Chapter 62: Off to College

Chapter 62: Off to College

As his fingertips brushed against her, an instant surge of heat made Lin Yao's shoulders tremble.

The girl's vision was already blurred by tears; in the darkness, only her senses were amplified. She clung helplessly to his shoulders, biting her trembling lips.

She tried desperately to suppress any unusual sounds from escaping her mouth.

But then,

Mmm...

Patches of rosy red bloomed on her creamy white skin, forming a color that was both obedient and alluring.

The new dress she had put on tonight for eating crayfish with Shi Yu was creased where his elbow pressed against it.

Her thin blouse was pushed up.

Overwhelmed, she arched her back, her upper body tensing like a half-bent bow. Her slender, fair neck tilted backward, and her long black hair cascaded across the table.

Shi Yu was skilled.

The young girl was kissed into a daze, never having experienced such a boy who seemed intent on devouring her whole, not allowing even a single "no."

It felt like revenge.

Yes...

Lin Yao's doe eyes glistened with tears from being bullied.

Staring at the ceiling, her mind blank, the word 'revenge' kept echoing in her head.

This was Shi Yu's retaliation against her earlier words, "I don't like you anymore."

Indeed, he was retaliating.

He started with gentle pecks, then bit her with a hint of malice.

His hoarse, restrained voice repeatedly asked if she still wanted to like him, over and over again.

Yes, yes.

Lin Yao's voice carried a pleading tone through her sobs.

The girl, soft and compliant, could only close her eyes and cry pitifully, begging him, unable to think straight.

Her mind was a mess, but she dared not utter another "I don't like you."

She was about to break...

"Baby, you're so good." The dark shadows in Shi Yu's eyes finally softened as she cried and clung to him, pleading for mercy.

"You promised to like Shi Yu, didn't you?"

"Mm, mm." She hummed softly.

Satisfied with her response, he lifted her and placed a tender kiss on her visibly reddened skin.

The girl's legs hanging off the edge of the table trembled helplessly.

"Shi Yu, are you ready yet? Say goodbye to Youyou, and I'll go down with Uncle Lin," Xia Tingnan's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"My... my mom..." Lin Yao was startled by Xia Tingnan's voice.

She snapped out of the almost broken state he had left her in. With wet, aggrieved eyes, she looked at Shi Yu, pushing him away slightly and struggling to sit up to fix her clothes.

"I'll do it."

Shi Yu remained unusually calm.

While responding to Xia Tingnan outside, telling her he would be out soon, he used his long, pale fingers to precisely adjust Lin Yao's bra and clothes that he had pushed up earlier.

When his fingertips brushed against her delicate skin, the girl couldn't help but whimper, biting her lip in distress.

"I have to go with them." He helped her fix her clothes, leaning on the table with half-lowered eyes, whispering in her ear, "My parents are still alive."

"W-What? Uncle and Auntie are still alive..." Lin Yao looked at Shi Yu in surprise.

In the dim light, his eyes shone brightly.

"Yes. They were found by the old man outside, and there might be some issues, which is why they haven't contacted me or Shi Nian." He stroked her head gently, his voice low and deep, "So while I'm away, take care of yourself. Wait for me to come back."

He didn't have much time to soothe her thoroughly.

He could only calm her panic and doubts, ensuring she wouldn't dislike him or want to hate him.

The thought of breaking up was something Shi Yu could not tolerate; he would nip such thoughts in the bud.

When he returned, he would make the girl understand his sincerity and devotion.

At least she wouldn't feel insecure and have wild thoughts.

"Promise me, wait for me to come back."

He leaned down to kiss her lips deeply, again and again.

Tasting her, then biting her, her swollen, glossy lips shimmered, making her tiny tongue tingle.

Lips intertwined.

Lin Yao felt for the first time how frighteningly strong Shi Yu's embrace was, as if he wanted to meld her into his very being.

Her heart trembled slightly.

Suddenly, she realized that he seemed truly... very reluctant to let her go.

"Okay." She nodded softly, obediently. "...I promise."

...

...

Shi Yu left.

