Chapter 12 I was faking it; they all knew Yu Xue didn't like grilled fish...

He looked up and saw a towering building in the distance, the place where his mother celebrated her forty-fifth birthday, and also the place where he and Yu Xue first met.

At that time, all the children were playing outside. Wen Feng was a big kid of nineteen years old and couldn't play with those elementary and middle school kids. He was in the dressing room helping his mother pull down her skirt, but his mother kicked him out and told him to go out and look after the children so they wouldn't run around.

When he went out, he saw Yu Xue sitting on a stone stool next to the flower bed reading a book. Children around her were running around, shouting and shoving. Yu Xue was sitting there and was almost pushed over.

Seeing her struggling, Wen Feng kindly reminded her, "There's a rest room inside."

When Yu Xue put the book down, he noticed the title, *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. He raised an eyebrow; such a young child reading such a profound book. He deliberately paid attention to the page count; she had read quite a few pages. It seemed she could really get into it—impressive.

"Uh... I'll stay here." Yu Xue said somewhat awkwardly, "I won't go in."

"Why?" Wen Feng saw her licking her lips and wanted to remind her that her lipstick was almost gone.

After hesitating for a while, Yu Xue said, "Then I'll go in."

Wen Feng was puzzled, but ultimately asked nothing and led her to the lounge.

He escorted Yu Xue to the lounge, then came out to watch over the children, worried that they might get hurt.

After a while, Yu Xue came out again. Seeing that he hadn't left yet, she immediately turned around and went back to the lounge.

Wen Feng seemed to understand what she was trying to do. She was holding a book, and it was the same page as before. Twenty minutes had passed, and she was still turning to the same page. It seemed like she wasn't really reading, but just pretending.

Pretending to love reading? No wonder you have to read in public.

Wen Feng didn't understand her, but it wasn't like he hadn't met people like that before.

He said, "Why don't you go inside and take a look?"

Yu Xue turned around, "Huh?"

Wen Feng: "There are even more people inside."

Yu Xue was a little taken aback. After she came to her senses, she turned her back to him, not daring to look at him, and ran towards the lounge without stopping for a moment.

Wen Feng sensed that she seemed to be crying and realized that he had gone too far. The girl looked thin and small, and might not even be in junior high school yet. It's normal for such a young child to be childish and pretentious. He used to pretend when he was a child, showing off by deliberately turning the chalk around after solving a problem and then putting it back. He still laughs when he thinks about it now.

Why did he talk like that? They're a child and a guest.

“Uncle Chen,” he said, looking at the housekeeper, “could you have the driver go to my room and bring me my hardcover copies of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'Love in the Time of Cholera'?”

The butler replied, "Yes."

He said, "Can you hurry up?" He was afraid that the little girl would leave soon.

Butler: "Okay."

Half an hour later, Wen Feng brought a cake and his hardcover book to apologize to the little girl. He had two cousins ​​and a younger cousin who had played with him since he was a child. He wouldn't say he was an expert at coaxing children, but he wasn't completely inexperienced either.

He went to the lounge but couldn't find the little girl. He looked around the neighborhood but still couldn't find her.

He went to the auditorium to look for her and found her, but when Yu Xue saw him coming, she ran away and went out through another door, deliberately avoiding him.

Wen Feng followed at a normal walking pace and went out through the same door, but he didn't find anyone.

He searched around again and discovered that Yu Xue would run away as soon as they made eye contact.

The cake in his hand was almost falling over, and the two of them were chasing each other like they were playing hide-and-seek.

Why? Wen Feng didn't understand. Was it because of that sentence?

He closed his eyes. That statement was indeed excessive. For a child, it would probably feel like the sky was falling. Someone with a bad temper might have just snapped at him.

But is it really necessary to hide like this?

He planned to put the books and cake in the lounge first, apologize to Yu Xue when he found her, and then bring the things over.

When he returned, Yu Xue was there too. She was no longer holding a book and was sitting there bored, fidgeting with her hands. When she saw Wen Feng come in, she stood up awkwardly, then moved to the corner. She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

Wen Feng felt that her eyes were darting around, as if she dared not meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry." He quickly said, afraid that the person would run away again, "I misspoke just now, I didn't mean it that way, I'm here to apologize."

He placed the cake on the table and handed over two hardcover books, saying, "These are for you; they're good books."

Yu Xue stared at it for a long time, then carefully touched the box containing the books. The pattern on the box wasn't flat; it looked like an oil painting, and you could feel the texture.

"I saw this version in the bookstore before," Yu Xue said weakly after staring at it for a while. "It's very expensive." It costs more than a hundred yuan a copy.

"It's okay." Wen Feng knew she was embarrassed, so he pushed the books closer to her. "I like these two books too. I'll give them to you. Let's be good friends, okay?"

His tone was childish, as if he were talking to a six or seven-year-old child.

Yu Xue looked up at his collar: "Is it because we both like these two books?"

Wen Feng: "That's right, it's hard to find a kindred spirit. It's rare to meet someone with the same taste. I'll give it to you; it's well worth it."

Yu Xue raised her head slightly, then quickly lowered it again, pushing the book away. "No, no, I don't like reading this. I don't understand it."

