The Gentleness That Breaks into the Roughness of Life

Lin Yu shifted a bit, finding the most comfortable position to lie down.

Resting his head on Xia Muzhu's soft thighs, Lin Yu gazed at the large portion of white ceiling obscured from view above. He didn't feel oppressed; instead, he felt a profound sense of security.

A gentle pressure applied to his left cheek—it was Xia Muzhu's hand, through a cool towel, softly kneading, trying to make the swelling on his face subside faster.

The gentle massage was very soothing. Suddenly, Lin Yu realized he was somewhat becoming attached to this feeling of being meticulously cared for.

Looking back on his life, Lin Yu found that he seemed never to have been treated with such tenderness before.

His parents in his previous life were tough people who ran a martial arts school.

His father hit him hard, and his mother wasn't gentle either.

Having grown up rough in such a family environment, Lin Yu had never been gentle with himself either.

Minor cuts and scrapes were left to dry naturally; larger, bleeding wounds from occasional accidents during martial arts practice were just simply bandaged.

For a cold, he'd tough it out; for a fever, take one antipyretic pill, and for a high fever, take two...

This experience of being so meticulously and tenderly looked after for such a minor injury was a first for Lin Yu.

To be honest, Lin Yu still didn't think such a small injury warranted such detailed and thorough care.

But this feeling was truly wonderful.

You could tangibly feel her concern for you, her cherishing, her tenderness.

This concrete form of love was probably more effective at soothing one's pain than the world's most potent painkiller.

Yet, at this very moment, this specific and gentle affection only made Lin Yu feel increasingly guilty and more exhausted.

Lin Yu and Xia Muzhu's lines of sight were completely blocked by a magnificent mountain range.

Neither could see the other's expression. Lin Yu, nearly dragged into the depths by fatigue, slowly closed his eyes.

A teardrop, forced out by this closing motion, trailed down from the corner of Lin Yu's eye and dripped onto Xia Muzhu's thumb.

Xia Muzhu felt this unusual warmth. She said nothing, only making the gentle motions massaging Lin Yu's cheek even softer...

...

Wu Ling let out a big yawn in bed. She had gotten too engrossed in her drama last night and didn't sleep until 2 a.m.

Luckily, it was Sunday today, so she could sleep in comfortably until she was fully rested.

She turned over, pulled the thin summer quilt up to cover her stomach, and prepared to enjoy a bit more beautiful sleep.

"Click."

The dorm room lock sounded, and the door was pushed open. Wu Ling, not yet fully asleep, instinctively opened her eyes a slit to glance towards the door. Seeing it was someone from the dorm, she relaxed, closed her eyes, and prepared to continue sleeping.

A second later, Wu Ling suddenly realized something. Her eyes flew open, and she propped herself up on one elbow, turning to look at the dorm door again.

Confirming she hadn't mistaken the person, she exclaimed:

"Tang Manman?"

"You're back?"

Tang Manman looked downcast and exhausted. She nodded, closed the dorm door, walked to her desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

Tang Manman's silent demeanor only piqued Wu Ling's curiosity further. She asked, puzzled:

"Tang Manman, didn't you go to celebrate your boyfriend's birthday?"

"How come you're back so early?"

That Tang Manman had gone to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday wasn't just known to Wu Ling; everyone in the dorm knew. The night before she left, they had even helped her with her makeup and picked out her clothes.

All three roommates liked Tang Manman very much.

She was modest, gentle, pretty, very polite, and her well-behaved, delicate appearance made people instinctively want to protect her.

Her personality was great too.

She never nitpicked over small things. For tasks within her ability, like bringing back food or picking up packages, she would do them without complaint.

When you needed her help, she would assist you with warmth and attention to detail.

No one could dislike such a sincere, gentle, diligent, sweet, and soft little cupcake.

So, Wu Ling was very concerned about her matters.

Tang Manman returning this early was definitely not right.

The distance from City N to City S was over a thousand kilometers. Just the round-trip train ride would take nearly thirty hours.

Subtracting the fragmented time spent waiting for trains, taking taxis, finding people, and so on from the remaining time, the time left for Tang Manman and her boyfriend was probably just enough for a meal.

After traveling such a long distance, would they just have a meal and then go their separate ways?

What kind of man was her boyfriend?

And wasn't her boyfriend's birthday today?

How could Tang Manman be back so early in the morning?

With a belly full of unanswered questions and Tang Manman remaining silent, Wu Ling grew anxious and voiced her guess:

"Did you not meet him?"

"I did."

Tang Manman's voice was somewhat hoarse, sounding far from the gentle and pleasant tone it once had.

"Then why are you back today?"

Wu Ling repeated her earlier question.

"He was worried about delaying my classes, so he asked me to come back today."

Tang Manman's eyelids lowered slightly, her already weary eyes dimming a few more shades.

"Holy crap!"

Wu Ling couldn't help but curse, feeling genuine indignation on Tang Manman's behalf.

"Worried about delaying your classes?"

"What kind of bullshit excuse is that?"

"And you believed that?"

Was he in such a hurry to send you away because he has someone else over there?"

Wu Ling complained indignantly. Tang Manman lay her head on the desk, her eyes confused and sorrowful, like a puppy that had been thrown out by its owner and didn't know how to get back home.

"Holy crap!"

"That damn scumbag!"

Wu Ling grew angrier the more she spoke, cursing resentfully.

Hearing this, Tang Manman reacted. She sat up straight, turned to look at Wu Ling lying in bed, and said with displeasure:

"He's a good person."

"Don't speak ill of him."

Wu Ling's eyes widened, and she nearly choked on her anger, almost passing out from Tang Manman's words.

After defending Lin Yu, Tang Manman turned back, feeling somewhat wronged, and laid her head on the desk again.

She had lied.

Lin Yu wasn't her boyfriend at all.

It was just that when her roommates persistently asked who she was happily texting and if it was her boyfriend, she couldn't bring herself to deny it.