Chapter 15

Click.

With a press of the switch, the desk lamp lit up.

Xu Xiyi tilted her head down to look at the bulb, the bright white light dazzling her eyes.

“The quality is really good,” she murmured.

She wasn’t used to a desk lamp that lit up instantly with just a press.

She recalled the old lamp at home—it always took several slaps to get it to turn on.

Thinking of home, Xu Xiyi sighed and pulled out her unfinished math test from her bag.

She studied the problems carefully, her pen tip tracing over each word, quietly reciting, “In the triangular prism ABC–A₁B₁C₁, the quadrilateral ABB₁A₁ is a rectangle with side length 2…”

Though she hadn’t figured out the solution yet, she wrote the word “Solution,” propped her chin on her hand, and reread the problem word by word. After some thought, she worked through the calculations on scrap paper and neatly copied the final answer onto the test sheet. She corrected every mistake meticulously with correction tape. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had spent over twenty minutes on this one problem.

She sighed at the paper.

“So slow…”

“Is the lamp working well, Xiyi?” a cheerful voice suddenly came from behind, accompanied by footsteps.

A warm aroma of nourishing soup filled the room.

Xu Xiyi sniffed and turned around. “Godmother.”

Dujuan responded happily and continued, “If it’s not good, I can bring a new one tomorrow.”

“This lamp’s fine; no need to replace it,” Xu Xiyi quickly replied.

“Really? I was worried it was broken.”

Dujuan propped herself on the desk and placed a steaming bowl of herbal chicken stew in front of Xu Xiyi.

“This lamp belonged to Asheng back in high school. That makes it almost ten years old. Ah, things from back then were just well made.”

Xu Xiyi was surprised. “This is Brother Lin’s lamp?”

“Yes.”

Dujuan’s face lit up with a warm smile, her eyes bright. She was a smooth operator, adept at handling situations with grace.

“Asheng was really hardworking in high school, often studying past eleven at night,” she said.

“There aren’t that many geniuses in the world. Don’t just look at how smart your Brother Lin Sheng is now or how successful he’s become—he worked hard back then too.” Dujuan nodded in agreement, “Studying medicine is especially tough!”

Xu Xiyi found these words encouraging.

Then, a pang of discouragement struck her: a genius working until eleven and still ranking first, while she, working just as hard until now, could only manage a mediocre score.

Encouraged, Xu Xiyi ate the bowl of soup. Dujuan said a few words and left, not wanting to disturb her studying.

After Dujuan left, Xu Xiyi glanced down at her chest, frowned, and muttered to herself,

“I’m drinking that nutrition, not for you…”

—

By the time Xu Xiyi finished the test, it was quite late. The Lin residence had fallen completely silent.

She quietly came out of the bathroom after washing up, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a light shining at the end of the corridor.

A gentle breeze blew in; she felt goosebumps on her arm. Behind that door seemed to be an outdoor balcony.

Curious, Xu Xiyi quietly walked toward it.

Then she realized—

She wasn’t the only one awake.

The balcony was spacious. Lin Sheng leaned against the railing, his face tilted up to feel the breeze under the night sky.

His elbow rested on the railing, and his dangling fingers casually held a wine glass.

He looked relaxed and leisurely.

On the small table sat a bottle of brandy; on the ground were potted green plants, faintly visible in the night.

Xu Xiyi inhaled, catching the scent of alcohol drifting from Lin Sheng in the breeze.

It was rich and mellow.

—

On the wall near the bed hung a circular wooden carving of a “Koi and Peony” design.

—

Xu Xiyi glanced twice as she reached to turn off the bedside lamp.

The room was furnished entirely in traditional Chinese style—exquisite and sturdy, yet somehow giving a feeling of overly strict formality and restraint.

She turned off the light and pulled up the quilt, but couldn’t fall asleep.

Her mind lingered on the image she’d just seen—Lin Sheng, gazing up at the wind, the sharp line of his jaw down to his Adam’s apple, distinctly angular.

He was a doctor. Though sometimes appearing lazy, he still carried an aura of discipline and cleanliness.

Xu Xiyi lay on her side for two minutes but still couldn’t sleep, so she took out her phone.

A small rectangle of light illuminated the darkness as she opened WeChat to check messages from her parents. They had sent photos tonight—the train heading to Tibet was already halfway there.

Then, almost instinctively, she opened Lin Sheng’s WeChat Moments.

Most posts were related to medicine; the few personal updates were ones she’d seen before.

She cupped her face in her hands, staring at Lin Sheng’s Moments and thinking:

- Brother Lin is getting a bit old, isn’t he?

- He never posts personal updates.

Some boys in their class posted ten times a day, all unique, sharing every mood and feeling, so lively.

But Lin Sheng’s Moments were just two words: “Deep.”

No posts about his inner thoughts or emotions.

Xu Xiyi looked for a while but found nothing meaningful and finally went to sleep.

—

At dawn,

Dujuan yawned, sitting in the living room in her robe. Nearby, Aunt Zhang was setting the breakfast table during a lull in making soy milk.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps came from the stairs; both women looked up.

A young man in a black sports hoodie descended. Although they had long been accustomed to living under the same roof, they couldn’t help but glance twice.

Dujuan stood, hands clasped politely in front, and smiled gently, “Going for a run, Asheng?”

She rarely asked about his affairs, so Lin Sheng just glanced at her and said, “Yeah.”

