After My Secret Identity Was Revealed, My Crush Said He’s My Biggest Fan - Chapter 3

What on earth is going on? Is it that boy again, appearing once more to help him?

But why would he be here? The last time they met was at the summer camp; why is he in Hujiang? Is he here to attend university?

Freshmen at Hongda had already reported to Hongtu as of last week. Could it be… could it be that he didn’t make it into Hongda either?

The moment he saw the young man’s full face, countless questions flashed through Lin Yu’s mind. That summer when he was at his most ambitious and spirited surfaced before his eyes once more. The figures of the boy in blue and the young man in white overlapped, making him momentarily unable to distinguish between a dream and reality.

The person of his dreams, whom he had yearned for day and night over the past year, had suddenly appeared right here in Hujiang, at the Line 10 subway transfer station, right in the middle of his confused and unexpected life.

Crowds surged all around him. This young man forcefully intruded upon his previously gloomy and damp mood like the blazing summer sun, making him feel a touch of unreal, beautiful surprise and joy, despite his extreme irritation over the start of school. Lin Yu felt as though he had once again fallen into that dreamlike Hongda summer of years past. Standing alone at the bustling transfer turnstiles, his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

“Sure. When are we heading out?”

Seeing Lin Yu suddenly freeze for some unknown reason, the young man kindly tossed a question his way. Lin Yu snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, looked into his face, and replied:

“Ah, let’s go now. I happen to have a trip to the police station today, so I can show you the way.”

“Then thank you. I am a college student who just arrived in Hujiang the day before yesterday, so I am not very familiar with the neighborhood yet.”

Of course I know you are a college student, and we are in the same year. Lin Yu thought to himself. Complying with the young man’s instructions, he took the girl’s bag so that the young man could smoothly carry her on his back.

The crowd of onlookers always comes and goes in a flash. By now, the subway station had returned to its usual mechanical, assembly-line appearance, with busy crowds carrying large and small bags rushing past the three of them.

Walking to the side, Lin Yu looked at the young man’s profile as he carried the girl, and a guess quietly formed in his mind: “Actually, I am also an incoming freshman this year, arriving just before school starts. Which school are you at?”

“I am at Qingda. I just took the subway over from campus.”

As expected, after all, anyone who could go to the Hongda summer camp could not possibly end up at any other school in this region besides Qingda.

Lin Yu continued, “That is wonderful, we are schoolmates. I am Lin Yu from the School of Public Health. We can be friends when we get back.”

“You are Lin Yu?”

Hearing this, a fleeting expression of astonishment appeared on the young man’s face. Then he turned his head to look at the handsome young man walking alongside him with the backpack, flashing a sunny and eager smile:

“What a massive coincidence. My roommate in the School of Public Health is also named Lin Yu. My name is Xia Chenxuan. I should not be mistaken, right?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Yu felt as though something had suddenly exploded inside his mind.

A massive wave of joy echoed in his brain. He quickly reviewed the dormitory roster he had carelessly glanced at in his class group chat a few days ago; the spot for 401A indeed seemed to have two names written on it, Ying Hongfei and Xia Chenxuan. That strange, wonderful sensation washed over Lin Yu once again. He opened the dormitory group chat to take a look, then tapped on the profile picture nicknamed 24 Preventive Medicine Xia Chenxuan:

“What a coincidence. I even added you when the group was first created. But I do not have the habit of scrolling through Moments after adding people, so I did not recognize you just now.”

“No worries. We were going to get to know each other anyway. It is quite a twist of fate that roommates can meet before the dorm gathering. I hope we have a wonderful year ahead.”

Xia Chenxuan’s tone was light and breezy, identical to their first meeting at the summer camp in Lin Yu’s memory, causing the handsome young man walking beside him to zone out repeatedly along the way.

After boarding Line 10, Xia Chenxuan gently shifted his attention away from Lin Yu and instead asked the girl with the sprained ankle on his back:

“By the way, classmate, are you a high school student or a college student?”

The girl was still sobbing a little as she replied: “I am a high school student… and I am about to start my senior year.”

Hearing this, Lin Yu’s expression couldn’t help but change: “High school seniors should have started school by now, right? What is that man doing?”

This question clearly made the girl feel a bit more upset. Crystal-clear tears seemed to shimmer in her eyes, but she still forcibly bit her lower lip and explained:

“He… he is my dad. My cousin took the college entrance examination this year and got an exceptionally high score, getting into a top 985 university. Coupled with the fact that I did not do well on my final exams in junior year, he got a bit angry. Yesterday on my way home, I chatted for a few moments with a male classmate I am not particularly close with, and he ran into us. He jumped to the conclusion that I was dating early at school and it was affecting my studies. He would not listen to a word I said and immediately moved to hit me…”

They had not expected to run into such a bizarre situation right after arriving in Hujiang. Xia Chenxuan and Lin Yu exchanged glances upon hearing this. The latter frowned, recalling the scene from moments before:

“He looked like he had been drinking quite a bit when he walked over.”

