a hint of timidity.

Lin Yu wondered—if Tang Manman had been born into wealth, or even aristocracy, would she have grown up like the girl before him now?

Outwardly gentle, but with a soul untouched by meekness or insecurity.

Snapping out of his brief daze, Lin Yu was about to resume shooing her away when Tao Yaoyao suddenly extended a hand, palm up, and asked softly:

"Is this your student ID?"

Staring at the card in her hand, at the photo of his slightly less sunburned past self, Lin Yu’s face burned with instant humiliation.

Oh god.

She wasn’t hitting on him at all!

She’d just found his lost student ID and was returning it!

What had he just said?!

"Not interested"?

What kind of arrogant, cringeworthy jerk was he?!

For the first time, Lin Yu truly understood the meaning of wanting the ground to swallow him whole.

"Uh, um..."

"Sorry about that."

"I—I was on a call earlier!"

"You didn’t misunderstand, right?"

Too flustered to even stay seated, Lin Yu scrambled to his feet, stammering out an excuse that made little sense.

Tao Yaoyao’s pink lips pressed together almost imperceptibly, as if holding back a laugh.

After a pause, she shook her head lightly and handed the card back to him, her tone tinged with amusement:

"It’s fine."

With that, her white skirt fluttering, she turned and walked away.

Leaving Lin Yu behind in a state of utter mortification.

Thankfully, his tan was dark enough that even at peak embarrassment, the redness barely showed.