SBAB Chapter 17

Lin Xin pushed Gu Nian into the pool just as Cheng Shiyin threw Gu Nian’s phone into the water. Amid the chaos, Lin Xin quickly pulled Cheng Shiyin away from the distressing scene.

Rose and Peony still didn’t realize that their scheme of selling a video with the eldest brother’s footage had been exposed. They rushed to the pool’s edge to check if Gu Nian was okay, worried about possibly missing their evening date.

After Gu Nian climbed out of the pool again, she scanned around but couldn’t see Cheng Shiyin or Lin Xin anywhere, so she directed all her frustration towards Rose and Peony, grabbing them by the neck and pulling them out.

The dark aura around Gu Nian’s face indicated they were about to face severe punishment, but Rose’s cheeks once again flushed with an inappropriate blush.

Meanwhile, just moments ago, A-Yun, who had been chased and beaten by everyone, suddenly stood alone in confusion. “Where did everyone go?”

Although Lin Xin had taken Cheng Shiyin away, his plan came to an abrupt halt here. He and Cheng Shiyin walked aimlessly on the street, unsure of the next destination. Lin Xin finally looked to Cheng Shiyin for guidance, a decision she shouldn’t be making right now.

“…”

Cheng Shiyin didn’t respond to Lin Xin’s pleading gaze, not even acknowledging the signals he sent her. Lin Xin walked, and she followed. Lin Xin stopped, she stared at the ground, like a lifeless doll, submissive to fate.

Lin Xin was deeply worried about Cheng Shiyin’s state now. Although she had remained calm earlier, there was still no concrete evidence. Now that she was truly breaking up with Gu Nian, no matter how long they had been together, he was afraid Cheng Shiyin might do something foolish once she got home.

Thus, Lin Xin bent down, trying to read Cheng Shiyin’s expression. In just a second, he let go of Cheng Shiyin’s hand and dashed off somewhere.

Cheng Shiyin sat alone on a bench by the roadside. Now that Lin Xin was also gone, she finally allowed herself to drop her facade of strength and sift through her memories with Gu Nian, item by item, deleting them one by one. But the more she tried to delete, the clearer they became.

What did she do wrong to end up like this? Cheng Shiyin couldn’t understand, feeling increasingly bitter.

Suddenly, something cold bumped against Cheng Shiyin’s lips, startling her back into reality. She discovered Lin Xin standing in front of her again, holding two unusually oversized ice cream cones.

Lin Xin raised his finger at his lips, and Cheng Shiyin instinctively extended her tongue to lick them.

“So sweet.”

Cheng Shiyin suddenly smiled as she took the ice cream from Lin Xin’s hand and started eating. The sweetness in her mouth made her heart less bitter.

Seeing Cheng Shiyin smile, Lin Xin happily recounted how he had ended up at a trendy ice cream shop, waiting in line for half an hour to buy it. He added, “I just knew I didn’t get the wrong ice cream—tears are too salty. I got you a sweet one to balance it out.”

Cheng Shiyin realized Lin Xin thought she was crying and bought the ice cream out of sympathy. But even with this accidental kindness, it wasn’t a bad thing; at least, she wasn’t thinking about Gu Nian right now. She just wanted to ask Lin Xin what kind of magical creature was in his head.

Okay, actually, you don’t even need to ask—just check Twitter, and everything is clear.

After finishing the ice cream, Cheng Shiyin stood up and extended her hand to Lin Xin, saying, “We planned to go out today to have fun. It’s still early, so we can’t just sit here.”

“Right!” Lin Xin immediately jumped up from the bench and placed his hand on Cheng Shiyin’s. The two of them happily strolled hand in hand to the mall.

A-Yun waited at the water park for a long time, but no one came to find him. Given his experience of being forgotten, A-Yun decisively decided to leave. When he went to the baggage counter to retrieve his bag, A-Yun realized his arms were empty; today, they had entrusted everything to Lin Xin, and nothing was stored.

How did Gu Nian get out? Was she wearing a swimsuit? A-Yun’s face when he got a bunch of question marks.

Cheng Shiyin and Lin Xin enjoyed shopping all day. It wasn’t until Lin Xin was stopped by the dorm supervisor outside the dormitory that they realized they had stayed out too late today.

Lin Xin’s house was far from school, and no public buses were running after 11 PM.

Just as Lin Xin was about to check his phone for nearby hotels, Cheng Shiyin placed her hand over his phone and said, “It’s too late for you to be out there looking for a place to stay alone—why don’t you just stay at my place tonight?”

Lin Xin thought to himself, “I’m a guy; having you invite me to your place is a real safety concern.” But he couldn’t say that out loud.

In the end, Lin Xin reluctantly replied, stuttering, “Ok-then, I guess I’ll trouble you.”