The Lighter and Princess Gown Chapter 34-36

The next day, there was a meeting at the project base.

Gao Jianhong spoke awhile, and then he noticed that Zhu Yun seemed a bit absent-minded. “What is it? Is there a problem?”

“Huh?” Zhu Yun came back to her senses and shook her head. “No.” She turned to the side and asked, “Where did Li Xun go today?”

Gao Jianhong replied, “I don’t know. He called me in the morning and said he’d be busy today, and that I’d be in charge here for the day.”

Busy? Did it have to do with that woman from yesterday?

Zhu Yun didn’t want to be distracted, but she couldn’t help herself from thinking about it.

“Let’s continue.” Gao Jianhong beckoned to Zhu Yun with a hand.

Li Xun skipped all his cla.s.ses that day. After cla.s.s, Zhu Yun headed to the project base to discover that Li Xun had already returned. As usual, he was curled up in his chair, writing code. Everything seemed normal.

Zhu Yun sat down and casually asked, “Where were you today?”

Li Xun answered, “I went for a walk downtown.”

Zhu Yun asked, “Downtown? Why did you go there?”

Li Xun glanced at Zhu Yun and mocked, “What, now that the princess’ compet.i.tion project is all set, she has time to be nosy now?”

“……”

Who cares about studying you, Top Score Debtor.

Zhu Yun inwardly scoffed, and then she turned back to her work. She happened to notice a bag beside Li Xun’s legs; it looked to be from the stadium downtown…

That evening, Gao Jianhong invited Zhu Yun to have dinner. On the way, they thought about the details for their compet.i.tion project. “Malicious program a.n.a.lysis has been done many times before. Should we try something new?”

Zhu Yun said, “Sure, but there are only a few directions you can take with this security compet.i.tion. Maybe we can do something with the hardware—” She suddenly paused and Gao Jianhong asked, “What is it?”

Zhu Yun looked toward the school gate and saw a person standing there.

“Zhu Yun?”

“Yeah…” Zhu Yun opened her mouth. Gao Jianhong said, “Let’s go. What do you want to eat? Want to go out?”

Zhu Yun said, “No, let’s just eat at school, and then get back to work.”

Gao Jianhong laughed. “No need to rush. Relax. I’m not Li Xun.”

They headed to the cafeteria, and Zhu Yun kept her head down the entire walk, counting the pebbles on the ground. None of the things Gao Jianhong said stuck in her head. Just as they were about to walk up the steps, Zhu Yun stopped.

“Um…” Zhu Yun called out to Gao Jianhong. “I just remembered something. I have to make a stop at my dorm.”

“What is it?”

Zhu Yun blurted out the first thing that came to ming. “My mom told me to send her some things, and I nearly forgot. Don’t wait for me. Go eat first. I’ll see you later at the base.”

“Okay then.” Gao Jianhong walked into the cafeteria on his own, and Zhu Yun quickly headed over to the school gate.

Was she there?

Was she there?

Zhu Yun looked all around, and finally, she spotted a figure across the street, in front of the dessert shop. Actually, at such a distance, it was hard to see clearly. Zhu Yun only recognized her because of her unsophisticated clothes.

Pretending as if she were just pa.s.sing by, Zhu Yun walked over to the girl and looked over her. Her complexion was sallow and her skin was in poor condition. She carried a large sack, her shoulder stooping. She looked very tired.

Zhu Yun walked past, and then she turned around and walked past again. She continued this a few times before stopping. Then she looked around, and when she didn’t spot Li Xun, she decided to walk up to the girl directly.

“Aiyo!” Zhu Yun walked up to and into the girl, quickly apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

The girl looked startled, but quickly replied, “I-it’s okay.”

Zhu Yun said again, “I’m sorry. My mind was elsewhere, and I wasn’t careful…”

The girl shook her head. “It’s okay.” She had a very strong country accent, but she spoke a bit powerlessly. She was thin and looked very worried.

As if having a friendly chat, Zhu Yun started asking, “You’re carrying such a big suitcase all by yourself. You must not be from around here, right?”

“What? Oh… Yes, that’s right. I’m visiting from elsewhere.”

“Are you here for a vacation?”

“No…”

“Then what are you visiting for?”

The girl’s reactions were very slow. Every time Zhu Yun asked her a question, several seconds would pa.s.s before she started to reply.

“…I’m looking for my younger brother.”

Zhu Yun took a second to a.n.a.lyze her response, and then she felt like her chest had exploded.

Younger brother!

Younger brother!!

So she was looking for her younger brother—!!!

   

Zhu Yun looked at the girl’s face again. Considering what the girl had said, Zhu Yun suddenly realized that she was quite tall. Zhu Yun herself was about 168 cm, but she was still half a head shorter than this girl. And when she took another look, she felt that the girl’s face was okay looking as well. Though she appeared outdated and her skin wasn’t so good, her basic structure was fine…

And those double lidded phoenix eyes…

Zhu Yun felt a bit anxious. She didn’t quite understand it. Even when she’d met Li Xun’s fas.h.i.+onable, large-chested girlfriends, she’d never felt this way.

