Chapter 9

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As a result, Lin Sheng called a locksmith with a single phone call and swiftly replaced the lock in no more than twenty minutes. Xu Xieyi went inside to find some pocket money left by her parents to pay the locksmith, but when she came out, Lin Sheng had already settled the bill, and the locksmith was gone.

She held two hundred yuan in her hand, seeing Lin Sheng sitting on their worn-out sofa, elbows on knees, eyelashes drooping.

Brother Lin works incredibly fast—it’s as if any trouble is just a casual matter for him.

Xu Xieyi thought to herself, pursing her lips as she approached and handed over the money for the lock replacement. “Brother Lin, please accept the money. I already feel bad troubling you to come all the way here, so I can’t let you pay too.”

Lin Sheng looked up after a moment, his sharp brows and starry eyes serious when not smiling. “Keep it yourself. Buy something you need.”

“I don’t really need anything. Please take it,” Xu Xieyi insisted, trying to pass him the money again.

“If math is giving you trouble, then use it to buy some practice papers. Study well.”

Xu Xieyi felt a chill at her crown, her eyes going blank.

“...Math practice papers?”

Then she noticed the faint smile hidden in Lin Sheng’s eyes.

She was confused, unsure if he was joking or teasing her, because he didn’t look like the type to joke around.

Xu Xieyi silently studied Lin Sheng to confirm her suspicion, but he gave her no chance. He lowered his clear black eyes, picked up a half-empty pack of cigarettes from the coffee table, and raised an eyebrow at the girl. “Mind if I have a smoke?”

Xu Xieyi placed her hands neatly on her knees and shook her head side to side.

His respectful demeanor made Lin Sheng somewhat amused and helpless.

She really seemed afraid of him.

Lin Sheng knew well that Xu Xieyi wasn’t as obedient as she appeared. The fact that she could make decisions on her own, save money, and seek him out showed she was very thoughtful and planned ahead.

Xu Xieyi was just like many children who restrained themselves and behaved better in front of their elders.

“Where are your parents?” Lin Sheng interrupted her silent scrutiny.

“They’re busy starting a business and have gone to Tengchuan. They only come back once a week or two.”

“So it’s just you at home?”

“Yeah, most of the time.”

Lin Sheng glanced at the Xu family home. Although modestly furnished, everything was neatly arranged and clean. You wouldn’t guess it was maintained by a teenage girl.

Every family has its own difficult stories. The Xu family had gone from a villa-owning small business owner to moving here, surely experiencing great upheavals.

No wonder this girl exuded a calm and mature aura. It wasn’t easy.

Lin Sheng felt a lightness in his chest.

“Aren’t you afraid to be alone at night?” he asked after finishing his observation.

“Not really.” Xu Xieyi sat up straight and smiled faintly. “I was scared at first, but I’ve gotten used to it now.”

Lin Sheng smiled. “If you ever feel scared again, just call me.”

Xu Xieyi blinked.

Lin Sheng was somewhat surprised; the girl’s gaze seemed to be examining him.

He lowered his head and smiled, finding it amusing that such a little girl wanted to see through him.

After sitting for a few more minutes, Lin Sheng elbowed his knee, rubbing his temple as he seemed a bit weary.

Xu Xieyi noticed the obvious redness and tiredness in his eyes, signs of a cold. She’d picked up earlier that his voice was hoarse.

Just as she was about to ask if he was feeling unwell, Lin Sheng’s phone rang.

It was Chu Yuefei calling. The wealthy second-generation kids from the north who had come yesterday wanted to hang out with Lin Sheng—a group of twenty-something rich young men, unmarried and wild.

Expecting the conversation might be inappropriate, Lin Sheng stepped away, answering the call on the balcony.

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Chu Yuefei’s voice was half-mocking. “They want real schoolgirls, like sixteen or seventeen-year-olds. They asked if our heartthrob Lin has any experience.”

Children raised in the military compound had very upright values.

Lin Sheng leaned against the railing. “Ha! I’m no beast. I don’t have time to deal with their nonsense.”

Inside, Xu Xieyi faintly heard a warning sound.

Lin Sheng didn’t stay on the call long and soon reentered the living room.

In that short time, Xu Xieyi had neatly folded the shirt he lent her and handed it back. “Thank you for the shirt.”

Lin Sheng took it, placing it over his forearm with a gentle smile. “You’re welcome.”

Xu Xieyi studied him, guessing what he might have said on the phone that involved those two words. Brother Lin was such a gentle and refined person...

She accompanied Lin Sheng to the door. “Brother Lin, you’ve helped me again today. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Having just caught a cold breeze on the balcony while taking the call, Lin Sheng felt dizzy and didn’t hear clearly. As he changed shoes by the door, he lazily looked back. “What?”

Xu Xieyi, barely reaching his shoulder in height and standing close, had to look up. “I said I don’t know how to thank you, Brother Lin.”

“Oh? How so?”

“You helped me again today. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know where I’d sleep tonight,” she said honestly, unsure why Lin Sheng repeated his question, especially with such a pale face.

“And the last time, and the time before that—you said you’d help me with surgery in the future, Brother Lin.”

