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“I’m afraid too.”

In the darkness, Song Siyao was silent for several seconds, as if he didn't understand what she said.

Finally, when Xu Yingxi couldn't help but ask for the second time, Song Siyao said, "I'll go now."

Xu Yingxi: "Okay."

She heard footsteps and vaguely saw him walking towards the corner of the living room.

Very strange, Xu Yingxi thought.

Logically speaking, waking up in an unfamiliar dark room and seeing an adult male in the same room with her would instinctively make her feel uneasy and defensive.

However, at this moment, she didn't feel panic at all.

It was obvious to her that she and Song Siyao were far from being that familiar with each other.

Xu Yingxi couldn't figure it out, but her body's reactions wouldn't lie.

Could it be that she had subconsciously trusted him so much without realizing it?

A man's voice came from not far away: "I'm going to turn on the light, be careful of the glare."

Xu Yingxi said "hmm".

Two seconds later, the lights in the living room came on.

Although she had covered her eyes with her hands in advance, Xu Yingxi still squinted her eyes out of instinct.

Song Siyao: "Do you need anything else? I'll get it for you."

Xu Yingxi: "No need."

As she spoke, she glanced in the direction of the secondary bedroom.

Song Siyao immediately understood what she meant: "Xu Xingluo woke up once around eight o'clock, got up to eat dinner, and now he's asleep again."

Xu Yingxi said "Oh".

Song Siyao added: "But before he fell asleep, he came over to see you for a while."

Xu Yingxi: “…”

Sleeping is certainly not something to be ashamed of, but when Song Siyao said this, she was still slightly embarrassed for a few seconds.

Especially when she imagined the scene of these two people watching her sleep together, Xu Yingxi felt her face tighten.

Song Siyao: "Don't worry, you sleep well."

Xu Yingxi swore that when he said this, she saw a slight upward curve at the corner of the man's mouth.

She said unhappily, "I know. Our beauties are like this. They look good no matter what, even when they're asleep."

The curve of Song Siyao's mouth became more obvious, and even his eyes were filled with smiles: "Yeah."

Xu Yingxi: “…”

What's so funny?

Really, if she hadn't just woken up and was too lazy to argue with him, she would definitely ask him clearly.

"Why didn't you call me?" Xu Yingxi asked, "What if I don't wake up on my own? Are you planning on not calling me?"

Song Siyao: "You said before that you wanted to go back to the dormitory. I was planning to call you at ten o'clock, but I just happened to have time to take you back."

Xu Yingxi glanced at him suspiciously: "You'd better be."

Song Siyao lowered his eyes: "I'm not that brave enough to let you stay the night with me without your consent."

Xu Yingxi curled her lips, thinking that he could say whatever he wanted now, and she had no way to verify it.

Still remembering the hatred of him "ridiculing" her just now, Xu Yingxi stopped talking, stood up and walked straight to the secondary bedroom.

Looking at her back, Song Siyao's eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

The girl had no idea that she had easily provoked his emotions just by calling his name.

So, how dare he let her spend the night with him?

…

Xu Xingluo slept very lightly.

Xu Yingxi had already lowered her footsteps, but just a few seconds after entering the room, Xu Xingluo woke up.

Xu Xingluo first called out "Mom" in a daze. After confirming that it was Xu Yingxi who came in, he quickly came to his senses and sat up from the bed.

Xu Yingxi sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him carefully.

Compared to that time in the evening, the boy's complexion looked much more normal, without the obvious flush.

Looks like it's gotten a lot better.

Xu Yingxi: "Take your temperature."

Xu Xingluo nodded obediently: "Okay."

The thermometer was on the bedside table, and Xu Yingxi saw it when she entered the room.

She turned around to get it, and caught a glimpse of Song Siyao walking over and standing at the door.

Xu Yingxi handed the thermometer to Xu Xingluo.

The boy took it and put the thermometer under his armpit, blinking at Xu Yingxi.

