Chapter 14

"Really? That's amazing?!" Bai Shihan's eyes went wide with disbelief. "Want to go over and take a look?" The adorable Bai Shihan could never resist such temptation, willingly walking right into the wolf's den. …… "Come on, confess. Did you stalk me before?" Lin New-like caught someone red-handed, turning to look at Bai Shihan, who looked a bit guilty beside him. "N-no." "Then how did you know which shortcut to take, and exactly where to turn?" "I……" Bai Shihan was never the type who was good at lying. Though she desperately wanted to cover it up, the moment she opened her mouth, she had no idea how to explain it. "Did you have a crush on me?!" "No way!" Wuwu…… If she had known, she never would have come to see that flying cutting board. For the rest of the walk, Bai Shihan didn't dare lead the way, lest he really figure out she used to stalk him. Actually, it had only happened that once in the very beginning. She had just planned to follow him for a short stretch before heading home, but then she found herself staring down at his shadow, playing along as she walked, and completely lost track of time. By the time she snapped out of it, she had somehow managed to follow him all the way to the foot of his building before sneaking off. Of course, there was no way Bai Shihan was ever going to admit to something like that. "We're here. Do you know which floor it is?" Bai Shihan shook her head. This time, she really didn't know. Seeing that, Lin Xinyu let out a sigh of relief. This girl couldn't lie to save her life, so it seemed she really hadn't been stalking him the whole time—she probably just happened to walk the same way for a short bit. He unlocked the door. Unlike Bai Shihan's place, the apartment Lin Xinyu lived in was rented. There were no strange odors when the door opened; instead, the living room was kept neat and tidy, looking perfectly fine. "No need to change your shoes, just come on in." Knowing Bai Shihan was a bit of a clean freak and would never wear slippers that someone else had worn, Lin Xinyu didn't make her change. Besides, he was going to mop the floor tonight anyway. Having never set foot in another person's room before, Bai Shihan felt her heart beating wildly, yet the smile on her face never faded, as if she were celebrating unlocking a brand-new achievement. Right up until she laid eyes on that flying cutting board—two dishcloths placed on either side of the cutting board like wings.

Little wings, ready to fly. Just because something can fly doesn't mean it actually flies, right? After listening to Lin Xinyu's explanation, Bai Shihan pouted and scurried away. She headed out to the balcony and looked around. Lin Xinyu didn't pay her any mind and started getting dinner ready. Since he had already coaxed the little girl over here into his place, there was no way he was going to make her cook, was there?Standing on the balcony, Bai Shihan let out a relaxed breath.

She wasn't actually that foolish; ever since she started cooking as a child, she had known that cutting boards don't fly, so how could she possibly have been tricked? It was just that the person was Lin Xinyu. Whatever he said, she would choose to believe. Even if it were a lie, she was willing to fall for it.

She still remembered the start of high school in the first semester. To Bai Shihan, everything was brand new. Not just the people, but the entire surrounding environment felt so unfamiliar.

Having finally grown used to junior high, she knew every single hiding place like the back of her hand—where there were fewer people, where no one would pay attention, and what she could do to keep others from coming close or trying to talk to her...

For all of it, Bai Shihan had spent a full year or two getting completely accustomed to it, living among her junior high peers like an invisible person. Yet she actually enjoyed this state and felt a sense of relaxation from it. Loneliness seemed to be her friend, keeping her company often.

After adapting for three years, she graduated from junior high and entered high school.

To Bai Shihan, the world she had labored so hard to build seemed to have collapsed, replaced by a completely new one. In this world, every person, every matter, and everything else was completely unfamiliar.

She would have to start building her own world all over again...

She had thought she could still hide herself away perfectly, but as girls change with every year, Bai Shihan was in the prime of her youth and gradually shedding her plain appearance.

With her top-tier grades and pretty looks, that was already enough to make her stand out among her peers. Coupled with her pitiful and endearing outward appearance, it was hard for people not to feel a surge of affection for her.

Because of this, Bai Shihan felt terrified and panicked. She stammered when communicating with others and avoided interacting too much, taking a full semester just to make her classmates understand one thing: this girl had no desire to socialize.

Some people even gossiped about it, mocking her behind her back as mute.

At that time, Bai Shihan suddenly felt that the world she had successfully built back in junior high was the best after all...

"Why are you gossiping so much? People like you are truly disgusting! If you want to run your mouths, go do it somewhere else—stop disturbing my sleep."

That was a rough voice Bai Shihan had never heard before.

The source of the voice seemed to be in the corner of the back row. The few people who had been talking immediately fell silent, acting as though they were afraid of that boy.

