She slept until dawn the next day.
Ke Ruobing stretched on the bed, and her gaze happened to fall on Jianghai University’s library outside the window.
In the morning light, the building looked solemn and serene. Who would have thought that only two days ago, she had been a girl with nowhere to study except at home, yet now she was in this unfamiliar place she had never set foot in before?
A year ago, she probably wouldn’t even have dared to imagine it.
This place is nice. It’s just across the road from Jianghai University, so getting to and from classes will be convenient…
Still half-asleep, Ke Ruobing drifted off again.
It wasn’t until noon that Ke Ruobing woke up.
So this is what it feels like to sleep in!
All these years, she’d never had a proper night’s sleep. Between her father’s constant busyness and the strict rules imposed by that so-called “good woman,” her life had been crammed with all kinds of tutoring and enrichment classes.
She was either at a tutoring session or on her way to one. The pressure of her studies had left her unable to catch her breath.
She had tried talking to her father, but he always answered with those lines about how it was all for her own good.
That was when she realized her father didn’t love her. He only loved those excellent report cards.
Ke Ruobing shook her head, trying to clear the jumble of thoughts from her mind.
She had started a new life. Those people and things that had nothing to do with her weren’t worth thinking about anymore.
Ke Ruobing got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up, making a mental list of what she needed to do today as she brushed her teeth.
She had to go out and buy some daily necessities. She’d been so exhausted yesterday that she’d used Bai Qingqing’s bedsheets and pajamas; she couldn’t keep borrowing them.
She also needed to get a new SIM card so the people back there couldn’t contact her.
And did everyone at university need to bring a computer? That could wait. She could look it up online first.
After tidying herself up, Ke Ruobing headed out.
She glanced at the fire hydrant by the door and thought it over, but decided not to get another key made. She was mainly worried that Bai Qingqing and her brother might go out without their keys. She could be gone for quite a while, and it would be awkward if they got locked out.
Not long after Ke Ruobing left, the master bedroom door quietly opened, and Bai Yan came out.
He looked at the wooden plaque hanging on his door, carved with the words “Huohuo,” and couldn’t help frowning. He’d only been away for a few days, and already his silly little sister had started putting up all this nonsense.
Bai Yan’s gaze lingered on the words “Huohuo” for a moment, and a wave of lingering fear rose in his heart.
Thank goodness their father had been wise and decisive, and had insisted on naming him Bai Yan despite everyone’s objections. Otherwise, with a name like “Bai Huohuo,” he’d have felt awkward no matter how you looked at it.
Without further hesitation, Bai Yan reached out, gently took down the plaque, and tucked it away in the cupboard.
Once he’d finished, he headed out too.
…
Before long, Ke Ruobing had finished shopping. With her hands full of bags, she returned to the shared apartment, drenched in sweat.
Yecheng really was unbearably hot. She’d only been out for a little while, and she was already sweating all over.
After carrying everything inside, Ke Ruobing hurriedly turned on the air conditioner. As the cool air washed over her, she felt a welcome chill.
Ke Ruobing sat on the sofa, closed her eyes, and enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
Suddenly, the jujube-red front door creaked open from the outside.
A sweet-looking girl with a hint of a cool edge walked in. She wore a brown tie-front off-the-shoulder top and coffee-colored shorts, and had a lollipop in her mouth, its white stick poking out—stylish and cute all at once.
“You’re home?”
Bai Qingqing looked visibly surprised to see Ke Ruobing.
Ke Ruobing nodded and murmured, “Mm.”
Just then, her phone began to vibrate. Her father was calling.
But Ke Ruobing didn’t answer right away. She simply tapped the screen to turn it off, neither picking up nor hanging up.
“Want to come to the shop? They’ve got a fun new game.”
Bai Qingqing picked up her things and was about to head out. Noticing how tired and troubled Ke Ruobing looked, she offered.
“No, thanks. I still have a lot to do.” Ke Ruobing gestured to the pile of things in front of the sofa.
“True. You’ve only just moved in, so there’s still a lot to take care of.” Bai Qingqing nodded in agreement, then took a key from her bag and handed it to Ke Ruobing. “This is the key the last tenant left behind. If you ever forget yours, there’s a spare in the fire hydrant cabinet.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.” Ke Ruobing reached out and took the key.
Bai Qingqing then left. Before going, she told Ke Ruobing that if she needed anything, she could come straight to Fish Scale Internet Café to find her. She was usually there playing games.
The apartment fell quiet again.
Ke Ruobing took a deep breath and got to work. She still had plenty to do. She needed to wash all the new things she’d bought—the bedsheets, quilt, pajamas, and so on—and scrub down her entire room.
By the time Ke Ruobing had finished everything, dusk was beginning to fall.
After a full day of work, Ke Ruobing lay on the sofa, trying to figure out how to buy things online. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand anything; she simply hadn’t been exposed to any of this growing up.
That evil woman had forbidden her from using a smartphone, using the excuse that “students shouldn’t bring phones to school, or they’ll be distracted from their studies.”
Her father was busy and rarely bothered with such trivial matters, so she’d always used a basic phone. It could do little beyond making calls and sending text messages. The only thing it had going for it was that it had WeChat.
She’d bought this phone for herself after she got the money her mother had left her.
Because she’d always used an old-fashioned keypad phone and had little exposure to the internet, she was even less able to keep up with the way other people thought. That made it even harder for someone who was already poor with words to make friends. Her only friend was her deskmate, Xiong Wen.
Thinking of that, Ke Ruobing called her deskmate Xiong Wen again. As expected, there was still no answer.
Ke Ruobing looked dejected. Now that she’d graduated, had she lost even her friends?
“Big Brother, just tell Mom! Since when is there a rule that you can’t leave the province before you’re an adult? I heard there’s a really interesting convention in Yuecheng. I really want to go!”
Bai Qingqing’s voice arrived before she did.
A moment later, the jujube-red door opened, and the siblings walked in.
“Don’t even think about it,” Bai Yan refused coldly.
“Dictatorial! Tyrannical!”
At that, Bai Qingqing’s pretty face tightened. Fuming, she spun around and stormed back to her room.
Bai Yan could only smile helplessly at this, then turned his gaze to Ke Ruobing, who was sitting on the sofa. “You’re Ke Ruobing, right? I’m Bai Yan, Qingqing’s older brother. You can call me Brother Yan.”
Ke Ruobing replied politely, “Hello, Big Brother Yan.” Her gaze fell on Bai Yan. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she owed him something, and it left her a little uneasy.