After hearing what 3206 said, Xu Fangfei froze for a moment with her face burning red, then finally reacted. She hurriedly shifted her gaze elsewhere and stammered, “Thank you. I, I’ll just wait here. I won’t go in.”
Zheng Xiye said, “Don’t rush to thank me. I’ve never fixed a water pipe before. Whether it can be fixed is still uncertain.”
Xu Fangfei stood there stiffly, not knowing how to respond again.
She thought that if it were someone else who was more eloquent, they might be able to reel off a string of polite remarks. For example, “It’s okay, you’re the only young person in this building. Just being willing to try is already a huge help to us.” Or, “Whether it can be fixed or not, I should still thank you. After all, it’s the middle of the night, and you didn’t mind me disturbing your rest and were willing to come upstairs. That alone is already rare.”
In just a few short seconds, many imagined lines flashed through Xu Fangfei’s mind. Yet in the end, after all the mental drafts piled up at her lips, only a single soft word remained.
“Oh.”
The tone was dull, just like her as a whole, uninteresting and bland.
Zheng Xiye’s gaze swept over the child’s flushed cheeks and her equally rosy little ears. A trace of interest surfaced in his eyes. He did not say anything more to her and turned to walk back inside.
Before long, Xu Fangfei heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
The water did not flow continuously. It paused once every half second or so.
Xu Fangfei was familiar with this sound.
When she was little and followed her mother back to her maternal grandmother’s countryside home, water heaters and showers were still considered foreign luxuries and had not yet become common in rural areas. When her mother bathed her in the bathroom, she would fill a bucket with hot water and use a ladle to pour it over her one scoop at a time.
Combined with the overly simple furnishings in this apartment, Xu Fangfei roughly came to a conclusion. There was probably no shower installed in 3206.
She drifted off in thought.
She did not know whether it was because someone was waiting or because 3206 bathed quickly to begin with. In less than a minute, a tall figure emerged from the bathroom.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Fangfei instinctively lifted her eyes.
3206 had already put on a pair of home shorts. The elastic waistband circled the line of his defined abdominal muscles. The loose pant legs fell just to his knees. His calves were straight and long, not slender, but perfectly toned with clear muscle definition.
He wiped his hair with a towel in one hand and picked up a white T-shirt draped over the back of a chair with the other, pulling it on. On his feet were a pair of dark blue plastic slippers. This getup formed an extremely stark contrast with the well-dressed, cold, and restrained elegance he had shown that night at the KTV.
After a simple tidy-up, 3206 took his keys and walked out, closing the door behind him with a backhand motion.
The corridor was narrow to begin with. He was one meter ninety tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, lean frame. As he drew near, an invisible sense of pressure naturally arose, as though the surrounding air had gained weight.
Because of this, Xu Fangfei felt faintly uneasy. Her heart grew flustered, and her face flushed even redder.
She did not dare look at him. She quickly lowered her head, turned, and went up the stairs at a fast pace, subtly widening the distance between herself and him. She said, “Come with me.”
*
On the fourth floor, just one floor above, Xu Fangfei’s home was already flooded. The worst-hit area was the section connecting the bathroom and the kitchen.
At the time, Qiao Huilan was in the middle of showering, with the body wash still not rinsed off her body. When the water pipe burst, the powerful jet of water shot straight onto Qiao Huilan’s back. That patch of skin immediately turned bruised and red, and the pain made Qiao Huilan cry out.
Xu Fangfei, who had been doing homework, heard her mother’s cry of pain and panicked. She hurriedly dashed into the bathroom, only to be blasted by the water jet as well, instantly becoming a drenched mess.
The mother and daughter fiddled with the burst water pipe for quite a while. With no solution in sight, they finally thought of asking someone for help.
At such a late hour, the craftsmen from nearby hardware stores had long since closed up shop. If they wanted to find someone, they could only look within the residential compound. And looking across the entire No. 9 Xiwang Street, there were very few young men who were strong and able-bodied. 3206 was one of them.
Xu Fangfei had left in such a hurry that she even forgot to close the front door properly.
She pushed the door open and walked inside, raising her voice slightly as she said, “Mom, I invited the neighbor downstairs over. He said he’d help take a look at whether the water pipe can be fixed.”
After saying that, she turned back to look at 3206, forcing out a somewhat awkward and restrained smile. “You can come in.”
Zheng Xiye stepped inside with long strides.
