As the sun set in the west, blood-red light spilled through the window onto the desk covered in books. Liu Yinuo couldn’t help but look out the window, feeling a bit dazed.
But quickly, she turned her head back.
“Do you understand this part?”
Liu Yinuo held her pen and pointed to a calculation step on the test paper. However, Ye Xingmian only shook her head blankly.
“No…”
Hearing Ye Xingmian’s answer, Liu Yinuo couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead.
Ye Xingmian had fallen behind on too much content, and her foundation was not solid. She didn’t understand many basic concepts, making her feel completely lost when facing these problems. Liu Yinuo had no choice but to explain things to her bit by bit from the ground up, but this process was simply too slow. Moreover, Ye Xingmian’s pace of comprehension was somewhat sluggish; explaining too much at once could easily lead to CPU overload.
“Let’s stop here for today.” It was already late. Liu Yinuo looked up at the sky again, which was now filled with dark clouds. The streetlights were flickering on one after another, and the cold wind howled against the window. Calculating the time, her parents should be returning soon.
“…Alright. Sorry to trouble you, Class Monitor. I’m sorry, I’m too stupid.”
“Hmm? Didn’t we agree earlier? You were supposed to call me Yinuo.”
“Ah… Yes…”
As expected, one afternoon had drained Ye Xingmian’s energy. She no longer looked as energetic as she had at noon; she had become a bit withdrawn again, just like usual.
Resting her chin on one hand, Liu Yinuo suddenly gave a soft laugh, which left Ye Xingmian somewhat puzzled.
“Yinuo?”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“…” Ye Xingmian opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
The evening always felt this way — a bit lonely, a bit sad, making one’s chest feel tight. Even the inexplicable courage that had surfaced at noon had quietly dissipated.
Thinking back now, she felt that her noon self was very strange, doing things that were completely out of character.
However, it was getting very late, and it was no longer appropriate for her to stay. Thinking of this, Ye Xingmian stood up with her bag on her back.
“Yinuo, it’s getting late… I’ll head out first…”
“Wait! Hold on!”
Called back by Liu Yinuo, Ye Xingmian stopped in the middle of turning away and silently turned her head back.
“What is it…?”
“Won’t you consider staying the night here?”
“…No need.”
The rejection was expected, so Liu Yinuo wasn’t annoyed. She simply looked up at Ye Xingmian, her tea-colored eyes seemingly trying to peer through her thoughts. However, she didn’t continue to press Ye Xingmian on why she refused. Or rather, she already understood the reason for the refusal.
“Xingmian, promise me, okay? If you finally can’t stand it anymore, or if you’re too tired, come to me. You’re always welcome here. I am your strongest support.”
Hearing her words, Ye Xingmian couldn’t help but daze off for a moment. After a short while, she lowered her head.
“Alright.”
With that, she went out the door, first changing back into her own clothes, and then braved the severe cold to take the elevator downstairs.
Watching the direction she went, Liu Yinuo suddenly felt a bit flustered.
‘Shoot, I forgot to give her money for a taxi. Will she get sick from the cold if she runs out so hastily?’
‘Seriously, what kind of messy things was I thinking about just now? I actually ignored this!’ Thinking of this, Liu Yinuo hurriedly stood up, wanting to go downstairs to find Ye Xingmian, but she stopped halfway. She took out her cellphone and dialed a number.
After a moment, the call connected.
“Hello, Xingmian? Are you planning to walk back?”
“Ah? Yes.”
While on the phone, Liu Yinuo transferred the taxi fare to her. “Take a taxi back. Don’t freeze.”
There was a silence on the other end of the line for a while.
“Thank you, Yinuo.”
To be honest, Liu Yinuo wasn’t quite used to the sudden change in how she was addressed. For some reason, she felt that it sounded better when Ye Xingmian called her Class Monitor.
“Mhm. Are you coming back tomorrow? I’ll continue tutoring you.”
“I will…”
“If you have the chance tonight, you can send me a message. I’ll reply when I see it.”
“Okay.”
At this point, both of them fell silent.
“I’ll hang up then. Don’t forget what I told you.”
“Mhm.”
The call was then disconnected.
Not knowing if her words had any effect, Liu Yinuo suddenly felt a bit irritable. She pursed her lips, reflecting on her actions today. From the current perspective, the results seemed decent. She was a bit relieved that she hadn’t rushed into taking action.
To be honest, she had thought of many methods last night, including some very extreme ones. For example, she could just take Ye Xingmian home and lock her up. As long as she didn’t let her leave, she would slowly get used to it, and her parents would help her deal with the Lin family.
But on second thought, she decided against it. It wasn’t worth sacrificing Ye Xingmian’s favor entirely just to force things like that.
—
Meanwhile, the sun had finally set completely, and darkness gradually shrouded the city. She only hoped that Ye Xingmian would be able to keep their appointment on time tomorrow.
Ye Xingmian took a taxi home using the money Liu Yinuo had sent her. On the way, she couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
‘Does this count as… having a backer?’
Recalling today’s experiences, they could truly be described as… bizarre.
Her actions at noon didn’t seem like herself at all. It was as if another person had done them—actively trying to please someone else and things like that. It was completely unlike what her clumsy self could achieve.
But it didn’t seem bad. It was much better than her current state, where she didn’t even dare to follow her own heart.
Thinking about what Liu Yinuo had said about being her support… if it were the old her, she definitely wouldn’t have any thoughts about it, but now she was hesitating.
Ye Xingmian hugged herself and curled up slightly.
‘Should I really rely on her? This seems to be the best destination for me.’
‘How strange. I clearly reached a result and made a choice before. Why am I still struggling now?’
She didn’t understand; she understood her strange self less and less. After all, in the beginning, her goal was simply to see her mother. Now that so many variables had been introduced, her brain was a bit confused.
Lost in these random thoughts, she arrived at the entrance of the Lin family home in the taxi. She clumsily paid with her cellphone, turned it off, and hid it in her schoolbag before getting out. After taking a breath, she finally exited the car, walked to the security door, and knocked.
The lights were bright inside, but there was no car parked at the door. She subconsciously assumed her foster parents hadn’t returned.
To be honest, because she was still wearing that one-piece dress, her thighs were very cold. She tightened the hem of her coat, trying to get a bit more warmth.
A moment later, the door opened.
It was Lin Ziyan, and her eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Ye Xingmian opened her mouth, wanting to say something polite, but before she could speak, her mouth was suddenly covered by Lin Ziyan.
“Don’t speak! My parents are home!” She threatened Ye Xingmian with her eyes.
Only then did Ye Xingmian hear the sound of stir-frying from the kitchen and the sound of the shower from the bathroom. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew she was still wearing the one-piece dress Lin Ziyan had given her — if she was seen, it would be over!