I’ll burn paper offerings for you at the Qingming Festival.
Lin Zhexia: “…”
After taking a deep breath, she exited the chat interface, clicked on the contact card, and changed Chi Yao’s nickname from “Take Meds” to “Chi Dog.”
The two characters “Chi Dog” weren’t satisfying enough.
But with her impoverished vocabulary and good personal qualities, she couldn’t think of other, more insulting words for now.
She decided not to chat with Chi Yao anymore.
She clicked a few times in her contact list and opened another chat window.
Then she typed rapidly—
Chi Yao—
You’re not human—
You’re a dog—
When you come back, I’ll beat you up.
The contact labeled “Da Zhuang” replied with a long string of ellipses.
Da Zhuang: …………
Da Zhuang: What conflict are you two having again?
Da Zhuang: Wait, you’re insulting him, but why are you telling me?
Lin Zhexia replied: That’s because I’m afraid I can’t beat him.
Da Zhuang: Noted.
There were many peers in the neighborhood, and Da Zhuang was also one of the group they had grown up with. Da Zhuang’s real name was He Yang; he was quite chubby as a child, hence the nickname “Da Zhuang” (Big and Strong).
After asking about the cause of the dispute, He Yang comforted her: Be grateful, he doesn’t even reply to my messages. Occasionally he’ll send two characters, just “read.” You got, let me count, six characters. In comparison, how enthusiastic my brother Yao’s replies to you are! I can’t help but feel jealous. You should secretly be happy.
Now it was Lin Zhexia’s turn to fall silent—
Thank you so much.
Lin Zhexia put down her phone and worked on a few more problems. As the clock passed eleven, just as she was about to rest, she suddenly remembered the pile of snacks she had left at Chi Yao’s place.
“I was originally going to leave them for you to eat, as a thank you for letting me use your projector,” Lin Zhexia poked the book page lightly with her pen tip, muttering, “but I didn’t expect you to be so inhuman.”
Thinking of this, Lin Zhexia made up her mind.
She dropped her pen, intending to retrieve her snacks.
As she hurriedly left, she didn’t notice that in the building across, a certain window that had been completely dark suddenly lit up.
After eleven o’clock.
The neighborhood was dark, with only streetlights still on.
Lin Zhexia, key in hand, ran into the opposite building, familiar with the way.
The reason she had Chi Yao’s house key was mainly because she had often gone to his place since childhood. The frequency was so high that Chi Yao got annoyed and tossed her the spare key so she could let herself in.
This key had been in her possession for many years.
Chi Yao’s parents were very busy with work, usually running their business outside, leaving just Chi Yao at home.
So when Lin Zhexia inserted the key into the lock, she didn’t notice if there were any sounds from inside.
She opened the door and found the lights were on.
Then she scanned the living room and saw a black suitcase.
She hadn’t seen this suitcase during her last visit.
She didn’t even have time to wonder who had returned.
The next second.
The bathroom door was pulled open.
The person who emerged wore a black T-shirt, his hair not fully dried, slightly long bangs hanging over his forehead.
He was very tall, still in his adolescent years, his frame seemingly not fully developed yet, giving the initial impression of a slim waist and long legs. Against the black clothing, his skin appeared excessively pale, even appearing somewhat sickly.
The young man had distinct features, his eyebrows and eyes as if heavily outlined, unruly, and casual. Currently, his eyes were downcast, their corners long and narrow, with deep double eyelids. Unlike his bold eyebrows and eyes, his pupil color was surprisingly light, carrying a hint of sharpness.
Chi Yao glanced at Lin Zhexia, who had just entered, and after a moment, said coolly: “Quite surprising, isn’t it?”
“?”
As if not noticing Lin Zhexia’s confused expression.
He dropped another line.
“Your daddy’s back.”