He glanced around. The layout and structure of this old apartment were the same as his. The furniture and appliances were all there. White floral dust covers lay over the television, coffee table, and dining table. It was old and cramped, yet still felt warm and homely.
Xu Fangfei stood on tiptoe and opened the top layer of the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of brown men’s slippers, placed them on the floor, and said, “You can change into these slippers.”
Zheng Xiye lowered his gaze.
The men’s slippers placed before him were clean and almost brand new, with hardly any signs of wear.
Xu Fangfei noticed him looking at the slippers and explained, “These were bought by my dad. They’re specially prepared for guests and haven’t really been worn.”
Zheng Xiye changed into the slippers without saying anything.
The girl beside him paused, then added softly, “My dad went on a business trip. He’ll be back after some time. Before he left, he asked Uncle Zhang, the security guard, to look after us.”
Zheng Xiye still said nothing. He noticed water overflowing from the kitchen area. Just as he moved to walk over, he met Qiao Huilan face to face.
Qiao Huilan looked rather exaggerated. She had rummaged out a raincoat from home and put it on. Her wet hair was hastily wrapped in a towel. When she saw Zheng Xiye, she was overjoyed, as though she had found a savior, and said repeatedly, “Thank you so much for the trouble, young man. The burst pipe is in the bathroom. Please help us take a look. Even if it can’t be fixed, blocking it so it doesn’t leak anymore would be fine.”
Qiao Huilan was extremely flustered. After speaking, she picked up the toolbox and rushed back to the scene of the accident.
Zheng Xiye followed her. After taking two steps, he caught sight of a slender figure following behind him out of the corner of his eye.
He turned his head and glanced at her, asking, “Do you know how to fix water pipes?”
The question was truly baffling.
Xu Fangfei froze, shook her head, and replied, “No.”
Zheng Xiye said, “Then don’t follow.”
Xu Fangfei said, “My mom’s back was injured by the water jet. Let her rest. I’ll help you out. Maybe it’ll get fixed faster?”
Hearing this, Zheng Xiye actually laughed softly. He raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone lazy and indifferent. “Kid, this isn’t your school sports meet tug-of-war. Having one more person doesn’t mean one more bit of strength.”
Xu Fangfei was left speechless.
“I don’t need anyone to help.” Because of the difference in height, Zheng Xiye looked down at her from above. When his gaze casually swept over a certain spot, his expression tightened slightly. He immediately withdrew his eyes, turned, and walked away. “Hurry up and go change your clothes.”
You’ve already been seen through and through.
*
Having wanted to help but been mercilessly rejected, Xu Fangfei had no choice but to return to her bedroom and change into clean clothes.
After changing and coming out, she heard Qiao Huilan shouting loudly from the bathroom, “Feifei, there’s a watermelon I bought today on the table. It’s so hot. Cut some and bring it over for the neighbor brother to eat!”
“Got it.”
Xu Fangfei replied. She picked up the big watermelon on the table with both hands, carefully avoided the water on the floor, and walked into the kitchen. She set the melon on the chopping board, grabbed the kitchen knife, and cut it cleanly into two halves with a crack.
In the bathroom next door, the burst pipe was still spraying water, but the flow was clearly much weaker now. Mixed in were the clanking sounds of tools and the voices of Qiao Huilan and 3206 talking.
Actually, it hardly counted as a conversation. Most of the time, Qiao Huilan was enthusiastically chatting away, while 3206 focused entirely on fixing the pipe. He only answered with very simple words. They sounded polite and mild, yet in truth carried strong vigilance and a clear sense of distance.
Even so, Xu Fangfei could not help but slow down her watermelon cutting quietly and prick up her ears.
Mom: “Young man, you’re not from Lingcheng, are you?”
3206: “No.”
Mom: “How long have you been in Lingcheng? What kind of work do you do here?”
3206: “Only a few months. I do odd jobs to get by.”
“Ah…” There was a trace of regret in her mother’s voice. She continued, “You seem kind-hearted and you look good, tall and well-built. How about Auntie introduce you to a job? Go work in a factory, start by guarding the gate. Once you’re familiar with the connections, you can learn a trade. In the future, you could become a skilled worker. It might be better than doing odd jobs.”
3206 replied politely but distantly, “Thank you, I don’t need that for now.”
Her mom laughed. “If you need anything in the future, just come find Auntie. We’re neighbors upstairs and downstairs. Don’t feel embarrassed to speak up.”
