Chapter 56

The hallway wasn't very warm, and although the only window was closed, it was inevitably drafty due to its age.

You Congxi had just taken off her hat, and all the heat that had been building up on her head was gone. The draft leaking through the window made her shiver.

"...Why are you waiting for me?" You Congxi put her hands in her pockets, glanced quickly at the boy who had stood up, and then pretended to look at the scenery and moved to the window.

"I'll wait for you to come home," Shen Yue said.

He spoke these words with a tone that was somewhat like a lonely, wistful husband guarding his home late at night, his voice soft and indifferent.

You Congxi didn't know what she was feeling guilty about. She coughed lightly and subconsciously tried to tuck her hair behind her ears, but she forgot that both her hands were in her pockets. When she reached out, she could only make two comical bulges in her pockets.

“You…” She quickly withdrew her hand, and the bulge deflated again, like an inflatable doll trying to bar its teeth and scare away a lot of people, but in fact, before anyone could do anything, she was just skin and bones. “I’m going home, you go home. Why are you waiting for me to come home?”

Shen Yue raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if he wanted to say something, but noticing the dried tear stains on her face like a cat's, he sighed and said in a coaxing tone, "Okay, let's go home. It's too cold. I'm going home too."

You Congxi thought he would say something else she couldn't handle, and based on past experience, she was prepared for a fight. But he ended the battle with a single basic attack.

“…Oh.” After a long pause, she managed to utter a single word.

I feel a bit inexplicably depressed.

She turned around, opened the door, and went home. As the words "unlocked" rang out, a cheerful voice came from behind her: "Come eat cake after you wash your face."

"......"

Shen Yue finished the last packet of cold medicine in one gulp and turned on the tap to wash the cup.

The water flowed onto his hands, leaving a layer of dense foam. He stared blankly at the foam as it disappeared and reappeared.

You Congxi told him that he was going to You Yuanming's house for dinner that night. At first, he didn't realize it and thought it was a distant relative like a cousin, but he also vaguely felt that something was wrong.

It wasn't until he was tidying up his room that he saw the household registration book in his drawer. He suddenly remembered that at the beginning of the semester, Da Shu had handed out the student records and asked them to fill them out themselves. He had casually glanced at You Congxi's record at the time, and the father's column seemed to be filled in as... You Yuanming?

His surname was quite unique, and his given name was easy to remember, so he remembered it quite well.

Now, looking back... Shen Yue recalled the girl in the convenience store last time, crying and sobbing but gritting her teeth to keep quiet, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

He could vaguely sense that You Congxi's relationship with his family was somewhat strained, including the time at the convenience store and that night at the McDonald's, but he never said anything or asked.

You Congxi is strong-willed. Since she didn't say anything, it means she doesn't want others to know. Shen Yue wouldn't do something as unethical as reopening someone's wounds. Since she won't say anything, he'll pretend he doesn't know, but that doesn't stop him from feeling sorry for her.

He rarely saw You Congxi cry; the only two times he did were related to You Yuanming.

This was the first time Shen Yue had felt disgust towards someone he had never met before.

He put the washed cups back on the cup rack, absentmindedly wiped his hands, put on gloves, and took the small cakes out of the oven.

He felt that today's visit to Congxi was different from before.

But where exactly are the differences...?

Knock knock.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes. He had thought that given You Congxi's stubborn nature, it would take at least half an hour of hesitation and dawdling, but to his surprise, she came and knocked on the door in just ten minutes.

Does that mean you just washed your face and drank some water after you got home and then came over?

Shen Yue felt a little dizzy, as if he were walking on clouds, unaware that the goddess of happiness had descended upon him.

But then he quickly thought, what if it's not a trip to Congxi?

He glanced at his watch again. Although it was unlikely that anyone else would visit at this time, the possibility of You Congxi coming over on his own initiative in the short term was even closer to zero.

Before he could come up with a third possibility, there was another knock on the door.

This time, however, it was noticeably louder and faster than before, as if someone had come to pick a fight.

Shen Yue immediately ran over to open the door.

"Why are you so slow?" the girl asked, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"I'm baking you a cake, you've come at the perfect time." Shen Yue smiled broadly, revealing his obsequious eunuch nature. "Come in quickly, it's fresh out of the oven, eat it while it's hot."

Even without Shen Yue saying anything, You Congxi could smell it. As soon as she stepped out of her house, she was overwhelmed by the rich aroma of cake wafting from the crack in the door across the hall, and her already empty stomach began to rumble.

However, she didn't show it and walked in with a straight face, as if she didn't want to eat the carrot and orange cake at all, and that Shen Yue had begged her to eat it.

You Congxi sat down on a high chair by the island platform. While waiting for Shen Yue to bring her a plate, spoon, and cake, she casually glanced around at the surroundings. The familiar dining table came into view, and she instantly remembered the dumpling farce on the day of Lidong (the beginning of winter).

