After looking around, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy.
Mao Ruirui was itching to ask questions.
But she politely restrained her curiosity.
If Lin Yu wanted to share, he would have brought it up himself.
What if it was something private he didn’t want to discuss? Prying might only make him uncomfortable.
Judging by Lin Yu’s expression, the message seemed to have put him in a sour mood.
"Ah…"
A long sigh cast a subtle atmosphere over the scene.
Mao Ruirui, seizing the cue, quickly asked:
"What’s wrong, Lin Yu?"
"Did something happen?"
"Is it… related to yesterday?"
She hadn’t forgotten today’s morning jog—she had another mission.
Her youthful, vibrant sportswear.
Was partly meant to be seen by "that girl."
At the very least.
She had to show that Lin Yu hadn’t chosen some… older woman.
She was still in the prime of her youth.
Lin Yu nodded along with Mao Ruirui’s words and said:
"That classmate from yesterday showed up again."
The moment he said it.
Mao Ruirui immediately scanned the surroundings, looking for her.
Lin Yu stopped her just in time:
"Ruirui-jie, don’t look around!"
"If she notices us searching for her,"
"Everything we do from now on will seem like an act to her!"
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
Right!
Lin Yu made perfect sense!
She’d almost made a huge mistake.
In this situation, they absolutely couldn’t go looking for her.
"That girl" was truly terrifying and extreme.
Hiding somewhere in the shadows of the field, secretly watching them?
What could they do to help Lin Yu shake off her obsession for good?
Just as Mao Ruirui was lost in thought.
Lin Yu presented the perfect solution…
"Ruirui-jie, can I hold your hand while we walk around the field for a bit?"
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
Holding hands…
The two of them?
This… might actually be the best way forward, right?
Couples in love often held hands or linked arms in public.
If "that girl" saw how inseparable they were as a couple.
She’d probably back off… right?
Mao Ruirui’s body reacted faster than her brain.
By the time she processed the thought.
Her hand was already hovering mid-air.
Flustered, she hurriedly said:
"Of course I’ll help Lin Yu…"
"So… let’s hold hands!"
Her outstretched hand.
Was like an olive branch—but also more than that.
It wasn’t just about the physical touch.
It was the first crack in a dam!
Once a trickle of water seeped through.
There’d be no stopping the flood that followed!
Lin Yu firmly took Mao Ruirui’s hand in his.
Despite the long jog and the summer heat.
Her hand remained cool, smooth, and pleasant to hold.
But the way it tensed and relaxed, relaxed and tensed.
Made one thing clear.
Its owner was nervous!
[Ding!]
[Masterful move—your first intimate contact with your destined soulmate sends her heart racing!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones]
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
The last time a boy had held her hand like this and walked with her.
Was probably back in kindergarten, lining up for dismissal.
Even though she knew it was just pretend.
Being led by Lin Yu like this… felt eerily like the real thing.
Was this how couples in love acted?
No wonder that single mom who often boarded pets at her shop always said:
Haven’t dated yet? Girl, find a guy and try it—it’s amazing!
Just pretending was enough to make her heart flutter.
If she were really dating Lin Yu…
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
What was she thinking?!
This was just a necessary act, nothing more.
Yet she’d practically imagined their future kids’ names.
Since when was she this… unrestrained?
Lin Yu stammered:
"Ruirui-jie, should we… talk about something?"
Mao Ruirui: "Yeah, probably…"
Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, I’m… really nervous. So nervous I don’t know what to say. This is my first time holding a girl’s hand like this."
Hearing this, Mao Ruirui’s nerves settled a bit.
The best way to calm your own anxiety?
Have someone next to you who’s even more nervous!
With her mind clearer now.
She took the initiative:
"Want to talk about that girl? If you’re comfortable sharing?"
Lin Yu squeezed her hand slightly and nodded:
"Of course. Out of respect for her privacy, I won’t mention her name."
"My story goes like this—back when I was eighteen, and so was she…"
For the next five minutes of their hand-in-hand stroll.
Lin Yu spun a tale on the fly, half-improvising as he spoke.
The "unrequited love story" between him and "that girl."
He’d only learned about it himself seconds before.
By the time he finished, his expression was grave.
His story perfectly aligned with the trending romantic tropes that would later dominate pop culture:
Loving a yandere is a story; being loved by one is a disaster.
After hearing this, Mao Ruirui completely believed the impromptu tale.
Her heart ached a little for Lin Yu.
Of all people, why did he have to run into such a terrifying girl?
This only strengthened her resolve to help him.
"Ding dong!"
"Ding dong!"
"Ding dong!"
"..."
The sound of WeChat notifications struck again!
Lin Yu suppressed a grin as he eagerly pulled out his phone.
Beside him, Mao Ruirui politely turned her head away, avoiding any glimpse of his screen.
Such manners!
This was exactly the kind of girl who respected privacy—no peeking at phones!
Equally admirable was the girl who knew just the right time to send messages.
「Shen Buyao: Exhausted. My whole body hurts, but I can’t pinpoint where (sad).」
「Shen Buyao: Please tell me you didn’t make something delicious again this morning (sad).」
「Shen Buyao: I’m a woman deprived of culinary blessings (sad).」
「Shen Buyao: (moon) Goodnight—no, good morning (sun).」
Who said this antique of a sister was a lone wolf?
Wasn’t she just a little sunbeam here to brighten the world?
Just these two perfectly timed messages alone meant Lin Yu owed her a special treat later.
Especially this barrage of four texts in a row.
Each chime hammered straight into Mao Ruirui’s heart.
"Lin Yu, that girl’s still nearby, right?"
"With so many messages, does she not believe we’re actually a couple?"
Mao Ruirui hadn’t read the texts, but she’d shrewdly guessed their gist.
Lin Yu sighed, nodding in confirmation.
Then he added:
"She still thinks I’m just using someone to trick her, trying to make her give up..."
"Ruirui, the steps over there aren’t wet from the rain. Want to sit for a while?"
...
(Bonus chapter delivered! Next bonus unlocks after 483 more 'powered by love' clicks. Thanks for feeding this little author with ad views—back to the grind tomorrow!)
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
