Lin Xichi was too guilty to find the right words to say.
Due to the indoor heating, she was still wearing short sleeves and shorts. When the cold wind from outside blew on her, she couldn’t help but shiver. She bent down to try and pull him up.
The first attempt didn’t budge him; it was as if Xu Fang was resisting her. Lin Xichi pursed her lips and tried again.
This time, Xu Fang reluctantly stood up and lazily leaned against the wall behind him.
Lin Xichi quickly ushered him inside.
The temperature inside the house was a world apart from outside.
Upon entering, Xu Fang felt some of the biting cold ease away. He turned his neck and made his way to the couch. Lin Xichi filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. Then, she retrieved a hot water bottle from her room and plugged it in the living room.
Xu Fang sat in place, silently watching her as she went back and forth.
Boiling water and heating the hot water bottle both took some time. Lin Xichi returned to her room and fetched a blanket, which she draped over him.
Xu Fang remained seated, looking at her without any expression, and made no move.
Lin Xichi stood in front of him, feeling remorseful. After all, she had already apologized. She decided to reason with him, “I woke up at seven in the morning today, and then I watched TV during lunch. I didn’t take a nap, so I was really tired.”
“…”
“But I did set an alarm, it just didn’t seem to go off.”
The living room was dimly lit by the light from the fish tank, accompanied by the soothing sound of flowing water. The late night was the quietest time of the day. Lin Xichi didn’t receive any response from him, and she even felt like she was in a dream.
Half of Xu Fang’s face was shrouded in darkness, and his blanket had naturally slipped down to reveal the black coat underneath, making him seem colder.
This silence made Lin Xichi feel increasingly uneasy. She asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you knock on the door?”
Due to the presence of heating indoors, she was still in short sleeves and shorts. When the cold wind outside blew on her, she couldn’t help but shiver. She bent down, trying to pull him up.
The first attempt didn’t budge him, as if Xu Fang was resisting her. Lin Xichi pursed her lips and tried again.
This time, Xu Fang reluctantly stood up and leaned lazily against the wall behind him.
Lin Xichi quickly ushered him inside.
The temperature inside the house was a world apart from outside.
Upon entering, Xu Fang felt some of the biting cold ease away. He turned his neck and made his way to the couch. Lin Xichi filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. Then, she retrieved a hot water bottle from her room and plugged it in the living room.
Xu Fang sat in place, silently watching her as she went back and forth.
Boiling water and heating the hot water bottle both took some time. Lin Xichi returned to her room and fetched a blanket, which she draped over him.
Xu Fang remained seated, looking at her without any expression, and made no move.
Lin Xichi stood in front of him, feeling remorseful. After all, she had already apologized. She decided to reason with him, “I woke up at seven in the morning today, and then I watched TV during lunch. I didn’t take a nap, so I was really tired.”
“…”
“But I did set an alarm, it just didn’t seem to go off.”
The living room was dimly lit by the light from the fish tank, accompanied by the soothing sound of flowing water. The late night was the quietest time of the day. Lin Xichi didn’t receive any response from him, and she even felt like she was in a dream.
Half of Xu Fang’s face was shrouded in darkness, and his blanket had naturally slipped down to reveal the black coat underneath, making him seem colder.
This silence made Lin Xichi feel increasingly uneasy. She asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you knock on the door?”
Hearing this, Xu Fang finally spoke, “I knocked until my hand was about to break.”
“…”
Lin Xichi then corrected herself, “The doorbell, why didn’t you ring the doorbell?”
Xu Fang looked at her calmly, “I rang it until my finger was about to break.”
“No way…” Lin Xichi found it hard to believe this time and pointed to her grandfather’s room, “Even if I couldn’t get up, my grandfather can definitely hear it. He’s a very light sleeper.”
As she said this, Lin Xichi glanced towards the direction of the doorbell and noticed that the little red light wasn’t on.
The doorbell had run out of battery.
She immediately fell silent.
Xu Fang tugged at the corners of his mouth and finally spoke, “I pressed it until my finger was about to break.”
“No way…” Lin Xichi found it hard to believe this time and pointed to her grandfather’s room, “Even if I couldn’t get up, my grandfather can definitely hear it. He’s a very light sleeper.”
As she said this, Lin Xichi glanced towards the direction of the doorbell and noticed that the little red light wasn’t on.
The doorbell ran out of battery.
She immediately shut up.
Xu Fang tugged at the corner of his mouth, lowered his eyes and picked up the cup of warm water next to him, drank it in one breath as if venting his anger, and then put the cup back on the table. The glass and glass collided and made a soft sound, clack.