Xu Yingxi: “…”

Logically speaking, she should have been accustomed to all the expressions on this face, and should have been aware of Xu Xingluo's various little thoughts and would not be easily shaken.

But for some reason, after Xu Xingluo fell ill, Xu Yingxi felt that she seemed to have become more soft-hearted.

Meeting that puppy-like gaze, Xu Yingxi unconsciously softened her tone: "What do you want to say? Go ahead."

Xu Xingluo pursed his lips: "Um...what time is it now?"

Xu Yingxi picked up her phone and glanced at it: "A little after nine forty."

Xu Xingluo: “Oh…”

The boy looked at Xu Yingxi eagerly.

Xu Yingxi laughed: "Are you really that reluctant to let me go? It's like you're in a melodrama, as if today is the last time we'll see each other."

Xu Xingluo's face flushed and his earlobes felt hot after hearing what his mother said: "No, it's just..."

Xu Yingxi: "That's it?"

The more his mother looked at him, the more embarrassed Xu Xingluo felt.

Thinking about what he was going to say next, he felt his face getting hot as if it was on fire.

But if he didn't say it... he felt uneasy.

Xu Xingluo hesitated for a few seconds, then simply closed his eyes and said without hesitation, "I'm just afraid... I'm afraid that this fever might be a sign of something."

Xu Yingxi was stunned for a moment, not understanding at all: "What do you mean?"

Xu Xingluo: "Before... no, before I traveled through time, we watched a TV series together. The male lead in the TV series also traveled through time and space."

Xu Yingxi was rarely able to follow the boy's train of thought and looked up at Song Siyao.

Song Siyao shook his head slightly, meaning that he couldn't understand what Xu Xingluo meant either.

Xu Yingxi had no choice but to ask Xu Xingluo: "And then?"

Xu Xingluo: "Then one day, the male protagonist discovered that his body began to show abnormalities, and then he inexplicably fell ill and had a fever. Then, a few days later, he traveled back to his original world..."

Xu Yingxi frowned slightly.

"So," she tried to understand the boy's logic, "are you afraid you'll wear it back too?"

Xu Xingluo nodded: "Yes."

Xu Yingxi didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xu Xingluo's face was so red that it was about to explode.

"I know this idea sounds silly!" he said, "but when I fell asleep just now, I dreamed that I really went back..."

He had been telling himself it was impossible, but the dream was too real.

In his dream, he went back to twenty years later, and his mother and father became strangers to each other again.

So after waking up, he couldn't help but express his worries.

Xu Yingxi: “…”

She and Song Siyao looked at each other.

Then Xu Yingxi said: "I think you are overthinking it."

Xu Xingluo: "But..."

Xu Yingxi: "Did you go to play snowballs with your classmates yesterday?"

Xu Xingluo: "Uh, yes."

Xu Yingxi: "How long have you been playing?"

Xu Xingluo: "About... about half an hour."

Xu Yingxi: "Are you sweating?"

Xu Xingluo thought for two seconds and nodded.

Xu Yingxi: "After returning to the dormitory sweating all over, did you take off your clothes immediately?"

The boy nodded again.

Xu Yingxi: "Have you taken off your clothes and taken a hot shower?"

Shake your head.

"That's it," Xu Yingxi said. "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're in good health. If you do that, it'd be strange if you didn't get a fever."

Xu Xingluo blinked.

He was obviously being scolded by his mother, but he felt more and more cheerful, and even felt like laughing. What was going on?

Seeing the boy's eyes becoming brighter and brighter, Xu Yingxi knew that he had listened to her.

Xu Yingxi struck while the iron was hot: "So don't worry, you just accidentally gave yourself a fever, it has nothing to do with time travel."

"Really?" She gave Song Siyao a look.

The latter did not respond to her immediately, and the air was silent for two seconds.

Xu Yingxi was speechless and glared at Song Siyao fiercely.

