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But after laughing, Nan Ke didn't speak for a long time.
She kept looking ahead at the almost pitch-black street with shutters shut.
Xing Chen didn't know what she was thinking, nor did he know whether she was willing to help.
He hesitated to the point of self-loathing.
Nan Ke seems to come from a well-off family, but she is still a little girl after all.
One's own life is a heavy burden for anyone.
Xing Chen really hopes that Nan Ke can help him, but if he puts himself in Nan Ke's shoes, Xing Chen knows that if he were in Nan Ke's position, he might not lend a helping hand to someone like him.
He thought to himself, I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to.
Xing Chen just felt that this life-saving straw was hard-earned, and it was a pity that things could have developed in a good direction just by a little bit.
But the longer Nan Ke remained silent, the greater the range of Xing Chen's mood changes.
He was wondering if he should shamelessly borrow some money from Nan Ke if she said she couldn't do anything.
Although it's abrupt, if the amount is small and I seem genuinely sincere, maybe she will agree? But what's the appropriate amount?
Xing Chen began to calculate how much it would cost for him to eat and live in school.
He was extremely nervous and had almost prepared a speech in his mind, just waiting for Nan Ke to say no.
But he wasn't really sure if he could successfully say that. From childhood to adulthood, he had never had the opportunity to ask for things from others.
Nan Ke is the first one in such a long time.
It doesn't sound like a lucky thing at all.
She doesn't owe him anything.
"Xing Chen."
When Xing Chen heard Nan Ke calling his name, his body trembled slightly. He looked at her suddenly, as if he had finally received his verdict.
Nan Ke's eyes were gentle, but even so, Xing Chen still didn't know whether he would be sentenced to death.
But the moment he met Nan Ke's eyes, Xing Chen had already decided that if she said she was powerless, then he would no longer ask for anything.
He just accepted his fate.
His life tragedy has nothing to do with Nan Ke, and he shouldn't blame a stranger for everything he lost.
After calling his name, Nan Ke was silent for another two seconds.
Xing Chen felt that he was having difficulty breathing.
"Maybe what I'm going to say will make you think I'm a liar, but I'm not."
Nan Ke also looked a little nervous, but seemed to be amused by his own performance.
As soon as she smiled, the whole suffocating atmosphere changed immediately.
Even Xing Chen felt a lot more relaxed.
"I have some money, but I just don't know where to spend it. If you want to study, I can help you. I also have a place for you to stay. Of course, if you want to live in school, that's fine too..."
Xing Chen thought he must be dreaming.
He never thought that there would be a turning point in his life, but it happened to be there.
"All this is premised on your consent."
Xing Chen thought a lot in an instant, and finally, he looked at Nan Ke in disbelief.
"Will you support my studies?"
"Aren't your grades good? It would be a shame if you didn't study. Besides, you're not an adult yet. What else can you do if you don't stay in school? What else do you want to do?"
Xing Chen's breathing was rapid. Nan Ke's words were too tempting to him.
He originally just thought that Nan Ke might be willing to lend him some money, or might not be willing and would immediately stay away from him, but the result was much better than he expected.
"……Why?"
Xing Chen lowered his head and his voice also became lower.
"I could be a real problem."
"Who isn't?"
Nan Ke laughed sarcastically.
Xing Chen looked up and saw her expression, thinking that Nan Ke probably had her own troubles, and she was not living a nearly perfect life as she seemed on the surface.
Nan Ke saw his cowardice and cleared his throat.
"Just think of it as me having had it too easy for the past ten years or so, and I just want to cause myself some trouble."
Xing Chen really wanted to agree to her directly, but he was afraid that she would be scared away by him, and he didn't know what to say at this time.
"Ah, there's another prerequisite, which is that your grades have to be consistent with what you say. I hate it when people lie to me."
"I do..."
Before Xing Chen finished speaking, he saw Nan Ke's curved eyes and couldn't figure out whether she was telling the truth or joking with her.
"I...thank you."
Nan Ke looked at him and bit her lip. "Do you have anything else to pick up? Did you get your ID card or something?"
Her hands were already on the steering wheel.
"My ID card is with me. I don't have anything else to take."
Nan Ke nodded and confirmed with him again.
"If I take you away, won't anyone ask me to go to the police station tomorrow and accuse me of kidnapping?"
"No."
Nan Ke smiled and said, "Just a joke."
She no longer hesitated and started the car.
Xing Chen fastened his seat belt before she spoke. He was still nervous and his palms were sweaty.
Half of my clothes were wet. I didn't know people could be this nervous.
Xing Chen’s previous life goal was to study hard, make a name for himself, bring his grandfather a better life, and leave here.