Before departing, he left messages with Xia Tingnan and Lin Xiong, saying he would be gone for about two days and would return with Shi Mo and Song Li.

However, the day after Shi Yu left, Shi Nian was also taken away.

Two more days passed, and Xia Tingnan received a message from Shi Nian containing a photo of Shi Mo and Song Li, along with news that they were safe and sound.

But there was no further explanation regarding what happened to Shi Mo and Song Li afterward, whether they would return, or when Shi Yu and Shi Nian would come back.

It only mentioned that things were busy over there and that they would meet again once everything was settled.

A few more days went by, and the 'gifts' Shi Yu had bought using Lin Yao's phone started arriving one by one.

Diamond-encrusted bear figurines, rabbit figurines, swan figurines... and even a diamond-encrusted vase.

When Xia Tingnan was unpacking the deliveries outside, she stared wide-eyed at these expensive gifts coming out of the boxes.

"Youyou, why did you buy so many things? These look really expensive..."

"Mom, I'm an adult now; don't open my packages."

Lin Yao came out of her bedroom and saw the exquisite diamond-encrusted figurines on the coffee table. She quickly put them back in their boxes to take away.

Xia Tingnan stopped her. "Wait a moment. First, tell me where you got the money to buy all these things."

Lin Yao's mood had already been affected by the lack of any news from Shi Yu, and her tone became agitated. "I didn't buy them; Shi Yu gave them to me."

"Shi Yu? He gave you such expensive gifts?"

Seeing her daughter's expression and recalling Shi Yu's behavior before he left, Xia Tingnan suddenly asked, "Youyou, tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Shi Yu now? You're not secretly dating, are you?"

Lin Yao's heart leaped to her throat.

Her voice faltered. "No, I'm not... with him..."

Xia Tingnan: "You scared me. That's good then."

Lin Yao hadn't expected her mother to immediately relax without waiting for her to finish speaking, showing no suspicion at all.

It was as if the idea of her dating Shi Yu was completely impossible and unworthy of doubt.

"Come, Youyou, sit down," Xia Tingnan said, pulling Lin Yao to sit down.

"I know Shi Yu is close to you. Actually, your father and I used to think highly of him and even hoped that if you two liked each other, it could be a good outcome. But I noticed you didn't seem to like him much before, so we never thought about it seriously."

"Now, Shi Yu has become someone from a different world. No matter how close you were in the past, Youyou..."

Xia Tingnan gently patted her hand, very seriously. "You can be friends, but... don't have any other thoughts."

Lin Yao's eyes welled up with tears. "..."

She hadn't expected Xia Tingnan to say this to her.

In fact, with no news from Shi Yu for days and no replies to her messages, she had already felt a lot of unease.

But never before had she felt so clearly that she and Shi Yu were so mismatched.

"Mom, what are you talking about? Shi Yu just wanted to show gratitude to our family, that's why he bought these things. Look, he said this vase is for you."

She forced a light smile, trying to appear indifferent, and gently handed the vase Shi Yu had specifically bought for his 'mother-in-law' to Xia Tingnan.

The scene of the young man selecting the gift, his slender fingers pointing at the vase and saying his future mother-in-law would love it, still lingered vividly in her mind.

"Really? It was for me?" Xia Tingnan felt reassured. "Oh, I was just overthinking. Sorry, Youyou, don't take it to heart."

If Shi Yu had bought such expensive gifts for both her and Lin Yao,

it must indeed be out of gratitude for their family's care, having nothing to do with teenage romance.

That child was capable and thoughtful, considering every detail.

Lin Yao looked at the remaining diamond-encrusted figurines on the coffee table.

Suddenly losing the urge to tidy up, she told Xia Tingnan to place them somewhere and returned to her room.

...

...

As the summer days passed,

the breakfast table, once lively with five people, had been quiet for a long time.

During this period, Lin Yao had sent WeChat messages to both Shi Yu and Shi Nian.

Shi Nian had replied with two brief messages.

But Shi Yu was like a stone sinking into the sea; not a single message came back after she sent them.

Lin Yao wasn't without thoughts of directly asking Shi Nian about Shi Yu.

