Chapter 9

As for the late-night supper invitation, that was only secondary. Lu An had come this time mainly for something else.

Next Saturday, there would be a high school class reunion. As the former class monitor, Lu An was in charge of coordinating everything. Everyone in the class who had time and could come would be there, and the only one still missing was Lin Baixin.

“There’ll also be a few teachers. Quite a lot of people, actually; this should be the most complete gathering we’ve ever had. We won’t get another chance like this later,” Lu An said, laying it out plainly. “Teacher Yang will be there too. You know her health hasn’t been great these past few years... Anyway, it’s all so we can go see her. I didn’t want to trouble you at first; you’ve always hated this kind of event, and I understand that. But this time is different, so I came to ask you in person. You’re the only one left. If you’re free, come sit with us.”

Teacher Yang had been Lin Baixin’s homeroom teacher in high school, an esteemed old educator whom Lin Baixin also deeply respected and loved.

Back when Lin Baixin’s parents passed away, Teacher Yang had taken great care of her. Although Lin Baixin still went to visit her alone from time to time these days, once it was put that way, she was definitely going to go. She couldn’t not go.

“We’ll gather at Teacher Yang’s place at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Come as early as you can, and we’ll all have dinner together at night,” Lu An reminded her. “Don’t be late. Teacher Yang was still talking about you in the hospital the other day. Out of all of us, she’s the most partial to you.”

Lin Baixin agreed. “I’ll do my best.”

Yu Min was forced to listen to the whole thing. Even though Lu An had spoken somewhat vaguely, she still managed to piece together the general cause and effect. Lu An was a chatterbox, rattling on about all sorts of random things. From the scraps of their conversation, Yu Min unknowingly learned a lot about Lin Baixin.

Lin Baixin was very rich. It wasn’t just that she had inherited her parents’ estate; she also invested, and she had real judgment and talent in that area. Some of her projects had brought in good returns, and overall she was making quite a lot.

She had studied finance; going to grad school was just a way to give herself some goals and pass the time. She also owned property in Kyoto. She hadn’t spent down her principal; she’d bought early, caught the wave, and used dividends from her investments to pay for it.

And Lin Baixin also had businesses in Siping. For example, that new shop they’d ordered from last time—the landlord of the storefront was Lin Baixin. That place had taken off right after opening and didn’t do delivery at all, but because Lin Baixin was both the landlord and friends with the shop owner, they’d made a special delivery just for them.

Aside from rental income from the storefronts, Lin Baixin also had other properties under her name: some in Siping, some in Jincheng, most of them bought after she sold off the assets left behind by her parents.

Lin Baixin was still young then. How could a student possibly hold onto the factory her parents had built from scratch? So the moment she turned eighteen, she simply took the chance to sell everything and exchanged it for what she had now.

Lin Baixin was the real deal—a loaded rich woman. She just kept a low profile, never flaunted herself, and was used to a stable, peaceful life. She didn’t like making a fuss.

Lu An joked, “Boss Lin, how about I quit my job someday and come work for you? I’ve changed my mind. Schoolwork really isn’t humanly possible. It’s killing me. Dealing with those brats every day is already keeping me more than busy.”

Lin Baixin answered lightly, “Sure. When are you planning to come?”

Lu An leaned back, delighted, and said in mock seriousness, “Let me think. I’d have to hand over my work first. At the very least I’d have to wait another three years. We’re about to take over the next incoming middle-school class. One class takes three years to bring through; I have to send them all off before I can get out.”

They really weren’t going out for late-night snacks tonight; instead, Lin Baixin was staying home to “look after the kid.” She saw Lu An out, and the two of them chatted privately for a few more words outside.

Yu Min’s mind worked quickly. By the time Lin Baixin came back in, Yu Min beat her to it before she could say anything.

“I’ve got something to do on Saturday too. I’m going out.”

Lin Baixin tilted her head. “What for?”

“To go back to school and pick up my graduation certificate.” The words slipped out of Yu Min’s mouth. “And I’m also meeting classmates at the sweet drinks shop.”

Lin Baixin asked, “Want me to give you a ride since I’m going that way?”

“No need, I can go by myself.” Yu Min said, “It’s not far. They live nearby too, and we’re walking there together.”

Whether it was true or false, Lin Baixin didn’t press the issue. She stopped there and asked no more.

That Saturday, Yu Min went over to Lin Baixin’s place in the morning to show her face, then really did go out under the blazing sun after two in the afternoon and sat at the sweet drinks shop for the whole afternoon.

