Chapter 19: My old enemy makes me angry

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t discouraged.

Tong An’yu could actually feel that Lin Huaixu’s attitude towards her had softened in the past two months.

For example, when she posted pretty pictures of Cooper on her Moments, Lin Huaixu was always the first to like it. For example, he was willing to spend his precious time teaching her Python. For example, at the art exhibition that day, he squatted down to help her take off her high heels.

But what Jiang Xiaoying told her was indeed like a basin of cold water poured over her head, making her soberly realize that those were all just Lin Huaixu’s refinements as an adult.

He did have his sharp edges, but he would never embarrass a girl who liked him. For example, when they first met and she misunderstood him in the coffee shop, he later thoughtfully censored her picture to prevent her from being gossiped about at school.

Misfortunes never come singly. The microelectronics course she wanted to take didn’t show up either.

She lay on the table feeling miserable for a while, but she quickly regained her spirits.

‘Who asked her to be the one chasing him?’
‘How could she not feel sad at all? That would be mutual affection.’

During the evening study session, when Lin Huaixu arrived, he saw her holding a straw in one hand and propping up her cheek with the other. The straw was unconsciously poking around in the milk tea cup, but she hadn’t turned a single page of the literature on her tablet.

He didn’t know what she was thinking.

The dark glass window reflected her silhouette. Lin Huaixu saw her leaning her body sideways, clearly in a daze. The library gradually warmed up, and her bangs stuck to the corner of her eye, practically fighting with her eyelashes, but she had no interest in managing it.

He had originally planned to first break down the modeling problem and outline a solution, but now, he had to solve the problem of her wandering thoughts.

“Tong An’yu.”

Lin Huaixu admired her for a while, then spoke up, interrupting her daze, “Do you want to learn the PuLP library?”

“Ah?” Tong An’yu came back to her senses, looked at him blankly, her mouth faster than her brain, blurting out, “Yes!”

She hadn’t even reacted to what the PuLP library was, but it was always good to be taught by him sitting by her side.

Teaching Tong An’yu didn’t take much time. Lin Huaixu had discovered this over the past period. Tong An’yu’s talent in science and engineering was like his talent in languages; she could effortlessly achieve what others took months or even years to accomplish.

But today, after half an hour of teaching, Tong An’yu was still saying, “What?”

Lin Huaixu put down the mouse and looked at her quietly, his face devoid of expression.

Tong An’yu picked at her fingers and swallowed. “I didn’t hear clearly just now, say it again.”

Lin Huaixu simply leaned back in his chair, twisted open a bottle of mineral water and took a sip, still studying her with that same intense gaze.

“I’m not going to say it. You say it.”

“What do I say?” Tong An’yu was short of breath, her eyes wide as she met his gaze.

“What do you want to say? You’ve been holding it in all night, haven’t you?”

“…”

‘Fine, fine.’

‘People without sensory impairment are just that amazing. She hadn’t even done anything yet and was already seen through.’

Tong An’yu took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, and with the confidence Cooper gave her, blurted out, “I want to participate in the Qinglan Cup modeling competition. I want to join your group.”

‘Not taking me with you? No way. I’ll chase you no matter what.’

‘Anyway, with your lineup, it looks so bizarre, no one from T University would be willing to join.’

Hearing this, Lin Huaixu’s expression changed slightly. He sat up straight, his palm resting on his knee slowly tightening.

Of course, Tong An’yu couldn’t discern this change. She looked at him with her head held high, like Lin Xiangru on his diplomatic mission to the state of Qin.

‘Agree or not? If you don’t agree, I’ll smash it for you!’

“No,” Lin Huaixu said.

‘Oh ho.’

‘As expected.’

“Why not? I’ve seen the topic. You’ll definitely need to establish a power consumption function and build a risk model. I’m a math major!”

‘This is a professional match. Does he even get it?’

“I can do math too. It’s not hard to learn linear programming and probability theory once,” Lin Huaixu said coolly.

Tong An’yu’s eyes widened. “Do you know I’m in the Gifted Program? Do you know I got full marks in these two subjects? Do you know that besides math, you also have to learn microelectronics and network security-related software?”

‘With such a huge workload, how could it possibly be finished?’

