CSMCDB - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
After that incident, Wen Yuncheng clearly sensed that Lin Jinyu had grown even more silent. Lin Jinyu maintained that cold demeanor until the very end of the Beast Tide, neither smiling nor showing much of any other emotion.
Wen Yuncheng wanted to ask why, but she didn't dare. She, too, became suppressed and listless all day. Even as her experience points steadily rose, it brought her no joy. It wasn't until… they were about to leave the Demonic Beast Great Forest that Wen Yuncheng truly began to panic.
"Lin Jinyu…" Wen Yuncheng said, feeling wronged and utterly dejected. The Beast Tide was over, and after they returned, she would have to prepare for the Youth Tournament. She and Lin Jinyu wouldn't see each other for another period of time, and even during the tournament… they wouldn't have much time together. Unable to hold back, she grabbed Lin Jinyu's hand. When Lin Jinyu looked over, seeing the expressionless Little Ice Mountain only made her feel more upset. "Did I do something to make you angry?"
"No."
But you clearly are- In the end, Wen Yuncheng couldn't bring herself to say it. She lowered her head, feeling a sting in her nose. She hadn't done anything, so why did Lin Jinyu suddenly dislike her? Wen Yuncheng gritted her teeth, forcing back the tears, and let go of Lin Jinyu's hand, not intending to say anything more. However, Lin Jinyu grabbed her wrist in return.
"Why are you…"
Lin Jinyu didn't finish her sentence. Wen Yuncheng sniffled, feeling traitorous tears roll down her cheeks.
"Don't cry."
Yet, words like these offered no comfort at all. Instead, they made Wen Yuncheng's emotions crumble even faster. Her mind went blank, and she felt herself sinking into a vast sadness from which she couldn't escape. What was she crying for? For herself, for these feelings, for the many, many things she was powerless to change and didn't dare to do. She was crying for the possibility of a future.
A cool hand touched her face. Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, Wen Yuncheng saw Lin Jinyu take out a handkerchief to wipe her face, and then move to wipe her runny nose… Feeling embarrassed, Wen Yuncheng turned her head slightly, took the handkerchief, and wiped it herself. But the whimpering sobs wouldn't stop for a moment, and her red-rimmed eyes made her look all the more pitiful.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault." Lin Jinyu sighed inwardly. She raised her hand and pulled Wen Yuncheng into a hug, stroking her hair soothingly. "I'm not angry at you." She was more angry at herself. Angry at her own thoughts, at her own emotions. When Wen Yuncheng started crying, Lin Jinyu regretted her behavior, but she couldn't control her feelings. This… it made her feel so despicable.
Qiu Fei had once told her that friends support and help each other, and sincerely hope the other person becomes better and lives a happy life. But the moment Lin Jinyu thought about Wen Yuncheng possibly having someone she liked, or to put it more selfishly, the moment Lin Jinyu thought she might not be the only one, not the person Wen Yuncheng cared about most, she felt sad and agitated.
She sighed in her heart, unsure of what exactly that sigh was for. Lin Jinyu felt that this side of her was terrible, yet she didn't know what was "good" or what would be considered "acceptable." She held Wen Yuncheng, who was very slender in her male disguise. She could feel Wen Yuncheng's trembling and sorrow. As her thoughts drifted, Lin Jinyu despised herself even more.
"I'm sorry," Lin Jinyu apologized again.
Wen Yuncheng shook her head. She hadn't actually wanted to cry, or rather… since coming to this world, she had never felt the urge to cry. But now, she didn't know what had happened. Perhaps it was just a trigger, causing all the grievances, fears, and sorrows from her past to pour out all at once. By the end, Wen Yuncheng no longer knew why she was crying. She just hugged Lin Jinyu tightly. She was a Little Ice Mountain, yet at this moment, she gave Wen Yuncheng support and warmth. "…I'm the one who should be sorry. I don't know… what I did wrong to make you so angry. I don't want… I don't want you to ignore me."
Lin Jinyu's body stiffened. She was silent for a moment before letting out another deep, internal sigh. Then, she said, "You like Zhou Yaze, but Zhou Yaze likes me. When I asked you, you didn't tell me. I didn't know… what to do. Maybe I'm not suited for making friends."
"…!" Wen Yuncheng was so shocked she forgot to cry. Her eyes widened, and she abruptly pulled back from Lin Jinyu's embrace, grabbing her by the shoulders. She stared into Lin Jinyu's eyes. "Me? Like Zhou Yaze???"
With her red eyes and tear-streaked face, Wen Yuncheng looked utterly pitiful, yet her expression was one of extreme surprise. The combined image was a little comical. Lin Jinyu was caught off guard by Wen Yuncheng's sudden movement and just stared blankly for a moment before nodding. "You don't?"
"Why would I like him?! I hate him!" Wen Yuncheng's emotions were a chaotic mess. She couldn't even identify what she was feeling anymore and could only shout, "I would never like him!"
"Then who do you like?"
"…I only like you." Wen Yuncheng's imposing manner instantly deflated. Fortunately, because she had just been crying, the blush that crept onto her face and ears wasn't obvious—they were already red enough from her weeping.
