Chapter 38: Detached Villas and Compact Apartments

The experience of living in a detached villa versus a compact apartment is vastly different. Yet that night, Shi Ying and Cheng Simin, lying in their respective beds, shared the same sleepless agony.

Shi Ying turned over on his latex mattress, while Cheng Simin flipped onto her cotton one.

Shi Ying opened his eyes, reached for his phone on the bedside table, and gripped it tightly in his hand. Meanwhile, Cheng Simin propped herself up to listen for sounds from her parents’ room, where the landline sat silent.

At two in the morning, Li Xiangqun and her fellow church members were still drumming and chanting upstairs to drive away evil spirits. Meanwhile, Cheng Wei and Chen Xiaofen had just returned home after a long day’s work and were clattering around as they washed up.

In their separate spaces, both Shi Ying and Cheng Simin sighed deeply, burying their heads under pillows to block out the noise.

Their thoughts weren’t so different either. Shi Ying loathed himself—how could he allow such shallow emotions to take hold and develop feelings for his best friend? Cheng Simin, on the other hand, felt disdain for him because he had hidden his family address from her, never treating her with sincerity.

Though she may be foolish, she didn’t deserve this level of betrayal. Qiao Yonghong and her crew had only known her for a few weeks; their understanding of her was limited, yet they’d gone all out to mock and deceive her. Trusting them too easily had been a mistake, but it was only a surface wound—something she could brush off, wipe her tears, and move past with effort.

But Shi Ying was different. He had been her closest friend since childhood. The thought that all these years, while pretending to be her friend, he secretly categorized her as “garbage,” as someone “unworthy,” hit her like a venomous strike. She felt as though her entire being was dissolving in excruciating pain.

Thus, the next day, after school started and textbooks were distributed, Cheng Simin—her eyelids swollen from crying—confronted Shi Ying, who sported dark circles under his eyes, by the bike shed.

The heavy rain from the previous night had knocked down many yellowing leaves, leaving puddles scattered across the brick-paved path.

Shi Ying pushed his silver mountain bike over the fallen leaves, carefully avoiding the waterlogged cracks in the bricks, and paused to glance back at her.

Cheng Simin tossed her backpack into the bike basket, returning the clothes she’d borrowed from him the day before. Without much ceremony, she straddled the rear seat of her peeling-paint bike, shuffling forward with both feet on the ground. Her worn sneakers splashed into a puddle, sending droplets flying as she said, “Shi Ying, I won’t ask you to hang out with Si Si and the others anymore.”

Shi Ying didn’t respond. She lowered her head and added, “I won’t hang out with them either. You’re right—they’re not as good as I thought.”

Cheng Simin didn’t want to repeat the harsh judgments she’d overheard in the restroom the night before. Reliving those words would be a second blow. Shi Ying didn’t press for details. He simply listened quietly to her conclusion and replied, “I see.” Then, considerately pulling her handlebars to steer her feet away from the dirty water, he said, “Let’s go. Do you need to buy book covers? If we don’t go now, the good ones will be gone.”

“Yeah, I do. I got some money from my mom this morning to buy supplementary books. I also need to pay you back for what I borrowed during the break.”

They’d rented roller skates once, eaten grilled skewers twice, played pool several times, and Shi Ying had bought her numerous drinks of all kinds.

Shi Ying wanted to say that the money wasn’t a big deal and that she should spend it on study materials instead. After all, Cheng Simin had failed her Chinese exam last semester—not only missing easy reading comprehension questions but also going completely off-topic in her essay.

But the unkind words circled in his mind, and he hesitated, fearing they might embarrass her and lead to another cold war. So instead of pointing out her poor performance in the humanities, he chose kinder words: “I don’t need it right now. Why don’t you hold onto it for me? The stationery store probably has new supplies. If you see anything you like, buy a few extra things.”

Cheng Simin brightened immediately. At the mention of buying stationery, she perked up, shifting her weight onto the bike seat and pedaling quickly to catch up with Shi Ying as they left the campus.

But as they sped down the slope outside the school gate, she suddenly remembered her real reason for seeking him out. Pedaling hard, she pulled alongside him on his left and asked awkwardly, “Shi Ying, can I ask you something? If you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead,” Shi Ying replied without turning his head, effortlessly overtaking her.

Cheng Simin looked at his back, panting as she leaned forward and shouted, “We’ve been friends for so long, but I still don’t know your address. Can I ask which neighborhood you live in?”

“I live on Mingsha North Road, in Hillside Garden.”

Shi Ying glanced back, stopping his pedals. The outer rim of the freewheel came to rest, leaving only the faint clicking of the inner mechanism.

