Lin ChuSui followed Xiao Yan closely all the way to the door of his home.
The setting sun slanted down, casting his tall, lean figure in elongated shadows.
Lin ChuSui gazed at his back, hesitating over and over about whether to speak, with countless questions swirling in her mind.
Her feelings toward Xiao Yan were also growing more complicated.
Is he my father?
...
Xiao Yan glanced back at her and asked, "Why are you following me?"
Lin ChuSui walked up to him and stubbornly said, "The road belongs to everyone, why do you say I'm following you?"
Xiao Yan looked at the entrance to his apartment compound, "You've already followed me to my front door."
Lin ChuSui said awkwardly, "I'm just passing by your front door, what's wrong with that?"
"You're welcome to pass by, now you can go back home."
Lin ChuSui ambled lazily past his front door and said, "Okay, bye bye!"
Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did you really mean it when you said you'll listen to everything I say from now on?"
"A lady never goes back on her word once given."
"Then come over here."
Lin ChuSui immediately went to stand in front of him.
Xiao Yan: "Stand at attention, turn left."
Lin ChuSui: ?
She hesitantly turned left.
"Sing a song then, 'My Roller Skates', do you know that song?"
Lin ChuSui: ...
"Am I your jukebox! Can you be any more lame."
A rare smile appeared at the corner of the young man's mouth as he parked his bike at the roadside, then turned and walked back into the apartment building.
Lin ChuSui was about to leave too when she suddenly heard meowing coming from the alley. She searched for a while following the sound before finally discovering an orange cat with crossed paws sitting on top of the garden wall.
"Hey?!"
Lin ChuSui walked closer to the orange cat and looked it over carefully. She realized it looked a lot like Fatso, the cat her dad had brought home!
Fatso was especially attached to Old Lin, because Lin had saved it from a fire. Every time Old Lin came home, no matter what Fatso was doing, it would come out to greet him.
Later when Old Lin passed away, Fatso disappeared too.
In the long years that followed, having lost both her father and Fatso, Lin ChuSui's sorrow stretched endlessly with no end.
"Fatso?" Lin ChuSui called its name tentatively.
The orange cat seemed to react, lowering its eyes to glance at her imperiously like a monarch.
"It really is you, Fatso!"
Lin ChuSui recognized it at a glance. This aloof stray cat with the gaze of an emperor was her Fatso.
"Come down quick, mama will take you home!"
Lin ChuSui excitedly climbed onto the wall to grab Fatso and stuff it into her schoolbag to take home. Fatso lazily offered no resistance.
Just then, Xiao Yan came back downstairs, having changed into a clean shirt.
As soon as Fatso saw Xiao Yan, it immediately struggled free from Lin ChuSui's hands and nimbly went to Xiao Yan's feet, rubbing against him affectionately.
Xiao Yan squatted down to pet its head, then took out some cat food to feed it.
He raised his head to look at her, "Why haven't you left yet."
"Is this your cat?"
"Not exactly, it's a stray that I've been feeding."
Lin ChuSui pointed at the big orange cat and said excitedly, "But it's mine!"
"You're fighting over a stray cat?"
"It's a gift from my dad! How did it end up with you?"
"It wandered here a couple years ago. I started feeding it every day so it stayed." Xiao Yan said, "You can take it if you want, if it's willing to go with you."
Lin ChuSui went forward and picked up the orange cat, "Fatso, go home with mama."
The orange cat struggled and jumped onto Xiao Yan's shoulder, refusing to leave.
Because Fatso was a stray, it had an independent personality and was very timid, guarded against humans and not very affectionate.
The last human it had relied on like this was Old Lin.
Lin ChuSui looked at Xiao Yan in his white shirt, feeling very complicated, with somewhat reddened eyes.
"You are... you..."
She couldn't help but think this way, even knowing it was impossible.
Xiao Yan put the orange cat into his bike basket and got on to leave.
Lin ChuSui stood alone watching his departing figure, her heart filled with complex emotions tinged with confusion.
