LRTH - 1

At the end of October in Hangcheng, a chill had set in. After nightfall, the air was cold and damp with the rain.

The car stopped, and Fang Nanzhi got out of the back seat, standing obediently by its side.

“Mom, give me the books. I’ll take them inside.”

The trunk opened, and her parents were busy taking out the items inside.

After completing the transfer procedures today, they went to the mall. Her mother, Zhao Liyun, bought her many new things.

There were clothes, shoes, and skincare products from the big city that she had never seen before—the trunk was packed full.

“No, no. It’s raining. You go inside quickly. Your dad and I will bring them in.”

Fang Nanzhi didn’t just turn and leave. While Zhao Liyun wasn’t looking, she squeezed over and took a stack of books.

Zhao Liyun said, “This child... there’s so much. Isn’t it heavy?”

“It’s not heavy,” Fang Nanzhi mumbled in response. She walked to the door, laboriously extending a single index finger to awkwardly unlock it.

This was her fifth day living in this beautiful, large villa. Her fingerprint had been registered just yesterday. She had never seen a door like this in her hometown, and this was the first time she had unlocked it herself.

Even now, hearing the door “beep” open felt novel.

The live-in housekeeper was already preparing dinner. Zhao Liyun quickly put down what she was holding and went into the kitchen.

Zhao Liyun had told Fang Nanzhi in the car that they were inviting their next-door neighbors over for dinner.

“Organize the books you’ll need for school tomorrow. You can tidy up the new clothes a little. Come downstairs as soon as the Huang family arrives.”

“Okay,” Fang Nanzhi replied. Hugging the books she had received at school today, she went up to her room. After putting them down, she came back and helped her father carry the shopping bags of clothes upstairs.

The new clothes were once again spread across the bed. Fang Nanzhi lowered her eyes and let out a soft breath.

The clothes came in various colors: off-white, light blue, light pink... Not long ago, Zhao Liyun had joyfully bought her these very girly outfits.

In reality, she had never really worn clothes in these colors.

She only liked to wear black.

Black didn’t clearly expose her figure, didn’t highlight her annoying “bye-bye arms,” and didn’t fully outline her thick thighs.

While she felt she didn’t look good in any clothes, black made her feel safe.

But she didn’t tell Zhao Liyun any of this. She didn’t want her mother to think she was picky right after arriving, and she didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm.

Fang Nanzhi pressed her lips together, carefully and meticulously hanging the clothes in the closet.

Just then, her phone rang. When she answered, she heard an old woman’s voice.

“Liao Liao, is the new school good? Are you doing well?”

Liao Liao was her nickname, and on the other end of the line was her grandmother, who lived thousands of kilometers away.

When she was young, her family was poor, and her parents were migrant workers. She was a “left-behind child,” raised by her grandparents.

For as long as she could remember, she had lived in a small town in the interior, spending all her time there from kindergarten through middle school.

She remembered her parents only coming back for the New Year. They would stay for a few short days, then hurry away again.

As a child, she always looked forward to those few days when her parents came home for the holiday. But over time, with so little contact, even that anticipation of reunion gradually faded into a sense of distance.

Nevertheless, she still loved her parents and never blamed them for it.

She knew it was all out of necessity; they had a tough time, too. They had to earn money and make a living and couldn’t bring her, a school-aged child, with them.

Her grandmother often said that everything would get better.

Fang Nanzhi truly believed this, so she studied hard. She wanted to get into a good school and find a good job later on to lessen her family’s burden.

But what she and her grandmother never expected was for that “it will get better” to come so quickly and so suddenly.

A year ago, their lives took a huge turn.

Her father, who used to buy the occasional lottery ticket, was blessed with luck that year and won a huge prize.

It was a string of numbers they couldn’t even imagine, and it completely changed their family’s destiny.

The house she and her grandparents lived in back home was quickly torn down and rebuilt into a large mansion. Her parents sent back a lot of clothes and daily necessities.

Their life in the small town suddenly became very, very good, and everyone was envious.

At the time, her parents had planned to bring her from the town to Hangcheng for school. However, since she was in a crucial period of her third year of middle school with the high school entrance exams approaching, they decided to wait.

Later, when it was time to choose a high school, they discovered that residency was a big problem. Public schools in Hangcheng did not accept students from other provinces. Her father, Fang Ji, had to pull many strings and use a lot of money to finally secure her a spot at a prestigious private high school close to their home.

