Chapter 7: Morning Encounters

After seeing Yan off to the nearest subway station, Chen Lin, a high school student, immediately went home. He still had a lot of homework to finish.

By the time he finished his homework, it was already ten o’clock. After washing up, Chen Lin didn’t bother using a hairdryer; he was a firm believer in air-drying his hair.

He carefully dried his hair with a towel. Since it was still a bit damp, he sat on the living room sofa for half an hour before finally lying down on his bed.

As he breathed, Chen Lin noticed a faint fragrance.

He remembered that Yan had used his pillow earlier; it must be the scent she left behind.

It smelled like lavender, very pleasant.

Soon, drowsiness overcame him. Inhaling the lavender scent, Chen Lin quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was the next morning, roused by his alarm clock.

The lavender fragrance seemed to have a calming effect; Chen Lin felt he had slept very soundly and comfortably.

He got up unhurriedly, stretched, and walked to the bathroom to start his morning routine.

While squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush, Chen Lin noticed something strange. His toothbrush had been replaced with a brand new one.

Had he unconsciously thrown away the old one yesterday?

That must be the explanation—after all, who would be interested in an old toothbrush? No one would steal it. Besides, he had been using that toothbrush for six months, long past the recommended replacement period.

Changing it was fine; he should use a new one.

Swapping a toothbrush was such a trivial matter that no one usually paid attention to it. Chen Lin quickly forgot about it.

The important thing was that today marked the start of a new day. A calm, simple life awaited him.

But he couldn’t just settle for the status quo. He had made up his mind to pursue Senior Meiyue, so he needed to come up with a plan.

He tied his tie over his long-sleeved school shirt, completed the last step, and walked out the door.

“Big brother, you’re finally up!”

A sweet, childish voice came from Chen Lin’s left.

When he opened the door, he had already noticed Yan. She was standing at the door of her second-floor home, not hiding from him.

“Why are you here?” Chen Lin asked curiously. After all, they had just said goodbye last night.

It wasn’t that Chen Lin disliked Yan; he just hadn’t expected to see her again so soon—less than twelve hours later.

“Bento!” Yan raised her hands, holding a little bunny-shaped thermal bag.

Chen Lin took the bag and opened it. Inside was a small, cute yellow lunchbox with a cartoon logo.

Instead of opening the lunchbox immediately—which would have been rude—he noticed Yan’s hands. Her originally delicate fingers now had several Band-Aids covering cuts.

This blatantly revealed to Chen Lin how much time and effort Yan had spent making the food in that lunchbox, even injuring herself.

Honestly, seeing such a little angel hurt made Chen Lin’s heart ache. What normal man could bear to see a little angel like her injured? He would rather protect her.

“Is this for me?” Chen Lin asked, already knowing the answer, just to avoid any misunderstanding.

Yan immediately nodded, looking a bit shy. “Yes, but this is my first time cooking, so it might not taste very good…”

Noticing her voice growing softer, Chen Lin quickly comforted her. “It’s okay. I’m sure whatever you make will be delicious. I’ll eat it all.”

Even if it tasted bad, Chen Lin never wasted food. He promised to finish everything.

Besides, Yan must have put so much effort into making this meal. Chen Lin wasn’t heartless enough to throw it in the trash.

“I’m so happy~” Yan was thrilled by Chen Lin’s words. She affectionately hugged his waist.

Chen Lin suddenly felt blessed to be comforted by such a little angel in the morning.

“Yan, how long have you been waiting outside my door?” Chen Lin suddenly thought to ask, concerned.

“About an hour. I wanted to knock when I got here, but I was afraid of disturbing your rest,” Yan said softly. That meant she had stood outside Chen Lin’s house for an entire hour.

“Next time, just knock directly. I’m not the kind of person who gets mad when woken up. You don’t have to worry at all,” Chen Lin immediately suggested.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to contact me by phone? Can we exchange contact info?”

Faced with Yan’s request, Chen Lin agreed without a second thought.

Exchanging contact details was no big deal for Chen Lin, so he readily accepted.

He took out his phone and exchanged numbers with Yan. At her request, they even added each other on social media.

Chen Lin had no reason to refuse Yan’s requests.

But a new problem arose. It was time for school. Chen Lin wondered if he should take Yan to school. If he did, he might be late.

Yan didn’t want to be a burden. She planned to leave on her own, saying that after yesterday, she knew the way and he shouldn’t worry.

Still, Chen Lin was uneasy. That’s when the benefit of exchanging contacts came in.

Yan told Chen Lin that she would let him know she arrived safely once she reached her classroom.

With that assurance, Chen Lin felt temporarily relieved. After all, Yan had brought him a bento in the morning, so he had reason to believe she knew the way.

After Yan left, Chen Lin set off for his high school.

Unlike usual, today he carried not only his schoolbag but also a cute little bunny thermal lunchbox.

Because of the morning detour, Chen Lin, who usually liked to arrive just on time, was a bit late.

There were few students left outside the school gate. A luxurious car parked by the entrance was particularly eye-catching.

Chen Lin recognized the car’s model and license plate; it seemed to belong to Senior Meiyue’s family. He had seen it yesterday due to various circumstances.

Since he had to pass by the car to enter the school, Chen Lin pretended to glance inside casually.

On the back seat, his eyes met those of Shihan, who looked like an aristocratic young lady.

Shihan’s lively eyes, as if they could speak, immediately looked away.

Chen Lin felt that Shihan didn’t want to look at him. Her behavior was like avoiding garbage, unable to meet his gaze.

She was Senior Meiyue’s younger sister, his future sister-in-law. The way she looked at him was definitely not a good sign.

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