Chapter 64
In the middle of the night, Lin Li felt unbearably hot all over in her hazy sleep, as if she were wrapped in a thick layer of cotton.
He unconsciously sat up, groggily grabbing the wrinkled dress that belonged to "Lin Lili," which was already soaked with sweat and then dried. He instinctively pulled it off from above his head, then reached for the stiff fabric of his shorts and pulled them off as well, tossing them to the foot of the bed.
The cool air touched his skin, and he sighed comfortably, turned over, and, wearing only his boxer shorts, drifted back into a dreamless sleep.
The morning sunlight peeked through the gaps in the curtains and crept onto Lin Li's eyelids.
His eyelids fluttered a few times before he slowly opened them. Before him lay an unfamiliar ceiling, faintly fragrant.
Where am I?
Memories flashed back in a jumbled mess, like fragmented videotapes—the scorching sun, dizziness, Tong Yao's anxious face, the bitter, pungent medicine, and that light, uncontrollable sense of disorientation…
He sat up abruptly!
The blanket slipped off his body, and the cool morning air made him shiver, instantly realizing that he was shirtless, wearing only his underwear!
A chilling guess, like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, instantly sobered him up, chilling him to the bone! What...what had he done to Tong Yao?!
He turned his head in alarm to look at his side—
The bed was empty.
His gaze quickly swept to the floor, and there he saw Tong Yao curled up in a thin blanket on the floor beneath the foot of the bed. She was lying on her side, breathing evenly, seemingly still asleep, and was neatly dressed in her pajamas.
Lin Li's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back down with a thud, followed by a surge of relief and a lingering fear. Thank goodness... thank goodness she hadn't done anything irreversible.
He tiptoed out of bed, found the dress he had abandoned in the middle of the night on the floor, and quickly put it on. He then found the wig that had been carefully placed on the chair, put it on meticulously, and tidied up the hairnet and bangs.
After everything was tidied up, he looked at himself in the small mirror on Tong Yao's desk to make sure that "Lin Lili" had returned to her original appearance, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Tong Yao was still asleep, and it was quiet outside. He dared not go out at all; if he bumped into Tong's mother, he would be in deep trouble. He could only sit obediently in the chair in front of his desk, like a prisoner awaiting trial, each second feeling like an eternity.
During this time, the urge to urinate surged forth. He held it in for a while, but couldn't hold it any longer. So, like a thief, he turned the doorknob of the bathroom door with the lightest possible movement, quickly relieved himself without making a sound, and then quietly opened the bathroom door, came out, and closed it.
As he patted his chest, relieved that he hadn't made a sound, he turned around and met a pair of cold, clear eyes.
Tong Yao had woken up at some point and was sitting on the floor with a thin blanket, looking at him expressionlessly, her eyes revealing neither joy nor anger.
Lin Li froze instantly, like a criminal caught red-handed, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.
"Um... good morning?" He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and greeted her in a dry, strained voice, using the same tone he used for "Lin Lili."
Tong Yao did not respond to his greeting, but just stared at him quietly for a full five seconds, making Lin Li's scalp tingle.
Then, in a calm and emotionless tone, she slowly spoke:
"Did you sleep well, 'Lili'?"
_
"Don't even think about coming to my house again!"
With Tong Yao's low but angry ultimatum, the front door of her house was slammed shut in front of Lin Li (or "Lin Lili") with a dull "bang" that made his eardrums ring.
Lin Li stood frozen, staring blankly at the tightly closed security door. He'd just been... ruthlessly kicked out like that? Without even a proper goodbye?
Just as he was inwardly groaning and processing his grievances and embarrassment, a soft creaking sound came from the side.
The door to the next room was opened.
Song Tian rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out with messy hair, seemingly preparing to go downstairs. When he saw "Lin Lili" standing at Tong Yao's door, wearing a wrinkled dress and a slightly messy long, straight black wig, he instantly woke up, and a look of concern immediately appeared on his face.
"Sister Lili?" Song Tian exclaimed in surprise in a low voice, "You... why are you here so early? Are you feeling better? We were so scared when we saw you faint yesterday!"
Lin Li was feeling down when she heard this. She suddenly looked up, puzzled. "Fainted?"
Song Tian nodded vigorously, his eyes clear and sincere: "Yes! Yesterday afternoon, I came downstairs to take out the trash and I saw Sister Tong Yao struggling to drag you into the building... uh, I mean, she was supporting you, but you seemed to have no strength at all."
He awkwardly corrected his wording, but the word "delay" was already deeply etched in Lin Li's mind.
Song Tian continued, "I saw that Sister Tong Yao couldn't handle you by herself, so I quickly went to help. It took the two of us to get you into the elevator and back to Sister Tong Yao's house. Your face was so pale, and you were covered in sweat. You didn't even respond when I called you."
Lin Li: "..."
He instinctively turned his head, trying to see his back, but obviously couldn't see it. He immediately reached down to the back of his skirt and, sure enough, felt a dried but distinct gray-black stain below his buttocks!
So that's how that embarrassing black mark came about! Lin Li's face instantly darkened.
Imagining himself being dragged along by Tong Yao like a dead fish yesterday, and then being carried home by this boy... he almost wanted to disappear on the spot!
"Thank you, Song Tian." Lin Li pinched her throat and forced a weak yet grateful smile, while inwardly she was screaming wildly.
"You're welcome, you're welcome!" Song Tian quickly waved his hand, a little shy on his face. "Sister Lili, I'm glad you're alright. Are you going home now? I... I was just about to go downstairs."
"Ah...yes, go home." At this moment, Lin Li just wanted to leave this scene that was causing him social death as soon as possible.
The two of them entered the elevator together.
The atmosphere in the cramped space was subtly awkward. Song Tian secretly glanced at the "tall and delicate" "Sister Lili" beside him, and remembering how weak she looked yesterday, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "Sister Lili, you shouldn't come out when it's too hot in the future. You should take care of yourself."
Lin Li felt a mix of emotions and could only vaguely reply, "Okay, thank you."
As soon as the elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened, Lin Li practically fled, forgetting to even say goodbye.
Watching "her" hurriedly leave, Song Tian was still thinking: Sister Lili is so beautiful and hardworking. She came to see Sister Tongyao so early even though she was sick. They have such a good relationship! It's just... she seems to be working a little too hard.
As Lin Li fled the neighborhood, feeling the occasional glances from passersby, thinking about the stain on her back that symbolized her "dark history," and the tragic end of being kicked out by Tong Yao, she just wanted to howl to the heavens:
This damn women's clothing! This awful heatstroke! This is a complete disaster!
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