GT - 9

Si Huiru had prepared an exceptionally rich dinner.

“Worn out by life, three meals perfunctorily eaten”—this phrase didn’t apply to her.

Si Huiru put a lot of effort into cooking, every single meal. She not only considered Si Tingyan’s dietary restrictions due to his heart condition but also took into account Cheng Mi’s preferences and tastes.

Tonight was no exception, with a variety of mild, salty, and spicy dishes on the table, no less than five of them.

Si Tingyan, as usual, finished eating first and returned to his room.

Soon after, Cheng Mi also put down her chopsticks, intending to clear the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen. Si Huiru stopped her and took them: “Auntie will wash them. Fenggao always has a lot of homework, so go back to your room and study quickly. You can go to bed earlier once you’re done.”

Cheng Mi didn’t insist.

Back in her room, she took her clothes to the bathroom to remove her makeup and shower.

The southern weather was humid, and recently, it had been raining for most of the time, forcing out the dampness, which covered the bathroom wall tiles.

The bathroom light was dim. Cheng Mi didn’t notice when she entered, and a large part of her clothes got soaked after she hung them on the wall hook.

It wasn’t until she finished washing and reached out to touch her clothes that she realized they were ruined. She couldn’t possibly go out naked, so she reached for the black casual long T-shirt and put it on.

A mirror hung on the wall, covered in mist.

Her undulating figure was vaguely outlined, and after a few unhurried movements, it was obscured by the black fabric.

Anyone seeing such beauty would find it hard to maintain their composure, but the person herself was exceptionally calm, not even glancing at the mirror.

Rather than saying she was beautiful without knowing it, it was more accurate to say she was the one who knew her face best.

She would always know how many people this face could bewitch.

After putting on the long T-shirt, Cheng Mi casually pushed her wet hair to one side.

The biting chill of late autumn stirred, and the cold water stains on her side waist clung to her skin, yet she didn’t even frown.

Back in her room, she opened a can of beer. After playing a game, she remembered the large wet patches on her clothes.

So, she walked over, spread her suitcase on the floor, intending to find a comfortable change of clothes.

The room door was wide open. Cheng Mi knelt on the floor, a towel draped over her shoulders.

She tilted her head slightly, holding the beer can in one hand, and rummaging through the pile of clothes in her suitcase with the other.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from afar outside the door. There were only three people in this house, so it wasn’t hard to guess who it was.

Cheng Mi’s hand, holding the beer can to her lips, paused. The sound stopped right at the edge of her vision, and she turned to look.

Si Tingyan was about to push the door open and return to his room. At the same time, he seemed to notice something and looked over sideways.

Because she was sitting, Cheng Mi’s long T-shirt dress had ridden up slightly, its hem resting on her lap, revealing her snowy white knees.

A few strands of her wet hair fell beside her face. She also looked at Si Tingyan, her hand movements not stopping, casually placing the chosen camisole dress on the bed.

Two seconds later, Si Tingyan seemed to have merely casually glanced over, pressed the doorknob, and entered his room.

Cheng Mi watched as the door closed.

She withdrew her gaze. Her hand paused slightly when she reached for the dress on the bed, remembering the black hoodie Si Tingyan was wearing outside the door just now.

It was the same color as what she was wearing.

Cheng Mi’s hand changed direction midway, and the dress was tossed back into the suitcase.

Her phone on the floor lit up at this moment. Cheng Mi casually picked it up; it was a message from Hong Mao.

[Coming tonight?] followed by a bar address.

These people were truly entertainment-addicted. Cheng Mi suspected they had been going from one place to another since school ended. She tapped the screen to reply.

[Not going, not feeling very well.]

After replying to the message, Cheng Mi casually tossed her phone onto the bed, got up, and walked to the desk, pulling out a few test papers from her school bag.

Every day after school, Senior Three had a pile of test papers—Chinese, Math, English, Physics, Biology, Chemistry—not one was missing. Among them was an out-of-place Senior Two chemistry test paper.

Cheng Mi glanced at that test paper a few times and sat down in the chair.

Coincidentally, this Senior Two test paper covered the content they were currently reviewing.

Actually, although Cheng Mi wasn’t tense about her studies, her grades weren’t bad; in her previous school, her grades could even be considered good.

After all, sometimes she could get near-perfect scores in Chinese and English. Although her science subjects were relatively weaker, since she chose science over liberal arts, overall, she wouldn’t be too bad.

It wasn’t that she was particularly talented; she simply wasn’t someone who joked around with her own life.

She sometimes indulged herself, but when it was time to play, she played, and when it was time to be serious, she was serious.

________________________________________

After finishing a few test papers, it was already past eleven o’clock. The paper in front of her alone took over an hour. With her phone beside her, Cheng Mi wrote the last word, cross-referencing with a photo.

After putting down her pen, she stretched slightly. As she stood up from the chair, she picked up the unfinished beer on the table and walked to the window.

