Volume 1 / Chapter 71: Meeting the Parents

“Mò Xuěyáo? What are you doing here?”

Lǐ Wǎnyán, dragging a suitcase and carrying a backpack, stopped in surprise.

“I live here,” Mò Xuěyáo replied matter-of-factly, shifting the cat snacks in her arms up onto her shoulder. “I’m out walking my cat.”

“Walking… your cat?”

Lǐ Wǎnyán looked at the fluffy creature clinging to her clothes and thought—wasn't the cat walking her?

“What about you, Class monitor? What brings you here?”

“I moved,” Lǐ Wǎnyán gave a soft smile. “I’ll be living at school from now on.”

“Oh…”

Mò Xuěyáo had heard plenty of rumors. Though she hadn’t confirmed anything directly, nor gotten the full truth from the class monitor herself, she could pretty much guess what was going on.

Moving to live at school… it probably had to do with wanting a more stable life. And she was almost certain the school had a hand in helping with the arrangement.

The two girls stood in silence, just staring at each other.

A strange pause filled the air.

It wasn’t until someone passed by on the street that time around them seemed to resume its flow.

“Ah… so you're going today?” Mò Xuěyáo scratched her head, breaking the silence.

“Mhm, but there’s no rush.”

Lǐ Wǎnyán looked at her, as if waiting for her to say something more.

Sensing this, Mò Xuěyáo thought for a second. Then as if remembering something, she clapped her hands together and said loudly, “Right! Wanna come hang out at my place?”

Back when she ran into guy classmates on the street—if they were on good terms—she’d casually throw out that kind of invitation.

Asking someone to visit your house... it was a way to grow closer.

But inviting a girl still felt kind of new to her.

On her shoulder, the cat, Sūtáng, nearly lost her balance from the sudden movement. She quickly clawed at Xuěyáo’s shirt to stay on, snagging a few threads in the process.

Good thing she was wearing loose, casual clothes. Even if it got torn a bit, it wasn’t a big deal.

After all, men's clothes were usually cheaper than women’s…

“Come on up.” Mò Xuěyáo reached out to scoop up Sūtáng—

But the cat suddenly leapt straight into Lǐ Wǎnyán’s arms.

Caught off guard, Wǎnyán held the fluffy little thing awkwardly.

But Sūtáng quickly curled up in her embrace, calm and still, looking quite content.

She even rubbed her head softly against Wǎnyán’s chest.

Probably because… it was softer than Xuěyáo’s.

“What a sweet cat,” Wǎnyán smiled, gently stroking Sūtáng’s head. “...Is your place okay to visit?”

“No worries! My parents will be heading out again soon anyway, so the place will be empty. And don’t worry, they’re not super uptight or anything. Uh… if you haven’t had breakfast yet, we’ve still got some.”

“…Alright.”

Despite all of Mò Xuěyáo’s rambling, she had assumed Lǐ Wǎnyán wouldn’t want to waste time. But to her surprise, Wǎnyán actually nodded and agreed.

Since Sūtáng refused to leave Wǎnyán’s arms, Mò Xuěyáo stepped forward and grabbed her suitcase, leading the way toward her building.

“My place is super close—just in that complex over there.”

“Okay.”

As she followed, Wǎnyán glanced back at the rows of run-down rental buildings behind her.

This area wasn’t exactly new, but everything looked neat and clean. The ground was free of litter. The residents seemed modest, but their clothes were tidy and proper. They might not have much, but at least life here seemed stable.

It was a world away from life in a rented room—always worrying about thieves, local punks making a scene at the gate, or the landlord suddenly hiking up the rent.

Lǐ Wǎnyán felt a new wave of envy toward Mò Xuěyáo.

Xuěyáo lived on the sixth floor. Getting luggage up there was a chore.

Wǎnyán offered to help, but Xuěyáo stubbornly insisted on carrying everything herself.

By the time they reached the top, she was panting for air.

“Whew! We’re here.”

Wiping sweat from her forehead, she pulled out her keys and opened the door.

Inside, her mother was bustling about with a mop, clanking and clattering echoing through the apartment. Her father sat at the dining table reading the newspaper, while her mother scolded him for being “completely useless.”

When Lǐ Wǎnyán walked in—black-rimmed glasses, a reserved expression—both parents froze for a moment.

“Huh? A friend of Xuěyáo’s?” her father asked, lowering the paper.

“Mhm. She’s our class monitor. I ran into her on the way back, so I brought her home.”

“Ohh~ Not bad!” he nodded, smacking his lips… though it was unclear what exactly he thought was “not bad.”

Her mother finished mopping all the way to the end of the hallway, then quickly came back with a warm smile.

“Welcome, welcome! Sorry it’s a bit messy here—hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. It’s already very clean,” Lǐ Wǎnyán said sincerely.

Compared to her old place, this was spotless.

