Small Celebration Ceremony, Gifts to Give

Ying'er, that little troublemaker, could come up with all sorts of ridiculous ideas.

Had she rallied more than one girl to team up and prank him?

Lin Yu pretended not to notice, continuing to walk forward nonchalantly.

He was genuinely curious to see what kind of scheme Ying'er had cooked up this time!

As he approached Ying'er's door,

Lin Yu deliberately slowed his steps.

Just as expected,

the next moment,

Ying'er's door suddenly swung open!

Three figures rushed out from the room, charging straight at Lin Yu...

"Surprise!!"

"Confetti!!"

Knowing full well there was an "ambush" waiting, Lin Yu still had to put on an exaggerated look of shock—quite the acting challenge.

But if he stayed too calm, it would feel like a letdown for Ying'er and the other two girls after all their preparations.

As they shouted "Confetti!",

shredded pieces of paper were tossed into the air from their hands, giving Lin Yu an impromptu "snowfall" moment.

Lin Yu patted his chest, steadying his breath as if recovering from a fright.

Then,

glancing at Ying'er, Little Fufu, and Maomao, he cracked a helpless smile.

"You two—corrupted by Ying'er already? Going all out with the theatrics, huh?"

"Confetti... since when do people throw paper scraps, and white ones at that?"

Ye Mengfu: "!!!"

Maomao: "!!!"

Mo Shangying: "???"

Lin Yu: "..."

As Lin Yu had guessed,

only Ying'er could dream up such a harebrained idea.

And with the "no-opinion duo" around, they naturally went along with it.

"Shifu, you’re so mean," Ying'er pouted.

"What do you mean 'corrupted by me'? I’m a perfectly proper... young lady."

Lin Yu's pupils shrank: "!!!"

That deliberate pause and emphasis—what was she trying to imply?

Others might not get it,

but Lin Yu knew exactly what she meant.

Ying'er really had no filter!

Bullying the other two for not understanding, huh?

Turns out,

only Maomao was truly clueless.

Still blinking innocently,

she even felt a little guilty about the "white confetti" mishap.

Ye Mengfu, however, froze in instant comprehension, sneaking a glance at Lin Yu’s reaction.

That said,

Little Fufu didn’t overthink it.

She knew Ying'er’s personality was just like this—

her mouth often running wilder than anyone could handle.

Right now, Ye Mengfu’s mind was racing with one thought:

Lin Yu had said, "Don’t let Ying'er lead you astray," and now Ying'er was dropping those kinds of hints...

Would Lin Yu forbid her from hanging out with Ying'er from now on?

Ying'er was her only close friend—she couldn’t afford to lose her!

So,

Ye Mengfu silently prayed for Ying'er to just stop talking.

Please, don’t let Lin misunderstand...

"I—I’ll clean up," Ye Mengfu murmured, then immediately darted back into the room.

Moments later,

she returned with a broom and dustpan she’d prepared earlier.

Lin Yu brushed off the paper scraps and took the broom from Little Fufu.

With a grin at the girls, he said,

"Message received, thanks!"

"You must’ve watched Little Chi’s livestream, right?"

"Comic cons sound fun—we should all go together next time."

Hearing Lin Yu’s gratitude, the three girls visibly relaxed.

Led by Ying'er, the hallway soon erupted into lively chatter.

Ying'er: "Shifu, you’re amazing! That song was so hard, but you made it look effortless!"

Maomao: "So impressive. Yet another hidden talent of Yu’s uncovered."

Ye Mengfu: "Congratulations... on winning the award."

Maomao: "Well-deserved."

Ying'er: "Master, you were cosplaying Kaneki Ken singing 'Unravel' at the venue—bet you didn't know someone was cosplaying you in my room!"

Maomao couldn't help but glance at Little Fufu: "..."

Ye Mengfu: "!!!"

Is this something you just say out loud?

Wait—

More like, how could you say it like this?

Ye Mengfu had only quietly hummed a few lines.

It hardly counted as cosplay, right?

Hearing this said right in front of Lin Yu made her face burn, her heart race, and her eyes dart away from his gaze.

Lin Yu smirked knowingly and remarked with playful implication:

"Oh? Little Fufu imitated me? Then... she must’ve done it better than anyone else."

[Ding!]

[Masterful move—a sweet insinuation only a saint and his dao companion could understand, filling her heart with joy!]

[Reward: 50 spirit stones.]

Ye Mengfu: "!!!"

Lin Yu's words...

Were they praising her?

Though just a simple line, it sent waves of warmth through Ye Mengfu’s chest.

So much so that

she almost wanted to tell him again... that she’d fully recovered.

Seizing the moment, Ying'er delivered another assist, grinning as she added:

"Master, you’ve got good taste on this one."

"Little Fufu’s singing skills? Not a bit worse than yours."

"Maomao and I got to hear it live—too bad you missed out~"

Ah, Ying'er was still too young.

Lin Yu might not have heard Little Fufu imitate his singing in a group setting,

but he usually got private performances.

Tonight, the three of them had gathered to watch Lin Yu’s livestream together—

clearly, Ying'er had orchestrated this.

Neither of the other two had the social initiative to pull it off.

Lin Yu shifted gears, his tone laced with meaning as he continued:

"What a shame. Guess I’ll have to catch it at the next gathering."

"Ying'er, don’t forget to invite me next time—I’ll be there."

"And... thanks for today."

"For the flower toss, and for rallying everyone to watch me sing."

[Ding!]

[Masterful move—deciphering your dao companion’s unspoken thoughts, leaving her deeply moved!]

[Reward: 50 spirit stones.]

Lin Yu’s genuine words

pierced through Ying'er’s cheeky exterior, touching the earnestness beneath.

Just two simple sentences

made her feel every effort to surprise him was utterly worth it.

Because he was worth it.

Not wanting to play favorites,

Lin Yu racked his brain for something to say to Maomao.

Yet

the moment he looked over—

Maomao stood with her left arm raised, right hand supporting the elbow,

striking a pose like Ultraman charging a beam.

Or a primary schooler eagerly waiting to answer a question.

Lin Yu: "..."

This formal?

Definitely not small talk.

His curiosity spiked—what could Maomao possibly want to say?

Lin Yu shot her a look,

signaling she could speak freely.

But

Maomao remained dead serious, utterly unresponsive.

With a sigh, Lin Yu broke the silence:

"Student..."

"Free discussion time now—no need to wait for the teacher to call on you."

"Got some personal congratulations for me?"

Finally granted permission, Maomao blurted out eagerly:

"Yu, it’s not congratulations I want to say."

"I actually have a surprise to show you..."

Lin Yu: "Oh? Thank you! What is it?"

Maomao: "Aunt Ruxue!"

Lin Yu: "???"

...

(First update today—two more chapters coming soon!)