Chapter 37: A Transformation in Temperament

When Lin Yu pushed open the door and returned to the Flower Pavilion Shop, the song "Meteor Shower" was already nearing its end, reaching the final verse. Hearing the lyrics, "I want you to believe my love is only brave for you, you will see where happiness lies," Lin Yu smiled at the curious onlookers in the store and joked, "My song is over. The one outside singing X-Japan’s 'Art of Life' probably won’t be done anytime soon."

Lin Yu was able to name the song thanks to the search system in his mind. The reason he mentioned the group X-Japan was simply because he didn’t know "Japan" meant "Japan" in English.

"The song he’s talking about was included in X-Japan’s mini album 'Art of Life,' released on August 25, 1993. It’s a 30-minute rock epic that shot straight to the top of the Oricon charts," a blond boy with a fondness for rock music couldn’t help but explain to his girlfriend.

A few girls nearby, who hadn’t understood before, giggled after hearing the explanation, finding Lin Yu to have a good sense of humor.

Many had already guessed the outcome for Zhang Hongkai.

Seeing that one sentence from him had stirred up the whole shop, Lin Yu stood at the entrance and made a "shh" gesture, then pointed at a note, signaling that lovers wished to be left undisturbed. He then walked slowly over to Qi Yue, Lin Ran, and the salesgirl Wang Xiaole.

He took out Qi Yue’s wallet, drew a pink hundred-yuan note from it, and handed it to Wang Xiaole, asking playfully, "Now I’m the only buyer left. Will you still sell the bracelet?"

"Yes… Yes…" Wang Xiaole felt a chill run down her spine as things had not turned out as she expected, and her voice trembled slightly as she replied.

It had taken Lin Yu less than the length of a song to deal with a burly brute, even though he himself was neither especially tall nor particularly strong. This amazed her.

"No need to wrap it. Just give me the change," Lin Yu instructed, seeing Wang Xiaole nervously begin to package the white snake-bone bracelet. He simply took the bracelet himself.

He walked over to Qi Yue, lifted her fair, lotus-root-like right arm, and fastened the bracelet on her wrist. Smiling, he said, "Buying you a gift with your own money—am I shameless?"

"Not at all; I love it," Qi Yue replied, her eyes glistening with tears like morning dew. Standing on tiptoe, she planted a light kiss on his cheek.

The gesture was as if she were proudly declaring: "This boy is my boyfriend!"

Indeed, that was the reality, and almost everyone in the store was gazing at the couple with admiration.

The shop then fell into a calm silence, though some boys couldn’t help but let mischievous thoughts creep in.

The dazzling array of accessories, gleaming like real jewels, lay quietly in their cases, bearing witness to all that had transpired this evening during the National Day holiday.

Qi Yue, wanting to look after others, left her and Lin Yu’s numbers with Lin Ran, offering a few words of comfort before leaving the Flower Pavilion Shop hand-in-hand with Lin Yu.

After wandering for a while, the two felt a bit tired and strolled leisurely toward Fortune Center.

They had barely walked a few hundred meters when they heard the urgent sound of an ambulance siren. Sharing a knowing smile, the two exchanged glances.

"That guy got what he deserved," Qi Yue pouted with a hint of disdain.

"Well, maybe I was a little too heavy-handed," Lin Yu replied with a chuckle as they walked on.

The night view of Bincheng was rather beautiful. While it still lagged behind what it would be a decade later, it had a unique charm as a coastal city. Lin Yu thoroughly enjoyed strolling under such a night sky.

"Lin Yu, I always feel like you’ve changed," Qi Yue suddenly remarked as they reached the 45-degree sloped platform of the Fortune Center, humming "Meteor Shower."

Lin Yu smiled and asked, "How have I changed?"

He felt that lately, aside from smiling, he could hardly muster any other expression—playful smiles, disdainful smiles, faint smiles, cheerful smiles.

But thinking back, it seemed that successful people often wore such expressions. Rarely did they laugh boisterously or weep openly. Their joy or anger seldom showed on their faces. With this realization, Lin Yu felt at peace.

Allport regarded temperament, intellect, and physique as the raw materials of personality. Among these, temperament was seen as the emotional component, a unique phenomenon intrinsic to each individual’s emotional nature.

Lin Yu hoped to cultivate a steady temperament in the future, to be able to control his emotions. The bearing of a general calmly commanding his troops at the edge of battle was exactly what he aspired to.

"I can’t say exactly how you’ve changed. You just look different, that’s all. If I had to pinpoint it, the biggest change is in your eyes. Your gaze is different. The way you do things is different too. Whether it was being humiliated by that foreign teacher in class or being cursed out tonight, you didn’t react impulsively…" Qi Yue rambled on without realizing it.

To all this, Lin Yu could only respond with a smile, thinking to himself, "If I’ve lived two lives and still behave like a hormone-driven eighteen-year-old, then I’ve truly lived in vain."

Seeing Lin Yu only smile in silence, Qi Yue flicked her ponytail and suddenly said, "That Lin Ran is really pitiful. Let’s think of a way to help her!"

"People who are pitiful must have their own reasons to be disliked. I bet she’s after something from that rich boy, or else she wouldn’t be out shopping with him so late. Besides, we’re not Noah—we don’t have to save the world," Lin Yu replied, shaking his head, unwilling to get involved.

"How can you say that!" Qi Yue stopped in protest, her large misty eyes glaring at him as she pouted. "Lin Yu, you weren’t like this before! Don’t you remember? When I was bullied, you risked getting beaten up yourself and took on five guys alone. Even when someone hit you on the back with a chair, you didn’t make a sound."

"Fine! I’ll help. But that playboy, even if he’s the lowest of the low, isn’t so easy to deal with. And if we scare him off Lin Ran, he’ll just go after some other pretty girl," Lin Yu said softly, resting his hand on Qi Yue’s shoulder and gazing into her lovely eyes.

"Then we’ll just find a chance to castrate him!" Qi Yue declared fiercely, striding ahead.

"You’re fierce…" Lin Yu laughed, feeling a chill run down his spine. After a moment, he caught up to Qi Yue, who was waiting for him at the elevator, holding the button for him.

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Lin Yu immediately put on a roguish air, pulling out Qi Yue’s wallet, fanning a few hundred-yuan notes and boasting, "Miss, how much for the night?"

"No, please! I’m so scared… so scared…" Qi Yue hugged her chest, shrinking into a corner and feigning a trembling, coquettish voice.

"Don’t be afraid. Tonight, you’re a cooked duck—you’re not flying away," Lin Yu grinned, stepping closer. With one hand, he stuffed the money into her left pocket; with the other, he put her wallet in her right pocket.

His lips were anything but well-behaved, moving toward the girl’s now pink, delicate cheeks, playing the part of the big bad wolf to perfection.

Even Zeus, the chief god of Greek mythology, third king of the gods and lord of Olympus, was notorious for his amorous ways. So, with beauty in his arms under the moonlight, why should he strive to be pure?

Such were Lin Yu’s thoughts.