Chapter 099: Inspiring a Generation

At this point, Lin Yu smiled slightly and continued, “I hope you won’t laugh at me, but the reason I suddenly started studying hard is simply so that I can afford to take care of a beautiful girlfriend in the future. It’s just for the sake of ensuring my children can become second-generation rich kids, and so my parents can live their later years in comfort. This is my simplest motivation: when poor, one should maintain personal integrity; when rich, one should help the world. I am just a poor man and can only demand strict discipline from myself. As for you all, think about it yourselves.”

After finishing, Lin Yu reached out and handed the microphone to Yang Ying.

The playground remained utterly silent. Most students were lost in thought—pondering their own goals, whether poor grades would mean losing their girlfriends, and so on.

Yang Ying’s gaze toward Lin Yu had shifted, from disdain to admiration. As the host, she had witnessed countless rehearsed speeches, many of them outstanding. Yet at this moment, Lin Yu had taken control of the entire scene with just a few simple words. It earned her deep respect. As the leading figure of the school radio station, this was the first time she genuinely admired someone’s oratory skills.

But the next moment brought even greater shock—indeed, astonishment—to Yang Ying.

She saw a figure even more graceful and outstanding than herself, walking toward the flagpole with an elegant stride and a cool smile, coming from the direction of Class 3-7, heading straight toward Lin Yu.

Under the eyes of everyone present, this figure, Yang Zhilin, pressed her delicate cherry lips against the boy’s mouth.

Yang Zhilin had just given Lin Yu a deep, passionate kiss, fiery as the Sahara Desert, right there in public.

“They’re truly in love!” Yang Ying, standing closest and observing most clearly, saw the natural expression on Yang Zhilin’s face.

This moment shattered the hearts of many of Yang Zhilin’s followers on the playground. A few onlookers whistled in amusement.

“Teacher He, your students in Class 3-8 are quite precocious, huh?” Wu Yi, homeroom teacher of Class 3-8, sneered at He Jing.

“Precocious? At eighteen, in the old days, they’d already be parents of three children,” He Jing retorted displeasedly, then turned her back, gazing into the distance.

Meanwhile, Yang Yongming, the discipline director seated on the podium, became uneasy. He approached the steadfast Principal Xie Shi and whispered, “Principal, these two kids just broke the rules in public. Shouldn’t we give them a major demerit?”

“A major demerit?” Principal Xie smiled and replied, “Sit down quietly. Believe it or not, this will inspire a generation.”

Yang Yongming, usually upright and strict, could only sit down awkwardly, thinking to himself, “If this is supposed to inspire a generation, what will happen to the post-90s kids in the future?”

At this moment, Lin Yu felt nothing but the softness and slight chill of the girl’s lips. He couldn’t even recall who first parted the other’s mouth. All he knew was that he kissed with complete immersion.

From this point forward, he belonged entirely to Qi Yue, while Yang Zhilin belonged to some unknown stranger. This kiss, for both Yang Zhilin and Lin Yu, felt like a century stretching on—a kiss that seemed to last until the end of time. All the beauty between them froze at this moment, unreachable by anyone else.

Because Qi Yue was present, nothing more could truly happen.

Seeing that the two showed no sign of parting after five or six minutes, with Yang Ying’s cheeks already flushed, she took the microphone and announced the flag-raising ceremony was over.

Only then did a figure rush forward, voice tinged with sourness: “If you keep on making out like that, you won’t need to eat lunch!”

The figure was naturally Qi Yue. Although the plan to lure Yang Zhilin out and have her fulfill the bet was hers, seeing the two so seamlessly connected, eyes closed and kissing in front of thousands, left her feeling a deep pang of bitterness.

With Lin Yu’s proper girlfriend now present, Yang Zhilin had no choice but to blush and release him, teasing Qi Yue with a smile: “What’s wrong, feeling jealous? Looks like your Lin Yu got a good deal!”

“Tch! I think we’re the ones losing out! Right, Xiaoyu?” Qi Yue shot Lin Yu a sharp glance, clearly displeased.

Lin Yu chuckled at the scene and said, “I couldn’t tell if I was losing out or gaining the advantage earlier. How about we do it again?”

