Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Xu Wenmei leaned in close to my ear, a sinister smile playing on her lips. “That little brat seems to like your boy.”

I spent every waking moment by Lian Huai’s side, so of course, I had noticed.

I flashed a smile back at her. “That’s great. I can’t wait for him to start dating.”

Maybe then he would finally let me go.

Xu Wenmei curled her lip. “Your smile is so fake.”

I froze for a moment.

Fake?

How could it be?

“In any case, here’s a word of advice: be careful not to push this kid into a fiery pit, or you’ll regret it.”

Xu Wenmei tapped my forehead with her finger and drifted away light as air.

Ruan Jing was truly a sweet, well-behaved girl. I couldn’t find any way to connect Xu Wenmei’s warning to her.

After school, Ruan Jing hesitated for a long time before finally approaching Lian Huai to strike up a conversation.

“Lian Huai, are you… are you walking home alone today too?”

The question seemed to drain every ounce of the girl’s courage. As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly lowered her head.

Their families lived close to each other; it was a perfect opportunity for a match.

I urged Lian Huai, “Say yes! Quickly, tell her you can walk with her!”

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and politely told Ruan Jing, “No, I already have plans.”

Ruan Jing walked away, dejected.

I was utterly confused. “Who do you have plans with? How come I didn’t know?”

He gave a breathtakingly beautiful smile. “With you. Come on, we’re going on a date.”

“Lian Huai, I’m being serious…”

“Let’s go. If we’re any later, the movie will start.”

I constantly tried to correct his sense of boundaries.

Unfortunately, he never had any intention of listening.

I was helpless. I had raised this kid myself; I couldn’t bring myself to hit him or scold him. All I could do was pray in my heart over and over again.

Lian Huai.

Please don’t actually fall in love with me.

After watching a low-quality comedy, we walked side-by-side down the street.

“Want some cotton candy?”

“How about some milk tea?”

“I’ll take you for hot pot later? You like that, don’t you?”

Ghosts nourished themselves by inhaling the aroma of food. During these eighteen years of agonizing boredom, it had been my only hobby.

But lately, everything tasted like ash. My face was constantly a billboard for two words: “Want out.”

I didn’t believe for a second that Lian Huai hadn’t noticed; he was simply playing deaf and mute. When it came to the matter of letting me leave, he was an impenetrable fortress, completely unmoved.

It was incredibly frustrating.

By the side of the road, a few children were excitedly surrounding a woman selling balloons. Lian Huai went over and bought a little rabbit balloon for me to hold.

I finally realized he was trying to coax me out of my mood.

He leaned down to look me in the eye. “Xingxing, cheer up.”

He even had the audacity to use two fingers to poke the corners of my mouth, forcing them upward into a smile.

This brat.

He knit his brows. “Still not smiling?”

Could he not tell I was giving him the cold shoulder?

“Fine.” Lian Huai’s gaze drifted toward the distance. “If I said I planned to take Xingxing to visit her parents, would she…”

My eyes instantly lit up.

“For real? You’re going to take me to see my parents?”