Chapter Fifteen: She Will Not Be Alone

After Ye Mengxia and Ye Xingchen got into the car, Su Yichen finally emerged from behind the tree. He looked up at the ashen sky, his eyes full of desolation.

Ye Mengxia, when will you ever truly be good to me?

The car arrived at a residential complex. As they walked inside, there wasn’t a single streetlight, the darkness complete. Ye Xingchen chuckled, switching on his phone’s flashlight as he explained, “Don’t mind the broken lights. Just imagine, on a night as dark as this, with every step you take, you might stumble upon a martial arts manual and rise to rule the world.”

“Doesn’t that give the road a sense of mystery and excitement?”

“Not in the least.”

Ye Mengxia turned on her phone’s light to scan their surroundings. The buildings weren’t tall, the walls overgrown with weeds, the environment poor, garbage overflowing around the trash cans.

Ye Xingchen took out a key card, grinning as he said, “The security here’s not bad, see? We need a card to get in, so it’s actually pretty safe.”

He pressed the elevator button. With a rumble, the dilapidated lift began to rise. Ye Mengxia eyed it with suspicion. “Why aren’t you living at home again? Did they bully you?”

Ye Xingchen blinked and smiled, “What are you saying, Ye Mengxia? Do I look like someone who gets bullied?”

“Then why live here?” She frowned at him.

“You know me. Since I was a kid, I never liked living with them. Having my own place is just more comfortable.”

At last, they reached his door. Ye Xingchen took out his key and unlocked it. At once, a giant, fluffy Samoyed appeared, whining pitifully. Sensing its owner’s presence, it wriggled right over to Ye Mengxia, nudging close.

“Wow, wow, wow...”

“Hmph, stupid dog! The moment your owner comes, you abandon me,” Ye Xingchen muttered as he took off his shoes and set a pair of brown slippers in front of her.

Ye Mengxia stroked Lucky, smiling, and slipped on the slippers, scooping the dog into her arms. “Ye Xingchen, what have you been feeding it? You’ve made it ugly.”

“What?”

“Your owner says you’re ugly. From now on, you should live with me and forget her.”

“Woof... woof woof.”

Ye Mengxia laughed, “I think it’s saying you’re the ugly one.”

“Me? Weren’t you just praising my looks on the campus network? Changed your tune so fast? Hmph, women.”

Ye Mengxia lay down on the sofa with the dog in her arms. “Watch your tone. Don’t talk to me like a fool.”

“All right.”

“I’ll go make you something to eat.”

Ye Xingchen obediently retreated to the kitchen.

Ye Mengxia sat watching TV on the sofa, but soon the smell of burning wafted out. She sighed and walked into the cramped kitchen, surveying the chaos within with a headache.

“So this is what you call ‘learning to cook’?” she said, full of disdain.

Ye Xingchen, fumbling with the stir-fry, had thick paper towels wrapped around his hands. “It’s fine, it’ll be done soon. Go back out.”

Ye Mengxia could bear it no longer. She stepped forward, took the spatula from him, and leaned back to finish the cooking herself.

Ye Xingchen laughed, “How is that any different from what I was doing?”

She shot him a look. “The difference is I don’t need paper towels around my hands.”

After a while, Ye Mengxia finished the first dish—a plate of stir-fried pork with chili. The two of them sat down to eat together.

She took a bite. It tasted bland, and only then did she realize she’d forgotten the seasoning.

Looking up, she saw Ye Xingchen eating enthusiastically, already halfway through his bowl of rice.

“Is it good?” she asked coolly.

“It’s all right. Edible.”

“Oh, I forgot to add salt. Haha... If it tastes good to you, have some more, haha...”

“…”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Realizing he’d eaten so much for nothing, he rushed into the kitchen to scoop in some salt. Suddenly, he looked up. “Did you put in any MSG?”

“Forgot. Just go by feel.”

After the meal, Ye Xingchen dutifully washed the dishes and tidied up. Leaning back on the sofa, he watched Ye Mengxia playing with the dog and teased her, “Why are you just like a puppy?”

“Ye Xingchen, don’t stay here anymore. Let me rent you a better place.”

“No need. I didn’t invite you here to witness my miserable life, right, Lucky? And it’s quiet here. I don’t want to keep moving.”

“Then come live with me.”

Ye Xingchen was silent for a few seconds before grinning and refusing, “No need. I’m a man—does it matter where I live?”

“Suit yourself.”