Yet several times, as she picked up her phone, her fingers had already typed out the WeChat content, only to delete it tremblingly.

She didn't want to ask.

It was like holding her breath, preserving her last bit of pride.

She didn't want to ask a single word.

As if by asking proactively, it would show that she couldn't let go, that she couldn't afford to lose.

She had known all along that their relationship was destined for her to be forgotten first by Shi Yu, abandoned first by him, watching him change his heart and become indifferent toward her.

Yet she still fell for the fleeting sweet talk.

Because she craved the look in his eyes when he was moved, the sense of security he provided when she was afraid, she foolishly hesitated to cut ties with him immediately.

The day before Lin Yao packed her luggage to go to Capital University, an explosive piece of news suddenly broke online.

The richest man in Huaguo, Shi Kaiji, had found his long-lost son and grandchildren.

As soon as this news broke, it shot to the top of the trending topics. Everyone was discussing the situation of the richest man's long-lost son and grandchildren.

Not long after, it was revealed that the richest man's grandchildren had been admitted to Capital University, and they were freshmen in this year's class.

"Look, look... everyone in these parent groups is talking about Shi Yu and Shi Nian. They're guessing which college and department the eldest grandson and granddaughter are in, and what they look like."

In the living room, Xia Tingnan was telling Lin Xiong about the discussions in the parent groups.

Parents were always more proactive than the young.

Lin Yao hadn't even joined the Capital University student group yet, but her mother had already joined the parent group for this year's freshmen at Capital University.

Lin Xiong took the phone: "Let me see... why are they guessing it's someone from the capital or H City? What's wrong with our Jincheng? Can't we produce outstanding people?"

"Tsk, you really." Xia Tingnan poked him on the shoulder and snatched the phone back. "Don't talk nonsense with those parents. I warn you, don't spread anything about Shi Yu and Shi Nian outside."

The two children had now returned to their roots. No matter the reason they hadn't contacted them yet, Xia Tingnan could understand.

That was the richest man in Huaguo.

And Shi Mo and Song Li had only just been found. In the past year, they hadn't contacted them either, perhaps due to some hidden reasons.

Xia Tingnan, unaware of the private relationship between Shi Yu and Lin Yao, was quite understanding.

She didn't think it was a big deal that Shi Yu had only reported his safety once and then stopped contacting them.

"Hey, Youyou, what are you thinking about standing there? Have you packed everything?" Xia Tingnan saw Lin Yao staring at her suitcase, assuming she was having trouble. "Can't pack it? I told you, I'll help you..."

"No need, Mom, I can do it myself." Lin Yao quickly snapped back to reality and closed the suitcase.

She had just... heard Xia Tingnan talking about Shi Yu and lost focus.

But she was an adult now, wanting to learn independence and didn't want Xia Tingnan to handle everything for her.

"Okay, okay, Mom won't interfere. You pack it yourself." Seeing Lin Yao's resistance, Xia Tingnan sat back down.

Recently, she had heard many parenting insights in the Capital University parent group and realized that her approach to raising Lin Yao might have been too strict and pressured, especially now that her child was an adult. If she continued this way, it could easily lead to rebellion.

"But Youyou, are you sure you want to go to the capital alone tomorrow without your father and me sending you off?"

"No need." Lin Yao shook her head. "We have student tickets for registration. If you and Dad come along, it will cost extra for travel. Besides... I want to try going to school for registration on my own."

Lin Yao had read online that many seniors in their school forum had posted guides. Freshmen, free from parental constraints, start a new life in a strange new city.

Lin Yao thought stubbornly.

She wasn't forever dependent on her parents' protection.

She wasn't truly inseparable from Shi Yu.

...

...

The next day, amidst the farewell from her parents, Lin Yao boarded the plane from Jincheng to the capital.

The plane arrived in the capital right on schedule.

Exiting the airport, Lin Yao was supporting her luggage while looking at her phone, preparing to follow the navigation to take the subway.

Suddenly, the spot where she stood darkened.

A tall and slender figure blocked the sunlight in front of her.

"Hey, why did you sneak away without waiting for me?"