“I’m home—”
Dragging out the last syllable, Lin Ziyan changed into a pair of slippers at the doorway and walked straight inside.
“Yo, Ziyan, you’re back? Go wash your hands, your dad bought roast duck. We’ll eat together in a bit.”
“Okay.”
Casually tossing her schoolbag aside, Lin Ziyan brushed back her long hair and glanced around, as if looking for something.
“Where is he?”
“He?”
The girl frowned.
“Ye Xingmian. She didn’t come to class this afternoon—she’s not home?”
“Aiya, don’t even mention it.”
Lin Mother frowned as well, seeming a bit annoyed.
“I told her to do some chores before I left, but when I got back, the floor was only half-mopped and she was lying there sleeping. I had to wake her up to get her to finish the rest.”
“And now?”
“She’s upstairs, sleeping.” She pointed toward the attic.
“Oh.” Nodding, Lin Ziyan dropped the subject. She wasn’t really concerned about Ye Xingmian, just a bit curious.
After listening to her mother’s account, she headed to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and prepared to wash her hands for dinner.
“Hmm?”
Her gaze unintentionally swept past the washing machine beside her, and suddenly, Lin Ziyan froze. She frowned and looked over.
“This is…”
Drying her palms with a towel, she picked up the item, looking at it with confusion. It was something that shouldn’t have been there.
A strip of… white cloth?
It didn’t look like something the family would have.
She brought it closer and sniffed—there was a familiar fragrance lingering on it.
She thought she’d smelled it in the morning?
Unable to recall exactly, she decided to take it out of the bathroom and ask her parents in the kitchen.
“Did you two leave this cloth here?”
Lin Cheng, who was cooking, and Xu Ming, who was helping out, turned their heads to look at her almost at the same time.
“No.”
The girl looked to her father, who also shook his head.
“Alright then.”
Her tone was a little odd. After thinking it over, she decided to take the item to her own room for now.
Her room was directly across from the staircase. As she turned the corner, she ran into Ye Xingmian, who was sluggishly making her way downstairs.
At this moment, Ye Xingmian had changed clothes. She was no longer wearing the thick outfit Lin Ziyan had seen earlier, but something much lighter—a single thin shirt with a jacket over it.
Her face looked pale and listless, her eyes narrowed and her expression unnaturally white. Her steps were unsteady, as if she barely had any strength. One hand pressed to her chest, the other to her stomach—it was unclear whether for warmth or for another reason.
Upon seeing Lin Ziyan, Ye Xingmian seemed startled, her eyes widening briefly before her whole demeanor drooped. In a weak voice, she asked, “Ziyan…? Are you back from school…”
“Yeah.”
Lin Ziyan replied casually, not paying the girl much mind. She opened her bedroom door, about to go in.
“Ah… um… Ziyan… wait…”
Called back, Lin Ziyan frowned and turned to see Ye Xingmian hesitating, her face looking a little unnatural. Though her voice was still weak, her gaze remained fixed on the item in Lin Ziyan’s hand.
“Could you… give that… back to me?” She pointed at the cloth in Lin Ziyan’s hand.
“Hm? This is yours?”
“Yeah…”
Narrowing her eyes and recalling the familiar scent from that morning, Lin Ziyan moved a little closer to the girl, taking a sniff of her scent.
“Wh-what is it?”
Ye Xingmian was made nervous by Lin Ziyan’s strange behavior, and asked timidly.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lin Ziyan took half a step back, expressionless.
Hearing this, Ye Xingmian let out a breath of relief, then looked up at her hopefully, “Um… could you give it back to me?”
“What do you need this for?” Lin Ziyan questioned.
“I…” It was obviously something very important to her, but the exhausted and hungry Ye Xingmian couldn’t come up with any excuse to ask for it. She couldn’t just say, “That’s my Bra Bandage, give it back,” could she?
Her right hand covered her sensitive chest, and she wanted to say something else, but suddenly a voice called out from the living room.
“Ziyan, come eat—!”
The shout cut off the awkward moment between the two. Lin Ziyan snorted, casually stuffed the white cloth into her pocket.
“If you won’t answer, I’m not giving it back.”
With that, she turned and walked off decisively.
Ye Xingmian was left with no way to ask for it again. She’d already reached her limit by asking her little sister for her own Bra Bandage—there was no way she could ask in front of her foster parents. If they found out, she’d be done for.
If that happened, maybe her foster parents wouldn’t want to keep this “neither boy nor girl” freak anymore, and then everything would be over.
So the girl could only quietly follow her younger sister into the dining room.
Lin Ziyan’s parents had been all smiles at the table, but when they saw Ye Xingmian behind her, their faces immediately cooled.
“Ye Xingmian, go wash the dishes.” Xu Ming ordered.
“…Okay…”
Ye Xingmian glanced at the bountiful dinner—the whole roast duck in the center, surrounded by several dishes, meat and vegetables both, and three bowls of rice already set out. She knew none of it was for her.
Usually, she wasn’t allowed to join in these family dinners.
After all, she wasn’t really part of the family.
She kept her head down as she went to the kitchen, washing dishes while listening to the lively voices behind her.
“Here, Ziyan. Eat more, you’ll grow strong.”
“I can get my own food, stop fussing over me.”
The motion of washing dishes paused briefly, but she quickly resumed. After finishing, Ye Xingmian stacked the cleaned bowls and placed them neatly in the cupboard by the dining room.
The family of three was eating, scrolling on their phones as they enjoyed their meal, the aroma of hot food wafting through the air.
Ye Xingmian had barely eaten anything all day. She was starving; otherwise she wouldn’t have fainted while doing chores that afternoon. But it wasn’t just hunger—her throat hurt, her mind was fuzzy, and she felt groggy and weak.
“Finished? Go take out the trash too.”
Foster mother Xu Ming smiled obsequiously as she picked a piece of meat for her own daughter, then gave Ye Xingmian a bland order.
“…Alright.”
Hoisting up the black garbage bag, she opened the door—winter’s night wind struck her face. In only thin clothes, Ye Xingmian staggered as the cold hit her, her vision going black for a moment. She quickly leaned against the wall, using all her strength just to stay upright.
What… just happened?
Her body was still exhausted. She glanced back inside—the lights were bright, but no one was watching her. Looking down, she saw some trash had spilled out of the bag, so she quietly picked it up.
It took her a long time to walk to the dumpster, supporting herself against the wall, her steps unsteady. By the time she came back, the three were nearly finished eating.
Only some scraps were left on the table, and the once-whole roast duck was now just a pile of bones with bits of meat clinging to them. Xu Ming smiled and beckoned the freshly hand-washed girl over.
“Come on, eat while the food’s still warm. Over here—sit in my seat.”
Only now did Xu Ming put on an especially kind smile, standing up to offer the silent girl her place.
Ye Xingmian served herself a bowl of rice and began eating with the leftovers and the scant meat still clinging to the roast duck bones.
“Ziyan, your mom and dad got you a present today!”
Xu Ming took a big box out from the corner, her manner mysterious and secretive as she leaned over.
Even Ye Xingmian couldn’t help but look over.
“A Teddy Bear Plush Toy worth two hundred yuan!”
Ye Xingmian’s pupils shrank sharply, disbelief written all over her face.
Two hundred yuan…