If the voice from the receiver hadn’t sounded so real, Lin Zhexia would have thought she was dreaming.
How else could it be that one moment she was thinking of Chi Yao,
And the next, she received his call.
“Lin Zhexia,” while she was in a daze, the person on the other end said her name, then asked, “Can you hear me?”
“…”
“If you can hear me, say something.”
Lin Zhexia sat up and pressed the light switch. The bedroom immediately brightened.
She threw off her blanket and got out of bed, saying into the phone: “I hear you.”
Lin Zhexia took her phone and opened the door to see someone leaning against the elevator entrance.
Chi Yao had come out in a hurry, without even wearing a coat. His hair fell messily over his forehead, and his entire person seemed to carry a chill. In his hand was a transparent umbrella, its tip pointing downward, dripping water.
Seeing her open the door, his fingertip moved slightly, ending the call.
After entering, Lin Zhexia asked: “You’re wearing so little. Aren’t you cold? Would you like hot water or tea?”
“Water.”
She turned toward the kitchen, asking another question: “Why are you still awake so late?”
Chi Yao: “Came to see if a certain coward was trembling under her blanket.”
As the coward in question, who had been accurately described, Lin Zhexia choked for a second.
She handed him the water cup: “Though what you said is true, couldn’t you give me a little face?”
Chi Yao took it: “How?”
Lin Zhexia: “Like finding some other reason. Just don’t say it so directly.”
Chi Yao’s pale knuckles rested on the glass cup. Lin Zhexia was prepared to be rejected, but saw him tilt his head slightly, thinking for two seconds: “Should I say it again?”
“Please.”
Lin Zhexia nodded and repeated her question: “Chi Yao, why are you still awake so late?”
Chi Yao responded flatly: “I have insomnia, can’t sleep, taking a midnight walk.”
Lin Zhexia: “…”
Chi Yao: “Is there a problem? Is there a law against midnight walks?”
Lin Zhexia: “Walking at 1:30 AM seems a bit far-fetched.”
Tonight, Chi Yao seemed unusually agreeable.
He was silent for two seconds, then found another reason: “Actually, I’m also quite timid. I was frightened awake by the thunder. I’m really scared.”
“That excuse works,” Lin Zhexia naturally went along with it: “Don’t be afraid. Since you’ve come to me, I’ll protect you.”
Chi Yao nodded slightly: “Thank you.”
Lin Zhexia: “You’re welcome.”
“Since you’re so scared,” Lin Zhexia brought a blanket from the bedroom, “why don’t we sleep in the living room tonight? I’ll take the sofa, you sleep on the floor. This quilt is for you.”
Chi Yao leaned against the wall watching her busy herself, saying in a mild tone: “Your house rules state guests can’t wash dishes, yet they can sleep on the floor. Quite a unique hospitality code.”
Lin Zhexia, who was laying a mat on the floor: “…”
“This is all your fault,” she said after finishing, placing a pillow on the mat. “I wanted to give you the sofa, but you’re too tall. Your excessively superior physical condition means the sofa might be a bit unsuitable for you.”
Before Chi Yao could speak, she belittled herself further, leaving him with nothing to say: “While I am just a shorty.”
Chi Yao could only say: “Didn’t realize you were so self-aware.”
Lin Zhexia: “As I should be.”
The heater was on in the living room, so they wouldn’t feel cold even without blankets. But Lin Zhexia still wrapped herself up, curling up on the sofa, ready to sleep.
Chi Yao wasn’t sleepy yet. He sat on the carpet with his legs bent, his back against the sofa.
Outside the window, lightning continued to flash and thunder rumbled. Lightning would occasionally strike, momentarily illuminating the dark sky.
Perhaps because there was another person in the room, Lin Zhexia suddenly felt the thunder was much farther away.
The central light in the living room was already turned off.
Only a dim, small lamp remained lit.
Lin Zhexia kept her eyes open. Through the faint light, she could see the young man’s slender neck.
“Chi Yao.” Lin Zhexia called him.
Chi Yao responded with an “Mm” to indicate he was listening.
Apart from the sounds outside the window, only their intermittent conversation could be heard.
“What are you doing?”
“Xu Ting messaged me. I’m replying to him.”