Chapter 2: The Philosophy of Scumbags

A Saint Seiya never falls for the same trick twice, and a person shouldn’t stumble into the same pit two times.

Three years later, after provoking too many women, he ultimately ended up chopped to pieces by their machetes.

Oh, well, maybe the dismemberment part was just his own imagination, but he had a strong intuition that those women would never leave his corpse intact.

As for them, Lin Yu couldn’t say he hated them that much; after all, he was the one who made mistakes first.

He just never expected these women would be so ruthless, that they’d actually go through with it.

“Eh?”

The shy blush on Xia Yanran’s face froze instantly, then turned into shock and disbelief.

She stiffly twisted her neck, eyes wide as she stared at Lin Yu, as if trying to spot some trace of a joke on his face.

T-this isn’t right!

Why is it different from what we practiced? Mother, didn’t you say you understood Lin Yu very well? Didn’t you say he would definitely agree?

“You… what did you say?”

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, the courage she’d summoned moments before popping like a punctured balloon.

Lin Yu looked at the panic in her eyes and sighed inwardly, then teased in a deliberately light tone, “I said, it’s nothing special. Miss Xia Yanran, what exactly do you spend your days thinking about?”

He couldn’t give her any hope; he had to block this path completely.

But if he rejected her too bluntly, given Xia Yanran’s personality, she’d either dig to the root of it, or fly into a rage, maybe even do something even more extreme.

He knew her too well. This girl responded to gentle words, not force—he needed to use the “roundabout tactic.”

“What am I thinking?” Xia Yanran was getting a bit riled by his attitude, feeling both wronged and annoyed. “I want to be your girlfriend! What’s wrong with that? Haven’t we always gotten along really well?”

“We do get along.” Lin Yu shrugged, looking innocent. “That’s why we should keep things just the way they are, right?”

“Keep things?” Xia Yanran frowned, a little confused by his words. “Isn’t becoming boyfriend and girlfriend an even better relationship?”

“No, no.” Lin Yu raised a finger and wagged it, starting his performance. “Classmate Xia Yanran, your way of thinking is dangerous. Let’s analyze this rationally.”

He adjusted his posture, preparing for a long lecture.

“What do you think couples do after they get together?”

Xia Yanran had practiced all sorts of scenarios at home, but she never expected him to ask this. Did this question even need an answer?

“They should… should…” She got stuck, realizing she’d never really thought it through.

Seeing her freeze up, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Yu’s eyes.

“Look, right now, can’t we watch movies together without any pressure? Even the worst movies, we can roast them together, right?”

“Yes… right.” Xia Yanran nodded blankly.

“And we can grab food together anytime, without having to worry about awkward AA bills, or who’s paid more or less?”

“Mm…”

“We can play games together, and even if you drag me down I won’t really get mad, and if I carry you, you won’t feel embarrassed?”

“It seems… so.”

“And you can lounge around at my place or yours in a tank top and shorts without caring about how you look?”

Xia Yanran glanced down at her own breezy outfit, her face heating up again.

“And even—” Lin Yu lowered his voice, “like just now, you can rest your legs on me to ‘cool off’ and nobody thinks it’s a big deal, right?”

Xia Yanran opened her mouth to argue, but realized… he was telling the truth.

This easy, unburdened way of getting along—she really did cherish it.

“But…” She felt like something was off, grasping for the point. “If I become your girlfriend, I could do even more, right? Like… like…”

“Like what?” Lin Yu looked at her with a clear gaze, filled with innocent “curiosity.”

“Like…”

Xia Yanran’s face turned so red it looked like it might start dripping blood. Like holding hands, hugging, kissing, even…

Under his “pure” stare, she couldn’t say a single thing. Saying them felt almost sacrilegious.

Lin Yu saw her eyes begin to well up, anxious as a little squirrel who just had her nut snatched away, and felt a pang of guilt.

But remembering that bloody ending, that trace of guilt was instantly suppressed.

He struck while the iron was hot, his tone earnest. “Look at us now—so pure, so relaxed. The moment we become boyfriend and girlfriend, the trouble starts.”

“You’ll start worrying about which girl I talked to today, and I’ll worry if you’ll get upset about some trivial thing tomorrow. We’ll fight, give each other the cold shoulder, nitpick over everything… and maybe, in the end, we’ll lose even our friendship.”

He paused, watching Xia Yanran’s wavering eyes, then pressed on.

“Think about it. For the title of ‘girlfriend,’ would it really be worth losing this friendship where we can play and laugh together, no worries at all? Who’ll go to the movies with you then? Who’ll carry you in games? Where will you put your legs to ‘cool off’? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

Xia Yanran was scared by the “tragic future” he painted.

Lose the close, seamless relationship she had with Lin Yu now?

She’d never thought about it—and couldn’t accept it at all.

Compared to that vague “girlfriend” identity, maybe… her current state really did feel more secure and happy?

“So,” Lin Yu patted her on the shoulder, like comforting a comrade who’d found their way back. “Keeping things as they are is the greatest respect and protection for our ‘friendship.’ Right, Sister Xia?”

Although Xia Yanran was a year younger than Lin Yu, she always made him call her Sister Xia, though he rarely did.

That final “Sister Xia” made Xia Yanran’s muddled mind even harder to untangle.

She felt like Lin Yu’s words made perfect sense, but also like something was off.

But exactly what, she just couldn’t say.

The frustration, confusion, and inability to refute him made her so stifled she wanted to punch the sofa.

She pouted, glared at Lin Yu, and grabbed her controller in a huff.

“Let’s game! I’m done thinking about this!”

Watching her refocus on the game—still a little pouty, but clearly having put aside her “promotion to girlfriend” plan for now—Lin Yu quietly let out a long breath.

If Lin Yu were to describe Xia Yanran, he’d probably say she was all brawn and no brains.

Oh, and maybe add: big-chested, empty-headed.

Big…

Lin Yu glanced at the overdeveloped Xia Yanran, who wasn’t wearing anything under her shirt again!

North District of Nest City, abandoned factory.

Inside the Temporary Command Vehicle, Lin Mowei, taking advantage of a lull in the battle, secretly connected to the home Monitor again.

On the screen, Lin Yu and Xia Yanran sat side by side on the sofa gaming, with a reasonable social distance between them. Occasionally, they bumped each other slightly.

Xia Yanran would yell about the state of the game, Lin Yu would just operate the controller with helpless resignation, and the atmosphere between them… was more like that of bros.

No sweet gazes after a confession, no shy snuggling, and certainly none of those intimate acts she remembered from that night.

Huh? What’s going on? They… didn’t do anything?

Could it be because I wasn’t home? But if I’m not home, shouldn’t that…

Lin Mowei shook her head. No, this is better!

She didn’t know what had caused the change, but this was exactly what she wanted.

She turned off the Monitor and grabbed a Walkie-Talkie.

“Qingqing, how’s the progress?”

A reply soon came from the other side. “Section Chief, based on the current kill rate, we’ll break through the Mother Nest’s First Layer Spatial Barrier by noon tomorrow at the latest.”

“Good, keep it up.”

“Yes!”

Lin Mowei suppressed the urge to open the Monitor again, then picked up the Long Blade beside her.

She had to wrap things up here quickly and get back to her brother’s side. The potential threats weren’t limited to just Xia Yanran.