Ning Xian nestled more comfortably in his arms, rubbing against him a little, but her foggy little head slowly cleared.
Then she suddenly froze.
Right, what had Junior Brother called her just now...? Senior Sister?
“Ah?” She lifted her face in confusion.
Fang Xuan was also looking down at her, his gaze calm.
Not the flustered gaze of the sixteen-year-old Junior Brother, but a different one, the kind Ning Xian was familiar with.
Looking at Fang Xuan’s composed expression, her mind rapidly replayed everything from this morning.
He had clearly known everything, yet deliberately watched her get nervous, watched her blush, watched her get bullied until tears came out while she still stubbornly said, “Senior Sister is very formidable.”
So all of that earlier had been him teasing her on purpose.
She put on a stern little face.
He actually dared to tease Senior Sister. Junior Brother absolutely needed to be punished.
Fang Xuan looked at her fierce little expression and could not help laughing.
He reached out and patted her head. “Alright, Senior Sister, I’ll take you to eat something good.”
Ning Xian answered reflexively, “You’re not allowed to casually pat Senior Sister’s head.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t.” He withdrew his hand and pulled her up.
Ning Xian let him help her to her feet, but her legs were still a little weak, and she leaned against him before she could stand steadily.
Fang Xuan supported her by the waist and only let go after she was standing firmly.
Then he picked up the white fabric tie from the table and walked behind her.
Ning Xian paused for a moment. He had already gently gathered her hair behind her head, wrapped it with the cloth, and tied a small knot at the end.
“Junior Brother... when did you learn how to do that?”
She had always thought he did not know how to tie a hair ribbon. Every time, he would leave her hair loose and wait for her to tie it.
Fang Xuan adjusted her hoodie and smoothed out the hem of her skirt. “As long as Senior Sister likes it...”
He stepped back and looked again. Hoodie and long skirt, paired with Senior Sister’s looks, it really did look beautiful.
Ning Xian turned her face slightly to the side, the tips of her ears faintly red.
She did not even know why. When doing those things, she had not really felt much.
Yet one simple little love line from Junior Brother was enough to make her heart stir.
It really was better when Junior Brother had his memories back.
If she had known that doing that... would make Junior Brother recover his memories, she would have simply forced herself on him much earlier.
Fang Xuan took her hand. “Let’s go.”
...
On the street, the wind was a little stronger than yesterday, stirring the roadside leaves with a rustling sound.
Fang Xuan held Ning Xian’s hand as they walked slowly.
Her hand was very cold, so he tightened his grip a little and tucked it into the pocket of his hoodie.
“When does Senior Sister plan to go back?”
He could now clearly feel the laws of time that sustained this world, like transparent threads hanging down from the sky, connecting every tree, every building, every person.
Going back would be easy. He only needed to follow those threads.
“We can go back whenever,” Ning Xian replied softly.
She did not really care. As long as Junior Brother was by her side, that was enough.
“Then let’s stay a while longer,” Fang Xuan said.
He truly did miss this place.
Everything in his memories felt familiar: this rented apartment, this street, this city.
Back when he had been here, he had always wanted to escape. But now that he was about to leave, he found himself reluctant...
...
It was getting late, and the two of them had wandered around for a long time.
The wind had picked up considerably, and a few strands of Ning Xian’s hair were blown loose.
Fang Xuan reached out and put the hood of her hoodie over her head.
The black hood covered most of her face, revealing only the tip of her nose and her lips.
She wore a serious little expression, holding a cup of milk tea in both hands and taking tiny sips.
Junior Brother had said this was tea from this world.
It was too sweet and cloying. She did not really like it.
But it had been paid for, so it could not be wasted.
No, wait, no. They were leaving anyway, so Junior Brother would not need the money anymore. In that case, they might as well spend it all.
Just like last time, when time had reversed back to the Qingyun Sect, she had spent every bit of money she had saved...
...
After that came the tasting conference, since he had promised to bring Senior Sister out to eat good food.
