On Monday morning, Xue Yang woke up on time to get ready for school.
"Xue Yang, you'll be coming back at noon, right?"
"No, I won't. I'll eat at school and take a nap there."
"Then what am I supposed to do? I don't know how to cook, and I don't have any money either..."
"..."
In the end, Xue Yang left her with a "wait till I get back" and headed out.
...
After Xue Yang left for school, Lin Xi went into his room to collect some laundry. Sitting on the bed to fold the clothes, she touched Xue Yang's mattress. Though it wasn't a silk quilt and wasn't very big—maybe around 1.8 meters at most—it was a real bed, clean and tidy.
"I'll just lie down for a second, Xue Yang shouldn't notice, right?"
Sleeping on the sofa had been downright miserable. After three nights of it, Lin Xi's whole body ached, and she desperately needed a real bed to ease the soreness.
"Whatever, he went to school anyway. What's wrong with lying down for a bit?"
Lin Xi took off her shoes and crawled under the covers. It smelled like Xue Yang—a comforting scent, just like the one on him.
Lin Xi took a deep breath. It even carried a faint hint of sunlight. It was hard not to love a scent like that.
She had expected to find it impossible to sleep in a strange man's bed, but before long, Lin Xi drifted off.
And so she slept straight through until Xue Yang came back from his morning classes.
He looked around the living room and didn't see Lin Xi, nor was she in the bathroom. When he went into his bedroom, there she was, sleeping soundly on his bed like a sleeping beauty.
Sensing someone watching her, Lin Xi slowly woke up. Realizing it was Xue Yang, a flash of regret washed over her—how could she have fallen asleep, and so deeply at that?
"You're sleeping in my bed!"
"Who told you not to swap with me? Sleeping on the sofa is too awful. I only meant to lie down for a second, who knew I'd fall asleep? If it bothers you that much, I'll make the bed for you."
Guiltily, Lin Xi straightened out Xue Yang's bed for him.
"Come out and eat."
"Aren't you cooking today?"
"I have classes, where would I find the time? I packed some food from the school cafeteria. Eat it if you want, otherwise I'll finish it myself."
"I'll eat."
Lin Xi quickly put on her shoes and hurried out to the living room.
"There's only one portion of food."
"Only one." Xue Yang took out a bowl and split some of it for her.
...
For two days in a row, Xue Yang packed food from the school cafeteria and rushed back in a hurry.
On the third day, just as Xue Yang had packed his food and was about to leave, Cui Hao grabbed him with quick reflexes.
"Xue Yang, where are you rushing off to?"
"Going home to eat."
"You're not coming back to the dorm for a lunch break today either? Honestly, you don't have to go through all this trouble."
Xue Yang knew Cui Hao must have misunderstood something, but he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Nope."
With that, Xue Yang lifted his foot to leave again.
"Hey, do you have some fairy maiden hiding at home or something? You're always rushing off like this. I wanted to ask—this Friday is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the school starts the holiday tomorrow afternoon. Are you planning to go home? If not, do you want to go up to Phoenix Mountain to watch the moon together? The news says this year's Mid-Autumn moon will be rounder than once in a century."
Only then did it dawn on Xue Yang that the Mid-Autumn Festival was just a couple of days away.
"Not going home, not going."
Without looking back, he strode away.
Not long after Xue Yang left, Chen Ying and her group of close friends strutted into the cafeteria.
"These two—one of them has barely stepped foot in the cafeteria in three years, yet he's been eating here every day lately. The other has been coming here every day just to pack food and sprint away. If there's nothing fishy going on, nobody would believe it."
...
On Thursday, the school started the holiday by the afternoon, meaning Xue Yang only had to attend half a day of classes before break.
As soon as noon hit, Xue Yang packed his usual meal from the cafeteria and returned to the rented apartment.
The moment he opened the door, Lin Xi hopped over to him on her bare little feet. "Xue Yang, I've decided. I'm going to make money."
Xue Yang's gaze dropped to the floor, where a pair of playful, delicate feet seemed to be beckoning him. He abruptly pulled his eyes away, set the food on the table, and said,
"Cute runaway girl, before you figure out how to make money, fill your stomach first."
"Xue Yang, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival. Are you going home?" Expectation flickered in her eyes, hoping he would stay.
Spending the Mid-Autumn Festival locked up alone in this rental room was just too miserable.
"Yanjing is too far from my home. The holiday is only one day, and even with the weekend it's just three days. It takes three days just for the round trip, there isn't even enough time for the travel, so I'm not planning to go back."
"That's great! I was so scared you'd leave me here all by myself. I definitely would've been terrified out of my mind."
Judging by her tone, Lin Xi had no intention of going home either.
After finishing their meal, Xue Yang patted his pocket and pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill.
"Let's go buy a lottery ticket."
...
Lin Xi stared at the sign of the lottery shop in front of her, then glanced sideways at Xue Yang. A strange gleam flashed in her eyes.
"Xue Yang, are you sure we can win?"
Lin Xi had never bought a lottery ticket in her life. She had heard stories online about people getting rich overnight from the lottery, but before, she had just laughed it off, thinking it ridiculous that such a small amount of money could be worth all that hype. But now...
What if they actually won?
Looking at Lin Xi, who was acting like a curious toddler, Xue Yang said,
"Lin Xi, have you ever heard of the beginner's luck period?"
"No."
"You pick the numbers."
"..."
Stepping out of the lottery shop, Xue Yang shrugged, feeling a sense of release.
"There, the last ten yuan is spent. Now the two of us are officially flat broke."
Lin Xi stiffened, stopped in her tracks, and stared at Xue Yang with wide eyes.
"Xue Yang, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"..."
"You intentionally spent our last ten yuan to force me to go home. But I just don't want to go home right now! Why do you keep trying to make me leave?"
Indeed, Xue Yang had done it on purpose.
Lin Xi had originally said she would only stay for a few days, but now over a week had passed and she still showed no signs of wanting to go home.
Xue Yang didn't want her to go astray. At her age, her studies should come first. Running away from home was something you did for a thrill, but there was no need to take it seriously.
Only by spending all their money and leaving her with zero hope could he make her consider going back home.
It wasn't a particularly honorable method, but it was the best one Xue Yang could think of at the moment.
"Who said I wanted you to send you home? I genuinely ran out of money and just planned to gamble with that ten-yuan bill. Think about it—if I used this 10 yuan to buy milk tea, it would only be worth a cup of milk tea. But now that I've used it to buy a lottery ticket, it might be worth a lot more than ten yuan."
Curiously, Lin Xi asked, "Then how much should it be worth?"
"How much is the first prize this time?"
Pointing at the banner hanging in front of them, Lin Xi said, "Ten million."
"That's right, now it might even be worth ten million."
"..."
"So, don't overthink anything. Just wait for the draw. The results come out at eight tonight. It's still early, let's go for a walk."