But in front of her now was Li Xun’s older sister. She was his family. If Zhu Yun wasn’t mistaken, she clearly remembered that this was precisely how Zhang Xiaobei had threatened Li Xun before. His address was listed in the countryside, but the school was unable to contact his family…

He didn’t go home for New Year’s.

Considering how Li Xun had treated the girl last night, he surely wasn’t on good terms with his family. If she wasn’t careful and misspoke, and Li Xun found out, it certainly wouldn’t be a laughing matter.

Zhu Yun wondered if she ought to just leave and pretend she’d never met this girl.

The girl had her head lowered. At her side was an old fas.h.i.+oned, worn out, dusty fabric bag. She also carried another large bag in her hands. Though she was tall, she was very thin. Standing on the side of the road all by herself, she looked truly exhausted.

Zhu Yun didn’t have the heart to just leave. This was still his older sister. So, she pointed to the coffee shop near them and asked, “Should we sit awhile?”

The girl quickly shook her hands, “No, that’s okay.”

Zhu Yun said, “I happen to be waiting for someone too. Let’s wait inside.”

“It’s really not necessary.”

Zhu Yun gave it her all and put on her brightest, sincerest smile. Her face had gone stiff when the girl was finally concinved to head into the coffee shop.

The place wasn’t a low-quality one. The waitress was a part-time student and looked a bit sn.o.bbish. When she saw the other girl’s appearance, along with all her luggage, her expression turned sour. “We require a cover charge here.”

It was the first time in Zhu Yun’s life that someone had spoken to her with such a tone. She was so taken aback that she nearly grabbed the next table’s coffee and tossed it in her face.

The girl lowered her head and said, “Forget it… I’ll wait outside.”

“No, no, no. Come and sit.” Zhu Yun pulled the girl into a seat and ordered two cups of coffee.

When the coffee came though, the girl didn’t drink any. She just kept her head lowered, afraid to touch anything.

Zhu Yun tried to figure out what to talk about.

“Um… What’s your name?”

“Li Lan.”

Her last name was also Li.

“Is he your biological brother?” (t/n: Because often, you might call any close, younger male a ‘younger brother.’)

Li Lan shook her head.

“Cousins?”

Again, she shook her head.

……

Zhu Yun changed the topic a bit. “How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

Li Lan spoke extremely quietly. “A very, very long time.”

Zhu Yun asked a few questions and she discovered that Li Lan had grown still and silent. When she looked carefully, she realized that Li Lan’s shoulders were trembling, as if she were crying.

“Are you okay?”

Li Lan replied, “I’m fine.”

But she looked extremely upset.

Zhu Yun hesitated and pulled out her phone. “Is your brother a student at our school? What’s his name? Maybe I know him, and I can help you call him.”

“No,” Li Lan immediately rejected her offer. She looked up, and her eyes were red. “Don’t look for him. He doesn’t want to meet with me…”

There are tons of things he doesn’t want to do. You can’t always let him have his way.

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just one meeting.”

“No, really. He’ll get angry!”

Zhu Yun looked at Li Lan’s pa.s.sive appearance and felt a bit vexed. She frowned and decided she wouldn’t skirt around anymore. She asked directly—”If you aren’t really siblings, what kind of animosity do you have between the two of you? Why can’t you meet with him? He just hates you, because?”

Li Lan’s complexion paled in an instant.

Yah, yah, yah… c.r.a.p, screwed up! Zhu Yun quickly tried to salvage the situation. “That’s not what I meant. Just that it seems like—”

“He probably hates us,” Li Lan murmured. She had a hand over her face. “It’s only right that he doesn’t want to see us…”

What was this situation?

Zhu Yun slowly provoked Li Lan, wearing away her wariness. It didn’t seem like Li Lan ordinarily had many people to talk to. She slowly started to relax as she talked with Zhu Yun, this stranger.

Zhu Yun was alarmed as she listened to Li Lan’s story. Not because the story itself was grand and magnificent, but because Li Xun was the protagonist. Without his permission, she’d uncovered one of his secrets. She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t.
—

Li Lan and Li Xun hailed from a fertile region. Zhu Yun had heard of the place before; it was famous for the lake there. The scenery was beautiful, even if it was in the countryside.

Zhu Yun thought to herself that, it was no wonder that his skin was so nice, having grown up in nature.

Li Lan hadn’t had much schooling, so there were many things that she couldn’t exactly express clearly. But the important thing in storytelling was emotion. And as Li Lan stumbled through her tale, Zhu Yun could hear many emotions that had been buried over the years.

These step-siblings had the same father and different mothers. Li Xun joined Li Lan’s family when he was six years old. Before then, no one had known of his existence.

Li Lan’s father, Li Chengbo, was originally a farmer. Later, following the trend, he started working in foreign trade. He even opened a factory. It wasn’t small, so there were a lot of employees. Among them was Li Xun’s mother.

The way Li Lan told it, Li Xun’s mother was very beautiful. Unlike the other factory workers, she had an ostentatious beauty. Though she was very poor, she lived fas.h.i.+onably. She made pretty clothes and listened to the most popular bands’ music ca.s.settes.