She counted carefully, half gratitude and half reminder, so Lin Sheng wouldn’t forget their agreement. After all, they hadn’t been in contact for a long time, and she was afraid he might deny it.

She knew well from childhood how complicated adults could be, often not keeping their promises. For example, the red envelopes her parents “kept” for her were never returned.

Lin Sheng saw through her little scheme, resting one hand on the doorframe, his increasingly dizzy gaze looking down at the much shorter girl. “You’re really eager to thank me, huh...”

Xu Xieyi nodded sincerely.

Lin Sheng smiled with a hint of nonchalance, then suddenly bent down.

Xu Xieyi was startled as a heavy weight pressed on her shoulder—a man’s large hand.

She panicked, looking up into a faint scent and the breath of a man brushing against her lips.

Her mind went numb. “Bro-Brother Lin!”

Lin Sheng swayed slightly from dizziness, not paying attention to the distance between them, burying his face near hers. “Then now, properly thank me…”

—

The electric kettle was a bit old, taking over ten minutes to boil.

Xu Xieyi plugged it in and hurried to wash her hair in the bathroom, but when she came out, the water hadn’t started boiling.

She glanced at the sofa; Lin Sheng was sitting with elbows on knees, head resting in his hands, eyes closed, resting.

Earlier, Lin Sheng had leaned down and, in a hoarse voice, told her to boil some hot water and get some cold medicine—that would be thanks enough.

She had already noticed he wasn’t quite right; it turned out he really caught a cold.

The water boiled, gurgling loudly before the kettle clicked off.

Xu Xieyi poured most of the hot water into a glass, but it was too hot to drink.

She looked back at Lin Sheng on the sofa, hesitating to go over, her mind flashing back to that moment when he bent close, his scorching breath near her ear...

Good heavens.

Her heart raced wildly!

At that instant, so close, she saw his eyeballs and eyelashes clearly. His black pupils were somewhat dog-like...

Xu Xieyi covered her face, blushing lightly, softly muttering to herself, “No wonder Brother Lin is so charming...”

That older sister must really like him—he looked pitiful. Xu Xieyi touched the two bags of cold medicine packets in her hand.

She hadn’t gotten sick despite the rain, but he had.

Kind of... delicate.

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—

While waiting for the water to cool and medicine to mix, Lin Sheng rested against the sofa, taking a brief nap.

Xu Xieyi didn’t dare disturb him, so she used the hairdryer in the living room to dry her hair.

Lin Sheng heard the sound of the dryer and opened his eyes slightly, still dizzy.

Xu Xieyi wore a floral dress her mother had outgrown, her long hair draping down, making her look much more mature.

Lin Sheng watched the girl’s fair fingers as she ran them through her soft long hair—her fair neck, two small collarbone dimples.

It seemed the light falling on her made everything gentler.

His gaze deepened.

This girl was actually quite beautiful: pure, natural, with a soft voice and an inexplicable tranquility.

But until now, Lin Sheng had never looked at her as a woman, so he overlooked all these qualities.

Xu Xieyi quickly dried her hair and tied it into a high ponytail with a black hairband, revealing her youthful age.

Lin Sheng lowered his eyes, a teasing, lingering smile on his lips as he picked up a lighter.

A girl is just a little girl.

Xu Xieyi touched the glass; the water was still hot, so she took a packet of cold medicine, dividing it into portions inside a plastic bag, planning to tidy up and give it to Lin Sheng later.

Once she finished, she checked the cup again—the temperature was just right.

She stirred the medicine into the water with a spoon.

“Brother Lin, the medicine is ready.”

Xu Xieyi pushed the cup towards him, encouraging carefully since she knew Lin Sheng was picky. “Don’t worry, it’s sweet, not bitter at all.”

“Is that so?” Lin Sheng looked at her with a hint of scrutiny.

“Yes, yes,” Xu Xieyi smiled brightly. “Besides, good medicine tastes bitter. Even if it’s a little bitter, you should bear with it.”

Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow.

He found her childlike coaxing amusing.

—

After that day, Lin Sheng’s cold lasted several days. He took some time off and, invited by a friend, joined a biotechnology company but wasn’t idle.

Occasionally, when he happened to check WeChat, unexpected messages would appear.

That little girl who had never dared to contact him before now reminded him to drink water and take medicine at just the right times every day—very thoughtful.

[Brother Lin, are you feeling better today? Does your head still hurt? (*￣︶￣)]

[Remember to take your medicine on time today too! Bitter medicine cures sickness (*≧▽≦)]

[After this packet, there are three more. Keep it up ↖(^w^)↗]

She had sent one just now.

[Brother Lin, remember to sleep early and drink plenty of water. [Fist] Fight the illness! (-w‘) Good night]

“Ah Sheng, what are you smiling at?”

At Chu Yuefei’s birthday party that evening, surrounded by many men and women, he asked Lin Sheng, “Aren’t you sick? You look pretty cheerful.”

Lin Sheng put away his phone and said seriously, “Nothing, just that recently…” He paused, “I’ve learned a lot of emoji faces.”

“Emoji faces?”

His friends were confused, and Lin Sheng didn’t bother to explain, thinking of the sleepy eye-rubbing emoji from before, and he couldn’t help but smile.