…
The things that came out of 3206’s mouth felt half true and half false. Xu Fangfei could not tell which words were real and which were not. Perhaps it really was like what television dramas showed. For people like them, being honest with others was the same as planting a disaster for themselves.
Thinking this, she put the cut watermelon into a plate and raised her voice slightly. “Mom, I’ve cut the watermelon and put it on the table. Come eat it after you’re done.”
*
Xu Fangfei’s water pipe was fixed an hour later.
Qiao Huilan was extremely grateful and repeatedly thanked Zheng Xiye. Not only did she put a plate of watermelon into a bag and stuff it into his hands, but she also took out two hundred yuan and tried to give it to him as well.
Zheng Xiye took neither the watermelon nor the money.
Qiao Huilan then called out to Xu Fangfei and said, “Feifei, Mom needs to clean the kitchen and the bathroom and can’t walk the neighbor brother downstairs. You send neighbor brother downstairs yourself.”
When Qiao Huilan said this, Zheng Xiye was already heading down the stairs.
Qiao Huilan shot Xu Fangfei a look, shoved the bag of watermelon and the money into her arms, and signaled for her to think of a way. No matter what, she had to get the items delivered.
Xu Fangfei had no choice. Hugging the watermelon, she hurried after him, sprinting like a hundred-meter dash all the way to the third floor. She was so out of breath that she could hardly breathe. Panting, she lifted her eyes and saw that tall figure just as he was opening the security door lock.
3206’s movement at the door paused.
He turned his head to the side. Seeing that she had followed him, his left eyebrow lifted slightly.
“I… my mom has always taught me that when someone helps us, we should repay them.” Xu Fangfei took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she met those bottomless black eyes. “So please, you must accept these things.”
As her words fell, the stairwell sank into silence.
What followed was the still, empty darkness after the motion-sensor light went out.
Zheng Xiye stared at the girl in front of him without saying a word. After a moment, he lazily curled the corner of his mouth and said, “Then your mom should have also taught you to be honest and keep your word. If you’re so obedient, why did you lie?”
The girl’s bright eyes were clear, like a drop of dense ink pressed onto rice paper, piercing through the page. Even in the dark, they shone.
From that confused gaze, it was obvious she did not understand what he meant.
And Zheng Xiye had no intention of letting this little girl understand.
He turned around and went inside.
Jiang Zhi’ang had no idea when he had come back. He was locked in the bedroom with his female companion, kissing so fiercely they were hard to separate, not yet having reached the main event.
Zheng Xiye ignored the red high heels by the door. He could not be bothered to turn on the light. Dragging his slippers, he went straight back to his own room and lay down on the bed to rest.
The student kid had said her father was on a business trip and would be back soon. That clumsy, awkward lie and her embarrassed, reddened little face were far too transparent to fool Zheng Xiye.
In fact, the moment he stepped into her home tonight, he had already concluded that there was no able-bodied adult man living there. As for why she lied, Zheng Xiye could more or less guess.
Someone like him was indeed worth guarding against.
Zheng Xiye did not take it to heart. He let out a very faint snort of disdain.
It was an occupational habit he had developed in his teens. His observation of people and things was meticulous, and his judgment sharp. He could always see through people’s hearts with ease.
Because of that, all these years, he had lived with excessive clarity and rationality.
In the room next door, a woman’s unbearable moans rose, gradually growing louder, mixed with a man’s flirtatious, crude curses, almost deafening.
Just like every day before, Zheng Xiye closed his eyes and went to sleep with an expressionless face.
The sounds of pleasure-seeking men and women by his ear intensified as their passion deepened.
With his eyes closed, Zheng Xiye did not know what he thought of, but he suddenly felt as though the surrounding air had been set alight, uncontrollably heating up.
A few minutes later, he got out of bed, filled a bucket with cold water, carried it into the bathroom, lifted it high, and tipped it over himself, the cascade pouring straight down over his head.
Afterward, with his eyes closed, an image crept into his mind against his will.
A slender figure. Crystal-clear eyes, red lips and white teeth. Smooth black hair dripping with water, droplets sliding along the line of a snow-white neck. The front of a light-colored top soaked through, faintly outlining a series of gentle rises and curves…
In the darkness, Zheng Xiye wiped his face. Both arms braced against the counter holding the bucket, his brows knitting slightly. After a long while, when the surging heat in his body finally subsided, he abruptly opened his eyes.
This was the first time in his life that listening to the noises from the room next door had caused a reaction.
It was seriously messed up.