Chapter 19

The noodles were finished quickly, and the eating went even faster. Just as Song Cheng was starting to get the hang of the movie she was watching from the middle, the noodles were completely gone.

Feeling full and too lazy to move, Song Cheng continued to sit there watching TV. When she came to her senses, Wen Xiangyi had disappeared without her noticing.

For a moment, Song Cheng felt a fleeting memory of Wen Xiangyi’s past life. They used to be in the same room, sometimes together, sometimes apart, doing their own things.

The difference now was that their home was much smaller. Wen Xiangyi walked into the bathroom with her pajamas, and soon, the sound of running water could be heard from the living room.

Song Cheng suddenly became alert. After sitting for a while watching the ads on TV, she picked up the two bowls and went to the kitchen.

What was different, and what remained the same?

Even though they lived in an old residential area, Wen Xiangyi was still a delicate little princess who didn’t know to clear her own dishes after eating.

The old bathroom had almost no separation between wet and dry areas. Wen Xiangyi dabbed at the ends of her damp hair, used a tissue to wipe the fog off the mirror, and then saw her pajama-clad reflection.

Two years ago, when her grandmother was still alive, she often stayed here. The wardrobe in the side room was filled with her clothes. She had stopped growing in height after the third year of junior high, remaining at 168 cm. The clothes she had left behind in this house still fit, even though the owner of the house was no longer around.

After her grandmother passed away, Luo Yan never came back. Every time the lights turned on, the old house was only occupied by her.

Wen Xiangyi quickly dried her hair, walked out, and opened the door. The faint TV sound suddenly became clear.

Song Cheng was still sitting on the sofa, appearing as if she hadn’t moved. However, the table in front of her had been cleaned up, with the bowls and chopsticks neatly put away.

Seeing her come out, Song Cheng straightened up. “I washed the bowls and put them away for you, and cleaned the table too.” It wouldn’t do to leave the washing to Wen Xiangyi.

Wen Xiangyi responded, “Thank you for your hard work.”

She sat down, still with damp ends of her hair. Wen Xiangyi absently wiped them with the towel in her hand and noticed the ad playing on TV. “Is the movie over?”

Song Cheng nodded.

It was over.

Wen Xiangyi asked curiously, “What was the ending?”

?

Song Cheng had been in a daze and hadn’t noticed when the movie ended. “I wasn’t paying attention. It just ended.”

Wen Xiangyi turned to look at her. Just as she was about to speak, Song Cheng had already picked up the remote and asked, “Shall we find it and watch it again?”

Wen Xiangyi’s words were suddenly unnecessary.

She blinked quickly, wondering how Song Cheng had managed to say what she had wanted to say, effortlessly aligning with her thoughts.

Song Cheng searched for the movie in the library, typing in the name letter by letter and making two mistakes with the initials. After finally finding it, she realized that the library didn’t have the rights to this film.

“It’s not here.” Song Cheng murmured, looking even more frustrated than Wen Xiangyi.

Wen Xiangyi smiled and suddenly felt that not being able to see the ending of the movie wasn’t a big deal.

“Song Cheng, I don’t want to watch it anymore.” Wen Xiangyi lifted her chin and said, “Find something you like to watch.”

Song Cheng was a very accommodating guest and began to search for something she wanted to watch. The TV made rhythmic sounds that were very soothing. Wen Xiangyi opened the bookcase, took out a round copper incense burner, and lit a chrysanthemum charcoal.

Unknowingly, Song Cheng’s gaze fell on her. “Are we making tea?” But Wen Xiangyi didn’t usually make tea at night.

“No tea,” Wen Xiangyi said. “Drinking tea at night keeps you awake. Let’s roast some oranges instead.”

Wen Xiangyi bent down, took some sugar oranges from a plastic bag, picked two, and put them on the grill. She looked up at Song Cheng with a smile and asked, “How many do you want?”

They were going to roast oranges.

Song Cheng peered at the charcoal fire below the grill, the flames dancing continuously. She couldn’t describe the smell of chrysanthemum charcoal burning but found it very warm.

She remembered that Wen Xiangyi used to roast fruit on the radiator in winter. She always feared the cold.

