Chapter 21

Shang Mingbao’s house is located near West 56th Street, in an old red-brick apartment building. Its advantage lies in the area’s security. From the room’s balcony, you can gaze at the wide, tranquil view of the Hudson River. If you’re in the mood, you can walk to Lincoln Center and spend a weekend night enjoying a concert there.

When this small apartment with just one bathroom, one bedroom, and a living room connected to the dining area appeared in front of Xiang Feiran, he had to admit that he was a little shaken—

He couldn’t imagine that someone would go to such lengths to cover up a lie that was bound to be exposed.

Could it be… that something really happened to her family?

After setting down the cardboard box against the wall, he took out his phone and typed “Shangyu Group” with one hand. After quickly scanning the results, he expressionlessly locked the screen.

Very well, it turns out that some people really can go to such lengths to cover up a lie.

Sophie had already instructed someone to clean the place thoroughly, but Shang Mingbao thought they had cleaned it too well! So she deliberately left the windows open for several days, allowing a layer of dust to settle again. After placing her suitcase down, she cupped her hands under her chin and said, “Brother Feiran, could you help me clean the room?”

Xiang Feiran leaned against the wall, his tone nonchalant, hinting at her, “That depends on how well we know each other.”

Shang Mingbao pursed her lips, “How about you treat me like your sister?”

“Treat you like?” Xiang Feiran looked down at her with interest, “Are you sure it’s just like?”

He was almost playing with open cards, but Shang Mingbao, flustered by his gaze, stammered, “If not, then forget it…”

Xiang Feiran sighed inwardly for the eighth time that day, but outwardly, he remained calm as he teased her, “How do you know that if you were my sister, I would help you with chores? What, do you think that sister holds a high place in my heart?”

Shang Mingbao’s mood sank, and she responded slowly, “Oh… well, if you say it’s not high, then it’s not high… Anyway, it’s up to you…”

Xiang Feiran lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertip, “Alright, it’s very high.”

Shang Mingbao covered her forehead, thinking how he seemed so familiar with this, even though it was only their second meeting! But she also vaguely wondered, could it be that… he actually wanted to treat “Shang Mingbao” this way?

Three years equate to 1,095 days, which is 73 fortnights. What they had was only one seventy-third of each other’s three years. Shang Mingbao often thought she had already forgotten that insignificant seventy-third, but there was always a moment when his breath, carrying a lingering humidity, would break into her memory, invading her reality like a mountain breeze clearing the oppressive fog.

It was artificial respiration in a tent under a torrential downpour.

Her body softened under the overwhelming presence of his breath; their lips met, and her eyes went from wide open to a resigned closure. Her hands, which hung limply by her sides, inexplicably found the strength to grip the sleeping bag, clutching it so tightly that her knuckles turned an unnatural shade of pink.

Ever since then, every rainy day reminded her of that kiss that shouldn’t have been defined as a kiss.

From then on, every rainy day reminded her of his kiss.

Today, the weather in New York was clear, the sky was very blue, and the air was dry and crisp, yet Shang Mingbao suddenly, inappropriately, remembered the warmth of his lips and the powerful heat of his hand as he pinched open her jaw.

Xiang Feiran’s gaze swept lightly over her earlobe, “Why are you blushing?”

Shang Mingbao opened the balcony door, claiming it was because she was hot.

The damp winter wind blew from the Hudson River onto the balcony, stirring the warm air in the room.

Sophie sometimes did things carelessly, not completing the act, and didn’t leave Shang Mingbao a set of cleaning tools. Xiang Feiran had no choice but to accompany her downstairs to the nearest grocery store to buy some basic supplies.

To her shame, Shang Mingbao had never personally shopped at a grocery store before.

The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of goods, brands, and price tags. Those light industrial products costing just a few dollars opened her eyes: so, there really are things in the world that cost just a few bucks!

Xiang Feiran pushed the shopping cart, asking her seriously once again, “Are you sure you really want to live there?”

“Sure!” Shang Mingbao nodded firmly, “You can come here to find me in the future.”

“You will come to find me, right?” she added uncertainly.