She must miss Old Lin too much.
Xiao Yan had ridden over ten meters when he finally took pity and braked. He looked back at her, "I'm going to the shop to help out."
"Oh."
Xiao Yan patted the back seat of his bike, "Want to come along?"
Lin ChuSui gazed at him blankly, then a delighted smile bloomed on her face as she happily jumped onto the back seat, "Coming!"
...
At the hot pot restaurant, Lin ChuSui graphically described to Xiao Qian the daring rescue from the fire earlier that day.
"Really, in that moment I thought he was possessed by a superhero!"
Xiao Qian smiled and said, "I didn't know our little brother was so capable."
"Of course the study god is capable!"
Lin ChuSui gazed at Xiao Yan with complete admiration, her goodwill rising in a straight line.
Xiao Yan silently ate two large bowls of rice, his handsome features composed. His lips were a little blistered from the heat though.
Xiao Qian nudged his elbow, looking at him worriedly, "Yan, aren't you afraid of fire? How could you have... rescued someone today?"
"Didn't think too much about it."
Xiao Yan's body housed two souls.
Almost all of Lin XiuZe's talents had been bestowed upon him, including martial arts, wisdom, and even...
Kindness and courage.
Lin ChuSui curiously asked, "Sis, is he afraid of fire?"
"Of course, in the past he..."
Xiao Yan looked meaningfully at Xiao Qian, "Sis."
Xiao Qian understood his look and changed course, "Our little brother is very timid, afraid of fire, afraid of water, afraid of heat, afraid of cold... he's rather delicate."
Lin ChuSui didn't think too much of it. With a mocking tone she laughed, "Study god is so delicate!"
"He sure is!"
Lin ChuSui looked at Xiao Yan again. He had a pair of extremely good-looking eyes, curving beautifully. Usually cold as ice, carrying a sense of aloofness and laziness, not very friendly.
He didn't look like an enthusiastic do-gooder either.
Just like the intel Xiao Ge had gathered from classmates, the word they used most to describe him was—
Cold.
This so-called coldness wasn't arrogance or not talking to others, but more like never getting involved in other's business, not even helping others, and even being a bit... selfish, caring only about studying and making money, nothing else.
That's why he had no friends.
Lin ChuSui tilted her head, feeling more and more that Xiao Yan didn't resemble the "cold study god" classmates described. Instead he was more like the "superhero" in her heart.
Seeing her infatuated gaze, Xiao Qian smiled and stood up, "Chuchu, want more? Sis will get you another serving."
"It's okay Sis, I'm full."
"Don't stand on ceremony, I'll go cook you another serving."
As Xiao Qian walked to the kitchen, Xiao Yan called after her, "She wants her broth without spice, cooked with Sichuan peppercorn."
Xiao Qian turned back with a thoughtful smile, "I know, only you pay such attention."
Lin ChuSui pretended to flip her hair arrogantly, but before she could feel touched by this "fan's" thoughtfulness, he deadpanned—
"Because making broth takes extra steps, there's a 10 yuan material fee. Same rules as before, you supervise payment. Full 50 gets a photo, full 100 gets a group shot."
Lin ChuSui rolled her eyes dramatically, "This goddess isn't interested in your photos, thanks."
Xiao Yan didn't mind and continued calculating formulas intently on his scratch paper.
She leaned over persuasively, "For 150, can I get the full math, physics and chem homework premium package?"
Xiao Yan's pencil paused, "Why math, physics and chem? Is your English really good?"
Lin ChuSui's mouth twitched, "You... really know how to grasp the key point."
"Hm?"
She leaned back in her chair to explain, "I already got English taken care of from our family's cheap brother, so I don't need to copy yours. What do you think, isn't 150 pretty fair of me?"
Xiao Yan's expression cooled a little, "His English is better than mine?"
"Sounds like you're a little discontent?"
"Why would I be discontent."
"Although your English scores are consistently over 140, but... cheap brother's listening and writing really are exceptional." Lin ChuSui evaluated objectively.
