“What kind of rundown neighborhood is this? Four out of five streetlights are broken. Hasn’t anyone complained to the property management?”
Xu Zhizhi pushed him away, scrambling to her feet in one swift motion, her eyes filled with wariness.
Fu Chengyan picked up the slipper that had flown off and placed it at her feet, asking gently, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
Xu Zhizhi stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head slightly.
“Are you cold? I noticed you’ve been shivering.”
He thoughtfully draped his own overcoat over the young girl.
Fu Chengyan’s knee-length coat hung so loosely on the petite girl that it nearly touched the ground.
It looked like a sesame seed placed inside a watermelon rind.
Fu Chengyan was about to ask if she felt warmer now, but to his surprise, the girl trembled even more violently.
Pa… Parkinson’s?
“Don’t be nervous, please don’t be nervous. I’m not a bad person,” Fu Chengyan said, momentarily unsure of what to do, fearing she might have an adverse reaction.
“I live in this neighborhood too, Building A.”
Building A was the villa area, not exactly close to here—it took over ten minutes by car. Xu Zhizhi had heard Zhou Che mention it when she bought her apartment.
“Where did you fall?”
The man’s calm gaze rested on her as he spoke evenly, “Xu Zhizhi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Xu Zhizhi shrank back slightly, reaching out to take the takeout bag from his hand.
“It’s a bit heavy. Can you manage it alone?”
Xu Zhizhi gave a small nod, but Fu Chengyan didn’t hand it over. “Social Rule Number Seven: Do not arbitrarily delete or block someone’s contact information.”
He chuckled lightly, “You were the one who approached me first, remember?”
Xu Zhizhi pressed her lips together, stubbornly staring at her takeout without saying a word.
Primacy Effect—her impression of him wasn’t exactly favorable, and she wasn’t inclined to engage or communicate with others.
Fu Chengyan remembered that she couldn’t speak and took out his phone from his coat pocket. “Unblock me on WeChat.”
Xu Zhizhi shook her head.
Undeterred, he continued, “Fine, you blocked me on WeChat, but why did you block my phone number too?”
Xu Zhizhi thought carefully. Had she blocked any phone numbers?
Right, it was that bad person who tricked her into going out.
“Wasn’t it you who approached me first?” he said, sounding a bit aggrieved. “Use me and then discard me—is that your way of making friends?”
Xu Zhizhi: “…”
What approach? What use? ( )σ
“I don’t really understand. Could you please explain it to me?”
In the silent, cold night, a chilly wind rustled, and an untimely gurgling sound broke the stalemate between them.
Fu Chengyan’s gaze slowly shifted from the girl’s face downward, settling on her stomach. “Hungry?”
He lifted the takeout bag in his hand. “All the streetlights here are broken. I’ll walk you to the elevator.”
Xu Zhizhi, being guileless, only thought about eating when she was hungry. With an empty mind, she led the man forward.
The bodyguard hiding in the shadows glanced at the tall man and then at the girl beside him. The black overcoat nearly enveloped her completely—if not for the slender, pale neck exposed—
Well, it still looked rather strange.
But the bodyguard had seen his fair share of the world. He wasn’t scared, just amused.
Fu Chengyan glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye. From the first time he saw her, he thought she seemed naive and easy to fool—just two pieces of candy could lure her away. Now, it seemed she truly had no ulterior motives.
To let him follow her so casually—wasn’t she afraid he might be a bad person?
What would she do if she got bullied, with her being a little mute who couldn’t call for help from heaven or earth?
Entering the building lobby, Xu Zhizhi led him to the right with a very serious expression, taking two turns before finding the elevator. She obediently swiped her card, and the elevator doors opened.
Fu Chengyan was puzzled. “Why take two right turns when you could have reached the elevator directly by taking the slightly left-leaning passageway after the first turn?”
Xu Zhizhi froze for a moment, her fingers curling slightly. Not wanting to be called foolish, she bared her teeth and glared at him, thinking she looked fierce.
Fu Chengyan chuckled softly. “Alright, alright, my mistake.”
This little girl was just too adorable.
The elevator reached the eighth floor, and the doors opened. Xu Zhizhi placed her hand on the door handle, unlocking it with her fingerprint.
A warm, slightly peachy scent greeted them as they entered.
She took off Fu Chengyan’s jacket, rolled it into a ball, and placed it in the entryway cabinet. Then, from the shoe cabinet, she pulled out a pair of oversized bunny-eared slippers identical to her own.
She gestured for Fu Chengyan to put them on.
Fu Chengyan: “…”
Leaving aside whether these oversized bunny-eared slippers were stylish or not, his size 44 feet—could they even fit into shoes smaller than his hands?
He pointed at his feet, then held up the new slippers. “They don’t match.”
Xu Zhizhi paused for a moment before rummaging out another pair of plain gray slippers without any decorations.
Fu Chengyan glanced at her. “If I wear your boyfriend’s slippers, won’t he be upset?”
Boyfriend? She shook her head. These slippers had been bought by Zhou Che, but Lin Xitang had found them too ugly, so they had been left unused.
“What does shaking your head mean? Aren’t these your boyfriend’s?”
“No.” She hadn’t had water all afternoon, and her throat was dry. She barely managed to utter a somewhat unclear word, but her voice was too soft for Fu Chengyan to hear clearly.
“Are you mute due to an acquired condition?”
Xu Zhizhi’s expression stiffened. She wasn’t mute.
Snatching the takeout bag from him, Xu Zhizhi ignored him and turned to walk into the living room.
Fu Chengyan found it amusing. He changed into the slippers and followed her.
This building was the crown jewel of the complex. Turning right, he was greeted by an expansive living room, as if one of the adjacent rooms had been merged into it.
The little girl ignored the nearby sofa and instead curled up on a small bed that looked familiar to Fu Chengyan, though he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before.
Xu Zhizhi opened the takeout: coconut mango glutinous rice balls, lime mousse cake, taro ball herbal jelly, spicy mix, candied hawthorn, and pea flour cake.
Fu Chengyan asked calmly, “Didn’t you order any warm food?”
Xu Zhizhi held up the container of spicy mix.
“With no soup and so much cold and spicy food, your stomach might feel uncomfortable after eating.”
As he finished speaking, he saw Xu Zhizhi pull out a white medicine bottle from under her little white rabbit pillow.
“Omeprazole Capsules”
Fu Chengyan: “…All medicine has some toxicity and side effects.”
She had already eaten instant noodles yesterday. If she ordered takeout, only noodles or rice noodles were available, and they would arrive soggy and unappetizing.
“Are there any ingredients in the fridge?”
Xu Zhizhi looked puzzled, unsure what he intended to do. Still, she set aside the food she had been craving and led him to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator.
The fridge was packed with ingredients, surprising Fu Chengyan.
If she couldn’t cook, why would she buy so many ingredients?
She must have been too lazy to cook today.
“There are fish balls. How about making a mushroom and fish ball soup?”
Xu Zhizhi had never tried it before and couldn’t help but feel curious. She nodded.
He poured oil into the pan, stir-fried the tomatoes until soft, added water and brought it to a boil, then added the mushrooms and fish balls. After seasoning with salt, he drizzled sesame oil over the soup before serving.
Xu Zhizhi sniffed with her little nose, her mouth slightly parted. Her round almond-shaped eyes widened, sparkling as she gazed at the freshly cooked meatball soup.
Fu Chengyan’s dark eyes glimmered with amusement. “Considering I cooked this delicious meatball soup, could you unblock me on WeChat?”