"Hello..."
Wen Tingxue heard her own throat tighten as she asked, "...He went to get some water, who are you?"
There was a noticeable pause on the other end, even the sobbing stopped. A moment later, the caller hung up.
As the "drip, drip" sound faded, the fingertips pinching the edge of the phone gradually regained color.
But her heart continued to sink.
Based on her intuition, she could tell the caller was very familiar with Yu Wenli.
Perhaps even that Yu Wenli was very familiar with her.
Wen Tingxue didn't know what to feel, just a dull, unsettled ache in her chest.
She had no right to say anything.
"Who?"
Yu Wenli came up with a cup of water, a faint mist swirling around its rim.
Wen Tingxue stared at the slowly rising steam, trying her best to smile, "I don't know, it was a girl. She sounded urgent, she was crying..."
The young lady suppressed the awkwardness in her heart and tried to convey everything she felt.
"She also called you... Wenli Gege... She probably had something urgent to ask you."
Hearing this, Yu Wenli's brow furrowed slightly, and he took the phone.
The call log only showed a number, but he knew who it was at a glance.
This realization made Wen Tingxue's heart ache dully, and she could no longer maintain her smile, forcing a weak curve of her lips.
"You should call her back. I'll go to the study first."
The young lady considerately took the cup of water and turned to walk downstairs.
"Yiyi..."
Yu Wenli instinctively reached out. Wen Tingxue was caught off guard, and some of the water spilled.
It landed on her hand, stinging a little.
Wen Tingxue slowly turned back. The eyes behind her glasses were dark and deep, and she couldn't understand anything.
"Sorry."
Yu Wenli lowered his head slightly, his warm fingertips wiping away the water on her hand.
The light from the ceiling lamp refracted off his thin glasses, making him appear cold.
Wen Tingxue's heart constricted, and an inexpressible emotion spread within her.
It compelled her to flee.
"Yiyi."
After a moment of silence, Yu Wenli's pale eyelids lifted, the gold-rimmed glasses slightly softening his sharp gaze.
Wen Tingxue seemed to guess what he was about to say. She rallied her spirits, waiting for him to continue.
Then, his phone rang again.
It was the same number.
Yu Wenli's brow furrowed, as if he were hesitating. After a few seconds, he said, "Gege needs to take this call first."
As he let go, he stared at her without blinking, "Wait for Gege for three minutes, okay?"
She had never been able to refuse him. Even though she didn't want to stay, she obediently nodded.
When he took his phone to the study, she suddenly felt a chill.
A chill that even the warm cup of water in her hands couldn't warm.
Time stretched infinitely. The young lady stood alone by the railing, her gaze unfocused on the floor below.
It wasn't until familiar footsteps sounded behind her that she moved her fingers as if coming to her senses.
Then, she turned back with a faint smile. Before she could speak, she saw his black trench coat and noticed that the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose were already gone.
A cool aura permeated the air.
Wen Tingxue blinked for two seconds and looked up, "Are you going out?"
Her slightly hoarse voice made Yu Wenli frown, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
But in the end, he just nodded and said, "Gege is going out for a bit. I'll be back in forty minutes."
Wen Tingxue lowered her eyes, "It's fine. I'll go back after I finish practicing my calligraphy."
A page of paper wouldn't take forty minutes.
Yu Wenli glanced at the untouched cup of water in her hand and sighed silently, "Forty minutes. Wait for Gege to come back and take you home, okay?"
Wen Tingxue wanted to refuse, but when she met his dark, deep eyes, she finally faltered.
"Okay..."
After nodding, the young lady turned and walked downstairs directly.
Yu Wenli closed his eyes with a complex expression, his thin lips almost pressed into a straight line.
...
When the hum of a motorcycle was heard outside, Wen Tingxue was writing the first character.
When she heard it again, she had just finished a page of calligraphy.
