Chapter 8 The Impulse to Hug Him
"?"
Shen Mengqing mustered his courage and took a few steps closer.
The crying man stopped sobbing when he saw her face clearly, and asked blankly, "Who are you?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Shen Mengqing said speechlessly, almost wanting to take off her high heels and smash them in this person's face.
Her gaze shifted upwards, meeting Yu Xin's eyes.
He was half a head taller than the man in front of him, and his forearm was firmly locked around the back of the man's neck, pinning him against the wall. No matter how much the man struggled, he did not move an inch.
Shen Mengqing crossed his arms, adopting an interrogation posture, and deliberately teased him, "Tell me, why are you here again?"
"...Just passing by."
He couldn't think of any other excuse.
Yu Xin could tell that Shen Mengqing didn't believe his fabricated nonsense, so he didn't bother to explain anymore.
The man patted Yu Xin's arm and said with a pained expression, "Brother, could you let go of me before we chat?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xin lowered her hand and silently stared at the man, as if she didn't quite believe he was a good person.
He asked, "Are you a resident here?"
The man rubbed his sore shoulders and neck, shook his head and said, "Yeah, but my girlfriend kicked me out, so I'm here to beg for her forgiveness. I'm really not a bad person, I just mistook this girl for my girlfriend because her figure looked so much like her."
"Were you lurking around downstairs the other day because of this?" Yu Xin frowned and pressed for an answer.
The man said, "Otherwise what? No, I wasn't being sneaky at all. I just didn't want to be seen by others, to maintain my dignity as a man!"
Shen Mengqing, who was listening to the two's question and answer, interjected, "A few days ago?"
She chuckled softly, her gaze fixed intently on Yu Xin: "You've been worried about me?"
Yu Xin sensed something was wrong and was trying to find an excuse to leave, but Shen Mengqing didn't give him the chance and said directly, "You, come upstairs with me."
He glanced at his watch and said, "It's too late."
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Shen Mengqing's smile deepened. "Besides, you've done so many acts of bravery, I have to thank you properly."
The man glanced back and forth between the two of them several times, and then, with great tact, pushed Yu Xin forward: "Brother, please explain yourself properly, don't make the same mistake as me."
He also gave Yu Xin a encouraging wink, urging him to do his best.
Shen Mengqing had already started walking back, and Yu Xin steeled her heart and followed him.
He put his hands in his pockets. Even though it was a cool night, his palms were sweaty. He looked up and saw a bright moon and few stars. Tomorrow would surely be a clear and sunny day.
The elevator in the old building was installed a decade or two ago. It can only carry no more than nine people and is somewhat cramped. Once the door is closed, the air circulates in the enclosed space. Shen Mengqing smells a faint scent of alcohol on Yu Xin, mixed with the cool, woody aroma, which is surprisingly pleasant.
"Have you been drinking?" Her voice rang out in the humming elevator.
Yu Xin was taken aback for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm".
He didn't actually drink that much.
Shen Mengqing opened the door, pulled out a pair of clean slippers and handed them to Yu Xin, saying, "I threw away all my men's slippers a while ago. These are the biggest ones. They might be a little small for you, but bear with it."
"You threw away the photos too?"
He subconsciously replied, but as soon as he said it, he felt that his words sounded like he was jealous.
Shen Mengqing laughed again. She was in a good mood, as if she wasn't the one who had worked overtime for four hours.
She put her hands on her hips and said, "I threw it away. Why don't you come inside and check?"
Yu Xin shrugged, indicating his surrender.
Shen Mengqing opened the refrigerator, turned the back of his head to Yu Xin, and asked him, "Are you hungry? I'm thinking of making some wontons."
Yu Xin's stomach was empty, and the remaining alcohol was burning in his heart, making him feel unwell. He honestly replied, "A little."
"Okay, you sit on the sofa for a while, I'll go cook."
Shen Mengqing went into the kitchen.
Yu Xin sat down on the sofa and looked around Shen Mengqing's small but cozy little home. She had a lot of things, but they were all neatly placed in the storage cabinet. There were also all sorts of cute little items on the cabinet. It was easy to see that she must be the kind of person who buys souvenirs wherever she travels.
A bunch of fresh daisies sat on the coffee table, a few glistening water droplets still clinging to their petals. The tablecloth on the coffee table was a light yellow checkered pattern, very spring-like. The entire room was decorated in warm tones, a stark contrast to Yu Xin's own rented apartment, which was filled with cool gray, black, and white colors and rarely saw any light—a complete opposite.
With nothing to do, he reached into his pocket to take out his phone to play, only to find his pocket was empty.
He left his phone in the car.
This was like a blow to the head, clearing his head and making him realize how abnormal he had been. Yu Xin leaned back on the soft sofa, his chin slightly raised, his jawline clear and sharp, thick eyelashes obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to see the emotions within.
The crisp sound of the kitchen sliding door opening completely interrupted his reverie. Shen Mengqing came out carrying two steaming bowls of wontons. After placing them on the coffee table, she withdrew her hand and pinched her earlobe to cool it down.
Shen Mengqing pulled out two fluffy cushions from under the sofa and gestured, saying, "Please."
Yu Xin asked in confusion, "Eat here?"
Shen Mengqing nodded and took the lead in demonstrating. He sat down on the ground, blew on the wonton soup to cool it down a bit, and then took a sip of the soup: "It tastes so good this way."
After saying that, she took the remote control and turned on the TV, where a rerun of an old idol drama was playing.
Following the host's lead, Yu Xin sat down on the ground like Shen Mengqing, but his legs were too long, so he could only sit cross-legged with difficulty. Shen Mengqing found his movements clumsy and funny.
For a moment, it was quiet. Apart from the sound of the television, the only other sound in the room was the chewing of the two people eating wontons.
Shen Mengqing's cooking skills were much better than Yu Xin had imagined. She added small shrimp and seaweed to the wonton soup, along with scallions and ginger to enhance the flavor. After eating it, a warm current flowed into every cell of her body.
When the TV showed a scene of the female lead having a harmonious family time with her parents, both of them looked away somewhat awkwardly.
Shen Mengqing noticed Yu Xin's subtle movements first, realizing that he didn't seem very happy, and asked, "Is it because the wontons aren't good?"
"No," Yu Xin denied.
Shen Mengqing said, "There's still some left in the pot. Why don't you take a bowl and pack it up to take home for your family?"
Yu Xin stirred the clear soup, put down the spoon, and said, "I live alone."
Shen Mengqing: "You're not a local either?"
“I’m a local.” Yu Xin paused for a moment, then said calmly, “My parents divorced a long time ago, and I’ve always lived alone.”
As he spoke, he leaned back lazily on the sofa, his eyes lowered. The warm yellow light shone on him, making him appear bright. The faint emotions in his eyes were about to overflow, full of a sense of brokenness, making one want to hug him.
Shen Mengqing was completely captivated by his appearance. She thought to herself that if they were in a bar, she would definitely spend money to order him a champagne call.
A note from the author:
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