The courage to take a step forward

Yesterday at noon, while Lin Yu, Wang Haonan, and Li Wei were enjoying hot pot in Room 515 of the men's dormitory at Jiangcheng University, Lin Yu asked the other two a question.

"Old Wang, what does liking someone actually feel like?"

Although Wang Haonan and Li Wei were a little surprised, they had also expected it. After all, their buddy had never even dated anyone, so of course he didn't know what romance was.

As his good buddy, Wang Haonan stepped straight into battle as his strategist!

"Is it that girl you brought to campus before~?"

"Uh... I guess so."

"What do you mean, you guess so? Either it is or it isn't! You're a grown man, stop hemming and hawing!" Wang Haonan slapped the table and stood up as he addressed Lin Yu.

"Yes!" Lin Yu shouted loudly and firmly, like a soldier being reprimanded.

"Mm, that's more like it. Now let's see exactly how you feel about her." Wang Haonan was very satisfied with Lin Yu's response.

"Let me ask you this. If you had to picture a girl right now, who would come to mind first? Or whose image would be clearest in your mind?"

At that, Lin Yu began searching his memories. "Hmm... my mom?"

"Oh, come on, not your mom! Family doesn't count. Think again!" Lin Yu's answer infuriated Wang Haonan. They were discussing whether he liked someone, and he was messing around-even bringing his mom into it.

"Sorry, sorry. Let me think again." After apologizing, Lin Yu closed his eyes again. He came up with an answer quickly this time too, because he could count the girls he knew on his fingers, and he had barely spoken to most of them, so they hadn't left much of an impression. Only Firefly was incredibly clear in his mind. Perhaps it was because they lived together and saw each other often that she had left such a deep impression. That was what Lin Yu attributed it to.

"Well? Who did you think of?" Wang Haonan asked excitedly.

"I don't need to say it, do I?"

"Okay, we've established who it is. Next, do you remember everything about her? What she likes, what she dislikes, what kind of person she is, and so on. Basically, how well do you know her?"

"Does this really work?" Lin Yu couldn't help starting to doubt whether Wang Haonan's method actually worked. Was he just doing this to mess with him?

Even Li Wei, who was beside Wang Haonan, thought it seemed a little unreliable. He leaned toward his ear and whispered, "Say, Brother Wang, does this really work? Why does it look so dubious to me?"

"Guaranteed. Just watch me work." Wang Haonan gave Li Wei a thumbs-up, looking confident, but he actually had no confidence at all. He was simply bored and wanted to show off as a relationship guru.

Though he was pretending, he wasn't afraid in the slightest, because feelings weren't that easy to understand. Countless people throughout history had failed to understand them. Besides, no one present could see through matters of the heart. Lin Yu had always been uninterested in romance, while Li Wei was the type who had someone he liked but didn't dare make a move. So no one would find out.

While the two whispered to each other, Lin Yu had already sunk into contemplation. His mind was now occupied by the questions Wang Haonan had asked.

What did Firefly like? As he remembered it, the Firefly in the game liked Oak Cake Rolls and the vibrant world outside, while the Firefly by his side now seemed to prefer instant noodles. Perhaps the first delicious food she had eaten had left a deep impression on her. She likewise liked the outside world. He couldn't think of anything else.

And what did Firefly dislike? Honestly, he really didn't know. After all their time together, Firefly didn't seem to have shown any aversion to anything.

And what kind of person was she? Honestly, that question didn't even need thinking about, did it? How could he not know what kind of person Firefly was?

But thinking about it like this, his mind was now completely filled with Firefly...

"Sorry for the trouble, then..." When Firefly had suddenly appeared in his home, she had given him quite a fright. But it had also made him wonder: did the world in the game actually exist? Had the game come first, or had the world inside it come first?

The next scene. "I love it!" He had bought her a set of fluffy pajamas then, and he still remembered Firefly's delighted expression. Though they had been expensive, seeing her happy made him happy too.

The next scene. "All right, classmate Lin Yu~" That had been Firefly's first visit to campus, and the two had even done some role-playing. She had spent a day as a student while he had spent a day as her guide, taking her around the entire campus to experience attending classes, eating in the cafeteria, and so on. Thinking back, it had been quite fun.

The next scene. "Hmph~!" Firefly's puffed-up face looked just like a little hamster with its mouth stuffed with food. She was so adorable that he always found himself wanting to tease her.

The next scene. "Lin Yu, Lin Yu, look! I made money! More than five hundred!" After earning over five hundred from her first livestream, she had rushed into his arms, her face full of delight, to share her joy with him. Though the sudden hug had been quite awkward, he had also been genuinely happy for Firefly.

Lin Yu... Lin Yu... Thank you, I love it... This is for you! Scene after scene of the time he had spent with Firefly flashed through his mind. He could say that this had been the happiest, most joyful period of his life! He realized that Firefly had filled his life without him even noticing.