Lin Xichi’s attention shifted to it.
The next moment, Xu Fang suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.
Lin Xichi was unprepared and not steady, and she threw herself on him. Her other hand supported on the sofa, and when she wanted to retreat, her back was pushed forward by his hand.
In this posture, Lin Xichi was half a head taller than Xu Fang.
Then he stared at her eyes, tilted his head slightly, and kissed her lips.
Lin Xichi blinked, stopped retreating, lowered her head, and held his neck with one hand.
He used his tongue tip to pry open her teeth, curled her tongue and kissed her, that wet softness still retained the temperature of the water he just drank, hotter than any one before.
After a long while, Xu Fang loosened her lips, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his eyes were deeper than before, and his lips were also moist. His voice was still hoarse, low and deep: “Today is your birthday.”
It’s a day worth celebrating and being grateful for.
He reached out and touched her lips, then pressed them again, vaguely saying: “So I’m not angry.”
“Happy birthday.”
It’s getting late, Lin Xichi didn’t want him to catch a cold outside. They were going out tomorrow, so she simply let Xu Fang sleep here for the night.
Lin Xichi went back to her room, brought out her pillow for him, and when she wanted to say something, he sent her back to her room to sleep.
Her movements had already woken up Lin Xigeng.
When Lin Xichi carefully lay down on the bed, she who had been pretending to be dead finally spoke up and said, “What were you doing outside just now?”
Lin Xichi was startled by her, and when she realized she was awake, she cuddled up to her and said with a smile, “What do you think?”
“…”
Lin Xichi said happily, “Let’s sleep.”
The two lay down for a while, and Lin Xigeng suddenly said, “Lin Xichi, I’m going back to school tomorrow morning.”
“I know, but you’re almost on vacation, right?” Lin Xichi said seriously, “Don’t skip classes when you go back tomorrow, it’s not good for the teacher to call mom and dad all the time…”
“The day after tomorrow is the holiday.”
“Uh-huh, show me your grades later…”
Lin Xigeng seemed to be not listening to her words, her eyes were a bit dull, and as if she couldn’t hold it back anymore, she suddenly interrupted her and said, “Mom and dad probably won’t come over to celebrate your birthday tomorrow.”
At this, Lin Xichi paused for a moment, and quickly said, “It’s okay.”
After a while.
“Lin Xichi.” Lin Xigeng’s eyes widened slightly, and she said in a very low voice, “I hit Lin Ying.”
Lin Xichi didn’t hear her clearly, and was stunned: “Huh?”
Her voice was a bit hoarse, and she slowly said, “She always pulls my hair hard at home, and every time she pulls it, she apologizes to me in horror. I find it annoying, so I cut my hair.”
Lin Xichi’s eyes stopped: “She hit you?”
“My room is close to hers, and she was too noisy. I went to your room to do my homework.” Lin Xigeng said. “Then she suddenly came in and picked up something next to me and threw it at me.”
When Lin Xichi wanted to say something, Lin Xigeng continued with what she had just said: “Shouting your name.”
After saying this sentence, she suddenly started crying. She said incoherently: “She mistook me for you. She used to pull my hair and hit me for no reason. I thought she was sick and couldn’t control her emotions. But she just mistook me for you.”
Lin Xichi’s eyes also became sour. She slowly explained to her: “I wouldn’t stand still and let her hit me. So actually it’s not that…”
“I hit her.” Lin Xigeng interrupted her. She pursed her lips hard. “I said I wish she would die.”
“…”
“I don’t know what her situation is now. Anyway, mom and dad used to call me every day and ask me to go back and apologize to Lin Ying.” Lin Xigeng wiped her tears and choked out. “I won’t apologize. Not until she apologizes to you.”
“Lin Xigeng.” Lin Xichi sighed and pulled over a tissue and stuck it on her face. “Don’t cry.”
“I just have to tell you,” Lin Xigeng said with red eyes as she finished speaking. “They’re planning to move somewhere else now. Mom and dad are already preparing to sell the house and take Lin Ying to B city.”
“Isn’t that good?” Lin Xichi didn’t care much. “By the way, get some treatment.”
“They told me to apply for B University after the college entrance exam. I won’t.” Lin Xigeng grabbed her hand and said seriously. “I have to go to S University.”
“B University is much easier than S University.” Lin Xichi smiled and said. “But didn’t you say before that you could get into the top 20? Then you should be able to go anywhere you want.”
At this point, Lin Xigeng’s expression collapsed. The tears that had stopped fell again: “Wuwuwu damn it, I dropped out of the top 50 again… I’m really not coming back tomorrow. I have to study hard.”
