Chapter 4
1360 Words
Cheng Yan was referring to the incident before the final exam week.
At that time, Lin Yuyan had borrowed a camera from the school to shoot a group project.
The Journalism Department at Beijing University was nationally renowned, and naturally, they were willing to invest in facilities. Each student had access to a high-end Canon camera. Lin Yuyan was very careful with hers, but one day, it mysteriously broke when she took it out.
The SD card even had a corner chipped off, as if it had been deliberately damaged.
Since she hadn’t done it herself, Lin Yuyan wasn’t going to let it slide. However, despite reviewing all the available surveillance footage, she couldn’t identify the culprit.
She had no choice but to swallow her grievance.
She was faced with two options: report the damage to the school, pay for it, and get a disciplinary mark on her record, or buy a new camera and pass it off as the original.
Smart people usually chose the latter, and so did Lin Yuyan.
But she didn’t have enough money and couldn’t dare to tell her parents.
Her only option was to turn to her affluent childhood friend for help.
Without much explanation, he simply handed over the money.
For a university student, tens of thousands of yuan was no small sum. Although Lin Yuyan received a generous monthly allowance, it would still take time for her to repay such an amount.
Afterwards, she secretly quit her piano classes and used the money to repay him.
Cheng Yan didn’t say much at the time, just accepted it.
But the next morning, he dragged Lin Yuyan into his car, buckled her seatbelt, and drove straight to her piano class.
Lin Yuyan couldn’t resist and, only after meeting her piano teacher, found her voice, shouting, “Cheng Yan, are you crazy?”
Without a word, Cheng Yan paid for her piano classes, covering her tuition until she graduated. His voice was deep, his brows furrowed, “Did you think I needed you to pay me back?”
Lin Yuyan wasn’t the type to take advantage of others. Borrowing money meant paying it back—that was only natural. She diligently used her monthly allowance to repay him, and he accepted it each time.
But now, he was the one bringing it up, and he used the word "owe."
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of loss washed over her.
She replied: I know, I know, I’ll definitely pay you back.
[Cheng Yan]: I’m talking about the piano classes. I’ll take you there tomorrow.
Lin Yuyan didn’t want to reply. Their conversations usually ended with his messages anyway. Absentmindedly, she tossed her phone onto the desk.
Fine, I won’t delete the comment anymore. Happy?
Close to 11 PM, Lin Yuyan finally finished her interview article, sending the Word document off to her advisor before preparing for bed.
Her phone, charging a bit farther away, lay untouched to prevent distractions while she worked. When she finally picked it up, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Zhuo Yike had messaged her.
He had sent it at 10 PM. She hadn’t deliberately ignored him, so she hurried to explain.
They had connected online.
It was kind of an abuse of power, but also work-related. She had used the school’s official account to message Zhuo Yike’s Douyin account, asking if he could film a hand dance video to help promote the school.
Zhuo Yike had replied, suggesting they talk on WeChat. After that, their conversation stalled at simple introductions.
Hello, I’m Lin Yuyan from the journalism department.
Lin Yuyan repeatedly pondered over the four words, Is the junior there?, feeling a bit nervous.
His response came almost instantly, accompanied by a cute cat sticker: Don’t worry about it, junior.
[Zhuo Yike]: I saw your post about wanting cake. Would it be an honor if I ordered you some takeout?
His words were polite, but they sent a bubbling warmth through Lin Yuyan.
[Lin Yuyan]: No need, it’s too late.
[Zhuo Yike]: So, has another guy already ordered you takeout?
Lin Yuyan glanced at the cake sitting on the table and quickly replied: No, no one has.
Technically, Cheng Yan had brought it over, so it didn’t count as takeout.
The two of them chatted for a while longer, and after some gentle persuasion from Zhuo Yike, Lin Yuyan eventually agreed to let him order something for her. She also thought about sending him something in return.
The moment she put her phone down, all the gloom she’d felt earlier vanished.
She hadn’t given her home address but instead had the delivery sent to a nearby pickup locker.
Lin Yuyan made sure to repeatedly instruct the delivery person not to call or knock on her door, as her parents were home. The whole situation felt very much like sneaking around.
Zhuo Yike forwarded the delivery driver’s photo to Lin Yuyan, confirming the package had arrived. Only then did she quietly sneak downstairs, careful not to wake her parents.
Lin Shuchen had just finished his shower when he saw his daughter heading downstairs. He rubbed his hands together and called out her childhood nickname.
Lin Yuyan felt her scalp tingle. Her expression stiffened as she turned around.
Fortunately, she was quick on her feet. She casually made up a lie, saying that Cheng Yan had dropped something off and that she’d be back in a minute.
Lin Shuchen nodded and reminded her not to stay out too long.
Tiptoeing in her slippers, Lin Yuyan quietly made her way to the delivery locker, punching in the familiar code. The door clicked open, revealing the pink cake inside. Lin Yuyan’s lips curled into a smile.
Cheng Yan hadn’t gone to bed yet.
The summer night breeze was refreshing on his face as he leaned his arm casually on the windowsill. From his vantage point, he could see her room.
The creamy white curtains now concealed much of the room’s layout—nothing like how it had looked in high school. Back then, she would sit hunched over at her desk, struggling through math problems. She was never good at math and would often get frustrated and ruffle her hair.
Cheng Yan used to love watching her like that because the next day, she would come to him, carrying her textbook, asking for help.
Throughout high school and even junior high, the two of them were inseparable, making the distance between them now feel all the more jarring.
Cheng Yan had the nagging feeling that Lin Yuyan was avoiding him, refusing to acknowledge their relationship, even at school.
Annoyed, he absentmindedly picked up a cigarette box from his desk, but only half-heartedly.
He didn’t actually smoke, but drinking culture at social events meant he kept some cigarettes on hand.
There was another reason, too—Lin Yuyan didn’t like guys who smoked.
His cold eyes lowered.
Perhaps it was that summer after the college entrance exam when they kissed in the upstairs room that everything changed.
Lost in thought, Cheng Yan suddenly looked up.
His eyes caught sight of her—the girl in bear slippers, pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Her pajamas exposed her shoulder blades, protruding like wings. She was holding a cake, and it wasn’t his.
As she quietly slipped back inside, her figure disappeared from view.
His dark eyes remained fixed on the spot where she had just been.
The wind tonight was unusually hot, scratching against his face like a cat’s claws.
Cheng Yan yanked the curtains shut. His fingers lifted, and the computer screen's light cast shadows on his sharp features. His long fingers flew over the keyboard.
The first thing Lin Yuyan did after retrieving the cake was send a picture to Zhuo Yike. She scooped a small bite and added a caption: Thank you, it’s delicious.
[Zhuo Yike]: I’m glad you like it.
They chatted for a while longer before she finally went to bed. By then, it was past 1 AM, and when she woke the next day, her eyes were slightly puffy.
At this time, she received a message from Chen Li.
- Writer