In the factory, she endured a lot of criticism. Everyone would gossip about her behind her back, but she didn’t seem to care.

Li Chengbo quickly found himself attracted by this woman. He hid the fact that he already had a family and started to court Li Xun’s mother. From Li Xun’x appearance, it was easy to guess that Li Bocheng was also very handsome. Tall, young, fit, with a great resolve. It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with him and become pregnant with Li Xun.

Li Chengbo had the same mentality of the older generation in the countryside. Value males and belittle females. When Zhu Yun’s mother went for a checkup and was told that her child was a girl, Li Chengbo told her to get rid of it. No matter what Li Xun’s mother said, he wouldn’t relent. And so, when she was eight months pregnant, she left the factory.

Later on, Li Chengbo’s business failed and after going bankrupt, he returned to his home village. He’d gotten temperamental as well.

Li Lan was five years old at the time, the youngest in her family. She also had three older brothers. Li Chengbo didn’t like her and would often scold her. Because her mother was frightened by her father, she didn’t treat Li Lan too well either. She lived a hand-me-down life, using whatever was left behind by her older brothers.

Her father eventually fell into gambling and drinking. Their home was filled with a foul atmosphere. Everyone had a big temper, aside from Li Lan, for she had no one to take her temper out on.

   

When she was ten years old, Li Xun’s mother brought Li Xun to their home.

Li Lan was still young at the time, and she hadn’t known what the arrival of this mother and son pair would bring. She was simply very happy because she would no longer be the youngest in their house. Maybe she’d be able to let her temper out on Li Xun too. But reality had a crueler picture in store. Li Lan soon realized that this new younger brother was even worse than all three of her older brothers combined. Forget bullying him. Just walking near to him would cause him to lash out at you.

But there was one benefit of Li Xun’s arrival. Li Lan’s brothers and mom had another punching bag now, a new target. And for the first time ever, Li Lan had someone on her side against everyone else.

Previously, Li Chengbo would torture everyone from his alcoholism, but there was suddenly a new addition to the food chain. With a strong will that she’d never used before, Li Lan’s mother treated Li Xun’s mother like an unwanted guest. She would ridicule and verbally abuse Li Xun’s mother. In front of everyone, she criticized and denounced Li Xun’s mother as a wh.o.r.e for seducing another woman’s man, and she cursed Li Xun as a b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

After Li Xun’s mother’s arrival, Li Lan’s mother’s life became a lot more lively. Even still, Li Xun’s mother persevered and remained in their home. At the time, she had a serious illness and no family to rely on. If she didn’t go there, then 6-year-old Li Xun would have no means for survival.

In order to appease Li Lan’s mother, Li Xun’s mother stopped caring for her appearance. She kept her hair messy and her face untidy, disappearing into the crowd. She was cautious and solemn about everything she said and did.

Li Lan would clean until very late every night. Even after everyone else had gone to sleep, she would still have work to do. Several times she’d seen Li Xun’s mother admonis.h.i.+ng him to appease his older brothers and get along with them, though Li Xun never agreed to. Then his mother would grow upset and hit him, and he would cry, but still not agree.

Li Lan was soft-hearted, and she never felt that the mother-son pair were as evil as the rest of her family claimed. She pitied them really. And so, Li Lan started to help them. At the time, Li Xun’s mother could hardly sleep at night because of her illness. While the rest of her family slept, Li Lan would secretly cook porridge for her and tend to her.

She slowly grew to like Li Xun’s mother. His mother used very simple material to make her a dress. It was the first dress she ever had. His mother also gave her music tapes to listen to. Li Lan fell in love with these new-age things, and she would seek the pair out whenever she had time.

Li Xun wasn’t very good at taking care of others, so he was completely helpless with his mother’s illness. As his older sister, Li Lan berated him, “You have to listen to your mom.” She knew her older brothers well. Their favorite thing to do was bully others and give people a hard time. You simply had to go along with them, and they would grow tired of you.

She pleaded with him sincerely, but unfortunately, Li Xun didn’t listen to her. Li Lan angrily shouted at him, “This is what your mom wants!”

Li Xun glared at her and replied, “It’s not!”

Unable to communicate with him, Li Lan decided to ignore him as well.

Later, Li Xun’s mother pa.s.sed away. Her pa.s.sing was very tragic. Her body lost its shape and she curled up. It was such a frightening sight that Li Lan’s mother didn’t go to bother them during those days.

She pa.s.sed away in the middle of the night. Li Lan was present then. And when Li Xun learned that his mother wouldn’t make it through the night, his cries sounded like he wanted to die himself.

On her deathbed, his mother held his hand. As in all times past, she told him to get along with the rest of the family. Seeing his mother in this state, Li Xun cried without making a sound, and he finally nodded his head, quietly agreeing to his mother’s request.

It had been her life long wish, but for some reason, when he finally agreed, his mother looked like she’d been hit with the world’s greatest pain. She lifted her hand up, a grim expression on her face, as if an evil spirit had possessed her. With endless resentment and pain, she grabbed Li Xun’s hand—

“No!” His mother’s eyes shook. Using the last bit of her strength, she told her son, “Li Xun, you can never become like them!”