Isn't this guy a genius? Isn't he the best at analyzing problems and proving reasons? Why did he fail at the critical moment?

Was the paper written in vain?

Under Xu Yingxi's unfriendly gaze, Song Siyao finally came to his senses: "Yeah, I think so too."

Xu Xingluo: "Really?"

Song Siyao said methodically, "Well, what you said is just the setting of the TV series. If your body didn't feel anything unusual when you traveled to this world, then there's no reason to associate your body's reaction with traveling through time."

Hearing this, Xu Yingxi gave Song Siyao a look that said, "That's pretty good."

Song Siyao continued calmly, "Besides, the cause of your fever this time has been found. You didn't get sick for no reason. Therefore, the possibility of your hypothesis being correct is very small and can be considered close to zero."

Xu Xingluo thought about it carefully.

It seems... that's the case?

After hearing what his mother and father said, he felt much more at ease than before.

Xu Xingluo nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

"But then again," Xu Yingxi asked, "Are you so afraid of traveling back in time? Didn't you tell me before that your life in the future would be pretty good?"

Xu Xingluo was stunned: "I..."

To be honest, his life was pretty good before he traveled through time.

His grandparents and aunt all care about him very much. Although his mom and dad don't live together, they also give him enough love.

Apart from the bad relationship between his biological parents, he has almost no other worries.

Unlike now, we have to look at the price tags before buying things and calculate so as not to spend more than our living expenses.

Studying has become harder than before. I used to just listen to the lectures casually, but now I have to work twice as hard to improve my grades.

But……

Xu Xingluo thought that he still hoped to stay in this world longer.

He also wanted to have dinner with his parents and their family of three again, go to the park together, go on an autumn outing together, and travel together...

and--

Xu Xingluo glanced at his father secretly.

His father should have started pursuing his mother, right?

Xu Xingluo cleared his throat: "I... I just feel that there are still many things I haven't experienced in this world."

"And we already made a promise to travel together during the winter break!" the boy raised his voice. "I'm not going to break my promise!"

Xu Yingxi couldn't help laughing: "Okay. Anyway, don't worry about it. Get some sleep and get well soon. That's the important thing."

Xu Xingluo: “Yeah!”

With what his mom and dad had just said, his worries had been reduced by ninety-nine percent.

As for the last 1%, it will probably disappear only after he completely recovers from this cold.

After thinking for a while, Xu Xingluo said, "Mom, it's getting late, why don't you go back quickly?"

Xu Yingxi laughed: "Why did you suddenly become a different person? Who was that pitiful person just now, almost crying when he heard that I was leaving?"

Xu Xingluo: “…”

He's not crying! Mom is exaggerating!

Xu Xingluo scratched the back of his head embarrassedly: "I was just distracted. It's already ten o'clock. It's not good for you to go home too late."

In fact, he still felt reluctant to let his mother go, but...

Xu Xingluo felt that his performance today was really poor, just like those children crying at the kindergarten gate, reluctant to see their mothers leave.

He is sixteen years old now, he should be more independent and responsible!

Before, his mind was full of worries about time travel and he couldn't take care of these things.

Now that he has calmed down, he wants to restore his image in his mother and father's hearts and appear more mature and sensible.

Xu Yingxi probably guessed what Xu Xingluo was thinking.

He must have felt that he had been too clingy just now and was embarrassed.

Xu Yingxi: "Then I'll go back. Have a good rest, I'll come to see you tomorrow."

Xu Xingluo: "It's a deal!"

Xu Yingxi smiled: "It's a deal."

…

After waving and saying "good night" to Xu Xingluo, Xu Yingxi and Song Siyao came out of the room.

The two went to the basement together and got in the car.

The traffic was very smooth at this time, and the car stopped at the gate of S University in less than ten minutes.

The two got out of the car at the same time. Song Siyao went to the back seat and took Xu Yingxi's backpack in his hand.

When it comes to helping her carry her bag, both father and son are equally conscious.