"I see."
After proving the formula he was working on, Xiao Yan casually threw out, "Then you can go be his goddess."
Lin ChuSui: ?
"Study god, isn't this the legendary... jea-lous-y?"
Xiao Yan sneered, "So you've finished your Chinese homework too?"
Lin ChuSui confidently declared, "With this genius girl's powerful memory, Chinese is a non-issue. My brain is like a database of ancient poetry."
Xiao Yan: "'Leaving home young, returning old' what's the next line?"
Lin ChuSui answered without thinking, "Who can discern my gender?"
Xiao Yan: ......
Excuse me.
A man wearing a leather jacket strode arrogantly into the restaurant.
Seeing him, Xiao Qian's expression changed. She quickly went up to him, "Let's talk outside."
"Why do we have to go outside to talk?"
Xiao Qian pulled him out the door, speaking softly, "My little brother has a friend over."
Leather jacket guy glanced inside contemptuously, "Got money to date girls, but no money to repay debts?"
"Aren't we repaying bit by bit every month?"
"With the measly amounts you pay each month, it's not even enough for interest. Don't bother arguing, you have to pay it all off by the end of the year."
...
Although Xiao Qian had lowered her voice, leather jacket guy was loud and abrasive.
Lin ChuSui tactfully put on earphones.
Xiao Yan seemed oblivious, only glancing briefly at the young girl's fair, plump earlobe when she clumsily put on her earphones, before looking away again.
Just as Xiao Qian was speaking with leather jacket guy, two hunched elderly people carrying a heavy bag of fruit came into the restaurant.
Seeing customers arrive, Xiao Qian quickly went to serve them, but heard the old woman say, "Looking for Xiao Yan, is Xiao Yan here?"
Xiao Yan stood up, "I'm here."
The two elderly tottered forward gratefully, "Thank you for saving my daughter. If not for you today, she would have... burned to death. Thank you, really thank you!"
"It was nothing."
“We asked around the neighborhood and schoolmates for a long time before finding you,” said the old woman as she took out a handkerchief from her bag. Inside was a wad of red money and some coins of various colors and denominations: “This is just a token of our appreciation. It's not much but it's all of our life savings. Please accept it no matter what.”
Lin ChuSui looked at the two elders. They seemed quite frugal and their clothes were shabby and worn, even patched in places. This money was likely scraped together with difficulty just to thank their benefactor.
Seeing this, the man in the jacket laughed and said, “Perfect, now there's money to pay back the debt. I’ll just take this stack to settle it and give you another month for the remaining amount.”
Having said that, he heartily grabbed the money from the old woman's handkerchief and licked his fingers as he counted it. Then he turned and left, fully satisfied.
Xiao Qian stomped her feet in anger but was helpless to do anything.
Xiao Yan rushed forward in one step and grabbed the man's shoulder with one hand, pulling him back.
“Hey, what are you doing you brat...”
Before the man could react, Xiao Yan snatched the money from his hand and said coldly, “I’ll repay what I owe you within this year, but you can’t take this money.”
Having said that, he strode back into the shop without waiting for the man’s reaction and returned the money to the old woman.
The old woman quickly said, “Young hero, please don't look down on this. You saved my daughter's life. No amount of money can equal that.”
“I don't need thanks,” said Xiao Yan resolutely.
Lin ChuSui took the initiative to receive the fruit basket from the old woman's hands, “Our family's genius loves eating fruit the most. We'll accept this.”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s firm eyes, the old woman hesitated for a moment before taking the money back. “Then thank you so much, young hero. Without you, these old bones of ours...she has a 10-year-old daughter who would've lost her mother. Thank you!”
Lin ChuSui's heart was filled with complex emotions, especially after hearing the old couple's words. She thought of Old Lin.
Over the years, Old Lin had saved countless lives.
Lin ChuSui was not that great. She wished her dad would never have to be a "superhero" again. She just wanted him to come back to life and be by her side as she grew up.
The old couple left after repeatedly thanking them.