Song Cheng placed five sugar oranges on the grill, filling it up. She picked up a sixth one but couldn’t find a place for it, so she reluctantly put it back in the bag.

Picking up the remote, Song Cheng announced, “I’m going to find a movie to watch.”

It didn’t take long this time, and she started an old film with a soothing pace.

The chrysanthemum charcoal crackled occasionally. Wen Xiangyi hugged a cushion, curled her feet in the sofa blanket, and watched the couple in the small flower shop on the screen with deep interest.

The Cantonese dialogue, accompanied by background music, flowed gently, along with Song Cheng’s voice reciting lines: “Why are you so good at everything? Are you always the top of the class?”

Song Cheng might have a talent for languages, or perhaps it’s just because her voice is pleasant, but she could pick up on Cantonese despite not knowing it and was able to mimic it quite expressively.

As the thought crossed her mind, Wen Xiangyi, lounging lazily on the sofa, joined in with Song Cheng’s next line:

“Why can’t you do anything? What do you usually do?”

“?”

Song Cheng, also lounging on the sofa, turned to look at her.

Wen Xiangyi’s smile was innocent and pure. “Aren’t we reciting lines?”

“Right,” Song Cheng defended herself. “So I’m different from him.”

The next line from the movie’s male lead reached their ears.

[Me? I only know how to play basketball.]

Song Cheng: “…”

[You’re my friend…]

Wen Xiangyi couldn’t help it and buried her face in the cushion, laughing. Her laughter was muffled, and it went on for a long time, blending into the movie’s dialogue.

Song Cheng, embarrassed by her laughter, turned her face away and tended to the roasting oranges. With just a few turns, the sweet aroma of the roasted oranges began to spread through the old house. Wen Xiangyi’s nose twitched as she opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance, half of a warm orange was directly placed into her mouth.

Without any opportunity to refuse, Wen Xiangyi had to swallow it. The sugar oranges of this season were very sweet, making her mouth water. However, she noticed that Song Cheng had already eaten the other half.

Song Cheng peeled another orange, and Wen Xiangyi realized that Song Cheng only gave her some after she had tasted it herself, as if she was letting Wen Xiangyi experience the sweetness. This behavior seemed too intimate for both of them; why was she sharing the same orange with Song Cheng?

Wen Xiangyi shifted uncomfortably and reached for an orange herself. “You eat yours; I’ll get my own.”

Song Cheng said, “Hey, be careful, it’s hot—”

Just then, there was a knock on the door, interrupting both Song Cheng’s words and Wen Xiangyi’s actions.

Wen Xiangyi got up to open the door, with Song Cheng following closely behind.

Wen Xiangyi opened the wooden door a crack, and Li Changsheng’s face appeared behind the iron gate.

She greeted warmly, “Auntie Li.”

Li Changsheng was still in the same business attire from earlier. “Xiangyi, you said you were going home when we parted. Why haven’t you left? Your mother was worried and called me.”

Wen Xiangyi waited for her to finish before speaking. “Was she really worried?”

Li Changsheng was at a loss for words.

When she received the call, she had heard a vague sound of water, suggesting Luo Yan might have been in the bathtub. The voice, softened by the hot water, had made a routine request for her to find Wen Xiangyi.

“Probably went to the dormitory on Suqing Road again.”

Li Changsheng’s silence was not surprising. Wen Xiangyi sympathetically offered a way out. “My mom must know I’m here. Don’t you think so, Auntie Li?”

Li Changsheng had no choice but to nod.

As Luo Yan’s assistant, a significant part of her job over the years had been looking after her boss’s daughter. She knew well that she could not mediate between these two; they were both too smart and too understanding of each other.

In any case, finding Wen Xiangyi was the main goal. Li Changsheng relaxed and then noticed there was someone else behind Wen Xiangyi.

“Xiangyi, who is that behind you?”

Wen Xiangyi glanced back at Song Cheng.

Song Cheng looked at her in confusion, her eyes questioning whether she should come forward. She was always quiet, harmless, yet silently present, like a form of unspoken support or companionship.

Wen Xiangyi turned her gaze back. She didn’t think she needed it, but unexpectedly, she didn’t mind the feeling.