So, if she became deskmates with him, would no one pay attention to her anymore?Yet, he was so fierce, would he beat her to death? …… Before she could continue her thoughts, the sound of chopping coming from the kitchen snapped Bai Shihan back to reality. Bai Shihan had experienced it firsthand: Lin Xinyu wasn't fierce; on the contrary, he was very gentle. He could cook, buy breakfast, purchase medicine, and even teach her how to cook. He would help chase away the people she hated—all things she had never dared to do before, yet he could do them all. "What are you thinking about? Why aren't you coming over to lend a hand? Do you believe me if I say I won't let you eat?" Fine, he was still a little fierce. She took back what she had just thought. Grievously, Bai Shihan approached him and began snapping yard-long beans on the side. "Tell me what you want to eat tonight, rice or noodles?" Lin Xinyu was washing the dishes and had already put on his cooking apron. "Insta—" "Instant noodles are not allowed." "……" This guy was so annoying. Why did he always know what she was going to say, only to ruthlessly reject her right away? The only reason she had wanted to follow him home was simply to spend a little more time with him, and incidentally eat a bucket of instant noodles. Normally, Bai Shihan could strongly suppress these urges, but this guy was so shameless—he had insisted on squeezing in no matter what and forced his way through. How was she supposed to adapt to that?! Ever since she was little, she had always been able to keep herself under control. She had simply never encountered someone so brazen. They were already good friends who had held hands. If things kept developing like this, would the kissing and sealing, plus that shameful method of having babies he had talked about, all become reality?! Feeling Lin Xinyu standing right beside her without moving, his gaze seemingly fixed on her the entire time, Bai Shihan's face instantly turned completely red. "If you still don't say what you want to eat, I'll feed you imported food directly in a second." "Im-, imported food?" In Bai Shihan's understanding, if imported food were ordered now, even if it arrived, it would have to wait until tomorrow. Where on earth would he get it? Then she watched as Lin Xinyu peeled a creamy candy and popped it into his mouth: "Here, taste an imported candy first." "N-, no, I'll eat, I'll eat regular food." Realizing what he meant, Bai Shihan instantly understood that this was what he called imported stuff. Fearing that Bai Shihan would have a hard time digesting food at night, Lin Xinyu didn't make a lot. Just two simple side dishes, two bowls of rice, and he even thoughtfully prepared a plate of fruit to put on the table.In an instant, Bai Shihan felt that Lin Xinyu was someone who really knew how to live. If she were to live with him, she wouldn't have to worry about food at all, at the very least. A rather useless thought suddenly sprouted in her heart. But it was quickly crushed. After the meal, Lin Xinyu cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. Under Bai Shihan's expectant gaze, he led her into his bedroom. The bed, bookshelf, floor, trash can, and even the quilt were all folded and arranged neatly. "You, you're amazing!" Lin Xinyu felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. In reality, just a few days ago, this place had been a complete mess, and even the living room was cluttered. Because he had made up his mind to win over his precious girl, he had started cleaning up. You never knew when she might come over to take a look, and if she dropped by for a surprise inspection, there wouldn't be enough time to tidy up. This was also why Lin Xinyu dared to boldly invite Bai Shihan to his home—he had, after all, made thorough preparations well in advance. Bai Shihan truly hadn't expected Lin Xinyu's home to be as clean as her own, all neatly organized. "Do you want to inspect?" Lin Xinyu stood in front of the cabinet, making a move to open it. "N-No, no, no." A boy's things—how could they be as cute as her own? She wouldn't look, no way. Actually, the main reason was clear in Bai Shihan's heart: if she looked this time, Lin Xinyu would definitely open the cabinet for her next time. "There's nothing to it. I just wanted to let you see if the structure inside is much smaller than the cabinet at your place." If they hadn't been spending time together for so long, Bai Shihan would definitely have believed Lin Xinyu's straight-faced expression. "Not looking." "I even have flying socks." "Pervert..." Bai Shihan's face flushed red, and she bolted out of the bedroom without looking back. Who would want to see those flying socks? Good friends wouldn't do that kind of thing together. Bai Shihan knew that if good friends crossed the line, it would turn into another kind of relationship she had never experienced before. She wasn't truly dense, nor was she really foolish; she just genuinely loved this feeling of getting along...

"No, don't..." This bad guy, why was he still not letting her go home? Bai Shihan looked at Lin Xinyu with a pitiful expression. The way he looked at her as if he wanted to devour her was simply too terrifying.Clearly, they had agreed at the very beginning that he would walk her home, which was why she had felt safe enough to stay here a little longer. But look at him now—changing his mind just like that?!

