In the blink of an eye, it was mid-May. The weather was growing warmer, and the control over the epidemic seemed to be steadily improving. Sunlight bathed the earth, bringing a vibrant vitality as if that “flu” were finally fading away.
During this period, the girl’s life had remained relatively ordinary, aside from a few minor episodes involving her and the young man.
Perhaps because she had intentionally acted intimate with Qin Nanfeng back at the basketball court, someone had dug up her identity. This had sparked a small-scale discussion on the school’s online forum.
Lin Xinyuan had expected this and had prepared herself mentally. Aside from the occasionally strange looks she received from people who recognized her on the street, she found it manageable.
However, things escalated when someone posted anonymously, comparing her old photos with current candid shots taken by passersby. They spoke of her in cryptic, sarcastic tones, seemingly trying to amplify the drama. They even went as far as fabricating several malicious and far-fetched rumors.
Fortunately, for some reason, it was as if someone had been prepared in advance. The university handled the matter with extreme speed. Almost on the same day the post went up—just a few days ago—the masterminds behind the anonymous thread were caught.
According to Li Tang’s reliable sources, the people orchestrating the smear campaign were three female students from the College of Arts—roommates, apparently.
Regardless, the university had always been efficient in handling such matters. There were bound to be punishments, and there was a high probability they would face expulsion.
This allowed Lin Xinyuan to breathe a secret sigh of relief. While feeling that she had narrowly escaped a disaster, she couldn’t help but grumble about a certain someone.
That stinky blonde, always attracting trouble wherever he goes… Causing me so much grief every day! Hmph… since I like this jerk, I guess I’ll just have to put up with it…
Thinking of the young man, aside from the time they spent in class together, Lin Xinyuan spent almost all her free time with Qin Nanfeng. If things could stay like this forever, she would be content.
But the good times didn’t last. After half a month, Qin Nanfeng’s company became busy again, and the time he spent with her decreased significantly.
For instance, today was the class of that “Old Witch”—Professor Lu—yet Qin Nanfeng had actually taken a leave of absence. She had no idea how he’d managed it, but he’d somehow gotten the school to agree.
Regardless, aside from a bit of lingering reluctance, Lin Xinyuan didn’t have any complaints. Brother Feng was busy, and they still saw each other almost every day. Besides, she wasn’t some kind of resentful, clingy woman.
On the contrary, because their meeting times were becoming scarcer, she looked forward to and cherished their moments together even more. It also kept her from thinking about that “stinky blonde” every second of the day, allowing her to reign in her honeymoon-phase feelings and devote more time to her novel writing.
As for her major, although she wasn’t particularly interested in it and didn’t plan to pursue a related career—her royalties were now more than enough to support herself, and the pressure from her family was gone—she still intended to pour more energy into her writing to improve herself.
However, perhaps because of a certain guy, she had also made up her mind that she couldn’t just “slack off” like before. She naturally wanted to make herself as worthy of Brother Feng as possible.
“Alright, students, that’s all for today. Class dismissed!”
The middle-aged woman on the podium closed her textbook and brushed the non-existent dust off her hands, waving her arm to signal the end of the session.
The classroom immediately became noisy as everyone began to leave. It wasn’t until the girl sitting next to Lin Xinyuan nudged her that she snapped out of it and began packing her things. Because she had been so immersed in the lecture, time seemed to have flown by. Compared to the old days when she would sit in the back like a fool staring blankly at nothing, this was much better.
“See you next time, Student Lin!”
The girl who had nudged her waved goodbye, seemingly in a hurry to get to lunch. Apparently, she had woken up too late and, out of fear of being late for Professor Lu’s class, hadn’t eaten breakfast. She had spent a good portion of the lecture whispering her woes into Lin Xinyuan’s ear.
“Mm, bye. See you next time…”
Lin Xinyuan responded politely to this “Student Li,” whose full name she wasn’t quite sure of—it was Li-something. Aside from the occasional strange look and a habit of fishing for gossip about her and the “stinky blonde,” the girl’s attitude seemed genuine enough, so Lin Xinyuan held a good impression of her.
After packing her textbooks and stationery into her zippered bag, Lin Xinyuan stood up. She waved goodbye to Xiong Wei and the others who hadn’t left yet, preparing to depart.
With Qin Nanfeng not around, she didn’t intend to get too close to her former roommates. After all, there was a boundary between men and women now. While she might not think much of it, others would inevitably gossip—especially since she was being watched by people with hidden agendas.
Although the three girls who were caught served as a warning, and others might not dare to act recklessly, it was still best to minimize situations that could lead to misunderstandings.
This was one of the frustrations of becoming a girl. Even though she still chatted with her former roommates online, physical contact in reality had inevitably decreased, and many things now required caution.
“Road… Auntie Lu, goodbye…”
As she passed the podium, Lin Xinyuan’s expression was a bit awkward and shy. She hesitated for a moment but still greeted Professor Lu, who was organizing her materials.
Hearing the girl’s soft, sweet voice, Professor Lu knew exactly who it was. She looked up at Lin Xinyuan, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes. Her usually stern voice softened.
“Mm, see you next week, Little Yuan.”
Initially, Professor Lu had only taken extra care of this child out of a sense of apology. But after observing her for a while, she realized the girl was genuinely pure and well-behaved, which slowly changed her perspective. The girl reminded her of her own daughter… unfortunately…
Because of this, Professor Lu found Lin Xinyuan more and more likable. Seeing that the girl had become much more serious in class recently made her even fonder of the child. She had even told Lin Xinyuan to just call her “Auntie Lu” in private.
At first, the girl was clearly too embarrassed to do so, but after being asked several times, Lin Xinyuan had gradually accepted it. Today was the first time she actually used the title.
Realizing that the girl’s way of addressing her had changed, a rare look of satisfaction appeared on Professor Lu’s face. She wanted to chat more, but since she had other matters to handle today, she had to set that thought aside.
After saying goodbye to Auntie Lu, Lin Xinyuan left the classroom. She didn’t head straight to the cafeteria; instead, she planned to meet up with Liu Qingyan and the others. They were going to buy some things at the campus supermarket and walk around before eating, which would allow them to avoid the peak cafeteria rush.
The three had agreed to meet at the base of the Liberal Arts teaching building where Liu Qingyan had her classes, which was also quite close to the supermarket.
The walk there was not exactly peaceful.
Since Lin Xinyuan had been targeted online, her relationship with Qin Nanfeng was common knowledge. Consequently, she encountered several people on the way who seemed to recognize her, their gazes always a bit strange.
But that was nothing. A few days ago, she had even encountered some girls—suspected fans or ex-girlfriends of Qin Nanfeng—who had directed malicious words at her.
Lin Xinyuan was sensitive. Aside from the initial joy and pride of staking her claim, being cursed at for no reason made her feel aggrieved and angry. But she generally ignored them, trying her best to restrain her anxiety, as she didn’t want to cause trouble for the busy Qin Nanfeng.
It’s just a small thing. I used to be a guy, after all! I can take it. I don’t need to waste Brother Feng’s energy on this…
However, life is unpredictable. Just because Lin Xinyuan didn’t want to bother others didn’t mean others didn’t want to bother her.
As the girl arrived under the teaching building and waited at the agreed spot, several people spotted her. They abruptly changed their direction and walked straight toward her…
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