Chapter 16: Enemy’s Love

“This isn’t like you.”

Yuan Qing teased in the manner of an old friend. “You usually get annoyed by these kinds of people with impure motives. I still remember that time in Los Angeles, after your competition, a girl wanted to take advantage of the celebratory mood to kiss you. Didn’t you mercilessly push her away?”

Afterward, that girl got angry and wrote a long post fabricating stories about Lin Huaixu, saying he was self-absorbed, disrespectful to women, rude, and had terrible character.

Back then, not long after Lin Huaixu arrived in North America, he became famous on PDF, and it was for infamy.

Of course, this matter didn’t have much time to ferment. After Lin Huaixu heard about it, his face darkened, and then he did only one thing.

He treated that girl’s best friend to a cup of coffee.

He said nothing else, but not long after, that girl and her best friend started fighting. The best friend, in a fit of pique, exposed their chat history, which included the girl’s filthy fantasies about Lin Huaixu and her schemes to ruin his reputation after her pride was hurt.

This joke circulated quite widely in the study-abroad circle, enough to make someone unable to hold their head high for years.

Yuan Qing discovered that he was actually quite ruthless towards strangers. Only those who had been by his side for a long time could receive his imperceptible thoughtfulness and indulgence.

He clearly had countless ways to get rid of a troublemaker like Tong An’yu who charged in headfirst, if he truly considered her a trouble.

“She’s too young.”

A white mist swirled before Lin Huaixu’s eyes. The already scarce lights on campus dimmed one after another. He then switched to the main topic. “How’s that survey I asked you to do?”

Yuan Qing had done it, but she had some complaints about the matter. “Why do we have to pay attention to what those bottom-tier men and women abroad like to play, and even give them money?”

She felt disgusted just looking at the compiled survey.

“Expand the sample as much as possible. If the money’s not enough, I’ll transfer it to you.”

Lin Huaixu flicked his cigarette ash. The lead-gray T-shirt hung loosely on him, and the faint glow of the cigarette tip illuminated his deep, dark eyes.

“Why not do it in the country, have a showdown with the Si Corporation, and completely sweep quantum particles out of the mobile game market to avenge our past shame,” Yuan Qing said with hatred.

Lin Huaixu turned his head to glance at her.

“Read too many power-fantasy novels? Can the card game I designed even be made in the country?”

“Even if the regulations abroad are lax, that gameplay is too embarrassing. You’re…”
Yuan Qing wanted to say he was a top student from Stanford. In the future, he should be joining Google, Microsoft, or other major companies for cutting-edge R&D, and then, like many big shots on the Forbes list, leave with his technology to found a unicorn company and establish a foothold in Silicon Valley or Seattle.

He should never be designing vulgar games for those at the bottom who are just getting by. This was very disappointing.

“Whose start isn’t embarrassing.”

Lin Huaixu tossed the cigarette butt into the trash can, his eyes looking at her coldly.

“How was Colin Interactive Entertainment destroyed? What are you really clear about?”

Yuan Qing fell silent.

With his hands free, Lin Huaixu hailed an approaching private car, his tone evening out. “If you can’t be as good as your opponent at exploiting loopholes in the rules, what’s the point of talking about making them pay?”

The car screeched to a halt in front of them. Yuan Qing walked over in her high heels, opened the car door, and turned her head back reluctantly to ask, “Then how young is she?”

Lin Huaixu frowned, not knowing how the topic had circled back again.

Yuan Qing glanced at the food container he had been clutching in his hand for a long time, not even willing to put it down while smoking. “You said you’re not in a position to be in a relationship right now.”

She ducked down, the car door closed, and she left.

Lin Huaixu concealed his emotions, turned around, transferred the food container to his other hand, and walked quickly towards the pharmacy.

Inside, he casually pointed to a box of stomach medicine, paid for it, and stuffed it into the pocket of his down jacket.

‘I don’t know what will happen from eating uncooked dumplings, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.’

The moment he returned to the cafeteria, Tong An’yu came over, listless and dejected. “How did you chat for so long? I’m the only one left in the cafeteria.”

Lin Huaixu thought to himself, ‘Isn’t it because I went to buy stomach medicine?’

‘She’s really something else, not even forgetting to send him poison from a thousand miles away during the New Year.’

“I’ll see you off next, let’s go.”