After saying that she snorted: “Anyway you have Xu Fang brother with you.”
Lin Xichi laughed and didn’t say anything.
After a while.
The Lin Xigeng next to her fell asleep as she spoke. Lin Xichi opened her eyes wide. The original sleepiness was gone. She pulled open the curtain and silently watched the sky outside gradually brighten.
The weather was not good.
There was no sunshine, only a gray haze in view.
Early morning.
Lin Xi Geng had woken up early due to wanting to go to school sooner. She got out of bed quietly, then returned, whispering “Happy Birthday” next to her. She then left the room.
Lin Xi Zai opened her eyes, hearing the voices of her grandfather and Lin Xi Geng outside, occasionally hearing a few words from Xu Fang, but not quite making out the conversation.
When Lin Xi Geng left the house, Lin Xi Zai slowly got out of bed, changed her clothes, and headed outside.
At this point, her grandfather and Xu Fang were sitting on the couch, playing chess. Seeing her emerge, her grandfather gestured towards the table and said, “Have breakfast.”
Lin Xi Zai obediently responded and saw a bowl of longevity noodles on the table. She walked over and finished the noodles.
The two people in the living room were the type who didn’t speak while playing chess, so the house was very quiet, with only the sound of flowing water from the fish tank.
After Lin Xi Zai finished her noodles, they finished a game of chess.
Lin Xi Zai wiped her mouth with a tissue, then walked over to the couch and threw the tissue in the trash.
“Stinky girl,” her grandfather looked up at Lin Xi Zai, “come here.”
Lin Xi Zai blinked her eyes and walked over. She saw her grandfather, just like in previous years, taking out a bright red envelope from his pocket and handing it to her.
“Nineteen years old now,” her grandfather sighed, “you’re also a grown-up.”
Lin Xi Zai took the red envelope and squatted in front of him, smiling, “I’m still young.”
Her grandfather reached out and patted her head, smiling, “You shameless little brat.”
Lin Xi Zai stood up proudly, took Xu Fang’s place, and then played chess with her grandfather. However, neither of them played seriously, as she kept talking to him about what was happening at school.
After one game, Lin Xi Zai bid farewell to her grandfather and Xu Fang before putting on her coat and leaving the house.
With Xu Fang pulling her along, Lin Xi Zai was absentminded, casually asking, “Where are we going?”
“Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to go to the aquarium?” Xu Fang glanced at her, “Let’s take the bus there now.”
Xu Fang felt that Lin Xi Zai was particularly unusual today.
Although she had been her usual cheerful self, talking as much as usual, and even teasing him occasionally, Xu Fang couldn’t shake the strange feeling in his heart.
As a grown man, he didn’t know whether to be happy or not with his heightened sensitivity to her behavior.
Xu Fang tried to ask a few questions indirectly, but she began to wonder if he was unhappy today.
Xu Fang decided to let it go.
Moreover, compared to usual, her spirits seemed even higher today.
The two of them arrived at the aquarium around lunchtime, and after having lunch, she enthusiastically suggested going to a karaoke bar to sing. After enduring her howling and wailing for the whole afternoon, they had dinner outside.
Next, Lin Xi Zai had no intention of going home.
On this day in previous years, Lin Xi Zai would have made arrangements with all her friends to have a good time outside before returning home on time for dinner at 7 p.m., when her father and mother would come with a cake and gifts to celebrate her birthday.
Unless she stayed at school, she would always return home promptly at 7 p.m.
So at this point, Xu Fang’s strange feeling had become even more pronounced.
Soon after, Lin Xi Zai pulled him to play an escape room nearby. After one round, she still seemed unsatisfied and suggested playing another one with a different theme.
When they came out, it was already 10 p.m.
Xu Fang thought that now they should be heading home.
However, Lin Xi Zai clung to her desire to go to a bar.
This time, Xu Fang had no intention of letting her have her way. He refused her idea with a stern face and was surprised when she responded with a dejected look, saying, “Fine, I’ll go on my own in the future.”
So, he reluctantly took her to a nearby bar.
But once Lin Xi Zai entered, she felt bored again. They didn’t even touch the drinks they ordered and quickly left. She pulled Xu Fang along, walking ahead, and entered a nearby McDonald’s.
At this time, McDonald’s was not as crowded as during the day, with only a few people sitting at a few tables.
When Xu Fang went to the counter to order a set meal, Lin Xi Zai stood by, waiting.
He ordered for Lin Xi Zai, but she seemed to have no appetite and didn’t touch the food. Instead, she engaged in conversation with him enthusiastically, “Have you received your recent exam scores, Pipi?”
