CITM - 14

With the major reforms in college admissions, university campuses had once again become vibrant and full of life. As they passed by a classroom with its lights still on, Ye Yun asked in surprise, “They’re still having class this late?”

“Probably a self-study session. Want to go in?”

“Can we?” Ye Yun asked.

Bai Wenfu stopped the bike and headed toward the building. Ye Yun quickly stopped him. “What if someone sees us?”

She glanced inside and murmured, “Let’s not go in.”

Bai Wenfu gave her a fearless look. “And what if someone does? They going to eat you?”

With that, he swaggered right in through the back door of the classroom, found an empty seat in the last row, and looked back at Ye Yun peeking in nervously. He patted the seat next to him.

Ye Yun hesitated for a long moment outside. After confirming no one was giving Bai Wenfu trouble, she finally slipped in through the back door.

In truth, everyone inside was either reading or writing, and hardly anyone noticed their entrance. Even after Ye Yun sat down, her heart was still pounding.

She’d been living with the Bai family for over half a year now, but her interactions with Bai Wenfu were few. Even when they saw each other at home, it was just her calling him “big brother” and him responding briefly—nothing more.

Only when they encountered each other outside did her heart always seem to race a little faster.

Keeping her head down, Ye Yun asked, “Are you always this impulsive? I mean… it’s like you’re not afraid of anything.”

She glanced at him. “But everyone else seems afraid of you.”

Bai Wenfu leaned his cheek on his hand, his eyes glinting with casual indifference. “That’s because I’m not exactly a… good person, in the traditional sense.”

It was something Ye Yun had always wondered about when she first arrived at the Bai household. Back then, Wen Bin had only brushed over the topic. Now Bai Wenfu gave her a candid answer, though his tone was ambiguous enough to leave her unsure of its truth.

The classroom was filled with the soft sounds of pages turning and pens scribbling—an atmosphere thick with focus and academia. Sitting there empty-handed, Ye Yun felt distinctly out of place.

Even though no one turned to look at her, she still felt uneasy. She whispered to Bai Wenfu, “We don’t even have any books… isn’t it weird just sitting here like this?”

“If you want to read, that’s easy.”

Bai Wenfu stood up and walked to the front. Ye Yun stared at him, stunned, as he tapped a boy on the shoulder. After a brief exchange, the boy looked back at Ye Yun, then took a book out of his desk drawer and handed it to Bai Wenfu.

He returned and handed her the book—a well-worn law textbook. “Nothing else available. Just make do with this.”

Ye Yun accepted it, her brows lifting in delight. “You know people in the university?”

Bai Wenfu yawned. “I may not be a good guy, but it doesn’t stop me from befriending decent ones.”

Then he laid his head down on the desk. “I’m going to nap. Wake me when you want to leave.”

Ye Yun glanced at him—he really did look tired, and once he put his head down, he didn’t move again.

Ever since the devastating news about Wen Bin arrived two months ago, Bai Wenfu had suffered from insomnia. When Ye Yun got up at night, she often found him smoking alone in the corridor, his expression somber and brooding. Especially on each of the seven-day memorials, he would stay up all night.

The authorities had never confirmed the exact date of Wen Bin’s passing, but Bai Wenfu still observed forty-nine days of mourning from the day the news came.

Unlike Tong Mingfang, who constantly mentioned Wen Bin’s tragic fate, Bai Wenfu never once blamed Ye Yun. He maintained an invisible balance in the household, helping everyone get through that difficult time.

The classroom was filled with the faint scent of books and ink. Everyone was immersed in their own studies, the atmosphere serene and calming. For a moment, Ye Yun truly felt like a real university student. Even if it was just temporary, the experience was worth it.

She flipped open the textbook and began reading intently. However, the old, worn book was difficult to follow—especially with all the legal jargon and complex theories. She had to reread sections several times and still barely understood them.

After a while, people began to trickle out of the classroom. Ye Yun didn’t know what time it was. She turned to look at Bai Wenfu. His thick eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks. The scar on his brow looked less intimidating when he slept. His lips had a naturally sharp curve, giving him an air of dangerous allure.

She realized she’d never looked at him so closely before. Just then, Bai Wenfu suddenly spoke.

“Why are you staring at me instead of reading?”

His eyes were still closed, but he’d somehow precisely sensed her gaze.

Ye Yun startled. “You weren’t asleep?”

