On Monday morning, Xue Yang got up on time to prepare for school.
"Xue Yang, will you be coming back for lunch?"
"No, I'll eat at school and take a nap there."
"Then what about me? I can't cook, and I don't have any money..."
"..."
Finally, Xue Yang simply said, "Wait for me to get back," and left.
After Xue Yang left for school, Lin Xi went into his room to collect the laundry. While sitting on the bed folding clothes, she ran her hand over the mattress. The comforter wasn't silk, and the bed wasn't particularly large—180cm wide at most—but it was a real bed, clean and tidy.
I'll just lie down for a bit. Xue Yang probably won't find out, right?
Sleeping on the couch was miserable. After three nights, Lin Xi's entire body ached, and she desperately needed to lie on a proper bed to ease the aches.
Whatever. He's at school anyway. What's the harm in lying down for a little while?
Lin Xi took off her shoes and slipped under the covers. It smelled like Xue Yang—a comforting scent, the same one he always carried. She took a deep breath, and it even had a hint of sunshine to it—a scent that was hard not to love.
She had thought she wouldn't be able to sleep in a strange man's bed, but before long, Lin Xi was fast asleep. She slept soundly until Xue Yang returned from his classes at noon.
He glanced around the living room but didn't see Lin Xi. She wasn't in the bathroom either. When he went to his room, he found her sleeping peacefully in his bed, like a sleeping beauty.
Sensing someone watching her, Lin Xi slowly woke up. When she saw it was Xue Yang, she felt a flash of annoyance. How could I have fallen asleep? And so soundly, too!
"You're sleeping in my bed!"
"Well, you wouldn't switch with me! Sleeping on the couch is too uncomfortable. I only meant to lie down for a little while; I didn't expect to fall asleep. It's no big deal. I'll make the bed for you."
Feeling guilty, Lin Xi quickly made Xue Yang's bed.
"Come out and eat."
"Aren't you cooking today?"
"I have classes. When would I have time to cook? I brought back takeout from the school cafeteria. Eat it if you want. If you don't, I'll finish it."
"I'll eat."
Lin Xi hurriedly put on her shoes and went out to the living room.
"There's only one meal."
"Just one." Xue Yang took out a bowl and portioned half of it for her.
For two days straight, Xue Yang grabbed food from the school cafeteria and rushed home.
On the third day, just as Xue Yang got his food and was about to leave, Cui Hao quickly grabbed his arm.
"Xue Yang, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Going home to eat."
"You're not napping in the dorm at lunch again? You know, you really don't have to do this."
Xue Yang knew Cui Hao had misunderstood something, but he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Not going back."
With that, Xue Yang turned to leave again.
"Hey, do you have a Snail Girl hiding at home or something? You're always rushing off. Anyway, I wanted to ask—this Friday is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the holiday starts tomorrow afternoon. Are you going home? If not, want to come with us to the top of Phoenix Mountain to watch the moon? The news said this year's Mid-Autumn moon is the roundest it's been in a hundred years."
It was only then that Xue Yang realized the Mid-Autumn Festival was just a couple of days away.
"Not going back. Not going."
After saying that, he left without a backward glance.
Not long after Xue Yang departed, Chen Ying and her group of friends made a grand entrance into the cafeteria.
"Look at those two... One of them has eaten here maybe a handful of times in three years, but recently she's been here every day. The other one comes every day, but just grabs his food and runs. No one would believe there isn't something fishy going on."
On Thursday, the school holiday began in the afternoon. This meant Xue Yang only had a half-day of classes. Once school let out at noon, Xue Yang, as usual, grabbed takeout from the cafeteria and headed back to his rented apartment.
As soon as he opened the door, a barefoot Lin Xi came hopping toward him. "Xue Yang, I've decided! I'm going to earn some money."
Xue Yang's gaze drifted to the floor, where a pair of delicate, playful feet seemed to beckon to him. He abruptly tore his eyes away and set the food on the table.
"Alright, my dear runaway, before you figure out how to make money, let's fill that stomach of yours first."
"Xue Yang, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival. Are you going home?" she asked, her eyes full of hope that he would stay. Being left alone in this rental during the Mid-Autumn Festival would be so miserable.
"Yanjing is too far from my hometown. The holiday is only one day, plus the weekend makes three. The round trip alone would take up all three days, leaving no time for anything else, so I'm not going back."
"That's great! I was so afraid you'd leave me here all by myself. I would have been scared to death."
From the sound of it, she has no intention of going home either.
After they finished eating, Xue Yang reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled ten-yuan bill.
"Let's go buy a lottery ticket."
Lin Xi stared at the lottery shop's sign, then glanced at Xue Yang beside her, a strange light twinkling in her eyes.
"Xue Yang, are you sure we can actually win?"
Lin Xi had never bought a lottery ticket. She'd heard stories online about people getting rich overnight from it. She used to find it amusing, wondering why such a sum was worth all the hype. But now...
What if we actually win?
Seeing Lin Xi's wide-eyed curiosity, Xue Yang said, "Lin Xi, have you ever heard of beginner's luck?"
"No."
"You pick the numbers."
"..."
Leaving the lottery shop, Xue Yang shrugged, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Well, that's our last ten yuan gone. We're both completely broke now."
Lin Xi froze, stopping in her tracks to stare at Xue Yang with wide eyes.
"Xue Yang, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"..."
"You deliberately spent our last ten yuan to force me to go home. But I just don't want to go home right now! Why are you so insistent on making me go home?"
She was right. He had done it on purpose. Lin Xi had initially said she would only stay for a few days, but now more than a week had passed with no sign of her wanting to return home. Xue Yang didn't want her to stray down the wrong path. At her age, she should be focused on her studies. Running away from home was something to be done for a lark, not taken seriously. Only by spending all their money and making her feel hopeless would she even consider going home. The method wasn't exactly honorable, but it was the best he could think of right now.
"Who said I want you to go home? I really am out of money, and I just figured I'd take a gamble with this last ten yuan. Think about it. If I used this money to buy milk tea, it would only be worth one cup of milk tea. But by buying a lottery ticket, it could potentially be worth much more than just ten yuan."
"So how much could it be worth?" Lin Xi asked curiously.
"What's the jackpot for this drawing?"
Lin Xi pointed to a banner in front of them. "Ten million."
"Exactly. So right now, it could be worth ten million."
"..."
"So, don't worry about anything. Let's just wait for the drawing. It's at eight o'clock tonight. It's still early, so let's go for a walk."