His cries then were earth-shattering. As if he were shouting out all of his grievances, he shouted, “I know!” After hearing this, his mother peacefully left.

Li Lan stood at the side, her whole body trembling. She didn’t know how to describe what she felt at the time. It was the first time in her life that she felt such an attachment to someone outside of her family. It was like a hot flame burning cleanly, scorching you, and leaving you with no place to hide.

A thought came to her mind, that she had to find a way to help this younger brother who never called her “sister.”

Later, Li Xun started would start school. Because the school there was small, the elementary and junior high students attended together. Li Lan’s oldest brother had already graduated, and her second and third brothers were in junior high. Li Lan only studied for three years before staying at home to help with family matters.

From the moment Li Xun started school, Li Lan realized that her brothers would bully him even more severely. She didn’t understand where their anger came from, but they were like enemies who couldn’t possibly live under the same sky. Li Xun never tried to get revenge though. He was just a child; he couldn’t beat them, so he just had to bear their treatment. It wasn’t long before his entire body was covered in bruises.

Her brothers would secretly rip apart his books, toss away his backpack, and use any method to keep him from going to school. But, no matter how many bruises he got, or how ripped up his books were, Li Xun never missed a day of cla.s.s. And he also learned not to study around her brothers. And so, in the night, under the lamps, aside from Li Lan was.h.i.+ng clothes, there was also a studying Li Xun.

His att.i.tude towards her remained poor as usual, or perhaps it’s more fitting to say that he continued to carry a heavy hostility towards their entire family. Li Lan didn’t mind. After all, there were many people who disliked her, and she didn’t feel that Li Xun’s fierceness was entirely genuine.

She quietly took care of him, was.h.i.+ng his clothes and feeding him, helping divert her brothers’ attention from him. And like that, the days pa.s.sed, until one evening, when to her surprise, Li Lan didn’t see Li Xun studying. She headed to the back courtyard and found him in the junk pile. He was clutching at his ribs, and when Li Lan asked him what was wrong, he didn’t answer.

Later on, she found out that Li Xun had gotten into the one “top cla.s.s” that was actually considered decent at their rotten school. The cla.s.s was located in the north building, which was a considerable distance from where Li Lan’s brothers took their lessons. But more importantly, the special cla.s.s required a school fee, and Li Lan’s mother wouldn’t give Li Xun the money, so he was unable to join the cla.s.s. He ended up returning to his original cla.s.s.

Her brothers had been very happy about it, as if he were the same as them again. They happily beat him up, breaking his ribs.

Li Xun didn’t go to the hospital. Li Lan wrapped him up simply and secretly saved money to buy him pork stew. When Li Xun was able to stand again, he made a request to Li Lan for the first time—he wanted to borrow some money.

Li Lan didn’t have any money herself, but Li Xun didn’t care. He shouted at her, and she even cried. In the end, she lied to her mother and asked for some money. Li Xun took the money and went to town on his own. When he returned, everyone, including Li Lan, were startled to see that he’d bleached his hair blond.

During that time, dying your hair wasn’t common, and especially, such outrageous colors were rarely seen. Because of his individualism, Li Xun suffered even more. His father was especially furious. Li Chengbo was so angry that the rest of the family stayed in the corner, no one daring to step forward.

There had been more than one occa.s.sion when Li Lan thought her father would beat Li Xun to death… But even to the end, Li Xun wouldn’t admit any wrongdoing and he wouldn’t dye his hair back.

Eventually, everyone grew tired of hitting, of yelling, and they all became accustomed to the way things were. And so, that year, a young boy used this simple though childish method to prove how different he was to the rest of them.

Li Xun’s kept his hair that way until now.

When she saw the shocking color of it, Li Lan actually felt a warmth wash over her. All things said and done, he’d dyed his hair with money he borrowed from her. Though the connection wasn’t exactly strong, and though Li Xun hadn’t given her a single word of thanks… This “secret” that no one else knew of moved Li Lan in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Li Xun’s rough childhood made him mature early, and it also made him very wary. But no matter how he matured, he was still a child; he needed others’ concern. Gradually, he started to accept Li Lan’s care and concern, though he would never admit as much.

The days pa.s.sed, one by one, and Li Lan realized that, as Li Xun grew up, the once calm days turned chaotic.

Li Xun often left home, though for short periods at a time. The family had been busy preparing for Li Lan’s eldest brother’s wedding, so they didn’t have time to worry about Li Xun. Li Lan’s mother actually felt it was better if he left; there would be one less mouth to feed that way.

Later on, not only did Li Xun leave, be brought Li Lan with him. Li Lan was a timid person, so she never dared to leave on a whim. Every time, Li Xun had to drag her out against her will.

The attraction of the city was indeed great. Even as Li Lan trembled with fear, she was drawn by the dazzling world and its temptations. Once, Li Xun had prepared a long while for their trip. Li Lan would ask him about it, but he never gave a hint about it. Later, Li Lan found out that he was taking her to a concert.