Because it took so much time, by the time her admission was finalized, the first month of high school had already passed. Fortunately, her grandmother, just in case, had her start her first year in the local high school back home, so she hadn’t fallen too far behind.

“The new school is great, and it’s huge. The sports field is bigger than our entire school back there... I’m doing well, Grandma. How are you? Are you taking your medicine on time?”

Her grandmother laughed on the other end. “I’m doing great. I’m taking my medicine. Don’t you worry.”

“That’s good. Mom said I can come back to see you during the holidays.”

Her grandmother immediately said, “You just got there, and you’re already thinking about coming back? Study hard and don’t think about anything else.”

In just one year, they went from poor to rich.

In just a few days, they moved from a small town to a bustling metropolis.

It was all too fast.

It was so fast that Fang Nanzhi didn’t have time to adjust. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she often felt that everything was surreal. These past few days, she found this place so foreign, which made her miss her grandmother even more.

“...I understand.”

“Where are your parents?”

Fang Nanzhi said, “Downstairs. Mom said they’re inviting the neighbors over for dinner today, and she’s cooking right now... Do you want to talk to them?”

“No, don’t bother them. They’re busy. As long as you’re doing well, Liao Liao.”

“Okay.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Grandma...”

beep-beep—

The phone made a busy signal. Her grandmother didn’t hear what she was about to say. The elderly always hung up quickly.

Fang Nanzhi let out a soft sigh and swallowed the slightly sentimental “I miss you.”

When she went downstairs, Zhao Liyun was still in the kitchen cooking her specialty dishes.

A few minutes later, the neighbor, Aunt Huang, arrived.

Aunt Huang’s name was Huang Yurou. From her parents, Fang Nanzhi learned that the neighbors were a very prominent family. Unlike their own sudden “leap in class,” the Huangs had been wealthy for generations, with a huge family business.

Her mother, Zhao Liyun, and Huang Yurou’s friendship was a happy accident. Not long after they moved in, Zhao Liyun happened to see someone faint on a neighborhood path. She was a warm-hearted person, so she quickly called 120, accompanied the person to the hospital, and waited in the hallway for the family to arrive before quietly leaving.

Later, Zhao Liyun found out that the person she had helped was her next-door neighbor. Huang Yurou had a weak heart and had suddenly fallen ill and fainted while out on a walk.

Huang Yurou’s life was saved by Zhao Liyun, and since they lived so close, they quickly became good friends.

“You’re here! Come on in, please. The slippers are right here,” Zhao Liyun said, coming out of the kitchen and warmly inviting Huang Yurou inside.

Fang Nanzhi stood to the side and softly said hello.

Huang Yurou handed a bag to her. “Liao Liao, this backpack is for you. You’re starting your new school tomorrow. Auntie wishes you a very happy time there.”

Fang Nanzhi didn’t dare to take it and looked at Zhao Liyun.

Zhao Liyun quickly said, “You’re too kind. Why did you buy something for the child? We’re so embarrassed.”

Huang Yurou said, “Don’t be embarrassed. I bought it for Liao Liao. Liao Liao, take it. Auntie will be sad if you don’t.”

In the end, the bag was handed to Fang Nanzhi.

It must be a valuable backpack. She didn’t recognize the brand, but she could tell because the bag it came in looked so nice.

Just like Aunt Huang herself.

Aunt Huang was probably in her early forties, but she looked like she was thirty. She was different from her mother, Zhao Liyun. Zhao Liyun had worked hard to get where she was, while Huang Yurou had always lived a life of ease.

Despite her privileged background, she was very kind and not condescending or overbearing at all.

“Why are you alone? Where are the kids?” Zhao Liyun asked after they sat down in the living room.

“They’re dilly-dallying at home. I’ve been calling them for a while. The two younger ones said their game isn’t over yet but they’ll be here as soon as it is. The oldest just got back and will be here after he changes. Oh, none of my kids are easy to deal with. Liao Liao is so good, so cute and obedient.”

“Nonsense. Your three kids are very well-behaved, too.”

...

The two chatted for a long time while Fang Nanzhi sat quietly to the side.

In the dining room, the housekeeper was still bringing out dishes.

“We’ve been talking for a while. Why aren’t the kids here yet? I’ll go check,” Huang Yurou said, feeling a bit embarrassed that they were late to a dinner invitation. She got up, planning to go call them.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. The food isn’t ready yet anyway. How about this, let Liao Liao go,” Zhao Liyun said, turning to look at a bewildered Fang Nanzhi. She said gently, “Liao Liao, go next door and call them.”

Suddenly called out of her own world, Fang Nanzhi looked up.

