Xue Yang knew that this was her first time running away from home, and since it was only the first day, returning now would undoubtedly earn her a joint beating from both parents.
Had she waited a few more days, the nature of it would be entirely different; her family would be worried sick, and how could they possibly bear to hit her then? They would be too busy showering her with hugs, kisses, and lifting her up in relief.
Fortunately for her, the person she ran into was him. If it had been anyone else, she might genuinely have been trafficked to some remote mountain region to bear children for strangers, or worse, lost her life.
Oh well, at worst it would just cost him a few more days of rent. Later on, he could always just go hand out flyers with that idiot Cui Hao. As Cui Hao liked to say, two poor dogs sticking together made the best company.
No, wait—he seemed to be the only truly poor one here. All Cui Hao had to do was make a phone call, swallow his pride, and he'd be a hero again.
Why was the gap between people so damn wide?
"Um, I'm hungry~"
Lin Xi stared at Xue Yang with her wide, watery eyes, looking exactly like a Little Milk Cat that had been waiting ages for its master to come home.
Unbidden, Xue Yang’s mind flashed back to the heart-pounding sight when he had first opened the door, and a faint flush crept up the back of his ears.
Oblivious to Xue Yang's sudden agitation, the Little Milk Cat clutched her rumbling stomach, looking so pathetic that tears seemed ready to fall at any second.
Who could possibly resist a Little Milk Cat acting spoiled?
Xue Yang's heart instantly softened.
"Didn't I give you 100 yuan this morning? Even if you didn't go home, you could have used that money to buy food. There was no need to starve all day."
The only thing left in the rented room had been a single pack of instant noodles, which she had eaten this morning. And by the looks of it, she'd eaten it raw, since Xue Yang hadn't noticed any signs of the kettle being used.
Did she really go the whole day eating just a pack of dry instant noodles without even drinking water?
Didn't she even know basic life survival skills?
"I didn't know where to buy food around here, and besides, I didn't have the keys or a phone. If I went outside, I... I wouldn't have been able to get back."
She hadn't wanted to wait outside all day; what if someone recognized her? That would be a disaster, and she definitely didn't want to go home.
Xue Yang let out a long sigh. Since he had been certain she would leave, he hadn't left her a key. Who could have imagined...
For a moment, he didn't know whether to be angry or amused.
"Let's go. I'll take you out to get something to eat."
Luckily, the place he rented wasn't far from the snack street—just a short walk away. Otherwise, she would have had to keep starving.
"Since you don't want to go home for now, shouldn't we exchange names? My name is Xue Yang, a freshman at Yanbei University from Huicheng. And you?"
"My name is Lin Xi, from Yanjing. As for the rest, I'd like to keep it confidential for now, if that's okay?"
Xue Yang didn't see anything wrong with that. Since she didn't want to say, he couldn't very well force her.
"Lingxi?"
Hearing Xue Yang say her name, Lin Xi's heart leapt straight to her throat. For days, the television had been constantly broadcasting news about her disappearance—could he have figured out who she was?
"That's a pretty name. Did it come from the idiom *a flash of mutual understanding*?"
Lin Xi's suspended heart finally dropped back down. Thank goodness he hadn't recognized her, otherwise...
Lin Xi's feelings right now were a tangled mess. She both hoped Xue Yang would recognize her and treat her just like anyone else, yet feared he would figure it out and forcibly drag her back to that freezing home just for that reward of a hundred million.
"Yes, exactly that. Your name is nice too—it has a very sunny feel to it."
Xue Yang was a bit surprised. His name really was chosen to mean sunlight, but after chasing Chen Ying for all these years, he had almost lost sight of who he was.
He went back to his room to change clothes and found a pair of sweatpants he could spare for Lin Xi. "Just make do with these for now," Xue Yang said. "We'll see about buying you a proper outfit later. Just wear these for the next few days until you can go home."
He was flat broke himself, yet here he was worrying about someone else lacking clothes. He really was a good guy.
Lin Xi's eyes widened. A man's pants!
He was actually making her wear a man's pants!
Yet, aside from Xue Yang's trousers, she didn't seem to have any other clothes to wear.
The thing she currently had on was actually the underwear slip of her Lolita dress. It was fine to wear inside the room, but if she walked outside in it, her head-turning rate would be off the charts. The higher the attention, the greater the chance she would be exposed. That was an absolute no-go.
"But I've never worn men's pants in my entire life!"
Lin Xi's internal conflict was agonizing, making her look even more like a Little Milk Cat.
"You can also choose not to wear them."
"That won't work."
"Then put them on."
"..."
"Aren't you hungry? Go change your pants already."
"Can't you just pack something to go and bring it back for me to eat?"
"You can also choose not to eat."
"..."
Only then did Lin Xi hug the pants and reluctantly head to the bathroom to change. Come to think of it, she was already crashing at this guy's place; asking him to run errands and pack food for her on top of that would be pushing it.
Soon, Lin Xi emerged wearing Xue Yang's sweatpants. The loose white T-shirt paired with the baggy sweatpants actually gave her a unique charm, accentuating her fine figure in a hazy, indistinct way, while the excessive fabric seemed almost superfluous.
Because the waistband was far too large for her, Lin Xi had to hold them up as she walked out. She rummaged around the room for a bit, found a random piece of string, and tied the excess fabric inside, instantly highlighting her slender waist and wonderful silhouette...
Xue Yang felt another unfamiliar surge rush straight to his head, crashing around wildly as if desperate for an outlet.
He abruptly averted his gaze and turned around.
"You... don't tuck the shirt inside like that."
Lin Xi looked down at herself in confusion. There was nothing wrong with it.
"What's wrong?"
"Just leave your shirt hanging outside, or we aren't going anywhere."
Did she really have no idea how alluring she looked dressed like that?
In the end, Lin Xi did as Xue Yang instructed and let her shirt hang loose. Before heading out, she put on a black face mask, making sure nobody would recognize her, and only then followed Xue Yang out the door.
Though Xue Yang found her behavior strange, he didn't press further.
...
By a little past five, the pedestrian street was gradually growing crowded. In October, it grew dark soon after six, and the neon lights of various shops were beginning to flash brilliantly.
The cacophony of vendors shouting vied with one another, displaying the bustling and prosperous scene of the Yanbei university town—and this was merely a tiny corner of Yanjing.
Xue Yang and Lin Xi walked side by side down the street. Despite the added disguise of the mask, she still appeared quite cautious.
"To tide you over."
Xue Yang emerged from a bakery and handed a sandwich to Lin Xi.
"Thanks!"
"Don't mention it, I'm putting it on your tab."
"..."
This guy really knew how to kill the mood.
"There's bubble tea, Xue Yang. I haven't had anything to drink all day."
Xue Yang had originally wanted to suggest that buying a cheap two-yuan bottle of mineral water would suffice, but hearing her pitiful tone made his heart soften yet again.
"Go buy some."
Suddenly, Lin Xi burst into tears, her face stained with teardrops like rain on pear blossoms: "Wuwu~ Xue Yang, you're the first stranger who has ever treated me this well. Thank you."
"..."