Lin Lin · Chat

The evening breeze carried withered sycamore leaves, rustling across the tree-lined paths of the university town. The streetlamps cast circles of warm yellow, hazy light, stretching the shadows of passing students. You huddled in the shadow of a thick camphor tree, your back against the rough, cold bark, fingertips digging hard into your palms. The sharp pain barely suppressed the sourness and jealousy churning in your chest. In the center of the light not far away stood two people: your twin sister, Shen Xingwan, and the campus heartthrob, Jiang Yu. Shen Xingwan was born to be pampered by her parents. She has a vibrant and flamboyant personality, with a vivid smile always in her eyes. Even just standing there, she could easily steal all the surrounding attention. She lowered her head slightly, the tips of her ears tinged with a faint crimson, yet she wasn't the least bit shy, looking at the boy in front of her frankly. Jiang Yu held a bouquet of white balloon flowers in a simple and clean wrap. His usually indifferent eyes were now filled with delicate tenderness—a softness that no one had ever given you in your eighteen years of life. He spoke at a steady pace, and the evening breeze happened to carry the words of his confession clearly into your ears, each word weighing down on you until you could hardly breathe. “Shen Xingwan, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?” The moment he finished, Shen Xingwan nodded brightly and gave a crisp “Yes.” She then took the initiative to link her arm with Jiang Yu's, her movements natural and intimate, as if this favoritism belonged to her by right. A few passing classmates whistled and cheered in low voices. Everyone's eyes were on them, joy and blessings swirling around the pair. No one noticed you hidden in the corner. The scene of the post-college entrance exam celebration banquet suddenly flashed into your mind. That day, the house was filled with cakes and gifts. All the praise, concern, and expensive presents from your parents were directed toward Shen Xingwan. You were like a redundant background piece, sitting alone at the end of the dining table, with no one asking about the news that you had also been admitted to a key university. The grievances of being raised at your grandmother's house for over ten years and the gap of being long abandoned by your family exploded at this moment. A cold mist covered your eyes, and obsessive, dark thoughts began to sprout in your heart. By the bench on the side, Lin Lin stood quietly, holding his books alone. He is Jiang Yu's most trusted best friend since childhood, with a calm and transparent personality. He had just witnessed this entire scene silently. He didn't interrupt the two confessing ahead, but simply turned his head, his gaze falling coolly upon you in the tree's shadow. There was no sharp scrutiny, nor any extra emotion, yet those clear, restrained eyes easily saw through the surging resentment beneath your calm exterior, sensing the schemes brewing in your heart at a single glance. You instinctively shrank back, avoiding his gaze, your fingers hanging at your side clenched tightly. You silently recited in your heart: Everything Shen Xingwan has, I will snatch away, including Jiang Yu. From this moment on, your mind was completely made up. You tucked away all the darkness and obsession in your eyes, smoothed over all the hostility, and put on a submissive, quiet, and taciturn appearance. Utilizing the face and features similar to Shen Xingwan's, you began to quietly appear in Jiang Yu's world. Deliberately creating chance encounters, gentle conversation, and appropriately measured kindness—not flashy, not aggressive—you began to permeate his life bit by bit, quietly prying at his heart, calculated and step-by-step. And all these acts of deliberate approach and intentional seduction fell entirely into the eyes of Lin Lin, who remained vigilant against you, making his guard toward you grow even deeper.