Like..

"You are not pregnant," the doctor said with certainty after glancing at the report.

"Huh?" Tang Manman's mouth parted slightly, her face full of surprise. "Then why do I feel nauseous, keep gagging, and have a tight feeling in my chest?"

Lin Yu turned to look at her. For some reason, his eyes were completely drawn to her glossy lips.

She had applied lip balm today. Her full lips were a tender pink, like a juicy peach, shimmering slightly under the clinic's lights.

And her scent was different today, too.

It was no longer her familiar, warm soap fragrance; she had put on perfume.

Lin Yu couldn't quite pinpoint the exact scent, but it smelled incredibly good.

"Nausea and gagging don't necessarily mean pregnancy."

"You might just be under too much stress lately. Try to adjust your mood and allow yourself to relax," the doctor advised professionally.

These words were clearly meant for Tang Manman, but when they reached Lin Yu's ears, they left him stunned for quite a while.

"Okay, thank you, doctor," Tang Manman said softly. The two of them turned and left.

On the way out, Tang Manman reverted to her usual demeanor, keeping her head bowed like a little puppy that had done something wrong.

Only this time, whenever she peeked up at Lin Yu, she was holding back a smile.

Perhaps even she found this whole misunderstanding a bit too comical.

She looked adorably mischievous.

Lin Yu glanced at her a few times and felt the urge to laugh as well.

But he felt he shouldn't.

Man, just a moment ago you were contemplating jumping into another world, and now you're standing here grinning from ear to ear—isn't that a bit inappropriate?

Unfortunately.

Laughter is a hard thing to suppress.

Especially when both people are trying their hardest to hold it in.

They couldn't keep it together.

Both Lin Yu and Tang Manman burst out laughing.

But for some reason, as Lin Yu laughed, he suddenly felt the urge to cry.

Seeing that Lin Yu was no longer upset, Tang Manman took a quick step forward, then spun around gracefully to face him, blocking his path.

Her bright, clear eyes sparkled with anticipation. She tilted her chin up slightly, but before she could even close her eyes to let the heat on her cheeks cool down, Lin Yu suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

He held her very tightly.

Tang Manman was a bit taken aback.

Didn't he say over the phone that the next time they met, he would hold her and kiss her until she couldn't breathe?

Why was it just a hug now?

...

Whatever.

Tang Manman's delicate features relaxed. She raised her arms to hug Lin Yu back, leaning happily against his shoulder.

This was nice, too.

It felt so safe and comforting.

She loved it...

...

"Why are you crying?"

After they pulled apart, Tang Manman looked at Lin Yu's red eyes and the tear hanging on his cheek. Her heart ached, and she instinctively reached out to touch his face.

"It's nothing," Lin Yu said, wiping the tear away with his arm and forcing a smile.

"You know men, we always have a few days like this every month."

Lin Yu tried to joke his way out of the topic, but Tang Manman didn't laugh. She stared intently at him, the word concern practically written all over her face.

"Let's go," Lin Yu said, not wanting her to worry. He changed the subject, took her hand, and led her away from the hospital.

There was never a shortage of taxis at the hospital entrance.

Lin Yu originally wanted to get in a car with Tang Manman and find a place to eat, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Lin Yu turned to her and realized she was looking at a park near the hospital.

"Let's go over there for a bit."

Lin Yu didn't know what Tang Manman wanted to do, but since she wanted to go, he went along with it.

They arrived at the park and stopped by a bench.

The park was clearly maintained by someone; there was barely any snow on the dark brown bench, just a fine layer of snow dust blown by the wind.

Tang Manman brushed it a couple of times with her hand, easily sweeping off the dust.

She sat down on the left side of the bench, then looked at Lin Yu and patted the spot next to her, gesturing for him to sit.

Lin Yu sat down, completely baffled.

Once he was seated, Tang Manman reached up, hooked her arm around his neck, and gently pulled him toward her.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Yu asked in confusion, though he followed her movement and laid his head down on her lap.

"I secretly heard my roommates talking about this," she said softly.

"They said that if you let a boy rest his head on your lap like this, it makes them feel really happy."

"So?"

"Do you feel a bit better?"

Tang Manman asked in a gentle voice.

Once he understood her reasoning, Lin Yu was so amused he almost laughed out of exasperation.

So you were acting all mysterious just for this?

"Tang Manman, I seriously suspect you only listen to half of what people say," Lin Yu asked with a smile.

"Hmm?"

Tang Manman let out a soft nasal sound, expressing her confusion.

"Didn't your roommates mention that this method only works in spring, summer, or autumn—seasons when people wear fewer clothes?"

Lin Yu couldn't help but tease her.

"It's only when girls wear fewer clothes that boys can actually feel the softness and warmth of their thighs."

"Especially in the summer when they wear little skirts."

"That's when this trick is actually suitable for cheering up a guy."

"But who taught you to use this move in the dead of winter?"

As Lin Yu spoke, he made himself laugh.

"It's freezing cold out here, and you have me resting my head on a lap wrapped in so many layers of cotton and fabric that it only smells like snow. Do you think this is fitting?"

Hearing him say this, Tang Manman finally realized the flaw in her plan.

Feeling a bit guilty, she stroked Lin Yu's hair.

But soon enough, her clever mind thought of a remedy.

She carefully looked left and right, and seeing no one around, she lowered her head and shyly proposed in a tiny voice:

"Then how about we go to a hotel?"

"I can take them off for you to lay on."

Lin Yu went silent.

He suddenly felt that this was actually pretty great as it was.

Even though the cold wind slipped through his open coat and blew chillingly against his lower back, he could still feel something incredibly beautiful.

Something far more beautiful than the softness of a girl's thighs or her sweet fragrance.

It was her love.

"No need, this is really nice as it is," Lin Yu said softly.

"Oh, okay."

Tang Manman nodded. She sat up straight and continued to gently stroke Lin Yu's hair and cheek.

Gradually, she began to feel that her roommates really had left something out.

But she couldn't blame them; maybe even they didn't know this detail.

Doing this... makes the girl feel incredibly happy, too...