The taste of the shredded figs was intense. Bai Shihan sneakily reached out, pinched a small amount, and quickly popped it into her mouth. No one had noticed, she reasoned.
Afterward, she retreated to the sofa. As she swallowed the shreds, she couldn't help but feel that everything her parents had told her in the past was a lie.
"Let me check if you’ve been sneaking snacks."
Lin Xinyu opened the door and walked out. Bai Shihan turned away, feeling guilty, and said nothing.
Before leaving earlier, Lin Xinyu had carefully noted the placement of the bag and had even left a few crumbs on the seal. The result was self-evident; he had caught the little glutton with ease.
"Are you really not going to eat any more?"
"I—I'm not," Bai Shihan said, though she hesitated.
"That's fine. It’s just shredded radish anyway; the flavor isn’t much to write home about." Lin Xinyu waved his hand, recycling the lie that had fooled him for years.
Bai Shihan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "H-how could it be radish? It tastes nothing like that!"
"So you *did* sneak some?"
"I d-did not!"
The young girl’s face flushed red. Realizing she had been baited, she lowered her head and refused to meet his eyes, as if she could bury the fact of her snack-theft by avoiding his gaze.
"It’s fine to eat, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m a bit busy today, so I’m just going to make some instant noodles. If you think it’s not nutritious enough, feel free to cook something for yourself." Lin Xinyu found the electric kettle and laid out the plan.
At first, Bai Shihan didn't understand why a simple block of dried noodles would be worth eating, but when she saw Lin Xinyu open the seasoning packets, her expression turned to panic.
"N-no, you can't! You can't eat that!" The girl scurried over to Lin Xinyu, desperately trying to stop his "dangerous" behavior.
Lin Xinyu found this strange. He stared at the relieved Bai Shihan, waiting for her explanation.
"Th-thank goodness. You... you almost died."
"？?"
"Th-these things... if you eat too much, you'll die." Bai Shihan was deadly serious. She even held up the "lethal" seasoning packet to explain, a look of joy crossing her face at having saved a life.
"Who told you that?" Lin Xinyu found it both annoying and funny. If that were true, wouldn't he have died thousands of times over back when he was starting his business?
"D-dad told me..."
"Then why not just drop out of school? Have your dad hire a private tutor to teach you at home, with your food, clothing, housing, and transport all arranged for you. That way you won't have to worry about anything."
Bai Shihan felt aggrieved. The tone of his voice made it clear that he was angry.
"Don't listen to your father’s nonsense. If you followed everything he said, you wouldn't be able to eat anything at all." Lin Xinyu realized then that Bai Shihan’s quirks were largely a product of her home environment. "Don’t just listen to everyone else. Be a good girl and see things for yourself."
Bai Shihan, who had been standing there with her head bowed like a child who had done something wrong, suddenly felt a hand patting her head. She didn't know what to think.
How could he be so fierce and yet so gentle at the same time?
The water boiled.
Lin Xinyu quickly went to the kitchen and, right in front of Bai Shihan, squeezed all the seasoning packets she believed to be deadly into the cup, then poured in the boiling water.
Afterward, the girl looked at the cup as if it were a bucket of poison. Even more terrifying was the practiced, fluid ease with which Lin Xinyu handled it—how long had he been doing this to be so skilled?
Before long, Lin Xinyu peeled back the lid.
A peculiar, savory aroma wafted out, and Bai Shihan’s small mouth formed an "O" of surprise.
What kind of poison could possibly smell this good?!
She couldn't help but swallow hard. The anticipation in her eyes was too clear to hide, and Lin Xinyu saw it all.
"You can't eat this. It's toxic. You just sit there and watch. Remember to call an ambulance for me." Lin Xinyu picked up his fork and began to slurp the noodles right in front of her.
For the first time, Bai Shihan understood the meaning of "vicious."
She cursed him silently in her heart.
*Don't listen to me, then? Just wait, you’ll get what’s coming to you! This guy has clearly lost his mind to the smell; he’ll probably collapse any second now.*
But as it turned out, Lin Xinyu only seemed to enjoy the meal more.
...
Why wasn't he sick yet?
Lin Xinyu glanced at Bai Shihan and picked up the cup to sip the broth.
"Burp..."
He didn't forget to let out a brazen, satisfied belch, which left Bai Shihan, who was sitting to the side nibbling on her shredded figs, practically crying from the temptation.
*Well, he must not be an ordinary person.*
Bai Shihan found a reason to comfort herself so she wouldn't feel quite so miserable.
"Do you want another cup?"
"I do..."
This time, she threw her pride aside. The girl chose to bow to the "evil forces," and it was absolutely, positively not because of the aroma filling the room.
"Aren't you afraid of dying anymore?"