She put down her brush. The young man in black entered, carrying the coolness of the night, his gaze quickly sweeping over the Xuan paper.
The characters on it, stroke by stroke, clearly showed her absentmindedness.
Wen Tingxue sheepishly rolled up the Xuan paper, a transparent attempt at covering up.
"I was thinking about something else just now, so it didn't turn out very well. I'll make it up next time."
Yu Wenli's hand, which was gripping the doorknob, tightened, then loosened. He walked up to her and gently hugged her.
"It's okay, it's Gege who came back late."
Under normal circumstances, he should have been by her side, teaching her.
The clothes, still carrying the chill, pressed against her face. The little girl shivered from the cold, but her heart felt incredibly warm.
"Not late." He was back more than ten minutes earlier than he had said.
Yu Wenli tenderly rubbed her head, "Gege will take you home."
...
They remained silent until they reached the Wen family's door. Wen Tingxue raised her hand to enter the password.
The beeping sound became the only noise between them.
The door opened. The young lady hesitated for a few seconds, then turned around and said with a smile,
"Yu Gege, goodbye."
Her eyes sparkling, the young lady stood under the light, waving her right hand, which she didn't extend from her sleeve.
Yu Wenli smiled, his mood inexplicably improving. "Goodnight."
"Mmm."
Wen Tingxue nodded, burying her small face in her fully zipped collar, looking utterly adorable.
Seeing that he had nothing else to say, the young lady turned to go inside.
Just as the door was about to close, a hand suddenly blocked it.
The young lady jumped in surprise and quickly opened the door again, saying with annoyance, "What are you doing! What if you get hurt?"
Yu Wenli, startled, his eyes widened as the usually docile little rabbit suddenly became angry.
He stared for a long time before retracting his hand and smiling.
And his smile grew wider and wider, as if he were overflowing with joy, even causing his peach blossom eyes to narrow slightly, making him appear incredibly alluring.
Wen Tingxue's face wrinkled from his smile, not understanding what he was so happily grinning about, but she still reached out to hold his right hand.
She looked left and right, making sure he wasn't injured, and was about to let go when he clasped her hand first.
His warm palm pressed against her slightly cold hand, instantly warming it considerably.
The young lady shyly struggled twice, but not only did she not break free, she also leaned into him.
With a soft sigh, she fell into his embrace, the familiar scent filling her nose.
"Don't move," the young man said, his voice slightly hoarse as he held her shoulders, "Let Gege hug you."
Wen Tingxue pursed her lips and nestled obediently in his arms, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat. Her long-agitated heart also began to quiet down.
After a moment of silence, he said, "She's not important."
Wen Tingxue paused for a moment before understanding what he meant.
But... she wasn't important?
One phone call from her, and you went out...
The young lady bit her lower lip softly and said gently, "Okay."
Since he said she wasn't important, then she wasn't important.
After all, he had never lied to her.
"In Gege's heart," Yu Wenli said softly, rubbing her hair with his chin, his voice incredibly gentle, "you are the most important."
Like a feather brushing against her heart, the young lady's face instantly flushed. She pushed him away and quickly went inside.
Just as the door was about to close, she poked her head out and awkwardly tossed out a sentence—
"Goodnight."
Then, without waiting for his reaction, she hurriedly closed the door.
Yu Wenli smiled, his peach blossom eyes filled with tenderness.
The night wind was a little cold, but it felt just right at this moment.
He could still smell the lingering scent of her.
Taking two steps away, the young man took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and slowly lit one. Only when the light in that room turned on did he curve his lips slightly from behind the thin mist.
Silly girl.
She wasn't angry when she received the call, she wasn't angry when he left her, she wasn't angry when he didn't explain.
Yet, she lost her temper when he reached out to stop the door.
So foolish.
Foolish enough to make his heart ache.
When half a pack of cigarettes had burned out, the light extinguished. Yu Wenli walked away under the moonlight, his back carrying a sense of determination that hadn't been there before.