Xu Fangfei felt the roots of both ears burn. Staring at the man’s handsome, teasing face, she was momentarily speechless.
She thought to herself that this person really never acted properly, not even for a moment.
Not knowing how to respond, Xu Fangfei fell silent again, lowering her eyes and sitting blankly in the front passenger seat. After a while, she heard some rustling beside her as Zheng Xiye unfastened his seat belt.
Xu Fangfei froze. She looked around through the car window and saw an unfamiliar cityscape. Traffic flowed endlessly, steel and concrete casting several iron behemoths. Under the lights, each glass façade looked like a diamond-cut surface, brimming with modernity, cold and devoid of human warmth.
Lingcheng was not large to begin with, and Xu Fangfei was born and raised here. She immediately recognized that this area was Lingcheng’s city center, the only district that had not been abandoned by the new century, and also the most expensive area in the entire city.
A trace of unease rose in Xu Fangfei’s heart.
She hesitated, then asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
“I’m hungry,” Zheng Xiye said. “Looking for a place to eat.”
The girl gave a small “oh,” nodded, and continued sitting in the car without moving.
After taking a few steps away, Zheng Xiye sensed something and turned back to glance at her.
Xu Fangfei felt uncomfortable under his gaze and muttered, “I’ll just wait for you in the car.”
Zheng Xiye lifted his eyes. “Wait for me to feed you?”
Xu Fangfei froze, not quite understanding.
Without waiting for her reply, Zheng Xiye extended his long arm and directly opened the passenger-side door for her. He stood there, lowering his eyelids as he lazily looked at her. Seeing that the girl was still sitting stiffly, he raised an eyebrow and spoke with evident amusement, “Or should I carry you down?”
This time, Xu Fangfei finally understood that he intended to take her along to eat.
One should not accept favors without merit. Having him send her home was already troublesome enough. How could she shamelessly let him treat her to a meal as well?
Driven by her pride, almost without hesitation, Xu Fangfei waved her hand in refusal. “Thank you, but I’ll just go home and eat.”
“You’ll still have to cook when you get home,” Zheng Xiye said calmly. “Isn’t that troublesome?”
“But…”
“I’ve eaten the buns your mother made before. They were very good,” Zheng Xiye said. “Consider this my return treat.”
Hearing that, Xu Fangfei was left speechless and could only awkwardly agree.
Not long after, Xu Fangfei followed behind Zheng Xiye into a Chinese restaurant by the roadside.
The restaurant was spacious and elegantly decorated. Bright lights shone overhead, and the spotless white wall tiles were free of dust. Everything exuded a refined, petite-bourgeois atmosphere that made Xu Fangfei feel constrained.
A faint but undeniable sense of inferiority welled up from deep inside her, spreading like a spider’s web and entangling her emotions.
Xu Fangfei had never realized before that entering an upscale restaurant to eat could be such a test of one’s state of mind.
She unconsciously lowered her head.
In sharp contrast to the girl’s unease, the man walking beside her was calm and composed, his expression indifferent.
A young, attractive female server stepped forward with a bright smile and a sweet voice. “Sir, how many guests?”
“Two,” Zheng Xiye replied.
“All right.” The server’s face flushed slightly as her gaze flicked several times toward that cold, jade-white face before she continued, “May I seat you by the window?”
Zheng Xiye nodded once.
The server extended a hand in a welcoming gesture and led the two to a window-side table, smiling as she said, “The menu is on the table. I’ll bring tea. If you need anything, please let me know.”
With that, the pretty server turned and left.
Zheng Xiye pulled out the inner chair, lifted his eyes, and looked at the girl in front of him. She had her head lowered, her fair neck bent into a restrained curve, every bit of her body language showing resistance to the surrounding space.
“Sit,” Zheng Xiye said.
The girl still kept her head lowered. She murmured a quiet thank-you, adjusted the hem of her dress slightly, and bent down to sit.
“The menu is on your left,” Zheng Xiye said as he took off his black suit jacket and casually draped it over the back of the chair. After sitting down, he habitually loosened his metal cufflinks and rolled up the sleeves of his dark shirt a little. “See what you’d like to eat.”
