Chapter Thirty-Six

Lin Zimo was practicing makeup in front of the mirror. Since Yu Xingyue disliked girls with heavy makeup, surely he wouldn’t mind girls with lighter makeup? With this thought, Lin Zimo began applying makeup again.

Outside the door, Lin Xiaxin watched Lin Zimo, helplessly clutching her head. Her sister’s romance nerves were acting up again. The guy didn’t even know she liked him—was all this really necessary?

Lin Xiaxin said, “Sister, do you really have to be so serious? That person doesn’t even know you like him.”

“He’ll notice eventually, won’t he?”

“That’s not the point. The whole world is full of viruses right now. We can’t even go out, and it might take months to get better. He can’t see how you look with makeup now.”

“So what? I’ll endure these months, until the virus disappears.”

“You really are hopeless, sister,” Lin Xiaxin sighed.

As for Lin Zimo’s parents, they were equally baffled by her current state. Their thoughts echoed Lin Xiaxin’s earlier question: just who was this Yu Xingyue that could make Lin Zimo so obsessed?

But that thought was fleeting; with time better spent considering who should go out to shop for supplies. Both parents and Lin Zimo had already gone out, leaving only Lin Xiaxin. So Lin Xiaxin was appointed to go shopping.

It was Lin Xiaxin’s first time shopping alone. Unfamiliar with the route, she used her phone’s GPS to find the supermarket. Although the supermarket was only a few hundred meters from her home, her unfamiliarity with the route meant it took ten extra minutes to get there.

“Finally here! Mom and Dad’s shopping list is way too long. How am I supposed to manage all this?” Lin Xiaxin complained, pulling out the list. It was much longer than the one Lin Zimo had given Yu Xingyue before.

“I haven’t practiced my arm strength in ages—guess this’ll count as training,” she said, rallying herself and heading into the supermarket. She went through several procedures before fully entering, wary as anyone would be during an epidemic.

Lin Xiaxin carefully searched for all the items on the list. She dared not make mistakes; in the past, not getting things right would mean a scolding from her dad, a shadow she still found amusing in hindsight, reminding her of happier times.

After half an hour, she had only managed to buy half the items. There was still so much left, and even with a cart, she couldn’t fit everything.

Suddenly, someone bumped into Lin Xiaxin, causing her to drop everything. A person caught her from behind, preventing her from hitting her head on the ground.

Lin Xiaxin turned to see who had helped her. He had hair tinged with deep-sea blue, stood around 1.7 meters tall, and his strong arms captivated her.

“Miss, are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“I’m fine, thanks for catching me.”

“A handsome guy helping a beautiful lady—it’s only right. Glad you’re okay.”

“Since we’ve met by chance, how about adding each other on WeChat?” Lin Xiaxin smiled.

Her smile was even more beautiful than Lin Zimo’s. The young man blushed at the sight, thinking, “She smiles so adorably!”

“Are you alright? Did I scare you?” Lin Xiaxin asked.

“I was just mesmerized by your smile, so…”

“You’re so honest. Most people just look at me with filthy eyes.”

“Changing the topic so suddenly is a bit awkward,” the young man replied with an embarrassed laugh.

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“Sorry about that. So, would you like to add me on WeChat?”

“Sure, but maybe we should know each other’s names first.”

“My Chinese name is Lin Xiaxin, but my real name is Lily Lin.”

The young man introduced himself as well. “I’m Xiao Jian. It’s a pleasure to meet you, friend from Japan.”

His name was Xiao Jian. The previous incident with Huang Feifan had ended, everyone had gone home, and the next outing would be two weeks later. Xiao Jian was passing by the supermarket after feeling thirsty and went in to buy water. When he saw Lin Xiaxin about to fall, he rushed over to catch her, and that brought them together.

