Why is there steam? What could be the reason?
Unfortunately, there’s no textbook for dealing with girls.
There’s no way to do homework or conduct research, so some questions, Shen Yao is destined to never have answered.
Cheng Orange changed the subject: “You lost to me a hundred and sixty times today. How do you plan to pay your debt?”
Shen Yao widened his eyes: “When did I lose a hundred and sixty times? At most, eighty times. You’re exaggerating again.”
“Eighty it is, but you already tried to get away with half.” Cheng Orange folded her arms.
“I’ll treat you to milk ice cream.”
“For how long?”
“For a month.”
“No way. It has to be for the entire Summer Vacation. You have to go with me every day,” Cheng Orange said.
“I still have to work, and then there’s Qiao Yunxue…”
“Then at least once every three days, and keep it up for the whole Summer Vacation.” Cheng Orange giggled.
Shen Yao sighed, “Alright, fine.”
Cheng Orange glanced at the sky outside, which was gradually dimming. “What time is it? I have to go home for dinner. Do you want to eat at my place?”
Boys like Shen Yao, introverted yet clever, often had a flaw: sensitive pride.
Even though he knew Cheng Orange’s parents liked him, he still refused to freeload at someone else’s home.
He glanced at his watch and shook his head, “No, I still have to pick up my aunt tonight.” Actually, it was a made-up excuse, but of course Cheng Orange didn’t call him out on it. She only said, “If you get hungry tonight, call me, I’ll take you out for a late-night snack.”
As she said that, she noticed the watch on Shen Yao’s wrist: “Did Qiao Yunxue give that to you?”
Shen Yao nodded.
Cheng Orange joked, “Be careful, there might be a spy device inside. I heard that sort of thing is rampant in foreign countries.”
“That’s just how they show it in movies. Real life isn’t some war action flick.”
Cheng Orange let out an “Oh,” not really agreeing or disagreeing.
She packed up the game console, just in case Shen Yao’s aunt came back and discovered her good nephew had suddenly gone astray.
Then she walked toward the door. Halfway there, she couldn’t help but turn back to look at Shen Yao.
“What is it?” Shen Yao was a bit puzzled. Now that he thought about it, Cheng Orange had been acting strange today—not just her clothes, but her whole behavior.
Cheng Orange looked a little gloomy: “Remember, you have to treat me to milk ice cream for the whole Summer Vacation, and next time you play games, you must beat me. Promise me—don’t break your word.”
Shen Yao couldn’t help but laugh, “Of course. I’ve never broken a promise… except last time.” Was it really worth thinking so much about a few milk ice creams?
“See you tomorrow, then.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Cheng Orange’s house was separated from his by only a wall.
She just had to step out of Shen Yao’s house and walk a few paces to get home, so there was nothing for him to worry about.
Watching Cheng Orange glance back at every step, Shen Yao found it even more amusing.
What was up with this girl today? Did she take the wrong medicine?
Suddenly, his smile faded. Maybe he was the one who took the wrong medicine. After all, he’d really taken milk tablets like medicine.
He pulled out his phone and searched for what Fluvoxamine Tablets tasted like, only to find a post on a forum where a depression patient complained that the medicine was terribly bitter.
The internet really is convenient… No wonder Qiao Yunxue wouldn’t let him register as a member of the Forum Eye of Berlin. She was probably afraid her “pet” would see the truth of the world beyond her.
Rather than a follower, Qiao Yunxue actually seemed to treat him as a kind of personal possession—a tool for finding oddities, for searching for her mother.
At that thought, Shen Yao felt a bit pathetic, and realized Qiao Yunxue was just as pitiful.
He recalled the joke Cheng Orange made before leaving. For some reason, he actually started to worry.
He went to his room, took off his watch, found a screwdriver and tweezers, and carefully opened the back cover.
Seeing the structure inside, Shen Yao let out a breath of relief.
How to say it… this matched his impression of Qiao Yunxue perfectly.
Inside the watch was indeed a miniature Microphone, a Chip.
The watch wasn’t a Mechanical Watch at all, but an Electronic Watch disguised with a mechanical dial.
This was a Listening Device—no, more serious than that, a Spy Device. Cheng Orange was absolutely right.
This watch… was one Qiao Yunxue had especially replaced for him after learning he had Urban Legend Syndrome. Had she planned this all along?
Strangely enough, he felt more relieved than angry—a sense of being liberated after finding the road only to arrive at a cliff, as if he didn’t need to struggle or worry anymore.
Qiao Yunxue could have a hundred reasons to explain why she eavesdropped on Shen Yao. But Shen Yao had only one answer for everything she’d done.
He put the watch back together exactly as it was, without alerting anyone—not even his own heart.
The medicine she gave was fake.
She knew Shen Yao would develop Urban Legend Disorder, but did nothing.
After learning about his illness, she still insisted on taking him to places likely to trigger his fear of deep water.
Deep down, she never trusted anyone but herself. She lacked the ability to love or to be loved, and only found a sense of security by hurting others.
Just like him… utterly hopeless.
He really was foolish. At first, he’d thought Qiao Yunxue was an angel who’d come to enlighten him.
Later, he thought perhaps she was a kindred spirit, a fellow sufferer. Now, it was clear—it had all been one-sided on Shen Yao’s part.
Because of Qiao Yunxue, he’d grown distant from Cheng Orange and made her anxious. Was any of it really worth it?
All for a surge of adolescent hormones, for a faint, blurry crush—was it really worth it?
Today, after spending the whole day with Cheng Orange, he showed no signs of illness. That proved happiness and satisfaction were the best medicine.
The longer he stayed with Qiao Yunxue, the more he’d be dragged into the mire of anxiety.
He went to the kitchen alone, cooked himself a pan of egg fried rice, and, with the aroma of food wafting over from Cheng Orange’s house next door, quietly finished this lonely meal for one.
Sometimes, people who are too similar just can’t be together. They share the same flaws, only hurting each other again and again until nothing remains.
Thinking back, apart from his parents, the two people who brightened his world were Aunt Shen Qingxiao and his childhood friend Cheng Orange.
They were the type who never gave him much anxiety or pressure, always letting their emotions out instead.
Did that mean that, gloomy as he was, he actually preferred more lively people? Not someone as gloomy as Qiao Yunxue.
What a mess.
Is this heartbreak?
Or just another shattered illusion?
Shen Yao quietly finished his meal, washed the dishes, mopped the living room, then sat on the sofa and watched his aunt’s favorite show, “Ultimate Transform Transform.”
He watched all the way until eleven at night before turning off the lights and heading upstairs.
This time, there were no eerie footsteps or voices outside the door. It was utterly quiet.
The moon outside the window was full and bright, and every so often, a cyclist passed by on the street.
Everything was so beautiful, so dreamy—this was what Summer Vacation was supposed to feel like.
He lay on his bed, closed his eyes, and said to himself in his heart:
Good night, Shen Yao.
He would get a good night’s sleep—because tomorrow, he still had to see that woman.
The woman who hurt everyone equally.