There were just a lot of things, making it feel a bit cluttered—but nothing truly dirty.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” her mother asked.

“Not yet…” Wǎnyán admitted.

“Then eat with us! It’s just plain congee today, but I picked up some pan-fried dumplings downstairs. There’s a few left—hope that’s enough.”

Wǎnyán glanced at the ten dumplings on the plate and nodded.

“That’s plenty.”

Though Xuěyáo’s family usually kept breakfast simple, they’d splurge a little every now and then.

Her dad’s fruit shop was about to open soon, but her mom was still holding down her nanny job.

In case the shop lost money in the beginning, they’d still need her income to keep daily life going. Once things stabilized, she might go help out at the store too.

Her mother scooped a bowl of congee and set it on the table. Then she rushed to the door, slung a bag over her shoulder, and slipped on her shoes.

“I’m heading out now. You two clean up the place while I’m gone, okay?”

“Yeah yeah…” Xuěyáo replied wearily.

She heard this same line almost every day—it was getting a little old.

She parked Wǎnyán’s suitcase by the door and pulled out a chair for her to set her things on.

Maybe because this was the first time a girl classmate had ever visited, her dad even stopped reading the paper and began sizing up Wǎnyán curiously.

His expression was oddly complicated, with a trace of… was that regret?

Actually, Lǐ Wǎnyán hadn’t eaten anything since the night before. She was starving.

But still, she maintained her composure—taking small, delicate bites of the dumplings, occasionally picking up a bit of congee with her chopsticks, eating slowly and gracefully.

Her father eventually looked away from her and back at his paper. But he asked,

“So, Class monitor —just got back from military training today?”

That “Class monitor” caught both girls off guard.

Mò Xuěyáo even winced.

It sounded like her dad thought he was part of their class or something… But maybe he just didn’t know what else to call her.

“Sorry—I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I’m Lǐ Wǎnyán.”

“Oh~ that’s a pretty name.”

“Dad, she’s here because… uh…”

Mò Xuěyáo started to explain but hesitated.

After all, everything she knew was just guesswork. Even if it were true, it wasn’t her place to say it without permission.

“It’s okay,” Lǐ Wǎnyán said calmly.

“There were… some issues at home.”

“What happened?”

Her dad’s expression turned serious. He pulled out a cigarette, but seeing Mò Xuěyáo’s glare, he awkwardly put it away and grabbed some candied fruit from the table instead.

“…My parents went missing.”

“Missing? That serious?”

“Mhm. So I’ve got nowhere to live.” She paused, then added, “The school—”

But her words were cut off.

Or rather, both she and her father spoke at the same time:

“No place to stay? You probably can’t afford rent, right? If you don’t mind… why not stay here with our Xuěyáo?”

Lǐ Wǎnyán’s eyes lit up.

It was as if she’d been waiting for this exact offer.

“Actually… the school arranged free housing for me.”

“Oh, I see…”

“But… it doesn’t feel like home.”

She lowered her gaze slightly, uncharacteristically shy.

“Here… feels like a home.”

“Hah!” Her father burst out laughing. “No worries, no worries! Don’t feel awkward—if you like it here, stay! What’s one more bowl at the table?

And if sharing a bed with Xuěyáo is too cramped—oh right!”

“Right what?” Xuěyáo eyed him warily from where she was leaning on the wall.

Truthfully, she was kind of nervous.

Sleeping in the same bed with a girl every night? Could she even fall asleep like that?

Even those few nights she shared with Huā Yínyín, she’d only dozed off because she was exhausted.

After all, there was still a sixteen-year-old boy’s soul in this body…

“The fruit shop—there’s a little back room you can sleep in.”

“How would I know? I’ve never even been there.”

“Well, today’s a good time to go!”

Her dad clapped his hands, decision made. “How about you come with me today to check it out? There’s a small room in the back where someone can sleep. It doesn’t have a real window—just a high-up vent—but it’s enough.”

“What, so you’re planning to make Class monitor help you watch the store at night for free?” Xuěyáo teased.

“Then why don’t you sleep there and let her have your bed?” her dad shot back, clearly reading her thoughts.

Xuěyáo was left speechless.

But Wǎnyán rescued her.

“Sure, I’d like to check it out.”

“But wouldn’t that be no different from staying in the school dorms?” Xuěyáo asked, puzzled.

“Well, the dorms aren’t single rooms.”

Actually, she was mistaken—Ān Ruòsù had a private room.

But living on campus and off campus was a different feeling altogether.

Living outside might give her more freedom.

“Alright then. Lǐ Wǎnyán—can I call you Wǎnyán?” her father asked as he stood.

“Of course, Uncle.”

“Then let’s go after you finish eating! I’ll take you both on my tricycle!”

“Yesss! I wanna ride the tricycle!”

Mò Xuěyáo instantly lit up with excitement.