Chapter 590 - 352: The Bet with Lin Aoxue; Legal Loli
Chapter 590: Chapter 352: The Bet with Lin Aoxue; Legal Loli
But little did Zhang Yi know, after sending the message, he simply prepared for bed.
Lin Aoxue, however, having received his message, couldn’t sleep at all. She tossed and turned in her bed.
In Lin Aoxue’s room, her personal terminal screen was lit up, the message from Zhang Yi displayed with perfect clarity.
Lin Aoxue stared at the words on her personal terminal, reading them over and over again, as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning.
Six months!
For six whole months, Zhang Yi hadn’t initiated a single message to her.
And she hadn’t sent Zhang Yi a single message either.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to; she just never knew what to message him or what they would even talk about.
’What would I even say?’
’Should I tell him I got first in the class on last month’s exam?’
’Or that the Divine Realm is developing smoothly and that I’ve cultivated a new Heroic Clan?’
’Or maybe thank Zhang Yi for the resources he gave me?’
’...’
Lin Aoxue had mulled over these possibilities in her mind countless times.
But every time she opened her private chat with Zhang Yi, she would type out a message, only to delete it.
’It just feels so forced.’
She couldn’t bring herself to send anything that felt so contrived.
So, Lin Aoxue simply sent nothing at all.
After all, she had to submit a progress report every month.
She wrote all about her growth in the progress reports.
That way, if Zhang Yi wanted to check on her progress, he could.
As the end of the semester approached, Lin Aoxue, having learned from others that the University Alliance Training Camp would last for six months at most, knew that Zhang Yi would be returning any day now.
And, just as Lin Aoxue had expected,
the principal had made a sudden announcement yesterday.
The students who had gone to the University Alliance Training Camp, Zhang Yi and Hong Tianyi, had returned.
Furthermore, Zhang Yi had led the trainees from the Yanhuang Federation to defeat those from the other four federations, securing first place for the team!
He had also taken first place in the individual rankings!
When she heard the news, Lin Aoxue had wanted to join the group of students welcoming Zhang Yi.
However, her own hesitation ultimately held her back.
In the end, by the time school let out yesterday afternoon, Lin Aoxue still hadn’t received a message from Zhang Yi.
This left Lin Aoxue feeling a little sad.
But now, on the second day of his return, Zhang Yi had finally sent her a message!
The moment she saw Zhang Yi’s message, Lin Aoxue was so happy she rolled over on her bed, buried her face in her pillow, and refused to move for a long time.
After quite a while, long after the screen on her personal terminal showing the chat with Zhang Yi had gone dark, Lin Aoxue finally lifted her head.
She had to admit, her feelings for Zhang Yi were no longer simple.
Or perhaps, they never had been.
Lin Aoxue still vividly remembered what Zhang Yi looked like when he arrived in their class as a transfer student.
When she saw his handsome and charming face, she had felt an immediate attraction to him.
When Zhang Yi joined the class and his score on the first monthly exam surpassed hers, that made Lin Aoxue admire him even more!
But at that time, her feelings were simply an attraction based on his appearance.
She only felt admiration when his grades surpassed hers.
There were no romantic feelings involved.
But an event that happened later changed her mind.
That’s right: what happened during the final exams of the first semester of their second year.
It was then she realized the gap between herself and the top students in the class.
Not even the return of the Lin Family’s Ancestor could change that reality.
So afterward, Lin Aoxue sought out Zhang Yi.
That was what led to the development contract the two of them signed later.
And it was from then on that her feelings for Zhang Yi changed.
He was no longer just a classmate she wanted to catch up with, but...
’It was perfectly normal for him not to message me on the first day he got back; he must have been exhausted.’
’And look, he messaged me on the second day.’
’What does that mean?’
’It means I’m on his mind.’
At this thought, the corners of Lin Aoxue’s mouth couldn’t help but curve into a smile.
Then she quickly forced it down.
’Don’t get your hopes up. He probably just wants to talk about business.’
Lin Aoxue told herself.
Although Lin Aoxue tried to temper her own expectations, the flames of hope in her heart only burned brighter.
And with that hope came a sliver of anxiety.
’I haven’t seen him in six months. I wonder what he’s like now.’
’The University Alliance Training Camp is such a grueling place. How much effort did he have to put in to become number one?’
’Does he even remember me?’
’What do I really mean to him?’
’...’
Lin Aoxue tossed and turned, trying to come up with the perfect first thing to say when they met tomorrow.
But as she kept thinking, she began to drift off.
「The night passed.」
Lin Aoxue didn’t know when she had fallen asleep.
All she remembered was a single, lingering thought:
’Today, I’ll let him see the very best of me!’
...
「Sunday morning, 11:45 AM.」
Zhang Yi arrived fifteen minutes early at Yundong Cafe on Golden City’s commercial street.
It was a habit he had developed at the University Alliance Training Camp:
Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early.
Yundong Cafe was the most famous trendy hotspot on Golden City’s commercial street.
Located on the top floor of the tallest building on the street, it featured massive floor-to-ceiling windows to create the perfect viewing atmosphere.
Its decor was luxurious, and it was known for its small, private booths.
Although the booths weren’t large—only ten-odd square meters—the design kept things quiet and offered plenty of private space.