Xu Fang’s head had followed the force of her hand and tilted to the side. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere became tense.
Feeling his oppressive aura, Lin Xi Chi slowly withdrew her hand, regret immediately flooding her heart. She tried to explain, “Um… it’s like this. There was a mosquito on your hair just now, a mosquito…”
Soon, Xu Fang turned his head back, and his movements were stiff, almost robotic. He rubbed the spot where she had slapped him and asked in a low, slow tone, “Do you want me to thank you?”
“…” Lin Xi Chi couldn’t find words to respond.
He glanced at her with lowered eyelids and didn’t say anything further. He continued walking in the direction of the elevator.
Lin Xi Chi followed him dejectedly, reflecting on her habit of saying and doing things in front of Xu Fang, something she deeply despised.
She pondered how to apologize.
When it came to apologies, she needed to tally up how many times she had already apologized.
She had told him she wouldn’t go home, then waited for him to come back home secretly. And even after coming back, she hadn’t contacted him. It seemed like she didn’t want to return with him deliberately, but Xu Fang wouldn’t mind such a small matter.
She had scolded him many times last night, but that kind of playful banter between friends should be okay.
What about the underwear incident? No, that was too embarrassing and shameful to bring up.
So, the only thing left seemed to be the slap she had just given him.
That did seem a bit too much…
Lin Xi Chi stood behind him, silently gazing at his tall, straight back, his clean and slender neck, and the hair that was still damp. His clothes, on the other hand, were completely dry and looked refreshing.
Xu Fang hadn’t done anything, he just stared straight ahead, not behaving like he usually did when he ignored her and pretended to be busy with his phone.
It seemed like he was really angry.
Soon, the elevator stopped on their floor.
The doors opened.
Inside, most of the people were already standing, and when they saw someone else getting in, they instinctively moved to make room. Xu Fang stepped in, and Lin Xi Chi followed.
Inside the elevator, Lin Xi Chi stood next to Xu Fang, cautiously stealing glances at him.
Xu Fang’s profile was sharp and distinct, with curled and long eyelashes. His eyes were deep, his nose straight, and his lips slightly pursed. His jaw was set, and the muscles on his cheeks were tight.
He was still angry.
Lin Xi Chi couldn’t think of a solution and hung her head in dejection, silently considering her habit of saying and doing things in front of Xu Fang.
As she contemplated how to apologize, Xu Fang remained silent and seemed to be lost in thought.
A few minutes later, Lin Xi Chi tentatively reached out and grabbed his wrist, holding it in front of her face.
Sensing her movement, Xu Fang turned to look at her, his eyes still deep and unwavering, and there was no sign of resistance in his hand.
Lin Xi Chi pursed her lips, feeling a mixture of nervousness and seriousness. She said, “Alright, Xu Fang. If you want to hit me, I can let you hit me.”
“…”
The previously noisy elevator suddenly fell silent. The people around them discreetly glanced in their direction.
“Left side or right side?” Lin Xi Chi maintained a cooperative tone and pointed to her own face with her other hand. “You can hit whichever side you want.”
Xu Fang: “…”
They exited the elevator.
Lin Xi Chi followed behind Xu Fang, and she noticed that his pace had picked up noticeably. She hurriedly kept up with him, but her speed wasn’t well controlled, and she ended up bumping into his back.
Xu Fang stopped walking, turned to look at her, and after holding back his anger for a while, he finally couldn’t help himself and asked in a cold tone, “Can’t go a day without provoking me?”
Lin Xi Chi touched her nose, which had gone numb from the collision, and quickly shook her head. “No.”
Xu Fang lowered his gaze to her slightly reddened nose, seemed like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He snorted softly and turned back to continue walking, slowing down his pace.
They walked in silence.
They continued down the road for a short distance and discovered a small food street nearby. The strong aroma of food filled the air, and although there weren’t many people passing by, it still felt lively.
After walking here, Xu Fang finally stopped and turned to her. “What do you want to eat?”
Lin Xi Chi thought for a moment. “Noodles.”
Hearing that, Xu Fang looked around, then casually chose a noodle shop and walked in.
The noodle shop wasn’t very large, with about five or six four-person tables closely arranged. The dark brown wooden tables were clean and tidy, with menus and a chopstick container placed on each table.
At this time, it was well past breakfast, so there were very few customers in the shop. There was only one table with people, but they didn’t look like they were there for a meal.
The two found an empty table and sat down.
Soon, the proprietress came over with a small notebook and a ballpoint pen in her other hand. She clicked the pen’s button cap and quickly asked, “What would you like to order?”
Xu Fang glanced at the menu and casually replied, “Two bowls of wonton noodles.”
