Chapter 5: Repaying Gratitude Sprite

For two consecutive days, Yuting had brought a flashlight to the children’s park to wait, which severely hindered Lin You’s scavenging operations.

Therefore, the boy decided to scare the girl away. He accidentally used too much force and frightened her so badly her legs went soft, leaving him with no choice but to reveal himself.

After returning the flashlight to Yuting, Lin You didn’t know if she would actually listen to him.

He hurriedly picked up the bottles in the park, preparing to leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.

“Hm?”

Two metal cans of Sprite felt wrong in his hand. Lin You took a closer look and saw they hadn’t been opened.

“Hey, hey, there are two bottles of Sprite on the ground. I brought them for you to drink, did you see them?”

Yuting had taken Lin You’s words to heart and hadn’t turned on her flashlight, which left her completely blind to her surroundings.

“They’re here.”

Understanding the situation, Lin You immediately returned the two drinks to her.

“Hehe, one for each of us. This is a thank-you Sprite.”

What bad intentions could a seven-year-old girl have? Yuting was grateful for Lin You’s help last time and also wanted to be friends with him.

“No thanks, I don’t like to drink these.”

After scaring her half to death, was he really going to drink her Sprite? Lin You couldn’t do it and politely declined the kind offer.

“You don’t like it? Then do you like Coke, or yogurt? My fridge at home has them all!”

Yuting only understood the most superficial meaning and was enthusiastically listing the contents of her family’s refrigerator.

“I only drink plain water. I don’t want your drink.”

Lin You quickly finished collecting all the bottles in the park, but his eyes were now fixed on Yuting’s two cans of Sprite, hoping to pick them up after she finished drinking.

“Who drinks plain water? You’re so weird. Hurry up and drink it, I can’t finish two cans by myself.”

Yuting grew even more interested in this unconventional boy. After all, none of her friends could resist the temptation of soft drinks. Forget being offered one, they would shamelessly beg her for a sip even if she didn’t offer.

“Then you should take them home and drink them slowly.”

Lin You was a little disappointed but gave up on the idea of the Sprite cans.

He turned, ready to go back.

“Pfft-thump The Sprite is open now. It’ll be a waste if you don’t drink it. Are you going to be a wasteful bad kid?”

Yuting was stubborn too. She opened the Sprite on the spot, clearly intending to force the boy to drink with her.

“If you don’t drink it, then I’ll come here every night, and I’ll keep my flashlight on.”

To make sure her thank-you Sprite was delivered, the girl would stop at nothing.

“I understand.”

Imagining the girl waiting for him here every day with a flashlight, Lin You felt his spirits sink. He finally agreed.

“Cheers!”

In the pitch-black children’s park, Yuting acted as if she had won a great battle, happily raising her Sprite can to clink it with Lin You’s.

“Cheers.”

Lin You didn’t quite understand these childish customs, but he went along with it.

“Our Sprite cans have to touch for it to be a real cheers! It’s so dark, I can’t see.”

Yuting was basically half-blind and missed her target several times while trying to clink their cans.

“Clink!”

Understanding her intent, Lin You took the initiative and tapped his can against Yuting’s.

“Haha, we finally cheered! Gulp.”

After successfully completing the Sprite-drinking ceremony, Yuting blissfully enjoyed her beverage.

Gulp.

The boy followed her example, bringing the cool Sprite in his hand to his lips.

It was a fizzy, sugary water that not just children, but even some adults loved to drink.

“You came too late. I waited for you for almost half an hour. The Sprite isn’t cold anymore, not as good as when I first took it out of the fridge.”

Yuting drank quickly, the entire can disappearing into her little belly with a few gulps as she casually shared her expert opinion on sugary drinks.

“Sorry.”

Lin You tasted the Sprite in small sips. He couldn’t even imagine what an ice-cold Sprite would taste like, or how it could be even better than the one he was drinking now.

“Didn’t you walk me home a few days ago? Do you know what happened after I got back?”

“My parents didn’t even notice I’d run away! They thought I was sleeping in my room and even asked if I had just gone to the bathroom to pee!”

Yuting had a cheerful personality and seemed to have endless things to say, even in a dark park.

“Mhm…”

The boy listened, responding from time to time.

An unprecedented feeling rippled through his heart.

‘Is she talking to me so much because she sees me as a friend?’

Lin You’s grandmother had always encouraged him to make friends with children his own age, but he had never found the courage to take that first step.

“Hey, hey, what’s your name? Let’s be friends!”

They had drunk together, they had talked. Yuting straightforwardly proposed her idea.

“Lin You. That’s my name.”

No matter how mature and sensible he was, he was still just a six-year-old child. Deep down, Lin You longed for a playmate his own age, and Yuting’s sincerity and warmth had moved him.

“Lin You, huh? A two-character name. I wish I was like you, then I could write one less character on my homework and exams!”

Yuting’s flighty words perfectly showcased the innocence of her age.

“My grandma chose it. She hopes I’ll become an outstanding person in the future.”

Whether it was Yuting or Lin You, they both began to treat each other as friends, and he started to talk more.

“My parents hoped I’d grow up to be a graceful young lady, so they named me Yuting.”

Yuting, ever the copycat, also shared the meaning behind her name.

“Sigh…”

Suddenly, the girl sighed with a troubled look on her face, her sorrowful expression making it seem like something was bothering her.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin You, concerned, naturally asked about his only friend’s troubles.

“School is starting soon. It’s so depressing just thinking about it. I won’t be able to play with my friends every day.”

What kind of troubles could a child have? It was nothing more than schoolwork.

“Uh, is school that scary?”

Speaking of which, Lin You was also about to become a proud first-grade student.

“Every morning, my mom has to force me out of bed with a clothes hanger, and if I don’t finish my homework, I get scolded at school. It’s terrifying.”

The second-grade student poured out her grievances.

“Oh, I see. Well, good luck with that.”

Lin You had no related experience and didn’t know how to comfort her.

“Can I turn on my flashlight now? I don’t even know what you look like.”

One second Yuting was complaining about the hardships of school, the next she had completely switched topics.

“No.”

Lin You’s voice instantly rose in volume. He didn’t want the friendship that had just begun to be destroyed by the birthmark on his face.

“Whoa, why are you yelling so loud? You scared me to death. If you don’t want me to, then I won’t. You’re meaner than my mom.”

Yuting shrank her neck back, clearly frightened by the boy’s agitated reaction.

“I’m sorry. I should go home now.”

Lin You understood that Yuting’s request wasn’t unreasonable at all; it was he who was ashamed to be seen.

“Alright, I accept your apology. But where do you live? I want to come find you to play again sometime.”

The innocent Yuting cared a great deal about her first boy-friend and wanted to gather some information so she could visit him in the future.

“At night, I will be here at the park… If you want to see me, you can come here.”

The seed of friendship was born in the darkness, and the boy could only nurture it in the same way.