Xu Fangfei lowered her head, her line of sight dropping to the hands of the young man across from her.
His wrist bones were an elegant, cool white, slender yet strong. His fingers were well-defined, and even the ferocious bullet scar on the back of his hand looked strangely beautiful.
After drifting for a few seconds, Xu Fangfei shook her head and whispered, “There’s nothing I particularly want to eat.”
Zheng Xiye lowered his gaze, scanned the menu briefly, and called for the server.
The female server smiled brightly. “Sir, what would you like to order?”
Zheng Xiye named several light dishes, then added, “Pack these to go.”
The server recorded the order on her tablet and nodded. “All right.”
Zheng Xiye continued looking at the menu and suddenly asked, “Is there anything you avoid eating or don’t like?”
Xu Fangfei was startled for a moment, then realized he was asking her. “No,” she replied.
After ordering, the server left with the tablet.
Before long, several carefully plated dishes were brought to the table. Throughout the entire meal, neither of them spoke another word.
*
She had thought that food from an upscale restaurant would surely be extraordinarily delicious. Yet after actually tasting it, it was not as amazing as she had imagined.
Xu Fangfei, with her limited experience, thought that her mother’s braised pork ribs were still tastier.
After the meal, Zheng Xiye swiped his card to pay.
Sitting beside him, Xu Fangfei inadvertently caught a glimpse of the number at the bottom of the bill, and her heart jolted.
She knew that dining in a place like this would be expensive, but she had not expected it to be so outrageously expensive. A meal for two people had nearly cost her family of three an entire month’s living expenses.
Xu Fangfei could not quite describe what she was feeling at that moment.
This man named Zheng Xiye sometimes dressed impeccably and sometimes looked rough and unruly. He clearly possessed the means to spend lavishly, yet chose to live in the poor, rundown Xiwang Street and become her neighbor.
Such a contradictory existence was probably impossible to find a second one like in the world.
While she was lost in thought, the blushing female server came over again and placed several packed food containers on the table. “Sir, these are the dishes you asked to have packed.”
Zheng Xiye reached out to pick up the packed food bags.
Seeing this, Xu Fangfei reacted instinctively and rushed a step ahead, lifting the bags with both hands and pulling them into her arms.
Zheng Xiye’s hand grasped nothing. He raised his eyes to look at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly in puzzlement.
“Thank you for treating me to dinner. I really made you spend money,” Xu Fangfei said awkwardly. She was just a high school student with limited means and could not think of any other way to repay him, so she could only offer the cheapest kind of help, her labor. “I’ll help you carry these.”
Zheng Xiye stared at her for a moment, then said, “These were meant for you in the first place.”
Xu Fangfei was confused. “For me?”
She did not understand.
“I remember you still have a grandfather with limited mobility,” Zheng Xiye said.
Xu Fangfei froze.
“These dishes are all light,” the man added casually. “They’re suitable for an elderly person.”
*
In summer, it grew dark much later than in winter. A little past six in the afternoon, the entire sky was still bright. Sunlight blazed in the west, spreading brilliant evening clouds.
Zheng Xiye drove Xu Fangfei back to No. 9 Xiwang Street.
When the car reached the entrance, it stopped.
Xu Fangfei unfastened the seat belt wrapped around her body. Just as her hand touched the door handle, she heard the person in the driver’s seat remind her, “Don’t forget your things.”
She paused slightly, turned back, and picked up the food bags resting on the floor mat. She raised her gaze to look at Zheng Xiye. Some people were simply not good with words, clumsy-tongued. After thinking it over, she still thanked him again.
Zheng Xiye found it a little amusing. He felt that this pretty kid could be rather slow at times. “With me, do you have nothing else to say besides ‘thank you’?”
Xu Fangfei was stuck and silenced by that question. After a moment, she could only change the subject and make small talk. “Aren’t you going home?”
“I have something to deal with,” Zheng Xiye replied.
After waiting briefly, he turned his head to look at her. “Do you want me to walk you upstairs?”
“No… no!” Xu Fangfei’s face flushed red. She hurriedly denied it. At this point, she did not dare linger any longer. Hugging the food bags, she pushed open the car door and ran off without looking back.
