Flirting Under Favor (GL) - Chapter 1

A few days into winter break, it was a rare snowy day in S City, which Wang Lin found a real pity. As someone from the south, she had never seen snow, and she was scheduled to head home today.

She had considered changing her plans to stay a few more days to enjoy the snow, but during winter break and with the Chinese New Year approaching, many students were returning home. Train and plane tickets were hard to come by, so changing her itinerary was out of the question.

Helpless, Wang Lin instructed her driver to go on ahead as the car neared the station and got out, planning to walk the rest of the way.

It was deep winter, with temperatures a few degrees below freezing, but Wang Lin’s excitement about walking in the snow far outweighed the cold. Cars were parked haphazardly along the roadside, all covered in a thick layer of snow, making it impossible to tell their make or model. The street trees were evergreens, and from time to time, a fine dusting of snow would rustle down from their branches, revealing the verdant green of the leaves, a striking contrast against the silver-white landscape.

She walked, kicking at the snow with each step, her hands stuffed tightly in her pockets, and her body hunched over, clearly feeling the cold. But she looked around, her eyes full of light, brimming with new and exciting discoveries.

The shops along the street were still open, but customers were few and far between. The usually bustling S City had finally quieted down in the snow. Besides the faint sound of the wind, the only noise was the muffled crunch of her boots on the snow. For a moment, it felt as though the entire city belonged to her—clean, bright, and expansive.

Turning a corner, Wang Lin ran directly into someone.

The person was taller than her. When Wang Lin ran into them, her mouth came level with their slender, pale neck, which was even more eye-catching than the surrounding snow.

The person was also stronger than Wang Lin. At the moment her running momentum was about to send Wang Lin flying, they hooked an arm around her, adjusted her to a safe angle, and fell into the snow together.

Wang Lin, still stunned from being embraced and spun halfway around, was sprawled in the person’s arms. Kneeling on the ground, with her face pressed into their chest, they became each other’s only source of warmth in the cold wind. A faint scent lingered in the air, maybe perfume, or perhaps just the smell of laundry detergent.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Wang Lin was helped up before she could react. The person in front of her was tall with long, flowing hair. She wore a khaki-colored overcoat and black boots, a simple yet warm outfit. Because of the cold weather and her hurried running, her delicate features were slightly flushed, and she was still out of breath.

Wang Lin was taken aback for a moment and then said softly, “I’m okay.”

“That’s good to hear. I have to go now.” The person was visibly relieved. Without waiting for Wang Lin to say anything, she hurried past her and ran off.

Wang Lin scratched her head, looking a little foolish. Her momentary daze wasn’t because of the other person’s hurried and slightly impolite departure but because in that brief face-to-face moment, she thought the other person was crying. A tear, about to fall from her lashes, sparkled in the light against the snow, piercing Wang Lin’s heart.

Running so fast and crying—did something bad happen to her?

Wang Lin looked down and saw a card lying in the snow. She bent down to pick it up. It was a student ID card from F University. The owner’s name was Mu Fan, from the College of Business, the same university as Wang Lin but a year ahead of her. The photo on the card confirmed that the owner was the person who had just bumped into her.

Wang Lin looked around at the silver-capped buildings, but the person had vanished. She fiddled with the student ID card for a moment before putting it in her pocket, planning to post a lost-and-found notice on the school’s online bulletin board later.

With the train’s departure time approaching, Wang Lin quickened her pace toward the station. All the while, she couldn’t stop thinking about that pair of tearful eyes. A beautiful woman was already unforgettable, but a beautiful woman on the verge of tears was even more so.

On the high-speed train, after posting the lost-and-found message on the school’s online bulletin board, Wang Lin closed her eyes for a nap.

Four hours later, the train arrived at Wang Lin’s destination. She followed the crowd out of the station and checked her phone, but no one had contacted her.

“Linlin, Linlin, over here!”

