Chapter 287: Vacation
The winter vacation had begun, and it was a new year. How she had spent the last winter vacation was a bit of a blur. She only remembered that last year seemed to be quite happy. They had gone out to play together, had a house party, ate hot pot, and had a barbecue. She had also met Tang Yumeng, which was quite happy.
This year was different. She was no longer a high school student, no longer a little girl who had nothing. She had many things, and of course, she had also lost many things.
She had spent a year climbing to the altar, only to fall from it in less than a month. Such a contrast was truly unforgettable. She wouldn’t be able to get out of it for a long time.
Fortunately, everyone in the dorm was trying their best to help her. After the exams, they had agreed to go on a trip together. The destination was Meihui City. According to Fang Jiangning, they wanted to soak in the hot springs together.
Yu Linna was not used to bathing with people of the same sex, and this was not the island nation. Why did they have to bathe together? Please, this was not popular in the greater China region. Although she thought so, the others didn’t seem to mind. They felt that even if they soaked in a hot spring together, it was fine. Anyway, they were all girls. A couple of glances wouldn’t hurt. But Yu Linna refused.
“Alright, we’re out here to have fun. Don’t be so gloomy, Linna. Let’s go over there and have some fun.”
Fang Jiangning patted her small head and said with a smile.
Recently, because of the animation incident, Yu Linna had become very haggard. This was probably the biggest failure in her career, and it was inevitable that she couldn’t accept it for a while. Everyone was also trying their best to help her get out of the shadow, but for Yu Linna, it seemed to still be a bit difficult.
Fang Jiangning had known her for a longer time and had witnessed her growth along the way. It was not easy for the silly, sweet girl from the beginning to grow into the great author she was today. But also because she had become a great author, she felt that the distance between them was gradually getting farther, and she was also becoming a stranger. Fang Jiangning once thought that she and she might not be able to get along well. But in the end, she still found that Yu Linna hadn’t changed. She was still the same Yu Linna as before, still the Little Linna who cared about her friends and would be swayed by a few yuan of milk tea.
Her inner self would not change.
“Linna, I was thinking, how about we go back to high school during the winter break? The milk tea shop we used to frequent is still there. Do you want to go back and try it?”
Yu Linna’s dim eyes lit up.
In her third year of high school, when she had just met Fang Jiangning, their relationship wasn’t particularly good, but Yu Linna liked to freeload off her milk tea. Just for that ten-yuan cup of milk tea, she would happily follow her, and have a nice cup before going to work. She really liked milk tea, always had, but she didn’t know when it started, but she no longer touched milk tea, or rather, she had no time to touch it.
Now, she really missed high school a little.
“Alright, let’s go back. I want to see that place too.”
In high school before, she had Ye Zhiyun by her side. Now, Ye Zhiyun was gone too. No one could stay by her side for long. To find a friend for a lifetime, how could it be so easy?
They took a long bus ride to Meihui City. As part of Huazhong Province, Meihui was a well-known big city in the province. Although it wasn’t as big as Guangnan, it was a good place for a vacation. Every year, many people came here to eat seafood and soak in the hot springs. The people from dorm 383 had booked their hotel tickets in advance and were going to play here for a week. They had booked two double rooms.
Then, on the issue of room allocation, the four of them had a disagreement.
Yu Linna said she didn’t mind, she could be with anyone. But Xiao Yanhan wanted to be with Yu Linna, and Fang Jiangning also wanted to be with Yu Linna. So the two of them started to roll dice and play finger-guessing games to compete for the spot of sharing a room with Yu Linna. Yu Linna was extremely annoyed.
“Ranran, I’ll stay in a room with you.”
“Okay.”
And so, while the two of them were still playing finger-guessing games, Lan Ranyan and Yu Linna had already decided on their spots and dragged their luggage into the room. Xiao Yanhan had a look of utter despair, as if her horse had just died. Extremely tragic. And Fang Jiangning had a look of anger, thinking, How could you not play with me, your good best friend?
After putting down her luggage, Yu Linna lay on the bed, feeling tired. These days, her fatigue had only increased, and with the animation incident, she was extremely tired. Although she also wanted to find Caibi Company to seek justice, what had happened had happened and could not be changed.
“Linna, actually, I don’t think it’s your fault. It’s Caibi’s fault.”
Lan Ranyan said while packing her luggage.
“Thanks.”
She lay on the bed, her head not even raised, and said in a muffled voice.
She rarely spent time alone with this big sister of the dorm. Although the big sister took good care of her and had helped her many times, they rarely spent time alone. Lan Ranyan also had an unsmiling personality, giving people a very cold feeling. And Yu Linna was like a cold loli. This combination was like chemicals of the same nature, unable to even produce a decent chemical reaction.
Lan Ranyan sat on a chair, took out her charger to charge her phone. She looked at Yu Linna, who was lying on the bed and refused to get up. She thought a lot in her heart, but still decided to say something. Otherwise, it would be too awkward for the two of them.
