Lin Yu

Biodata

Background / History

Family and Upbringing

Lin Yu grew up in Li City in a highly educated family. Her father, Lin Zhenghe, imposed rigid rules, and she was well-behaved and quiet from childhood. Her parents later gave her an apartment near the commercial districts, knowing she intended to open a shop nearby 14 18 24.

Her family home stands in a hillside compound behind Li University. Her grandfather moved the family there when the area was still inconvenient to reach; he and her grandmother later pooled their savings to purchase the house. Despite finding her parents strict, Lin Yu regards them as a source of security and support 25 32.

School Years and Feelings for Chen Lüli

Lin Yu first became interested in Chen Lüli after encountering him on a rainy bus, where she bumped into him twice and he gave her his place. Jiang Zao subsequently showed her a class photograph, allowing her to identify him as the school’s top student 4.

In their second year of high school, Jiang Zao introduced Lin Yu to Ming Yu and their friends. Lin Yu quietly watched Chen Lüli play basketball, sometimes holding an English book as a pretext for being there. Believing that he and Ming Yu were romantically attached, she concealed her feelings 1 37.

Lin Yu and Jiang Zao both entered Huaqing, where gatherings with their former schoolmates brought her closer to Chen Lüli. She majored in finance but picked up some computer terminology through her friends. Her attachment persisted: when Chen Lüli appeared, other potential suitors struggled to hold her attention 1 16 22.

Appearance

• Complexion and features: Fair skin with a rosy glow, slender eyebrows, and long eyelashes; Chen Lüli observes that she has gradually become strikingly beautiful 4 5.
• Hair: Long and slightly wavy, sometimes described as softly curled 24 25 43.
• Hands: Slender, long fingers and soft hands, noticed by both Chen Lüli and Jiang Yingshan 44.
• Clothing: Frequently wears sweaters, long skirts or fitted dresses, scarves, and light-brown or camel-colored coats 1 11 38 43.
• Makeup: Rarely wears a full face of makeup; her usual routine is lighter than the carefully prepared look she wears for her aquarium date 11.

Personality

Lin Yu is gentle, soft-spoken, and reluctant to refuse others. At school, girls used her desk to pass love letters to Chen Lüli because she could not bring herself to discard them or pretend not to notice. She distinguishes her quietness from being wholly withdrawn, telling Ming Yu, “I just don’t talk much” 25 37.

She is attentive through practical acts: covering an exhausted Chen Lüli with her scarf, caring for his cat, and preparing congee when he is ill. She also gives Li Yin considerable latitude when work interrupts their dates 1 5 7.

In romance, Lin Yu is cautious and prone to keeping uncertainty to herself. Alongside her longstanding attachment to Chen Lüli, a lack of confidence in other people helped keep her single for years. Nevertheless, she chooses to investigate Li Yin’s behavior herself and later directly asks Chen Lüli about his supposed relationship with Ming Yu 20 27.

Abilities & Skills

Business Management

Lin Yu handles most daily operations at YU Patisserie&Cafe 2.

• Settles accounts, checks the premises, and is often the last person to leave 2 18.
• Coordinates with the manager, helps with orders and deliveries, and directs traffic when a delivery truck becomes blocked 3 9 20.
• Adjusts closing time when poor business and cold weather make staying open unnecessary 18.

Animal Care and Nursing

• Regularly feeds Xiao Diu, replenishes his water, and trims his claws with practiced familiarity 2 5.
• Buys the cat clothes, fits him with a leash, and takes him for walks 29.
• Recognizes Chen Lüli’s fever, measures his temperature at 38.9 degrees, gives him ibuprofen and warm water, and prepares millet congee for the morning 7.

Numeracy and Technical Familiarity

• Studied finance and learned mental arithmetic, giving her some numerical memory when playing mahjong 15 16.
• Understands some computing terminology through years of contact with her computer-science friends, though she did not study their field 16.

Gardening

• Maintains numerous flowers and a dedicated garden at her shop 35.
• Works with a gardener to plant trumpet vines inside the garden wall 14.
• Keeps High-Hanging Moon succulents for Jiang Zao until her apartment renovations are finished 43 50.

Gaming

Lin Yu plays Dream Fiend primarily to collect its character skins rather than for competitive combat 2 12.

