Chapter 55: Infatuation
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Chapter 55: Infatuation
The residential complex was not an old one. The walls were still quite new, and the landscaping was excellent, though the fine, dense rain made everything difficult to see clearly.
Following Fang Ye up to the third floor, Bai Li caught a faint fragrance the moment he opened the door.
Crossing that threshold, Bai Li felt as though she had entered another world.
There was not much furniture in the apartment. It looked more like a temporary rental: it had everything one might need, yet showed very few traces of actual life.
For instance, an ordinary family would not cover every inch of the place with thick carpeting.
Nor would Fang Ye hang a mural on the wall that was so unlike his style.
Sure enough, after entering, Fang Ye pointed toward the room on the far right. “This is a rented hotel apartment. No one’s using that room, so you can sleep there. I’ll buy a new set of bedding tonight and make the bed for you.”
Bai Li nodded, then shook her head. “Brother, I don’t need a new set of bedding.”
Fang Ye sauntered over to the sofa and sat down. He emptied the cigarette butts from the ashtray into the trash can and said with a smile, “Don’t be so polite. And stop thinking you have to make do with less.”
As he spoke, he took out his phone and placed it on the table. Its lit screen displayed the food-delivery app’s home page. “Take a look and see what you want to eat. The payment password is 006600. Order something for me too while you’re at it. I’m going to take a shower. Once you’ve ordered, go unpack your things, all right?”
When it came to Bai Li, he always asked gently, “All right?”
Even over the smallest matters, he sought her opinion.
Bai Li still found it hard to believe that he had casually told her his payment password.
But then she remembered the hundred thousand yuan, and felt that this was exactly the sort of thing an overindulgent older brother would do.
Still, she did not use Fang Ye’s phone to place the order.
Instead, she used her own. There was still plenty of money in her balance—the money Fang Ye had given her, as well as the living expenses she had saved herself.
For her first meal in Lingjiang, she felt that she ought to treat Fang Ye.
Fang Ye was never picky about food, but during the two months Bai Li had spent in Lingjiang before, she had gradually figured out his preferences.
He liked light food, so she ordered several small stir-fried dishes. After thinking it over, she also bought two cups of milk tea.
Recently, getting the first cup of milk tea of each season had become very popular.
Although summer was already halfway over, she still wanted to treat Fang Ye to a cup of cold, refreshing milk tea.
After finishing the order, Bai Li looked up at the apartment.
The gentle rain kept even the faintest light from entering through the windows. There was no main ceiling light; instead, soft ambient lighting filled the rooms, giving the whole place an especially warm and mellow glow.
Though it was a hotel-style apartment, it remained very clean after Fang Ye had lived there for some time.
There were very few personal belongings on the tables.
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The only thing that puzzled Bai Li was that he lived alone, yet had rented a two-bedroom apartment.
When she opened the room she was going to stay in, her surprise only deepened.
She discovered that, just as Fang Ye had said, no one had ever used the room. The white sheets were laid perfectly flat, clearly arranged by professional hotel staff, without even the slightest wrinkle.
Why had her brother, living alone, rented a two-bedroom apartment?
If he had needed the extra space for his belongings, why was this room so spotless and empty?
Bai Li drew a deep breath. A vague premonition began to take shape in her heart.
Could it be that her brother had thought she might come to Lingjiang?
After all, she had already run away from home once before.
Pressing her lips together, she placed her luggage on the long table in the room.
Calling it luggage was something of an exaggeration. It was only a small bag. Compared with her previous escape, she had left in even greater haste and had barely managed to bring any clothes.
The bag contained only a charger and some toiletries she had brought home from school.
When she looked up, she noticed three potted plants arranged on the balcony.
They were lush and fragrant.
Jasmine, roses, and feverfew.
They were the same three plants she had bought before, though they had been moved into new pots.
It was obvious that they had been cared for with great attention. Beside them sat a gray watering can, more than half full of water.
Bai Li’s gaze trembled.
When the little building had been demolished, Fang Ye had actually remembered to take along the plants she had bought—even though she herself, numbed by her studies, had completely forgotten about them.
Listening to the rain outside, Bai Li picked up the watering can and curved her eyes into a smile as she watered them.
While waiting for the food to arrive, she took out her phone and sent He Suisui a message asking for help.
Bai Li: Suisui, could you please mail me the box that was sent to your place last year?
He Suisui replied quickly.
Suisui: No problem, Pear. Send me the address and I’ll mail it tomorrow.
Bai Li first replied with a word of thanks. Then, remembering that she did not yet know the address, she hesitated for a while before sending another message.
Bai Li: I’m not sure of the address yet. I’ll send it to you tomorrow.
He Suisui immediately understood. She hurriedly told Bai Li the good news that she had been accepted into her dream school, Jiang University, and then asked which university Bai Li would be attending.
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When she learned that Bai Li would be going to Qing University, she was happy for her friend, yet saddened by their impending separation. Even the voice message she sent afterward carried unmistakable disappointment.
“I really don’t want us to part, Pear.”
Bai Li lowered her eyes and sent her a voice message in consolation.
“It’s all right. I’ll come back to see you in the future. It’s not as if we’ll never meet again.”
Though that was what she said, everyone knew that the friendships of youth could not always withstand the wear and tear of time. Many people who had been intimate friends in high school gradually lost touch after entering university. Once both sides made new friends among their classmates, they often drifted back into becoming strangers. Such things were far from uncommon.
Only a small number of people could escape that curse.
All she could do was treat her friendships with sincerity and cherish the bond between them.
The two of them consoled each other and lamented their separation for a while.
Then Bai Li heard a knock at the door.
She quickly rose and opened the bedroom door, only to find that Fang Ye had already carried the takeout into the living room.
He had changed clothes. A gray towel rested over his shoulder, and his hair hung down, still slightly damp. He must not have had time to dry it.
Bai Li was deeply struck by Fang Ye’s features. He was far more handsome than anyone she had ever seen.
His brows and eyes were strikingly defined, his skin pale with a cool undertone, and every line of his bone structure seemed perfectly shaped. His looks were impeccable, and the long, narrow corners of his eyes held a trace of chilly aloofness. He looked exactly like a handsome man from a Korean webcomic.
His freshly bathed appearance made Bai Li blush involuntarily. Even the tips of her ears began to burn.
Fortunately, Fang Ye had no idea what was going on in a young girl’s heart. He held the food containers in his left hand and two cups of milk tea, delivered by the same courier, in his right.
Seeing Bai Li standing in the doorway, apparently lost in thought, he lowered his eyes.
Tsk. Studying really had been hard on the kid. It had left her with aftereffects. Daydreaming at any given moment was no good.
He considered taking the girl out more often, perhaps to help dispel the shadow cast by the college entrance examination.
After setting the food on the table, Fang Ye lightly tapped its surface and said gently, “Don’t just stand there. Come eat.”
The clear, mellow sound of his voice immediately brought Bai Li back to herself. She hurried to the dining table, her face turning even redder.
Had she… been bewitched just now?
She had actually stood there openly staring at her brother in a daze!
End of Chapter