As Lin Huaixu spoke, he was about to use his phone to call a taxi.

“Hey.”

Tong An’yu grabbed his phone, not letting him place the order. “I’m not in a hurry to leave.”

Lin Huaixu held his phone and looked at her. “Then what do you want to do?”

Tong An’yu’s mind was a battlefield for a long time, but she really couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Guess, is it possible for a handsome male university student who isn’t in a relationship to get together with his childhood friend?”

“…”

Lin Huaixu was already able to calmly accept her bizarre way of asking questions.

He lifted the food container, pressed it against her chin, and tilted it up inch by inch, making her look up at him.

“Am I your best friend?”

“Are you sharing some newly fabricated gossip with me here?”

Tong An’yu’s eyes were chestnut brown, and her eyelashes trembled as she looked at him. “I would never get together with a childhood friend anyway. Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their own burrows. Anyone who does that is worse than a rabbit, right?”

‘She’s quite brave today, even resorting to threats.’

“Hand,” Lin Huaixu said.

Tong An’yu obediently raised her palm for him to see.

“Put it in my pocket.”

Tong An’yu’s eyes darted downwards. He had several pockets: a large one on each side of his down jacket, a fake one on the chest of his T-shirt, and two flat pockets on the front of his jeans, close to his groin.

‘That… putting it in there wouldn’t be good, would it?’

‘Too close, too close. If I’m not careful, I might touch it. Lin Huaixu might be a flower.’

‘Today’s decision will be to pull this flower down to the mortal world.’

Tong An’yu extended her fingers, gradually getting closer.

Seeing her fingers about to go lower, Lin Huaixu promptly warned, “The down jacket.”

“…”

Tong An’yu’s fingers took a detour mid-way and slipped into his down jacket pocket.

The pocket was very large, swallowing her sleeve as well. She fumbled around inside and found a square paper box.

She was puzzled, her face a big question mark, her pale pink cheeks like a glutinous rice ball resting on the food container.

Lin Huaixu tilted his chin up, gesturing for her to take it out.

Tong An’yu pulled it out and saw Lingtong Jianwei Capsules.

“See? I didn’t eat the grass by my burrow. I went to give money to the pharmacy.”

Lin Huaixu smoothly took the food container away.

“Why did you buy stomach medicine?” Tong An’yu pressed. “Your constitution… you’re not sick again, are you?”

‘Is he really Lin Daiyu?’

Lin Huaixu gave her a cool look. “The dumplings weren’t cooked.”

“???”

“…”

“I’m sorry!!!”

Tong An’yu was overcome with shame and regret, clinging to his arm and refusing to let go.

She was genuinely upset.

Her passionate heart, her fluttering emotions, her waving banners and beating drums, had all earned her a huge demerit.

Lin Huaixu dragged her out of the cafeteria with a long face. Finally, unable to drag her any further, he reached out, grabbed the back of her neck, and lifted her up. “Hold it in.”

Tong An’yu’s eyes were brimming with tears, her eyebrows drooping pitifully. “Am I getting even further away from being your girlfriend?”

“I didn’t know the auntie hadn’t steamed them fully. I stole them.”

“If I had known you only eat your childhood friend’s egg dumplings, it would have been fine.”

‘She’s really got some nerve, even stealing dumplings.’

‘What kind of weird second-generation rich kid is she?’

“Alright,” Lin Huaixu let her go.

“Huh, then why didn’t you say anything when you ate the first one?” Tong An’yu’s logic came online.

‘Did he or did he not say he liked them?’

“Where’s that blog website you made? If you’re really that bored, send it to me. I’ll teach you how to beautify the UI,” Lin Huaixu promptly interrupted.

“Oh, I used Coolors to create a color system. Is that okay?” Tong An’yu’s engineering brain switched on.

“Mhm, let me see.”

Many of the teaching buildings were also closed during the winter break, so it wasn’t easy to find a classroom. In the end, they were in the bicycle shed downstairs from the dormitory, where Lin Huaixu opened his laptop.

Tong An’yu leaned over to look and saw the winter internship project he had on his desktop.

“Are you taking on outsourced work?”

“It’s a project from a school professor.”

“What project?”

“The interactive digital display for the Louis Vuitton art exhibition in March.”

‘Isn’t that shortly after school starts?’