Bai Shihan blushed, suddenly finding this man a bit infuriating. "I'm not."Then he watched from the side as Lin Xinyu skillfully completed the whole routine, finally poking the fork through the lid and handing it over to her.
Yet Bai Shihan acted as if she couldn't wait a second longer, reaching out to peel back the lid, only for Lin Xinyu to quickly stop her.
"You have to wait five or six minutes before eating. Have some snacks first—aren't there potato chips and stuff?"
Bai Shihan said nothing. Ever since she had sat to the side earlier and watched Lin Xinyu finish his entire meal, she felt instantly as though nothing else could possibly compare to the aroma of instant noodles.
Five minutes later.
With Lin Xinyu's permission, Bai Shihan finally got her wish. She lifted the lid of the instant noodles, and the rich aroma wafted into the air once more.
Only this time, their roles were reversed, and it was Lin Xinyu's turn to watch from the side.
As if seeking a little revenge, the little girl picked up a tiny strand of noodles, getting ready to make a loud slurping sound, only to find that none of the sound she had imagined came out.
"Why don't you try picking up a bit more?"
With her thoughts seen right through, Bai Shihan blushed, but before long, a satisfying slurp finally rang out.
To Bai Shihan, this was simply the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. Not long after, her little mouth was fully occupied, leaving no room in her mind for any worries about maintaining her image.
It was too delicious.
"Mm, it's, it's not poisonous."
This time, casting aside all hesitation, even the soup was licked completely clean. The little girl licked her lips, looking as though she hadn't had quite enough.
"One barrel is enough; two is too greasy. You have to remember that rule when eating instant noodles." Lin Xinyu saw right through her intentions and cut her off in advance.
"Got it."
After finishing the meal, Bai Shihan took the initiative to help tidy up all the noodle barrels. Once she had everything cleaned up, she returned to the dining table and sat down.
Lin Xinyu had originally thought she wanted something, but when he saw the little girl's eyes fixed on the other snacks on the table, it suddenly dawned on him: "You didn't have dinner yet, did you?"
"I'm, I'm full..."
Though she said that, her eyes stayed glued to the snacks.
Seeing how eager she looked, Lin Xinyu suddenly thought of something fun, though he had no idea if the girl had ever tried it before.
Under Bai Shihan's watchful gaze, Lin Shinyu pulled a packet of Pop Rocks out of the snack bag.
Though in later years adult Pop Rocks wouldn't be used for eating, right now, this stuff was still meant to be eaten.
As soon as the packaging was opened, the colorful, flashy wrapper instantly caught Bai Shihan's interest, and her eyes remained fixed on it, refusing to look away."Want some?"
"Y-Yes."
"Aren't you afraid it's poisoned?"
"..."
Bai Shihan puffed out her cheeks and her lips moved, but no sound came out—evidently, she refused to reply.
Seeing this, Lin Xinyu opened the small package and handed it to her. "It's candy. Just eat it."
"Okay."
She took the popping candy, poured the whole packet into her mouth, and before long, a crackling sound could be heard coming from inside.
"He- Mmph, help..." Panic set in. Experiencing this for the first time, Bai Shihan opened her little mouth, feeling the so-called candy bouncing around and striking the inside of her mouth, and looked at Lin Xinyu with a face full of appeal for help.
Seeing this, especially the sight of her wide-open mouth, for some reason Lin Xinyu felt as though he should have bought a jelly instead.
Before long, the commotion in her mouth grew quieter and quieter. The girl gradually calmed down, then pouted to show her displeasure at Lin Xinyu's earlier refusal to come to her rescue.
She stood up and walked into the bedroom without looking back.
Bai Shihan was a bit tired. Ever since morning, her nerves had been tightly strung. If Lin Xinyu hadn't been by her side, she probably would have drawn the curtains by now, hugging her head and hiding in a corner to calm herself down.
Picking up Xiao Lv from the bed, Bai Shihan felt a mix of fear and happiness.
What scared her was that today she had done many things her father normally wouldn't allow.
The reason for her happiness was the exact opposite: precisely because she had done so many forbidden things, she had experienced an unprecedented sense of joy.
"Xiao Lv, do you think I'm a bad kid now?" Bai Shihan held the little dinosaur up, her face full of worry.
"Whether Xiao Lv knows or not, I don't know, but I know you're not a bad kid."
Lin Xinyu's voice suddenly appeared, startling the girl so much that she immediately clutched the little dinosaur to her chest and retreated under the protective cover of the duvet.
"You- You're not allowed to eavesdrop on people!"
Who just walks in without knocking, and sneaks in without making a sound anyway?
"You didn't close the door."
"Bad guy."
Lin Xinyu didn't answer. Instead, he reached out and politely knocked on the door. "Excuse me, classmate Bai, may I come in?"
"N-No, you may not."