“Linna, it must have been hard for you to fight alone until today.”
Yu Linna slowly raised her head.
“I’m not saying you’re strange or anything. I just think that you relied on your own efforts to make yourself outstanding and become a writer respected by everyone. I think you’re really amazing.”
“Thanks.”
She still said the same thing.
“But, do you regret it? Linna.”
Lan Ranyan’s meaning in saying this was to ask her if she regretted selling the copyright to Caibi.
Yu Linna smiled wryly.
“I can’t say I regret it. I can only say it’s my own doing. I was too naive. I originally thought that as long as I was a little more serious and found a good animation company to adapt the novel, then this animation would surely become a work that everyone liked. Because I kept telling myself, I can’t lose, I can’t lose this job, I have to keep going. So I was always working hard. But I was too foolish. Animation and novels are completely different things…”
At this moment, she said everything she wanted to say.
She didn’t blame Caibi. She only blamed herself, blamed herself for being naive, childish. She had stubbornly held onto that persistence, unwilling to sell the copyright, but was moved by Caibi’s 100% respect for the original work, which then led to the tragedy. If it weren’t for this, she would never have fallen to this point.
Last time, because of her naivety, she had almost lost her virginity.
This time, her naivety had let her taste a thorough failure.
The great ups and downs of life had let her taste the warmth and coldness of the world. She knew that she was too stubborn, too persistent. She loved her own works too much and was reluctant to let them go. But she didn’t know that things that are kept in the cold for too long will eventually be forgotten, yet she never changed. Until she tasted failure.
“At least you tried, right? You weren’t wrong. You just love your work, like you treat your child. I understand you. Indeed, you have to pay the price for your own choices, but all of this result is not your fault alone. The people online are scolding you. They are just taking you as an outlet. We all know that the real responsibility does not lie with you.”
Lan Ranyan stood up, stood next to her, and after thinking for a moment, she still gave her a hug. As a Beijing girl, she was not as reserved as southerners. When warmth was needed, she gave warmth, without any hesitation.
“Ranran, I have to pay the price for my actions. This is my result.”
“Since that’s the case, then you just have to do better next time. If you fail this time, you just have to succeed next time. I believe in you. After all, I’m your big sister.”
Lan Ranyan showed a smile and patted her head. This was the first time Lan Ranyan had called herself a big sister. Although everyone in the dorm called her big sister, she herself did not accept this title. Today, she had taken the initiative to call herself big sister.
Yu Linna smiled wryly.
This Lan Ranyan was truly a gentle girl.
“Wow, big sister, this isn’t fair! You’re so nice to her. I want some too, I want some too!”
“Ranran, you’re so gentle. It makes me think you have a boyfriend. Do you mind a loving hug?”
At this time, the room door had been opened at some point. Fang Jiangning and Xiao Yanhan burst in, scaring Lan Ranyan. She quickly withdrew the hand that was still on Yu Linna’s head and coughed twice.
“How did you two get in? Did you steal my room card?”
“We asked the young lady at the front desk for the hotel’s master room card. We tricked her by saying we had left our room card in the room.”
“If you do this, you’ll be put in a pig cage when you get back to Guangnan.”
“Hahaha.”
Xiao Yanhan and Fang Jiangning couldn’t care less. Since they were here, they had to have a good time. Xiao Yanhan even threw herself onto Lan Ranyan to rub against her, under the pretext of communicating their feelings.
“Hey, hey, Ranran, tell me, as the big sister of the dorm, shouldn’t you express something?”
“What’s there to express? Get down.”
“Ranran, can we go to Beijing next time? I’ve never been to the Forbidden City in my life.”
“If you want to, I’ll even take you to the Great Wall. But get down before that.”
Soon, the three of them in the room started to make a scene, the atmosphere very lively. Yu Linna sat there, not participating, but she still showed a smile. With these people around, her life was always full of fun. Damn, after being messed with by them like this, my mood has actually improved a lot.
This trip was not a mistake, right?
…
In the evening, Yu Linna received a call from Zhao Yuyan. She was just about to take a shower when Zhao Yuyan came to find her.
“Hello, Sister Yuyan?”
“I have good news for you. I’m coming to Meihui, and I’m staying at the same hotel as you. That’s right, you didn’t guess wrong. I’m coming on a trip with you all, and we can soak in the hot springs together.”
“…”
This big shut-in is actually going out?
“What on earth are you planning, Sister Yuyan?”
“What plan? I’m here to play with you.”
“Sister Yuyan, I’ve told you before, my failure has nothing to do with you. This is not your responsibility, and you don’t have to feel guilty. Because the one who lost is not you. You need to do this.”
“…”
Zhao Yuyan’s laughter stopped, her smile gradually faded, and her mood also fell to the bottom.
“Just let me accompany you, Linna. I’m your senior. How can I let my junior get hurt alone?”
She said.