Li Lan was stunned. It was the band that Li Xun’s mother often let her listen to. Li Lan didn’t dare to believe her eyes. She couldn’t enter the concert arena at all. Li Xun had to drag and push her in.

The entire concert truly felt like a dream. The exciting and upbeat music pounded in her ears, and it felt like a fantasy had turned real. She kept asking Li Xun where he got the money, but he just told her not to worry about it.

At the end of the concert, Li Lan was standing at the entrance to the concert venue when she spotted Li Xun talking to another boy. He was a bit older than Li Xun, and from his clothing and the way he carried himself, the two boys were from completley different walks of life.

After they spoke briefly, the boy got into a small car and left. But before he did, he turned back and shouted, “Don’t forget the exam time!”

After that, Li Xun brought her to a small restaurant near the concert arena. As Li Lan thought over the wonderful performance, Li Xun told her, “I’m leaving soon.” Li Lan had thought that “leaving” would be like what he was already doing, occasionally staying out to play before sneaking in back home. So, she just nodded.

It wasn’t until later on that Li Lan understood what he meant by “leave.” Without a second thought, she rejected the idea. She grabbed onto him, trying to hold him back from doing this death-seeking thing. She knew that their family had some problems, but at least, it was something to block the wind and rain. It was something that you could depend on.

Li Xun talked to her about it once. He told her that he happened to meet some people in the city, and their houses had a lot of new and interesting things.

“Do you know about computers?” Li Xun asked. “Their houses have those really thin computers.”

When Li Xun spoke about these new things, his eyes lit up. Li Lan didn’t know much about them, and since Li Xun was speaking so quickly from excitement, she had a hard time understanding what he was going on about.

But she did hear the end of his talk—”I want those things too, but if I stay here, I’ll never have them.”

That was the first time that he told her what he was thinking and what he wanted. But Li Lan couldn’t accept it. She didn’t know what he was talking about. All she knew was that her little brother was just a teenaged kid. If he left home, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

Li Xun tried to reason with her, but Li Lan totally refused to listen. She wasn’t as articulate as he was, and she wasn’t good at telling stories. Regardless of what Li Xun said, she would simply return with a “No. Just, no.”

In the end, Li Xun got angry and had a big fight with Li Lan. He said some hurtful things, which made her feel terrible and angry.

Li Lan got sick. What surprised her was that the entire time she was sick, Li Xun didn’t leave her side. The sick Li Lan dreamt of Li Xun’s mother and her final words before dying.

Li Lan couldn’t bear to see Li Xun leave. Sometimes she felt that, even if she had her own children later, she might not love them more than she loved her little brother. Though her brain wasn’t anything great, for some reason, she remembered very clearly every word and every detail they spoke about.

But she also knew that she was part of “them.”

When Li Lan got better, she stole some of her father’s alcohol money and told Li Xun to leave that night and never come back.

Before he left, he told her something. “I’ll pay you back in the future.”
—

Her coffee was already cold, and the server had stopped by as well.

Zhu Yun was thinking. She recalled Ren Di’s words—He has to earn money to pay off his debt.

What debt?

The money Li Lan spent on Li Xun was hardly anything. So when he spoke about a debt, that must have been an emotional debt.

Zhu Yun looked over at Li Lan, trembling before her. She was a typical person whose liveliness had been rubbed away by life.

“Actually, I knew from the very beginning that he would leave,” Li Lan murmured. “He hated our family. He hated us to death.”

Zhu Yun didn’t say anything, and Li Lan quietly continued, “I never wanted him to return any money to me. But now that my father’s gone, my mother can’t get out of bed, and my brother’s sick. We don’t have enough money for the hospital bills. My mom forced me to ask him for money… I had no choice.” Li Lan lowered her head in a daze. “My family turning out this way must be retribution.”

Zhu Yun looked at this thin woman. She’d had a lifetime’s worth of suffering. The suffocation and exhaustion of her life showed through. Even her pain seemed slow and dull.

Li Lan rubbed her face. “I’m sorry. I just said all this nonsense…”

Zhu Yun shook her head.

Li Lan quietly said, “No one at home wants to listen to this stuff.”

“Maybe he doesn’t hate you that much,” Zhu Yun suddenly said.

Li Lan replied, “You don’t know him. You don’t understand him.”

Zhu Yun silently thought to herself that, maybe she understood just a tiny bit…

   

Li Xun was very proud, even to the extent that he was prejudiced. Often times, he didn’t speak out his true thoughts. He would never be threatened by anyone, and no one could force him to do what he didn’t want to do. If he really hated her, no matter what tricks Li Lan pulled, she wouldn’t be able to get any money from him.

Additionally, he spent so much every month, and he supported a money-losing band…

After her story, Zhu Yun understood a lot of things.

All hearts needed consolation.

“Thank you for listening to me.” Li Lan couldn’t think of any kind of gift. She thought left and right, and quietly said, “I-I’ll show you my brother.”

Zhu Yun had been deep in thought about ethical matters, and when she heard Li Lan, she nearly jumped out of her seat.