‘Only with her help could he be like a tiger with wings, creating brilliance together.’

‘This principle, Little Lin, you should have understood long ago.’

“Not needed.”

Lin Huaixu was unmoved, even spitting out these three words rather heartlessly. Only the fingers on his knee were pressing harder and harder, his nails turning white from the pressure.

Tong An’yu was so angry that she turned her head away, facing the dark glass and not looking at him.

This was the first time she had ever lost her temper with Lin Huaixu.

Lin Huaixu looked at her in silence for a moment, then got up, picked up his chair, and sat down at the opposite side of the table. He opened his computer and started working.

He seemed completely unaffected, completely unmoved, completely indifferent to Tong An’yu’s disappointment and dissatisfaction.

Tong An’yu felt the temperature beside her suddenly disappear. Looking again, Lin Huaixu’s attention was already on the computer. Her eyes instantly reddened.

She didn’t think she was a very big-hearted person. She had just turned her face away in anger, and he was already impatient and didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

‘This must be the difference between an outsider and a childhood friend. He didn’t care about her emotions at all, and perhaps even found her anger baffling.’

‘Maybe in his heart, let alone a girlfriend, even a friend, she couldn’t compare to a childhood friend.’

Tong An’yu looked at her reflection in the glass and felt like a joke.

As she thought this, a tear fell.

She buried her head in embarrassment, using her computer screen to block herself, and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand when no one was looking.

‘This… is too embarrassing.’

But the more she held it in, the more uncomfortable she felt. Her eyes were hot, and tears welled up, unable to stop.

When a tear accidentally fell on the keyboard, she hurriedly wiped it with her hand, smudging the keyboard.

Lin Huaixu barely managed to write a few lines of code, and upon checking, found a pile of bugs.

He saw Tong An’yu secretly wiping her tears, and his heart felt like a rag being wrung out forcefully.

It was still that kind of damp, dilapidated, riddled-with-holes rag. It couldn’t be wrung dry, only wringing his hands red.

The flame from the night of the art exhibition had been burning along the fragrance of the Nile River until now, but those bright and dazzling eyes were now downcast and lonely.

‘It’s precisely because she can, because she understands, that she can’t.’

‘That was his karmic obstacle. He couldn’t drag her into it. She had no obligation, nor could she be dragged down, depleted, or relied upon because of him.’

He couldn’t accept it.

He had thought about this matter. He would find someone who had little to do with the modeling topic, who didn’t have to put in their heart and soul, to just help fill a spot, and he would do the rest.

But if it were her, she would be wholeheartedly involved.

Lin Huaixu forced himself to harden his heart.

Tong An’yu buried her head for a while, then gulped down more than half a cup of milk tea, feeling a little better.

She suddenly looked up, her nose stuffy as she said, “Anyway, I’m definitely participating. If you don’t take me, I’ll just find someone else to team up with.”

Lin Huaixu’s fingers paused.

“This topic happens to involve microelectronics. My family wants me to pursue a Ph.D. in chips. This award will be good for me. I’m determined to win it.”

Lin Huaixu finally looked up. “You’re going abroad for a Ph.D.?”

It was very difficult to apply for a direct Ph.D. program. One had to demonstrate even stronger academic ability than a master’s student. Conferences, papers, competition awards, and GPA were all indispensable.

She still had a year and a half left. In a year and a half, she would have to apply, and also… in a year and a half, she would have to leave.

Tong An’yu: “Of course. And this is a competition held by a big Silicon Valley company. The Ivy Leagues will recognize it.”

“Then you can come.”

“Huh?”

Tong An’yu was stunned. She was just about to make a couple of harsh remarks, but she didn’t expect Lin Huaixu to change his mind so quickly.

“We’ll set up a group chat tomorrow and have an online meeting.”

Lin Huaixu walked over, held her chin from above, and looked at her tear-stained, pale pink cheeks. He gently wiped the traces with his finger. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying,” she stubbornly denied.
“Really?”

Lin Huaixu reached out and brushed her wet eyelashes, then showed her the water droplets.

Tong An’yu punched his palm, originally intending to destroy the evidence of her tears, but who knew that he would happen to catch her fist.