Before meeting Nan Ke today, he thought his life was doomed to failure.
He looked at Nan Ke who was driving.
He really wanted to touch her skin again to make sure she was a living person and not a fairy.
"You have an exam soon. Although I know nothing about transfers, I will try to sort it out as soon as possible. When are your exams?"
Xing Chen reported the time and Nan Ke sighed.
"I don't know if I can transfer schools at this time."
"I can continue my high school studies in town this semester..."
Xing Chen saw Nan Ke’s mouth corners curled up.
"I don't think you'd be willing to be too close to your relatives. Besides...my suggestion is to leave here as soon as possible."
Xing Chen suddenly understood.
He came out alone, penniless, but suddenly he was able to continue studying and taking exams, and suddenly he had money to use.
If my uncles knew about this, it might cause trouble for Nan Ke.
"I won't tell anyone, they might think I contacted my mom..."
Nan Ke glanced at him, pursed her lips, and suddenly freed a hand to rub the top of his head.
Xing Chen was shocked. The whole car was filled with the scent of Nan Ke, a long-lasting fragrance. He inhaled a lot of this fragrance into his lungs.
For a long moment neither of them spoke.
Xing Chen gradually felt tired, but he didn't dare to sleep. He was worried that when he opened his eyes again, he would find that meeting Nan Ke was indeed a dream.
He didn't want to make his life more miserable.
"Will your family disagree if you help me?"
The smile on Nan Ke's lips faded a lot.
"Like you, I have no family."
She took a deep breath and said, "From now on, we will depend on each other."
Nan Ke smiled and glanced at him.
"In a short time."
Xing Chen didn't dare to ask more questions. He thought about it a lot, but couldn't say a word successfully.
He wanted to try to speak, worried that he actually couldn't speak anymore.
"I will definitely pay you back the money you gave me in the future."
Nan Ke shrugged and said, "It's okay if you don't pay it back. It's better to invest it in you than to waste it on other things."
She saw Xing Chen's embarrassment, awkwardness, and helplessness.
"Tell me more about yourself. As your sponsor, I have the right to know more about you."
Xing Chen slowly began to tell his story, talking about everything related to himself that had happened since he could remember.
It tells the story of how his father betrayed the family and was taken back to his hometown, his grandmother's catchphrase, and his grandfather's silence.
He also talked about how he and grandpa depended on each other after his grandmother passed away, his previous fantasies about the future, and today... today's feeling of having his dreams shattered.
Nan Ke listened quietly most of the time, and occasionally responded with a few words.
"One does not need parents or elders to have a home; one person can also be a home."
Xing Chen blinked and heard Nan Ke ask him, "Before you met me, did you not want to live?"
He took a breath.
I dare not answer directly.
Nan Ke already knew the answer and patted his arm to comfort him.
"If you're tired, take a nap. I'll call you when we get there."
"I'm not tired."
Nan Ke knew without even looking that he was lying: "Didn't you look at your own eyes when you looked in the mirror? They were frighteningly red. Although you are young, you could die suddenly if you don't sleep for a long time."
Xing Chen was dazed and stupid, and Nan Ke smiled and shook his head gently.
From then on, Nan Ke stopped talking. She concentrated on driving and yawned occasionally.
Xing Chen looked at her without any concealment, afraid that she would disappear at any time.
"You don't have to stare at me all the time even if you don't want to sleep. What? Are you afraid that I'm fake?"
Xing Chen nodded without hesitation.
Nan Ke laughed out loud again.
She no longer instructed Xing Chen on what to do and what not to do, and drove with peace of mind.
“It didn’t seem this far when I came here…”
Xing Chen glanced at the empty road ahead. This car and the people around him reminded him of a movie he had seen on TV before. It seemed as if they could enter a fairy tale world in the next moment.
In fact, Nan Ke felt that the return journey was very long, but Xing Chen just felt that time passed too quickly.
He really wanted to recall what it felt like when his father brought him back home.
But I can’t remember it at all.
He was too young at that time.
However, Xing Chen knew very well that he would never forget the feeling of being taken away from here by Nan Ke.
He will remember this journey for the rest of his life.
Nan Ke drove to a gas station and stopped. Xing Chen looked out the window. He didn't know what time it was, but it looked very late.
"Almost there, maybe another twenty minutes."
Xing Chen nodded and sat obediently in the car watching Nan Ke's every move.
Watched her go to the front desk to pay, watched her buy something, watched her come back, watched her smile and hand herself a bottle of water.
"The food in the evening is a bit salty."
Xing Chen took it and said thank you.
The bottle remained clenched in his hand.
Xing Chen didn't think the food was salty.
On the contrary, after meeting Nan Ke, his heart has always been sweet.
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