How do you know

Lin Yu endured.

Endured again.

Kept enduring.

Finally, he couldn't endure it anymore.

Looking down at Tang Manman, who was clinging to him tightly like a sloth in his arms, Lin Yu spoke softly, his heart full of helplessness:

"Can we get up and eat properly?"

Tang Manman shook her small head like a rattle drum, refusing to get up no matter what. She wore a stubborn expression that seemed to say, "You have to take responsibility for me, I'm sticking to you," while opening her mouth, signaling him to feed her.

Lin Yu had no other choice but to feed her a couple of bites, then take a couple of bites himself.

After finally finishing breakfast, Tang Manman still clung to Lin Yu like a little clingy bug, refusing to leave.

Unable to persuade her to let go, Lin Yu couldn't be bothered to waste his breath anymore.

Finding a comfortable position, Lin Yu leaned back against the sofa so she could hug him more comfortably and he could recline with ease.

Resting his arm gently on Tang Manman's back and feeling the warmth spreading to his palm, Lin Yu felt as if everything before him was just a dream.

He couldn't tell if it was a nightmare or a sweet dream.

In short...

It would be great if it wasn't real.

Closing his eyes, in this brief moment of tenderness belonging only to him and Tang Manman, Lin Yu wanted to leave everything behind and quietly experience the feeling of being with her for a while.

But soon, Lin Yu realized that he simply couldn't do it.

Being with Tang Manman, Lin Yu felt that he was receiving not happiness, but overwhelming pain and torment.

Whenever he thought about how he had betrayed Xia Muzhu, and how he was now still entangled and hugging the main culprit, Lin Yu felt like he was being roasted over a fire.

Every passing moment was pure agony.

"Tang Manman, you should go back."

After a brief embrace, Lin Yu sighed softly and gently advised her.

Without even lifting her head, Tang Manman lay against Lin Yu's chest and stubbornly shook her head.

"No."

"Go back."

Lin Yu placed his hand on her long, black hair, gently stroking it, and coaxed softly:

"Exams are coming up soon. You can't just stay here and not even go to your exams, right?"

"Besides, I'm leaving here soon too."

"Where are you going?"

Hearing this, Tang Manman immediately looked up, staring at Lin Yu eagerly, like a little puppy terrified of being abandoned.

Looking at the familiar, easily bullied Tang Manman in front of him, Lin Yu really wanted to poke her forehead repeatedly and ask her who that cold-hearted person from last night was.

Do you have a split personality or something!

But Lin Yu wasn't in the mood to tease her right now. Facing Tang Manman's question, he answered seriously:

"I'm going back to H City."

"To tell her about all these things."

Without Lin Yu having to say it, Tang Manman knew exactly who she was.

She didn't want him to go see her, afraid that, just like before, once he saw her, he would turn back into the Lin Yu who was cold and distant towards herself.

But Tang Manman also knew that this kind of thing couldn't be hidden forever.

He had to confess sooner or later...

...

"I want to go back too!"

Tang Manman buried her soft, pale face into Lin Yu's chest and said with a muffled voice.

Whatever!

I just want to stay by Lin Yu's side!

"You want to go back?"

"What are you going back for?"

A bunch of question marks popped up in Lin Yu's mind.

Why did Tang Manman insist on going back?

To show off to Sister Zhuzi?

Wouldn't the two of them start fighting then?

If Xia Yueshan and Tang Qinqin found out the truth and got involved, it would really turn into a complete mess.

"I don't care!"

"I'm going back with you."

"Wherever you go, I go!"

Tang Manman said stubbornly.

Lin Yu felt a bit of a headache coming on, but he could only hold his patience and coax Tang Manman little by little, trying to stop her from following him back and making a scene.

But Tang Manman refused to back down even a single step, making Lin Yu's headache even worse out of sheer worry.

Left with no choice, Lin Yu could only choose to take Tang Manman back with him.

For their transportation back, Lin Yu chose the train.

The reason was that Lin Yu felt he needed some time to think about how he should confess this matter to Sister Zhuzi.

And to seriously consider what he should do in response to the various reactions Sister Zhuzi might have.

The journey back was long, taking a full day and night by train.