Zheng Xiye toyed with a metal lighter, leaning back against the seat. His dark eyes were heavy as he watched the petite figure flee in panic. After a long while, he smiled unconsciously, withdrew his gaze, lit a cigarette, stepped hard on the accelerator, and drove off into the distance.
*
After returning home, the first thing Xu Fangfei did was set her things down and go check on her grandfather.
The old man had been half-paralyzed in bed for many years. Usually, Qiao Huilan bore most of the responsibility and took meticulous care of him. Under normal circumstances, Qiao Huilan had to help the old man finish breakfast before going out in the morning, and at noon, she would return to bring him lunch. During summer vacation, when Xu Fangfei did not have school, she was finally able to share some of that burden.
Before leaving that day, Qiao Huilan had used a thermal container to keep a bowl of clear broth noodles warm for the old man and placed it on the bedside table, within his reach.
Even so, Xu Fangfei still worried that her grandfather might go hungry.
Pushing open the door, she saw the old man lying on the bed with his eyes closed, sleeping soundly.
Xu Fangfei moved gently, tiptoed to the bedside, and picked up the thermal container to take a look. Thankfully, her grandfather had a good appetite today. He had finished the entire bowl of clear broth noodles, soup and all.
Xu Fangfei bent down slightly and called softly, “Grandpa?”
She called three times in a row before the old man finally woke up, his blurry gaze landing on his granddaughter by the bed.
“Grandpa, are you hungry right now? Should I heat some food for you?” Xu Fangfei asked.
“Later. I can’t eat right now,” her grandfather said hoarsely, waving his hand. He craned his neck to look behind her and asked, “Where’s your mother?”
“Mom helped set up a mourning hall today. She’ll probably keep vigil for the next two days and won’t be back,” Xu Fangfei replied.
“Oh.” Her grandfather nodded, put at ease. Not long after, he closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
Xu Fangfei tucked the thin blanket around him, picked up the thermal container, gently closed the door, and went to the kitchen to wash it. Just as she finished, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket.
Xu Fangfei wiped her hands on her apron, took out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered the call. “Hello, Mom.”
Qiao Huilan’s voice came through the receiver. She let out a breath, her tone carrying faint worry and dissatisfaction. “You child, why didn’t you say anything when you got home?”
“I only just got back,” Xu Fangfei said.
Qiao Huilan was puzzled. “Wasn’t it the neighbor who drove you home? How did it take so long on the way?”
Xu Fangfei answered honestly, “That brother treated me to dinner.”
“He drove you home and even treated you to a meal. That young man is really too polite,” Qiao Huilan said. Her impression of the neighbor grew even better as she muttered to herself, “Next time I must thank him properly in person.”
The mother and daughter chatted idly for a bit more before hanging up.
Xu Fangfei put her phone away and turned her head, only to see the packed food containers sitting on the table.
She puffed out her cheeks and drifted into a daze.
For a fleeting moment, an absurd thought sprouted in her mind. Perhaps that man was not bad by nature, but had simply gone astray?
*
Every trade had its own rules. According to Lingcheng customs, on the first night after a mourning hall was set up, Qiao Huilan needed to stay there to keep vigil with the bereaved family, so she could help handle any emergencies that might arise during the funeral arrangements.
The family kept the body for three days. Early in the morning on the third day, after the burial procession and the dismantling of the mourning hall, Qiao Huilan finally dragged her exhausted body home.
In the kitchen, a pot bubbled noisily.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xu Fangfei poked her head toward the entrance and said, “Mom, you’re back.”
After dozens of hours without sleep, Qiao Huilan was utterly exhausted and drowsy. She waved her hand, barely able to muster the strength to speak, and went straight into the bedroom to sleep.
“I cooked some porridge. Eat a little before sleeping,” Xu Fangfei said.
There was no response from the bedroom, only steady, even breathing.
There was nothing she could do.
Xu Fangfei had to ladle out Qiao Huilan’s portion of porridge first, mix in some pickled vegetables, and set it on the stove. She then served another bowl of porridge and carried it into her grandfather’s room, blowing on each spoonful before feeding it to him.
