7:20.


    Tang Manman calculated silently.


    Her mother usually packed up her stall around 11:30 pm, so she would be home by midnight.


    There was still time for Lin Yu to rest; he could take his medicine after waking up.


    Yeah, he wasn''t.


    Yes, Tang Manman.


    Lin Yu''s gaze quickly swept over the girl intently focused at the desk, as if she was just another piece of outdated furniture in the room. At the moment, Lin Yu felt like a college student who had stayed up all night at an internet cafe, roused by a mother''s call to visit relatives after less than an hour of sleep—a body awakened while the soul still slept.


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    There were no more ''and thens.''


    Lin Yu, as if enchantment held him, didn''t question the medicine or the need for it. Assured that Tang Manman wasn''t a threat, he nodded slowly, lifting his hand to take the medicine she offered.


    Lin Yu drank it down, guided by bodily instinct. After consuming the medicine, his brain remained in shutdown mode, his mind still empty of thought, just planning to sleep some more.


    Her sweet voice rose again.


    Even though the voice was pleasant, Lin Yu found it slightly annoying, wanting only to slip back into sleep. His two sets of memories, blurred by the brick''s blow to his head, made distinguishing them difficult for him. Opting for the easiest explanation in his drowsy state—drawn from his ''hoodlum'' memories—he responded, "They’re dead."


    Tang Manman sat beside Lin Yu, her eyes filled with shock, soon obscured by a profound sense of guilt. She hadn''t expected such an answer.


    Both parents gone, then?


    Truly unfortunate...


    Checking the clock again—it was almost eleven.


    In half an hour, her mother would close shop and be home by midnight.


    How would she ever explain this to her mother?


    Satisfied with her sly query, she believed this touchy subject might provoke a strong distaste in Lin Yu, waking him up.


    After all, which student would be indifferent about grades?


    Especially so for Lin Yu, whose results were likely worse. The mention of this question should anger him, make him detest it?


    Such emotional arousal surely meant he’d wake up promptly.


    "Last," Lin Yu mumbled unclearly without any visible discomfort over his rank.


    Taken aback by Lin Yu''s apathetic answer, Tang Manman felt slightly defeated.


    How could someone speak so nonchalantly about such poor performance?


    Persisting, Tang Manman sought another subject to stir Lin Yu into awareness, reminding him of pending tasks.


    Homework was essential, wasn''t it? Not doing it would surely result in punishment from the teacher!


    Surely, no student ever truly dismissed daunted feelings when facing an uncompleted assignment.


    Amidst her fatigue, she noticed something intriguing: Lin Yu seemed to answer any question honestly, like someone under the influence of a truth serum from TV dramas.


    Finding amusement in this revelation, Tang Manman’s questions inadvertently shifted from ones meant to catch Lin Yu’s attention to inquiries she genuinely wanted answered.