SBAB Chapter 50

They made up.

The biggest conflict between Lin Xin and Shang Xiaoxia was that, due to a joke made by Shang Xiaoxia, Lin Xin was forced to confess her feelings without a proper foundation, resulting in an inevitable rejection. However, now that the rejection had turned into acceptance, the tension between them dissolved in an instant. With that, they took the opportunity to easily restore their friendship and roommate relationship.

After enough bragging, Lin Xin secretly pulled Shang Xiaoxia aside and asked, “Is there any way to prove that I was a girl when I entered university?”

As the only person who could offer advice to Lin Xin, Shang Xiaoxia didn’t disappoint. After hearing the question, she exchanged a glance with Wu Lian for a moment. Like a tool with iris recognition, Wu Lian immediately pulled out his phone and made arrangements. Less than an hour later, a university entrance health check report was in Lin Xin’s hands. The report featured her photo, clearly marked her gender as female, and listed all her bodily data, confirming that Lin Xin was indeed a typical female university student, though with a slightly flat chest.

With that, Lin Xin gathered all the evidence he needed for each stage. Finally, he would be able to present his proof of innocence the next day. Of course, tonight would be another sleepless night. Though it didn’t show on his face, Lin Xin had already gone three days without proper sleep.

The first day was because of his frustration over his stupidity, the second was from the fear that all the happiness and good things would turn out to be just a dream when he woke up, and today, it was the anxiety of having to tell the truth.

Lin Xin didn’t realize how badly these three sleepless nights had taken a toll on his mental state. He felt fine, with a smile on his face that could rival the sun’s brightness. But this was just a fleeting illusion before his final collapse.

Lin Xin’s reactions had become sluggish, and his attention span severely decreased. It took him a full two hours just to organize the materials in chronological order. With all the evidence in hand, the first item on top was his first nude photo after birth (and also the last one to date):

Lin Xin lay on a scale, completely naked, looking chubby, like a little piglet. There seemed to be a bit of the umbilical cord still attached to her belly button. Looking lower, it was clear that as a newborn, she didn’t have male genitalia.

Lin Xin stood behind the door, took a deep breath, and like a soldier who would never return, he pushed the door open with his chest out.

The day had finally come.

Thud! Just moments ago, Lin Xin was standing tall, but now he was crouching on the floor, rubbing his injured, fragile little leg.

Where did I get hit? Lin Xin wondered.

He looked down and saw that he had been ambushed by a suitcase. He had been knocked backward, but the suitcase hadn’t moved an inch, meaning it was quite heavy.

But why would there be a suitcase blocking the door? Before Lin Xin could further investigate, a slender, white hand reached from his arms, grabbed the pile of evidence, and carelessly tossed it into a backpack. Lin Xin lost his grip on the evidence and panicked. Before he could figure out what was happening, the owner of the hand ushered him out the door, along with the suitcase that had just knocked him down.

Lin Xin stood outside the door in disbelief, staring at the suitcase wrapped in bedding, looking both helpless and pitiful. Fortunately, a few minutes later, Cheng Shiyin came out and locked the door behind her.

Lin Xin stared at the backpack on Cheng Shiyin’s back, unsure of what to say. Should he confess everything right now, ask why he was being kicked out without a proper reason, or try to figure out how to win back Cheng Shiyin’s favor? But his mind couldn’t keep up; his body was fine though, still able to walk briskly while carrying such a heavy suitcase.

Just two days ago, he and Cheng Shiyin had started dating. They had kissed passionately and couldn’t bear to part. Yesterday, they had walked hand in hand, proudly showing off their relationship to everyone at the mall. But today, without exchanging a word, Cheng Shiyin had kicked him out, offering no reason at all.

Lin Xin couldn’t understand what he had done wrong, but before he knew it, he had reached the final destination—outside the dormitory. The school, not lacking money, kept the gates open even on New Year’s Eve, with security guards working triple shifts, and the dormitory aunties were the same.

Though Lin Xin didn’t understand the reason, the result was clear. Cheng Shiyin no longer wanted him living with her, and he had been sent back to the dorm. Lin Xin resignedly took the backpack from Cheng Shiyin.

They stood facing each other, Lin Xin looking down with a pitiful expression, preparing for a goodbye scene he didn’t want.

Cheng Shiyin, seeing Lin Xin look so pitiful, felt a sudden pang in her heart. Yet, she couldn’t find the words to explain, nor could she take Lin Xin back. After a moment of hesitation, Cheng Shiyin extended her finger, tugged at the collar of Lin Xin’s shirt, and pulled it down. She stood on tiptoe and quickly pressed a light kiss on his lips.

Just a tiny kiss.

In an instant, Lin Xin’s heart melted. He became like jelly, unable to stand without leaning on Cheng Shiyin. She didn’t refuse, smiling as she patted his head, relieved that Lin Xin was as easy to comfort as a puppy.