Bai Wenfu slowly opened his eyes, lashes lifting like a fan and revealing a deeper, more intense gaze.

They had never looked at each other this closely before. Ye Yun instinctively looked away and heard him ask, “How’s the reading going?”

She whispered, “I don’t understand it… You’d know if you looked. People who study law must have smarter brains than the rest of us.”

“Not necessarily,” Bai Wenfu said slowly. “Page five—Crimes and Criminal Responsibility. If an act objectively causes harm but is not done with intent or negligence, and is due to irresistible or unforeseeable causes, it’s not considered a crime. Page twelve—fixed-term imprisonment and life imprisonment… Page thirty-two—crimes endangering public safety… Page fifty-one…”

He turned his head, his deep gaze settling on her like a shadow. “‘Criminal Law, Article 17: If someone acts in self-defense to protect public interest, themselves, or others from ongoing unlawful harm, they are not criminally liable. If the defense exceeds necessary limits and causes undue harm, the person shall bear criminal responsibility; however, punishment may be reduced or waived under discretion.’”

Ye Yun flipped through the pages quickly, following his voice until she found page 51. She stared at it in shock.

“You studied in university?”

The corners of Bai Wenfu’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I left home when I was barely a teenager. Didn’t get the chance. Otherwise, I might have been one of the first lawyers under the Provisional Regulations.”

Most of the students had already left. Bai Wenfu asked, “Shall we go?”

Ye Yun knew it was time to go home, but she still lingered. Even if they weren’t doing anything special, just sitting here made her feel at peace.

Bai Wenfu noticed that she didn’t want to leave and said, “It’s not like there’s no way for you to stay here. The college entrance exams have been reinstated, haven’t they?”

Ye Yun stared at him in astonishment.

“You didn’t know?”

Even if Ye Yun had heard about it, she never thought it had anything to do with her—just like the prosperity of Hudu City, something she didn’t even dare to dream of.

At the classroom door, Bai Wenfu returned the teaching materials to a male classmate. The boy glanced at Ye Yun again and asked with a teasing smile, “Your girlfriend?”

Embarrassed, Ye Yun turned her head away. Bai Wenfu replied calmly, “No.”

“Then what is she?”

Bai Wenfu paused before saying, “A friend.”

The boy didn’t ask further and bid him farewell. Ye Yun, looking surprised, turned to him and asked, “You told him we’re... friends?”

Bai Wenfu got on his bike and glanced at her sideways. “What else should I have said? Sister-in-law? You and Wenbin weren’t married.”

On the way home, Ye Yun sat nervously. Bai Wenfu’s words struck a chord—waking her from a dream. The chains that had bound her thoughts for days were starting to come loose.

Winter had come, and the night wind was bitterly cold. Her coat was thin, but Bai Wenfu’s broad back shielded her from the wind. She huddled close, her hands stuffed in front of her to stay warm.

After leaving the school gates, Bai Wenfu stopped his bike, took off his jacket, and tossed it to her. “Hold this. Put it on if you’re cold.”

Ye Yun took the coat. “Aren’t you cold?”

Bai Wenfu got back on the bike. “Try riding this all the way home and see if you’re still cold.”

On the way there, they’d stopped and started often, so the distance didn’t feel far. But on the way back, Bai Wenfu rode straight for a long time. Ye Yun wrapped herself in his coat, warmed by his body heat.

It was late, the night was quiet, and the streetlights sparse. The wheels rolled slowly along the bumpy road. Ye Yun, sleepy, nodded off and accidentally bumped her forehead against Bai Wenfu’s back, which startled her upright.

Bai Wenfu turned his head slightly. “Hang in there, we’re almost home.”

He sped up and finally brought her back to Erwei Alley. It was already deep into the night. As he parked, Ye Yun looked up at the silent apartment block and became lost in thought.

He walked over. “What are you staring at?”

She turned, bathed in moonlight, her eyes shimmering like water, a natural beauty that could stir the soul.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft, like a dream in the night or the haze of early morning, quieting the chaos of the day.

She was thanking him for taking her out that evening—after the harsh judgments and when her suppressed emotions were close to breaking point.

He didn’t ask what she was thanking him for, and she didn’t explain. Their recent experiences had made certain emotions unspoken but understood.

Bai Wenfu came closer and looked down at her. “You’re just going to thank me with words?”