“Oh,” Cheng Simin murmured, her heart tightening as her nose tingled. So what those people said was true. Summoning her courage, she pressed on, “Are all the houses in Hillside Garden villas? You’ve never mentioned it…”

By the time she caught up to him, Shi Ying had already resumed pedaling, his voice casual. “A villa is still a house. What’s there to talk about? Besides, you’ve never asked.”

“We always play at your place, don’t we?”

Cheng Simin knew Shi Ying’s house was farther from school, so he always came to pick her up in the mornings, dropped her off first on the way home, and often came to her place to do homework together. She had grown accustomed to it and never questioned why. But now, her assumptions were replaced by unsettling suspicions.

Cheng Simin nodded, catching up with him again. As they parked their bikes outside the stationery store, she locked hers and, gathering her courage, looked up to ask, “After we buy the stationery, can I come over to your place? I promise I won’t touch anything—I’ll just wrap my books and leave. I can even help you wrap yours. I learned a new technique to make fancy edges.”

Cheng Simin stared intently at Shi Ying’s face, her focus unwavering as she waited anxiously for his response.

Shi Ying did pause for a moment, but he didn’t keep her waiting long. Smiling slightly, he replied, “Of course you can. Why not?”

Cheng Simin’s heart finally settled. Grinning, she gave his shoulder a light punch—a gesture signaling the end of her doubts. Those people were wrong. Shi Ying didn’t look down on her. They were best friends, as they had always been, and nothing could change that.

Dirty minds think dirty thoughts. To her, their friendship was pure and enduring.

With a lighter step, Cheng Simin dashed into the stationery store, diving into a sea of colorful glittery items. Behind her, Shi Ying, taking advantage of her distraction, slipped into a corner stocked with pens and quickly sent a message to Li Xiangqun.

“Mom, are you awake? Did those friends leave last night?”

“Can you go play mahjong at someone else’s house today?”

“I have a classmate coming over later.”

“Could you ask Auntie to clear away the incense and braziers on the first floor? My classmate is easily scared—I don’t want her to get frightened.”

His four messages went unanswered. Frowning, Shi Ying held his phone to his ear and called his mother, only to hear a busy signal. By then, Cheng Simin was already heading toward him, arms full of book covers.

“Who are you calling?” Cheng Simin asked cheerfully, her face glowing with pride.

“No one. Just a spam call,” Shi Ying replied smoothly, hanging up and slipping the phone back into his pocket.

“Do you like these? I picked some out for you too. You like black, right? These have holographic designs—you can see Luffy when you hold them up to the light!”

“Hmm, not bad,” Shi Ying said, glancing at the nearby stationery. He picked up a pen topped with a plush toy and said, “You’re so fast. Don’t you want to shop around a bit more? We still have time.”

Curiosity outweighed her love for collecting. Cheng Simin wasn’t interested in buying more stationery—she was eager to see Shi Ying’s house and compare it to her own. Without hesitation, she headed straight to the counter to pay, reminding Shi Ying to hurry up. “What do you mean, ‘we have time’? After visiting your place, I still need to go home and cook rice for my parents. Hurry up, stop dilly-dallying.”

As they headed toward his house, Shi Ying’s phone remained ominously silent.

Li Xiangqun hadn’t responded, leaving him uneasy. Several times, he considered diverting Cheng Simin’s attention—suggesting they visit a bookstore, an arcade, or grab burgers and fried chicken at KFC. But none of these distractions could deter her determination.

She was set on visiting his house.

After twenty minutes of cycling, they finally arrived at the gates of Hillside Garden.

Cheng Simin’s neighborhood was among the earliest commercial housing projects in Banshan City. Rows of buildings were surrounded by fan-shaped structures, with the main entrance located at the junction of the connected buildings. There was no property management or security personnel—residents only needed to pay garbage disposal fees to the neighborhood committee regularly.

During spring sandstorms, mini tornadoes would funnel street trash into the compound, creating piles taller than a person.

But Hillside Garden was no ordinary neighborhood. Its residents were wealthy, and the high property fees ensured constant maintenance. Despite its age, the gates, communal facilities, and exteriors showed no signs of wear or disorder.

Compared to her neighborhood, Hillside Garden’s greenery was lush, with fountains, flower beds, lawns, and sycamore trees—it truly resembled a garden.

This was an entirely different concept of “home” from what Cheng Simin was familiar with.

While Cheng Simin gawked at the ornate archway entrance of Hillside Garden, Shi Ying had already pulled out his access card. He scanned it at the sensor, and the imposing iron gates slowly opened.

The security guard in the booth, dressed in navy-blue uniform, hat, and white gloves, saluted the two children.

Sweat beaded on Cheng Simin’s forehead as she stepped into this unfamiliar world. Unsure how to respond, she hesitated whether returning the salute would be polite. But Shi Ying didn’t even glance at the guard—he simply cycled past the fountain to the right. Noticing Cheng Simin hadn’t followed, he called out, “What are you doing? Come this way!”