Li Lan pulled out a laminated photo from her bag. It looked rather old, and the colors were faded. “This is our only family photo. We took it at New Year’s one year. Look…”

Li Lan pointed for Zhu Yun to see, but she didn’t really need it pointed out. The moment Li Lan pulled out the photo, Zhu Yun’s eyes had already landed on someone.

“How old was your brother here?”

“Nine.”

Zhu Yun took a deep breath. How cute…

The child Li Xun had been very thin, but his bone structure was good. His face was taut, a faint forced smile on his lips. That unyielding and arrogant personality could even be seen when he was so young.

Zhu Yun nearly forgot to blink. She kept staring and staring at the photo, as if it meant she’d be able to add ten years to their relations.h.i.+p.

In the photo, Li Xun looked lonely. He stayed a bit aways from everyone else, and only Li Lan stood behind him.

“Your little brother likes you a lot, right?” Zhu Yun said.

Li Lan shook her head. “He likes girls like his mom.”

Zhu Yun glanced at Li Lan, silent.

Awhile later, as curfew approached, Zhu Yun went to the counter to pay. When she returned to their table, Li Lan said, “Can I keep sitting here?”

Zhu Yun paused and then said, “Sure.”

Before leaving, she secretly bought Li Lan a steak set meal. She told the waiter, “If she asks, tell her it’s a gift from the store.”

After leaving the coffee shop, Zhu Yun kept thinking back to the conversation she’d just had. She headed back to the project base, and when she pushed open the door, she saw Gao Jianhong.

It was then that she finally realized. It seemed that she’d stood him up.

Zhu Yun quickly apologized, “Sorry, I—”

“It’s fine.” Gao Jianhong packed away the books on his desk. “I just spoke to Wu Mengxing a bit, and he seemed pretty interested in the compet.i.tion. We should talk about it together tomorrow.”

Zhu Yun nodded, and Gao Jianhong stood up. He said, “Then, I’ll head out first.”

“Where’s Li Xun?”

“He just stepped out, but he should be back soon.”

After Gao Jianhong left, Zhu Yun was the only person in the project base. Zhu Yun closed the door and walked over to Li Xun’s seat. She opened up the bag on his desk, the one branded with the downtown stadium’s name.

As she’d expected, there were concert tickets for the weekend inside.

He was going to take her?

Just then, she heard a sound from the hallway. Zhu Yun put the bag back in its original position.

When Li Xun saw Zhu Yun on his return, he raised his brows. “What are you doing here?”

Zhu Yun shook her head. “Nothing. I just need to tidy up, and then I’m leaving.”

Li Xun sat down in his seat, but he didn’t turn on his computer. Instead, he asked Zhu Yun, “Where were you this evening?”

Zhu Yun’s heart skipped a beat. She told herself to calm down. “I had something to do, so I went out a bit.”

“Really.”

“Mmh.”

With a calm face, Zhu Yun grabbed two books on her desk and put them in her bag. Then she saw Li Xun wave her over. Zhu Yun took two steps towards him, and Li Xun leaned over.

She stood there, and he sat there. With his face turned like that, his ear nearly touched her chest.

……

As the weather warmed, her clothing had gotten thinner. With such a thin layer of cotton between them, Zhu Yun could clearly feel the contours of Li Xun’s cheek.

Her bra felt a bit tight.

A burst of warm air hit her back, spreading across her limbs and her ears.

She couldn’t step back because Li Xun had his right hand on her waist. She nearly couldn’t breathe anymore. What was one plus one equal to again…

Just as Zhu Yun felt like she was going to faint, Li Xun looked up. He didn’t straighten up, but instead just looked up from chest-level, his eyes sweeping over her. His brows raised slightly, as if he were smiling, but not quite. “With your heart beating this fast, you must be lying.”

Zhu Yun’s whole body felt numb.

That’s definitely not why my heart is beating so fast.

Zhu Yun frantically escaped and returned to her dorm room. The door opened, and then closed, and then she leaned against it, panting heavily.

Fang Shumiao turned to her and asked, “Why’s your face so red?”

Zhu Yun’s reply came slowly. “Climbing the stairs…”

Zhu Yun didn’t study any more that night. After taking a shower, she headed to bed early. Li Xun hadn’t actually done anything. He just said that knowing sentence, and then, as if nothing had happened, he turned on his computer and started working.

Of course, Zhu Yun couldn’t be the first to confess. What if she was just jumping through the hoops that he made? Top Score Li was, after all, very clever, and he didn’t reveal his hand logically.

But that evening, Zhu Yun truly received too great a shock. That night, she had a dream.

In her dream, they took on the same positions, only instead of things being vertical, they were horizontal. Zhu Yun lied on a small bed, and Li Xun leaned over, on top of her. He turned his head, and with his ear to her chest, he listened to her heartbeat.

It was very quiet in her dream. She lowered her head to look at his face, but she could only see his bright, golden hair. She looked around her, and recognized her surroundings as the small, single room at the Lihua Hotel, where he’d stayed over New Year’s.

She quickly realized she was dreaming. She forced her eyes open and, as expected, the dark ceiling above greeted her. In the still of night, she grabbed onto her burning red cheeks, unable to fall back asleep.