Xiang Feiran: “Depends on the time.”

Shang Mingbao walked alongside him, pushing the shopping cart, her left hand very close to his right hand.

The shelves of household goods were very down-to-earth. She picked up a plastic basin, covering her face, “You’re so busy; you probably don’t even have time for dating, right?”

Xiang Feiran took the basin from her and put it in the cart, replying evenly, “That’s not a question a sister should be asking.”

Shang Mingbao then hugged a mop in her arms, “Is your sister well-behaved? I’m sure my personality isn’t like hers.”

Xiang Feiran stopped, returned the mop, which was nothing but good-looking, and replaced it with another, more practical one with a self-wringing feature. He glanced at her, “I’m not sure about the personality, but she’s probably smarter than you.”

“Hmm?” Shang Mingbao’s eyes darted around. Was he insulting her or complimenting her?

It felt like an insult, but she wasn’t sure, so she listened more.

“However, in one thing, you two are indeed alike,” Xiang Feiran leisurely added.

“In what way?”

Was it her voice? Or perhaps some subconscious micro-expressions or small gestures?

Xiang Feiran: “You’re both difficult to deal with when you lie.”

“What’s difficult?”

“Difficult to know how to go along with it.”

Was she caught?! Shang Mingbao’s heart tightened, and she covered her face with her hands, which were clad in bright yellow rubber gloves, “Brother Feiran…”

Xiang Feiran looked at her with leisurely amusement.

“Alright, I admit I lied to you. Actually, my apartment has already been cleaned. You must have figured that out…”

Xiang Feiran returned to his expressionless state, pointing a finger at her, but couldn’t bring himself to scold her.

Incurable!

In the end, they just bought some tissues, hangers, air fresheners, and other odds and ends.

With Christmas approaching, the supermarket was filled with bells, stars, and Christmas wreaths. Shang Mingbao placed a Christmas wreath in the shopping cart, finding it novel, and then added a bunch of random bells, lights, gift boxes, socks, and hats.

As they passed through the large goods display area, her gaze got stuck on the sparkling Christmas trees, only to have Xiang Feiran cover her eyes and drag her away. “Stop looking, you won’t need it.”

Shang Mingbao stumbled a step, pried his hand off, and asked indignantly, “How do you know I won’t need it?”

Xiang Feiran didn’t even bother to expose her, because that day, you’ll be at all sorts of parties, not in this little 1b1b apartment. You’ll have a twenty or thirty-meter-high crystal Christmas tree, not this one in the grocery store that costs 60 bucks with artificial fir scent sprayed on a PE tree.

Shang Mingbao, being reasonable, reluctantly followed him, mumbling, “I’ve never picked out a Christmas tree myself…”

Xiang Feiran suddenly stopped walking.

After a couple of seconds, he resignedly turned back, walked over to the Christmas tree section, and carefully picked out the tree with the straightest shape, the fullest branches, and the brightest lights.

He was very meticulous in choosing, half-squatting, inspecting from top to bottom, even checking the tree stand and base. Shang Mingbao squatted beside him, hugging her knees, watching as he plugged the string of lights into the outlet to check if they worked properly.

She sighed, “You’re so serious.”

Xiang Feiran unplugged the lights. “It would be disappointing if we took it home and found out it was broken.”

“You wouldn’t even know if it was broken.”

Xiang Feiran didn’t look at her, carefully storing away the lights on the chosen tree. “That’s why I’m worried it might disappoint you.”

“Can I call you if it breaks?” Shang Mingbao asked, still squatting and looking up at him.

“You can,” Xiang Feiran replied flatly, “but I’d suggest you book a $40 hourly service or use your apartment’s concierge service because my time is worth a bit more than $40 an hour.”

Since they bought the Christmas tree, they had to use the store’s delivery service, but luckily, the distance wasn’t too far.

Xiang Feiran calmly paid the bill, picking up the bag of colorful snacks and aesthetically pleasing but not very practical household items that Shang Mingbao had carefully selected. He accompanied her as they walked back to her apartment.