• Initially struggles with instructions, weapon skills, and defensive timing, preferring simpler chest-opening activities 3 13.
• Successfully activates her defense and attacks Chen Lüli’s character while protecting Li Yin, although she ultimately loses to Ming Yu 13.
• During a VR session with Chen Lüli, kills a black bear with three shots to vital points, an unusually successful moment that boosts her confidence 44.

Relationships

• Chen Lüli — Former high-school and university classmate, longtime friend, and eventual boyfriend. Lin Yu hides her feelings for years before learning that his apparent romance with Ming Yu was a misunderstanding 1 27 44.
• Li Yin — First boyfriend, introduced through her mother’s connections. His initial consideration attracts her, but she ends their relationship after discovering his infidelity with Qin Jialan 2 21 24.
• Jiang Zao — Close friend who brought Lin Yu into the high-school group. Comforts her after the breakup and explicitly promises to support her as her relationship with Chen Lüli changes 1 24 28.
• Ming Yu — High-school friend whom Lin Yu believes to be Chen Lüli’s intended partner. Their friendship remains warm; they exchange New Year gifts and discuss his childhood 1 37.
• Jiang Yan’an — Longtime friend who joins the group’s gatherings, teases Lin Yu about her boyfriend, and jokes that becoming her boyfriend was enough for Li Yin to offend him 5 15.
• Lin Zhenghe — Strict, protective father. Questions why she kept Li Yin’s misconduct from the family and rejects relatives’ interference in her marriage prospects 32 35.
• Zhong Lixin — Mother and confidante. Reassures Lin Yu after the breakup and advises her to judge a partner’s character rather than rush into another relationship 25 33.
• Xiao Diu — Chen Lüli’s cat, whom she regularly looks after. He greets her eagerly and readily jumps into her arms 5 29 46.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dating Li Yin

At the beginning of the story, Lin Yu has recently begun dating Li Yin following a blind date. His small gestures of consideration encourage her to give the relationship a genuine chance and finally move on from Chen Lüli. They visit Donghua Ocean Park and a campsite restaurant, though his work repeatedly disrupts their time together 1 2 5 11.

Photographs from a business banquet raise suspicions about Li Yin and his superior, Qin Jialan. Lin Yu initially allows for the possibility that he was drunk, but Chen Lüli takes her to East City, where she sees Qin Jialan touch Li Yin’s neck and straighten his collar outside their hotel. She confronts him and subsequently confirms to Jiang Zao that they have broken up 19 20 21 24.

Reconsidering Chen Lüli

While Lin Yu drinks in distress after Li Yin’s betrayal, Chen Lüli kisses her despite her struggling; she bites his lip. He later admits that Li Yin’s arrival made him want to “snatch” her away. When she asks about Ming Yu, he explains that their apparent relationship helped fend off admirers and asks Lin Yu to consider him instead 23 27.

Lin Yu is delighted but initially finds the change difficult to believe. Their closeness develops through private calls, a New Year’s Eve encounter, and a visit to the Spring Flower Festival. She also learns from Ming Yu that Chen Lüli suffered repeated abuse from his father 27 29 34 36 37.

Private Romance

Lin Yu and Chen Lüli begin a relationship that they initially keep private. She accepts the happiness of being with him despite uncertainty about the future, while he complains about having to sneak around during his first romance 41 44.

At Genesis Tower, she accepts his invitation to link their VR characters as romantic partners. The matching bracelets synchronize location and safety information and reserve a place beside him when they team up. Their later time together includes caring for Xiao Diu, staying at his apartment, and arranging ordinary dates 44 46 47 50.

Personal Items

• Red scarf — Uses it to cover Chen Lüli while he sleeps at her café 1.
• Custom butterfly dance necklace — A New Year gift from Chen Lüli, presented with a red envelope 32.
• Student keepsakes — Preserves photographs, Christmas cards exchanged with Jiang Zao, a pencil sketch of a bus, and a notebook containing the character “礼” from Chen Lüli’s name 29 43.
• Handbag — Receives one from Chen Lüli while shopping with Jiang Zao at MixC Bay 50.

Trivia

• The “Yu” in YU Patisserie&Cafe is described as “words left unspoken” 2.
• She is the first member of her longtime five-person friend group to enter a relationship 5 6.
• Her Dream Fiend Ice and Snow outfit includes a scepter; it describes her game avatar, not a supernatural ability she possesses 3.