After helping her grandfather finish breakfast, she returned to the living room, hastily ate some porridge herself, washed the pot and dishes, and went back to her bedroom to do homework and read.
The monotonous summer vacation life seemed to return to its normal rhythm, day after day like this.
*
After three busy days, Qiao Huilan slept straight through until a little past noon before waking up.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Her first thought was that she needed to hurry up and get up to prepare lunch for her daughter and her father. She got out of bed in a rush and went into the kitchen, only to find three large noodle bowls set out on the stove, the seasonings already mixed. In the old-fashioned iron pot, water was already boiling, and beside it lay a large unopened pack of egg noodles.
At that moment, a voice came from the bathroom, slightly raised, asking, “Mom, there isn’t much food at home. Is it okay if we eat noodles for lunch?”
“That’s fine,” Qiao Huilan replied casually, rolling up her sleeves as she walked to the bathroom door.
Xu Fangfei was bent over, her long hair dripping wet and hanging down in front of her head. Beside her was a basin of clean hot water. In her right hand, she held a toothbrush cup, scooping up hot water and pouring it over her hair. A slender length of her neck and her two lotus-root-like arms were both wet, pale and luminous, the water droplets making them gleam.
The girl was washing her hair. From this angle, the neckline of her light-colored, thin camisole hung wide open.
Qiao Huilan noticed something, paused briefly, then quickly cleared her throat and looked away. “Wash faster. I’ll put the noodles in first.”
They ate a simple noodle meal at noon, and then Qiao Huilan went back to the paper offerings shop.
When she returned in the evening, she called Xu Fangfei into the room and handed her a white plastic bag.
Xu Fangfei blinked in confusion. She opened the bag and froze.
Her face warmed, and she asked awkwardly, “Mom, why did you suddenly buy this for me?”
“You shouldn’t wear camisoles anymore. They affect breast development. Wear this instead,” Qiao Huilan said, clearing her throat. “Try it on first. If the size isn’t right, I’ll go exchange it.”
Xu Fangfei nodded obediently and took off her clothes to try it on.
Qiao Huilan examined her daughter’s full, fair body and nodded. “Mm, it’s about right.”
Her mother had always said that close-fitting clothing needed to be rinsed before wearing. After trying it on, Xu Fangfei took off the bra, carefully scrubbed it with undergarment soap, and hung it out to dry on their balcony.
Seeing this, Qiao Huilan said, “It doesn’t get sunlight here. Tomorrow morning, hang it on the rooftop.”
“Oh.” Xu Fangfei asked, “Is there anything else to dry together?”
“I’m going to wash the bedsheets and quilt covers tonight,” Qiao Huilan said. “Tomorrow, take them up together.”
“Okay.”
Early the next morning, following her mother’s instructions, Xu Fangfei carried a large basin of bedsheets and quilt covers up to the rooftop.
In this old residential building, the top floor was always filled with colorful sheets and clothes drying. The sun showed half its face from the east, and a light breeze swept through, carrying the fresh scent of laundry detergent and soap pods.
Xu Fangfei carried the basin around twice before finally finding an empty spot.
She set the basin down, spread the bedsheets and quilt covers over the clotheslines first, and only at the very end took out the new bra from the bottom and hung it beside the quilt cover.
All hung.
Staring at that pale blue shape swaying in the wind, Xu Fangfei felt heat creep up behind her ears and grew a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she hung a thin pillowcase beside it to provide some cover.
After another look, that patch of blue no longer seemed so conspicuous.
Xu Fangfei puffed out her cheeks, let out a breath, picked up the basin again, and prepared to go downstairs.
But just as she turned around, a figure suddenly entered her field of vision without warning.
Xu Fangfei froze.
The other person was wearing a fitted black tank top. Below his boxing shorts were two straight, long legs. He wore slippers, held a plastic basin full of clothes in one hand, while the other arm hung loosely at his side, swaying lightly as he walked. Slouchy, unruly, wild and untamed, his whole body exuded the careless roguishness of someone who had not fully woken up yet.
It was Zheng Xiye.
A rush of strong male presence hit her head-on. Xu Fangfei’s chest tightened, and she could only steel herself and squeeze out a polite, shallow smile in his direction.