She pushed open the window. The city was shrouded in night, with scattered lights illuminating buildings of various heights. A cold wind swept over her, instantly clearing her somewhat drowsy mind.

Cheng Mi stood with her back to the outside, her waist leaning against the windowsill, and took a small sip of beer.

The beer had been left untouched for several hours, and most of the carbonation had escaped, losing its fresh taste.

Cheng Mi took one sip and then no more. Her elbows were lightly hooked behind her on the windowsill, her fingertips hanging loosely, holding the can. The outer metal shell made a soft clack as she exerted slight pressure with her fingertips.

Cheng Mi’s eyes then fell on the Senior Two chemistry test paper on the desk.

After a while, she walked to the desk, placed the beer back on it, and picked up the test paper.

The room was so quiet that only the rustling sound of her moving the test paper could be heard. There was no sound outside the door either. Si Huiru slept early; Cheng Mi had heard her return to her room and close the door an hour ago.

As for Si Tingyan, he was probably still studying in his room.

Cheng Mi held the test paper and walked out the door.

Opening the door, the corridor was pitch black, with only a patch of light cast onto the floor from the window at the far end.

In a trance, it seemed like that night when she first came to this house. The scene was no different from now, except that Cheng Mi at that time had never thought of walking towards Si Tingyan’s room.

She stopped in front of Si Tingyan’s door, raised her hand, slightly bent her wrist, and tapped her fingertips on the door.

The sound wasn’t loud, but it was enough for the person inside to hear.

But there was no movement for a long time; the door remained motionless.

Cheng Mi wasn’t in a hurry. Just as she was about to raise her hand to knock again, the sound of a door opening suddenly came from the living room entryway.

She turned at the sound; it was Si Tingyan.

He didn’t turn on the light after entering, but by the moonlight filtering in from the balcony railing across the way, she could still clearly see his expression.

Recently, the weather had been continuously overcast, so the moon was rare tonight. The dim night had no warmth, faintly tinged with a cold white.

This cold hue fell on Si Tingyan’s face, making the sickliness in his complexion even more apparent.

Yet, it didn’t make him appear fragile or approachable; on the contrary, his aura became even more cold and negative due to this sickliness.

Cheng Mi secretly observed him in the dark, from his long, slender fingers turning the doorknob, to his downcast eyelashes as he stepped through the door, taking in every minute detail.

She found Si Tingyan very perceptive; even before looking up after entering, he immediately sensed her presence.

Si Tingyan looked over, precisely.

Cheng Mi didn’t dodge or avoid, looking at him leisurely.

Si Tingyan didn’t treat her like a stranger; at least this time, his gaze lingered on her face for two more seconds.

But it was only two seconds. He didn’t answer her, continued what he was doing, and walked towards the kitchen.

Cheng Mi didn’t follow him, staying put, watching him enter the kitchen, hearing the sound of running water from inside.

If Cheng Mi wasn’t mistaken, Si Tingyan had most likely gone downstairs to throw out the trash. Based on her observations over the past ten-plus days under the same roof, this person was definitely a level-ten germaphobe.

Si Tingyan came out from inside and walked this way.

Cheng Mi stood outside his room door, waiting for him to approach.

In the dead of night, the living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, only Si Tingyan’s footsteps.

In no time, he was in front of her. Cheng Mi stood by the door, and Si Tingyan had to go around her to open it: “Excuse me.”

Close up, Cheng Mi noticed his nose was a little red.

A touch of red on his pale skin made him seem inexplicably a bit pitiful, even though the true meaning of that word was far from Si Tingyan’s personality.

“Blown by the wind?” she asked, not directly answering his request.

When she said this, she was staring at his nose, then returned her gaze to his eyes.

She knew Si Tingyan understood what she was asking, but he didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

The window at the end of the corridor was blown by the wind, the window pane gently hitting the rusty frame, making a faint sound.

In the blurred, dim light, they stood opposite each other, one wearing a black hooded hoodie, the other a black casual long T-shirt.

Leaving aside their actual relationship, and considering their matching appearances.

They looked exactly like a couple wearing matching outfits.

Cheng Mi asked: “Aren’t you going to ask why I came to find you?”

Si Tingyan stared at her intently, not saying a word.

Cheng Mi asked: “What are you thinking? Why are you looking at me like that?”

She was very certain that there was meaning in Si Tingyan’s eyes at that moment.

But what exactly, she wasn’t sure.

Si Tingyan averted his gaze. This time, he didn’t say anything to Cheng Mi, intending to go straight into his room.

Cheng Mi didn’t block him, obliging his wish by stepping aside slightly, leaning against the wall.

She just watched him open the door and asked: “Going to sleep?”

She then shook the test paper in her hand. Although she was clearly teasing him, her words didn’t sound mocking; instead, they were incredibly gentle.

“But you might not be able to sleep yet; your homework isn’t finished.”