“You’re asking for death!” An angry Qi Yue lifted her foot and kicked Lin Yu’s leg, causing him to grimace in pain.

Yang Zhilin covered her mouth and laughed softly, clearly in good spirits. Her usually frosty expression had thawed somewhat.

The students of Class 3-7, now filing out, admired the trio immensely, thinking, “What a harmonious threesome! And with two school beauties, no less!”

Yang Ying, still puzzled, shook her head with a smile and helped the flag-raising team pack up.

Just like that, Lin Yu instantly became the most sought-after and talked-about figure at Bincheng No. 1 High School during breaks and meals.

Some envied his soaring grades, others envied his ability to attract the school beauties, and still more envied his eloquence and stirring speech.

Of course, countless others envied and slandered him behind his back. Lin Yu, Qi Yue, and Yang Zhilin paid no heed.

Their current focus was on identifying the person persistently harassing Yang Zhilin to prevent further trouble.

At noon dismissal, Lin Yu used Qi Yue’s phone to contact Dai Peng, instructing him to reach out to Wang Yan and Zhang Zhilong and prepare for a fight. Upon hearing this, Dai Peng, who was killing time at the internet café, flashed a devilishly charming grin.

Although anger burned within him, Lin Yu remained focused in class, diligently taking notes of anything he didn’t understand, planning to ask Lin Ran over the weekend.

Many substitute teachers in Class 3-7 summarized Lin Yu’s behavior as “a prodigal son turning over a new leaf.”

They often used his example in class to motivate underperforming students, indirectly inspiring many who usually didn’t study to follow suit for the sake of pride.

One such student was Lin Lie, who ranked last in the midterm exam. His simple goal was to wrestle the bottom rank from Lin Yu.

After school, Lin Yu didn’t return home. Instead, he called his mother, Wang Chunhua, to inquire about her contract progress, then went to eat at the Clay Pot Zhang restaurant with Qi Yue and Yang Zhilin.

Passing by a phone shop, Qi Yue took out the last 2,000 yuan from her card to buy Lin Yu another Nokia phone and a new SIM card.

Watching the adorable way the girl kept insisting she was completely out of money, Lin Yu smiled and said, “If you’re out of money, I’ll support you.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Yue immediately blossomed into the brightest smile. Yang Zhilin beside her gave a faint smile, her feelings unreadable.

Thus passed a day that, beneath its calm surface, rippled with waves.

That night, since Yang Zhilin’s parents were not home, Lin Yu and Qi Yue stayed downstairs together.

Entering the Yang household for the first time, and stepping into Yang Zhilin’s boudoir for the first time, Lin Yu felt a touch of inexplicable nervousness.

Unlike Qi Yue’s bedroom, which was decorated in white tones, Yang Zhilin’s room was far more complex.

Her bookcase held several hundred volumes of various books; her desk was cluttered with review materials for all subjects; the walls were adorned with one painting after another, all copies of her own artwork.

The room was suffused with a fragrance reminiscent of rosemary—pleasant and inviting—neatly arranged despite its complexity.

The only item seemingly at odds with Yang Zhilin’s artistic style was a cartoon blanket featuring a Sailor Moon theme. Seeing this, Lin Yu’s lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Soon after, he was honorably ushered into the living room to spend the long night alone, feeling too unfamiliar to stay in Yang Xiong’s or Xia Ling’s bedrooms.

Around midnight, while sleeping under a blanket on the couch, Lin Yu was abruptly awakened by a shrill phone ringing.

Yang Zhilin and Qi Yue, already prepared for this, opened the door and came into the living room together.

At Lin Yu’s signal, Yang Zhilin, her heart heavy with complex feelings, pressed the speakerphone button and softly asked, “Hello? Who’s this?”

“It’s about time you answered! I’m your secret admirer who loves you,” came a distorted voice from the other end, processed beyond recognition.

“Who exactly are you, and what do you want?” With Lin Yu and Qi Yue present, Yang Zhilin’s courage rose, and she directly challenged the caller.

“Didn’t I say? I’m your secret admirer who loves you. What do I want? Of course, I want to possess you,” the mysterious caller laughed wildly.