When she went back at dusk, she didn’t forget to bring Lin Baixin a reduced-sugar double-skin milk, put it in the fridge, and stick a note on the refrigerator door as a reminder.

The class reunion broke up very late. Lin Baixin got home in the middle of the night. Yu Min still hadn’t left. She’d waited for Lin Baixin and, while waiting, had fallen asleep on the sofa. The projector was still on, playing a movie.

She set down her bag and changed her shoes.

Lin Baixin walked over. The living room air-conditioning was set low, making the room chilly, so she casually pressed the control panel to raise the temperature and then covered Yu Min with a blanket.

Yu Min was sleeping soundly, her breathing even and steady, not moving at all.

Since there was no need to wake her, and it was already past one in the morning, sending her back across the way in the middle of the night would also be troublesome. Lin Baixin let her stay. Soon after, she turned off the projector and the lights.

Yu Min woke once in the middle of the night, but not fully. Drowsily, she felt that the place she was sleeping in was wrong, but sleepiness clouded her judgment. It was pitch-black around her; she thought she must be dreaming, and automatically assumed she was sleeping on the third floor of the house next door, except that the dream had brought her here.

She slept well through the night.

Just as the sky was barely beginning to lighten, her muddled, paste-like brain suddenly snapped awake, as if struck hard. Yu Min shot upright and nearly tumbled off the sofa.

Sleep really could do harm. She had actually slept in Lin Baixin’s house all night!

Scrambling up on all fours, her heart pounding, she felt apologetic and flustered. Realizing this absolutely shouldn’t have happened, she hurried off to find Lin Baixin and explain.

But Lin Baixin didn’t seem to mind much. She only said softly, “Don’t sleep on the sofa next time.”

Yu Min nodded repeatedly. When she got nervous, she started talking nonsense and stammered, “I-I was a little tired yesterday, so... I didn’t, that, that... I didn’t take an afternoon nap, so I was too sleepy at night...”

Lin Baixin cut her off. “There are rooms upstairs and downstairs. You can sleep in a room. Sleeping on the sofa makes it easy to catch a chill.”

Unable to keep up, Yu Min blanked out. She stood there stiffly and dumbly, completely thrown by Lin Baixin’s reaction.

Zhou Jin had said before that Lin Baixin didn’t like being disturbed by others... Sleeping on someone’s turf without warning in advance was already extremely inconsiderate.

“You don’t need to wait for me next time,” Lin Baixin said again. “Also, if there’s anything, just send me a WeChat message. You have my account; there’s no need to keep waiting.”

Yu Min’s lips moved. Still dazed, it took her quite a while before she nodded and gave a meek “Mm.”

Lin Baixin was thorough; she didn’t just say things. Starting that day, the second floor belonged to Yu Min. There was also a temporary room for her here.

The temporary room was much bigger than the storage room next door, with a private bathroom and a balcony. The more than twenty square meters of space felt especially roomy.

On the high stand by the window, there was even a pot of prayer plant. Its lush green broad leaves spread upward from a white round porcelain pot, a whole cluster of them, full of life.

It felt as if she were still in a dream, with an unreal sort of sensation.

Yu Min even wondered for a while whether this was just her imagination. She reached out and touched the plant’s leaves; the slight chill at her fingertips brought her back to reality.

Compared with that, Lin Baixin, as the owner of the house, didn’t seem to think anything of it. She had even given Yu Min the door password. Yu Min came over here every day anyway, and with so many empty rooms at home, it was no big deal to let her have one.

If she refused to accept it, then Lin Baixin simply wouldn’t let her come anymore. She would never indulge her in spending every day curled up in her study.

Saying thank you felt too simple; going out of her way to do something special felt too deliberate. Yu Min didn’t know how to respond. It seemed the most proper thing was simply to accept it naturally.

Breakfast was made by Lin Baixin. The usual three items: bread, fried eggs, and milk. The double-skin milk from the night before couldn’t be eaten after sitting overnight, and dairy made fresh and left out too long could spoil easily. Yu Min hadn’t thought that through and poured it out, planning to buy more.

Lin Baixin went along with it and specifically asked for blueberry jam, no chopped nuts.

After breakfast, Yu Min went straight to yesterday’s sweet drinks shop and bought a blueberry double-skin milk without any nut pieces. The clerk still remembered her, figured she must really like it, and even tucked in two discount coupons when packing it up as a reward for a regular customer.

