Chapter 19: A Surprising Encounter at the Fountain

The two walked for about three more minutes, and suddenly the view opened up. There was a community activity plaza ahead, where many elderly people were dancing and exercising in the middle. On the west side of the plaza, there was a small fountain, and the water jets would change shape with the passing of time. Lin Duo had lived in this area for a while but had never known about this place. Curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned over to the fountain, reaching out to scoop up some water from the pool.

“Every evening, the lights under the fountain turn on, creating a colorful spectacle that’s really beautiful,” Wang Linshu said, standing by Lin Duo’s side. “There are benches over there. Let’s go sit for a bit?”

Lin Duo sat on the bench, propping her chin on her hands as she stared at the fountain for a long time. “It’s so pretty! I didn’t know there was such a place near our school!”

“Girls like you don’t explore much. If you walk around more, you’ll discover these places easily,” Wang Linshu replied, half-reclining on the bench, his eyes squinting as he looked at the sun. “The weather is so nice, yet we have to spend all day cooped up in the classroom. It’s so boring.”

Neither spoke after that, each enjoying the peaceful, sunny afternoon in their own way. However, things took an unexpected turn when a couple in their early twenties sat on a nearby bench, completely ignoring their surroundings as they began to get intimate, even kissing. This scene was quite a shock to the naive Lin Duo, causing her to blush and avert her gaze.

Wang Linshu, on the other hand, had a different reaction. Having watched adult videos at a friend’s house since middle school, he found the scene unremarkable, but it stirred something within him. He began to study Lin Duo more closely: her hair, tied in two cute braids, fell just past her shoulders; her small, porcelain-like face; and her delicate frame beneath her oversized school uniform, as if a strong breeze could blow her away. A voice in his mind began to echo: “Hug her, hug her, hug her…”

Just as Lin Duo was blushing from the nearby couple’s display, she suddenly sensed a shadow enveloping her. Startled, she jumped up, causing whoever was reaching for her to grab only air.

“What… what are you doing!” Lin Duo’s face was a picture of panic.

Wang Linshu realized he had overstepped, and his quick mind raced to come up with a plausible excuse. “Oh, I just wanted to grab your phone. Isn’t it in the other pocket of your pants?”

“My phone? Why would you need that?” Lin Duo regained her composure, though her expression remained suspicious.

“Because I wanted to exchange numbers with you and have a bit of fun,” Wang Linshu replied, his thoughts racing. “Imagine, I suddenly shout, ‘Your phone has been stolen!’ You reach for your pocket and can’t find it. Wouldn’t you be really startled? Haha!”

Lin Duo surprisingly believed him, patting her chest in relief. “You really need to stop with these pranks! I thought you were going to hug me!”

“We’re just friends. Why would I think of doing that?” Wang Linshu said with a straight face.

“Okay, okay, I know!” Lin Duo sat back down next to him, pulling out her phone. “Here, what’s your number? I’ll call you.”

Normally, one would reject the call, but Wang Linshu actually answered, holding the phone to his ear. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Why did you answer? You’re wasting money!”

“The voice has a slight delay, like two Lin Duos are talking. It’s so funny!”

“You’re so childish!” Lin Duo rolled her eyes at him.

At that point, Lin Duo’s phone contacts list had five names: Yuan Dingchu, her foster parents, Gu Xuexuan, and now Wang Linshu.

When saving the contact, Wang Linshu asked casually, “When’s your birthday?”

“My birthday? Why do you ask?”

Wang Linshu showed her his phone’s contact format. “I usually note down the birthday when I save a new number. The phone will remind me on that day, and I can send a birthday wish.”

Lin Duo hesitated but, thinking Wang Linshu wasn’t a bad person, agreed. “Okay, I was born on March 10th.”

Wang Linshu quickly entered the information. “Unfortunately, my birthday is at the end of September, so I’ll have to wait until after the exams. By the way, your phone looks pretty old.”

Lin Duo’s phone was a cheap, domestic model that her biological parents had bought when she started junior high.

“It’s been over two years, but it still runs smoothly and doesn’t lag when I’m online,” Lin Duo said, fiddling with her phone. “Yours looks pretty new?”

“I have an iPhone 6. My parents gave it to me for my birthday this year!” Wang Linshu, being a child, couldn’t help but show off.

“An iPhone 6… My brother has the same model.”

Lin Duo’s original family wasn’t poor; they just favored her brother, Lin Cheng, in many ways.

Wang Linshu was surprised. “You have a brother? I always thought you were an only child.”

“Ah, um, I mean, it’s my cousin,” Lin Duo quickly corrected herself, realizing her slip.

“Is that so!” Wang Linshu didn’t question it further and checked the time. “We should head back to school!”

Lin Duo returned to the classroom and had barely taken her seat when a girl from the back row approached. “Hey, where did you two go just now?”

“Just walking around the school grounds,” Lin Duo replied honestly, as she wasn’t close with the girl.

“Just walking around?” The girl’s face broke into a sly smile. “Are you two secretly dating or something?”

“N-No, we’re not!” Lin Duo’s face turned red, and she quickly involved Wang Linshu. “Hey, you say something!”

Wang Linshu caught on and put on a serious face. “Lin Duo and I are just pure classmates. There’s nothing else to it!”

Wang Linshu said this, but his eyes were secretly watching Lin Duo’s reaction.

The girl from the back row, not getting the response she wanted, huffed. “Whatever, no one knows where you two were anyway.”

Wang Linshu, deep down, was a bit pleased that people thought he and Lin Duo were a couple. But he also realized that Lin Duo was quite slow when it came to romance, so he decided to take things slow and not scare her off.