Lin Yan froze for a few seconds before realizing it was Xing Yu.
She kept it brief and asked: [What is it?]
He replied instantly: [Went on a blind date today, didn’t eat, only had drinks. Spent twenty total. It didn’t work out, so let’s split it.]
Twenty yuan and he wants to split it…
Talk about a tightwad—this was a first.
Not only was Xing Yu frivolous, but he turned out to be a stingy cheapskate too.
Lin Yan decisively sent him a ten-yuan red packet.
She didn’t want any more ties with him.
But Xing Yu didn’t accept it. Instead, he sent her another message.
[I want cash. Tomorrow morning, same place. I’ll wait for you there.]
Lin Yan almost laughed.
Was this guy out of his mind?
She typed out a long paragraph, then thought better of it, deleted it, and retyped.
[I have things to do in the morning. Afternoon then.]
It took him a long while before he sent back a single cold word.
[Fine.]
Early the next morning, Lin Yan was led by the matchmaker to another blind date.
She met three men over the course of the morning.
One was a math teacher with a government post in town.
One was an OB-GYN from the county.
And one was a divorced businessman with a kid.
They were either greasy middle-aged men with bloated faces, or average-looking guys with delusions of grandeur.
Like chives in the field—each crop worse than the last.
Just when Lin Yan thought it was all over, the matchmaker dragged her off to yet another blind date spot.
The last candidate was a twenty-five-year-old younger guy named Mo Kai.
He had a sweet tongue from the moment they met, showering her with compliments about how fair and pretty she was.
But she still politely declined with an excuse.
After all, she could barely make ends meet right now—romance was the last thing on her mind.
After wrapping things up quickly, Mo Kai was surprisingly gracious. He grinned and said to her,
“Sis, if we can’t be a couple, we can still be friends!”
Lin Yan replied cheerfully, “Sure.”
“Oh, by the way, my buddy and I are heading to the county seat on business and we’ll pass right by your place. Hop in—we’ll give you a ride home!”
“Thanks, that’d be great.” It was freezing cold out, so she was more than happy to take a free ride.
She walked out with Mo Kai and saw a black SUV parked by the roadside.
A tall, broad-shouldered man was leaning against the car, head bowed, smoking a cigarette. His all-black outfit gave him a cold, menacing air.
Through the swirling smoke, his features were softened—less harsh, more refined and handsome.
Hearing their approach, the man lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze cutting through the haze of smoke like a blade.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Yan froze.
It really was that cheapskate Xing Yu.
“Yu-ge, this is Lin Yan, my blind date.” Mo Kai walked up to Xing Yu and slung an arm over his shoulder. “We’re heading that way anyway—let’s give this pretty sister a ride home!”
Xing Yu didn’t respond. His lazy gaze drifted over to Lin Yan.
She was bare-faced again today, but her skin was so fair it seemed to glow, striking as fine porcelain. She wore a beige coat, her hair half pinned up with a few strands falling across her forehead—elegant and gentle.
Yet behind those beautiful eyes, there was still a shard of clear, hard ice, giving her entire demeanor a cold stillness that seeped into the heart.
“Oh.” Xing Yu slowly blew out a smoke ring, one eyebrow lifting. “What a coincidence.”
“Coincidence.”
“So your ‘things to do’ this morning…” Xing Yu drawled, “was another blind date?”
Lin Yan had no good impression of him. She said flatly, “What can I do? I’m getting old. The family’s pressuring me.”
Xing Yu bit down on his cigarette, staring at her intently with a faint, unreadable smile.
“Yu-ge, you two know each other?” Mo Kai caught a whiff of gossip.
“Yeah.” Xing Yu stubbed out his cigarette and shoved his hands in his pockets, not bothering to hide it. “She was my blind date. Yesterday’s.”
“Why didn’t you say so!” Mo Kai loved stirring the pot, slapping his hands together. “So she’s sister-in-law!”
“…” Birds of a feather flock together.
No surprise—Xing Yu’s buddy was just as unreliable as him.
Lin Yan had long abandoned the idea of catching a ride. She looked at Xing Yu. “Coach Xing, I’ll pass on the ride. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll be going.”
Then she pulled a crumpled ten-yuan bill from her pocket and pressed it lightly onto the hood of the car. “Here’s your ten in cash.”
She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before she turned back, pulled out another ten, set it down, and gave Xing Yu a faint, indifferent smile.
“Consider it my treat.”
Xing Yu glanced at the twenty yuan on the hood, then looked at Lin Yan’s retreating figure.
A barely perceptible curve formed at the corner of his cold, stern mouth.
