Chapter 4: A Collision at the Street Corner 4

Chapter 4: Colliding at the Street Corner 4

His tone was gentle, as if pondering the meaning behind the name, or perhaps murmuring it softly to himself.

Yet, he didn’t tell her whether Grandma Yun was here, nor did he explain his relationship with her.

Bai Li felt a bit awkward.

Just as she was about to speak again to ask, the young man finally found his keys and unlocked the door, speaking plainly:

“Since you’re staying over, come inside.”

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Li stepped onto the porch and followed, dragging her luggage behind her.

What met her eyes was a polished floor. She wanted to be polite and take off her shoes first, but since she didn’t have slippers of her own, she just stood there.

The young man glanced back, noticed the awkwardness on her face, and said calmly, “No need to take off your shoes.”

Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief and complied, stepping onto the floor while quietly observing her surroundings.

The house wasn’t very large, but its interior was more freshly decorated than the outside suggested. The furniture was wooden with some age to it, all uniform in tone, without any trace of being outdated.

Instead, it added a kind of vintage elegance.

The floor was covered in dark wood planks that, perhaps due to good quality materials, still gleamed despite the passage of time.

At the back was the kitchen and a narrow backyard. To one side of the living room was a staircase winding upward, presumably leading to the bedrooms.

The solid wood tables and chairs were spotless, the appliances neat and orderly, and every item arranged with care, all showing that the owner loved cleanliness.

Even the air was fresh, suffused with a pleasant woody fragrance.

“Go upstairs and put your luggage in your room,” the young man said as he switched on the stairwell light.

Bai Li followed astutely, circling the staircase to the second floor.

He opened the door to the left and turned his gaze back to her. “You’ll stay in this room.”

Though it was a statement, perhaps because she was a girl, he hesitated briefly before tentatively adding, “Is that okay?”

“Okay, thank you,” Bai Li replied.

She hadn’t examined the room carefully, but no matter what, she wouldn’t object.

After all, she had intruded uninvited; having a place to stay was already generous.

She had no demands for her living environment. Summer nights were warm, and even just a mat on the floor would be enough to sleep on.

Receiving confirmation, the young man said nothing more and turned to go downstairs, leaving her alone to adjust to the new surroundings.

Bai Li watched him leave, then dragged her luggage into the room she would live in and took a look around.

The room was actually very nice.

It was impeccably clean.

Half of the wardrobe was empty, ready for her clothes. The bed was made with dark blue linen bedding, fresh and tidy. There was a private bathroom, a desk with a lamp, everything complete. Drawing back the curtains, she found a balcony outside.

The evening breeze gently brushed the floor. Bai Li put down her suitcase and suddenly felt a bit lost.

By the layout of this old-fashioned house, a room with a balcony and private bath was usually the master bedroom.

For a guest staying temporarily, it seemed a little inappropriate to occupy the master bedroom.

Besides, she hadn’t seen Grandma Yun anywhere, despite what her mother had said.

And the young man’s appearance and everything else—it all raised many questions. Bai Li frowned slightly and headed downstairs, wanting to clarify.

The small house was brightly lit.

The young man was standing in the living room, talking on the phone. He casually held a bottle of water, listening to the person on the other end, seemingly having completely forgotten she was there.

Perhaps it was the intensity of her gaze that made him glance back during a pause in his conversation, lifting his eyelids to look at her.

Bai Li was momentarily stunned. She lowered her voice to nearly a whisper and said, “May I ask you some questions?”

His eyes lingered on her face for two or three seconds. He gestured to the sofa for her to sit down, then responded briefly into the phone.

Bai Li could only sit, her fingers nervously twisting together.

Two minutes later, he hung up and his somewhat low voice came: “What is it?”

“My room seems to be the master bedroom. Is it appropriate for me to sleep there?”

There was a two-second silence.

He smiled slightly. “There’s nothing inappropriate about it. No one’s ever lived in that room.”

Bai Li asked again, “What about Grandma Yun? I want to greet her and discuss how much I should pay for staying here.”

But the young man didn’t answer her question immediately. Instead, he pulled a chair and sat opposite her, his warm yet sharp eyes coldly fixed on her.

After a long pause, he lightly said, “She’s gone out. She hasn’t lived here for a long time, so when you came, I was quite surprised.”

The surrounding silence was absolute, save for the hum of the air conditioner.

Bai Li was stunned.

Realizing that she had indeed intruded uninvited, she apologized with guilt, “I’m very sorry.”

Her heart sank deeper into a complicated state; this was a particularly rude matter.

Then who was he?

Seeming to see the question in her eyes, the young man propped his chin up and looked at her at eye level, his brows sharp, eyes like a deep ocean, speaking calmly:

“Bai Li, you’re quite forgetful.”

This was the second time he had called her by name, then with a smooth and lazy tone, he said his own: “Don’t remember? I’m Fang Ye.”

“…”

In that instant,

Bai Li found it hard to believe.

She widened her eyes, scrutinizing him closely.

Though there was no need—he truly resembled the boy from her childhood.

For this face, and for this encounter that could hardly be called coincidence,

She had imagined countless possibilities before entering.

She had thought he might be her brother’s cousin, or even dreamed that her brother was still alive.

Now, having received the best answer,

Bai Li felt as if her heart was torn open, a subtle flood of emotions and tears streaming forth.

She opened her mouth to speak,

But only choked out a sob.

The tears that fell were caught by Fang Ye with a tissue.

His pale, slender fingers gently touched her cheek.

He looked at her quietly, then clicked his tongue and said, “Why are you crying?”

“I… I thought…” She sobbed until she lost her voice and couldn’t continue.

“Hmm, you thought I was dead?” Fang Ye took up her words, his tone indifferent, almost careless.

After a long pause, he said:

“I’m tough; I can’t die.”

It seemed he didn’t want her to keep crying and had no mood to explain more.

He handed her two more tissues, stood up, and said lazily, “Alright, you little ungrateful one. We’ll talk about this later. Go wash your face. I’ll take you out to eat.”

Bai Li, still too choked up to speak, looked at his figure, wiped away the last few tears, and fled into the bathroom.

Looking at her red-rimmed, swollen eyes in the mirror, she splashed water on her face again and again, still unable to calm the overwhelming joy of reunion within her.

Her brother wasn’t dead.

Just like in her comic, he had grown up, and still looked so much like the boy in her drawings.

Though she didn’t understand why he hadn’t come home back then,

This was enough.

(End of chapter)