Jiang Yan was stunned, staring at her for a while before suddenly lowering his head and chuckling softly. He didn’t say anything else and just put away his phone.
The malatang shop was crowded, and after they paid, Lin Tiao saw the owner attach number tags to the four different colored plastic baskets and carry them to a table in the back.
In front of them, there were another seven or eight baskets of the same style.
With people coming and going at the entrance, Jiang Yan pulled Lin Tiao aside under a tree for shade. A few bicycles were haphazardly parked nearby, and behind them, the night was thick and dark.
The atmosphere felt a bit heavy.
Lin Tiao looked down and kicked a small stone at her feet. Though it was somewhat awkward, she didn’t dare to speak up, afraid of stepping on another landmine.
The stone rolled away, clattering against an empty soda can before coming to a stop.
Jiang Yan glanced at her, and from his angle, he could see the smooth, slender line of her neck, the gentle curve of her ear, ending at the soft earlobe.
He averted his gaze nonchalantly and asked, “You’re not going home tonight? Your family doesn’t mind?”
“No, my parents are on a business trip tonight.” Lin Tiao looked up, gazing at the steam rising from a nearby hot pot, and suddenly said, “They’ve been going on business trips since I was a child. I’ve gotten used to it.”
The loneliness and desolation in the girl’s tone were evident. Jiang Yan comforted her in a gentle voice, “Your carefree life now is because your parents sacrificed their time with you.”
“They do it so you can have a better life.”
Just like Fang Hai did for him, choosing not to keep him so he could have a better life.
Lin Tiao looked up at him, and suddenly laughed, her eyes sparkling. “The way you talk is just like the old lady who lives downstairs from me.”
“…” Jiang Yan watched her giggle like a silly girl and couldn’t help but reach out to pat her on the head. “Silly.”
Lin Tiao rarely let a comment like that slide.
More than ten minutes later, they carried the four takeout containers of malatang back to the internet café, where Guan Che was sitting at the bar watching TV, his headset hanging around his neck.
After Lin Tiao greeted him, she headed straight back to the private room upstairs.
Once they finished eating, Lin Tiao checked the time—it was almost two o’clock. She yawned and got up to look for the restroom.
The second floor had a simple design, with a straight corridor leading directly to the end. There were signs for the emergency exit and restroom hanging from the ceiling.
Lin Tiao was extremely tired, yawning as she walked. As she slightly closed her eyes, she collided with Jiang Yan, who was coming up from downstairs.
“Tired?” Jiang Yan quickly grabbed her arm to steady her, noticing the girl’s eyelids drooping with weariness.
“Uh, a bit. I’ll just lie down for a bit when I get back,” Lin Tiao replied. She often stayed out late with Meng Xin, so napping for a bit during all-nighters was pretty normal for her.
“I thought you could stay up longer.” Jiang Yan released her arm and stepped onto the side stairs, heading for the third floor. “Come up with me.”
“…”
Lin Tiao felt a little ambiguous about his words at this hour. After hesitating for a moment, the overwhelming sleepiness won over her shyness, and she followed him upstairs.
The third floor had a different layout from the second; as soon as they reached the top of the stairs, they entered a spacious living room furnished with several long sofas and a wooden coffee table.
In a nearby empty space, there was a pool table with a game in progress.
The whole area looked much larger than the second floor, though it had fewer rooms. Lin Tiao glanced around and only saw four numbered doors.
She followed Jiang Yan to room 301 at the end of the hallway.
The old door even had a password lock. Jiang Yan entered a few digits, pressed the confirmation button, and with a “ding,” the door opened.
The room was simply decorated, dominated by three colors: gray, black, and white.
There was a bed inside, with a wardrobe beside it, and on the other side, a study desk stood under the window, cluttered with books. Next to it was a wooden bookshelf filled with books, certificates, and trophies.
Jiang Yan walked in first, quickly gathering the scattered dirty clothes from the sofa and tossing them into a nearby laundry basket. He turned back to see Lin Tiao still standing in the doorway. “Come in, make yourself comfortable.”
“Okay.” Lin Tiao stepped inside and sat down on a nearby single sofa, watching as Jiang Yan tidied up the data cables and power banks on the bed.
Unable to resist, she asked, “Is this your room?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Yan finished tidying up and walked into the bathroom to ensure there was nothing embarrassing left out. When he came back out, he said, “I’ve got a set of clean toiletries for you. You can freshen up and just sleep here.”
“Ah.”
Leaning against the door, Jiang Yan’s face was softened by the warm, gentle light in the room as he smiled. “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
“Not really.” Lin Tiao fidgeted with her fingers. “But isn’t this your room? If I sleep here, where will you sleep?”
“I’ll sleep here too.”
“…” Lin Tiao was shocked. How could he be so shameless?
Seeing her stunned expression, Jiang Yan chuckled softly, “Just sleep here. I have a night shift, so I won’t have time to sleep.”
“…” Damn it, she stepped on another landmine.
Jiang Yan smirked and prepared to head downstairs. He paused at the door and turned back. “I’ll be downstairs. If you need anything, just call.”
He pointed to the phone on the bedside table. “That one, press 1 to connect directly to the bar downstairs.”