As soon as she exited the station, Wang Lin heard someone call her name. The voice was old and belonged to a grandmother. She looked over and saw a white-haired old lady waving at her, a kind smile on her face. Wang Lin smiled softly. It was her grandmother. The old lady’s vision was so good she seemed to have no trouble finding her granddaughter in the crowd.

“Grandma~” Wang Lin’s voice softened. Her voice was already clear and gentle, and when she intentionally acted a little spoiled, it was even more charming.

The old lady eagerly pulled Wang Lin into her arms, patting and nuzzling her. “Oh, my little darling, I’ve missed you so much.”

The old lady was holding on to her tightly, with no intention of letting go. This made her grandfather, standing nearby, a bit anxious. “Old lady, let me hug her too.”

The old lady gave her husband a side glance before finally releasing Wang Lin into her grandfather’s arms.

Her grandfather hugged Wang Lin briefly and then let go. “My girl, have you missed Grandpa?”

“Of course, I have! I’ve missed you a lot,” Wang Lin said. Then she turned to her mother, Lin Jia, and rushed into her arms. “Mom~”

Lin Jia stroked her daughter’s head with one hand and checked her clothes with the other. They were quite thick, which put her at ease. “Was it very cold over there?” she asked.

“Yes, it was! It even snowed just as I was leaving. It was bad timing; I wanted to play in the snow.”

Hearing Wang Lin say she wanted to play in the snow, the old lady immediately made a decision. “You want to play in the snow? That’s simple. I’ve decided. Our next trip will be to Hokkaido.”

“Hmm, I agree,” her grandfather said, nodding with a doting smile.

The four of them—two young and two old—walked and talked toward the parking lot. Once in the car, their conversation was about typical family things: Was she getting used to school? How were her classmates? Was anyone bullying her? The chatter was full of deep affection for her.

Meanwhile, in S City People’s Hospital, the doors of the emergency room slowly opened. A doctor in a blue-green uniform walked out. Mu Fan, who had been leaning against the wall like a statue, finally moved, but someone else rushed to the doctor first.

The woman asked shakily, “Doctor, how… how is she?”

The doctor shook his head, taking off his mask to reveal a tired face. “I’m sorry. Please accept our condolences.”

Mu Fan, who had just walked over, staggered at the doctor’s words and nearly lost her footing. Her mother had been ill for half a year, and her worst fear had come true. Her lips parted, but she couldn’t say anything. The whole world seemed to be spinning.

The doctor moved aside as a gurney slowly emerged, carrying her mother’s body.

The woman next to her threw herself onto the gurney, wailing. “Sister, you had such a hard life!”

Mu Fan walked over in a daze, her hand touching the body through the white sheet. It was completely cold.

“Get away from her!” The woman suddenly pushed her away with all her might. Mu Fan stumbled a few steps, hitting the white wall behind her. “You’re the reason your mother died! How can you have the face to touch her?”

Mu Fan leaned against the wall, trying not to collapse. She called out, her voice trembling with despair, “Aunt…”

The woman’s eyes were filled with malice. “Who’s your aunt? My family doesn’t have a freak like you.” She stared at Mu Fan, her expression five parts hatred, three parts disgust, and the remaining two parts a mix of pity and something else. Then she collapsed on the body again, crying uncontrollably.

The doctor and nurse watched the scene, looking at each other. The doctor wasn’t interested in the family drama. He gave the nurse a few instructions and then walked into the bathroom.

The body needed to be taken to the morgue. The woman, whom Mu Fan called “aunt,” was lying on it, making it difficult for the nurse. “Family member, please accept our condolences.” As she spoke, she pushed the gurney. The woman felt it moving and finally stood up, taking a handkerchief from her bag to wipe her tears.

Watching the gurney disappear around the corner, the woman looked at Mu Fan and saw her sitting on the ground, hugging her knees, sobbing quietly.

“Such a tragedy, such a tragedy…” she shook her head, her gaze finally showing a hint of pity for Mu Fan. She took out her phone, opened her contacts, and called other relatives.

