This was the first time Lin Yan had seen Xing Yu truly angry.
Angry in the truest sense of the word.
She stared into his deep eyes, which held not only suppressed fury but also an abundance of concern.
Faced with this version of Xing Yu, she found herself momentarily speechless.
Xing Yu’s face remained taut, his voice cold and hard: “This is a small county town, not Jingbei! What if you run into stray dogs today and bad people tomorrow? Can saving a few bucks on cab fare make you a millionaire? Can you be a little more careful?”
The words weren’t pleasant to hear, but every sentence was laced with concern.
Lin Yan knew what mattered most. If it hadn’t been for Xing Yu just now, she’d probably have been torn to pieces by that dog.
She lowered her lashes, not meeting his gaze: “Just now… thanks.”
Xing Yu moved his hand from her shoulder, looking at the lingering fear on her face, his brow furrowing slightly.
The anger in his tone had already dissipated: “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
As she spoke, her lowered gaze was inadvertently drawn to the stark red on the back of Xing Yu’s hand.
On instinct, she grabbed Xing Yu’s right hand and saw a deep bite mark on his hand, seeping with blood.
Lin Yan’s expression shifted slightly: “You got bitten?”
Xing Yu wiped the blood off his hand dismissively, then suddenly curled his lips: “What? Worried about me?”
There he goes again with his flirting.
Lin Yan pulled out her phone to book a ride: “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“CDC. To get a shot and have it treated.”
…
When they walked out of the CDC, it was already two in the morning.
The chill was rising, and Lin Yan sniffled.
Then, a black jacket draped over her.
The lingering warmth immediately drove away the cold on her body.
Before she could speak, Xing Yu spoke first: “Hold it for me. Just got the shot, I’m warm.”
Lin Yan glanced at the thin sweater he was wearing, then slowly shifted her gaze to his bandaged hand.
A subtle ripple passed through her heart.
This man—was he really that unserious, or was he just pretending to be?
The two walked side by side, their tall and short silhouettes harmonious and ambiguous under the streetlights.
Xing Yu stayed silent, which put her on the back foot.
“Didn’t you leave early from the dinner last night?” Lin Yan asked. “How did you… run into me?”
“Coincidence.” Xing Yu’s tone was deliberately casual. “Do you believe that?”
“No.”
Xing Yu stopped in his tracks and began to hook her with those bewitching eyes of his: “Right, exactly what you’re thinking. I was stalking you.”
Lin Yan smiled without mirth, speechless and exasperated.
But Xing Yu kept watching her.
He noticed that the base color of Lin Yan’s eyes was always black.
Hollow and dark, with not a trace of light to be found, and no ripple of emotion either.
Even beneath every slight upturn of her lips, there seemed to lie a pool of stagnant water.
That stagnant water seemed ready to drown her at any moment…
She seemed, not happy at all.
“Lin Yan.” Xing Yu changed the subject. “Next time you run into a stray dog, I’ll teach you a way to handle it.”
“What way?”
“I’m not a professional dog handler, but I know that when you meet a dog, you slowly approach it, let it feel you have no ill intent, then gently pat its head. A normal dog won’t bite you. If it does bite you…”
Lin Yan listened intently: “What if it bites me?”
“If it bites you, then pretend I never said anything. After all, like I said at the start, I’m not a professional dog handler.”
“…” Lin Yan only then realized Xing Yu was making it all up.
Psycho.
But it inexplicably hit her funny bone, and a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.
…
The next morning, Lin Yan knocked on Xing Yu’s door across the hall for the first time.
The door opened, and their eyes met.
Xing Yu was wearing a rare light-colored top, leaning against the doorframe with an elegant, roguish air, looking at her with a meaningful gaze.
Having grown used to Xing Yu always in black, seeing him in white for once revealed a certain refined nobility in this rough man.
“A rare guest. Something up?”
Lin Yan snapped back to reality and handed him the 2,500 yuan in cash she’d prepared.
“This is the money I owed you before. Count it.”
Xing Yu took it, pretending to count the bills while his mouth kept running: “Win the lottery?”
This was her advance on wages: “Just take it. It’s clean and legal.”
Xing Yu set the money on the shoe cabinet nearby, then glanced at the black bag in her hand: “Anything else, my friend?”
Lin Yan gripped the bag in her hand, then awkwardly set it down by the door: “These are fifteen eggs.”
Xing Yu was taken aback: “Eggs?”
“You helped me last night. This is a small token of my appreciation.” He’d been hurt because of her; she felt she needed to give him something to ease her conscience.
Xing Yu laughed: “You think fifteen eggs is enough to settle me?”
“They’re free-range eggs. Nutritious.” Zhou Gang had given them to her—a borrowed gesture, offering someone else’s gift.
“Friend, my fridge is full of free-range eggs.” Xing Yu teased her: “What? Are your uncle’s chickens laying more precious eggs than my grandma’s?”
Lin Yan was left speechless.
Fifteen eggs was indeed a bit shabby.
Lin Yan steeled herself: “Tell you what—once you’re healed, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“You still owe me that meal within two hundred yuan from before. With this one, you owe me two meals now.”
Lin Yan: “Yeah, I remember.”
“Come in and sit for a bit.”
“No need. I still have to go to work.”
“Had breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve eaten a few of those free-range eggs?”
“…” He guessed right.
Xing Yu read the look on her face and pulled her by the arm into the house.
He sat her down directly at the dining table. “I made congee with shepherd’s purse and shredded pork. Taste the finer things in life, my friend.”
Lin Yan watched as Xing Yu turned and walked into the kitchen.
She couldn’t help but look around the house. Three bedrooms and a living room, decorated in a rustic wood style.
The balcony was full of plants, and the glass cabinet in the living room held many books.
The blanket on the sofa was folded neatly, and the floor was spotless.
The whole home was simple, clean, yet cozy.
It was hard to imagine this was the home of a man living alone.
As she was thinking, Xing Yu had already come over with the congee and sat down across from her.
He placed a bowl of congee in front of her. “No scallions, and it’s not hot. Drink up.”
Lin Yan stirred the congee with her spoon and glanced at Xing Yu’s bandaged hand. “The doctor said your wound can’t touch water, and you still cooked?”
“It’s just an injury, not a disability.”
Lin Yan suggested, “You should stop cooking for a while. Order takeout.”
“My stomach is picky. I can’t eat takeout.”
Lin Yan couldn’t be bothered with him and took a spoonful of congee.
Xing Yu leaned back in his chair and smiled as he negotiated with her. “Friend, if you really want to thank me, come cook for me until my hand heals. I’ll buy the groceries, you cook, and we eat together. How about it?”
Lin Yan politely declined. “I’m busy with work. No time.”
“Just dinner.”
“I’ve been working overtime a lot lately.”
“No problem. We’ll have a late-night snack.”
Lin Yan: “…”
Xing Yu suddenly sighed, putting on a dramatic act.
“Forget it… I’ll just cook with this injured hand myself. Worst case, it gets severely infected, and I can’t box anymore. I’m a grown man. This is nothing, really nothing…”
“Enough.” Lin Yan couldn’t take it and cut him off. “Stop playing the victim. I’ll cook.”
“Good. Then this injury wasn’t for nothing.”
Just then, the bedroom door opened, and a little girl of about seven or eight, wearing pajamas, walked out.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she called out softly to Xing Yu.
“Daddy…”