“Yeah, he drank and hit me once last night, and I do not know how he started drinking again this morning. I ran out wanting to take the subway to get far away, but he actually chased me all the way here. I could not escape…”

Lin Yu pressed further: “Are there any other adults at your house right now?”

The girl shook her head: “No, my mom left a long time ago. I have been raised by my dad since I was little.”

Hearing this, Lin Yu instinctively pressed his lips together. Xia Chenxuan took over the conversation at this point, offering a solution:

“Then why don’t you stick with us today? We will send you to the police station and let the police decide how to handle it.”

The girl let out a soft “Okay,” then buried her head, tearful, and said nothing more.

The atmosphere for the rest of the journey was somewhat strange. Two college roommates who looked like they had just met were escorting a battered prospective high school senior via subway to the police station. Xia Chenxuan occasionally asked the other two a few questions, while the rest of the time was filled with the roaring sound of the subway cutting through tunnels, echoing within the heavy atmosphere.

These two new roommates were forced into company because of a single act of righteousness, but for some reason, Lin Yu was in a bad mood. His jawline had been tightly clenched ever since getting onto Line 10, as if he were on guard against something.

The subway departed and stopped repeatedly, finally arriving near the police station Lin Yu had intended to visit earlier. The police asked the girl many questions, and she tremblingly laid bare and displayed her past experiences. Lin Yu and Xia Chenxuan heard her say her name was Tao Xi, heard her say her biological father committed all sorts of crimes including gambling and womanizing, and heard her say she attended an ordinary middle school and felt hopeless about her future.

The lights inside the police station were a stark, pale white. These two college students, just stepping out into the world and having barely left their ivory towers, were suddenly forced to stare unblinkingly into a bloody slice of reality.

Midway through, Lin Yu was called away by another female police officer he had seen earlier. After all, he had his own business here, and this matter was of utmost importance; until it was resolved, he could not settle down to study in peace.

The female police officer and Lin Yu sat face-to-face at a table in another area. The surrounding air fell into a strange, prolonged silence. In the end, it was the professional female officer who broke the ice first:

“Classmate, we probably cannot handle this case.”

Seeing a flash of sorrow in the young man’s eyes sitting across from her, the officer felt a sense of helplessness. She then softened her tone, explaining the reasons as patiently as possible:

“I understand how you feel about being bullied, but cross-provincial law enforcement is too difficult. The bullying you suffered in the past took place in Mengze; it can only be properly resolved by handing it over to the local police there. You still need to consult the Mengze police about this matter. If he causes you subsequent harm here in Hujiang, that would fall within our jurisdiction.”

“I reported the case when I was in Mengze, but at the time, the Mengze police did not pull the surveillance footage from the school, so the matter ultimately fizzled out.”

“Sigh! Police work relies on evidence. We really cannot hold him accountable right now. Cyberbullying would involve the crime of insult and defamation, but right now you only have his account information and no detailed records of him cursing you out, so we cannot open a case either.”

This final statement practically sealed off every single possibility remaining in Lin Yu’s heart. He closed his eyes extremely reluctantly, beginning to regret his impulsive act of deleting his Bilibili account all those years ago.

After a long while, he looked back up at the middle-aged female officer opposite him, who wore a look of concern. The handsome young youth took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, his emotions and words were released together:

“I know. If I want to file a case later, I will find evidence myself and then contact both the Hujiang and Mengze police. But… could you please agree to one thing for me?”

“You can state your request first, and we will help as much as possible within the scope of laws and regulations.”

“I was wondering if you could archive my statement regarding my bullying experience? Because he has been admitted to the same university as me, and I am afraid other unfavorable things might happen later. My family situation is a bit special. If these events are on record, even if something happens later, you will have a direction to look.”

By the end, Lin Yu’s eyelashes lowered gently. A turbulent ocean of hatred and ruthlessness surged in his eyes, but his thick, long, dark eyelashes softly veiled this sharpness. Combined with the cold white lighting of the police station shining on his naturally pale face, he looked for a fleeting moment like a fragile, easily shattered porcelain vase.

Hearing the young victim calmly lay out this countermeasure, the policewoman let out a helpless sigh:

“Alright, we will archive a record of your report this time. If you encounter bullying again later, you can call the police immediately or contact the security office at Qingyun University. Your school’s security office has always been reliable; there is no problem protecting students’ personal safety.”