The next day, she went to her meeting with Gao Jianhong, severe, dark circles under her eyes.

“I spoke to Teacher Lin again yesterday, and we decided on a plan.” Gao Jianhong put down the doc.u.ments he’d prepared onto Zhu Yun’s desk. “‘Server defense system, based on microchip emulator.’ You guys, take a look.”

Zhu Yun and Wu Mengxing each grabbed a doc.u.ment and started reading.

“Hey, Li Xun, take a look at this for me too.” Gao Jianhong turned to Top Score Li. “Li Xun! Hey!”

Zhu Yun glanced back, over towards him. Li Xun was facing his computer, but he wasn’t typing. His expression was calm, as if thinking about something. Gao Jianhong continued calling his name, and finally, he came back to. He glanced over, and Zhu Yun quickly turned away.

Li Xun didn’t say anything, but he did wave Gao Jianhong over, who handed him the doc.u.ments.

It was already Friday. The concert was just two days away.

He must have bought the ticket for Li Lan. So… Was he going to take her there?

The day went by peacefully. On Sat.u.r.day, Zhu Yun and Gao Jianhong brought Wu Mengxing to Old Lin’s compet.i.tion research event. They spent the whole morning steeping inside of the office.

Although Wu Mengxing was very excited and pa.s.sionate about joining the compet.i.tion, compared to Gao Jianhong and Zhu Yun, his skills were rather lacking. He spent a lot of time going through the logs.

Gao Jianhong and Old Lin explained the contents to him, while Zhu Yun stood off to the side. She looked like she was listening, but her mind had already flown away to farther pastures.

Wu Mengxing finally seemed to grasp the content, and then Zhu Yun and the boys returned to the project base. Li Xun was sitting in his seat, coding.

Zhu Yun glanced over near his feet. The concert ticket bag was still sitting there. Had Li Lan left already, or was she still nearby, waiting for him?

Finally, Sunday arrived. Zhu Yun headed over to the project base early in the morning and discovered Li Xun nestled in his chair, typing away. He must have stayed up all night, as his eyes were bloodshot. He looked very tranquil though.

It was still early, so he and Zhu Yun were the only ones in the room. Zhu Yun walked over and asked him, “You didn’t head home last night?”

Li Xun ignored her.

Zhu Yun continued watching him. “Did you grow out from that chair?”

She looked over to his screen, where line after line of code rhythmically appeared. He never made any edits, and it even seemed that he didn’t need to stop to think. He was as accurate as a machine spitting out code.

All his attention was focused on that task. He wouldn’t be thinking about anything else.

Zhu Yun quietly returned to her seat and waited for Gao Jianhong and Wu Mengxing.

When Wu Mengxing arrived, he looked depressed. “Sorry, I didn’t finish…” Last night, before they left, Gao Jianhong gave him some tasks.

“That’s okay. How much did you get done? We’ll help you look it over,” Gao Jianhong said. Wu Mengxing opened up his program. Zhu Yun glanced over it; it was a mess.

It was clear that Wu Mengxing had done a lot of homework, but he’d bitten off more than he could chew. He wanted to use an advanced algorithm, but he lacked the ability to complete it properly. By the end, all the bits were scattered about, mixed up, and the program unable to function.

Seeing Gao Jianhong’s furrowed brows as he looked over the code, Wu Mengxing blushed. “I’ll… I’ll fix it again.”

Gao Jianhong told him, “It’s better to just re-do it.”

Wu Mengxing clenched his teeth and lowered his head, nothing to say.

Gao Jianhong looked up from the computer, and upon seeing Wu Mengxing’s expression, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s okay.”

Wu Mengxing replied quietly, “I’m worried I’ll drag you guys down…”

Gently, Gao Jianhong said, “It’s not that there’s a problem with your ability. You just want to make something with bells and whistles, something showy. A program doesn’t have to be complicated. You should code according to the function you’re after. Often times, the simpler you work, the more secure. Keep that in mind. You have the ability, just don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Zhu Yun looked at Gao Jianhong. Compared to Li Xun’s genius-like abilities, Gao Jianhong was much more sincere and honest. He wasn’t as pointed as Li Xun either, and much more tolerant.

To be honest, she’d never met anyone as stubborn as Li Xun.

Gao Jianhong noticed Zhu Yun’s gaze and asked, “What is it?”

Zhu Yun shook her head. “Nothing.”

The seconds pa.s.sed back, and noon quickly arrived. Gao Jianhong invited Zhu Yun and Wu Mengxing out for lunch, but Zhu Yun declined.

“I’m not hungry. You guys go ahead.”

She stayed behind at the project base, together with Li Xun—though she herself didn’t know what exactly that meant.

Li Xun was the same, quiet, tranquil. Programming required a lot of concentration. It had nearly been an entire day and night.

Zhu Yun sat at her desk, silent, organizing that morning’s discussion notes. After reading through less than 500 words, she had to re-read the sentences six or seven times, and she still didn’t have a clue what she was reading.