“The timeframe is so short?”

“It was almost finished when I joined.”

‘It was probably because they were short-staffed during the Spring Festival that the professor found a helper from within the school.’

“Then will you be at the site?”

“Mhm, to see the effect and make adjustments in time.”

The art exhibition would last for three days, and they would be on-site as technical staff to solve any sudden problems.

Her blog website hadn’t been indexed by search engines yet, so Lin Huaixu let her open it herself.

When she opened the website, Lin Huaixu:

“…”

He had only said it to change the subject, forgetting that she had named the website “Tong An’yu’s Love Homework.”

The first step of beautification was to change that ridiculous name.

Tong An’yu struggled for a moment, but the struggle failed. She watched helplessly as he changed it.

The winter break passed in a flash.

School officially started in early March. The magnolia flowers were in full bloom, and Jing City had finally shed its cold, welcoming the spring rain.

Tong An’yu, a new type of second-generation rich kid who had always been frugal and had no concept of luxury goods, made a request to Si Zhan for the first time.

“Dad, I want an invitation to the Louis Vuitton art exhibition. Can you get one for little Tong?”

Si Zhan had never controlled his children’s spending. To him, earning money was for his family to spend.

But Tong Miao would keep them in check. She came from an ordinary family and couldn’t stand the decadent and extravagant habits.

Si Zhan chuckled. “Easy. Which celebrity have you taken a liking to? Who do you want to run into?”

He knew Tong An’yu followed some celebrities, and going to an exhibition was nothing more than to see those people.

Tong An’yu had almost forgotten the faces of those idols now, but she didn’t dare say she was going to chase someone.

“Zuo Xiyang,” she casually threw out the name of a not-so-famous young actor.

Si Zhan had never heard of this person and couldn’t be bothered to ask. He sent a message to his assistant to handle it and then said, “Have you thought about what direction you want to study in the future?”

Her courses in the Gifted Program were all hardcore math-oriented, so it would be easy for her to switch to any direction in the future.

As if possessed, Tong An’yu said, “I’ve been quite interested in Python recently.”

Si Zhan was a little surprised. Although Tong An’yu was extremely talented, she had never had any hobbies since she was young. She learned everything quickly, but she wasn’t passionate about anything, whether it was the violin, calligraphy, painting, equestrianism, golf, tennis… As long as she was told she didn’t have to learn it anymore, she would never show any reluctance.

“Genetics awakened?” Si Zhan patted her head.

He had also started out in programming back in the day.

“Mhm!”

That sentence, ‘if you don’t study properly, you won’t get to kiss it in the future either,’ kept replaying in her mind.

“How about pursuing a direction in chip design?” Si Zhan straightened his face and said seriously, “Go abroad for a Ph.D., work at a major semiconductor company there for a couple of years, and then come back to China to take over Hexin Technology.”

He knew that with his daughter’s intelligence, no matter what major she studied, she would become a mainstay of that industry in the future.

And currently, the biggest talent gap in the country was in chips. He had a premonition that this industry would trigger extremely fierce global competition.

“Chips?”

Tong An’yu had never really paid much attention to the subsidiaries under the group.

Si Zhan clasped his hands behind his head. “Right now, the best EDA suppliers are in California, the best lithography system suppliers are in the Netherlands, the best wafer fabs are TSMC, Samsung, and Intel. And 80% of the core patents for an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine are provided by top companies from Germany, the US, and Japan. If we don’t break through this technological barrier, there will be no place for our country in the future.”

“Is it that serious?” Tong An’yu was stunned.

“The entire design and production chain is a huge moat. Do you know how many years Zeiss spent just designing a single reflector for ASML?” Si Zhan said with a humph.

“The money earned from quantum particles in the mobile game market these past two years is all gone, all smashed into Hexin Technology. It’s estimated that we’ll have to keep smashing money in like this for another ten years, just hoping to pry open a little bit of this moat.”

Si Zhan no longer managed the operations of the various subsidiaries much anymore. He was only responsible for setting the direction for the entire group, making predictions, and then the people below would find ways to execute and achieve them.

“That’s great then, I’ll study chips,” Tong An’yu agreed readily.

Anyway, microelectronics and computer science were inseparable.

The invitation arrived in a few days, a super VIP one.

Tong An’yu spent the weekend at home, rummaging through her closet to try on clothes.