The wind blew, tugging at Shang Mingbao’s hoodie and skirt, outlining the empty space at her waist. Feeling a bit cold, she asked Xiang Feiran if she could borrow his arm for a hug. Xiang Feiran chose instead to bundle her into a nearby taxi, closed the door, and said, “See you in ten minutes.”

Shang Mingbao: “…”

The taxi accelerated away, but then slowly reversed back—

Shang Mingbao leaned her head out of the window. “Wait a minute, Brother Feiran, why aren’t you getting in too?”

Xiang Feiran stood under a streetlamp, a cigarette already clenched between his lips, just about to light it.

Hearing her question, he remained silent, lighting the cigarette and taking a drag before replying casually, “I’m not feeling clear-headed. Need to walk it off and clear my mind.”

Shang Mingbao didn’t understand. “What?”

Xiang Feiran stared at her for a few seconds, then tapped his temple with the hand holding the cigarette. “Something’s off in here. See you later.”

The bright yellow taxi sped down the street, covered with withered leaves and patches of leftover snow. It turned right at the next intersection and disappeared from Xiang Feiran’s view.

He wasn’t sure how Shang Mingbao saw their relationship. She asked to hold his arm just because it was cold and windy—something that felt too intimate to Xiang Feiran. It was something only couples should do.

And he actually wanted to agree.

Maybe, for Shang Mingbao, the request was out of necessity or simple innocence. But since he had already categorized it as something a couple would do, would agree to it, taking advantage of her naivety, make him a bit of an opportunist? To put it simply, a jerk.

Xiang Feiran stood quietly on the street and finished his cigarette, feeling for the first time the harmful effects of staying up late.

Despite all his reasoning, the urge in his body hadn’t diminished one bit.

“Getting too old for this? Can’t pull all-nighters anymore?”

“At twenty-three or twenty-four, if it’s already like this, there’s no way I could handle a PhD.”

Shang Mingbao waited downstairs for him for five or six minutes. Because of the cold, she spun around like a top, trying to keep warm. When she saw Xiang Feiran, she bounced over like a little bird, her cheeks red from the wind.

Xiang Feiran suppressed the urge to pinch her cheeks and asked, “Why didn’t you wait inside the building?”

Shang Mingbao replied, “I forgot, and I thought I could see you faster if I stayed outside.”

Xiang Feiran tightened his grip on the shopping bags and had nearly worn out a cigarette he’d been fiddling with in his pocket.

Shang Mingbao was concerned about his health. Once inside the elevator, she asked seriously, “Did you say you had a headache earlier? Is it because of a cold?”

Being with her made Xiang Feiran forget that he was even sick.

All physical discomfort seemed to fade away. The inflammation and pain in his nerves seemed to diminish. He had a heightened sense of smell, more focused vision, and a greater desire for touch—he was acutely aware of her presence.

His hoarse voice replied, “It’s possible.”

Shang Mingbao began to reflect, “I shouldn’t have had you helping me with everything.”

Xiang Feiran simply said, “It was voluntary. Don’t blame yourself.”

Back at the apartment, he took off his coat, used a utility knife to open two cardboard boxes, and started helping her organize things.

Shang Mingbao was also busy. Putting aside her usual princess demeanor, she cleaned the dust off the surfaces of the furniture and wardrobe with a cloth. When she tried to move a dining chair to reach the top of the wardrobe, Xiang Feiran stopped her, saying, “Don’t step on that, it’s not safe.”

He took the cloth from her hand and raised it, looking down at Shang Mingbao. In a low voice, he said, “Don’t crowd in here.”

Shang Mingbao squeezed between him and the wardrobe, seemed to wake up from a daze at his words. “Oh…”

As Shang Mingbao tried to pull away from him, she felt a tight grip on her wrist—he wasn’t just holding her wrist, but her heart. It felt like her heart was suddenly weighed down, a sensation of palpitations she hadn’t felt in two years surged through her.

Her limbs went weak, like a white candle melting in his palm’s warmth.

Xiang Feiran tightened his grip on the cloth, his gaze fixed on her with a somber intensity. His cold seemed to have worsened, almost as if he wasn’t fully prepared for it.

