Chapter 35: You’re Quite Well-Behaved in Your Actions

“Liuyin? What’s wrong?”

Hearing this question, Yezhe’s face was filled with confusion as he turned to look at the girl beside him.

“It’s nothing, I was just asking… You two only just met, right? How did you get so close already?”

Yudong kept her gaze fixed ahead, her tone as casual as if she’d just tossed out the question without thinking.

“That’s true… Maybe she really thinks of me as her brother?

And when I first met Liuyin, I had this strange feeling I couldn’t put into words… Like I’d seen her before, kind of familiar… That’s about it.”

Yezhe didn’t notice the oddness in the girl’s mood. After pondering for a bit, he answered the question.

“Really?”

It seemed Yudong didn’t quite believe his answer, so she probed again. This time, she shifted her gaze to the boy beside her.

“Would I lie to you about something like this? …Wait a second, you’re not… Are you taking me for a lolicon? Just what do you have going on in that head of yours all day?”

Their gazes met. Seeing Yudong’s forced half-smile, Yezhe figured she was just teasing him and felt a bit speechless.

“No, it’s not that… What about me? How did you feel the first time you saw me?”

Seeing Yezhe looking at her, Yudong’s heart fluttered in panic, afraid that her little secret would be noticed by him…

But what if he did notice?

If that day came, she’d unlock the shackles in her heart and show him everything about herself…

…

“Uh…”

“I guess… I felt a bit sorry for you?”

The answer caught Yudong a bit off guard, but it was still within reason. After a moment of surprise, the girl pressed further.

“Anything else?”

“Like how I was before?”

“Mmm?”

Not getting the answer she wanted, the girl seemed a little unwilling to let it go.

What she really wanted to know was what Yezhe truly felt for her, but reason held her back.

She had to be patient. If she aroused Yezhe’s suspicion now, it would be a waste.

“That’s… all.”

Yezhe thought for a while, but this time he looked a bit troubled, clearly unable to think of anything else.

“I see…”

Not getting the answer she wanted, her voice was tinged with regret, though she didn’t dare show it completely.

Compared to before, her gaze was now tinged with a hint more disappointment.

“We’ve been together so long, would I still lie to you?”

Yezhe glanced at Yudong with a helpless expression.

“Yeah, it’s been so long already…”

…Still haven’t realized?

Should she feel relieved or disappointed?

Their conversation ended in silence as the two of them slowly turned into the small alley they’d walked through earlier.

“What are you planning for Liuyin? At her age, she should still be in school, right? What are you going to do?”

After the autumn wind blew past, a hush settled over the surroundings. It was then that Yudong spoke again.

“School, huh? I’ve thought about it. Maybe I’ll try to sort it out next spring, though if we can manage it this year, that’s fine too.”

“I see, that’s good…”

“It is, but next year I won’t be able to lend money to certain people.”

As she spoke, Yezhe glanced sidelong at Yudong, observing the girl’s expression.

“Uh… Worst case, I’ll just take another part-time job.”

Yep, just as Yezhe had imagined her expression would be.

“Another job? One job’s already more than enough for you, why take two? Don’t you care about your health?”

Yezhe’s voice rose slightly.

“What else can I do… Besides, it’s time I start handling things myself.”

“Then good luck. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Got it… You should also start thinking about yourself sometimes.”

“Alright, alright. I’m thinking about what I want to eat later right now.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“What else would I think about, the future? I can’t possibly have one.”

Unlike his earlier casualness, the boy’s tone was now tinged with helpless self-mockery.

Compared to Yudong, who worked tirelessly every day for her mother, Yezhe was more like a headless fly darting around in a panic.

Before meeting Yudong, he was little more than an empty shell.

A girl striving for the future—a story both inspiring and cruel. Having experienced despair, Yezhe understood this cruelty better than anyone.

So, when he watched the girl struggle against life, when he saw Yudong cry in his arms, a thought unknowingly took root in his heart.

…To help her, until she found happiness.

As for where this kindness came from, honestly, Yezhe himself didn’t know.

After all, the boy who was once lively and full of warmheartedness had been burned to ashes on a certain autumn day years ago.