She was incredibly lazy at school, never able to get out of bed, just washing her face in the morning and rushing to class. Her clothes and shoes were all about comfort, completely lacking any awareness of her appearance.

After all, before meeting Lin Huaixu, the door to her romantic feelings was shut tight.

Fortunately, her Aunt Jiang Yao owned a film and television company. Over the years, as she grew older, the clothes Jiang Yao gave her became more and more fashionable, exquisite, and eye-catching.

She didn’t like trying them on before. Jiang Yao would laugh and say, “It’ll be fine once you’ve had your awakening.”

After exhausting herself to death trying on over thirty gowns, Tong An’yu realized that this awakening had gone a bit too far.

In the end, under the guidance of a celebrity’s personal stylist, she chose a pink and white gown that was appropriate for her age, yet a little playful and sexy.

Off-the-shoulder, cinched waist, a tulle skirt that ended above the knees, and a string of pink and purple beads wrapped around her left wrist.

Her hair was temporarily curled and then elaborately put up. Finally, after some dabbing on her face, a shiny pink lip gloss finished the look.

“Perfect. The young lady has good skin, a light makeup will do.”

Tong An’yulifted her skirt, not even bothering to admire herself, and rushed to the bathroom with a twisted expression. “This young lady really can’t hold it in anymore!”

Frequent and urgent urination… all the nervousness she hadn’t experienced during exams over the years came rushing back to her tonight.

After resolving the issue, she didn’t dare to drink a single drop of water, holding out until the art exhibition started at six in the evening.

The square near the exhibition area had long been cordoned off with red rope. Over a hundred bodyguards stood guard outside the rope, wary of the celebrity fans who were trying to break through.

A red carpet was laid out in the tent, and a signature wall was erected. Every invited VIP had to walk past it.

Of course, in the end, the ones who would make the news and be widely circulated were still those celebrities.

Tong An’yu wasn’t arrogant enough to think she was more beautiful than those celebrities, but in all honesty, her face was still very lively and pleasing to look at. At least it wouldn’t be overshadowed in today’s dazzling array of beautiful faces.

Before setting off, she pretended to send a WeChat message to Lin Huaixu.

[You there? Why aren’t you at the library? I have a question…]

As expected, Lin Huaixu replied.

[Working on the project.]

Tong An’yu put down her phone, the corners of her mouth turning up. Everything was under control.

However, a few seconds later, her teeth were chattering from the cold, and she shivered and shrank back into the car.

Mid-March was way too cold! Who in their right mind would wear a tulle dress!

Backstage at the exhibition.

Lin Huaixu was wearing a formal suit, a staff ID card hanging around his neck, and was monitoring the digital system.

“There probably won’t be any major issues. You should go take a look around the front too. It’s hard to get into this kind of art exhibition,” said a schoolmate who had come with him.

Lin Huaixu smiled but didn’t say anything.

He had attended many similar events, but in the past, he was a guest viewing the exhibition, and now he was a staff member providing service.

“Hey, the celebrities are starting to walk the red carpet. Aren’t you going to take a look? This is the closest you’ll ever get to these big names,” the schoolmate urged him again.

Lin Huaixu wasn’t interested in celebrities, but he wanted to go out for a smoke and get some fresh air, so he agreed, “Mhm, then I’ll trouble you to keep an eye on things for a while.”

With that, he hid the lighter in his palm and went out through the side door.

The sky had just darkened, and the square was already brightly lit. Lin Huaixu stood in a corner of the building, leaning against the wall, just able to see the people coming and going on the red carpet.

In front of him was a row of photographers, all ready to go. Because of his height, he didn’t feel obstructed.

He could recognize some of the celebrities who came, while others had unfamiliar faces. But the photographers didn’t care about that. They would just start shooting as soon as they caught someone, the shutter sounds rising and falling one after another. Anyway, each person only had about ten seconds.

Lin Huaixu held a cigarette between his lips, turned sideways to block the wind, and flicked the lighter.

Just as the flame was about to touch the tobacco, a splash of pink and white floated onto the red carpet.

Lin Huaixu’s lighter stopped in place.

She was clearly not good at those celebrity photo poses. She stood almost woodenly on the red carpet, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her skirt, but her eyes were darting around at the surrounding staff.

