Chapter 14

Papa Jiang was a bit sulky, though his voice was soft: “Are you classmates with him, or am I classmates with him?!”

“Alright, alright, stop it. Just wake up Lin and ask him, then we’ll know!” Mama Jiang patted Papa Jiang’s shoulder as she spoke.

“You do it!” Papa Jiang shot Jiang Zhiyu a look.

The light from outside the car illuminated the boy’s face—his features were sharp and well-defined, and even the way he exhaled gently from his nose looked enticing.

Just as Jiang Zhiyu was about to reach out and tap him, the boy woke up on his own. “We’re… here already?”

She bit her lip in embarrassment. “Y-yeah… sorry, you were sleeping so soundly, we totally forgot you were still in the car. We’re at my house now.”

How did a nap turn into falling into a “tiger’s den”? Lin Yeci glanced around the unfamiliar neighborhood and asked, “How far is this from Liming Road?”

Rain pelted the metal roof of the car with a loud patter. Papa Jiang gulped and replied, “Liming Road… that’s over twenty kilometers from here…”

Everyone froze on the spot…

Over twenty kilometers, it was late, and the rain was still pouring—truth be told, Papa Jiang didn’t really want to drive.

Lin Yeci sat up slightly in the car, though the height forced him to hunch a bit. “Still, thank you so much, Uncle Jiang. I’ll just call a cab and head home.”

“How could we let you do that!” Even though Papa Jiang didn’t want to drive him, he had brought the boy here by accident. No matter what, he had to take responsibility.

Mama Jiang and Jiang Zhiyu stared wide-eyed at the sudden righteous display, unsure of what to say.

Papa Jiang added, “Our home is small, but we have a spare room. If you don’t mind, Lin, how about staying over for the night?”

Jiang Zhiyu could understand—after such a long trip, by the time he got home, showered, and went to bed, it would be nearly midnight. It was their fault for not asking for his address earlier. If it were her, she’d probably choose to stay too.

She thought Lin Yeci would at least pretend to refuse, say something like “No need, Uncle, I’ll take a cab, it’s no trouble…” But to her surprise, he didn’t even pretend—he agreed right away.

Papa Jiang warmly invited him upstairs.

While riding the elevator, Jiang Zhiyu couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Yeci was secretly smiling, but every time she turned around, he wore a completely expressionless face.

Was she imagining things?

Actually… she wasn’t.

Lin Yeci was secretly smiling. He had only been pretending to sleep in the car, silently praying no one would remember to send him home. He just wanted to experience the warmth of a home, the comfort of companionship.

Jiang Zhiyu’s house was small, but there was a spare room—though it was more like a cluttered storage space with a bed…

It wasn’t really a guest room either. It had been decorated when her father and stepmother planned to have a second child—meant for a future “little brother” or “sister.” But the original owner (Jiang Zhiyu) strongly opposed it, even threatening to slit her wrists.

Her stepmother, to her credit, had never had a child of her own all these years and treated Jiang Zhiyu like her real daughter.

Jiang Zhiyu had overheard all this one night when she was hungry and rummaging through the fridge. But the original Jiang Zhiyu never appreciated it, always seeing her stepmother as an enemy.

“Lin, don’t catch a cold—go take a shower,” Papa Jiang handed him a brand-new set of pajamas from his closet, pointed toward the bathroom, and added, “I’ll ask your aunt to tidy up the room a bit.”

Lin Yeci took the pajamas and went into the bathroom.

Thankfully, Jiang Zhiyu’s house had two bathrooms. She rushed into hers, shivering, turned on the heater, and started showering.

She always loved singing in the shower, calling herself a bathroom pop star. Today was no exception, and she hummed joyfully.

“Don’t underestimate a little sheep like me, we sheep are smarter than we seem…”

Just as she was in the zone, a sharp male voice cut in—

“Hey Jiang, even in the shower, you can’t shut your mouth? It’s noise pollution!”

—-

Her soapy hands froze. She wanted to melt into the ground. The two bathrooms were technically just separated by a brick wall—no way they were soundproof.

“None of your business!” Her face was burning like a peach blossom, but her mouth wouldn’t stop being stubborn.

The water kept rushing down, and suddenly Jiang Zhiyu had a realization. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Lin Yeci…”

The boy on the other side of the wall answered lightly, “Hmm?”

“What… stage of your shower are you at…” Drool almost escaped her lips—but she quickly swallowed it.

“Pervert!” came his reply, followed by the sound of a door opening—he must’ve finished showering.

She splashed water on her face in a panic, chanting, “Lust is emptiness… emptiness is lust… Amitabha, Amitabha!” But her mind still betrayed her with images of his tempting abs.

Jiang Zhiyu felt like she was losing her mind. They were separated by a wall! How could she still be daydreaming like this?

Well, maybe it wasn’t really daydreaming—her soul was old enough to legally get married anyway.

She couldn’t stay in the bathroom a second longer. Her brain was so filthy, it needed to be deleted immediately.

She scrubbed herself quickly and left the shower.

After drying her hair and stepping out of her room, she found Lin Yeci happily munching on a late-night snack at the dining table, occasionally throwing out compliments.

“Auntie’s noodles are amazing. So delicious.”

Her stepmother beamed with joy, “Yuyu always says she’s dieting and won’t eat my midnight snacks. But you—so sweet! Come by and eat anytime~”

Ha… ha ha…

So she didn’t cook for me?! Jiang Zhiyu frowned. “It’s late. Go to bed.”

She returned to her room, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, the rain had calmed down, but Jiang Zhiyu’s stomach twisted in pain. A warm sensation spread through her.

She suddenly sat up.

Staring blankly out the window… It’s that time of the month…

She rummaged around in the bathroom, only to find an empty wrapper. But she swore she saw a full pack somewhere before.

After thinking for a while, she remembered—it was in the cabinet of the storage room.

The same room where Lin Yeci was now sleeping.

Of all the days…

She regretted it so much. Why had she insisted on letting her dad bring him along?

Left with no choice, she tiptoed like a cat to Lin Yeci’s room.

She closed her own door behind her and quietly opened his. After rifling through the drawers, she finally found the pads buried at the bottom of a box.

“What are you doing?” Lin Yeci’s hair was messy, his eyes half-lidded with sleep as he looked at her.

Before she could answer, footsteps sounded outside the room.

Damn it! If they were caught like this—in the same room, alone, in the middle of the night—there would be no explaining it away.

With nowhere to hide, Jiang Zhiyu dove into Lin Yeci’s bed.

Papa Jiang’s slightly chubby figure appeared at the door. “Lin, why are you still up so late?”