Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“I’m on my way.” Shen Qinghuan made a gesture to ‘shush’ before indicating for Lu Ziheng to rest comfortably in her room.
Afterwards, she searched for a glass cup and filled it till it was half-full. She was worried Mother Shen would be suspicious and quickly rushed downstairs.
Lu Ziheng could vaguely hear Mother Shen counselling Shen Qinghuan downstairs. She urged her to sign up for tuition classes now that she had decided to start afresh. This way, she could make use of the holiday to prep for her classes in high school.
Around two to three minutes later, Lu Ziheng caught the noise of Shen Qinghuan twisting the doorknob open.
Lu Ziheng turned around and saw that Shen Qinghuan was already dressed in her sleepwear, which caused him to subconsciously swallow.
“Tonight…” Shen Qinghuan’s seemingly simple questions often left Lu Ziheng’s heart on the edge. “Do you want to sleep inside or outside?”
“I-I’m a-all right either way.” Lu Ziheng lifted his left hand and rubbed his earlobe. Due to his agitated state, he found himself stumbling on his words.
On the other hand, Shen Qinghuan simply lifted her head and smiled lightly. “For safety’s sake, you should sleep inside!”
She then brought out a cherry blossom printed blanket from her cabinet. It was pink in color and in front of the boy who was more than 1.8 metres tall, it appeared somewhat strange.
However, all of Shen Qinghuan’s blankets were a form of pink, and she had no way of visiting Father Shen and Mother Shen’s room to search for a different one.
“It’s all right.” Lu Ziheng noticed her discomfort. Since young, he was always easily satisfied. “This will do.”
Shen Qinghuan proceeded to turn off the lights. Although she was worried that Mother Shen would suddenly visit, she had gotten a good understanding of the situation downstairs when she had gone down earlier. Therefore, unless something unexpected occurred, taking care of the drunken Father Shen would likely be Mother Shen’s biggest mission tonight.
“Goodnight.”
Amidst the darkness, Shen Qinghuan spoke to the person who was separated from her by a thin piece of wood.
She originally thought Lu Ziheng would quickly fall asleep. A moment later, however, the boy’s husky voice responded to her.
“Goodnight. Sleep soon.”
Ever since Shen Qinghuan returned to being younger, the series of events left her exhausted, so she quickly fell asleep.
It wasn’t clear when it began drizzling outside. The raindrops softly tapped against the windows and the noise was similar to that of the youth’s heartbeat.
Lu Ziheng tossed back and forth repeatedly.
It wasn’t that the bed here was too soft. It was that, in the quiet evening, the girl’s even breath disturb his dreams. It caused Lu Ziheng’s thoughts to wander endlessly.
No.
He could not continue staying here.
Lu Ziheng feared he would lose control. If he desired, even if they were separated by a wall and not a piece of wood, he would similarly be able to break it down.
Meanwhile, Shen Qinghuan remained heavily asleep on the other side.
Lu Ziheng did not dare to make too much noise. Thinking clearly, he had been foolish when he agreed to sleepover. If Father Shen and Mother Shen really caught them, the two of them would never be able to clear their names.
He borrowed the faint light from his phone to write a short message on a piece of paper for Shen Qinghuan. He then quietly left the Shen home.
It was drizzling.
Furthermore, it was now past the school’s curfew. If Lu Ziheng intended to return to his dormitory, he could only climb up the water pipes.
Most of the students who were about to graduate had gotten up to wash up.
Lu Ziheng knew that Li Mingkang often woke up at this time to study, so he came up with an idea.
When he arrived at the balcony, as he expected, Li Mingkang was in the midst of washing up before heading for morning study with the rest of the students.
Although their entrance examination had ended, and almost all of the graduating students had chosen to return home or to spend their time having fun, Li Mingkang remained disciplined for the sake of obtaining a better life in the future.
For the sake of safety, the balcony doors were often locked.
At this time, Li Mingkang lifted his head and caught the noise from the balcony. He was then instantly frightened into swallowing down the water in his mouth.