Chapter 20: Yuting saw through the boy’s true identity

The friendship between Lin You and Yuting had a special quality to it.

Their first meeting wasn’t at school, nor was it at their doorsteps.

It was in a dark and silent children’s park. A girl was crying alone, and a scavenging boy found her and helped her.

The seed of friendship was thus planted in the soil.

Now, the two little ones were gathered in the park again, drinking Coke and eating spicy strips.

“Burp, that was so good.”

Yuting licked the spicy oil from her fingertips and let out a satisfied burp.

She usually shared snacks with her friends, but never had she eaten as happily as she was now.

“Thank you, Yuting. When I have tasty things in the future, I’ll definitely share them with you.”

Lin You committed tonight’s treat to memory, thinking he must repay her in the future.

“Hehe, I’ll be waiting then!”

The girl laughed in anticipation.

“Yuting, the Coke made my stomach feel so full. There’s still half a can left, I don’t think I can finish it.”

The boy rubbed his bulging little stomach. With the spicy strips and the drink, he was already stuffed. His appetite was no match for a girl like Yuting.

“You can’t finish it? Then give it to me.”

Hearing this, Yuting immediately puffed out her little chest, ready to solve her good friend’s problem.

“Mhm.”

The boy trustingly handed the remaining half-can of soda to the girl.

“Gulp, gulp.”

After taking the drink, the girl finished it off in two big gulps.

“All done! Just a mere can of Coke. Even if there were another one, I could finish it.”

She beamed, showing off her good appetite.

“That’s amazing.”

Lin You couldn’t help but glance at Yuting’s stomach and saw that it hadn’t changed at all. She could really eat.

“What should we do next? I’m planning to go home at ten, so we still have a lot of time!”

After eating and drinking, the girl couldn’t sit still and wanted to find some entertainment to pass the time.

“I still have to collect bottles.”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Lin You felt a little embarrassed to say something so deflating.

“I’ll go with you!”

Yuting was still fascinated by the boy and thought that even collecting bottles with him would be interesting.

“You don’t have to. You should go home. It wouldn’t be good if your family found out you were running around at night.”

The boy knew Yuting had snuck out and was worried for the daring girl.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It won’t be too late to go home after collecting bottles with Ah You for a little while.”

Wandering around outside with the boy was much more interesting than going home to sleep.

These days, the girl no longer liked watching cartoons at night; her mind was full of going on adventures with the boy.

“Alright then.”

Unable to persuade the girl, Lin You could only tacitly agree to her company.

“Ah You, let’s go start our bottle-collecting adventure!”

The girl couldn’t wait and urged him on eagerly.

“Okay.”

Lin You began the scavenging life he lived every night.

He used to be all alone, but now he had a little shadow following him.

“Ah You, Ah You, your eyes are amazing! How did you spot the bottle when it’s so dark?”

In the corner of an alley, the boy bent down to pick up a bottle from the ground and then put it into his snakeskin bag with a crisp clatter. The girl, who was pinching the corner of his shirt, couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“Maybe it’s because I come out to collect bottles often at night. I got used to it, so I can see clearly.”

Lin You gave his reason.

In truth, it might have something to do with the golden orbs of light he had collected before, but that was too complicated to explain.

“Then how long will it take for me to get used to it? I want to see the bottles on the ground too.”

Yuting admired the boy’s special ability, her heart full of longing as she spoke.

“I don’t know, it might take a long time.”

Lin You felt a trace of panic. If Yuting could also see in the dark, his true appearance would be exposed.

Selfishly, he didn’t want Yuting to be able to see clearly in the dark, but as a friend, he should support her, right?

“I have a flashlight. If I use it, I can see clearly too.”

It was as if a little kitten was inside Yuting’s heart, scratching at it with its little paws.

She really wanted to shine the light on the boy to see what her only boy-friend looked like.

“Don’t do that. I don’t want to be in the light.”

Lin You’s mood instantly tensed up.

“Ah You, does that mean you don’t go out during the day?”

Yuting’s curiosity grew instead of diminishing, but she cared about the boy’s opinion, so she was still restraining the urge to use her flashlight.

“I do…”

Lin You became wooden, his words turning into stammers.

“Then are you a student at Baiyun Elementary School?”

Yuting was no longer content with just playing with the boy at night. It would surely be great to play together at school too.

“Can you please stop asking… I don’t want to talk about this.”

The girl’s inquiries were making Lin You’s nerves stretch taut.

“These things aren’t really secrets, are they? I’m a student in Grade Two, Class One at Baiyun Elementary. My classroom is on the second floor of the school building, to the left…”

Yuting thought she wasn’t being sincere enough, so she revealed her own information.

“…”

Lin You remained silent.

He and Yuting had already run into each other at school, and it hadn’t been a very pleasant encounter.

“Ah You, you’re not being very fair. I’ve told you everything, and you’re still hiding things from me?”

The stubborn Yuting continued to press him.

“Stop asking. I just don’t want to tell you.”

Lin You simply couldn’t bring himself to say it. Instead, the girl’s persistent questioning was making him annoyed.

“What are you getting mad about? If you don’t want to say it, then don’t. It’s not like I have to know. Suit yourself.”

Yuting was a child too, and she also had her own emotions.

The harmonious atmosphere soured because of this.

Lin You lowered his head and focused on collecting bottles. Yuting, holding onto the corner of his shirt, didn’t want to break the silence either.

A few minutes passed like this.

A car approached in the distance, its high beams on.

The boy had let his guard down and hadn’t noticed it in time.

The car’s headlights shone on the boy, tearing away his disguise of darkness.

Yuting subconsciously looked at the boy.

“So, it really is you…”

The scarlet, flame-like mark on the boy’s left cheek was very familiar. Yuting cried out in surprise.

“No…”

Lin You panicked and quickly hid in a dark corner.

“I remember you! The boy who bumped into me at school during the day. That’s right, it’s you!”

Yuting’s clear voice was tinged with obvious anger.

“I’m sorry.”

The situation was irreversible. Lin You prepared himself to lose his only friend, his voice trembling.

“Ah You, let me ask you, did you not recognize me at school?”

The girl put her hands on her hips, questioning him angrily.

“I did.”

The boy hunched his shoulders, his voice low and submissive.

“Then you still pretended not to know me! That’s so unfair! So you didn’t see me as a friend?”

The reason for the girl’s anger wasn’t Lin You’s physical flaw, but the deception between friends.

“It’s all my fault.”

Lin You was in the wrong. He didn’t make any excuses and just kept admitting his mistake.

“Hmph, I’m so smart, I’ve already figured out what you were thinking. Ah You, you definitely thought I would dislike you, right?”

Yuting let out a triumphant little huff, proactively bringing the boy’s worries out into the open.