Tacit Consent

Looking at Tao Yaoyao's sincere gaze, the tiny speck of guilt in Lin Yu's heart was instantly magnified.

Lin Yu did feel a bit guilty about dropping out of the competition halfway, but not much.

At the end of the day, none of those things mattered to him.

The championship, the school project, the honor of the martial arts club, or even Tao Yaoyao, Lin Yu didn't really care too much about any of them.

But now.

Seeing Tao Yaoyao still so considerate and thoughtful of him, even after he had done something as irresponsible as dropping out halfway,

Lin Yu truly felt guilty.

However, there were more pressing matters at hand. This was clearly not the time to dwell on such things. Lin Yu nodded decisively, accepting Tao Yaoyao's kindness, and said,

"Okay..."

"..."

"Thank you."

Sitting in Tao Yaoyao's car, Lin Yu took out his phone to check for the earliest flight to City N.

After purchasing the ticket, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Now, all he had to do was wait.

Having finished what he needed to do, the sudden downtime made Lin Yu feel slightly uncomfortable.

Glancing at Tao Yaoyao, who was focused on driving beside him, Lin Yu withdrew his gaze. After taking a brief moment to mentally prepare himself, he spoke up to apologize.

"I'm sorry. Something urgent came up suddenly, so I had to withdraw from the competition."

"It's okay."

Tao Yaoyao's voice was soft and gentle. Not only was there no hint of blame, but she also asked with genuine concern,

"Did something happen at home?"

"No."

Lin Yu paused for a moment before replying,

"It's a friend."

"Is it that girl named Tang Manman?"

???

Lin Yu's eyes widened as he stared at Tao Yaoyao in astonishment, a question blurting out of his mouth.

"How did you know?"

The corners of Tao Yaoyao's lips curled up slightly, and the smile on her face deepened.

"The person who called you was a girl. Not a family member, and not a girlfriend either. For someone to make you this anxious, my intuition told me it had to be her."

Lin Yu was absolutely shocked hearing this, secretly marveling to himself.

Is this the fabled woman's sixth sense?

How terrifying!

"Was she scammed?"

Tao Yaoyao had been right next to him when Lin Yu was on the phone with Tang Manman. Based on his side of the conversation, she naturally could deduce what was going on.

Lin Yu nodded, making no attempt to hide it.

"That's right."

"The money she worked so hard to save up for a long time was all scammed away. I'm worried she might take it too hard and do something rash, so I'm rushing over to check on her."

Tao Yaoyao listened earnestly. With a look of sympathy on her face, she nodded in agreement and said,

"This must be a huge blow to her. When you get there, remember to be patient and gentle when comforting her."

"She must be incredibly heartbroken right now."

"Don't blame her."

Tao Yaoyao's gentle words made Lin Yu turn his head to look at her.

A few seconds later, Lin Yu wistfully withdrew his gaze.

Of course he wouldn't blame her, it was just that...

...

For a pile of ashes that had already blackened on the outside, it was best not to let a gentle breeze blow upon it...

...

Tao Yaoyao drove with intense focus. Keeping just within the speed limit, she drove as fast as possible to get Lin Yu to the airport sooner.

Amidst the silence in the car,

Lin Yu suddenly let out a soft sound of acknowledgment and said,

"I understand."

Tao Yaoyao blinked. After a moment of thought, she finally understood.

Lin Yu seemed to be responding to what she had said before the car fell into silence...

...

A thousand kilometers seemed like an incredibly vast distance, but the moment you boarded a plane, it became nothing more than an insignificant joke.

In less than two hours, Lin Yu walked out of the airport in City A.

Stepping into the city where Tang Manman lived for the first time, a peculiar feeling welled up in Lin Yu's heart.

The scenery before him was something Lin Yu had never seen, yet he didn't feel like a stranger to it, nor did he feel any sense of rejection.

On the contrary, just the thought that Tang Manman lived in this very city brought him a trace of reassurance.

A trace of reassurance that shouldn't exist.

Zipping up his jacket, Lin Yu tried to use the thin fabric to ward off City N's evening breeze, which already carried a hint of chill, but to little avail.

Hailing a random taxi outside the airport, Lin Yu opened the door and got inside.

As he pulled the car door shut, Lin Yu told the driver in the front seat the name of the place he had once deeply yearned for, but now wished to avoid at all costs.

"To A University."

...

After standing by the roadside for only a short while, Lin Yu spotted that familiar figure he hadn't seen in a long time.

She didn't look quite as frail and thin as before, seemingly having eaten well lately, but right now, she looked even more pitiful.

Even from a distance, Lin Yu could see the lingering redness from crying on her face.

Lin Yu watched her anxiously looking around at the gates of A University. When her gaze finally swept in his direction, Lin Yu raised his arm and gave her a gentle wave.

Upon seeing Lin Yu, Tang Manman didn't look happy. Instead, her mouth puckered, and tears began to fall in large drops once again.

She ran over in a sorry state, using her sleeves to wipe away the unstoppable tears streaming down her face.

She was running so frantically that, judging by her momentum, Lin Yu had no doubt she was going to crash headlong into him.

But as she drew near, she abruptly forced herself to a halt. Standing half a meter away from Lin Yu, she kept her head lowered, crying and wiping her tears with her hands, as if terrified that getting even half an inch closer would make him resent her.

Her timid and cautious demeanor was the same as always.

So pitiful that it made his heart ache.

"Alright, don't be sad anymore."

Lin Yu took a deep breath and put on a gentle smile.

He bent down slightly to meet Tang Manman's eyes. Reaching out, he tucked the loose hair by her forehead, tousled from running and sweat, behind her ear. Then, he raised his hand to gently pat her head, softly comforting her,

"I'm here. I'll help you. Just leave it to me."

Tang Manman lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes reflecting the gentle smile that Lin Yu so rarely displayed.

The large hand resting on her head felt like some sort of tacit permission.

Like a little puppy that had just received a command, Tang Manman suddenly lunged at Lin Yu. Her slender arms wrapped tightly around him as she buried her face in his chest and bawled her eyes out.

The autumn sunset always carried a sense of solemn tragedy.

The sun, hanging high in the vault of heaven, was no longer able to sustain the scorching heat of summer. Like a deity refusing to admit its own weakness, it exhausted all its strength to cast down vast expanses of brilliant light.

Bestowing a resplendent shower of gold upon the entire world.

Amidst this golden radiance tinged with orange light, the shadows of the two embracing figures grew longer and longer.