In his mind, he was wondering… if he kissed her now, would he pass on his cold?

The doorbell rang, accompanied by the delivery person’s introduction from a certain supermarket.

The ice was broken, and the oxygen seemed to rescue Shang Mingbao from that suffocating state. She quickly turned her flushed face away, saying, “I’ll go get the door…”

The delivery worker outside unpacked her Christmas tree, asked her to sign, and helped move it into the empty corner of her living room.

After the worker left, the apartment fell silent again, with the sound of the afternoon breeze faintly audible through the glass balcony door.

Shang Mingbao pretended to be busy next to the Christmas tree, fiddling with it as if she was occupied, until the sweat in her palms dried. Only then did she dare to return to the bedroom. Xiang Feiran had already put on his coat and had inexplicably donned a mask.

Shang Mingbao was taken aback. “Are you leaving?”

Xiang Feiran nodded, his pale eyelids lowered. “I’m feeling quite ill. It’s best if I don’t stay any longer.”

Shang Mingbao checked the time. “You said you’d be here until seven, but it’s only four now.”

“I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“You’re lying.”

Three years ago, you said you’d take me for a walk, but you claimed you were too tired and would make it up later, which you never did.

Shang Mingbao looked around, frustrated that she had prepared so few things that she finished tidying up so quickly. She crouched and opened her suitcase. “Then can you help me with these—”

Why are they lingerie?!

And it’s sexy lingerie?!

A pearl white, lace embroidered butterfly was the largest piece of fabric on this dress. Four very thin silk threads hung from the butterfly’s four wings, meant to be worn around the neck and tied at the waist. The skirt part was even shorter than the one she wore today, and she doubted it would cover much…

Liao, Rain, Nuo!

What’s the deal? I only mentioned this lingerie was very sexy and I didn’t dare to wear it… I didn’t mean for you to secretly buy it for me!

Shang Mingbao was flustered, clutching the dress tightly to her chest. Her face, ears, neck, and even her knees were flushed red.

Xiang Feiran, stifled by the mask, tried to breathe deeply but felt it would make him seem like a pervert. He struggled with his normal breathing and muttered a hasty, “I’m leaving now…”

He remained silent until he reached the entrance, leaning against the wall to put on his shoes, finally releasing a deep breath.

Shang Mingbao ran after him, her eyes red and misty, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “That’s not mine.”

Xiang Feiran hadn’t expected this issue to be up for discussion. Having no experience with this kind of situation, he said, “Even if it is yours, it’s no problem.”

“It’s not!” Shang Mingbao insisted, stamping her feet in frustration.

Xiang Feiran raised both hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, it’s not.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“I do,” Xiang Feiran tried to maintain a calm and steady tone. “I believe you. What kind of dress you sleep in is just a personal preference. There’s no right or wrong, no need to worry about it, okay?”

Shang Mingbao’s eyebrows furrowed tightly. “You’re so calm, have you seen it before?”

“…” Xiang Feiran was confused by her completely illogical reasoning. “No—wait—”

What does this have to do with him?

“Do you like it?”

Xiang Feiran found himself inexplicably put on trial. After a moment’s thought, he answered, “First, I’m sure I haven’t seen it before. Second, since I haven’t seen it, I can’t say whether I like it or not. Finally, it really doesn’t matter. The dress is pretty, and even if you just wear it to enjoy yourself, it’s a lovely thing.”

Shang Mingbao only heard the trimmed-down version, and stiffly replied, “So you think it’s pretty and cute.”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

He took a deep breath, walked up to Shang Mingbao, and lowered his mask.

“Shang Mingbao, be reasonable.”

Her face changed quickly, first white, then red, and finally turning a cherry blossom pink; first stunned, then shocked, and finally becoming pitifully pleading.

She pushed gently on his chest, her voice soft and fluttering, “You misunderstood. I’m not your sister—”

Xiang Feiran held her hands, which were pushing against him, and looked directly into her moist, wide eyes.

“Stop pretending. I’m struggling with being sick.”