After hanging up the phone, Lin Xi Chi placed her mobile device on the bedside table. The room’s curtains were tightly drawn, allowing no sliver of outside light to penetrate, rendering it pitch black. She kept her eyes open, but there was nothing to see, and for a moment, reality and illusion blurred together.
She didn’t know why Lin Deng had called her.
They had moved from Xicheng to B City in the year 2012, and now, over five years had passed.
Perhaps Lin Deng had moved to a new place, persistently seeing a therapist, meeting many good people, and discovering that this world wasn’t entirely shrouded in darkness.
She had found a glimpse of color.
Slowly, very slowly, she would discover more beautiful and hopeful things.
She no longer shut herself in, no longer channeled all her resentment onto one person, and no longer spent all her time dwelling on the painful past.
She, too, wanted to save herself.
And then, start responding to and embracing this warm world.
Lin Xi Chi checked the time; it was just a little past ten.
Because of the recent phone call, she suddenly lost her sleepiness. She turned on the bedside lamp. Rolling over, she lay on her stomach, placing her mobile phone in front of her eyes, silently staring at the screen.
She counted in silence for tens of seconds, not even a minute.
As if they had some kind of telepathic connection, the phone screen lit up.
Caller ID: Pippi.
Lin Xi Chi curled her lips into a smile and promptly answered the call.
Xu Fang had just finished roll call and taken a shower, then called her. His tone was somewhat relaxed. “What are you up to?”
Lin Xi Chi, hugging her pillow, whispered, “I’m getting ready to sleep.”
“Mmm,” Xu Fang replied, “Talk to me a bit before you sleep.”
Lin Xi Chi mentioned the call from Lin Deng earlier. “Pippi, Lin Deng called me just now.”
Hearing this, Xu Fang paused. “Why did she call you?”
“She apologized to me.”
“…” Xu Fang pursed his lips. “So, how did you respond?”
“I didn’t really say much.”
“You don’t blame her?”
Thinking for a moment, Lin Xi Chi dragged her voice, then quickly said, “I felt a bit upset thinking about that time, but I don’t think much about those things now.”
“…”
“And she was sick, she couldn’t control herself,” Lin Xi Chi scratched her head and recalled past events. “Actually, it was quite obvious when she started going to school in the first year of junior high. She would start screaming if a boy touched her, and her classmates teased her about her feet. Before half a semester passed, she refused to go to school.”
Xu Fang remained silent, listening to her words.
“I felt that she should have seen a doctor earlier.” Lin Xi Chi muttered, “She didn’t listen to me and even said I was wrong. It’s good now.”
“Who said you were wrong?”
Lin Xi Chi blurted out, “My grandma.”
After saying this, she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, her face hidden in the pillow.
Xu Fang left the bed and walked out onto the balcony to talk to her. “You don’t like your grandma?”
Lin Xi Chi raised her head, licked her lips, and cautiously asked, “Is it okay to say this?”
“Yes.”
Lin Xi Chi said cautiously, “I dislike her to some extent.”
Xu Fang raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”
Lin Xi Chi explained, “No, this kind of dislike means I won’t actively seek her out, won’t greet her during the New Year, and won’t financially support her in her old age.”
“Who says you won’t?”
Lin Xi Chi clarified, “It’s a different kind of dislike. The kind where if she falls down and can’t get up, I won’t help her up. That’s what I call ‘really’ disliking someone.”
With this, Lin Xi Chi’s expression turned stern as she began to scold him, “Don’t contradict me, and if I dislike someone, you should too.”
On this side, Xu Fang chuckled silently, his voice carrying a gentle tone. “Got it.”
Once the floodgates were open, Lin Xi Chi decided to share everything on her mind with him, scrunching her nose as she continued, “My parents aren’t really that dislikable, I just wish they’d stop bothering me.”
Her voice dropped lower, “It’s a bit annoying.”
She had lived like this for so many years.
At first, it might have been tough, hard to endure. But over time, she suddenly realized that without those few people, her life didn’t seem to be significantly affected.
She could still live very well, she still had important people in her life, and she still had someone who cherished her.
“And Lin Deng,” Lin Xi Chi scratched her face, contemplating for a moment, “Although I don’t really dislike her, I don’t dislike her enough to want to see her again.”
This was the first time she had brought up these things to herself, expressing her innermost thoughts to him without reservation.
Xu Fang’s eyes softened, indulging her.
“So, in the future, we won’t see them.”