Xu Fang glanced at her and replied nonchalantly, “I haven’t checked.”
“Then I’ll check for you!” Lin Xi Zai immediately took out her phone, opened the website, and entered his student ID and password. “Hmm, you’ve received scores for three subjects…”
Apart from the college English course they attended together, the other two subjects were just barely passing.
She stared at those two subjects and furrowed her brow. “Pipi, do you not study normally?”
Xu Fang remained silent.
Unlike regular college students, the future of military cadets was already decided. They had signed agreements with the military, committing to eight years of service after graduation. Afterward, they could choose to transfer or continue their service in the military. As a result, most military cadets didn’t put as much effort into their studies as regular college students.
“You need to work hard,” Lin Xi Zai said sternly, “We have to work hard together. If you don’t study, won’t these four years of college go to waste?”
Xu Fang leaned back, clearly uninterested in hearing her lecture.
Time passed quickly, and Lin Xi Zai’s alarm set for midnight went off. Maybe because it was late, people around them started to leave gradually.
Lin Xi Zai’s gaze shifted, and she quickly turned off the alarm. She continued her sentence hesitantly.
“I’m serious, we need to work hard together…”
She said this slowly, one word at a time. By the end, her voice was trembling, as if she was holding back tears.
Xu Fang, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his head and looked at her, appearing somewhat bewildered. Then, he awkwardly reached out and held her wrist. “Alright, I’ll promise to study harder next semester, okay?”
With her eyes downcast and tears falling, Lin Xi Zai didn’t look at him. She murmured, “I want cake.”
He could probably guess why Lin Xi Zai was in a bad mood today, but he didn’t know what to say to comfort her. What could he say?
All he could do was fulfill all her requests.
After midnight, most of the shops, big and small, had closed their doors.
The commercial street was no longer bustling, and a cold wind blew in front of them. Even though the streetlights were still brightly lit, the area felt dark and eerie.
Xu Fang held Lin Xi Zai’s hand as he used his phone to search for nearby cake shops, calling them one by one. Finally, he saw a comment under one of the shops’ listings that said they were open until midnight.
They bought the last cake from that shop, and Xu Fang took Lin Xi Zai to a nearby 24-hour convenience store, where they found an empty spot to sit.
Her eyes and nose were red, and she opened the cake box by herself.
Xu Fang went to buy a lighter from the store clerk, intending to light a candle for her when he returned. However, when he came back, he saw that she had already picked up a fork and was digging into the cake.
She stopped after a few bites and asked, “Pipi, do you remember I used to have a dog?”
“I remember,” Xu Fang replied, handing her a tissue to wipe off some cream from her hand, “your parents thought they didn’t have time to take care of it, so they gave it to a friend. You used to drag me to that person’s building every day.”
Lin Xi Zai nodded.
Xu Fang asked, “Do you regret it now?”
“No, it was actually great that they gave it away back then,” Lin Xi Zai said while biting the cake, her voice soft and slightly choked, “Otherwise, I might have regretted it later, regretted raising it.”
“…”
“That friend of my dad’s was really good to it.” Lin Xi Zai’s eyelashes quivered, and she continued, “It lived so well there…”
Although she had been unwilling to believe it—
Even though she had been living at her grandfather’s house since the 10th grade, her father and mother would always call her on holidays and find time to see her, wishing her a happy holiday.
But not today.
At this moment, Lin Xi Zai had no choice but to accept it.
Her foster parents, the people she had always believed were her biological parents, regretted adopting her.
Perhaps they believed that if they hadn’t adopted her, Lin Ding’s mental state wouldn’t be as bad as it was now.
If it weren’t for her adoption, their lives would certainly be much better.
Otherwise, why would they have planned to move to another city a few months ago without telling her?
They would have advised Lin Xi Geng to remember to apply to the same university as them after graduating from college. Even if they didn’t plan to take her with them, they didn’t say a word to her about their plans to leave this place.
Lin Xi Zai swallowed what was in her mouth and sniffled. “I want to make a wish.”
Xu Fang restrained his emotions, remained silent, and reached for the uncut portion of the cake, inserting a candle into it and lighting it with the lighter.
“I hope Grandpa lives a long and healthy life, that Geng Geng gets into the university she likes, and that they both stay happy every day,” Lin Xi Zai’s voice, soft and melodic, carried a nasal tone. She shifted her gaze from the cake to him and said with utmost seriousness, “I hope that you and I can grow up a bit faster.”
“Then, I hope that you and I can have a home.”
Xu Fang’s throat bobbed, and he cracked a smile.
“All of those wishes will come true.”
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