"Alright, thank you."Then he walked straight into the room, kicking off his shoes as he sat down on the bed.
"You, you mustn't bully me..."
Bai Shihan held Xiao Lv up in front of her as a shield while confessing in her heart.
*I'm sorry, Xiao Lv, if you want to blame someone, blame this bad guy.*
"Sit up, put the dinosaur away, and look at me."
A aggrieved-looking Bai Shihan lowered the little dinosaur; it seemed Xiao Lv couldn't be counted on this time.
Lin Xinyu sat without moving, his gaze fixed straight on her: "You aren't a bad kid. These are all things you are capable of doing. Why do you force yourself not to do them?"
"I..." Bai Shihan didn't know how to respond to that, so she could only lower her head, wearing that familiar look of having done something wrong.
"Head up, look at me."
"Don't, don't be fierce with me..." Bai Shihan said plaintively in her hometown dialect.
"You weren't wrong in the first place. You just need to do what you're supposed to do, and pay no attention to anything else. There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself. Carrying everything even when you can't bear the weight anymore—isn't that just being foolish?"
"I know."
Bai Shihan started to lower her head again, but upon seeing the look in Lin Xinyu's eyes, she gave up the idea and just looked right back at him.
"So, you need to be braver. Speak up and refuse directly when you don't like something, and don't do things you don't want to do. Stop always giving in to what other people want."
"Okay."
The two fell silent for a short moment, and then Bai Shihan heard that familiar request.
"Will you be my wife?"
"No."
"See? Isn't that great? I'll ask you more often from now on."
"No, you can't ask me too much!" Bai Shihan shook her head in a panic. She could refuse directly the first or second time, but what if she got used to being asked and accidentally agreed?
Bai Shihan no longer had the energy to continue the conversation with Lin Xinyu. With her nerves stretched to the limit all this time, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep leaning against the little dinosaur.
Her breathing was very light. The very second she was still refusing him, and now she was already fast asleep...
Evening had arrived, and the horizon was ablaze with fiery sunset clouds. A groggy Bai Shihan opened her eyes and instinctively reached out, searching for her sleeping companion Xiao Lv to regain a sense of security.
The familiar ceiling, the familiar quilt, the familiar Xiao Lv.
When her little hand finally touched it, a smile involuntarily bloomed on her face.
Except... the texture didn't seem quite right?
Bai Shihan turned her head. Her sleep-heavy eyes gradually cleared. At first, she didn't react, assuming it was still her familiar Xiao Lv, so she straightened her head back out.
She was indeed a bit dazed from just waking up, but once her mind cleared, she bolted upright from the bed, looking in utter panic at the spot that originally belonged to Xiao Lv.
"You, you are taking advantage of a person's vulnerable state..."
Lin Xinyu didn't speak, instead gesturing with his eyes for Bai Shihan to look at where the quilt was rolled up.
The two of them were in a thoroughly ambiguous posture. Lin Xinyu had no idea where this girl had learned it—not only was she restless in her sleep, but how had she ended up trapping his arm directly between her legs?
Fortunately, there was the quilt in between, so nothing untoward had happened.
To avoid waking her up, Lin Xinyu had simply stayed resting at the bedside. If not for the girl's little hand assaulting his face earlier, this could easily have been the most peaceful sleep he had ever had.
Knowing she was in the wrong, the little girl quietly moved her legs away, then found the real Xiao Lv and hugged it to her chest to ease the awkwardness.
"Time is money, Bai Shihan. You've seriously deprived me of an entire afternoon. Tell me, what are we going to do about it?"
At first, Bai Shihan had thought he wouldn't bully her anymore, that she could hold Xiao Lv to fend off this crisis.
As it turned out, what was coming would come anyway.
"I, I don't know."
"I sentence you to go out for dinner with me tonight."
"R-really?"
If it were anyone else, Bai Shihan certainly wouldn't agree, but now, with Lin Xinyu here—not to mention he would definitely take her somewhere delicious to eat.
How could this be a punishment? This was clearly a reward!
The little girl's eyes lit up, eager to get started.
"Before that, let me help you pick out an outfit from the closet."
There it was. She knew he definitely didn't have good intentions.
Bai Shihan hurriedly scrambled up, looking like she was ready to defend her wardrobe to the death. But since she didn't know how to look angry, she could only glare at Lin Xinyu with what she thought was a fierce expression.
"Such a stingy thing."
Hearing what Lin Xinyu said, judging purely by her expression, she definitely felt wronged. This was already the second time Lin Xinyu had called her stingy...
Even so, she still spread her arms wide, blocking his path in front of the wardrobe: "I am stingy."
According to the principle of reciprocity, she should get to look at his closet first so it would be fair.