Wen Feng: "...Hmm?"

Yu Xue: "I was faking it."

Yu Xue's frankness caught Wen Feng off guard. His tricks for coaxing a child suddenly stopped working. His pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Why?"

Yu Xue said, "I pretend to love reading. When my mother comes out and sees me, she will be very happy and will give me pocket money."

Wen Feng: "..." This is the first time I've heard this reason.

He squatted down and looked into Yu Xue's eyes.

Yu Xue quickly dodged and lowered her eyes.

Wen Feng asked, "Have you run out of your allowance? Isn't the money your mother gives you every month enough?"

Yu Xue looked at his knees, “…Ugh.”

Wen Feng asked, "How much money does your mother give you?"

Yu Xue felt it was strange to discuss this with strangers here, but she was too embarrassed not to answer: "I was given twenty last time, a long time ago. I spend fifty cents a day, and I don't have any left."

Her pupils shifted upwards slightly, and she asked softly, "Brother, how much pocket money do you get?"

"Ah... my brother is in college now, so he gets more pocket money." Now it was Wen Feng's turn to feel embarrassed. Looking at the girl's clothes, he felt that her family wasn't poor. He wouldn't say they were rich, but they didn't seem to be so poor that they couldn't afford to give her pocket money.

This princess dress couldn't have been bought by going bankrupt, could it?

Moreover, my mother's friends and colleagues are all of similar economic status, and even those who are significantly different are not so poor that they are struggling to make ends meet.

Yu Xue suddenly became more talkative, "Is college fun?"

Wen Feng: "Yeah, it's fun."

Yu Xue: "How are you, classmate?"

Wen Feng: "Everything is fine."

He noticed Yu Xue smiled and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The two chatted in the lounge for a while, and Yu Xue showed Wen Feng her watch that could make and receive phone calls and even record messages.

She played a song for Wen Feng, and the unpleasantness from earlier was quickly forgotten.

To help Yu Xue get pocket money, Wen Feng pushed her onto a stone stool in the yard at just the right moment so she could read a book. The adults happened to come out and bump into her.

During their second meeting, Wen Feng asked Yu Xue if she had received any pocket money later.

Yu Xue said no, but her mother said she was faking it and that it was embarrassing for her. She was scolded the whole way home.

Wen Feng took the blame upon himself and then treated Yu Xue to snacks for a month.

Wen Feng's thoughts drifted back. He had been sitting on the bench in front of the grilled fish restaurant for over an hour when finally, Yu Xue came out.

He quickly stood up. "I... I wasn't following you, I just... I was hungry too."

Yu Xue's whole body was flushed, and her eyes were half-closed, making her look like she was sick.

Wen Feng wanted to go forward and touch her forehead, but fearing she would get angry again, he withdrew his outstretched hand.

Yu Xue said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper."

In just a few days, she had already lost her temper with Wen Feng twice, and she herself felt that she was being unreasonable.

Yu Xue tried to explain: "I wasn't like this before. I never lost my temper before. Recently, recently it might be because I'm too tired."

"It's not your fault," Wen Feng quickly said, "I also have problems..."

Yu Xue knew he was going along with her and didn't want to hear his insincere apology, so she interrupted, "Let's not talk about it anymore, let's go home. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

Actually, she should have come out half an hour ago. She ordered a table full of dishes and ate one bite after another. Suddenly, she felt like she was stuffed. She felt like she could never get enough to eat and wanted to eat more and more.

Sometimes when she's in a bad mood, she'll binge eat.

When I feel like binge eating at home, I just take a sleeping pill and fall asleep.

Today, with sleeping pills not at hand, she couldn't control herself.

When she peeked out the window and saw Wen Feng waiting below, her tears flowed like a burst dam, and her body trembled uncontrollably. She hid behind the curtains, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to stop, wanting to cry so badly, wanting to cry out loud.

But she was in a private room at the restaurant, and she couldn't make a sound.

She patted her shoulder, trying to comfort herself and feel better, but the more she patted, the more her heart ached. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she wasn't sick, she was perfectly healthy.

Finally, after wiping away her tears countless times, she paid the bill and came downstairs.

Afraid that she would run off, Wen Feng stepped forward and took her hand, coaxing her like a child, saying, "It's late, shall we go home?"

Yu Xue nodded blankly, her expression so wooden that she really looked like she had a fever.

Wen Feng squeezed her cold hand and asked cautiously, "Is the grilled fish here good?"

"It's alright," Yu Xue said. "It's quite spicy."

Wen Feng said, "I remember you seem to like spicy food."

Yu Xue nodded, "Yes, but this place is a bit too spicy. Let's not eat here next time."

Wen Feng: "Okay, my friend recommended a grilled fish place to me before, shall we try it next time?"

Actually, Yu Xue didn't like grilled fish, but she couldn't admit it now, otherwise how could she explain why she was angry earlier?

She nodded and hummed in agreement.

Wen Feng also knew that Yu Xue didn't like grilled fish, and he knew that Yu Xue didn't like food with strong flavors.

He was just making conversation to try and gauge Yu Xue's mood.

Yu Xue suddenly grasped his hand and asked cautiously, "Are you angry?"

Wen Feng: "No."

A note from the author:

----------------------