Finally, she put down her papers and looked over to Li Xun. “You’re not going to eat?”

No answer.

She tried again, “Maybe we can…eat something together?”

Again, no answer. She might as well have been speaking to the air.

After awhile, Gao Jianhong and Wu Mengxing returned. Wu Mengxing’s stomach was nearly hanging out. Gao Jianhong must have also talked to him a bit more, because he seemed quite happy, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with enthusiasm from head to toe.

“Come on! Let’s continue our meeting!”

Zhu Yun turned away, diverting her gaze from Li Xun.

Time flew by.

1, 2… 5, 6 o’clock…

The concert was at 8. Two hours for admittance.

Still not leaving?

You’re really calm, huh.

The sky slowly darkened, and the sun set in the west. Just like the afterglow on the bamboo grove, Gao Jianhong and Wu Mengxing’s discussion was disappearing and coming to a close.

Finally, Zhu Yun packed up her things. Gao Jianhong looked at her and asked, “What is it?”

Zhu Yun quietly replied, “Let’s continue this tomorrow.”

“Tired?”

Zhu Yun nodded. Gao Jianhong put away his paper and pen, and told Wu Mengxing, “Then, we’ll stop here for today.”

Wu Mengxing promptly replied, “I’m not tired. I’ll keep working a bit.”

Zhu Yun turned around and walked directly to Li Xun. She didn’t say anything or stop. She just bent over and grabbed the bag with the concert tickets before leaving.

Gao Jianhong had seen the scene from behind them. Finding it strange, he was about to ask about it, when Wu Mengxing bombarded him with his own questions.

The moment Zhu Yun left the room, those fingers that had been typing away on the keyboard for the past few hours finally came to a stop. He scratched his chin.
—

   

Zhu Yun raced out towards uptown. She went up and down the street in front of the school gate, checking every milk tea shop, every coffee shop, every dessert store… But she didn’t see any signs of those unsophisticated clothes.

Half an hour later, a dejected Zhu Yun dropped down and sat on the roadside, covered in sweat. This was like searching for a needle in a haystack. How would she able to find her…

Tired and panting, Zhu Yun checked her watch. It was already after 7. It was too late. The tickets were going to go to waste.

Zhu Yun gave up and opened up the bag. She pulled out the tickets. Two tickets, 1880 yuan each.

After a few seconds, Zhu Yun flipped out the bag to check for a ticket office or contact. Maybe she could return the tickets…

She didn’t find a ticket office contact, but she did find another slip of paper. Zhu Yun grabbed the paper and unfolded it. The contents of it were very simple—

“Taifu Hotel, room 408. When you’re done, come get reimbursed for transportation fees.”

My G.o.d…

Everything seemed to start spinning around her. Zhu Yun had a headache.

She stood up.

Reimbursed…

Recompense to your ancestors…

Looking at the handwriting on the paper, Zhu Yun could imagine his calm and composed manner as he wrote it. She could see his efforts to avoid being linked to the family, and yet he couldn’t let go of his sister, the one person who had taken care of him. Zhu Yun’s appearance in his life may be able to help with some odd jobs.

Doing some odd jobs wasn’t a big deal, but couldn’t he just say something. Was there a need to be so…

Zhu Yun stomped her feet. A pa.s.sing child and parent glanced over at her.

Zhu Yun checked her watch. 27 minutes still. Being on time was out of the question, but if things went smoothly, they wouldn’t be too late.

Zhu Yun hailed down a cab. “Taifu Hotel.”

The driver paused. “Taifu? It’s just a 5 minute walk ahead.”

“I’m going somewhere else after. Wait for me!”

They arrived at the hotel in a jiffy. Zhu Yun jumped out of the car, but didn’t forget to call back, “Make sure you wait for me!”

She took the elevator to the fifth floor. Zhu Yun ran to room 408 and knocked clamorously on the door.

“Li Lan? Li Lan, are you there?”

A few seconds later, the door opened a sliver. Trembling with fear, Li Lan looked out. “…No need to clean. I’ll clean myself.”

Who’s here to clean for you? Zhu Yun pushed open the door and grabbed her. Then she pointed to herself. “Me. It’s me. Do you still recognize me?”

Li Lan said, “You’re…”

Zhu Yun was already familiar with her slow personality, so without waiting for an answer, she dragged the girl out. “Come with me!”

Li Lan tried to pull back. “What are you doing? Where are you trying to take me? What are you trying to do?”

Zhu Yun replied, “Just come with me!”

“No. No, stop pulling me…”

She really did work every day. Although Li Lan’s body was thin, her strength was rather startling. Zhu Yun couldn’t pull her, and finally she let out a sigh. She turned back and smiled as she said, “Li Lan, a few days ago, you said you liked bands.”

She didn’t know how sinister her smile looked, but Li Lan seemed frightened and didn’t respond.

Zhu Yun maintained her smiling face and said, “I’m taking you to a concert.”

Li Lan stared at her a moment, and then she shook her head. “No… Concerts are too expensive.”

“No.” Zhu Yun waved her hand. “It’s not expensive at all. I got them for free. It’ll just be a waste not to go.”