Xue Yanxin froze.
The expression on her face cracked ever so slightly.
Huo Zhiyuan had no idea that, in her heart, the towering, heroic image she had painstakingly built of him had just come crashing down.
Yep…
Still the same old capitalist.
Just… a surprisingly down-to-earth one.
She sighed inwardly.
“I’ve never sold recyclables before,” she admitted. “So I really don’t know.”
Huo Zhiyuan looked at her.
“Then what about all those cardboard boxes you’ve been saving?”
Whenever he went downstairs to throw out the trash, she always reminded him not to throw away any paper boxes or cartons.
Save them, she’d say.
“I didn’t throw them away.”
“I gave them to Grandpa Zhang downstairs.”
“Why didn’t you keep them and sell them yourself?”
Xue Yanxin smiled softly.
“Our situation isn’t as good as it used to be, that’s true.”
“But the few dollars we’d earn from selling recyclables wouldn’t really improve our lives.”
“And losing those few dollars wouldn’t make our lives any worse either.”
She paused before continuing.
“But it’s different for someone like Grandpa Zhang.”
“He doesn’t have a pension.”
“Collecting recyclables is one of the last ways people like him can survive.”
“If people like us, who don’t truly need the money, collect more of it…”
“Then the people who actually rely on it will collect less.”
“We can easily live without those few dollars.”
“But for them…”
“It might mean going hungry for a day.”
“It might mean not being able to afford even the cheapest place to live.”
“Or putting off treatment for a simple illness.”
“I don’t want to squeeze what’s already such a tiny space for them to survive.”
As she spoke, her eyes shimmered gently.
The light in them wasn’t dazzling like the sun.
It was like moonlight reflected on flowing water.
Clear.
Gentle.
Quietly soothing anyone who looked into them.
Huo Zhiyuan found himself completely captivated.
By her eyes.
By her voice.
Could this really be the same Xue Yanxin he used to know?
He simply couldn’t imagine the woman from before saying words like these.
The difference between the old Xue Yanxin and the woman standing before him now was so overwhelming that it felt almost unreal.
Could someone truly change this much in such a short time?
Her expressions.
Her bearing.
Her personality.
Everything had been turned upside down.
Enough to transform his former disgust into genuine admiration.
Once again…
Doubt crept into Huo Zhiyuan’s heart.
Was she really who she claimed to be?
Yet every piece of evidence he possessed pointed to the same conclusion.
She was Xue Yanxin.
No mistake.
Strangely enough…
Part of him was relieved.
If she had always been this person…
Then perhaps all of his previous judgments had simply been misunderstandings born from never truly knowing her.
But…
If she wasn’t…
Why had she approached him?
Would she become a threat to everything he had planned?
Huo Zhiyuan couldn’t tell whether these thoughts came from a desire to keep things simple…
Or because he’d already begun expecting something different from her.
“You…”
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
After finishing her speech, Xue Yanxin realized Huo Zhiyuan’s gaze hadn’t left her.
His eyes carried traces of scrutiny.
Wonder.
Gentleness.
Surprise.
The intensity of it made her cheeks warm.
“Because…”
Huo Zhiyuan deliberately paused for dramatic effect.
Then a mischievous grin spread across his face.
“You’ve got a piece of vegetable stuck in your teeth.”
“What?!”
Xue Yanxin nearly shattered on the spot.
You were looking at me so affectionately…
Just because I had food stuck in my teeth?
Her entire face flushed crimson.
She instantly turned her back to him, pulled out her phone, switched to the selfie camera, and anxiously checked her teeth.
“Huh?”
“There’s nothing there!”
“Pfft.”
“You…”
“You tricked me!”
Huo Zhiyuan finally burst into restrained laughter.
His deep, clear voice rang through the rain like a beautiful melody, effortlessly drowning out the sound of falling water.
The irritation she’d felt at being teased melted away almost instantly.
No wonder people always said…
If you’re looking for a husband, marry someone handsome.
Even if you argue…
One look at his face makes it hard to stay angry.
And if he also has a voice like this…
That’s practically unbeatable.
…
Huo Zhiyuan held an umbrella.
Xue Yanxin wore a raincoat.
They walked home side by side.
Well…
Sort of.
The distance between them was much wider than “side by side” should have been.
Whether intentionally or not, Huo Zhiyuan kept drifting closer to her.
But every time he did…
Xue Yanxin quietly stepped farther away.
She was so determined not to let the rainwater dripping from her raincoat soak his clean clothes that she nearly walked straight into the roadside bushes.
Even with the raincoat on, her face remained exposed.
The wind kept carrying cold rain against her cheeks.
Watching her endure it made Huo Zhiyuan want to pull her beneath his umbrella.
Yet…
For some reason…
He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
She was already wearing a raincoat.
If he invited her to share his umbrella, wouldn’t it look like he had ulterior motives?
But if he explained that he simply didn’t want the rain hitting her face…
Wouldn’t that make it seem as though he cared too much?
I’m only being a gentleman.
Huo Zhiyuan had never imagined that trying to behave like one could come with so many awkward concerns.
Still keeping to the very edge of the road, Xue Yanxin suddenly caught her foot on a dead branch sticking out from the bushes.
She stumbled.
Just before she fell, Huo Zhiyuan reacted instantly.
He caught her by the arm.
“Thank you.”
She steadied herself and smiled gratefully.
Frowning slightly, Huo Zhiyuan took the opportunity to keep hold of her hand.
Without giving her a chance to refuse, he pulled her beneath his umbrella.
“Why are you walking so close to the bushes?”
“Do you like sticking to the roadside that much?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“I was just worried the water dripping from my raincoat would get your clothes wet.”
So…
She wasn’t avoiding me.
The moment he realized her true reason, something inside Huo Zhiyuan quietly relaxed.
Though rain still fell all around them…
His mood suddenly felt as bright as a sunny day.