Chapter 21: Her Approach

The newborn eastern sun couldn’t bring Lin Yu even a sliver of warmth.

Going shopping with Xia Yanran was, of course, a lie. With how well he knew that girl, she was probably still tangled up about last night’s events right now.

Xia Yanran’s confession failed, Qin Wuyue noticed him in advance, and his sister had changed.

All these changes brought about by the butterfly effect were within reason, but why was it that the most important thing hadn’t deviated at all?

Lin Yu didn’t understand, nor could he figure it out. At this moment, he deeply felt the immense malice that came from the inertia of the world.

He wandered the streets aimlessly. For a brief moment just now, he had the urge to run away from home, but that unrealistic thought was quickly dismissed.

First of all, there was no way he could get past his sister. Besides, not only was it perilous outside the Nest, even inside wasn’t completely safe.

The Extermination Division’s missions weren’t just about killing Rift Beasts; sometimes, they also targeted members of those twisted, fanatical organizations.

These people interpreted the appearance of spatial rifts and Rift Beasts as a warning from heaven, a divine oracle, or even a trial for human evolution.

The harm they caused was sometimes no less than that of the Rift Beasts.

This world was far from safe.

Lin Yu arrived at a park near his home and sat down on a bench, watching parents bring their children here to play.

He used to be one of them too. Of course, Xia Yanran was always by his side.

He didn’t really dislike her—he was just a little afraid.

That last day, the lively girl who always wore a radiant smile revealed an almost broken expression. Forgetting it was, in truth, quite difficult.

“Sigh……” He let out a helpless sigh.

No, he had to make one last effort. He couldn’t just accept things so easily—didn’t he always say his fate was his own to decide?

Besides, he had restarted—this time, the advantage was his!

Having calmed down, Lin Yu decided to go back and talk to his sister again. Who knew? Maybe things would turn around.

He had just stood up to head home when he suddenly noticed someone approaching from not far away.

When he got a clear look at the person’s face, his whole body froze, his pupils contracting sharply.

H-How could it be… meeting her here?

Without a moment’s hesitation, he sat back down, unable to stop himself from swallowing nervously. His gaze wandered restlessly, trying to look elsewhere, but he just couldn’t help but pay attention to her.

The girl’s appearance was unremarkable—the kind of face that would be lost in a crowd. Her hair was done up in two slightly old-fashioned braids, and she wore a plain black short-sleeved shirt with a long skirt that reached past her knees.

If there was anything different about her, it was her eyes. In those dark pupils, it was as if starlight twinkled.

This wasn’t Lin Yu’s imagination; he’d actually seen it one night. It was tied to the girl’s abilities.

The girl’s name was…

“Hello, excuse me, have we met before?”

Lin Yu stiffly turned his head, looking at the girl in surprise.

They had clearly just brushed past each other—wasn’t that enough? Why turn back?

“B-Beauty, isn’t that pick-up line a bit old-fashioned?” He tried hard to make his voice sound less odd.

The girl pressed her lips together, a bit embarrassed, but still sat down beside him, not too close and not too far.

“I thought so too, but I really feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Hi, my name is…”

Your name is Ye Ling—Ye, as in night; Ling, as in spirit.

“My name is Ye Ling—’Ye’ for night, ‘Ling’ for spirit. What about you?”

He knew this—this was exactly how she introduced herself before.

Seeing the hint of anticipation in her eyes, Lin Yu felt as if his heart was trembling.

“I-I’m Lin Yu. Hello.”

The girl stared at him for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, “Haha, why do you seem so nervous? Don’t be scared, I just… well, you do look kind of familiar. I guess you could call it a pick-up line.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Lin Yu didn’t understand. He just felt a bit dazed. Why would he run into her at this point in time, this woman he least wanted—or dared—to meet?

In his previous life, he owed many emotional debts, but if he had to say who he felt the most guilty toward, it was undoubtedly the girl before him.

Their story began with a bet—a bet with one of his troublemaking friends.

He lost, so he had to go talk to the most inconspicuous girl in the class.

But after getting to know her, he didn’t know why, but he just started to care about her, bit by bit. Even though, at that time, he was already dating Xia Yanran, and in every way, Ye Ling couldn’t compare to her.

Yet the girl seemed to possess some quality that drew him in, making him enjoy being around her—warm, peaceful, and incredibly reassuring.

She was also the only one who, upon learning of his chaotic personal life, left him without hesitation.

“Judging by your age, you should be about the same as me. I’m a new student at Dome Academy this year. I rented a place nearby and just came out to look around. What about you?”

Ye Ling introduced herself first, thinking it might help the boy in front of her relax.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu realized why he saw her here. That made sense; he had never visited this park before back then.

“I…” He opened his mouth, and, before he knew it, said, “I’m also a new student this year. Maybe we’ll even be classmates.”

Damn it, what am I saying!

“What a coincidence! I…”

The girl was lively, completely different from her plain appearance. Talking with her was easy—Lin Yu had always thought so, even now.

The two of them seemed to forget about the passage of time and chatted until the sun was high in the sky.

Then Ye Ling glanced at the sun and turned to Lin Yu with a smile, “Ah, I accidentally took up so much of your time. I should get going.”

Lin Yu subconsciously felt a bit reluctant, but quickly quashed the thought.

“It’s fine. I really enjoyed talking with you, so… g-goodbye?”

Ye Ling pouted and leaned in a little closer to look into Lin Yu’s eyes, “Haha, why are you getting nervous again?”

As she spoke, she reached out, as if to shake his hand.

Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out to take her hand. He didn’t squeeze hard, but still couldn’t help his heart racing when he touched her.

After letting go, Ye Ling stood up, her lively eyes gazing at him, “Well then, see you, future classmate?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Yu watched as her figure disappeared around the corner, then patted his own head.

“What am I thinking… wasn’t I supposed to keep my distance from them…”

But being with her just felt so good, so comfortable—Lin Yu couldn’t help but think that.

“Whew… Guess I’ll go see what my sister thinks. If she really won’t change her mind… tch.”

His resolve to stay away from Dome Academy had been shaken ever so slightly by his unexpected encounter with Ye Ling.

Where he couldn’t see, Ye Ling looked back in his direction, muttering to herself, “Lin Yu? Why… do you appear in my dreams? Who are you, really?”

Lately, almost every night she’d had the same dream. In the dream, she would always go looking for a man.

But when she found him, the man was already dead, and then she would carry his body into the sea of flames.

The man in her dream looked exactly like Lin Yu.