Remembering how annoyed he was when she held his hand in the alley that day, Tong An’yu wanted to pull her hand back.

But Lin Huaixu suddenly tightened his grip on her fingers, a bit forcefully, but he didn’t explain. He just looked at her deeply for a long time before letting her go.

Tong An’yu pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out what had happened. On the other hand, Lin Huaixu was finally able to write his code again.

Although Tong An’yu had met his childhood friends last time and added Kong Jiashu on WeChat, they hadn’t actually chatted since then. She only occasionally saw Kong Jiashu’s game achievements spamming her Moments.

But when they met again in this online meeting, Kong Jiashu was very enthusiastic.

“Hello, Tong-jie. We meet again, Tong-jie. Please take care of me, top student.”

He was actually two years older than Tong An’yu, but he called her this to show his respect.

Tong An’yu thought he was chubby in a festive way, and they were close in age, so her impression of him was good. She smiled at him.

Kong Jiashu had an excellent attitude and immediately stated his position, “I promise not to cause trouble or be a nuisance. If you two want anything to eat or drink, just say the word. If you need anything done, that’s fine too. Skipping class at my crappy school is no big deal, I’ll be there right away.”

He knew that winning this award would be very beneficial to him. At the very least, he would be looked upon more favorably when looking for a job in the future.

Compared to his pure intentions, Yuan Qing was more awkward.

She had never expected that the person Lin Huaixu found to fill the numbers would be Tong An’yu.

Although Tong An’yu was only seventeen this year and didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, quickly hitting it off with Kong Jiashu, she was still very anxious.

She paid attention to Lin Huaixu’s expression and keenly noticed that Lin Huaixu frequently glanced at Kong Jiashu, who was chatting enthusiastically with Tong An’yu, as if he was a little displeased.

A woman’s sixth sense made her heart clench.

“Ah Xu, are you two very close recently? I thought third-year students already had competition awards and didn’t need to participate anymore.”

Tong An’yu did have awards, but they were in pure mathematics. She hadn’t decided what to study specifically before.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to explain, Lin Huaixu suddenly said, “I’m the one who needs her help.”

“You?” Yuan Qing was stunned.

Lin Huaixu: “She’s better than me in math.”

Tong An’yu blinked.

‘How strange, Lin Huaixu is suddenly praising her? Didn’t he say before that he could just learn probability theory and linear programming himself?’

Kong Jiashu was extremely supportive, clapping his hands and saying, “Tong-jie is awesome! This is the first time Xu-ge has admitted that someone is better than him.”

Tong An’yu was smug, barely able to suppress the corners of her lips.

Lin Huaixu looked at her ecstatic appearance and couldn’t help but want to laugh. Even his gaze softened a lot.

‘So happy. It’s so easy to make her happy.’

Yuan Qing felt even more uncomfortable watching this. Even the sunlight outside the window felt dazzling to her, but she had nothing to say. She was a digital media major, so she definitely couldn’t help Lin Huaixu as much as Tong An’yu could.

The thought of them being in the same school and fighting side by side made Yuan Qing inevitably feel a sense of inferiority.

‘Clearly, she and Lin Huaixu were the comrades-in-arms, comrades-in-arms to bring down the Si Corporation together.’

Feng Junda, the oldest of the group, didn’t have the same awareness as Kong Jiashu. He only saw Yuan Qing being rebuffed because of Tong An’yu, so he was very unhappy.

“You two are so capable, then don’t trouble us with any work in the future.”

Lin Huaixu and Yuan Qing glanced at him at the same time. Lin Huaixu’s smile disappeared, and Yuan Qing also frowned.

Kong Jiashu was clueless and couldn’t detect the sarcasm. He still cheerfully assured Tong An’yu, “Hehe, I still want to learn something, but my brain is too stupid.”

Tong An’yu: “It’s okay, I can teach you.”

Kong Jiashu cupped his fists. “Does Tong-jie drink milk tea? My treat.”

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become lively again, Feng Junda sneered, “What the h*ll can you learn? You’ve never passed math in your life.”

Tong An’yu, on the other hand, was seriously thinking for Kong Jiashu’s sake,

“You can help collect data, public chip power consumption data.”