“That works, too,” Huang Yurou said. “It’s a good thing all the kids will be classmates and neighbors. Since Liao Liao just moved here, it’s good for them to get to know each other.”

“Right, right,” Zhao Liyun encouraged. “Liao Liao, go on.”

The villas were in their own separate compounds, with only a small road separating the two houses.

It was still drizzling outside and foggy. Fang Nanzhi forgot to bring an umbrella when she walked out the gate, but she didn’t mind the light rain since the walk was so short.

She was overly nervous for other reasons.

The day before, she had already briefly met Aunt Huang’s three children at their doorstep. Aunt Huang had introduced them: the eldest son, Xu Yuanhe, was two years older than her and was in his third year at Junhua Experimental High School. The remaining two were a set of twins, the same age as her, and were first-year students at Junhua.

She didn’t really know how to interact with people her own age, especially such beautiful, perfect-looking people.

Suddenly being asked to go and greet all three of them by herself left her feeling helpless.

When she reached their yard, Fang Nanzhi pushed the gate open and went in. She walked up a few steps and stood at the front door.

She took a deep breath and quietly thought about what to say.

“Excuse me, are you done? My mom asked you to come over for dinner.”

That sounded strange...

Maybe they wouldn’t remember who she was since they had only met for a moment.

Fang Nanzhi frowned and decided to introduce herself first.

“Hello, I’m Fang Nanzhi from next door. Dinner is ready; you can come over to eat now.”

Hmm... Aunt Huang had already mentioned it, so they would surely understand what she meant.

Fang Nanzhi raised her hand, ready to press the doorbell, but her finger hesitated.

It was strange how something so simple for others was a huge challenge for her.

After hesitating for another few seconds, she finally mustered up the courage. But just as her finger was about to touch the doorbell, the door suddenly opened inwards.

To be precise, someone opened the door from the inside.

Fang Nanzhi froze, immediately lowering her hand. She quickly ran through the words she had planned to say in her mind.

However, when she saw the person standing in the doorway, the words instantly caught in her throat.

Having been in Hangcheng for a few days, Fang Nanzhi had felt that it was another world. The houses, roads, schools, and malls... everything was so grand, completely different from where she had lived as a child.

She had spent these past few days in a daze and with a sense of unease. Seeing the person in front of her, that feeling of unreality and loneliness seemed to reach a peak.

Did even the people living in this city have to be this good-looking?

The person in front of her was not one of Aunt Huang’s children.

He was wearing a Junhua Experimental High School uniform: black pants and a black-and-white jacket with the Junhua school logo on the right side of his chest.

His figure was tall and slender, his features were handsome. Because he was backlit by the light from inside the house, the night perfectly outlined his face, and his eyes appeared exceptionally deep.

When he looked down at her, she saw his long, thick eyelashes and a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“Who are you looking for?” He clearly hadn’t expected to see a stranger at the door.

Fang Nanzhi’s heart skipped a beat. Her gaze quickly left him, and she habitually lowered her eyes.

He wasn’t Xu Yuanhe or the twins, so who was he?

“I... I came to call them for dinner. Who are you?” After asking, she felt it was very impolite, so Fang Nanzhi quickly added, “I’m looking for the people who live here. I’m from next door... They’re having dinner at my house tonight, and my mom and Aunt Huang asked me to come get them.”

The person in front of her paused for a moment, then understood. He said, “Please wait a moment. They’re about to come down.”

With her head lowered, she couldn’t see his face, but she could feel him looking at her as he spoke. She could also hear his voice coming from above her—it was a bit low, but clear and especially pleasant to listen to.

When an ordinary, and in her own perception, unattractive person meets a beautiful one, feelings of shame, discomfort, and inferiority are easily triggered.

She couldn’t be like many bright and lively girls who would be amazed and step forward to introduce themselves. She just wanted to retreat into her shell immediately.

Fang Nanzhi’s ears felt hot.

She kind of wanted to leave.

“It’s a little cold outside. You should come in and wait,” he said.

Fang Nanzhi immediately shook her head. “No, no. You can just tell them... I’ll go back now.”

She didn’t know how she found the courage to “command” someone else, but she had said it and couldn’t take it back.

She clenched her hands and quickly turned to walk down the steps.

What she didn’t expect was that the steps were a bit slippery from the rain. In her haste, she missed a step and with a loud bang, she sat right down on the stairs!

It didn’t hurt much.

But the sound was too loud.

In that instant, Fang Nanzhi felt her heart sink.