Song Siyao: "I'll take you back to the dormitory."

Xu Yingxi nodded.

There is heater in the car, so I don't feel cold.

After coming out, the biting cold of the northern city in winter hit me in the face.

The temperature must be below zero now, Xu Yingxi thought.

As if he could read her brain waves, the next moment, Xu Yingxi heard Song Siyao ask, "Are you cold?"

Xu Yingxi: "It's okay, not too cold."

She was glad that she was not the kind of person who would sacrifice warmth for appearance. At this moment, she was wearing a thick down jacket and a scarf around her neck, with only her eyes exposed.

Plus, she had just gotten out of a warm car, so she didn't feel very cold.

After a pause, Xu Yingxi couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to do if I say I'm cold?"

Song Siyao said without hesitation: "I'll give you this coat I'm wearing."

Xu Yingxi: “…”

She couldn't help but glance at Song Siyao.

The man was wearing a black down jacket, probably a sweater underneath.

In the current horrible weather in North City, if you really hang out outside wearing only a sweater, even for just ten minutes, you will probably get cold.

Xu Yingxi: "Let's just forget it. Otherwise, by tomorrow, you and Xu Xingluo will be the only two patients left to depend on each other."

Song Siyao was silent for a second: "No, I'm not afraid of the cold."

Xu Yingxi replied bluntly: "Xu Xingluo thought so too before today."

Song Siyao: “…”

Xu Yingxi raised the corners of her mouth silently.

She thought, she was definitely not happy because Song Siyao said he would give her the down jacket.

It was just that she rarely managed to make him speechless, and she felt a sense of accomplishment.

Late at night on the day before the holiday, the campus was very quiet and there was almost no one to be seen.

Under the street light, the breath of the two people condensed into white mist.

After walking quietly for a while, Song Siyao suddenly said, "There's still more than an hour until the new year."

Xu Yingxi suddenly realized: "Yes."

Xu Xingluo suddenly had a fever, and then she accidentally fell asleep. A series of unexpected events made her completely forget that tonight was New Year's Eve.

Xu Yingxi murmured, "If I had known earlier, I should have said Happy New Year to Xu Xingluo when I left."

That silly boy probably forgot about this matter just like her.

Otherwise, with Xu Xingluo's personality, he would definitely wish her a happy holiday.

Song Siyao: "If Xu Xingluo is still awake when you return, I can help you convey the message."

Xu Yingxi: "Okay."

Song Siyao: "Xu Yingxi."

Xu Yingxi was slightly startled: "Hmm?"

He seldom called her by her name, and usually just called her "Junior Sister" as before.

Song Siyao: "Happy New Year."

Xu Yingxi's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously stopped.

Why say it so seriously and in such a gentle tone?

It gave her a fright.

Xu Yingxi tried to calm down and turned to look at him: "Well, Happy New Year to you too."

The two of them sat in silence, only her heart rate continued to accelerate.

Xu Yingxi took a deep breath.

It was really strange. It was just a simple holiday greeting, but her heart was beating like she had just finished running 800 meters.

She was about to say something to break the silence when Song Siyao spoke again: "Xu Yingxi."

Xu Yingxi: "...Hmm?"

What's wrong with him tonight? Why does he keep calling her name?

Song Siyao's voice was low: "Just now in the bedroom, Xu Xingluo said he was worried that he would travel back in time. At that time, I suddenly realized something."

Xu Yingxi bit her lower lip lightly.

Although she didn't know what Song Siyao was going to say specifically, she felt inexplicably nervous and her breathing became irregular.

Xu Yingxi tried to reply calmly, "What's the matter?"

Song Siyao was silent for two seconds, then looked at her and spoke slowly.

“I discovered that I was afraid too.”

"I'm afraid Xu Xingluo will suddenly disappear."

"I'm even more afraid that from now on, we will become just ordinary brothers and sisters without any unnecessary interactions."