Teaching herself the first-year high school material wasn’t all that hard. At the same time, Yu Min didn’t neglect her main task. If there was something she didn’t understand, Lin Baixin taught her. Yu Min threw herself into studying wholeheartedly and was even more diligent during breaks than she was at school.

Studying didn’t feel tiring at all; at least that was true for Yu Min. Learning new material, solving problems, memorizing texts... once her mind was busy, she wouldn’t think about those things, and instead she felt more relaxed and at ease, very relieved.

As for Yu Min staying at No. 1 High School for high school, Lin Baixin wasn’t curious, unlike Zhou Jin, who was annoying enough to keep digging until he got to the bottom of everything.

Everyone had their own choices. Staying in Siping wasn’t entirely a bad thing. At the very least, Yu Min was already familiar with the environment here and didn’t need to go through another round of adjusting to a new place.

Lin Baixin was someone who’d been through it. She herself had stayed in Siping back then because she was used to it. Deep down, she simply wasn’t the type who liked change; the two of them were quite similar in that regard.

Recently, Yu Min had become obsessed with old cartoons. As part of balancing work and rest, she watched the Bugs Bunny series every day. The absurd style was fun, and that gray-and-white rabbit was just too interesting.

Lu An had been right; she really was just a child who hadn’t grown up. No matter how sensible she seemed on the surface, inside she was still childish and immature by nature.

And Lin Baixin bringing her along really was like taking care of a child; only, she was the worry-free kind. She didn’t make a fuss; she was very well-behaved.

When they went out grocery shopping, they were much the same as any other family with a little girl. Yu Min paid more attention to the snack aisle and didn’t like going to the fresh food section.

Buy chips, buy cake, buy yogurt cups... Lin Baixin picked up whatever she saw. She had driven there, so she could buy as much as she wanted.

Passing the shelf of water bottles, Lin Baixin picked up a rabbit-patterned cup from the middle shelf and put it into the cart.

Nowadays, a water cup was practically standard equipment for every child. Two days ago Lu An had even complained to Lin Baixin that parents these days were ridiculous enough; their kids were already in middle school, and some parents still messaged teachers every day to ask them to make sure the students drank more water, as if they were running a daycare.

Yu Min herself hadn’t even realized it, but she really did like rabbit designs. Once the water cup was bought, she started using it right away. When Lu An’s birthday came around, Lin Baixin took Yu Min with her, and Yu Min brought the cup along as the gift, the two of them carrying the present together.

Teacher Lu had a good reputation and many friends, but not many of them came to her birthday banquet; they were all old acquaintances, and Lin Baixin got along well with all of them too.

After they sat down, Lu An introduced them to the others and arranged for them to sit together. Yu Min pulled out her chair and tried to stay as close to Lin Baixin as possible.

A new face was bound to draw attention. Lu An told her friends that Yu Min was Lin Baixin’s cousin; in theory, that wasn’t wrong.

Since she was a younger sister, everyone naturally had to look after her a bit more. After all, this was the first time they’d seen Lin Baixin bring a relative out with her, so everyone paid quite a bit of attention to them. Yu Min was introverted and not very good at handling this sort of thing, so without making a sound, she hid behind Lin Baixin, as if she were her support; as long as she stayed closer, everything would be fine.

“All right, all right, that’s enough out of you people. Don’t tease the child to tears one by one. If you make her cry, watch out for Lin Boss coming after you,” Lu An said, smoothing things over with a wave of her hand. “Come on, more dishes are being added. See if there’s anything else you want to eat and just order it. Don’t be polite with me.”

Yu Min was always quiet to begin with, much quieter than when she was alone with Lin Baixin.

Someone at the next seat took out a cigarette, put it to their mouth, and was about to light it when they glanced over here, met Lin Baixin’s unresponsive gaze, then took the cigarette back and didn’t smoke it.

Lu An, straightforward as ever, walked over and scolded them, “Are you blind? Can’t you see there’s a little girl here? What are you smoking for? Seriously, can you people be a little more self-aware?”

Still never taking up the conversation with the one holding the cigarette, Lin Baixin ignored it and picked up a piece of steamed pork ribs with rice flour, placing it into the empty bowl.

The empty bowl was Yu Min’s. She had her head down eating, quietly scooting a little farther to the side.

Lin Baixin had already noticed her little movement and took it in at a glance; she allowed all of it.