“In the future, Grandpa is the most important.” Lin Xi Chi chose not to dwell on those matters and turned to talk about the people she liked. “Pippi and Geng Geng are tied for second place… Oh, I need to pick a third place, just having the top two seems a bit stingy.”
The bedside lamp wasn’t very bright, most of the room was dimly lit, and apart from her voice, there was no other sound. Xu Fang didn’t say much, simply listening to her.
It was dark and quiet.
Gradually, Lin Xi Chi’s drowsiness crept up on her. She slowly closed her eyes and mumbled softly, “By the way, let Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu be in third place—anyway, they will be my parents in the future.”
“Okay.”
Lin Xi Chi fell silent, as if she had fallen asleep. Xu Fang could still hear her even and gentle breathing.
He curled up a smile, but didn’t want to hang up the phone.
After a while, Lin Xi Chi spoke again, her voice hazy as if she were extremely tired. “Pippi, did my dad call you?”
Xu Fang was momentarily taken aback but nodded. “Yes.”
She didn’t say anything more.
This time, it seemed like she was really asleep.
She appeared to be completely indifferent to this matter, mentioning it casually. She believed he was strong enough to handle everything and trusted that if he encountered any difficult decisions, he would discuss them with her.
She believed that regardless of what he heard, he would not waver in their relationship.
The night breeze was slightly cool, and the crescent moon hung in the sky.
In the tranquility of the night, Xu Fang lowered his eyelids, reached up to touch his head, and suddenly laughed.
“Your dad told me to wait until I transfer out before marrying you.”
“By then, I’ll be at least thirty years old.”
“Am I a fool?”
…
—”To put it bluntly, if you have an accident during your future missions, what will she do?”
—”Of course, I’m not saying you should separate, but I hope that before you transfer out, you can temporarily put off the topic of marriage—it might affect Chi Chi’s life in the future.”
…
With this, Lin Xi Chi’s expression turned stern as she began to scold him, “Don’t contradict me, and if I dislike someone, you should too.”
On this side, Xu Fang chuckled silently, his voice carrying a gentle tone. “Got it.”
Once the floodgates were open, Lin Xi Chi decided to share everything on her mind with him, scrunching her nose as she continued, “My parents aren’t really that dislikable, I just wish they’d stop bothering me.”
Her voice dropped lower, “It’s a bit annoying.”
She had lived like this for so many years.
At first, it might have been tough, hard to endure. But over time, she suddenly realized that without those few people, her life didn’t seem to be significantly affected.
She could still live very well, she still had important people in her life, and she still had someone who cherished her.
“And Lin Deng,” Lin Xi Chi scratched her face, contemplating for a moment, “Although I don’t really dislike her, I don’t dislike her enough to want to see her again.”
This was the first time she had brought up these things to herself, expressing her innermost thoughts to him without reservation.
Xu Fang’s eyes softened, indulging her.
“So, in the future, we won’t see them.”
“In the future, Grandpa is the most important.” Lin Xi Chi chose not to dwell on those matters and turned to talk about the people she liked. “Pippi and Geng Geng are tied for second place… Oh, I need to pick a third place, just having the top two seems a bit stingy.”
The bedside lamp wasn’t very bright, most of the room was dimly lit, and apart from her voice, there was no other sound. Xu Fang didn’t say much, simply listening to her.
It was dark and quiet.
Gradually, Lin Xi Chi’s drowsiness crept up on her. She slowly closed her eyes and mumbled softly, “By the way, let Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu be in third place—anyway, they will be my parents in the future.”
“Okay.”
Lin Xi Chi fell silent, as if she had fallen asleep. Xu Fang could still hear her even and gentle breathing.
He curled up a smile, but didn’t want to hang up the phone.
After a while, Lin Xi Chi spoke again, her voice hazy as if she were extremely tired. “Pippi, did my dad call you?”
Xu Fang was momentarily taken aback but nodded. “Yes.”
She didn’t say anything more.
This time, it seemed like she was really asleep.
She appeared to be completely indifferent to this matter, mentioning it casually. She believed he was strong enough to handle everything and trusted that if he encountered any difficult decisions, he would discuss them with her.
She believed that regardless of what he heard, he would not waver in their relationship.
The night breeze was slightly cool, and the crescent moon hung in the sky.
In the tranquility of the night, Xu Fang lowered his eyelids, reached up to touch his head, and suddenly laughed.
“Your dad told me to wait until I transfer out before marrying you.”
“By then, I’ll be at least thirty years old.”
“Am I a fool?”
…
—”To put it bluntly, if you have an accident during your future missions, what will she do?”
