Boyfriend.
When she said those three words, Maggie Sun's eyes—hidden behind her sunglasses—flashed with an emotion that was hard to read.
"I guess..."
Lynn Chen said two words, but then couldn't figure out how to go on.
Maggie Sun looked at her. "What's wrong? Sure, we haven't seen each other in years, but our junior-high friendship is still there. You can't keep secrets from me, can you?"
"Ah, it's just too bad Yolanda Fang isn't here. If she were, she'd get every last detail out of you in a heartbeat."
As Maggie said this, she couldn't help but tug Lynn's wrist.
She acted a little spoiled.
But the way she did it felt strangely awkward, hard to describe.
"Not really. He never admitted it."
Lynn Chen shook her head.
"No way, right?"
Maggie Sun was a little shocked. "What do you mean, he never admitted it?"
"Lynn, are you telling me you've been chasing this guy all this time, but he still hasn't given you an answer?"
"Back in school, I remember a lot of boys wrote you love letters. Who is this guy, what's his name?"
Maggie Sun's curiosity was instantly piqued.
She figured, for Lynn Chen to be so hung up on a guy, he must be some rich young master.
Otherwise, with Lynn's qualities, what kind of guy couldn't she get?
"His name... is Evan Lin."
Lynn Chen hesitated for a moment.
Even though Lynn Chen had thought about this countless times, actually saying it out loud still made her feel a kind of indescribable shyness.
She felt embarrassed.
Her face turned even redder.
Even her heartbeat sped up a lot.
"Evan Lin?"
Maggie Sun froze, then thought for a while. "Is he from Minghai?"
"Yeah, he studied in Minghai."
"Oh, I've really never heard of him. No impression at all..."
Maggie Sun shook her head. "What do his parents do?"
"Do they run a company, or have some special background? Back then, at No. 1 and No. 2 High, I could remember most of the well-known guys, but Evan Lin is totally unfamiliar to me."
"His mom is an elementary school teacher. As for his dad... I've never met him, and I don't know what he does," Lynn Chen shook her head.
"So he's really handsome, then?" Maggie Sun frowned.
"He's... okay, I guess." Lynn Chen thought for a moment.
"So what exactly do you see in him?" Maggie Sun couldn't figure it out.
Lynn had just said 'he's okay,' which meant this guy definitely wasn't stunningly handsome.
"His mom is just a teacher, and an elementary one at that, so there's no way the family has much money. Lynn, don't let him fool you," Maggie Sun couldn't help but worry.
"He hasn't fooled me, and he's never tried to," Lynn replied.
Hearing this, Maggie Sun could only sigh helplessly. "I get it. That guy must've used some special trick to make you so devoted to him."
"But Lynn, listen to me—you have to stay clear-headed. Don't fall for his game. Maybe he's just playing hard to get, trying to spark your interest."
"I'm telling you, guys like that are bad news—he's probably just after your family's money."
Maggie Sun was about to say more.
"Maggie, I don't like how you talk about him. You don't know him, so you can't judge him."
Lynn Chen suddenly grew serious. "Evan Lin isn't the kind of person you think he is."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more."
Maggie paused, surprised by Lynn's attitude.
In her memory, the old Lynn Chen would never have shown her a bad attitude over a boy.
"It's just too bad Yolanda Fang isn't here. If she were, she'd definitely go cause trouble for that guy."
Maggie added one last comment.
Lynn was about to retort.
You have to understand.
Yolanda Fang is now completely fixated on Evan Lin.
Lynn Chen sees this very clearly.
But Lynn also understands Yolanda's worries—she's always wanted to clear things up with her.
Last time Yolanda came to Beijing to visit, the two of them climbed the Great Wall, and that night Yolanda followed her back to the dorm. They squeezed together on Lynn's tiny bed, sleeping face-to-face.
They were exhausted that day.
So Yolanda slept very deeply.
But Yolanda herself didn't even know that she talked in her sleep.
Back in junior high, Yolanda's sleep-talking was always about her parents.
At that time, Yolanda always loved squeezing onto the same bed as Lynn, and in her dreams she would inexplicably shed tears.
Little Lynn would quietly keep little Yolanda company.
She also knew that, despite how Yolanda looked like a little gangster to outsiders, deep down she was incredibly fragile.
But that night in the dorm...
In Yolanda's sleep-talking, she mentioned Lynn ten times, and Evan thirty-four times.
A whole night of dreams.
No one knows what Yolanda dreamed about.
Lynn stayed up all night, just watching Yolanda soak her pillow with silent tears, quietly crying in her sleep.
From that night, Lynn understood that Yolanda truly loved Evan.
The next day.
Lynn originally wanted to lay everything on the table with Yolanda.
After all, they'd grown up together as sisters.
Lynn had already confessed to Evan at Capitalview First High in front of everyone, so why couldn't Yolanda like him too?
Lynn wanted to tell Yolanda she didn't mind.
But before she could say anything, Yolanda—already awake—flatly denied it all.
She refused to admit it, and refused even more to become the person standing between Lynn and Evan.
Then she waved goodbye and left.
Lynn was the one who took her to the airport.
To this day, Lynn still remembers how Yolanda hugged her fiercely before leaving.
She said,
"Life is really lonely."
Then she waved goodbye, boarded the plane, and never looked back.
Lynn sometimes doubts her own judgment.
But any guy who could win the hearts of both her and Yolanda must be far more exceptional than his peers.
Lynn's mind wandered through countless thoughts.
She didn't immediately pick up Maggie's conversation again.
Maggie led her out of the café, arm in arm, and then into a car.
"To Nine-Pools Moon Pavilion," Maggie called out.
She called out to the driver, who started the car. Then she glanced at Lynn and smiled, "Lynn, what's wrong?"
"Why do you look so absent-minded?"
"It wasn't easy getting our old junior-high classmates together. You'd better have fun later!"
"And by the way, Nine-Pools Moon Pavilion isn't a place just anyone can get into!"