A month passed, and Wang Lin was still worried. There was still no news from the student ID card’s owner. The school’s online bulletin board had high traffic, and the lack of a response for so long surprised Wang Lin. Logically, even if the person didn’t see the post, someone they knew would, especially since Wang Lin had posted the lost-and-found notice four times. Wang Lin couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild—did she get into a car accident because she was running so fast?

She slapped herself.

She was crying; was it because of a breakup, and she was trying to do something rash?

She slapped herself again. Her grandmother, watching from the side, looked at her in confusion, thinking her darling granddaughter was having some kind of mental problem.

The entire winter break was uneventful for Wang Lin. As the third generation of a wealthy family, she wasn’t into partying and was known in the local elite circle as a well-behaved girl. She was beautiful, had a good temper, and was sensible and obedient, so many people wanted to marry her. The Lin family had a huge business, and she was the only heiress. She also seemed easy to manipulate, so everyone knew that marrying Wang Lin meant taking over the Lin family business. Of course, her grandfather was well aware of this and politely declined all those with hidden motives. He wasn’t worried about his life’s work falling into someone else’s hands; he was open-minded about it. Wealth and success didn’t mean a thing when you’re gone. As long as Wang Lin loved the person and they were of good character and treated her well, that was all that mattered. The two elders were in good health, and Wang Lin was only 18, so they weren’t in a hurry to arrange her marriage.

Wang Lin occasionally visited the family company and took every chance to cling to Lin Jia. She was down to earth, greeting everyone from senior management to janitors and security guards as “uncle,” “auntie,” “brother,” or “sister.” Everyone in the company liked her. It was common knowledge that the chairperson had a sweet and lovable granddaughter, and the general manager had a clingy and playful daughter.

Chinese New Year was only a few days away. The company was holding its annual party today. After making a brief appearance with Lin Jia, Wang Lin found the party too noisy. She thought about her grandmother being alone at home and decided to slip away early to keep her company.

When the old lady saw her return early, she hugged her again, calling her “darling” and “my precious.” She immediately decided to cook Wang Lin’s favorite sweet and sour pork ribs herself.

S City.

Mu Fan lay in bed in the pitch black. She didn’t feel like sleeping or getting up; she just lay there.

“Ding dong.”

Her phone chimed with a new message. She picked it up, the screen’s light illuminating her face. Her obvious dark circles, swollen eyes, terrible complexion, and messy hair showed how poorly she had been living recently.

The chat was from someone named Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng: “Have you not found the person who picked up your student ID? I saw she posted on the bulletin board again.”

Mu Fan squinted, painstakingly typing out a few words: “Oh, not yet.”

Yu Sheng had actually told her about it weeks ago. But at the time, she was dealing with her mother’s funeral and had no energy for it. Afterward, she became a shell of herself, locking herself in her room, not going out, not socializing, not cleaning the house or herself. She didn’t feel hunger or thirst, eating one meal a day, sometimes only once every two days. If she were to weigh herself, she would find she had lost five or six pounds.

In such a terrible state, the student ID card was long forgotten. Even if she remembered, she had no energy to deal with it.

Yu Sheng: “Mu Fan, you have to pull yourself together. Life goes on.”

Mu Fan: “Mhm.”

She knew her current state was unsustainable, but knowing was one thing; doing something about it was another. Her body felt weak, and her heart felt weak, and she just wanted to lie there.

Yu Sheng: “Go find her. I counted, and she’s posted four times now.”

Four times. Mu Fan was a little surprised. She knew Wang Lin had picked up her student ID card. Her impression of Wang Lin was simply “pretty,” “cute,” and “easy to push over.” She hadn’t expected the girl to be so kind and persistent. The student ID card itself wasn’t worth much; a replacement only cost a hundred dollars. Anyone else would have given up after the first post went unanswered.

Mu Fan: “Mhm.”

She thought for a moment, found Wang Lin’s WeChat ID in her chat history with Yu Sheng, added her, wrote a note, and sent the friend request.