“Well…” Dujuan glanced at the stairs. “How about waiting for your sister to join you?”

Lin Sheng said nothing, and Dujuan smiled, “High school seniors sit studying all day with little exercise. When you come back to live here, take her along for a run.”

Lin Sheng looked at her with understanding.

Dujuan frowned slightly, disliking that look from her stepson. He was too smart, seeing through her careful smoothness and occasional pretense, making their interactions awkward.

Fortunately, Lin Sheng smiled faintly, “Okay. I’ll wait for Xiyi then.”

Dujuan breathed a sigh of relief and watched Lin Sheng walk toward the sofa.

“She should be down soon. The kid gets up early.”

Lin Sheng nodded and sat down to read today’s newspaper.

Households subscribing to newspapers these days were rare, but the Lin family was an exception.

Dujuan studied Lin Sheng’s features and thought she could see traces of his biological mother in his eyes. She frowned, then resigned herself. Remarriage was her own choice, no one was to blame.

She had insisted on adopting her goddaughter. If Xu Xiyi wasn’t welcomed at home, it would be a slap to her own face.

Besides… her home felt empty, and she truly liked this young girl.

—

As a surgeon, Lin Sheng’s work demanded great physical and mental stamina. He’d always maintained good fitness and made time to exercise even when busy.

Xu Xiyi hadn’t expected that when Dujuan suggested she go running, she would actually be running alongside Lin Sheng!

When she came downstairs, Lin Sheng had already been waiting for a few minutes, making it hard for her to decline. She steeled herself and followed behind him out the door.

The running path was a winding trail through the woods, lined with four-leaf clovers.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and there were only a few people around.

Xu Xiyi stopped under a tree.

“Brother Lin, maybe I’ll just wait here for you?”

Lin Sheng turned, looking down at her, managing a habitual smile.

“Why? Didn’t you say you wanted to run?”

—

Embarrassed to tell the truth, Xu Xiyi mumbled vaguely, “I just… suddenly don’t feel well…”

It was still dark; the streetlights were on.

The early morning air was cool and refreshing as it filled her lungs.

The girl looked down at the ground; Lin Sheng lowered his gaze to her, and they both understood.

By his age, men and women no longer worried about such things.

In fact, their attitudes were often quite the opposite… after all, desire was part of human nature.

Her condition was actually not bad.

Lin Sheng thought of a few people who might be suitable to help ease her mind.

Xu Xiyi, of course, had no idea what he was thinking and waited for his response.

Then Lin Sheng smiled lightly.

“Alright, you rest on the bench for a while. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”

Xu Xiyi felt as if a great burden was lifted and smiled up at him.

At that moment, a young couple out for a run recognized Lin Sheng.

“Hey! Good morning, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Sheng turned, “Morning.”

“Running alone again? Come run with us.”

The young man stepped forward and then spotted the girl Lin Sheng had been shielding.

His eyes lit up. “The girlfriend finally shows up?”

Xu Xiyi was startled, and Lin Sheng was surprised too, clearly stating, “She’s my sister.”

The young man noticed Xu Xiyi’s No. 2 High School uniform and suddenly understood, apologizing repeatedly.

The woman’s gaze shifted to Xu Xiyi. “What grade are you in?”

“Senior year.”

“Senior year… such a youthful time.” The woman sighed nostalgically, then exchanged knowing looks with her husband, apparently high school classmates reminiscing about their youth.

Early autumn mornings were chilly; Xu Xiyi instinctively rubbed her arm.

Lin Sheng glanced at her while talking with the couple.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xu Xiyi saw something handed to her and immediately looked up.

Lin Sheng looked down at her, his usually indifferent smile softening just a bit.

“Hold this for me.”

“Oh! Okay.”

Xu Xiyi quickly took the black hoodie, watching Lin Sheng jog away. She lowered her eyes, feeling the residual warmth.

Dujuan waited in the living room for a while and chatted with Aunt Zhang, saying she’d take a nap after Xiyi and Lin Sheng left, since they had been getting up too early these days.

Then she saw the two return.

She paid special attention to Xu Xiyi, who was wearing Lin Sheng’s oversized black hoodie.

While Lin Sheng went upstairs to shower, Dujuan smiled and asked Xu Xiyi, who was drinking soy milk, “How was the run with your brother?”

“Pretty good, Godmother.”

Dujuan nodded and smiled. “It’s cold in the morning, isn’t it?”

“A little,” Xu Xiyi replied, looking up from her bowl.

Dujuan brushed away some stray hair from her cheek, thinking that if she had a child, they would be about this age—so youthful and vibrant, truly delightful.

“Although your Brother Lin doesn’t say much, he’s very gentlemanly. He’ll take care of you. You don’t have to be so formal with him, okay?” She glanced at Lin Sheng’s hoodie beside her and said this to Xu Xiyi.

Xu Xiyi reacted and suddenly understood.

It turned out Lin Sheng had deliberately given it to her to wear.

—

Morning self-study had just ended, and the classroom was filled with the aroma of breakfast buns.

Xu Xiyi reached out and opened the window to let in fresh air.

The cool, damp air blew in, and outside, a light rain was falling.

Zhang Xiaoli, holding a physics book, turned and elbowed her desk.

“Hey, Xu Xu, who’s the handsome guy that’s been taking you to school these days?”