At the thought of cute white lace-trimmed little bears, a notion popped up from nowhere in Bai Shihan's mind: does he have any? He's so fierce, his stuff must all be ugly.Bai Shihan's face flushed involuntarily as she reached out and shoved Lin Xinyu out of the room with all her might.
Lin Xinyu felt entirely satisfied with this behavior.
In the past, Bai Shihan would have been timid and submissive, completely at a loss as to how to refuse; nowadays, she was truly getting more and more practiced at it.
...
The glowing sunset at the edge of the sky faded away, night fell, and the entire earth was swallowed by darkness.
Bai Shihan wore a white dress, her skin as white and tender as snow under the illumination of the streetlamp.
Although her wardrobe was full of clothes, there wasn't a single one she had actually worn outside. She would simply pick out the prettiest one, stand alone in front of the mirror, and admire herself.
As for why she dared to step outside, it was entirely because Lin Xinyu was accompanying her. Normally, she was always terrified of anyone coming close to talk to her, but whenever he was with her, she never encountered such a situation.
"What do you want to eat?"
Bai Shihan, who hardly ever went out, had no idea what kind of food was available. Recalling the instant noodles from lunch, she unconsciously licked her lips.
"No instant noodles."
This guy definitely had mind-reading powers.
Bai Shihan puffed out her cheeks like a little goldfish, feeling as if Lin Xinyu was deliberately making things difficult for her. Searching through the culinary reserves currently in her mind, she seemed to know only instant noodles, the small snacks she bought at noon, and the dishes she cooked herself.
"Let's go, I'll take you to get barbecue."
After silently repeating it to herself a couple of times, Bai Shihan felt a wave of happiness.
"I'm telling you beforehand, you can't eat too much, or you'll definitely spend the whole day tomorrow running to the restroom."
Hearing what he said, Bai Shihan found it a bit magical; ever since she was a little kid, the situation Lin Xinyu described had practically never happened to her.
The path was pitch black without a single streetlamp. Bai Shihan hid close to Lin Xinyu, wanting to reach out and grab the corner of his shirt, but feeling a little too shy.
"If you don't grab on right now, I'm just going to hold your hand directly."
Sure enough, a little unilateral pressure was still necessary. The little girl blushed, feeling nothing but happiness.
"Eating too much of this stuff is bad for your health, but trying it occasionally is fine."
"Okay."
They arrived at the roadside food stall. No matter when it was—unless it was summer or winter break—vendors would always push their carts right to the school gates at other times.
Clutching the corner of Lin Xinyu's shirt and gazing at the brightly lit snack street, Bai Shihan realized for the first time that there were so many people outside at night. It wasn't like what her mom and dad had told her—that everyone outside was a bad student.
At first, Bai Shihan thought Lin Xinyu wanted to turn her into a bad person, but when she saw a middle-aged woman pushing a stroller past them, she finally understood she had been tricked again...
"If we stay out any later, we'll only be able to eat late-night snacks." Lin Xinyu popped out another piece of vocabulary that Bai Shihan didn't understand. She was used to washing up and going to bed before half-past ten every single day.
"Let's go. Don't worry, it's definitely not poison."
Bai Shihan dropped the corner of Lin Xinyu's shirt, intending to ignore him for a little while. But when Lin Xinyu quickened his pace, she panicked instantly, and her retracted hand immediately returned to its original spot.
Next time, she decided, she really wouldn't pay attention to him...
Guided by Lin Xinyu, the two of them reached their destination. Bai Shihan copied Lin Xinyu's actions, picking out food with tongs, a constant smile blooming on her face.
Sensing that something was a bit off with this girl, Lin Xinyu asked, "Why are you so happy just picking out food?"
The little girl's cheeks were flushed. "I made you upset this afternoon, and it, it wasted your time."
"So you think making it up to me now will make me happy?"
"Mm..."
With Bai Shihan's unfamiliar movements, the two of them actually ended up taking quite a bit longer than usual.
Yet, because she had never eaten any of this before, she had no idea how long it normally took. She simply looked at Lin Xinyu with a smile, happy from the bottom of her heart.
Considering Bai Shihan's state of mind, Lin Xinyu searched around specially for a long time until a table in the corner finally opened up.
Bai Shihan pouted, knowing that he had been thinking of her, which was why they had waited so long together.
Before the words "I'm sorry" could escape her lips, Lin Xinyu preempted her: "Actually, there is one more thing. As long as you do it, I'll definitely be very happy."
Bai Shihan didn't quite understand, her gaze turning to Lin Xinyu with a puzzled look.
Lin Xinyu simply motioned for her to lean closer, then whispered his request in her ear: "Promise to be my wife."
.
.
The skewers were served, and just from smelling them, the little girl was already swallowing her saliva.
"Look at the red stuff on top, it must be poisonous."
Bai Shihan picked up a skewer, inspected it, and then wore a speechless expression. "This is chili powder."