The snow did not let up, the cold wind continued to howl, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze in an instant; Ye Xingmian didn’t seem to notice her, yet she didn’t step forward either, leaving the atmosphere in a stalemate.
In the end, it was still Liu Yinuo who silently walked to her side.
Lifting her gaze gently, a trace of a surprised smile appeared on the young girl’s face.
“Class Monitor? Why did you chase after me……”
Touching the young girl’s shoulder-length hair, Liu Yinuo’s gaze narrowed slightly.
“Why did you run out without a word? It’s snowing so hard, do you even know the way?”
“I do.” Although she was smiling, the touch of exhaustion in the depths of her eyes betrayed her forced composure.
Gently brushing the snowflakes off the girl’s shoulders, this snowy night was incomparably quiet, with only the sound of the biting wind; on the deserted street, it felt as if only the two of them were left in the world.
In the silence, Liu Yinuo still noticed the change in the young girl.
“You changed your clothes back?”
The hands shielding her chest suddenly stiffened and she lowered them unnaturally, the young girl nodding gently.
“Mm, because I’m going home, and it wouldn’t be right to keep wearing your clothes after all.”
“But you didn’t have to take off the underwear as well, did you? Even if it was a bit small, it’s better than nothing, right?”
Suddenly leaning in a bit closer, Liu Yinuo wanted to use a joke to break the slightly heavy atmosphere between them, but the young girl remained silent for a long time.
“Those are your things, after all.”
She said that one sentence and spoke no more.
“Why are you staying here? Have you run into some trouble?”
“I want to wait for the snow to let up a bit before going home.”
“Home? Why return to that place? You know your foster parents definitely won’t give you a warm welcome.”
“……”
“How about this? Come back with me, I’ll prepare a guest room for you, and you can stay at my house for a while. It’s fine, I’ll handle my parents, they won’t say anything.”
“……”
“It’s just that it might be a bit of a hassle tonight, and tidying up the room might not be that fast, so how about you sleep in my room tonight? My bed is quite large, it can fit two people……”
“Sorry, Class Monitor, I still have to go home.”
“Why? Is it because of my parents? No, it’s fine Student Ye, I’m here, they won’t say anything to you. I……I can also help you with tutoring, my house has heating, and I can even buy you well-fitting underwear, I have a lot of pocket money. It’s so cold tonight, please don’t go back, okay? Come with me.” Liu Yinuo was almost incoherent; she didn’t want Ye Xingmian to return to that cold home, so why wouldn’t the other party just agree? At her place, she was the only one who would treat her with tenderness, the only one who truly cared for her.
Why? Just because of the conversation between my parents and you?
Her fists clenched unconsciously; Liu Yinuo didn’t know what her current mood was, she only felt irritated, very irritated.
“It’s okay, Class Monitor, this is my own decision.”
Raising her head, the young girl smiled gently. Her smile was as beautiful as it had been at noon, only it carried a hint of exhaustion. Yet it was enough to soothe the irritation in Liu Yinuo’s heart.
She was stunned.
“Thank you, Class Monitor.”
Standing up, the young girl bowed slightly to Liu Yinuo and put on her hood. By the time Liu Yinuo snapped back to her senses, the young girl’s figure had already disappeared into the darkness of the snowy night.
As if possessed, she didn’t chase after her again, but remained where she was in a daze.
She was thinking, wondering why the young girl insisted on refusing her, why she was so obsessed with returning to that cold home that only treated her as a cold tool. Why she was unwilling to stay by her side. She had already made every effort for this, yet she still couldn’t find an answer.
Standing up blankly, she walked in the direction of her own home.
Who was to blame for all of this? Herself, her parents, or Ye Xingmian herself?
She couldn’t find the answer……
The originally perfect plan had fallen through after all; it wasn’t until she returned home that she realized in a trance that she hadn’t brought the young girl back, returning empty-handed.
Opening the door, the warm air instantly enveloped her entire body; her parents seemed to have already finished cooking, and the aroma wafting from a distance lingered around the tip of her nose.
“Nuo Nuo, you’re back? Did you bring that Student Ye back? Mom has already finished cooking, call her to eat together……Oh right, Mom noticed that the ingredients in the fridge seem to be a bit less; you usually order takeout, did she cook for you? What a good child……”
When Mother Liu stuck her head out from the kitchen, she only saw her dejected daughter; as for that ever-humble young girl, she had not returned with her.
The worry in her eyes deepened a bit more.
Her daughter went straight upstairs, ignoring her shouts. She tried calling out a few more times, but still received no response.
Finally, out of helplessness, she carried the packed food to Liu Yinuo’s door and knocked gently.
“About Student Ye’s matter, it’s Mom’s fault. Nuo Nuo, please stop being angry, okay? Mom has put the food at the door for you, hurry and take it in to eat; if you don’t eat it now, it won’t be good once it gets cold.”
Having finished all this, she went downstairs and exchanged a look with her husband, both seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes.
Perhaps she really did do something wrong? Perhaps she shouldn’t have interfered in their affairs; she never thought that the always well-behaved and sensible Liu Yinuo would throw such a big tantrum.
It seemed that little one was truly important in her eyes.
Ye Xingmian originally didn’t want to go back anymore.
Whether it was the Class Monitor’s home or her own home, she didn’t want to go anywhere. If possible, she really wanted to hide in a pitch-black alleyway and be buried by the snow, until the next day when someone would discover her body under the sunlight……
But she didn’t know why, why she insisted on staying in a conspicuous place, why she couldn’t help but look around while huddling to keep herself warm, why she clearly said she would wait for the snow to lighten before going home, yet still couldn’t help but flee in panic.
She didn’t know, she really didn’t know.
The snow was falling heavily, very heavily. The drifting snowflakes were as large as goose feathers, blowing in with the wind and piling up on her body. The arms shielding her chest had already frozen stiff, and she walked with stumbling steps through the deep snow.
The road home was so long; she had never felt it was this far before. At first, she still had the strength to run, but later she was so cold that even breathing was a struggle. On the streets she passed, she could see many lit lamps with noise coming from inside, but no one came out to give her a single glance.
Until her consciousness was on the verge of blurring, and she felt in a daze as if she were about to faint, her wandering vision finally caught sight of her destination.
Her foster parents’ home.
It was an ordinary two-story house with a secluded attic on the very top; through the window, one could see the warm yellow light inside, where snowflakes fell incessantly, being plated with a layer of warm gold within the light before being whirled into the shape of the wind, fluttering about in a chaotic slant.
That was her “home”.
Her destination, a place completely unworthy of her expectations, which was about to bring her pain and exhaustion.