Damn it, drinking leads to trouble.

You Congxi awkwardly looked away, glancing at the back of the boy busy at work ahead. He was wearing loose loungewear at home, his broad shoulders and back subtly revealing a slender waist as the eye moved downwards. The tautness of his muscles with each movement made it hard not to wonder what lay beneath that thin fabric...

"You Xiaoyu," Shen Yue suddenly called out to her.

You Congxi jolted awake, his gaze abruptly shifting from Chen Yue, looking left, right, and up, flitting about like a headless fly, before finally lowering his eyes in a futile attempt to conceal his true feelings.

Not waiting for her reply, Shen Yue turned around curiously, holding his cup: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Why are your ears so red?"

“…It’s nothing,” You Congxi said softly, her eyes still lowered. “It’s just hot.”

"Hot?" Shen Yue was even more puzzled. It was only late autumn, and the heating hadn't been turned on yet. Although the room wasn't cold, it certainly wasn't hot either. "Do you have a fever?"

He was already worried that You Congxi would catch a cold if she cried all the way home. When he saw the girl's ears turning even redder, he simply put down his cup, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the girl's forehead to check her temperature.

"Hey..." You Congxi was startled by the sudden touch on her forehead and instinctively tried to back away, but the boy grabbed the back of her neck with his other hand and warned her in a deep voice.

"Don't move."

Her chest suddenly began to pound like a drum.

Even after the boy gently moved his hand away, You Congxi remained obediently in place, her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's not hot. Did you catch a cool breeze?" Shen Yue withdrew his hand, casually tucking a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear. He accidentally touched her burning earlobe, and his brows, which were about to relax, furrowed again. "Your ears..."

"Stop talking nonsense," You Congxi finally raised her eyes, glared fiercely at the idiot in front of her, and said in a harsh voice, "Give me the cake."

“...Oh.” Shen Yue was taken aback, his furrowed brows relaxed, and without bothering to investigate what was wrong with the girl’s ears, he quickly turned around to get the cake.

You Congxi breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, he raised his hand to rub his ears, and swallowed back down the throat that had been pounding in his chest.

They were too close... She touched the back of her neck again, the sensation of being gripped still lingering... This is insane...

"How about some hot milk?" Shen Yue placed the cake on a plate and brought it to her. Then he went back to the cupboard, took out a small pot, rinsed it, and put it on the stove. He turned to look at her. "It's too late. Let's have iced orange juice tomorrow, okay?"

Perhaps it was a bit late, because Shen Yue's voice was a little hoarse, soft and not sharp or harsh, but tickling in the ear. You Congxi couldn't help but raise her hand and rub her ear.

"Mmm," she responded, her gaze falling on the delicate little cake in front of her.

The window above the kitchen counter reflected the faint yellow light of the streetlights. Everyone had finished washing up and was getting ready for bed, so there was little noise upstairs and downstairs. Shen Yue's house was very large, making it even quieter, with only the bubbling sound of the small pot on the stove.

Shen Yue turned off all the other lights in the house, claiming it was to save electricity, leaving only the light on the island counter in their little world together.

You Congxi scooped a spoonful of cake into her mouth, the delicate cream melting in her mouth, the aroma of boiled milk floating in the air. Chen Yue hummed a song softly as she wiped the kitchen counter. The light above her head was warm and inviting. For a moment, she felt a little dazed, unsure whether she was dreaming or in reality.

The steaming hot milk was placed a little away from her, and You Congxi heard a boy's voice above her head: "It's a bit hot, drink it later."

She nodded, scooped another spoonful of cake into her mouth, and felt a part of her heart soften from the warmth. Her eyes felt a little hot, so she pretended to rub them, pretending they were itchy.

Before You Congxi could react, her wrist was gently touched, as if she were handling a fragile item with a warning sign behind a shop window, with care and tenderness.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Shen Yue asked, withdrawing his hand.

You Congxi stared blankly without saying a word.

Shen Yue glanced at the redness that spread from the tips of her ears all the way down to her neck, blinked, and finally realized what was wrong with You Congxi.

The membrane that covered her body disappeared.

It's as if You Congxi, who has always been separated from the world and the people around him by something, suddenly stepped into the real world tonight.

Shen Yue didn't know how to explain this feeling. It wasn't concrete or tangible, but it was something she could feel. It was hidden in every movement and expression of You Congxi. You could feel it just by looking at her.

Shen Yue's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but he forgot everything that came to his lips.

Suddenly, a bite of sweet cake was stuffed into my mouth.

Shen Yue looked over in surprise with cake in his mouth. The girl's eyelids were red, and when she looked up, they were hidden in the creases, making her look much more lively.

The beauty said with a hint of anger, "Just eat your food and stop talking nonsense."