—”Of course, I’m not saying you should separate, but I hope that before you transfer out, you can temporarily put off the topic of marriage—it might affect Chi Chi’s life in the future.”
…
- “I’m sorry, I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll marry her before the next spring.”
- “I’ve made her wait for a long time.”
- “I won’t delay it anymore.”
The next day, Lin Xichi got up early in the morning. After packing her things, she went to the front desk to check out, had breakfast nearby, and then hailed a taxi to the airport.
After passing through security, Lin Xichi waited in the airport lounge.
Xu Fang was an early riser, and as soon as he got up, he started bombarding her with calls, urging her to get up and not to linger in bed. It was as if he considered her a complete fool, sending her reminders from time to time about what she should be doing.
Now, he had sent another message asking her: [Have you boarded yet?]
Lin Xichi: [Not yet.]
After a while, she suddenly remembered something: [Oh, I forgot to buy insurance.]
Xu Fang: […]
She opened Alipay, selected a “10 million global air travel insurance,” made the payment, and then sent a screenshot to Xu Fang.
Lin Xichi was quite serious: [If the plane crashes later…]
Lin Xichi: [You can claim the 10 million.]
Xu Fang: “…”
He must be crazy.
After getting off the plane, Lin Xichi didn’t rush home. Instead, she made a detour to her grandfather’s house. She thought she might meet Lin Xigeng, but it turned out that Lin Xigeng had already gone to school, and they just missed each other.
Lin Xichi had dinner with her grandfather, and they had a brief conversation.
Since she had to go to work the next day, Lin Xichi didn’t stay over at her grandfather’s place. At around nine o’clock, she bid farewell to her grandfather and returned home.
The small house had been vacant for a few days, and the air inside was a bit stale.
Lin Xichi opened the windows to let in some fresh air. She decided to tidy up the living room, and once she got started, she ended up cleaning the entire house. After cleaning the living room, she glanced around and then entered the bedroom.
Lin Xichi threw away some unused items into the trash can and suddenly noticed the combination lockbox that Xu Fang had given her, which she had placed on the corner of the desk.
She picked it up.
Over the past few days in B City, she hadn’t tried several numbers.
Let’s try 0528, 0529, 0530, 0531.
Oh, none of them worked.
Lin Xichi sat down on a chair with the box in her arms, and for a moment, she forgot Xu Fang’s instructions. She started trying other numbers.
It should be Xu Fang’s birthday, right? It was also the day they got together.
So, let’s try 1024.
… No, that’s not it either.
Could it be her birthday? But that’s next year!
Oh, she was probably being overly sentimental, and that wasn’t it either.
Xu Fang had kept something important in this box for so long, and she felt that it must be significant. The day he chose to open the box, he must have been sure that he would be with her.
It should be when he came back after graduation, right?
It couldn’t just be any random number.
The next romantic day would be Qixi, but it was already the end of August this year, and by then, he must have gone to the military.
Lin Xichi stubbornly tried again.
Sigh.
She looked exhausted and tossed the box aside.
This month, the hospital was unusually less busy than usual.
Lin Xichi didn’t have to work long hours like before. She would leave work promptly at six, prepare herself some food, take a shower, and then have a lot of free time.
On this day, Lin Xichi was lying on her bed, holding her laptop and watching a variety show. Just as she was about to get up and grab a bottle of yogurt from the kitchen, her phone beeped with the QQ notification sound.
Lin Xichi glanced at her phone and found a message from Lin Xigeng.
The two of them rarely used QQ to communicate, so Lin Xichi was curious about what she wanted.
She opened the message.
Lin Xigeng: [Xichi, I have a friend who wants to borrow ten thousand yuan from me. I don’t have that much money right now. Can you transfer it for me? I’ll pay you back in a few days.]
Lin Xichi: “…”
She turned to WeChat to tell Lin Xigeng: [Friend, my QQ account got hacked.]
Lin Xichi also opened QQ briefly but didn’t bother replying to the hacked account. She had registered this QQ account back in primary school and continued to use it until high school.
When she entered university and started using WeChat, she stopped using QQ actively.
As a result, most of her friends in the QQ contact list were from primary school, junior high school, and high school.
Lin Xichi casually checked her own profile and suddenly noticed her nickname: 0710.
She blinked, trying to remember the significance of this number, but it eluded her.
Coincidentally, Lin Xigeng had replied: […Speechless.]
Lin Xigeng: [You’re still using ‘Xichi’…]
Lin Xigeng: [I feel like throwing up…]
“…?”