Yet she was so young, so ethereal. With a flutter of her eyelashes, the entire red carpet came to life.

Lin Huaixu watched her from afar, his eyes growing darker and deeper.

Her skin was pearly white, her collarbones were defined, her waist was slender, her legs were long and straight, and her lips looked as if they were moisturized with water.

He forgot the cigarette in his mouth. The flame died out between his fingers. It wasn’t until she walked into the inner hall that he let out a meaningful low laugh and patted the night mist off his suit.

‘It seems she’s not as young as I thought.’

Tong An’yu pretended to appreciate the modern art she didn’t understand at all, but in reality, she had circled the exhibition hall back and forth.

‘Couldn’t find him.’

‘This whole day was a waste.’

‘Where is he, where is he?’

‘Where did Lin Huaixu run off to?’

Tong An’yu scratched her wrist. The string of beads had left a mark on her.

‘Getting dressed up is so tiring. This kind of suffering is really not for humans.’

She avoided people, opened her handbag, took out her phone, and sent a message—

[Did you really go to work on the project?]

[Where did you go to work on the project?]

“Done looking?” the schoolmate asked.

“Mhm, you go ahead. I’ll watch for a while.”
Lin Huaixu watched the exhibition hall’s surveillance from backstage, then unhurriedly took out his phone to take a look.

He replied: [What’s up?]

[Nothing, just asking when you’re coming back.]

[Soon. Leave the question, I’ll come back and look at it.]

[??? You already left?]

[Aren’t you in a hurry?]

Tong An’yu was pretending to be in a hurry just now, but now she was truly in a hurry.
She couldn’t let all the effort she put into dressing up go to waste!

But the red carpet was still ongoing. Outside were all bodyguards and celebrity fans, and it wasn’t appropriate for her to call the driver to leave early.

Finally, she put down her phone and stood dejectedly in front of a picture of a rose, in a daze.

After what felt like an eternity, the top-tier celebrities gradually left, and only then did Tong An’yu rush out in a hurry.

Just as she walked out of the exhibition hall, before she could cross the red carpet tent, she saw a figure standing by the deserted signature wall.

Suit pants, a belt, a slightly wrinkled white shirt, a dangling ID card.

It wasn’t any big brand, with no styling or decoration, but he was just more dazzling than those male celebrities.
He didn’t need a spotlight; he was the light source himself.

Tong An’yu gulped, her mouth and tongue dry. She felt like a fish struggling on the sand.

“Come over,” Lin Huaixu beckoned to her.

Tong An’yu wobbled over in her high heels.
‘Well, I did want to be discovered anyway.’

“Did the library move here?” he asked, his eyes studying the curl of hair hanging by her ear.

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance you were going to see the exhibition?”

“Aren’t you cold?”

He seemed to be talking a lot today, a super lot.

‘So it wasn’t that hard to get him to talk more…’

Lin Huaixu’s face hardened. Taking advantage of his height, he looked down.

“Didn’t I say ‘don’t let it happen again’?”

She took a deep breath. “Then what should I do?”

Lin Huaixu thought her eyes were really bright, almost outshining the moon.

Being looked at by such a sight was enough to forgive anything.

“Nothing.”

He tossed the lighter in his hand, handed it to her, and once again held that cigarette between his lips, a smile hidden in his eyes.

“The wind is strong. Help me light it.”

She raised the hand with the beaded bracelet and, imitating how he had done it before, flicked the steel wheel with a particularly cool gesture.

Once, twice, it didn’t light. Only the beads were shaking.

She blushed and held on strong. “It’s not my fault, the wind is too strong. Wait a minute.”

Lin Huaixu looked at her trembling eyelashes, then slowly raised his hand, cupped it, and shielded it behind her hand.

Just a moment ago, the wind was coming from all directions, but now it seemed there was no wind at all.

On a cold day, Tong An’yu felt hot. Her arms trembled, and she bumped into his palm several times, touching the scar he got from being cut by glass.

Then, with a “clang,” a flickering flame suddenly shot up, and a soft, rosy halo of light spread between them.

Lin Huaixu draped the suit jacket he had specially taken off over her bare shoulders.

The schoolmate who arrived a little later was stunned.

The super VIP little princess specially invited by Louis Vuitton was actually lighting a cigarette for his temporary-worker junior.