Chapter 176: Memories

Since the young girl wanted to go, Qin Nanfeng naturally wouldn’t let her go alone. Thus, the plan for Kiln-baked Chicken was set.

Exuberantly, the girl shared her idea with her grandmother, and the elderly woman naturally didn’t refuse.

Young people were always restless, so Grandma let them do as they pleased. However, she still gave Tang Yayun a worried warning, telling her not to go wandering off toward the town.

Grandma trusted everyone else, but her own granddaughter was the one she worried about most; the girl had too many little schemes.

This caused Tang Yayun to pout once again.

She felt she wasn’t so ignorant that she couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

Of course, Tang Yayun didn’t argue back; she only grumbled a few words under her breath.

The house had sweet potatoes and peanuts, and for the main ingredient—the chicken—Grandma had been raising quite a few in the coop over at the old house. All the ingredients were ready.

So, Grandma went to the old house and caught three medium-sized local chickens. If they were too big, they wouldn’t cook through easily and wouldn’t absorb the flavor well. If they were too small, the chicken flavor wouldn’t be strong enough, and they would easily dry out or burn.

The other elders in the house also heard about this. Mother Lin and the second aunt came out to help Grandma slaughter and clean the chickens.

After marinating the ingredients and wrapping them in foil, everything was prepared. They also brought along a hoe and a bucket.

The four of them, led by Lin Xinyuan, set off with their supplies.

Although the sky was somewhat gloomy, it couldn’t dampen the group’s enthusiasm. Everyone was in high spirits.

Tang Yayun, in particular, hummed a little tune the whole way. The items she carried seemed to have no weight at all as she skipped along joyfully.

It was strange, but whenever outdoor cooking was involved, many people seemed to have an innate curiosity and a special interest in it.

The young girl was especially like this; she loved campfires and food.

Just like in a survival game, her heart would always find peace…

Thinking of this, the corners of Lin Xinyuan’s lips curled up slightly. her gaze gradually drifted as she unconsciously fell into a memory—

In the past, even if she was alone, she could sit by herself for an entire day…

At that time, Lin Xinyuan enjoyed that feeling of loneliness. it made her feel that her existence had meaning.

It felt as if she were the only person in the world, and her only friend was the campfire, with whom she shared her food…

When did things start to change?

It was probably after starting university and meeting that stinky blond…

Back then, when Lin… no… Lin Xinyuan first left Zhannan City, he didn’t understand many things.

To save money, he had taken a nine-hour train ride alone to arrive in that strange city of Tianbei.

As a newcomer who had never traveled far from home, he felt an inexplicable sense of dread toward everything in this new place.

He also encountered the social anxiety that had always troubled him…

On the first day of school, there were only five people in the dormitory. He was the foolish one who arrived earliest, having come from a nearby hotel early in the morning.

Because he was worried about being late back then, he had booked a train ticket for the day before.

As a result, it wasn’t until half a day later that Xiong Wei and the others arrived one after another.

They were all enthusiastically introducing themselves and their hometowns, while he just silently huddled in the corner, just as he had in high school.

He was like a hedgehog, shrinking away and resisting their kindness…

Until the owner of the last empty bed next to his arrived…

The first time he saw that stinky blond, Lin Xinyuan was truly envious of him.

He was tall, handsome, wealthy, and particularly witty—a world apart from himself…

This gap gave him a sense of powerlessness, so he became even more silent. He simply did his own thing, becoming the misfit who even went to class alone most of the time.

The official start of their acquaintance, however, began with a food delivery order…

He vaguely remembered that one day, only the two of them were in the dorm. He had been lucky enough to snag a large discount coupon, but he couldn’t meet the minimum order requirement on his own.

He certainly couldn’t afford to order that much food for himself. In his dilemma, he turned his gaze toward Qin Nanfeng, who was busy flirting with girls on his phone at the time. “He… hello… President Qin?”

Lin Xinyuan wasn’t very clear on the young man’s name back then, so he just followed the way his roommates addressed the guy.

Qin Nanfeng looked away from his phone screen and glanced at him in surprise as he kept his head down. “Oh, so you can talk? I thought you were a mute… is something up?”

Hearing Qin Nanfeng’s words, he felt his face flush red. He stumbled over his words for a good while, and only when he felt Qin Nanfeng was becoming impatient did he manage to blurt out in a panic: “I have a coupon… I can’t finish the order alone. Can you… order with me…”

“That’s all?”

The young man was a bit speechless, but he actually agreed. “Fine. You place the order. Just get me one of whatever you’re eating.”