Zheng Xiye also met her head-on midway. His dark pupils tightened slightly, and he, too, paused in surprise.
Within seconds, Xu Fangfei reacted, and a wave of embarrassment instantly surged through her. She had not expected to run into anyone so early. When she came out, she had not changed clothes at all. She was still wearing the beige camisole and loose shorts she had slept in the night before.
Her ears burned. Ashamed and flustered, she felt utterly exposed. Instinctively, she lowered her head and lifted the basin higher, blocking it in front of her chest.
Fortunately, the man’s gaze did not linger on her for long.
Zheng Xiye turned his head and shifted his tall body slightly to the side, giving way to her in the narrow stairwell.
The girl’s face flushed red. She did not dare look at him again, lowered her head, and in a flash ran off without a trace.
A faintly sweet, clean breeze brushed Zheng Xiye’s nose, gone in an instant.
He turned his head and unconsciously followed the direction of her retreating footsteps with his gaze.
The girl’s frame was slight. Her long hair was thick and black, her neck slender and snow-white. Her calves extended from beneath the oversized shorts, and as she ran, the soft hollows behind her knees appeared and disappeared, like some kind of fruit not yet fully ripe, able to be squeezed into a burst of green, sweet juice. Fragile and delicate, alluring without trying.
His nicotine craving flared up.
An inexplicable irritation rose in his chest. Zheng Xiye muttered a low curse, withdrew his gaze, casually fished a cigarette from his pocket, stuck it in his mouth, flicked his lighter, and lit it.
*
A little after four in the afternoon, Xu Fangfei finished her study tasks for the day.
She put away her textbooks and summer workbooks, stretched, then picked up the large washbasin and went up to the rooftop to collect the clothes she had hung out in the morning.
However, after gathering the bedsheets and quilt covers, she discovered that the spot where the bra and pillowcase had been hanging was completely empty.
Xu Fangfei: “…”
She was bewildered and began to think.
Her bra and pillowcase were very likely taken by some neighbor by mistake. And that morning, when she came to hang the clothes, she had clearly seen that only a small section of the clothesline to the left of where she hung the bra had still been empty…
In a flash, a young, cold, stern face flickered through Xu Fangfei’s mind. Her heart immediately began pounding wildly, and her face flushed so hard it felt ready to drip blood.
Her bra…
Could it have been mistakenly taken by 3206?
*
At the same time, inside 3206’s place.
Jiang Zhi’ang finished shaving, casually rubbed his smooth chin, and went back to his room to change clothes. He opened the wardrobe and searched for a while, then shouted out, “Brother Ye, where did you put my pink short-sleeved shirt?”
Zheng Xiye was still half-asleep. His voice was thick with morning irritability, extremely displeased. “Who the hell took your clothes?”
“Alright, alright, I’ll find it myself.”
Jiang Zhi’ang could not afford to provoke this guy. He shrugged listlessly and looked around the living room. Suddenly, he spotted his flashy short-sleeved shirt in a basin on the floor.
Jiang Zhi’ang raised one eyebrow and joked, “Not bad, Brother Ye. More virtuous than a woman. You even conscientiously washed your brother’s clothes.”
Zheng Xiye could not be bothered to respond.
Jiang Zhi’ang bent down, picked up the shirt from the basin, and was just about to pull it over his head when a small patch of pale blue was dragged out with the shirt and fell onto the floor.
He noticed the blue item, pinched it between two fingers and lifted it up. After taking a look, his expression suddenly turned lewd and ambiguous. He casually knocked on the bedroom door twice, bang bang.
Jiang Zhi’ang laughed obscenely and teased, “Brother, your romantic luck isn’t bad. Didn’t expect your little young girlfriend to be so young, yet with quite a figure.”
As the words fell, Zheng Xiye went silent for half a second. He finally lifted his eyelids and sat up, his gaze sweeping toward Jiang Zhi’ang, his brows knitting slightly. “What did you say?”
“This size.” Jiang Zhi’ang spread out the piece of fabric in his hand and held it up vulgarly, giving a two-word evaluation. “Spicy.”
Seeing the blue bra in Jiang Zhi’ang’s hand, Zheng Xiye narrowed his eyes.
His memory flashed back to half an hour earlier.
