Such intense feelings had come too quickly and with such force that they often seemed almost unbelievable.
But there was no denying that Linlin had gained immense happiness from them.
Linlin and Yan Yuan were both intelligent people.
And because they were intelligent, even while deeply in love, they worried that their relationship might not last.
They were afraid that such intensity would burn through their passion too quickly.
Yet neither of them seemed willing to cool things down, not when they were so wrapped up in each other.
Linlin often felt fortunate that she and Yan Yuan each had their own things to occupy them—she had her studies, while he had his work. It gave their relationship some room to breathe.
Linlin shared this thought with Yan Yuan.
He let out a soft sigh.
How could he not have the same concern?
Before this, he had never known that his feelings could surge so wildly.
It was Sunday, and Linlin did not have classes.
The registration approval, company seal, tax registration, and premises had all been discussed and settled at meetings with the others, with designated people handling each matter.
Their company had mainly seized upon a gap in the market.
At present, imported printers in China could only print English. Toshiba printers with Chinese capabilities, sold through state-run channels, cost more than 9,000 yuan, while a Citizen printer without any modifications cost only 2,000 yuan. The problem was that without a Chinese driver, it could not print Chinese characters.
Their main source of profit would come from developing Chinese dot-matrix printing drivers and adapting the interface circuits.
They would then install simple Chinese-language firmware, modifying the bare machines so they could directly support the output of standard Chinese characters.
For now, they had tentatively set the price of a complete machine at 4,000 yuan. Compared with the state-run products that cost more than 9,000 yuan, customers could save 5,000 yuan per machine.
That price advantage completely overwhelmed the state-run products. Before they had even officially begun operations, quite a few government departments and research institutes were already interested in purchasing from them.
Yan Yuan did not have much work to do that day. They had spent a great deal of money on a microcomputer, whose complete setup was worth nearly 20,000 yuan, and all their initial funds had gone into it.
Unfortunately, it had not arrived yet, so all he could do was prepare in advance.
Yan Yuan had already reached an agreement with the university regarding his job. He would resign once the semester ended, so until then, he could still live in the school dormitory.
After finally getting a weekend together, neither of them wanted to part.
Linlin had originally planned to stay home so she would not disturb Yan Yuan.
But after walking him to the door, even though they had arranged to have lunch together, Yan Yuan began to feel reluctant to leave her behind.
He longed to look up from his work and see her there. So, almost as if possessed, Yan Yuan caught her by the wrist.
“Why don’t you come with me?”
“What would I do there?”
Yan Yuan replied, “Study, sleep—anything you like.”
Linlin hesitated. “You’ll be working while I sleep. That doesn’t seem right.”
“I want to see you.”
Yan Yuan’s voice was soft, and his words were hardly impassioned. Yet Linlin fell for him all over again in an instant, and she ended up spending the entire day with him in his dorm room while he worked.
At first, she managed to sit beside him and study. Unfortunately, she had gotten up too early that morning, and before long, she fell asleep with her head on the desk.
Yan Yuan watched her for a while, then lifted her and carried her to his bed.
The movement woke Linlin. Still half-asleep, she asked, “Are you finished?”
“Not yet,” Yan Yuan said softly. “Go back to sleep for a while.”
“Then keep up the good work.”
As she spoke, Linlin kissed him on the collarbone. She clearly had not even opened her eyes and had simply kissed the first place she happened to find because she was so sleepy.
Yan Yuan said nothing. He merely lay there with his eyes open, occupied by a strange thought.
If he and Linlin got married, would married life be like this too?
Yan Yuan suddenly felt extraordinarily happy.
What did it mean for one’s heart to bloom with joy?
It was as if, in an instant, a flower quietly burst into bloom inside his heart with a soft pop, and sweetness flowed from its center, making him feel that perhaps this was exactly what happiness was.
He cupped Linlin’s face and kissed her. She did not react at all—she was truly asleep.
He did not return to work. Instead, he drew the curtains and held her as they slept peacefully together.
When he woke again, Linlin was sitting beside him, staring at him gloomily.
Yan Yuan rubbed the space between his brows. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Linlin nodded.
“What did you dream about?” Yan Yuan pulled her into his arms and patted her back.
Her aggrieved voice came from his embrace. “I dreamed that you went beachcombing with my brother and didn’t take me…”
Yan Yuan laughed, wishing he could simply squeeze his Little Moon into his arms. “I was wrong. I’ll definitely take you next time.”
Linlin gave a little huff and tugged at the hem of his shirt. “I’m hungry.”
The happy weekend passed all too quickly, and Linlin had to return to school.
She had just finished her morning classes when her instructor hurried over and told her that the department head wanted to see her in the principal’s office.
Linlin froze for a moment. “The principal’s office?”
“Yes. The department head and several university leaders are waiting for you there. It sounds like they have something important to discuss.”
Linlin packed up her books. As she walked, she wondered whether something had happened recently.
When she reached the third floor, the door to the principal’s office was open.
She knocked twice. “Reporting in!”
“Come in.”
Linlin entered.
Several people were seated in the principal’s office. There was the principal, her department head, and several other university leaders whom Linlin did not know.
When the principal saw her enter, he gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite him.
Linlin nodded to the teachers and sat down as instructed, placing both hands properly on her knees.
“Student Linlin, we called you here today to confirm something.” The principal paused, his gaze settling on her face. “Are you in a relationship with a teacher from Capital University?”
Linlin’s eyes shifted slightly, but she answered frankly, “Yes.”
The principal sighed and said solemnly, “Student Linlin, someone has written to the university claiming that you are romantically involved with a young teacher from Capital University.
“The letter was sent anonymously to the university administration. Its wording is rather severe, accusing you of neglecting your studies and being led astray by someone from society.
“Of course, we cannot draw conclusions based solely on an anonymous letter. But since the matter has been reported, the university has a duty to look into it.”
Linlin’s expression barely changed. She only pressed her lips together slightly. “Teacher, my boyfriend and I attend different universities, and there has been no conflict of interest between us. Besides, you have seen my grades from every subject last semester. I am still confident that I can rank first this semester. To say that I am neglecting my studies is completely baseless.”
The principal nodded. “We believe you on that point. Our main concern is the special nature of your boyfriend’s profession. If word gets out, it could have a negative effect.”
Linlin frowned slightly. “Teacher, he has already resigned from his position as a teaching assistant. There is less than a month left in this semester, and he will be leaving the university very soon.”
The principal and the department head exchanged startled glances.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Linlin nodded, but what troubled her was something else. “Teacher, is there any way to find out who sent the anonymous letter?”