"You know what I mean." Lin Jinyu felt Wen Yuncheng was changing the subject, but she quickly realized that being so aggressive was not good. Not Zhou Yaze? Then who? Yao Mu? Zhou Xuan? Cheng Jiangliu? Lin Jinyu thought of the few people who were on good terms with Wen Yuncheng and started to suspect Zhou Xuan and Yao Mu, but their interactions with Wen Yuncheng didn't seem that intimate… She stopped her train of thought, deciding not to dwell on it. "Forget it. If you don't want to say, then don't. But why were you so proactive with Zhou Yaze?"
"…Because he was pestering you, and I found him an eyesore. I wanted to throw him away," Wen Yuncheng said honestly. She had just mustered up the rare courage to speak the truth, but Lin Jinyu had completely missed the nature of her "like." Wen Yuncheng felt a little indignant, but then she remembered that Lin Jinyu was a "straight girl," and a sheltered one at that. Same-sex love wasn't exactly mainstream on the Starry Sky Continent… Lin Jinyu had probably never even considered it from that angle. Finding an explanation for Lin Jinyu, Wen Yuncheng let her own anger subside. "He was definitely seeking you out on purpose, coming over again and again! It's so annoying."
"…" For a rare moment, Lin Jinyu seemed dazed. Now that she knew all this, she looked back on her anger over the past few days and found it somewhat absurd. She looked at Wen Yuncheng, leaned in to hug her again, and rested her head on Wen Yuncheng's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
If she had known this earlier, she could have just told Zhou Yaze to get lost herself, instead of making Wen Yuncheng run interference time and time again…
"Don't say you're sorry," Wen Yuncheng said softly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Lin Jinyu, you're truly outstanding. You're wonderful," Wen Yuncheng continued. Of course, she wanted to interpret the things Lin Jinyu had said—the things she cared about—as signs that Lin Jinyu liked her and was jealous. But Lin Jinyu clearly didn't understand any of that, especially her comment about "maybe not being suited for making friends." That sentence made Wen Yuncheng's heart ache.
What did "suited" or "not suited" have to do with it? Many people wanted to be friends with Lin Jinyu; they were just deterred by certain factors. Lin Jinyu must long for friends, too, but Sect Master Lin's strict upbringing constrained her, preventing her from being open, forcing her to restrain her needs and suppress her desires. That was wrong, Wen Yuncheng thought. It shouldn't be like this.
"You're the most important person to me. You're the… friend I care about most. The only one, Lin Jinyu. I… I can, I want to become stronger, to become more outstanding, so that I can fight by your side. I can entrust my life to you. I hope you can trust and rely on me. I…" Wen Yuncheng bit her lip and said, "It's not about you, it's about me. I'm willing to do this. Even if I like someone else in the future, you will still be the most important. At least, I can give you that guarantee right now." Although, Wen Yuncheng didn't think she would ever like anyone else. She spoke a bit incoherently, not daring to be too obvious, but she couldn't bear to see Lin Jinyu… so insecure.
Insecure. It was hard to imagine that someone as exceptional as Lin Jinyu could have such a side to her.
By now, she had met many outstanding people, plenty of beautiful girls and handsome young men, but not a single one of them could compare to Lin Jinyu.
Lin Jinyu didn't make a sound, only holding Wen Yuncheng tighter.
So Wen Yuncheng fell silent as well. For once, in such an intimate situation, Wen Yuncheng had no other thoughts. She just felt sad, her heart aching for Lin Jinyu. The Little Ice Mountain was completely quiet, and Wen Yuncheng thought she must be terribly upset.
—Until she casually turned her head and accidentally brushed against the tip of Lin Jinyu's ear. It was burning hot. Wen Yuncheng froze for a second, only then realizing that Lin Jinyu was shy.
Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then she was pushed away by Lin Jinyu.
"…Hey, wait, I wasn't- I wasn't laughing at you…" Lin Jinyu turned and started walking away, and Wen Yuncheng immediately grew anxious.
"Slow down, Lin Jinyu? Jinyu…? I really wasn't laughing at you, I just think you're so cute… I- don't use your movement technique! Wait for me—"
Sometimes, explaining is worse than not explaining. When Wen Yuncheng first started to explain, Lin Jinyu was only walking quickly. But after she finished, Lin Jinyu directly activated her movement technique, leaving behind a residual image of Star Power as she vanished from sight.
On one hand, Wen Yuncheng thought Lin Jinyu was unbelievably cute; on the other, she worried that Lin Jinyu would really ignore her now. She wanted to laugh but managed to hold it in, using her Mechanical Wings to fly toward the town. She was genuinely afraid that Lin Jinyu, in a fit of anger, would just take a Gugu Bird back to the academy by herself. If that happened, she wouldn't know how to coax her… If Lin Jinyu didn't want to be found, it would be very difficult for Wen Yuncheng to track her down.
However, Wen Yuncheng saw Lin Jinyu at the town gate.
The Little Ice Mountain stood there quietly. When she saw her arrive, she turned and started walking toward the inn. She didn't say a word, and her ears were fair and clear, without a single trace of her earlier embarrassment.
Wen Yuncheng quickly hurried to catch up. She followed obediently behind Lin Jinyu without a sound, while simultaneously sighing to 1947: Lin Jinyu is really, truly, just too cute!
[…] The dad didn't say a word. It was feeling a bit stuffed.
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