Promise

The words that slipped from his lips were scattered by a gust of wind.

But it was of no use; that sentence had already reached her ears with absolute clarity.

Tang Manman said nothing. She kept her face tilted upward, staring blankly at Lin Yu. Her expression remained completely unchanged, as if she hadn't heard a single word.

Gradually, as the reality of what Lin Yu had just said sank in, her breathing grew heavy. Faint traces of tears, accompanied by a deep sense of grievance, welled up in her eyes.

"You're lying to me."

Tang Manman's voice carried a hint of a sob. The painful memories of being deceived in the past now transformed into a withered lifeline.

She grasped it firmly, pinning all her hopes on this fragile straw, praying it could carry her away from this sea of despair.

"I'm not lying to you."

Lin Yu's voice was very soft. Ignoring Tang Manman's almost pleading gaze begging him to stop, Lin Yu had already made up his mind.

There was no other choice.

Everything had to end.

"I've had a girlfriend for a long time."

"We got together during the summer vacation after high school graduation, and we've been together ever since."

Lin Yu tried very hard to control himself and say these words calmly, but towards the end, an imperceptible tremble uncontrollably crept into his voice.

Without them noticing, the sun had quietly dipped a little lower.

As if a farewell always demanded a touch of grandeur, its light grew increasingly golden-orange and gentle.

The golden light reflected in Tang Manman's dark eyes, shimmering in the tears gathering in them, yet it could not wash away the sorrow in her gaze.

A teardrop holding the light silently slid from the corner of Tang Manman's eye, but she ignored it.

She kept her face tilted upward, her eyes fixed intently on Lin Yu. The grievance and heartbreak in her eyes seemed to join forces, silently questioning the man standing before her.

Lin Yu watched the teardrop fall from the corner of her eye, and his heart gave a violent lurch.

He wanted to explain something.

To talk about his difficulties.

To talk about his worries.

To talk about all the things he had considered for her sake.

But when the words reached his lips, all that finally came out were three words.

"I am sorry."

Tang Manman's grip tightened. She clutched Lin Yu's hand desperately, her voice full of grievance and stubbornness as she said:

"I don't want to hear that."

Lin Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, only to find that besides those three words, he had nothing left to say.

"Lin Yu."

Tang Manman took a half step forward, closing the distance between her and Lin Yu. Choking back sobs, she persisted relentlessly:

"I don't want to hear that."

"Lin Yu..."

"Lin Yu..."

With each of Tang Manman's soft, pleading calls, the sobbing in her voice grew heavier. She held tightly onto Lin Yu's hand, as if believing that doing so would keep him by her side.

With his back to the light, Lin Yu stood in silence, his eyes cast downward.

The golden-orange light cut across the side of his face, leaving the rest in deep shadow.

Bathed in this darkness, his sharp, sculpted features appeared even more indifferent.

Tang Manman's soft, continuous weeping seemed unable to move him in the slightest; it only made his trembling eyelashes press lower.

Saying nothing at all had already explained everything.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Tang Manman let go of Lin Yu's hand and lowered her head, rummaging through her bag.

Because tears had blurred her vision, Tang Manman had to raise a hand to wipe her eyes. Only when she could see clearly did she continue to dig through her purse.

Watching her search through her bag, a sense of foreboding welled up in Lin Yu's heart.

The next moment, Tang Manman pulled out a small stack of rectangular, colorful DIY paper.

This thin stack of DIY paper had been kept in perfect condition, without a single crease. Printed on the paper was a rubbing of a comically serious dragon meme, which had nothing to do with being precious, though its style was undoubtedly unique.

Tang Manman raised her hand, holding the colorful DIY paper up to Lin Yu's eyes. Her tear-filled eyes shimmered with a final glimmer of hope as she choked out:

"Lin Yu, look at this."

"You promised before."

"With this, you will agree to my request, right?"

"Lin Yu, don't leave me."

"Lin Yu, please don't abandon me..."

The colorful pieces of paper were almost touching the tip of Lin Yu's nose.

The promise he had once made was now placed right in front of him, yet he didn't even dare to cast a single glance at it. He could only forcefully suppress the overwhelming sourness swelling in his heart, turning his head away to look at the quietly flowing river nearby.

But before the cold wind could dry his eyes even a little, that small hand holding the colorful paper followed him like a shadow.

"Lin Yu..."

Tang Manman's voice was tearful and whiny, enough to soften anyone's heart.

Feeling helpless, Lin Yu could only softly sniffle, blink his eyes, and fight back the stinging in them before turning his head to the other side.

This time, that small hand holding the DIY paper quickly followed once again.

"Lin Yu..."

When the stinging reached a certain breaking point, Lin Yu could no longer feel the soreness in his eyes.

It was replaced by a different sensation, one that was wet and warm.

Realizing what it was, Lin Yu tried his hardest to stop it from falling.

But there were some things that Lin Yu could never control.

Just like this tear that was about to spill from his eye.

Just like his feelings for Tang Manman...

"Enough!!!"

Before that tear could fall, and before Tang Manman could discover his true feelings for her, Lin Yu snatched the stack of toy-like DIY paper and crushed it tightly in his fist.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he squeezed so hard that his knuckles faintly popped. It was as if by crushing these few pieces of cheap waste paper, he could destroy the promise hidden away in time.

In the end, that tear never fell. At the very last moment, Lin Yu used anger as the final camouflage for his inner emotions.

"These are nothing but a few pieces of scrap paper I used to humor you!"

"I was willing to help you before, but it wasn't because I liked you."

"I just pitied you, do you understand?!"

Lin Yu shouted, abruptly swinging his arm to hurl the crumpled, misshapen scrap paper into the distance.

The howling wind swept across the earth, carrying his roar and the fluttering colorful paper far away into the air.

Tang Manman stood frozen in place, teardrops that had already been stripped of their warmth by the cold wind still hanging on her face.

She stared at Lin Yu in shock, her bewildered expression making it look as though she were meeting him for the very first time.

The next moment, she suddenly realized something. She quickly turned her head, and upon seeing the colorful paper drifting beyond the guardrail, she chased after it without a moment's hesitation.

Seeing Tang Manman run to the edge of the road, ready to climb over the guardrail without a hint of hesitation to chase those pieces of colorful paper flying over the river,

Lin Yu's scalp went numb with terror. He hurriedly lunged forward, grabbed Tang Manman's arm, and forcefully yanked her back.

"Are you crazy?!"

Lin Yu roared, his hands gripping Tang Manman's shoulders tightly.

At some point, Tang Manman's pale face had become covered in tears. She wasn't even willing to look at Lin Yu, merely keeping her head down as she desperately tried to break free from his grasp.

God knows where Tang Manman found the strength, but Lin Yu was gradually losing his grip on her. Just as he let go, intending to shift into a more forceful stance to restrain her...

Tang Manman seized the opening. She threw herself into his arms, clinging to him desperately as her fists pounded against his broad back. Her cries were utterly heart-wrenching.

"Give him back to me!"

"Lin Yu, give my Lin Yu back to me!"

"Give my Lin Yu back to me..."

"..."

A snowflake landed at their feet. The heavy, swirling snow began to fall thick and fast once more, descending with a fierce momentum that seemed capable of freezing a thousand miles.

Tang Manman had long since exhausted her strength to hit him. She used whatever energy she had left to hold onto Lin Yu, her sobbing fading into a weak whimper.

Another snowflake landed on Lin Yu's eyelashes, causing his half-closed eyelids to droop a little lower.

The north wind swept past, bringing with it a distant chill.

Lin Yu's hand hovered slightly in midair. It remained rigidly suspended for a long time, only to finally drop back down in silence.