"You can just stay here. We have two spare rooms. Don't worry, it's fine. I definitely won't sneak in in the middle of the night—I don't even have a spare key."

"I, I don't..."

Bai Shihan was terrified. She decided she would never walk home with him again. Now she truly understood what it meant to walk right into the tiger's den.

"Alright, alright, look at how scared you are. I'm just helping you build up your courage. Think about it—you still have groceries outside. If you leave them out all night, won't they go bad?"

Bai Shihan stared blankly for a second. "You're bullying me."

"Let's go, I'll walk you home. Any later and you'd better watch out—what if someone suddenly pops out around the corner upstairs..."

Lin New-yu deliberately blew a puff of air, startling Bai Shihan so much that she squatted down on the spot and refused to pay him any attention.

"Okay, okay, let's go. Wait here while I get you a jacket, it's a bit chilly outside." With that, Lin New-yu trotted into the bedroom.

He found a white jacket in the wardrobe. Just as he was about to head out, he saw Bai Shihan standing in the doorway looking utterly pitiful—it was obvious she had been thoroughly frightened just now.

"It was all a lie, what are you scared of? Come here, put this on."

Even though she had been scared by him, upon hearing what Lin New-yu said, she still instinctively raised her arms and did as she was told.

Lin New-yu patted her head. "Let's go, I'll walk you home."

"You're doing it again..."

Not saying anything would have been fine, but no sooner had she spoken than Lin New-yu reached out and patted her head once more. "I'm just making up for the one you dodged in the study room."

Bai Shihan didn't want to talk to him. She just obediently tugged at his clothes and slowly walked down toward the ground floor.

If she were all alone, she would definitely be terrified.

The only thing that gave Bai Shihan courage was the Lin New-yu standing right in front of her.

On the very first day Lin New-yu asked her to be his wife, Bai Shihan had secretly made up her mind to stay away from the deskmate sitting beside her.

In the past, she might have sought his protection, but his behavior had long since exceeded her understanding; he was completely unpredictable. The best solution was simply to keep her distance.

Yet reality always slapped her in the face quite quickly. Under the relentless barrage of Lin New-yu's thick-skinned tactics, Bai Shihan gradually began to feel her heart flutter.

As for what this feeling actually was, Bai Shihan had no idea.

Perhaps it really was just like good friends, exactly as he had said."Why are you spacing out again? Walking along and still thinking about chemical equations? Or memorizing vocabulary words?"

Lin Xinyu turned his head to look at Bai Shihan. Ever since they came downstairs and all along the way, she had kept her head lowered, occasionally even letting out silly giggles. Though she tried to cover them up with coughs, the sharp-eared Lin Xinyu had caught them anyway.

"N-no, I'm not."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

"Wondering when we'll get home..." Bai Shihan looked at him, inwardly congratulating herself on her improved acting skills.

"If I carry you on my back, we should get to your place pretty fast."

Bai Shihan could no longer congratulate herself. Her eyes widened as an image flashed in her mind of Lin Xinyu squatting down and pulling her onto his back. She thought to herself that even if they were good friends, they couldn't possibly do something like that!

So she quickly looked ahead and quickened her pace.

The streetlights cast their shadows on the ground, though Lin Xinyu paid no attention to them.

Bai Shihan, however, was different—she had done this kind of thing plenty of times. Unlike before, when she used her feet to step on Lin Xinyu's shadow, this time the little girl's cheeks were flushed pink.

Because of the alignment, her hand, which was tugging at the hem of his shirt, happened to fall right against Lin Xinyu's palm, making it look as though the two of them were walking hand in hand.

"Just watching is pretty boring. How about we actually practice it for real?"

"Huh? Wh-what..."

Bai Shihan feigned incomprehension while inwardly kicking herself for not realizing he had stopped.

Actually, Lin Xinyu couldn't really be blamed; the girl had just been far too absorbed in her own thoughts. As they neared the front of her house, he had originally intended to remind Bai Shihan, only to find the little girl's flushed face beaming with a full smile.

Following her gaze, he took a look—and good grief!

With a righteous and solemn tone, she had repeatedly declared that people couldn't just hold hands casually, yet here she was, hitching a free ride on his shadow!

"It's totally fine for good friends to hold hands. The real thing feels much better than a shadow, and besides, real people can do a lot of things shadows can't. Are you sure you don't want to try?"