“Yu-ge, something’s going on here!” Mo Kai nudged his arm with a sly grin. “You’d never go on a blind date in a million years! Tell me—who exactly is this Lin Yan?”
Xing Yu picked up the twenty yuan from the hood and examined it, his eyes dark and deep. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Mo Kai really didn’t. “No, Yu-ge, but seriously—you’re usually so generous! How can you have the nerve to make a woman pay you back ten or twenty bucks? What are you even thinking?”
Xing Yu looked up, his gaze drifting once more toward the direction Lin Yan had gone.
“Courting her.”
…
A failed blind date was bound to invite An Chunfang’s wrath.
So Lin Yan decided to move out on her own initiative.
When she told An Chunfang about her plan, her mother’s face finally cleared from overcast to sunny.
“Yanyan! If you’re going to move, move to the county seat. The folks in town have loose tongues! If you move into town, the neighbors will definitely gossip about me and your uncle!”
Lin Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, so she agreed.
The next day, she wrapped herself in a long down jacket and set off for the county seat to look for a place.
Today was market day in town, and by the time she reached the bus stop, a crowd had already gathered.
This scene was harder to squeeze through than the morning rush hour subway in the city.
Villagers had New Year goods in their bamboo baskets and were carrying live chickens and ducks in their hands. Lin Yan, empty-handed, stood out awkwardly among them.
Just then the bus arrived. The moment it came to a stop, the orderly line turned into a free-for-all as everyone surged forward. Lin Yan instinctively followed the crowd of uncles and aunties charging ahead.
The moment her foot touched the bus step, an auntie behind her grabbed her down jacket and yanked her straight off the bus.
Then her foot slipped off the step, she lost her balance, and her body tipped backward.
In that instant, her unscreamed gasp was swallowed by the arm that caught her around the waist.
Her body was caught, her back pressed tightly against a solid chest.
Warm breath brushed her ear: “Careful, Miss Lin.”
Lin Yan’s nerves jumped. She quickly steadied herself and turned around, meeting Xing Yu’s deep, dark eyes.
Today he was dressed in black again, wearing the exact same clothes as yesterday.
She took a step back. “Thanks.”
Xing Yu: “You’re welcome.”
Lin Yan didn’t bother acknowledging him further, her gaze drifting to the bus that had already driven off.
But she didn’t notice that Xing Yu’s eyes had already fallen on her fingertips, where beads of blood were forming.
He leaned against the car, pulled out a cigarette, his long lashes lowering as he cupped the lighter and lit it: “Heading into town?”
Lin Yan didn’t look at him. “Mm.”
“Get in.” Xing Yu blew out a lazy smoke ring, staring straight at her through the haze. “I’m heading that way anyway.”
“No need. I’ll wait for the next bus.”
Xing Yu’s expression didn’t change much. He tapped the ash off the cigarette between his fingers. “Miss Lin, then I’ll have to be rude.”
Before Lin Yan could react, Xing Yu had already strode toward her and scooped her up in his arms, clean and swift.
A faint scent of shower gel reached her nose as she was enveloped tightly in Xing Yu’s embrace.
Lin Yan struggled, looking up at his sharp jawline. “Put me down.”
Xing Yu didn’t reply. He simply stuffed her into the passenger seat.
The car was spotless, and a cute Doraemon ornament sat on the dashboard.
It clashed completely with Xing Yu’s tough-guy image.
“Coach Xing.” Lin Yan was a bit annoyed, lowering her voice. “What are you doing?”
Xing Yu locked the car door, turned to face her, and said in a relaxed, casual tone: “The matchmaking didn’t work out—how about we just be friends?”
“Open the door. I want to get out.”
Xing Yu seemed not to hear her. He took her wrist and gave it a gentle tug. “Your hand is hurt, friend.”
Lin Yan realized belatedly that her right index finger was bleeding.
It must have been cut by a bamboo splinter on some uncle’s basket when she was squeezing onto the bus.
She tried to pull her hand back, but Xing Yu’s astonishing strength held her firmly in place.
“Don’t move. Let me put medicine on it.”
She had no choice but to give in, watching as Xing Yu found iodine, cotton swabs, and band-aids from the car to treat her wound.
Xing Yu leaned in and lowered his head, his movements clumsy yet careful.
Her hand was gently wrapped in his, the warmth of their palms gradually merging, and an awkward, ambiguous atmosphere rose inside the car.
Lin Yan couldn’t help but look at his stunningly handsome face.
Seductively irresistible.
When he was serious, he was actually quite easy on the eyes.
“Don’t stare at me.” Xing Yu suddenly lifted his gaze, catching her eyes. “I’m petty—I’ll stare right back.”