Fang Xuan took her to the crayfish shop on the corner, then went next door to pack up a serving of pig’s trotter, then turned to the barbecue stall and ordered a bunch of beef skewers, chicken wings, squid tentacles, plus grilled eggplant and grilled chives.
He liked all of it. He just did not know whether Senior Sister would.
Ning Xian followed behind him, watching him buy food from one place after another, the bags in his hands growing more and more numerous.
“That’s enough.” She tugged at his sleeve.
Fang Xuan looked down at the plastic bags filling both hands. “We still haven’t eaten hotpot.”
The hotpot restaurant was on the fourth floor of the mall. There were not many people there at that hour, so they found a window seat.
Fang Xuan dumped slices of meat into the red oil broth and taught her how to hold tripe with chopsticks and swish it in the soup.
“Seven up, eight down,” he said. “That makes it the most tender.”
Ning Xian copied him, picking up a slice of tripe and dipping it into the pot, lifting it, lowering it, then lifting it again.
It was very spicy. Her eyes instantly turned red.
Fang Xuan handed her a cup of sour plum juice. She took it and drank half of it in one go, only then suppressing the heat.
“It’s really spicy...” she said in a muffled voice.
Fang Xuan smiled. “Then eat something not spicy.”
He picked out a few slices of fatty beef from the tomato broth and placed them into her bowl.
Ning Xian lowered her head and ate. The spicy taste faded, replaced by something sweet and sour.
She picked up another slice of tripe, this time swishing it fewer times. It was not as spicy.
As she ate, Ning Xian realized Fang Xuan had hardly touched his chopsticks. “Junior Brother isn’t eating?”
Fang Xuan shook his head. “Senior Sister should eat.”
He dropped some shrimp paste into the pot, and after it floated up, he scooped it out and placed it in her bowl.
Ning Xian looked at the little mountain of food in her bowl, and the tips of her ears reddened slightly.
She picked up a slice of fatty beef and placed it into Fang Xuan’s bowl. “You should eat too...”
...
After the meal, Fang Xuan held Ning Xian’s hand as they walked along the street.
He was still thinking about where to take Senior Sister next.
Blue Star... after this, they truly would never be able to come back.
An amusement park? Too far.
An arcade? Senior Sister probably would not know how to play.
Ask Senior Sister? She would definitely say something like “You have no ambition,” then drag him home to do proper business...
In the end, not knowing what else to do, they simply walked home.
By the time they got back, it was already quite late.
Fang Xuan put the packed dishes into the refrigerator. Ning Xian had already finished bathing and was wearing his short-sleeved shirt, drying her hair.
Her hair was dripping wet, and droplets of water fell onto the shirt, soaking it into darker patches.
Fang Xuan walked over and took the towel from her hand. “I’ll do it.”
Ning Xian obediently sat there...
...
After a while, he also got ready to bathe.
In the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror.
Sixteen years old. Thin. Fair-skinned.
Not quite the same as before, and yet still the same person.
He dried himself, changed into clean clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. The living room light was already off, and only a sliver of light showed through the crack under the bedroom door.
He pushed the door open. Ning Xian was lying on her side on the bed, the blanket pulled up to her waist, wearing his white short-sleeved shirt, her two legs exposed.
She was still awake.
Fang Xuan walked over and lay down beside her.
Ning Xian leaned over and buried her face in his chest, one hand resting on his waist.
The person in his arms had already fallen asleep. Her breathing was light and slow, one breath after another.
He held her and listened to her heartbeat, feeling that this was good enough.
No need to think about those tasks. No need to think about those laws. No need to think about going back.
Just hold her like this, in this tiny rented apartment, and spend a whole lifetime this way...
He curved his lips into a smile.
Tomorrow, he would take Senior Sister out for breakfast.
Soy milk, fried dough sticks, and his favorite soup dumplings. Senior Sister would probably like them too.
Then they would go sit by the river in the sun, go to the market to buy groceries, and in the evening he would make red braised meat for her.
He had already decided: no fatty pieces, all lean meat, a little less chili. She would definitely like it...
Rate on N.U.
