Linlin strolled through the courtyard wearing a straw hat and carrying a hose.
After wearing her military-training uniform for more than half a month, the girl had finally changed into a goose-yellow dress today.
The mist spraying from the hose dispersed through the air, settling on the green leaves, the flowers, and the girl’s long, fair calves, forming a fine layer of tiny droplets.
When the sunlight struck them, they reflected its colors—bright and dazzling, like clear, flawless crystal.
When Yan Yuan looked at Linlin from the perspective of a man rather than that of an older brother, there seemed to be another layer of hazy beauty about her.
Something indescribable and alluring…
Linlin felt a heated gaze upon her and turned to look at Yan Yuan.
He appeared to be staring blankly into space, his face devoid of expression.
In front of Linlin, he had always maintained a warm and approachable image. But now, when she looked at him, he seemed like a man…
Yes, a man.
Yan Yuan had long since shed the innocence of youth. He was far more severe and sharp than the Brother Xiao Yuan in Linlin’s memories. With that expressionless face, he looked like the sort of person whose cold temperament would make others keep their distance.
Linlin suddenly found Brother Xiao Yuan somewhat unfamiliar. For some reason, unease welled up inside her, and she deliberately let go of the hose as if by accident.
The force of the water immediately sent the stream spraying wildly in every direction, drenching Yan Yuan from head to toe.
The fabric of his white shirt clung to his body the instant it was wet, leaving a large, translucent patch through which his outline could be vaguely seen.
He was not wearing anything underneath. With the shirt plastered to his body, the lines of his shoulders, back, waist, and abdomen were revealed with startling clarity.
His frame was perfectly proportioned, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Years of exercise had given him well-defined muscles without making him overly bulky. The water seemed to understand the contours of his body, slowly sliding along them and tracing the taut outline of his abdominal muscles, adding a searing tension to his appearance.
“I’m sorry…”
Linlin looked away and turned her back to him, but a faint blush rose uncontrollably along the tips of her ears.
Yan Yuan seemed completely unaware of how he looked. He took her hand and placed the hose back into it.
The soft, silky sensation in his palm felt almost boneless, yielding and delicate.
Yan Yuan’s body stiffened instantly. Feeling the warm touch beneath his palm, he lowered his eyes to look at the fair, jade-like arm and fingers beside him.
Her knuckles were slender and delicate, possessing a uniquely supple flexibility that made his heart stir and his fingers itch.
Yan Yuan forcefully suppressed the impulse to squeeze her little hand.
That would be far too beastly. He might frighten the girl.
Linlin was indeed a little frightened.
Especially when she felt Yan Yuan’s body heat, touched the thin calluses on his palm, and felt her hand completely enclosed by his solid, well-proportioned one…
The sensation startled her so badly that she instantly pulled her fingers out from beneath his hand.
The hose fell to the ground again, and this time Linlin was splashed as well.
She was still somewhat shaken. Yan Yuan, on the other hand, seemed not to have noticed her reaction at all. Turning toward her, he asked with a perfectly serious expression, “Not playing anymore?”
“Mm…” Linlin quietly reminded him, “Brother Xiao Yuan, your clothes are wet.”
Yan Yuan glanced down. “It’s fine. It’s hot today. They’ll dry soon.”
“Oh. Then I’ll go back and change.”
Seeing the girl avoid his gaze and run straight into the house, Yan Yuan suddenly understood.
Of course. There was a difference between men and women.
At least, by accident, he had made Linlin realize that he was a man—not an older brother she could interact with without a care.
Although Linlin might distance herself from him for a while, Yan Yuan seemed to glimpse a ray of hope.
After military training ended, Linlin and Jiang Chengzhou began commuting to school from home.
Yan Yuan also became a frequent visitor to their house.
Linlin still called him “Brother Xiao Yuan” at every opportunity, but she deliberately avoided being alone with him.
Yan Yuan was both pleased and helpless. All he could do was wait patiently.
When Linlin’s bed suddenly became empty in the dormitory, the others grew anxious.
That evening, when Dong Xiaomin returned, everyone gathered around her.
Although Sun Lina did not join them, her ears were practically standing on end.
“Linlin’s brother’s house isn’t far from the school. She was only staying here during military training. From now on, she’ll be going home,” Dong Xiaomin explained.
The roommates all let out a chorus of disappointed sighs.
Although Linlin was closest to Dong Xiaomin, she had stayed in the dormitory every day, allowing the others to “sneak peeks” at the beauty after she showered. Even if they could not touch her, at least they could look.
Now that Linlin would be commuting from home—and was not even in the same class as them—they might never have a chance to contact her again. How could they not feel regretful?
Dong Xiaomin glanced at Sun Lina and said quietly, “Linlin said you can move to the lower bunk now.”
Sun Lina curled her lip. “Tch. What a hassle. I’m not moving.”
If she refused, so be it. Dong Xiaomin had only been passing along the message. After saying that, she returned to her book.
Linlin had told her that they had a chance to win a first-class scholarship.
The requirements were extremely strict. Their average score in every subject for the academic year had to be at least eighty-five, no individual subject could be below eighty, and they also had to rank within the top five percent of their major before they would even be eligible for consideration.
The annual first-class scholarship was worth 150 yuan—equivalent to a full year’s income for their family.
Dong Xiaomin had always felt that studying was the only thing she was good at. But if studying could earn her money, then she would certainly work twice as hard.
Linlin was working hard for the scholarship as well, to the point that she had completely put the matter of dating out of her mind.
Yan Yuan took advantage of every opportunity to bring her all kinds of study materials.
He was a teacher at Capital University, and he had obtained them through his position.
Recently, because Yan Yuan was afraid that Linlin would become too wary of him, he had behaved himself and did not dare make any advances. As a result, Linlin gradually lowered her guard.
Thanks to the study materials, Linlin finally stopped avoiding him.
Mathematics was the foundation of every engineering discipline. Aviation, mechanics, power engineering, materials science—all of these courses were built upon mathematics.
Once she entered university, Linlin began studying calculus. Even with the foundation Su Jue had given her beforehand, she still found it somewhat difficult.
As it happened, Yan Yuan had majored in mathematics at university.
Jiang Chengzhou was attending a military academy, and his limited knowledge was nowhere near enough to tutor his younger sister. Since Yan Yuan came by so often, Jiang Chengzhou recruited him to do the job.
Yan Yuan was only too happy to oblige.
Linlin was an exceptionally intelligent student. She understood things as soon as they were explained, could draw inferences from a single example, and genuinely enjoyed delving into problems.
Whenever she focused on one thing, she easily became completely absorbed, oblivious to her surroundings and all the distractions of the outside world.
And so Yan Yuan watched the girl beside him without restraint. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, while his evenly jointed fingers tapped rhythmically against his knee.
The girl sat on the carpet in front of the sofa. Whenever she considered a problem, her brows drew together slightly, and her lips unconsciously pressed into a thin line.
It was only the beginning of October, but the weather had already begun to cool.
Linlin had not tied her hair up today. Instead, it hung loosely over her shoulders and back, with a few strands slipping down over the edge of the sofa. They swayed gently whenever she tilted her head.