Kong Jiashu patted his chest. “Leave it to me. I’ll go ask my dad to help me.”

Feng Junda: “Don’t bother your dad. He doesn’t have time for your nonsense.”

Kong Jiashu: “How is it nonsense? Winning the award is good for all of us. My dad said foreign companies recognize this award.”

Feng Junda said sarcastically, “Don’t worry about it. Since Ah Xu has taken on this matter, let him do it. He has plenty of time.”

Lin Huaixu heard him clearly, but his heart was unmoved, and his expression didn’t change at all.

Yuan Qing couldn’t stand it anymore, but she didn’t want to argue with Feng Junda in front of Tong An’yu, this outsider.

“What are you talking about? Ah Xu has been extremely busy lately. We should still do what we can.”

Feng Junda said with a fake smile, “Isn’t that what he owes us? I didn’t force him.”

Tong An’yu was completely confused.
‘Owes? Owes what? Aren’t they childhood friends?’

“Feng Junda! It was Uncle Lin who was stubborn back then. What does it have to do with Ah Xu!”

She didn’t understand why Feng Junda was always targeting Lin Huaixu.

Since their families went bankrupt, the relationship between the four of them had subtly changed. Yuan Qing was exhausted, always trying her best to mediate, but there was always a voice in her heart telling her that they could never go back.

Tong An’yu held her breath.

‘Uncle Lin? What did he do stubbornly?’

She secretly glanced at Lin Huaixu and found him unmoved, but the veins on the back of his hand were taut, like crawling green worms.

She belatedly discovered that as the weather warmed, his pale frostbite scars had also disappeared, as if he had never experienced that harsh winter.

Feng Junda sneered coldly, “Didn’t Ah Xu spend Uncle Lin’s money when he studied abroad as a young master? How can he have the face to say it has nothing to do with him?”

Yuan Qing: “You—”

“How long are you going to argue?” Lin Huaixu finally spoke. He directly threw the work distribution form into the group chat, and before anyone could ask, he warned, “Those who don’t want to do it should quit early. Otherwise, even if you win the award, it will be meaningless to you. The HR of big companies are not fools.”

The online meeting became very quiet.
He just had that kind of aura. When he really put on a stern face, it was more effective than a thousand words from anyone else.

The veins on Feng Junda’s temples throbbed, but he sensibly shut his mouth.

He knew very well in his heart that Lin De’s mistake couldn’t tie down Lin Huaixu for a lifetime. The reason Lin Huaixu was still willing to bring them along was purely out of consideration for their childhood friendship.

Perhaps finally sensing the conflict between the childhood friends, Kong Jiashu buried his head and frantically sent text messages. Then, Yuan Qing, Feng Junda, and Lin Huaixu’s phones rang one after another.

In the end, none of the three paid him any attention.

Kong Jiashu: “…”

Not two days later, he ran over from his school by himself, bringing a large pile of local specialties from his school’s area.

He stuffed large bags of squid jerky, Nanguo pears, and other miscellaneous snacks to Lin Huaixu and Tong An’yu. “I won’t disturb your classes, just bringing you some reserve rations. I’m free anyway.”

Lin Huaixu didn’t take them. He raised his chin, “Give them to her.”

As expected, Kong Jiashu gave all the snacks to Tong An’yu.

Tong An’yu accepted them all, her arms full. She looked at Lin Huaixu, “You really don’t want any? Then I’ll take them back for my roommates to eat.”

“Mhm,” Lin Huaixu replied, still dealing with things on his phone.

Tong An’yu studied his thin figure and thought of his monotonous and pitiful eating habits. She knew in her heart that he wanted to become as thin as a lightning bolt to outshine her.

She tore open a bag of squid jerky, and with a quick hand, she stuffed it into Lin Huaixu’s mouth without any explanation.

Lin Huaixu subconsciously leaned back. His lips touched the squid. He paused for a moment, and seeing that it was her, he opened his mouth and bit into the squid.

He actually never ate packaged and seasoned seafood before, but… it wasn’t the first time he had made an exception.

She thought her little trick had succeeded and dodged backwards with a triumphant look on her face, “Bleh, bleh, bleh.”

Lin Huaixu held the squid in his mouth, unable to hold back his laughter.