Chapter 24: Friendship Guarantee

In order to become friends with Lin You, Yuxiu made a huge sacrifice, proactively cutting her hair into a neat, shoulder-length bob.

As we know, most females cherish their hair, considering it a symbol of femininity.

Even children learn to mimic this concept.

This was the first time Lin You had ever seen a girl with short hair.

“That’s right, I cut my hair! What do you think, Classmate Lin? Does it look good?”

The boy’s answer was correct, and it was quickly followed by the girl’s second wave of questions.

Perhaps because it was the first time she had proactively asked for a boy’s opinion, Yuxiu’s face felt a little warm.

“It looks good!”

This was Lin You’s honest opinion.

“Then, do I look like a boy?”

This was Yuxiu’s final question, and also the setup for becoming friends.

“Huh?”

Lin You was completely baffled. What girl would say she looked like a boy?

“Boys all have short hair. I think I look pretty much like them.”

Yuxiu was doing her best to meet Lin You’s conditions for friendship.

“…”

Lin You stared blankly, still not understanding what Yuxiu was trying to say.

“Classmate Lin, you can agree to be friends with me now, right?”

Yuxiu finally revealed her motive for cutting her hair.

“So you’re saying, Classmate Zhong, you cut your hair short just to be friends with me?”

Lin You felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He finally understood.

If he had known it would make Yuxiu do something so foolish, he would never have said those words.

The boy’s heart was filled with regret.

“It’s not entirely your fault. My hair was too long and so inconvenient to wash. Short hair is much easier to manage.”

The considerate girl noticed Lin You was blaming himself and quickly changed her tune.

At their young age, both of them already knew how to be considerate of others’ feelings.

“But if you’re different from everyone else, you’ll be made fun of.”

Lin You was often excluded by his peers; he knew all too well what it felt like to be isolated.

The thought of causing Yuxiu to become unpopular, or even disliked by everyone, almost made him feel breathless.

“It’s my business if I change my hairstyle. If they want to laugh, let them laugh. It’s not like I’m losing anything.”

Yuxiu had also considered the consequences but still resolutely cut her hair short.

Hair could always grow back. Her mother had said that the birthmark on Classmate Lin’s face would likely be with him for his entire life.

Comparing the two, the loss of cutting her hair was insignificant.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for saying those things…”

Lin You didn’t know what to do and just kept apologizing.

“Are you saying that even with short hair, you still don’t want to be my friend, Classmate Lin? Is that why you’re apologizing?”

Yuxiu cleverly phrased her question in a way that served multiple purposes.

“No, that’s not it. I’m willing to be friends with you, Classmate Zhong.”

Lin You had initially been unwilling to be friends with Yuxiu because he was afraid of dragging her down.

Now that she had already cut her hair, in a way, the thing he had worried about had already happened.

If he refused now, Lin You’s conscience would hurt for a lifetime.

“Really? You can’t take it back.”

According to her mother’s guidance, becoming friends with the boy who was destined to be ostracized by his peers was the first and most crucial step in saving him. Yuxiu had successfully achieved this goal and felt a joy that came from the bottom of her heart.

“Really, it’s all true. Classmate Zhong, thank you for cutting your hair for me. Please don’t ever do something like this again.”

Lin You nodded like a pecking chicken. He hoped the girl’s hair would quickly grow back so she wouldn’t have to be laughed at like him.

“Let’s write a promise letter.”

Having successfully made her first and only boy-friend, Yuxiu felt it wasn’t secure enough.

She tap, tap, tapped back to her desk and then quickly returned.

“I’ll write in the promise letter that Zhong Yuxiu and Lin You have become friends. After we sign our names, we can’t go back on it.”

Yuxiu explained the purpose of the promise letter with a serious expression.

She had learned all this from TV.

“Okay.”

Lin You felt indebted to the girl and was basically willing to do whatever she said.

Rustle, rustle…

The girl quickly wrote their mutual promise on a blank page of her notebook.

“Zhong Yuxiu and Lin You will be good friends forever!”

The six-year-old Yuxiu couldn’t write anything too profound, so the content of the promise letter was adorably simple.

As she wrote, Yuxiu also recited it out loud, because Lin You was still illiterate.

“We need to write two copies, one for each of us!”

One had to admit, the girl was quite thorough.

“Mhm!”

Lin You cooperated fully, his little face glowing with solemnity.

Perhaps to an adult, this kind of promise letter would seem childish and not at all binding.

But at the age of six or seven, their hearts were pure, not yet sullied by the world. It was the most innocent and carefree time of their lives.

“It’s done! Let’s sign!”

Yuxiu quickly prepared the two promise letters, with only the final step remaining.

“Oh no! Classmate Lin, I don’t think you know how to write your name yet, do you?”

Suddenly, the girl remembered something and became distressed.

“I do. I practiced for a long time yesterday.”

The boy didn’t fail at the crucial moment and immediately told her his situation.

“Yay!”

Soon, both promise letters were signed with their respective names.

Lin You, Zhong Yuxiu. Their names were close together, as if their friendship was intertwining.

“I think we need to add fingerprints too.”

Yuxiu carefully examined the promise letter, feeling as if something was missing.

“I have an idea.”

The girl ran back to her seat again.

When she returned, she had a red watercolor pen in her hand.

“We can color our fingers red, and then we can make fingerprints.”

This was the girl’s little trick.

“Whatever you say.”

The two little ones colored their thumbs red and pressed them onto their names on the promise letter.

“It’s finally done! This is your promise letter, you have to keep it safe.”

After successfully recreating an adult’s promise letter, the usually quiet Yuxiu became excited.

“I’ll keep it forever!”

Lin You solemnly put away the promise letter that represented their innocent friendship.

“Since we’re friends, you don’t have to call me Classmate Zhong anymore. Just call me Yuxiu!”

Becoming friends naturally came with changes. The girl took the initiative to suggest changing how they addressed each other.

“Yuxiu…”

This was the first time Lin You had called her by her name.

“You can call me Youyou. That’s what my grandma calls me.”

In the spirit of reciprocity, Lin You also wanted to change how the girl addressed him.

“Youyou!”

“Yuxiu!”

“Hahaha…”

The two faced each other, calling out each other’s nicknames for a while, and finally burst into laughter at the same time.

“Youyou, can you see the blackboard from so far back? I’ll find a way to get the teacher to move you back.”

Yuxiu grew concerned about Lin You’s situation and wanted to stand up for him.

“No need. I like to be in an inconspicuous place. It’s fine now. Please don’t mention this to the teacher.”

Lin You was quite satisfied with his current seat. Aside from being a bit far from Yuxiu, everything else was fine.