"I'm back." Lin Yu stood in the middle of the street, arms outstretched as if embracing the whole world, calling out with deep affection.
A black bag dropped from the sky, and he swiftly caught it.
"The people back home are too generous. I've just returned, and someone's already giving me gifts." Lin Yu grinned, but upon seeing the bag emitting a foul odor in his arms, his expression turned to anger. "Damn it, who lacks common decency? How dare they throw garbage randomly? What if it hits someone?"
Before he could erupt in rage and glance up at the sky, a disheveled woman's head poked out of a fourth-floor window. "What are you howling about so early in the morning? Seeking death?"
Lin Yu looked up and chuckled, "Aunt Wang, still fond of throwing things down from upstairs?"
"Who are you?" Aunt Wang rubbed the corner of her eye, peering down to see a tall young man below, around 1.8 meters tall. He had a sunny disposition, a smile displaying two rows of pearly white teeth, albeit dressed shabbily, resembling a beggar. If he were holding a hook, he'd be indistinguishable from a scavenger.
"I'm Xiao Yu, the grandson of Old Lin from the gear factory. Lin Yu. Aunt Wang, don't you remember me?" Lin Yu formed his hand into a trumpet-shaped flower and called out.
"Lin Yu? Oh, I remember now. You're the grandson of the former director Lin, right? You left home for more than six years, and now you're back?" Aunt Wang's booming voice spread quickly in the air, prompting several neighbors to open their windows and peer outside.
"Exactly, it's me, Aunt Wang. You have an excellent memory. Well, I didn't exactly run away from home; I traveled far and wide to seek knowledge. And now I'm back..." Lin Yu scratched his nose, smiling awkwardly.
Just as he said that, he received a flying spit in the air, "Pah! You prodigal child, you've tarnished the Lin family's reputation, yet you have the nerve to come back." Instead of the anticipated warm welcome, he was met with a barrage of harsh words.
With a bang, the window closed, and Aunt Wang's disheveled face disappeared behind it.
Lin Yu shrugged nonchalantly, touched his nose, and casually tossed the garbage bag behind him. Without much effort, the bag rocketed over 30 meters away, "swoosh," landing directly in a trash can by the roadside.
Clutching a tattered military bag, Lin Yu continued walking into the community.
Six years had passed, yet the community near the West City Gear Factory hadn't changed much. It retained its dilapidated appearance.
Straight ahead was his grandfather's house. As a child, due to his parents' business, he spent most of his time here. There wasn't a household he didn't recognize, and likewise, none that didn't recognize him. Partly because he was the former director Lin's grandson, partly due to his rather illustrious reputation in the community.
However, the real reasons behind his notoriety remained a mystery.
Walking forward with the worn-out military bag slung over his shoulder, Lin Yu was hit by a soft and elegant fragrance. Hurrying past on the opposite path was a tall girl, slender and elegant, with a natural freshness despite no makeup—a typical girl-next-door, a jade-like beauty.
She appeared around twenty, wearing a white T-shirt. Though the young girl's chest was still youthful, it was distinctively perky. Her legs, enclosed in washed-out jeans, were long and slender, tightly stretching the fabric. From behind, it would surely create a charming scene.
With a small bag slung across her shoulder and sporting wedge heels, she wore a refreshing ponytail. In the light morning mist, she was breathtaking, resembling an about-to-bloom delicate lotus, exuding a natural freshness and youthful vitality.
Lin Yu stopped, gazing intently at the girl approaching from the opposite side. His eyes held a pensive expression, and a smile lingered on his lips. However, the smile, which should have been charming, appeared somewhat mischievous in the girl's eyes. She felt uneasy, lowered her head, tightly clutching her small bag, and glanced askance at him, moving to skirt around him.
"Hey, beauty, do you still remember me?" Just as they brushed past each other, Lin Yu grabbed her slender white arm, grinning mischievously.
The touch was soft and smooth, like touching a sponge, not too plump or too slim—exceedingly pleasant to the touch. It caused Lin Yu's heart to flutter slightly, and he rubbed his palm against it twice—so smooth and refreshing!
While he wasn't overwhelmingly handsome, he was a rather sunny young man. However, his T-shirt with holes, worn-out jeans, and tattered sneakers made his smile and tone now seem somewhat sinister and malicious.
Moreover, his abrupt action was quite startling and impudent.
Especially, stopping a young girl at five in the morning and grabbing her arm would make anyone pause, thinking they'd encountered a mugger or worse.
"You, how dare you act like a rogue? Let me go... Help! Someone's harassing me!" The girl was taken aback, struggling desperately and crying for help.
The early summer morning was quiet, and being on the outskirts of the city meant there were few vehicles around. Her voice traveled far, sounding panicked and somewhat poignant in the empty space.
"Dizzy, what are you shouting for? I'm Lin Yu, your brother Xiao Yu. Yannie, don't you remember me?" Lin Yu was equally startled by her reaction. What a joke! He appeared to be stopping someone as if intending to harass her.
He reached out, covering her mouth while whispering in her ear.
However, his move prompted an even more vigorous resistance from the girl. She began hitting him fiercely with her small bag and struggled harder. Unfortunately, she twisted her ankle, let out a cry of pain, and fell backward.
Lin Yu acted quickly, scooping the beauty into his arms, averting her from hitting the ground. Yet, this maneuver, unfortunately, ended up with him holding her around her shapely rear end.
Perhaps her jeans were too tight, or her rear end too plump—though covered in thick denim, it retained a remarkable elasticity and sensation. Lin Yu couldn't help but feel another ripple in his heart, like a burst of fire rising within him.