Lin Xichi couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. She took a screenshot of her nickname and asked: [What does this 0710 mean?]
Lin Xigeng: [You’re so unconventional.]
Lin Xichi: [“???”]
Lin Xigeng: [You used to brag about it to me.]
Lin Xigeng: [You said 0 stands for Lin, 7 stands for Xi, and 10 stands for Chi, and it sounds like your name.]
Lin Xigeng: [You said my name, Geng, didn’t have any numbers to replace, it’s lame.]
“…”
Was she really like that before?
Lin Xichi raised her eyes and once again noticed the box placed on the table. Her heart skipped a beat, and she got up, feeling a strong premonition. She placed her phone on the table and picked up the box.
She used her fingertip to push the wheel.
0, 7, 1, 0.
Her eyes didn’t blink as she nervously licked her lips.
She reached out and turned the top dial.
Click.
It opened.
Just at that moment, as if he had sensed her actions, her phone on the table vibrated.
It was a call from Xu Fang.
Lin Xichi glanced at her phone, her breath catching. She couldn’t dare to look at the contents of the box, hastily fumbling with the dial to lock it back up.
She felt like Xu Fang was omniscient. As soon as she answered the call, she denied her actions, “I didn’t do anything, I haven’t, I haven’t done anything.”
“… What did you do?” Xu Fang was taken aback.
Lin Xichi was afraid of being scolded, so she closed her mouth and didn’t say anything.
But Xu Fang didn’t press further. He seemed to be in a good mood, his tone higher than usual, carrying a hint of a smile, “The job placement results are out.”
Lin Xichi exclaimed, “Where did you get assigned?”
“Yuangang City.”
“…” Lin Xichi fell silent for a few seconds and didn’t react. “It’s the neighboring city, right? The city where we attended university together.”
“Yes.”
Lin Xichi remained silent for a few more seconds and suddenly said, “I’m getting excited now. Can I say a dirty word?”
“No.” Xu Fang chuckled lightly, his words deliberate, “I’ll be back in a couple of days—”
His voice trailed off, as if he was talking about something long-awaited.
“Wait for me.”
Xu Fang’s flight was scheduled for the morning of the 13th. When he arrived in Xicheng, Lin Xichi was still at work, unable to pick him up. He didn’t mind, he just informed Lin Xichi and went home on his own.
After finishing work, Lin Xichi left the hospital and saw Xu Fang standing at the entrance not long after their last meeting. His appearance hadn’t changed at all, standing tall and straight, his short hair revealing a smooth forehead, giving him a crisp and clear look.
Lin Xichi ran over to him and threw herself into his arms, smiling, “Let’s go, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow, also smiling, “I’ll treat you.”
They went to a nearby homely restaurant to have dinner. Throughout the meal, Xu Fang kept serving her dishes, his expression inscrutable. His dark, shiny eyes were fixed on her as if she were the dinner. “Eat more.”
Xu Fang’s demeanor left Lin Xichi feeling uncomfortable.
When they returned home, after Lin Xichi had taken off her shoes, Xu Fang bent over and carried her into the bathroom, saying gently, “Go take a shower.”
Lin Xichi was taken aback, standing still and saying, “I haven’t brought my clothes yet.”
He raised his chin slightly, indicating for her to look up.
Lin Xichi looked up and suddenly noticed that her change of clothes had already been placed on the shelf.
At the same time, Xu Fang closed the bathroom door.
… What’s going on?
Lin Xichi took a somewhat bewildered shower.
When she came out, Xu Fang had seamlessly entered the bathroom, and before entering, he had picked up her head and kissed her on the forehead, “Wait for me.”
Lin Xichi, still bewildered, went back to her room to blow-dry her hair. After drying her hair halfway, Xu Fang still hadn’t come out.
So, she left her room and happened to see a bag on the coffee table, which seemed to be from a supermarket Xu Fang had visited earlier. She opened the bag and saw mostly snacks she liked.
Idle and with nothing else to do, she decided to tidy up the items.
Lin Xichi picked up the bag and walked over to the TV cabinet, placing the items one by one inside.
Potato chips.
Chocolate.
Oreos.
…
…
Wafer biscuits.
Condoms.
…
Lin Xichi froze in place, then picked up the items in her hand again, thinking to ask him if he had accidentally picked up the wrong ones.
Xu Fang raised an eyebrow and drawled with a teasing tone, “This one—”
His head lowered slightly, and the warm breath landed on her neck, seemingly deliberate.
“Do you want to use them together?”
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