Chapter 3 Feeling the gentle grip between her fingers, Lan smiled happily.
Xiao came back after all.
It's always the same—
No matter how adamant they are when they leave, vowing never to return, their furtive figure can always be spotted within a day or two, or even three to five days.
Without saying a word, he just stood there at the entrance of the small courtyard built of fences, pretending to be something he'd never seen.
It was as if they had just happened to be passing by, or perhaps they were waiting for something.
Lan knew that the other party was waiting for a way out.
He was already used to this. He didn't initiate conversation, but instead focused on diligently copying the calligraphy from the model book, stroke by stroke.
After an unknown amount of time, the boy finally couldn't take it anymore.
"That guy over there...that one..."
Xiao had clearly forgotten the child's name, and it seemed she didn't intend to. She changed her question directly, asking, "How long have you been alone?"
Lan sensed that what the other person really wanted to know was how long the young man had been gone and when he would return, so—
Lan slowly put down her pen, glanced up at the pretentious boy, and then gave him a rather obedient smile.
"It must have been a while."
"..."
Xiao was clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but for some reason, the boy suppressed his displeasure and tried to ask in a friendly tone.
"What exactly do you mean by 'a while'?"
"It means a little while."
Lan tilted his head back, a faint, serene smile on his face. His smile actually resembled that of a young man.
Besides the result of deliberate imitation, the two also share subtle similarities in appearance.
Although they seem completely unrelated at first glance, they give people the illusion that they are extremely similar.
This can be seen from Xiao's reaction.
The boy paused for a moment, a fleeting look of disbelief in his eyes, before clenching his fists as if waking from a dream, seemingly somewhat embarrassed and angry.
He gritted his sharp teeth, making a grinding sound.
"Damn it—"
"It's orchid."
Ignoring the other person's gritted teeth, Lan earnestly corrected him, "He gave me my name."
As he spoke, he turned his head to the side and smiled slightly, a smile that didn't quite resemble that of a young man.
"Lan really likes this name, so please try to remember it. If you can't even remember something this simple, it really makes people worry that the thing around your neck is just an ornament."
Lan's tone was very serious.
It seemed as if they were genuinely lamenting the boy's worrying memory.
But that barely concealed worry, to the latter's ears, sounded more like mockery...
Xiao finally couldn't resist taking action.
However, almost the instant the child's neck was grabbed, a voice appeared not far behind.
What are you doing?
His usually bland tone carried a rare hint of coldness.
Upon hearing this, Xiao paused slightly in her grip on Lan, turned around to look at the young man who had returned at some point, now wearing a smiling face.
"Tsk, they arrived just in time."
The boy laughed carefree, appearing nonchalant and cheerful.
"What could be wrong? You went out and saw that the kid was all alone, so you played some games with him to help him relax."
The mountain spirit remained silent, its gaze shifting from Xiao's curved, emerald eyes to the child being held in the other's hands.
Noticing the young man's gaze, Xiao raised an eyebrow, revealing a look of sudden realization.
"Ah, I was talking and I forgot."
As he spoke, he loosened his grip, and Lan fell to the ground with a thud, as if he had carelessly tossed away a piece of trash.
The boy smiled nonchalantly to cover up his bad behavior.
The young man ignored him and walked straight up to Lan, who had been silent, and gently pulled her up from the ground.
He then bent down and gently dusted the child off.
He never once glanced at the third person present.
"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" Shanling asked, bending down.
Lan's palms hurt a little; she must have braced herself when she fell.
My neck, too, feels a dull ache where I was pinched.
But he still obediently shook his head and whispered that he was fine, though his voice sounded like it had been burned on fire.
As she spoke, she glanced at the boy who had been left standing to the side, seemingly unintentionally.
Clutching at Shanling's sleeve, she said, "Ah Xiao really didn't mean any harm, he was just a bit clumsy and didn't know his own strength... Brother, please don't blame him, okay?"
Upon hearing this, the young man neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply took Lan's hand and led her into the house.
Lan didn't need to turn around to feel the resentment behind her.
He seems quite angry...
Thinking this, Lan unconsciously tightened her grip on the person holding her hand.
Faced with a wild beast that is unpredictable and unable to control its emotions, a child like him will feel afraid and become even more attached to the person he trusts... It's just something that can't be helped.
The next moment, feeling the gentle grip on her fingers, Lan smiled happily.
He then slightly suppressed his smile.
—If you get too carried away with your success, it won't look right.
Lan's favorite...
The one who gave him a second life and taught him about this world...
Mother, teachers, and...
【elder brother. 】
These are all names that Lan learned from books.
Despite repeated corrections, Lan still chose to call the young man that in her heart.
Despite being told that, generally speaking, these roles should not be played by one person.
Can--
The other party also said that it's usually the case.
For someone who was abandoned shortly after birth, who had nothing and knew nothing, the role of a young person was enough to fill all the void.
Why can't I be alone...?
It should be just one person...
Lan firmly believed this, and looking into the young man's eyes, he saw a persistence and joy that even he himself did not understand.
The vines are rustling again.
Like soft tentacles.
They also resembled dark, crawling snakes.
"Click".
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