Chapter Sixty-Three

Sun Ying shook her head and said, “This is not something unworthy at all. Big Brother, you must long for more people to keep you company. You’re saying this to make me give up, but I won’t.” With that, she hugged him even tighter.

The young man replied in a low voice, “Listen to me, little one. In the future, if anything happens concerning me, I don’t want you getting involved. The next calamity could fall upon you.”

“So what if it does? You’re my big brother—I won’t let you face things alone. It took me so long to find someone who can be with me; I won’t just give that up,” Sun Ying said, tears welling in her eyes and trickling down to the corner of her mouth.

Yuxing Yue sighed. “You really are something. I’m just an ordinary person, no one cares about me. I’m just a regular team medic on a taekwondo team. Are you sure you want to face all kinds of things with me?”

“No one can solve everything alone. If the strength of two can overcome hardships, then all the better.” As she spoke, Sun Ying fell asleep in Yuxing Yue’s arms. He thought about waking her but couldn’t bear to, so he simply held her. Perhaps lulled by her gentle breathing, his own eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off as well.

Outside the living room, Yang Shuting peeked in and, thinking it was enough, entered Yuxing Yue’s room to call Sun Ying out. The scene that met her eyes left her stunned: Yuxing Yue was holding Sun Ying, who was nestled in his arms, fast asleep. Yang Shuting thought this wouldn’t do; if Sun Ying started having feelings too early, it wouldn’t be good. She tried to separate them.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t pry them apart. Yuxing Yue’s arm felt as if it were cast in cement, immovable. Besides, both of them were deeply asleep and utterly unaware of her efforts. Helpless, Yang Shuting shook her head, covered Sun Ying with a spare blanket so she wouldn’t catch cold, turned off the light, and left Yuxing Yue’s room.

The next morning, Yuxing Yue awoke to find Sun Ying still sleeping soundly in his arms. He gently loosened his hold, moved her to the side so she’d be more comfortable, tucked her in, and went to wash up. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Yang Shuting’s helpless expression.

“So you saw everything,” Yuxing Yue asked.

Yang Shuting shrugged. “You’ve got some nerve, sleeping all night holding a little girl like that. You’d better take responsibility.”

“I don’t know how it happened either. I guess her breathing was just too soothing—I couldn’t help but fall asleep holding her,” Yuxing Yue said, recalling the previous night. After three naps yesterday, his head was still buzzing.

Yang Shuting changed the subject. “Today’s the first day of school for Sun Ying. I just spoke to your Uncle Sun—he’s lent you his motorbike so you can take her to and from school. I have to hurry to the office. Her school hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; she’ll tell you which school it is.” With that, Yang Shuting handed him the keys and hurried out.

“Honestly, everything gets left to me,” Yuxing Yue grumbled, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was 6:32 a.m.

“Mom said Sun Ying’s school starts at 8 and ends at 4—that gives me an hour and a half. I’ll wash up first, then make her breakfast.” After freshening up, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Sun Ying. The feeling was a new one for Yuxing Yue; it was as if he were a father making breakfast for his daughter.

The sounds from the kitchen woke Sun Ying, who always woke up grumpy. She stomped to the kitchen to see what the noise was about. Seeing Yuxing Yue busy, her irritation faded somewhat. He smiled at her. “You’re up, little one. Go wash up—I’ve already set out your toothbrush and cup. Once you’re done, come eat breakfast. I’ll take you to school.”

Sun Ying went to wash up, and as usual it took her half an hour. By the time she finished, it was 7:23 a.m. She came to the kitchen and sat down. Yuxing Yue brought her breakfast. “Here’s your breakfast, please enjoy.” It was a perfect hundred-point breakfast: a homemade fried dough stick, two eggs, and milk. Sun Ying eyed the food suspiciously. “What’s this?”

“It’s your breakfast. Is there a problem?” Yuxing Yue replied.

“I’ve never eaten breakfast like this before,” Sun Ying said.

Yuxing Yue nearly fainted. Never had breakfast like this? She looked at the food and clearly had no intention of eating it. Then he remembered—she was the young miss, used to delicacies, not simple fare like this. How could her lips ever touch such food?

Still, Yuxing Yue didn’t give up. “You need to finish this. I like good children who are obedient and not picky eaters.” He almost laughed at himself—this kind of talk might work on kindergarteners, but Sun Ying was in sixth grade and probably wouldn’t listen.

But with his encouragement, Sun Ying bravely took the first bite and ate the dough stick. Her eyes lit up instantly. Yuxing Yue told her to drink some milk to help it go down. Sun Ying exclaimed, “What is this? It’s delicious!”

Yuxing Yue shook his head with a smile. “I’ll tell you more after school. For now, eat your eggs and get ready—we’re running out of time.” Sun Ying glanced at the clock—7:48. She hurried to finish both eggs and her milk. Yuxing Yue was surprised—wouldn’t that make her sleepy? But instead, she seemed energetic as ever.

They quickly changed, put on their shoes, Yuxing Yue slung her backpack over his shoulder, picked her up, and went downstairs. He put her on the bike, made sure she wore her helmet, put his own on, and started the engine.

He didn’t know exactly where her school was, but Sun Ying told him it was near her family’s villa—a tall, grand building easy to spot. The ride took only six minutes; without the bike, they would have been late. At the school gate, Sun Ying hopped off, took off her helmet, Yuxing Yue handed her the backpack, and she dashed inside with only two minutes to spare.

Yuxing Yue thought to himself: I’d better get her up earlier, or she’ll be late every day.

After leaving the school, it was time for Yuxing Yue to go to work. At this hour, he was always the first to arrive at the café; the others wouldn’t show up until nine or ten. Being early wasn’t necessarily a good thing—it meant he had to clean up. It took him an hour to finish before he could open. He wasn’t the owner, but he had all the authority of one.

Just then, Lin Zimo arrived. Yuxing Yue noticed she looked out of sorts, her hair in disarray. Concerned, he asked, “Zimo, what’s wrong? You look exhausted.”

“I just want to be alone. Don’t bother me,” Lin Zimo replied. Seeing Yuxing Yue reminded her of the misunderstanding with Lin Xianxin from yesterday, which was still unresolved. She turned and went into the changing room. Still, coming to work meant she had to pull herself together. Five minutes later, she emerged with a light touch of makeup, looking more spirited, but Yuxing Yue knew she was only putting on a front—her legs were trembling.

He tried to persuade her, “Why don’t you go home and rest? You don’t have to work today.”

Lin Zimo shook her head irritably. “What does it matter to you if I work or not? I’ll come if I want.”

“Hey, you’re being strange today, so snappy. What are you angry about?” he asked.

She turned on him, “Tell me, do you find me annoying? Do you not want to see me, is that why you keep pushing me away?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word.”

“You men never get it, and even if you did, it would be a waste of time.” Lin Zimo turned her back to him.

Yuxing Yue frowned. “Come on, just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it. You didn’t just ask if I didn’t want to see you, did you?” he asked.

“If you don’t want to see me, I’ll go,” Lin Zimo said, turning to leave. Yuxing Yue quickly stopped her. “Wait, please let me finish. I can assure you, I never thought of you that way. You’re my friend—how could I not like you?”

“Are you telling the truth?” she asked.

Yuxing Yue smiled. “I have a beautiful friend—anyone would be proud. Do I seem like someone who would lie?”

Lin Zimo considered this. It was true; Yuxing Yue was never any good at lying. She knew him well, as did the whole Tianyuan team. But of course, Yuxing Yue had deceived her once—he’d never told her he was once a former member of the Tianyuan team.