There wasn’t much to say during the meal; for the most part, silence reigned. Lin Ziyan sat opposite the two of them, scrolling through her phone alone, while Ye Xingmian, suppressed by the atmosphere, didn’t dare to speak much either. Only Liu Yinuo was active in trying to liven things up, occasionally placing pieces of meat into Ye Xingmian’s bowl.
“Ye, eat more. You’re too thin. Putting on a little more meat will make you look even cuter.”
The young girl could only look dazed at the pile of food in her bowl that she hadn’t served herself, letting out a soft sigh.
“Thank you, Class Monitor… but I’d like to serve myself…”
“Tch, if I didn’t serve it for you, you wouldn’t want to eat a single piece, would you?”
Having her thoughts exposed, the girl blushed slightly. She lowered her head in embarrassment.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat; it was mainly a habit formed since childhood. In the past, if she took a few extra pieces of meat for herself, she would be met with cold glares and gossip from her foster parents.
Ignoring the girl’s embarrassment, Liu Yinuo was giggling as she watched her bright red profile.
But alongside her happiness, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of heartache.
Just what kind of family was it? One that made a child afraid to even eat a bit more meat. It was bad enough that her body was thin and weak, but she also had to live in fear every day, doing heavy housework while her kindness went unrecognized.
She truly felt it wasn’t worth it for her.
Glaring fiercely at Lin Ziyan, who was still scrolling through her phone, she deliberately spoke a bit louder this time.
“Ye, have you thought about what I told you before?”
“What matter…?” Stunned for a moment, the girl was a bit confused.
“About moving into my house, of course! Have you decided yet? Don’t worry, my parents won’t say anything. You can stay at my place until the college entrance exams are over, and I’ll help you with your schoolwork.”
The girl remained silent for a long time.
She quietly looked up at Lin Ziyan. She was still looking at her phone, and everything seemed normal on the surface, but the girl noticed her clenched fist.
This was a threat…
Moreover, she herself still couldn’t get over that hurdle…
“I’m sorry, Class Monitor, I don’t want to go.”
Rejecting the proposal with her head down, the girl felt somewhat distressed.
Liu Yinuo’s brow furrowed.
But after thinking about it, she ultimately didn’t say anything more on the subject. She assumed the girl’s refusal was still because of her parents and the fact that Lin Ziyan was present.
“Then can you take me to your bedroom after we finish eating? I want to take this time to give you some tutoring.”
“My bedroom…? Let’s not. Is it okay to do it here…?”
“No, I want to see your bedroom, Ye.” One of Liu Yinuo’s main goals in coming here was to inspect the girl’s daily living environment, so how could she give up easily?
“Huh? That… okay… I hope you won’t mind it…” the girl said with some hesitation.
“I won’t.”
Time passed minute by minute in the quiet atmosphere. Liu Yinuo continued to chat about random things, while Lin Ziyan sat quietly opposite them like a forgotten outsider. She didn’t say another word until the meal was finished.
“By the way, Ye, you look really good in a skirt. You should try wearing them more often in the future~”
“Class Monitor…!” The girl gripped her chopsticks tightly, looking at Liu Yinuo with eyes full of shame and annoyance.
Some secrets no longer needed to be hidden between the three of them; it was just that no one had stated them explicitly yet.
“Oh, it really does suit you. It just looks a bit old. Why don’t you come to my house after school this afternoon? I’ll buy you a couple of new ones to try on~”
Just as Liu Yinuo finished her giggling words, before the girl could respond, the sound of chopsticks being slammed down suddenly came from the side.
“Clack!”
Both of their eyes were drawn over. Lin Ziyan stood up coldly and said casually, “I’m finished. Brother, remember to wash the dishes when you’re done. And…”
She stared straight into Ye Xingmian’s pink eyes, her threat crystal clear.
“Don’t forget, you haven’t answered me about that matter yet.”
With that, she went straight upstairs. Looking at her direction, it seemed she was heading back to her bedroom.
Watching the direction where her back disappeared, Ye Xingmian was stunned.
Is she… angry?
She couldn’t understand why she had suddenly become angry for no reason, but her intuition told her it certainly wasn’t because of anything good. Was it because of the Class Monitor? But the Class Monitor had only invited her to stay at her house; why such a big reaction? Even if the Lin family lost her, they wouldn’t be missing much, right? Anyone could do housework and cook; it wasn’t exactly an irreplaceable job.
Total nonsense—it couldn’t be just because she wanted her to sleep with her as a body pillow, could it?
It was hard to understand, but Lin Ziyan’s sudden departure still ruined the mood for the two of them, though the girl’s mood hadn’t been that great to begin with.
Liu Yinuo also frowned, but unlike Ye Xingmian, she didn’t care much about Lin Ziyan’s departure. If anything, it actually made things easier for her.
“Oh, forget about her. Look, I brought a gift for you~”
Turning back with a smile, she pulled a white and gray striped scarf out of the backpack behind her.
“Here, this is for you. Is it pretty?”
“This is… a scarf…?”
“Mhm, that’s right. The weather is getting colder and it’s been windy lately, so I bought a scarf for you on the way. You won’t be cold when you go to school from now on~”
“Thank you, Class Monitor… I don’t want it, you should keep it for yourself…”
“What do you mean? If I say it’s for you, it’s for you. What do you mean by not taking it? Do you believe I’ll hit you, you wicked big-chested girl!”
Liu Yinuo made a show of waving her small fist. Ye Xingmian instinctively shrank her head; her habit of finding it difficult to refuse others was acting up again.
“This isn’t good…”
“What’s good or not good? Just take it!”
Quickly catching the scarf Liu Yinuo threw over, the girl felt her face heating up. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart, warm and a little happy.
But accompanying it was an even heavier burden.
Her eyes were complex, and in the end, she could only say thank you once more.
“Why the thanks? Do you know how to use it? Do you want me to teach you how to wrap it?”
“No… no need…”
Holding the warm scarf felt like bearing a heavy treasure. The girl’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“Okay, then wrap it around yourself so I can see.”
The girl obediently wrapped it around her neck, appearing a bit flustered.
“It looks pretty good~” Liu Yinuo nodded with satisfaction. “Are you finished eating? If you’re done, take me to your bedroom.”
“That… well… I still have to wash the dishes…”
“Oh, that kind of thing can be done anytime~ Take me to see your bedroom first. I’ll help you wash them when we come back down.”
“That’s not good…”
“That phrase again. What’s good or not good? I said I want to help you, it’s not like you asked me to, got it?”
“Mhm…”
The better Liu Yinuo was to her, the more uncomfortable she felt. With the list of things she owed growing longer, she no longer knew how to make up for it.
The only thing she could think of was using her own weak strength to resist Liu Yinuo’s closeness.