Lin Tiao followed his finger and saw a black telephone next to the bed. “Oh, if I can’t fall asleep later, can I call you for a bedtime story?”
“Sure, give it a try.” Jiang Yan lightly shook his phone in his hand. “I’m going now. Get some rest early.”
Lin Tiao nodded, feeling a bit hesitant. “Then, good night.”
Jiang Yan seemed particularly cheerful tonight, his smile bright and continuous. He nodded gently, his voice low and pleasant. “Yeah, good night.”
He opened the door and walked out. Lin Tiao heard the sound of the door closing and his footsteps until everything fell silent, at which point she got up and headed to the restroom.
As Jiang Yan descended from the third floor, he paused on the second floor, hesitated for a few seconds, and turned toward the private room at the end of the corridor.
When Lin Tiao came out, the door wasn’t closed tightly. Before Jiang Yan got close, he heard voices from inside.
“What the hell, why is this idiot stealing the gear so fast? Why doesn’t he show up in the team fights? He’s so eager!”
“Ah, ah, ah, master, let’s do PK!”
Jiang Yan: “…”
He thought to himself that he should keep his little classmate from coming out to play games with this girl too often.
Meng Xin hadn’t heard the knock on the door until the lights in the private room came on. She then saw someone standing at the entrance, and the curse she was about to utter got stuck in her throat. She awkwardly greeted, “School bully, I mean, Jiang…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Yan spoke first, “Lin Tiao is resting in room 301 upstairs. If you’re tired, go to the adjacent room 302; the password is the room number.”
“…” Meng Xin nodded in a daze.
The school bully, embodying the spirit of caring for his classmates, said, “Girls shouldn’t come to places like this at night in the future.”
Especially when they’re with my deskmate.
“…” Meng Xin continued to nod.
“Get some rest early.”
“Okay.” Meng Xin waved her hand stiffly. “Goodbye.”
The school bully turned coldly and walked away. Meng Xin stood there for a long time, until the hoarse shouts of her master in her headset snapped her back to reality.
She quickly joined the main group, her fingers flying over the keyboard, seizing the opportunity while waiting for the boss to drop loot to open QQ and send Lin Tiao a few messages.
Then, she continued with the team.
Lin Tiao only saw the messages half an hour later.
She had just finished washing up, lifted the covers, and sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed. Glancing around the room, she reached for her phone and saw the messages from Meng Xin.
“Damn, Tiao Tiao, find some time to reel in the school bully. He’s so nice! He even cares about me, asking me to rest early and telling me not to come to places like this at night anymore.”
“Wait, why do I feel like he’s hinting that I shouldn’t bring you to places like this in the future?”
Meng Xin waved goodbye.
Lin Tiao: “…”
It was already late, so after asking Meng Xin where she was resting, Lin Tiao put her phone on charge. She got up, got out of bed, and turned off the lights.
When she returned, she picked up her phone again and saw that Jiang Yan had sent her a message a few seconds ago.
“What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?”
Lin Tiao thought for a moment and typed back, “Some wontons, please.”
Jiang Yan didn’t reply.
Lin Tiao turned off her phone, pulled the covers over herself, and lay down. The blackout curtains weren’t very thick, and the room was bathed in soft moonlight.
At that moment, Lin Tiao wasn’t too sleepy. She turned over and was drawn to a photo on the bedside table.
In the photo, a grown man was holding a little boy.
They were standing at the entrance of an old school gate from years ago. The man wore a smile, while the boy, seemingly a bit shy, clung to the man’s neck, avoiding the camera.
After looking for a while, Lin Tiao turned over again and closed her eyes.
As dawn broke, Lin Tiao woke up. She was a bit unfamiliar with the bed; it took her until around four o'clock last night to finally fall asleep.
Now, still half-awake, her eyes squinted as she lay with her head against the pillow, breathing in the faint scent of mint.
After a while, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from downstairs, as if someone had flipped a switch, and the place became lively.
Lin Tiao rubbed her eyes, lifted the covers, got out of bed, and walked to the window to draw back the curtains.
In the early morning mist, the once desolate alley now resembled another world, filled with various breakfast stalls.
Children ran around the alley with toys, elders followed behind with bowls, and the sound of bicycle bells rang out as students in uniforms darted through the crowd.
Men with briefcases and fashionable urban beauties hurried by, engaged in soft conversations.
All these details added a touch of color to the dim alley in the daylight.
After watching for a few minutes, Lin Tiao let go of the curtains and went inside to wash up. Once she was ready, she headed downstairs.
The internet café was empty in the morning, and Lin Tiao quietly descended the stairs. The bar was deserted, with no one around.
She took out her phone and was tapping on the screen when the café door was pushed open from outside. Guan Che and Jiang Yan walked in one after the other, carrying breakfast.
Guan Che still had chopsticks in his mouth and, upon seeing Lin Tiao, smiled and greeted her with a slightly muffled voice, “Sister, good morning.”
Since yesterday, Lin Tiao had been hearing him call her "sister" nonstop, so she instinctively replied, “Brother, good morning!”
Guan Che: “…”
Jiang Yan: “…”
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