“By the way, add me on the Green Bubble. I’ll send you the money later.”

“Oh… okay… thank you…”

From that point on, Lin Xinyuan finally had a real connection with Qin Nanfeng…

And it seemed that from that moment, through Qin Nanfeng acting as a “link,” he gradually stopped resisting socializing with Xiong Wei and the others.

By the end of freshman year, he had become very familiar with his roommates, and joking around had become commonplace.

Although he was still introverted in public, he was clearly much better than before…

Perhaps because his roommates gave him the illusion that people in university were easy to get along with, and influenced by web novels, he inexplicably developed thoughts about love.

He felt that although his own conditions were extremely ordinary, he kept fantasizing about his other half being a youthful, beautiful girl or something similar…

What happened afterward was clear. Not to mention being unknowingly defeated by Qin Nanfeng multiple times—which he could attribute to a lack of skill—at least his ex-girlfriend Li Xue had miraculously agreed to date him later.

But he hadn’t been happy for long before he realized that this guy had actually stolen her away…

Although Lin Xinyuan was very angry, even then, he didn’t think of confronting the young man. He just brooded in silence.

If he had been cheated on by someone else, it wouldn’t have hurt so much. But it just had to be the person he trusted most…

That feeling of being backstabbed was like a lump in his throat.

Until he later picked up that strange jade bracelet—the thing that completely changed the trajectory of her life…

After discovering that he could turn into a girl with that thing, Lin Xinyuan’s pent-up anger and frustration led him to create that plan to get revenge on Qin Nanfeng.

Originally, Lin Xinyuan only wanted to punish the guy a little…

But he never expected that there was something wrong with the jade bracelet, causing him to be irreversibly transformed into a girl in the truest sense.

He became her…

Lin Xinyuan had always been an extreme person. The fact that her family existed in name only and her childhood experiences had already made her spirit very fragile.

At that time, there were many moments when she really thought about finding a place to end her life. Living was exhausting…

In the end, it was nothing more than an optional dream…

But she was also afraid of the unknown of death.

Would that really bring liberation?

And so she struggled, only able to find a place to lick her wounds as she had in the past.

But at that exact moment, the stinky blond appeared again…

He saved her again…

Why… why?

The girl didn’t know, but she knew that Qin Nanfeng had helped her countless times.

Even if he had stolen his girl back then, he likely didn’t know the truth…

Besides, if anyone was to blame, it should be Li Xue…

In this way, Qin Nanfeng’s help toward her grew more and more, even helping her reconcile the relationship between her and her mother…

And in the process, she discovered that her dependence on the stinky blond was becoming increasingly severe.

She… it seemed… had fallen in love with Qin Nanfeng…

What should she do…

It’s over…

That was the first thought Lin Xinyuan had after finally realizing and confirming her feelings.

After all, she felt it was impossible at the time. She felt an indescribable sense of unease toward these emotions, believing the result was destined to end in tragedy and that their relationship could never be salvaged.

So she buried this invisible, absurd secret deep in her heart…

But she couldn’t control herself when she learned that this guy was coming to Leishi to visit her.

She couldn’t describe how much she had looked forward to it then…

She thought it was just a normal trip together.

But… that stinky blond… the stinky blond actually confessed to her…

She had truly never been this happy…

Perhaps, in her world, besides herself and the campfire, she also needed that guy.

She could no longer endure the loneliness…

“What are you thinking about that makes you so happy? Hmm?”

A crisp scent drifted to the tip of her nose, and a clear male voice reached her ears. Lin Xinyuan looked toward the sound, and a handsome face wearing a playful smile broke into her heart, ruthlessly tearing open a gap.

“Naturally… naturally I’m thinking about something happy…” Lin Xinyuan said, her face flushing slightly as she guiltily looked away.

“What happy thing?”

As Qin Nanfeng spoke, he reached out his free hand and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her forehead. His warm fingertips lightly brushed against her skin, bringing a faint, itchy sensation.

“I forgot!”

Lin Xinyuan’s expression became even more uncomfortable. She walked a bit faster, trying to put some distance between her and the stinky blond.

She wouldn’t dare tell this guy… that she was thinking about… him…

Seeing the girl trying to escape, Qin Nanfeng wasn’t in a hurry. His large hand easily and naturally caught the girl’s wrist and pulled her back.

“I don’t believe you.”

The girl’s soft voice stuttered a bit, yet a hint of sweetness lingered in her eyes. “If you don’t… don’t believe me, then fine…”

“Hmph hmph…”