Lin Xi Chi had no objections and quietly sipped her tea.
She was still thinking about how to please Xu Fang.
If she wanted to praise him to the heavens, she could definitely do it.
But then she remembered what Xu Fang had said earlier, “If you keep talking like this, I’ll live at least twenty years less.” This thought immediately dampened her enthusiasm. Maybe they were better suited for a love-hate relationship after all.
Perhaps it was because there were so few customers, the food arrived quickly. Lin Xi Chi hadn’t even come up with a plan to win Xu Fang over when two steaming bowls of noodles were placed on their table.
She blinked her eyes, staring at the bowl of noodles in front of her, feeling momentarily at a loss about how to please Xu Fang.
The shop is simple and the tableware is disposable. Lin Xichi looked at the chopstick holder on the table, only a pair of chopsticks were left. She reached out to get it, but Xu Fang picked it up first.
“…”
The server who brought the food chuckled, “Hold on, let me fetch another pair for you.”
Lin Xi Chi gave Xu Fang a curious look, finding his actions quite petty. However, before she could nod in agreement, Xu Fang casually spoke, “No need, she prefers eating noodles with a spoon.”
“…,” the server looked a bit surprised by this response but nodded and walked away.
Lin Xi Chi stood there, finding the situation rather unbelievable. The server had actually believed Xu Fang’s words and hadn’t brought her a pair of chopsticks.
She watched Xu Fang, who had already started eating with his own chopsticks, and decided not to make a fuss about it. Instead, she went to another table and grabbed a new pair of chopsticks.
After they finished their meal, Xu Fang paid at the counter, and they continued to walk aimlessly along the food street.
When Lin Xi Chi was with Xu Fang, she had a lot to say, regardless of his mood. After staying silent earlier due to his temper, she had resumed her usual talkative self.
“Hey, I want to tell you something,” Lin Xi Chi walked beside him, chattering away, “There’s a similar noodle shop near our school, and a bowl of wonton noodles there is only six yuan, while here it’s seven yuan.”
Perhaps because Xu Fang had already played a little prank on her earlier, his mood seemed a bit better now. Compared to the earlier silence, he was at least responding with a few words.
“Oh.”
“But it seems the noodles here taste better.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think?”
“Too cheap,” Xu Fang said nonchalantly and matter-of-factly. “Can’t taste the difference.”
Awkward silence followed.
Lin Xi Chi turned her head to look at him for a while, appearing deep in thought. Then she said, “You seem like a nouveau riche.”
“…,” Xu Fang remained silent.
They walked a bit more.
Xu Fang didn’t seem to mind her earlier comment and suddenly changed the topic to something else, seemingly casual. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
His tone was lazy and casual, but it inexplicably brought the conversation back to last night’s events.
Lin Xi Chi looked at him, her lips moved, and her eyes looked hesitant, as if she were struggling. After a long pause, she finally said, “Xu Fang, if you were a dog…”
“…” Xu Fang choked and didn’t bother responding.
However, Lin Xi Chi wasn’t joking at all. She lowered her eyes and continued, “You’ve lived happily in your current owner’s house since birth. But one day, you were captured by dog traffickers, and your life became difficult, even finding a good meal was challenging.”
Xu Fang suddenly understood the meaning behind her words, swallowed hard, and quietly listened to her.
“Later, your owner found you, but at home, you discovered a dog that looked just like you. At first, you thought it was your sibling, but you later found out it wasn’t… It was just a replacement brought in by your owner.”
Lin Xi Chi’s voice lowered, and she continued, “Normal people wouldn’t have any good feelings toward that replacement.”
Seeing that she didn’t continue speaking, Xu Fang paused and asked in a low voice, “How do you know that the replacement is definitely a replacement and not just a second dog your owner wanted to keep?”
After a silence of half a moment.
“I know you know,” Lin Xi Chi rubbed her eyes and continued, “I was adopted.”
“…”
“But my mom has always told me and Geng Geng that we have another sister. She said she was taken away by bad people but would come back one day.”
Xu Fang ruffled her hair. “I know.”
“My parents have been good to me, too. They love me even though I’m not their biological child. But they feel guilty about my sister, and staying at Grandpa’s house is better. Otherwise, Lin Deng will keep scolding and hitting me.”
Noticing that her emotions weren’t as indifferent as she had described, Xu Fang sighed and then called her, “Lin Xi Chi.”
Lin Xi Chi didn’t raise her head and responded softly, “Hmm?”
“If you feel like you’re just a replacement and not unique…”
He paused and then continued, “You can come to me.”
Hearing this, Lin Xi Chi finally looked up, puzzled. “What?”
Xu Fang looked at her and calmly said, “I can make you unique.”
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