Xiao Qian went back to handle the business. Lin ChuSui silently tidied up her test papers and prepared to go home.
Xiao Yan grabbed her sleeve, “Since when did I become part of your family?”
“Ah, did I say that?”
Xiao Qian smiled from the side, “I can testify, you did say ‘our family’s’ ... genius.”
“I must've misspoke, haha,” Lin ChuSui laughed awkwardly, “Don't take it seriously. Let's go, let's go.”
Having said that, she fled in panic.
As if recalling something, she turned back and asked Xiao Qian to pack a bowl of hot broth. She then transferred 100 yuan to Xiao Yan.
Upon receiving the transfer, Xiao Yan said, "You gave too much. Our business is legitimate and doesn't charge that much."
"Isn't it 50 for a photo and 100 for a selfie together?"
Xiao Yan put down his pen in surprise and looked up, "You want to take a selfie with me?"
"Wrong. It's to give you the honor of taking a selfie with your unattainable goddess."
Xiao Yan readily agreed, "Your phone or mine?"
"Mine. Your crappy phone has such bad resolution you can't even see people clearly." Lin ChuSui walked over and opened her beautifying camera.
Seeing his face distorted beyond recognition by blurring and smoothing filters, Xiao Yan was a little speechless. "Are you sure you want to take it like this?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing." The customer is king.
Lin ChuSui adjusted the filters then snapped a photo. She then asked, "Can I do some touch up on myself too?"
"Go ahead."
So Lin ChuSui sat and devoted herself wholeheartedly to editing the photo while the packaged broth was ready. She still wasn't done by the time Xiao Yan came over. She had edited her own face into a snake demon, and stretched his into a pancake.
Xiao Yan: ......
All for the mission.
That night, Lin ChuSui posted the photo in the “South City No. 1 Middle School It Girls” group chat.
Lin ChuSui: Spent 100 to take a selfie with the genius. Go worship it before exams, everyone.
Lu Chi: “Did you punch his face to swell it up?”
Lin ChuSui: “No, this is his original face!”
Lu Tianbai: “Your PS skills suck. Send the original, sisters will help you edit it.”
Lin ChuSui: “This is...the original.”
Lu Chi: “Your chin can poke through the earth.”
Lin ChuSui: ......
“This IS the original!!!”
Lu Chi: “Why spend 100 to take a selfie with him? He's supposed to be your admirer. He should be the one begging you for a selfie.”
Zhang Chengyu: “She's rich. Just burning money.”
Lin ChuSui: “It's not like that. I just felt...forget it, nothing.”
She didn't know why herself. At first she just felt their family circumstances weren't as good as her own. She didn't expect they even owed debts with debt collectors coming to their door.
Lin ChuSui felt stifled inside but didn't know what this feeling was.
As an ordinary classmate and deskmate, she should've stayed out of his family matters and just interacted as classmates.
She should've had a sense of boundaries.
But she found she could no longer treat him as just another classmate.
Lin ChuSui: “Did you guys see him rescuing people today?”
Zhang Chengyu: “Videos are all over the net. Even my uncle shared it on his feed.”
Lu Chi: “Although the genius usually ignores people, you have to admit, that was pretty manly just now.”
Lin ChuSui: “Do you think he seems a bit...”
Before she could finish typing, she saw Lu Tianbai had sent a message: “Watching the video of him rescuing people, he looked just like your dad! Uncle Lin was just as heroic.”
Lin ChuSui’s heart skipped a beat.
At first when she saw traces of her dad in Xiao Yan, she really thought it was just her imagination. Even when he called out “Little Goody”, she thought it was just coincidence. But after meeting Fatty today...
Could there really be so many coincidences in this world?
Lin ChuSui: “I feel like that séance really did summon...my dad's spirit.”
Xu JiaNing was provoked to respond at this: “I've said it so many times but you guys don't believe me. There really were ghosts that night.”
Lu Chi: “[Shudders]”
Zhang Chengyu: “Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony...”
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