All that’s left now is a body carrying fragments of his consciousness…

“Uh…”

“Let’s not talk about these heavy topics. Hurry up and go eat…”

“Alright, but you’d better drink with me.”

“You’re really planning to drink?”

“What else? Buy a case and just leave it at home?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Anyway, there’s no work tomorrow… I’ll make you breakfast in the morning!”

Yudong laughed, a newfound lightness in her tone as her hair danced in the air with her head’s movement.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm. No matter what you say, I’m not getting up early tomorrow.”

In her every gesture and movement, the girl exuded a youthful energy.

It should have been a scene worthy of praise, yet it was tinged with a sense of sadness.

How could a girl with a battered heart and worn-out body be connected with the word ‘vitality’?

The lines etched into her cheeks and the heavy dark circles under her eyes, the once jet-black and silky hair now turning yellow under the streetlights.

“You really love sleeping in, huh…”

But she was stubborn to a frightening degree—at least, that’s what Yezhe thought.

“When else are you supposed to sleep if not during the holidays? Besides, compared to me, you need it more, don’t you?”

To give up on your own future and do everything to save your closest family—honestly, Yezhe felt more envy than pity.

“I’m fine, it’s not like insomnia is new to me.”

‘You still have hope. You can’t give up…’

Countless times, these words had rung out in the boy’s heart for the girl.

“Mmm… Just take care of yourself.”

Chatting, the two of them returned to the entrance of their apartment building.

Yudong walked ahead, Yezhe stood behind her, and the girl’s fingertips quickly tapped the numbered plastic buttons on the door, the electronic beeps sounding one after another.

With a click, Yudong grabbed the handle and pulled open the building door.

“Let’s go.”

“Whew, time to eat~ Today really wore me out.”

The voice-activated lights lit up one by one from bottom to top, and the two headed up the stairs, one after another.

“Time to dig in!”

The sound of the lock turning echoed in the stairwell.

Yudong reached out and opened the door, the living room lights first spilling through the crack, then, as the door swung fully open, a bright white glow burst forth, lighting up the whole hallway, making Yezhe squint in discomfort.

“Liuyin, wash your hands and come eat.”

Changing his shoes at the entryway, Yezhe shouted into the living room.

“Okay! Got it!”

No sooner had he finished than a sweet voice mixed with the sounds of a TV fight reached Yezhe’s ears.

The girl sitting in the living room deftly paused the TV and got up to head to the bathroom.

“I’ll go cut the mantou. You turn on the induction cooker, alright?”

Seeing the boy busy with something on his phone, Yudong reminded him. She was feeling a bit hungry herself.

“Got it, got it. If I don’t heat it up now, it’ll get completely cold.”

His fingers swiped quickly across the screen, then he pressed the power button and put away his phone.

“If it gets cold, it won’t taste good.”

With clear division of labor, the two headed into the kitchen.

The pot on the table was already cooling, beads of oil congealing on the surface.

Yezhe switched on the induction cooker while Yudong pulled out a knife from the cabinet, sliced the soft white mantou into pieces, and set them on a plate.

By the time she brought the plate out, Yezhe was already tossing vegetables into the pot, and Liuyin stood quietly watching him from the side.

“It’s so late, who could be knocking?”

Just as she set the plate down, a sudden knock came at the door.

Normally, no one should be coming to this apartment.

“No idea. Maybe some relative? Go check it out? I’m too tired to move.”

“Alright, I’ll take a look.”

So Yudong got up to answer the door.

“Hello, are you Ms. Yu?”

“Ah, yes.”

Seeing the deliveryman at the door, Yudong was puzzled for a moment—she didn’t remember ordering any takeout…

“Hello, your delivery.”

It wasn’t until the deliveryman raised the box that Yudong finally saw what it was.

The name of the shop she passed by every day after work.

Cake, huh…

“Mm, thank you…”

Yudong hesitated as she took the box. As for who bought it… she already had the answer in her heart.

“Yudong, who is it?”

And the culprit was now sitting calm and collected in the dining room…

Still pretending to know nothing even now?

Ha Jizhe, you rascal…