Returning to the original question of exactly what feelings he held for Firefly, he had actually long since stopped needing to think about it. No matter how dense he was, he had already realized that his feelings were different.

But why had he still asked? Put plainly, he had chickened out. He didn't have the courage to face these feelings.

He had witnessed many couples get together before, yet almost none had truly made it to the end. Many dated for a while and broke up, while others broke up after a huge argument because their views clashed and they couldn't accept each other's flaws.

"Romance" was clearly supposed to stand for something beautiful, yet his impression of it wasn't so beautiful.

This had made Lin Yu understand just how difficult it was to meet the right woman-or man.

But now he had met a partner he could entrust the rest of his life to, so he wanted to try! It wasn't that he had been uninterested in dating before. His view was simply that he absolutely wouldn't date until he found the right person, and if he did, he would date only one person, with the goal of staying together to the end.

Another reason was that he didn't dare face his own feelings, so coming to them had merely been a way to give himself an excuse-an excuse to face these feelings, the courage to take that step. And now he had it!

Sorry... Lin Yu silently apologized to Wang Haonan and Li Wei in his heart, then opened his eyes.

"Well, well? Have you figured it out?" Seeing that Lin Yu had finished thinking, Wang Haonan asked excitedly.

"I have my answer now. Thanks, Old Wang." Lin Yu thanked Wang Haonan in a calm voice.

Though he felt something was off, that word of thanks delighted him so much that he completely ignored those details. He smugly showed off to Li Wei beside him. "See? My skills speak for themselves~"

Wang Haonan's nose was practically pointing at the ceiling. It was clear that this had made him feel fantastic.

Li Wei paid no attention to the smug Wang Haonan and instead asked, "Then are you planning to confess to her afterward, Brother Lin?"

"Mm." Lin Yu nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, you've even decided to confess?" Wang Haonan leaned over to listen to their conversation.

"Want this strategist to help you out?"

Lin Yu thought about it. He didn't have any good ideas himself anyway, so he could listen and look for inspiration.

"Sure. Then I'm counting on you, my great strategist Wang~"

"Good! Very good! Since you've put it that way, I'm definitely helping you with this!" Looking confident and composed, Wang Haonan really did have something of a strategist about him.

"Come on, tell me what kind of person she is!"

"Why ask that?" Lin Yu didn't understand. Why did he need to know that to help him come up with an idea?

At this, Wang Haonan looked at him in exasperation. "And you wonder why I call you an idiot when it comes to feelings. How is your strategist supposed to devise the perfect plan without intelligence on the other party?!"

"Oh, I see." Understanding dawned on Lin Yu, and the group began their dating operation for him!

Though they were always saying, "If you get a girlfriend, we're sworn enemies!" they really did step up when needed.

"Hmm... is that everything?"

"Yes, that's everything. What do you think?" Wang Haonan pondered with a serious expression while Lin Yu swallowed nervously beside him.

"Hmm, if you ask me, the most effective method is to skip all the roundabout stuff and confess directly!"

"Huh? Confess directly?" Lin Yu was baffled. What kind of advice was that? Who went straight to confessing right off the bat?

Faced with Lin Yu's confusion, Wang Haonan began explaining his reasoning. "That's right. From what you've said, a girl who's innocent and a little airheaded generally isn't scheming. If you confess and she really likes you, she'll say yes. If she doesn't, she'll turn you down gently."

"But judging by how she came along to walk around campus with you before, no matter how you look at it, she must be at least a little interested in you."

"So all you need to do is tell her how you feel at the right moment. The rest is up to fate."

"Yeah, Brother Lin. I think Brother Wang has a pretty good point here," Li Wei chimed in.

After folding his arms and thinking for a while, Lin Yu said solemnly, "All right! I'll remember that. Thanks, everyone!"

"Hey~ It's nothing. We're buddies! Just remember to treat us to a meal if it works out~"

At that moment, Li Wei raised a very important question. "By the way, Brother Lin, since you're planning a date, have you decided where to go?"

Lin Yu scratched his head. "Well... I really haven't decided yet. After all, I only just decided to confess."

"I happen to have a place to recommend." As he spoke, Li Wei held his phone out beside Lin Yu, signaling for him to take a look.

Lin Yu leaned over and looked at the screen. Written on it was a name. "Temple of Yue Lao?"

"Yeah, it's gotten popular recently. I hear it's a sacred spot for confessions. Quite a few people have successfully confessed there and found love."

"Oh, really? Let me see." Wang Haonan also picked up his phone and searched for the Temple of Yue Lao.

"Holy crap, it really is! The comments below are all thanks and screenshots of successful confessions. And it's not even far from us!"

Wang Haonan clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. How have I never come across such an awesome place in my feed?"

Li Wei said, "I only came across it today too. I never thought we'd have a place like this in Jiangcheng."

Looking at the Temple of Yue Lao on the screen, Lin Yu thought, Could it really be such a coincidence?