For a split second, Bai Shihan felt as though Lin Xinyu had a bewitching spell over her, and her defenses began to waver and collapse from within.

"No."

"You really don't want to?"

"No."

"Didn't you hold hands with me once before? It's very soft, and quite warm too."

"..."

This guy really had no shame at all!Bai Shihan wanted to go upstairs and leave, but recalling what Lin Xinyu had said about things potentially coming out in the stairwell, she didn't dare to move for a long time. In fact, the way the two of them got along was the most comfortable state. Because Bai Shihan didn't talk much, Lin Xinyu could supplement her reticence while also getting her to speak a few words. Being able to communicate made getting along much better and more natural. "Let's go, I'll walk you upstairs. Hold my hand tightly. Anyway, the light in the stairwell isn't very bright, so even if you secretly hold my hand, I'll just pretend not to notice." Lin Xinyu walked in front, and feeling Bai Shihan tug at the corner of his shirt, he started moving toward the stairs. Bai Shihan didn't secretly go to touch his hand the way Lin Xinyu described; that kind of behavior was something only a shameless person could do. Opening the door. Bai Shihan went inside, changed her shoes, and then looked at Lin Xinyu, wanting to invite him in. Seeing that it was getting too late, she gave up on the idea, otherwise it wouldn't be safe going back in the middle of the night. "We're good friends, right?" She took a piece of candy from the cabinet by the door; this time it was fruit-flavored. "Right, or do you want to become my wife?" "No, no." Bai Shihan waved her hands. "I, I just mean, can we always be good friends?" "Sure, being good friends is not a bad thing at all." "That's good then." Lin Xinyu lowered his head and met her gaze: "Have you ever been in a relationship?" Bai Shihan shook her head: "I, I don't know what counts as being in a relationship." "A relationship, a relationship, has to wait until both sides agree, and only then is it a relationship. Look, I asked you to be my wife, but you didn't agree, so we've just been good friends all along." "Right, exactly like that." Bai Shihan nodded, which was precisely what she wanted to express. Then Lin Xinyu reached out and patted her little head: "That's how good friends get along. Holding hands and things like that are all fine; as long as you don't agree, we will always be good friends." Bai Shihan looked half-understanding: "So, so as long as I don't agree, w-we will always be good friends." "That's right, always." "Mm!!" So this is what a good friend is. It means you can hold hands, and pat heads too. As long as she didn't agree, you're just good friends.

Morning in the room is usually quite refreshing. It wasn't summer yet, so no mosquito net had been set up. The light outside couldn't penetrate the tightly drawn curtains—this was the method Bai Shihan used to sleep in, so she wouldn't be woken up halfway through by the bright light. Bai Shihan was restless in her sleep, and every time the middle of the night rolled around, she would inexplicably end up on top of the blanket. Her slender, fair legs were exposed to the air, and her cute little belly button poked out from beneath her pajamas, seemingly peering curiously at everything in the room. Perhaps her nose was tired of breathing, so her mouth started taking over the job, chewing from time to time. Before long, the girl reached out, grabbed Xiao Lv from the side, and pulled it into her arms. In her dream, Bai Shihan tasted the imported candy, and the smile on the corners of her mouth simply couldn't be concealed. "Ring, ring, ring..." The alarm clock rang right on time. Bai Shihan didn't really want to open her eyes; this was the best dream she'd had in a while. Accompanied by the alarm clock's continuous output, Little Dilly let out a dissatisfied soft hum, hating waking up this much for the very first time. Before she met Lin Xinyu, every time the alarm clock rang, Bai Shihan would quickly tidy up, get dressed, wash up, and go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. But now... Being frequently taken out to eat by Lin Xinyu, combined with the fact that she had rarely eaten outside food to begin with, she quickly formed a habit. The meeting in the dream came to an end, and Little Dilly's face flushed red as she didn't forget to internally warn and remind herself. Bah, bah, bah! You're just friends, how could you eat his imported candy! Bai Shihan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly calmed down. Then she went to look for the school uniform and trousers placed by the bed. After getting everything sorted out, she didn't forget to grab a few pieces of candy and put them in her schoolbag, getting ready to head out. Every time at this hour, Lin Xinyu definitely hadn't arrived yet—Bai Shihan knew this very well, as that guy always loved to sleep in. "Yo, whose good friend is getting ready for school?" Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Bai Shihan thought she was still half-asleep and experiencing auditory hallucinations, until Lin Xinyu appeared in front of her, making her open her eyes in disbelief. "Y-your good friend." "Eh? Not saying it's not today?" Bai Shihan explained: "N-not wife, it's, good friend."