Chapter 22 Temporary Residence

Although it was twilight, the sky was still bright, but the people in the room showed no sign of restraint. The "battle" was extremely intense as if they did not care at all about being overheard by the neighbors.

They were both no longer children, of course, they knew what was happening inside.

Xu Xiangyang quietly glanced at the person next to him: Lin Xingjie, who stood stiffly at the door like a sculpture, her gaze fixated on her shoes and the steps below, silent.

Her long hair cascaded down, hiding the girl's expression, but her reddened ears and trembling hands clearly conveyed her anguish and shame—as if she wished she could disappear into the ground.

Remembering the panic and helplessness in her eyes when she had looked at him, Xu Xiangyang pursed his lips and made a decision.

He was not the type of person who was good at communicating with others, let alone witnessing such an awkward scene with a girl. In fact, he was still extremely nervous at that moment.

But Xu Xiangyang knew that some things always needed to be done—failing to do so would lead to lifelong regret; some words, no matter how reluctant, must be spoken.

"...Xing Jie, do you have time right now?"

The girl's shoulders shook slightly. She kept her head down, didn't answer, but nodded gently.

"Then... would you like to come to my place?"

He tried to sport a less awkward smile and took the initiative to invite her.

*

Xu Xiangyang and Lin Xingjie returned home together, sitting facing each other on the living room couch, looking at each other without speaking first.

The atmosphere was extremely rigid.

He lowered his head and thought for a while, then stood up and said, "I'll go get you a drink," and without waiting for a response, he hurried towards the kitchen.

Xu Xiangyang opened the fridge, took out a juice bottle, and grabbed two cups when he heard the girl's voice from the living room.

"Does it really take that long for a man and a woman to do... that?"

Her voice was not too loud or too soft, just enough for him to hear, but it sounded like she was talking to herself.

"I... I don't know."

Xu Xiangyang felt a bit flustered for some reason and almost knocked over the cup filled with orange juice.

"...That's right."

Lin Xingjie fell silent once again.

Xu Xiangyang brought the two glasses of juice into the living room and handed one to her.

Lin Xingjie whispered "Thank you," took a small sip, then put down the cup, cradling it in her hands, and stared blankly ahead.

"Do you want to watch TV?"

Xu Xiangyang noticed her gaze and went to turn on the television.

Lin Xingjie listened to the babble of people on the screen, but her heart was filled with an indescribable sensation.

After a while, she spoke.

"You heard it just now, didn't you? You know what they are doing, right? I can tell you very clearly, that man is not my father, he's just someone Mom met recently, her latest fling."

"..."

"I didn't care about such things at first. After all, Dad's long gone, and she's free to find whoever she wants."

He listened in silence, observing the girl's emotionless profile on the couch.

"But the problem is, that woman has terrible taste. The guys she ends up with are all unreliable: either jobless men who are far from being husband material, sometimes even depending on her, or those just looking to have fun, ready to vanish at a moment's notice..."

"Have you heard people talking badly about me and my mom? Don't blame them, because most of what they say is true. In the past year, she's brought home at least four different men, and it's always like this, utterly disregardful of others' opinion, making it known to everyone around, no wonder people gossip."

Xu Xiangyang finally understood the pitiful look on her face earlier, he couldn't help saying:

"But this has nothing to do with you..."

"It does. She's my mom," Lin Xingjie replied succinctly.

Xu Xiangyang was at a loss for words.

He sat down at the other end of the couch, several seats apart from the girl, sitting upright, quietly watching the television. But it was clear from his look that his attention was not on it at all.

Lin Xingjie observed her stiff friend, who now couldn't even turn his head to look at her, unmistakably feeling awkward and tense... Realizing this, for some reason, her mood improved.

"Xiangyang, why the long face?"

Lin Xingjie leaned over and prodded the boy's face with her finger.

"I..."

Xu Xiangyang furrowed his brow and slapped the girl's hand away.

"I'm just worried about you," he said.

"There's nothing to worry about. This is my family matter," she replied.

Lin Xingjie shook her head.

"Actually, when I came out I had timed it well, but I didn't expect them to stick together so long into the night without breaking up. Don't worry, I'll go back soon; I won't be a bother to you."

"Did you already know about this?" he asked.

"Yeah," the girl answered.

"They don't plan to kick me out, but I simply can't stay in that place, so I had to roll out on my own accord," she said.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she then asked,

"Can I use your bathroom? I broke out in a sweat earlier, and I can't just lie down in bed like this. But those two are sure to use it too... I don't want to shower there again when I go back."

"..."

Xu Xiangyang seemed to be lost in thought until the girl asked again, prompting him to nod.

"Yeah, it's fine. You go ahead and use it," he said.

Lin Xingjie stood up from the couch and had taken a few steps toward the bathroom when she realized she had forgotten something important. She stopped and mumbled to herself,

"I need fresh clothes too. Ah, no, looks like I have to go back there after all..."

"Student Lin, wait here a second," Xu Xiangyang interrupted her, "I'm going to make a phone call."

Under Lin Xingjie's surprised gaze, he walked over to the cabinet by the TV and picked up the phone on top.

*

"Is that okay?"

"It's your classmate, isn't it? No problem," came the guardian's somewhat tired yet still cheerful voice on the other end of the line. "I'd just like to know, is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," replied Xu Xiangyang, who quickened his speech to prevent any misunderstanding, "I feel like she temporarily has no place to go..."

"She can't go home? For a kid her age, going through such a thing must be tough. You've got to take good care of her, don't bully her now."

The woman's tone was filled with genuine sympathy.

"Who would bully her? Do I seem like that sort of person?" he protested.

"That's not certain. Boys who usually seem well-behaved can be the hardest to control when their blood gets pumping," she advised.

"Hey, wait! Don't say that kind of thing, she's standing right next to me!" he hissed.

This guardian, not much older than he, was more like a sister than anything else. Their relationship was not the usual elder-and-younger dynamic, as they often joked with each other.

So, even though one of them was in school and the other often worked until late at night, only occasionally crossing paths under the same roof, they got along well and did not drift apart.

"On another note, Xiaoyang, you are quite something. Don't tell me you either don't make friends or, when you do, you jump straight to having a girlfriend?"

"Impossible," Xu Xiangyang flatly denied. He hesitated before adding, "I guess she must be very wary of the opposite sex right now. I don't even know if she would agree to stay at someone else's house... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, Sister Lian."

While he was speaking, muffled voices came from the other end of the line. The woman stepped away from the phone to yell, "Okay, okay, I'm coming over!" and then returned to give her instructions,

"Alright, I'm aware of the situation, just do as you think best. There's money in the usual place if you need it, call me if it's not enough. You can buy the daily necessities or use mine, including clothes and nightwear. A girl's daily life is more troublesome than a boy's, and she'll need more things. She might be too shy to ask, so you'll have to be considerate, understand?"

"Got it, go on with your work," he responded.

"Right. I still have a case on my hands, which will probably take three to four days to deal with. During this time, be safe, don't wander around aimlessly, don't eat street food, and also—"

"Okay, okay, I know all that. Bye, good luck with your work," he interjected.

While this older sister was generally more open-minded than most parents, she only became as nagging as any parent in the world at times like these.

...

Xu Xiangyang hung up the phone.

"My sister agreed," he said.

"What are you talking about..."

Lin Xingjie was still standing by the bathroom door, staring at him.

Slapping his forehead, Xu Xiangyang realized he had forgotten to ask for her consent. The excitement he felt just moments before quickly vanished, and he watched her expression carefully as he tentatively asked,

"I just called my sister, and she agreed you can stay at my place for the night, and you can borrow some clothes... Do you want to?"