At that time, he had been on the phone, his attention fully on the document Jiang Jiancheng was talking about. Without noticing, he had casually scooped up several pieces of clothing nearby and taken them all down.
Zheng Xiye pressed his lips together, stood up without another word, and snatched the bra back in one swift motion.
“It’s just a bra. Who hasn’t seen one? Do you have to guard it so fiercely?” Jiang Zhi’ang muttered and spat, finding it boring. He pulled on his T-shirt and went out to look for his big-chested girl, Mimi.
Zheng Xiye sat back down on the sofa, eyelids lowered, expressionless as he looked at the bra in his hand.
Light blue, lace trim, full of the tender, budding aura of a girl just entering spring.
He closed his eyes and forcefully pressed his brow.
He had mistakenly taken a young girl’s intimate clothing. Later, he needed to find an opportunity to return it to her.
Explain it clearly. That little girl probably would not take him for a pervert.
As he was thinking this, a knock suddenly sounded.
Bang, bang.
Zheng Xiye snapped back to his senses. He was about to casually set the bra aside, then paused, worried about getting it dirty. In the end, he went to the kitchen, tore off a transparent plastic storage bag, put it inside, sealed it properly, and took it into the bedroom, tucking it under his pillow.
He walked to the front door and looked outside through the peephole.
A young girl stood in front of his door, wearing a blue-and-white checkered dress. Her head was lowered, looking uneasy and anxious, her slender pale hands twisting the fabric of her skirt into wrinkles.
Zheng Xiye paused for a moment, then opened the door.
“Sorry to bother you.”
Xu Fangfei almost buried her head into her chest. Her face was red. Too shy and nervous, her voice was so soft it was barely audible. “May I ask, when you collected clothes today, did you happen to… see a bra?”
Zheng Xiye lowered his gaze and stared at her. After a moment, he confirmed, “Blue, with lace trim?”
“……”
Hearing his description, Xu Fangfei was so embarrassed she almost fainted. She nodded very slowly, paused, then nodded again.
“Wait a moment.”
After saying that, Zheng Xiye turned back into the bedroom and returned the bra to the girl standing in the stairwell, still inside the transparent bag.
Xu Fangfei reached out and took it.
Zheng Xiye said, “I didn’t pay attention when collecting clothes this afternoon. I took it by mistake.”
Xu Fangfei’s tongue tied itself in a knot. “It’s… it’s okay. You didn’t do it on purpose.”
Zheng Xiye fell silent again for a moment, then added, “The bag is clean.”
“…Okay.” Xu Fangfei gently bit her lower lip. Her palms were covered in fine sweat. A few seconds later, she moved her lips and said, “I’ll go home now. Goodbye.”
After saying that, Xu Fangfei turned to go upstairs.
After only two steps, the man behind her spoke again, unexpectedly calling out, “Wait.”
Xu Fangfei froze at the sound, instinctively stopping and turning back.
Zheng Xiye looked at her calmly and asked lightly, “Did you save my number?”
Xu Fangfei nodded vigorously. “After you told me last time, I saved it right away.”
Zheng Xiye raised an eyebrow. “You saved the number but didn’t think to call me. Running up and down like this every time, don’t you find it troublesome?”
Xu Fangfei was taken aback. After a moment’s reaction, she flushed red and timidly squeezed out a sentence. “Sorry, I forgot that I had your number.”
Zheng Xiye took in the vivid redness on the girl’s cheeks. He said nothing more, merely tilted his chin slightly to signal that she could leave.
Xu Fangfei then sprinted home as if running a hundred meters.
She closed her bedroom door and wrapped herself completely in the blanket. Her heart pounded wildly, thumping fast.
After a long while, she picked up her phone, found the contact saved as “Zheng Xiye” in her address book, took a deep breath, and solemnly sent him a text message.
“Brother Ah Ye, this is my phone number.”
Only two seconds later, a reply popped up.
“Be good.”
Looking at this short reply, a faint, almost imperceptible joy wrapped around Xu Fangfei’s small heart. She peered out through a gap in the quilt toward the window. A butterfly with translucent, colorful wings lifted from the window frame and fluttered toward the unreachable sky.