“Then how should I thank you?” She looked up, her bright face close in the moonlight.

A faint light flickered in Bai Wenfu’s deep eyes. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Help me make a padded winter coat. For a woman. Can you?”

Ye Yun was stunned for a moment before replying, “I... can try.”

“Good. Make a list of everything you need.”

“But I don’t know how to make modern styles. I’ve only made one for my sister-in-law before.”

“That’s fine. Just do it your way. Come on, let’s go back.”

As he walked into the building, Ye Yun quickly asked, “What about measurements? How am I supposed to size it for her?”

He paused, turned back, and after thinking for a moment said, “Don’t worry about that. It’s for warmth anyway. She’s not heavy, about your height…”

He looked her up and down. “Should be similar to you.”

Ye Yun wanted to ask more, like what kind of clothes the woman usually wore, her favorite colors or fabrics, her age—but that would feel like prying into Bai Wenfu’s privacy. He clearly didn’t want to say more, so she didn’t push.

When they returned, Ye Yun was afraid of being caught by Tong Mingfang. Fortunately, her door was closed, and Ye Yun slipped into her room unnoticed.

Lying in bed, she couldn’t sleep right away. Everything that had happened tonight felt surreal. For the first time, she seriously thought about what to do next. The more she thought, the more alert she became. She didn’t fall asleep until nearly dawn.

...

Early the next morning, the Lü family breakfast table was bustling. Lü Ping’s mother animatedly described what she had seen when she got up to use the restroom last night.

“It must’ve been past midnight. The eldest of the Bai family and that little widow from his family were downstairs talking for a long time. It was obvious they went out together and came back together. What’s that supposed to mean—aren’t they even trying to hide it?”

Lü Ping’s father grumbled a few complaints about the Bai family. Her grandmother asked if she might’ve seen it wrong—after all, Tong Mingfang was still in the house; how could those two be so shameless?

Lü Ping’s mother insisted she didn’t mistake it—there weren’t many people in the building as tall as Bai Wenfu.

Lü Ping slammed her chopsticks on the table and scolded, “Enough! They just talked for a bit, and you’re making it sound like some scandal.”

Grandma warned Lü Ping’s mom, “Don’t spread this around. If it’s not true, people will say we’re kicking the Bai family while they’re down.”

Lü Ping’s dad agreed. The Bai family had just suffered a loss. Even if people gossip, it shouldn’t be started by their Lü family.

Annoyed that the three of them were all defending the Bai family, Lü Ping’s mom rolled her eyes and picked up her bowl. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Your Lü family is so kind-hearted. So kind that it led to that incident.”

...

Although Ye Yun had gone to bed late, she woke up early with her mind full of things to do. She quickly made a list of the materials needed to make the padded coat—fabric, thread, buttons—and handed it to Bai Wenfu before he left the house.

Bai Wenfu didn’t say much, just took the list and stuffed it into his pocket.

In the afternoon, Ye Yun peeked out of her room every so often until she finally saw Tong Mingfang leave. Only then did she quickly make her way downstairs and out of the building.

On the way, she ran through many scenarios—maybe Ma Jianliang would be off, maybe she’d come for nothing.

But luck was on her side. As soon as she walked into the supply store, she saw Ma Jianliang behind the counter. He saw her right away too.

Ye Yun scanned the room cautiously to make sure there were no familiar faces, then walked straight over to him.

She had planned to briefly explain her situation, but before she could speak, Ma Jianliang said, “I heard about Bai Wenbin. My condolences.”

Ye Yun’s eyes wavered. She hadn’t expected the news to have spread so widely already.

“You came here today for...?” Ma Jianliang lowered his voice.

Ye Yun told the truth. “I came to see you.”

Ma Jianliang nodded knowingly. “You want me to help you contact your family?”

Ye Yun pursed her lips and didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to—Ma Jianliang had already guessed the moment she walked over. He didn’t know Bai Wenbin personally, but many of the clerks here had dealt with Tong Mingfang before and had seen her domineering and petty nature.

Now that the Bai family’s younger son was gone, it was understandable that Ye Yun would want to contact her family. Ma Jianliang readily agreed and told her to write down what she wanted to say. His uncle had a shop in the county and often traveled back and forth. He could send the letter through him and have it brought to her home in the village.

With this method of contacting her family, Ye Yun was thrilled. That very night, she wrote a letter and handed it to Ma Jianliang in the following days.