Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I thought he had lost his mind.

I let him in, poured him a glass of water, set it down in front of him, and asked in utter confusion, “Do you even know what you just said?”

He nodded.

“Your dad said that when you came home this year, he’d arrange a blind date for us… But you didn’t go back, so I came to find you myself.”

I was silent for a long time before I said, “I’m not going on a blind date with you. Go back.”

“Why?”

He asked, bewildered, “You’ve hated me ever since we were kids, but I never did anything to hurt you.”

“You don’t need a reason to hate someone.”

I said, “Leave. Don’t make me throw you out.”

“Be reasonable…”

“I am being reasonable. And I’m perfectly clear-headed.”

I looked up at him and said, enunciating each word, “I hate you. I hate you very much.

“Lin Yu, I don’t care how impressive you are now or how high your status is. Please get out of my home right now. I never want to see you again.”

Lin Yu liked me. I knew that.

People are always especially sensitive to the emotion known as “liking” someone.

In elementary school, he tutored me. Helplessly tapping me on the forehead, he would scold me softly, “Dummy.”

In middle school, when the teacher suggested he skip a grade, he came to find me and asked in the cold wind, “Do you want me to skip a grade?”

“I…”

Before I could finish, he rushed over and hugged me, then quickly let go.

“Even if I skip a grade, we’ll still be best friends.”

Later, rumors about him spread all over high school-skipping classes, getting into fights, and even dating the prettiest girl in school.

I knew all of it, but I wasn’t interested.

Until one day, he appeared on my way home, bruised and battered, and asked me with reddened eyes, “Lulu, why didn’t you come ask me what happened? Do you not care about me? It hurts so much…”

The memory cut off.

Lin Yu had already left. Judging by his expression, I’d made him plenty angry.

The glass of water in front of me had gone cold. I washed the cup clean, sat down on the sofa, turned on the projector, and started watching a movie.

If I guessed correctly, my phone would soon be filled with messages from my parents again.

They would scold me for not knowing what was good for me.

“Lin Yu is such a good man, and you actually dared to reject him? Who do you think you are?”

“It’s your honor that he’s willing to marry you! You shameless money-loser! Whoring yourself out there instead of coming home-we raised you for nothing!”

“I wish I’d never given birth to you!”

…

I smiled.

Actually, I wished the same.

I wished I had never been born.

After New Year’s Eve came the first day of the first lunar month, which was also my birthday.

When I was little, Mom always said, “Children who don’t do well in school don’t deserve birthdays.

“Only someone as outstanding as Lin Yu deserves to spend the family’s money on cake.”

So before I turned eighteen, I had never eaten a birthday cake.

During my freshman year of college, I used the money I earned from tutoring to buy myself an entire eight-inch cake.

I ate cream until I felt sick, clinging to the trash can and throwing up, yet I forced down my nausea and ate the whole cake bite by bite.

…

Early the next morning, while I was washing up, these memories came to me for some reason, and I found them funny.

Looking at the person reflected in the mirror, I told myself, “It’s all in the past.”

After getting ready, I went to the bakery to pick up the cake I’d reserved.

The owner had made it according to the photo I’d sent. The cake base was shaped like Doraemon, and it was very cute.

The owner even teased me, “Still a kid at heart, huh?”

I smiled.

Carrying the cake back home, I saw, once again, the person I didn’t want to see standing at my door.

Lin Yu.

“Why is it you again?”

I frowned as I asked.

He pressed his lips together and took a small box out of his pocket.

“A birthday present for you.”

“How did you know my birthday was today?”

“Your parents told me.”

He said, “They told me to keep you company properly. They said you really like celebrating your birthday.”

I stared quietly at the box in his hand.

Suddenly, I felt like laughing.

So they knew I wanted to celebrate my birthday.

So they knew I wanted a cake.

So it turned out, they had known about every grievance I had suffered all along.