With Cheng Shiyin’s affirmation, Lin Xin felt no lingering dissatisfaction. He couldn’t even muster the energy to act pitiful with his eyes. Instead, he looked blissfully happy and goofy, waving at Cheng Shiyin as he cheerfully pushed the suitcase back to the dorm.

Cheng Shiyin watched Lin Xin’s retreating figure, letting out a long sigh of relief, feeling like she had made it through. She touched her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly, a pink blush appearing on her fair face. She thought to herself, For now, it’s better to just keep this as an online relationship…

That afternoon, Cheng Shiyin and Lin Xin went about their usual relaxing routine. They lay on the couch watching boring TV shows, followed by even more boring commercials. From the commercials featuring faux interviews selling treatments for vitiligo and psoriasis, to the overly enthusiastic TV shopping ads, it was all ridiculously bad.

But neither of them wanted to get up and grab the remote from the coffee table, even though it only took a few seconds. They just couldn’t bear to separate their heads from resting on each other’s shoulders. Eventually, they both drifted into a dazed state, even falling asleep.

Lin Xin’s head slid off Cheng Shiyin’s shoulder, eventually resting on her lap. Cheng Shiyin chuckled, watching Lin Xin’s awkward descent, but didn’t push him away, letting him stay. It wasn’t until Lin Xin had fallen asleep that she gently brushed his hair, watching his fluttering eyelashes and the movement of his eyeballs beneath his eyelids. Lin Xin seemed to be dreaming, mumbling incoherently, but she couldn’t make out a single word.

Not sure how long it had been, but Cheng Shiyin suddenly furrowed her brow. Her leg had gone numb.

She wanted to pull her leg away, but Lin Xin was sleeping so soundly that both of her hands were holding onto Cheng Shiyin’s leg like it was a pillow, keeping it in place. It was hard to move her leg even a little. Cheng Shiyin took a deep breath, deciding to endure it. But enduring wasn’t easy—on the surface, everything seemed calm, but in reality, Cheng Shiyin was nearly biting her lips off.

“Mmm…”

For some reason, Lin Xin woke up at that moment, and Cheng Shiyin froze, her teeth gritted in an awkward smile. Her first instinct wasn’t to tell Lin Xin to get off, but to wonder internally: From this angle, will my double chin look bad?

If Lin Xin could hear what Cheng Shiyin was thinking, he might have muttered in his mind, No way, I can’t see anything except her chest.

Lin Xin asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My foot’s numb,” Cheng Shiyin quietly replied.

Immediately, Lin Xin jumped off Cheng Shiyin’s leg and sat down on the floor. He gently took Cheng Shiyin’s leg in his hands and began massaging it softly and carefully.

Cheng Shiyin lowered her head, watching Lin Xin focus on the massage. The numbness in her foot gradually faded. Lin Xin looked up and met Cheng Shiyin’s smiling face, and he asked with concern, “Is it better?”

Much better… Cheng Shiyin thought, but before she could say anything, a different numb sensation started to spread from her calf upwards, eventually settling in her lower abdomen, where it remained.

It felt like something was shouting, but Cheng Shiyin couldn’t make out the words.

She felt a little embarrassed and didn’t want to speak about it. After pausing for a moment, she asked Lin Xin to stop.

The next day, as usual, Cheng Shiyin went to wake Lin Xin, who had slept in. However, she hadn’t realized that Lin Xin had stayed up all night, too excited to sleep. His eyes were bloodshot, but his body was incredibly alert, and his senses seemed sharper than usual.

As soon as Cheng Shiyin approached Lin Xin’s bed, he caught her by surprise, having stayed awake all night like some kind of immortal.

Cheng Shiyin’s head was covered by the blanket, and she couldn’t escape. They began to playfully wrestle, eventually ending up in the bed.

Lin Xin remained in his usual spot, but though Cheng Shiyin managed to sit up, she still held the blanket and didn’t mention letting her go. The sunlight outside, as usual, shone through the blanket, creating a soft, peachy hue in the room that gave off an almost risqué vibe, as if they were in a shady salon.

The two of them, bathed in sunlight, just stared at each other, unsure of how to start the conversation without it sounding awkward.

Then, Lin Xin suddenly leaned up and kissed Cheng Shiyin on the neck. The tingling sensation spread from the goosebumps down, eventually stopping at her hips. Blushing, Cheng Shiyin quickly escaped from the blanket, leaving a flustered Lin Xin behind.

Phew… Cheng Shiyin breathed deeply, thinking about Lin Xin’s smile before he kissed her, and the words danger warning echoed in her mind.

But the shouting she had heard before grew louder and clearer.

It’s not enough.

She wanted more, but she didn’t want more.

That was the reason Cheng Shiyin would never admit it, not even to herself.