The room door was already half-open. Si Tingyan looked towards the test paper in her hand.

“What’s written on your blackboard, homework item number three,” she reiterated to him, “Complete the chemistry test paper, due tomorrow.”

The faint light from outside the window was so dim that she couldn’t even clearly see the words “chemistry” on the test paper.

Si Tingyan withdrew his gaze: “I’m not doing it.”

This was all within Cheng Mi’s expectations.

Seeing him about to close the door, Cheng Mi wasn’t in a hurry at all. She handed him the paper: “What if it’s already done?”

Si Tingyan looked at her through the crack in the door.

She added: “I looked at it. They’re all basic problems. You don’t even need to do them.”

The light was on in Si Tingyan’s room. The two people’s vision was finally no longer a confused black mass, though it wasn’t very bright, barely enough to see the dense text on the test paper.

He didn’t even look, coldly reminding her: “Our handwriting is different.”

“How is it different?” Cheng Mi smoothed the folds of the test paper between her fingers, picked it up, and showed it to him, “Does it look similar?”

The handwriting was neat and careful, with a somewhat childish flow, like elementary school handwriting.

It was almost identical to Si Tingyan’s handwriting.

Cheng Mi stared intently into Si Tingyan’s eyes.

He was backlit, the emotion in his dark eyes unclear. After a moment, he looked up at her.

Cheng Mi’s hair was long and curly. Even in the dim light, her red lips were still striking.

She didn’t need to do anything; one look from her could make someone’s heart race and trap themselves.

Not to mention, at this moment, her tone carried a hint of playfulness, different from the natural coyness of a pure and lovely girl. She was like a swaying red rose, deliberately letting out a bit of charming, inherent playfulness.

“I studied for half an hour, wrote for an hour, my hand is so tired.”

Moreover, her words carried a hint of teasing, the meaning obvious.

She had studied his handwriting for half an hour. For the next hour, she was already able to write in his style; she wasn’t learning anymore.

For that hour, Si Tingyan’s handwriting flowed from her pen, stroke by stroke. She could write without thinking, it had become instinct.

It also made one wonder what expression she wore while writing, exasperated, or utterly serious. No matter which, anyone else might have found themselves blushing.

But Si Tingyan didn’t, and even Cheng Mi couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

She didn’t know why, perhaps because she was standing in the dark, surrounded by gloom, which gave Cheng Mi a subtle sense of discomfort.

As if something invisible was trying to drag her into an abyss.

This discomfort lasted only a blink, then Cheng Mi could no longer feel it, as if it were just an illusion caused by standing in the dark for too long.

Si Tingyan spoke: “Take the test paper away.”

Cheng Mi didn’t withdraw her hand: “Aren’t you submitting it tomorrow?”

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the other end of the corridor. Si Huiru walked out.

She was wearing pajamas, her frame not large, the clothes not quite filling her out. Worry was not hidden in her drowsy eyes, likely roused by a nightmare.

By the light filtering from Si Tingyan’s room, Si Huiru saw the two of them and paused.

Perhaps it was because they had never conversed in front of her before, Si Huiru didn’t react immediately.

She asked them gently: “It’s so late, why aren’t you two sleeping yet?”

Cheng Mi smiled: “I had a question I didn’t understand, so I came to ask Xiao Yan.”

As she said “Xiao Yan,” her gaze turned back and intertwined with Si Tingyan’s for a moment.

As expected, Si Tingyan was also looking at her, his pupils very dark, with no warmth.

Si Huiru, however, seemed very pleased: “It’s good to ask if you don’t understand. You learn quickly now; if you don’t ask, you’ll fall behind.”

She then looked at Si Tingyan: “Xiao Yan, did you explain the problem to your sister?”

Cheng Mi answered for him: “He did, and he explained it very well.”

Si Huiru nodded: “I came out to get some water, so I’m going to the kitchen now. You two continue chatting. Xiao Yan, let your sister come in and sit.”

After a while, the kitchen light came on. Only the two of them were left in the corridor.

Cheng Mi still held Si Tingyan’s test paper in her hand and took a step closer to him.

She raised her hand, reaching out very naturally towards the hem of Si Tingyan’s hoodie, intending to help him tie a knot: “Was this also wet from the bathroom wall?”

Before she could touch it, her wrist was grasped by Si Tingyan.

He looked thin, yet his knuckles were strong.

Cheng Mi didn’t try to pull away from his hand: “My clothes also got wet today.”

Because he was also wearing black, she hadn’t changed.

From beginning to end, she maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

Si Tingyan said nothing.

The light in the kitchen turned off, Si Huiru finished her water, and footsteps approached.

“I won’t go in. I’m sleepy,” she then slipped something into his hand, “Here, take this back. Don’t leave it in the classroom again; remember to keep it with you.”

His white medicine bottle for his heart condition.

After Cheng Mi finished speaking, she finally let go, smiling at him: “Good night.”