For such a long trip, Lin Yu naturally had no intention of buying regular seats. For the sake of comfort, he bought two premium soft sleeper tickets and boarded the train with Tang Manman.

Clearly, Lin Yu had still miscalculated.

In such a short amount of time, he simply couldn't figure out such a complicated issue.

Coupled with the clingy Tang Manman causing trouble from time to time by his side, Lin Yu found it even more impossible to calm down and think.

All in all.

He might as well have taken a plane back!

At noon the next day, Lin Yu and Tang Manman once again set foot on the land of H City.

The two had a simple meal, and after a long session of persuasion from Lin Yu, Tang Manman finally agreed to go home first and wait for his news.

At this, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In front of the clay pot restaurant, Tang Manman's face was filled with unhappiness. She kept her head slightly lowered, the delicate corners of her eyes drooping dejectedly.

If she had a tail behind her, Lin Yu guessed she would be using it to sweep the floor.

"Lin Yu."

Tang Manman spoke softly. She looked up at Lin Yu, seemingly having made some tremendous resolve, before squeezing out a sentence with a tearful tone.

"Don't abandon me."

Hearing this, Lin Yu faintly understood the underlying meaning of Tang Manman's words.

She was just begging him not to abandon her.

Without a single other condition...

...

Lin Yu pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but still couldn't make any promises.

He could only tug at the corners of his mouth, forcing out a somewhat gentle smile, and changed the subject:

"Alright, be a good girl and go home."

"Your sister and mother both miss you a lot."

"After I finish talking with her, I'll come find you right away."

Tang Manman pouted her lips, unsatisfied with Lin Yu's answer. She wanted a promise that would give her peace of mind.

But she knew that Lin Yu couldn't give her this promise.

When a person insists on an impossible promise.

Then that promise will no longer be a promise.

But a lie.

After putting Tang Manman into a taxi and watching her disappear into the traffic, Lin Yu took a deep breath and rubbed his face.

Having gathered some spirit, Lin Yu hailed another taxi by the side of the road.

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Lin Yu gave his destination, heading towards his own execution ground...

...

Facts proved that Lin Yu had still overestimated his own courage.

It had been more than half an hour, and Lin Yu was still pacing back and forth downstairs at Xia Muzhu's apartment building. He didn't even dare to get too close to the building, afraid of being discovered by the Xia siblings.

"How the hell am I supposed to say this!"

Lin Yu paced back and forth in the snow, overwhelmed with worry.

Hmm...

First of all, this matter could only be told to Xia Muzhu alone. He couldn't let Xia Yueshan know, otherwise, that guy probably wouldn't talk to him empty-handed.

He had to figure out a way to distract Xia Yueshan first, or take Sister Zhuzi out to talk.

Yeah.

It felt safer to go out and talk with Sister Zhuzi.

Safe...

...

"Lin Yu?"

A hoarse, soft voice, laced with disbelief, called out gently from behind him.

Lin Yu turned around stiffly, only to see Xia Muzhu standing there. He had no idea when she had arrived.

The very next moment, however, it was not her sudden appearance that shocked him, but her haggard look.

For some reason, Xia Muzhu was in a terrible state. Her face was deathly pale, and her red, swollen eyes suggested she had been crying for a long time.

The dark circles under her eyes and her listless demeanor screamed to Lin Yu that she had suffered a devastating blow. She had probably been awake for more than just one night.

Seeing Xia Muzhu like this, Lin Yu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, leaving room for only a single thought.

Did Xia Muzhu find out about him and Tang Manman?

Qingmo!

You bastard!

You wouldn't even give me the chance to confess?!

You animal!!!

A troubled look crossed Lin Yu's face. He opened his mouth, just about to explain, but Xia Muzhu suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.

The words of explanation Lin Yu wanted to say were knocked right back down his throat. Faced with the emotionally shattered Xia Muzhu, all he could do was hold her and gently stroke her back to comfort her.

After a long time, Xia Muzhu's emotions finally stabilized. She wiped her red, swollen eyes, tilted her head up to look at Lin Yu, and with a fragile expression he had never seen on her before, asked in a hoarse voice:

"How did you know something happened to Little Shan?"