Oh no! My yandere school beauty is so clingy!

Shen Yu spoke each sentence in a steady tone, without any inflection, as if he were recounting someone else's story.

Zhang Shuyu listened quietly, her head down, her fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the tablecloth.

Her face was expressionless, even her eyes were vacant, only occasionally her eyelashes would tremble, revealing a hint of inner turmoil.

Shen Yu was not surprised by this almost numb calm.

He felt the same way during his most painful time, thinking that even if something huge happened, it wouldn't be so bad.

When the heart dies, a person appears indifferent; in reality, it's just that the pain has gone too far, and they've become numb.

The male waiter next to him frowned more and more, his lips pressed into a thin line. He looked at Shen Yu, then at Zhang Shuyu, who remained silent.

Several times I tried to interject, but the eerie atmosphere kept me from speaking. I didn't dare to breathe, and my palms were sweating.

The only sounds in the private room were Shen Yu's straightforward voice and the soft ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

Time passed slowly, so long that Shen Yu thought Zhang Shuyu would no longer respond, or perhaps hadn't even listened to much of what she was saying...

"That..."

A word with a slight tremor came from beneath Zhang Shuyu's lowered head.

The sound wasn't loud, but it made the air freeze instantly.

Shen Yu stopped talking and looked at her.

Zhang Shuyu slowly raised her head.

Her face showed no intense expression; in fact, it was quite calm.

Only those eyes reflected the pale light.

A tear rolled down her cheek without warning.

She looked at Shen Yu like that, and with an almost hollow calm, asked, word by word:

"Then why...did you abandon me in the first place?"

"Do I deserve to be thrown away?"

Shen Yu tapped his index finger lightly twice on the table, producing a dull, soft sound.

He looked into Zhang Shuyu's empty yet stubborn eyes, his tone remaining calm:

"I can't answer that question for you."

He paused, shifted his gaze to a spot on the wall, and his voice deepened:

"Besides, you probably won't get the answer to that question..."

Zhang Shuyu's lips moved, but no sound came out; she simply stared intently at him.

Why?

Shen Yu's gaze returned to her face, which remained expressionless, as if he were discussing something unrelated to himself:

"My mother... passed away a few years ago."

He saw Zhang Shuyu's body stiffen visibly, and her eyes widen slightly.

"Dad... that person is practically dead anyway, just consider him dead."

Zhang Shuyu was completely stunned.

She stared blankly at Shen Yu, her eyes unblinking, as if she didn't understand the meaning of his words, or perhaps she did understand but couldn't believe it.

Mom...passed away? Dad...is practically dead too? What does this mean?

She opened her mouth, but something seemed to be blocking her throat, and she couldn't make a sound.

The heavy boulder that had been hanging over my heart for years hadn't even had a chance to fall before it was replaced by a deeper, more bewildering emptiness.

The person she wanted to ask about, the person she wanted to find, is no longer there? Then all these years...

Seeing her distraught state, Shen Yu continued, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion:

"So, actually, my situation is pretty much the same as yours right now. At least you... the elderly folks at Xiangyang Courtyard still treat you like family. They raised you and told me where you were, because they genuinely hope you can find your family..."

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Lin Anran, who had been sitting quietly beside him.

Lin Anran noticed his gaze and turned her head to meet his eyes.

She didn't speak, but just looked at him, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upwards. The smile was faint, but it carried an unspoken understanding and support.

Shen Yu's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, something taut within it seemed to loosen slightly, before he turned back to Zhang Shuyu and calmly finished speaking:

"...And for me, she's all I have left."

Zhang Shuyu took a deep breath, her chest heaving, as if the breath was stuck in her throat, neither rising nor falling.

She looked at Shen Yu, at his young but lifeless face, his eyes filled with a heavy feeling she couldn't understand, and her heart was in turmoil.

I couldn't believe it, but I also had a vague feeling that what he said... didn't seem to be false.

Shen Yu watched her shifting expression, waited a few seconds, and then spoke again, his voice still flat:

"So, I'm not like you imagine now, with a happy family or loving relatives. I'm just a person, living quietly with her."

He paused, his gaze falling on the faded old T-shirt Zhang Shuyu was wearing.

His gaze fell on her thin, gaunt wrists and sunken cheeks, his brow furrowing slightly before slowly relaxing.

"But... I'm definitely luckier than you..."

Zhang Shuyu raised her eyes, looked at Shen Yu, and spoke softly, with a weary doubt:

"Why are you saying all this?"

Her tone was no longer as sharp or hollowly stubborn as before; it softened and even sounded somewhat powerless.

Shen Yu understood, and his heart stirred slightly. He thought that if she really was his sister, she wouldn't be such a stubborn and closed-off person at heart.

He nodded, looked into her eyes, and said very directly:

I want to help you.

Zhang Shuyu was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to say that.

Shen Yu continued:

"If you were happy and had everything you needed, I certainly wouldn't bother you. But now... you're in trouble, and I'll help you out."

"Help me?" Zhang Shuyu tilted her head slightly, as if carefully weighing the weight of those two words, her face showing undisguised suspicion and wariness.

"Why are you helping me? What's your reason? What's your purpose? We...aren't even close. Our blood relation isn't even entirely confirmed. Even if it were, is it really necessary for you to help me?"

Her speech quickened, carrying an eagerness to draw a clear line, even a touch of self-deprecating sharpness:

"I'm telling you beforehand, I have nothing, so don't expect me to..."

"That's just the kind of person he is."

A calm, even somewhat indifferent, female voice interrupted her.

It was Lin Anran, who had been sitting quietly to the side and had hardly uttered a sound, who spoke up.

When she spoke, her gaze was fixed on Zhang Shuyu, and her voice was steady, without any emotional fluctuations.

He helped you not because he had any ulterior motives. He helped you not because you are who you are...

Lin Anran paused, her gaze shifting to Shen Yu's profile, lingering for a moment.

Something complex flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at Zhang Shuyu again.

"...but because he is himself..."