“Mm, thank you, officer.”

After bidding farewell to the policewoman and leaving, Lin Yu walked back into the lobby. Seeing him approach, Xia Chenxuan gently raised a hand to wave, and Tao Xi, sitting beside him, also shyly nodded at him:

“The police said Xiaoxi can go to the nearby hospital to get an injury certificate first. Once the case is filed, they will contact her school teacher to pick her up and let her stay in the dorm for a couple of nights. I probably have to accompany her there. Are you coming along?”

Lin Yu revealed a polite smile: “I will go with you then. It is a good chance for us to talk more.”

Hearing him agree, Xia Chenxuan gently curved his eyebrows: “Great, we can also go to University Road for a group dinner tonight.”

Following that, the two college male students flanked Tao Xi, who was a year younger than them, and walked toward the nearby Qinghu University Affiliated Hospital. The afternoon weather in Hujiang was damp and muggy. Lin Yu walked forward, frowning incessantly at the sensation of his clothes sticking to his skin.

He really hated the weather here; sticky and damp, nothing on his entire body felt comfortable. He wondered if Hongtu was like this too.

“Lin Yu, where are you from?”

Sitting together at the hospital department entrance, Xia Chenxuan asked Lin Yu, who was seated beside him. The hospital was filled with a faint scent of disinfectant, with a small gap left between the two of them as they quietly waited for Tao Xi to finish her check-up in the room behind them and come back out.

Lin Yu had also been wanting to strike up a conversation with Xia Chenxuan. He had been curious about this former acquaintance turned roommate for a long time. Since Xia Chenxuan spoke first, he curved his eyebrows and began to speak:

“I am from Mengze, Lingyun. What about you? I heard from Ying Hongfei that you are also from the Northeast, I just did not know which province.”

Xia Chenxuan seemed not to have expected that he and Ying Hongfei would have discussed him. Hearing this, his expression froze for a moment before he said:

“Lingyun Mengze… That is the Southern Spring City, right? My hometown is Yanchun, Xuelin, which has the nickname of the Northern Spring City.”

“Yeah, the climate in Mengze is quite nice. It is generally around ten to twenty degrees Celsius year-round, so it does not snow much either.”

“In our place, the snow on the outdoor air conditioner units can pile up several dozen centimeters high in the winter. But Lingyun has snow-capped mountains too, right?”

“Yes, our province’s northernmost tip borders the Tibetan region, and many cities have small snow mountains. But I have not left the provincial capital in a long time; I spent all of senior high school near the school.”

The lights inside the hospital had a bit more warmth than the police station, so even though the surrounding human voices and broadcasted queue numbers were chaotic, chatting made them feel much more relaxed than before. Xia Chenxuan leaned back against the metal chair back, and seeing that Tao Xi had no intention of coming out through the door anytime soon, he casually looked for another topic to chat about:

“I basically have not left Yanchun since starting high school. But Mengze itself must be a lot of fun, right? I heard you have a Jade Pool there, as well as Cloud Sea Lake and West Ridge Mountain. The scenery is all quite good.”

Outsiders’ stereotypes of Lingyun were bizarre and varied, usually revolving around wild mushrooms or various ethnic costumes. Thus, Xia Chenxuan’s accurate listing of tourist spots caught Lin Yu off guard. He turned his head toward Xia Chenxuan and threw out a slightly subtle question:

“You know quite a lot. Have you been to Lingyun to play before?”

Mentioning this, Xia Chenxuan’s expression paused. Then, an emotion flashed in his eyes that Lin Yu could not quite decipher:

“I have always wanted to go there, but it is too far from home, so I have not been able to go yet.”

Fine, tourism in Mengze is quite famous, so that makes sense, Lin Yu thought, looking at his handsome profile.

For some reason, though, Lin Yu felt a bit disappointed. Ever since discovering that Xia Chenxuan was that person from his dreams, he had harbored a lingering hope that Xia Chenxuan might have appeared in Mengze at some point in the past, offering a bit of comfort to his chaotic high school memories.

How strange. Clearly, Xia Chenxuan was not anyone particularly important either.

A group of patient family members nearby were still arguing in a local dialect that Lin Yu could not understand. Annoyed, Lin Yu turned his head back and simply copied Xia Chenxuan by leaning back against the chair. That familiar damp and sticky feeling resurfaced in his heart, and he felt thoroughly uncomfortable all over.

To his surprise, however, shortly after he changed his posture, Xia Chenxuan, as if after much careful consideration, spoke up once again:

“I used to have someone very important to me, and their family was also in Mengze. I learned a lot about your place from them, and I have always wanted to go visit.”