“What, are you angry?”

Ye Xingchen grabbed Lucky and made a face. “Ha... anger makes you ugly...”

“I’m not angry, and there’s nothing I can ever change, is there? I’ve always had to accept things, whether in the past or now. You’re the same.”

Ye Xingchen put the dog down and lay beside her. “What’s all this about what you can or can’t do? All I know is you’re Ye Mengxia, and I’m Ye Xingchen. No matter what happens, you’ll never be alone. If anyone bullies you, I’ll be the first one there to teach them a lesson.”

“Oh? Then where am I supposed to sleep tonight?” Ye Xingchen’s words rang clearly in her ear, and the corners of her lips curled up.

“Hmm, that’s a question worth pondering.”

“How about we share the bed?”

Ye Mengxia’s beautiful eyes narrowed, her gaze cold. Ye Xingchen laughed awkwardly and, taking the hint, fetched a pillow and blanket from his room and set them up on the sofa.

At dawn, Ye Mengxia was woken by a knock at the door. She rolled irritably in bed as the knocking continued, and after several struggles, finally got up.

“Ye Mengxia, are you a pig? Look at the time!”

“What time… It’s only seven…”

“Hurry up! Brush your teeth and wash your face. The toothbrush and cup are new, right there. Come on, I’m not the kind of bad student who’s ever late.”

He wasn’t, apparently, but she was.

On the way out, Ye Xingchen dashed ahead and vanished. Ye Mengxia walked on helplessly. They could have taken a car, but he insisted on walking.

Before long, he reappeared in front of her, thrusting a bag of soup dumplings into her hand. “Eat up. These are the best on the street.”

“They’re too hot.”

Ye Xingchen coughed, pulling a few napkins from his sleeve. “Put this underneath.”

“You have no common sense. Eat slowly. I got you soy milk too.”

“Do you always walk every morning like this? Isn’t it always making you late?” she asked directly.

“Do you think I’m really the kind of bad student who’s ever late?”

Predictably, when they arrived at school, they were late. They dutifully signed in at the security office.

The old guard grumbled, “Oh, it’s you again, kid. And now you’ve dragged someone else down with you.”

“Uh…”

Climbing the stairs, Ye Xingchen stopped her. “About the thing on the campus network, I asked Su Yichen to help you sort it out yesterday.” Seeing Ye Mengxia looking straight at him, he added, a little awkwardly, “He knows more about that kind of stuff. And about last time—make sure you two sort things out yourselves. Don’t keep getting upset.”

She looked at him, a faint smile on her face, her expression relaxing. “Ye Xingchen, what are you doing? If you like meddling so much, worry about yourself for once. Stop inventing problems.”

Scolded for no reason, he thought, I’m doing it for her sake.

“Heartless. Next time, no breakfast for you.”

Ye Mengxia retorted, “I don’t care for it!”

Still, she’d finished every bite. Ye Xingchen’s lips curved in a satisfied smile, puppy-like.

Fortunately, it was only morning self-study. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet. The first class was English, and the teacher paired everyone up to answer questions.

Lin Manting immediately turned to partner with the boy in front, giving Su Yichen a pat and gesturing toward me.

So, she and Su Yichen naturally became partners.

Unsurprisingly, the teacher called on her. She was caught off guard to discover how good Su Yichen’s English was—his spoken language was excellent, not at all as she remembered him.

After class, when he turned to ask her a question, she thanked him. Su Yichen’s expression remained remote. “It’s nothing. We’re classmates, aren’t we? Helping each other out.”

She replied with a faint smile. That was how things ought to be.

Yet, something felt strange—she hadn’t slipped into her amnesiac self for several days now. She was still pondering this, when, at noon, as she and Lin Manting walked to the cafeteria and spotted Su Yichen, she meant to just walk past.

But the next moment, she found herself tugging his sleeve.

Her head spun for a few seconds, days of memories flooding in all at once, but jumbled and hard to piece together. She stared at Su Yichen, dazed, and asked, “Su Yichen, what are you doing here?”

“Getting lunch.”

He answered her curtly.

Taken aback by his coldness, Ye Mengxia felt both surprised and a little awkward, letting go of his sleeve.

“Oh… Su Yichen, let’s eat together. There are empty seats over there. Come join us.” She was nervous, unsure why Su Yichen had suddenly changed.

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded slightly. Ignoring the confusion in his eyes, Ye Mengxia felt happy for no reason—just sitting with him made her happy.