Lin Xiaxin had no idea that Xiao Jian was friends with Yu Xingyue, nor had her sister Lin Zimo ever mentioned Xiao Jian. Lin Zimo’s mind was filled with Yu Xingyue and nothing else, while Lin Xiaxin had only Yu Xingyue’s name in her head—until she met Xiao Jian, after which Yu Xingyue’s name faded from her thoughts.

After exchanging QR codes, they quickly became friends. Once confirmed, Lin Xiaxin sighed, “What am I going to do with all this stuff?”

Xiao Jian patted his chest and smiled, “When a lady’s in trouble, I must come to the rescue.”

“This isn’t a life-or-death matter; I just haven’t finished shopping, and there’s so much to carry.”

“I’m confident in my strength. Leave the shopping to me.” Xiao Jian grabbed the shopping list from Lin Xiaxin’s hand. He could read Japanese as easily as a child’s homework and started shopping.

Lin Xiaxin was stunned. She’d assumed Xiao Jian couldn’t read Japanese, but clearly she’d underestimated him. This young man really was something; she’d thought she’d have to help him translate, but it was unnecessary.

About ten minutes later, Xiao Jian came before Lin Xiaxin with a huge bag of items. Lin Xiaxin was amazed at his efficiency—it was much faster than her parents. Xiao Jian was very familiar with the supermarket and knew exactly where every item was.

“Thank you so much. You’re truly a good person.”

Xiao Jian smiled. “You’re welcome. There’s so much stuff—it’s not easy for a girl to carry it all. Let me help you.”

“I appreciate it.”

On the way back, there weren’t many people—just those venturing out on behalf of their families, and security staff at each building checkpoint conducting temperature checks.

Xiao Jian carried Lin Xiaxin’s things without breaking a sweat. To him, it was nothing. Lin Xiaxin looked at him as if he were a monster—why wasn’t he sweating? Did his tongue sweat instead?

Her logic was a bit exaggerated, and as she pondered these things, they arrived at her building entrance.

Xiao Jian set the items down and said, “I can only take you this far. I can’t go inside, so you’ll need to call your family down to fetch the stuff.”

Lin Xiaxin smiled, “Thank you, brother. Hope to see you again.”

“Yeah, if you need anything, just contact me on WeChat.” Xiao Jian said goodbye and disappeared. Lin Zimo came down to help Lin Xiaxin carry the items.

“Sis, you’re amazing—managing to bring home so much.”

“It wasn’t me, sister; someone helped me.”

“Really? But I didn’t see anyone. Don’t be modest, just hurry up and carry the rest.” Lin Zimo took half up the stairs, and Lin Xiaxin took the other half, quickly reaching their apartment.

Once home, Lin Xiaxin dropped off the items and ran to her room. Lin Zimo, still clueless about what happened, wanted to ask Lin Xiaxin if her makeup had any flaws.

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Lin Xiaxin didn’t know why she kept thinking about the boy named Xiao Jian. He’d only helped her shop and carry her things home, so why…

…

That evening, Yu Xingyue grew anxious when Yang Shuting hadn’t come home. He wanted to call and check if she was safe, but when he dialed, he got the familiar, “The number you dialed is powered off.”

“Mom, why aren’t you home yet? Your phone’s dead—I can’t take it, I’m going out to look for you.” Yu Xingyue changed clothes, preparing to go out and search for Yang Shuting. Just as he was about to leave, Yang Shuting returned, bringing a man with her.

“Yugo, what’s this?” Yang Shuting asked.

“You scared me, Mom. Next time, please send me a message before your phone dies. Don’t keep making me worry.” Yu Xingyue was slightly annoyed, though it didn’t show much.

“Sorry, I won’t do that again. I promise,” Yang Shuting apologized.

“By the way, Mom, who’s this man?” Yu Xingyue pointed to the man beside Yang Shuting. If he guessed right, this was the one his mother had mentioned, the man who treated her well.

Yang Shuting introduced him, “Yugo, this is the person I told you about, Sun Yao. Sun Yao, this is my son I’ve told you about.”

Yu Xingyue sized him up, and Sun Yao did the same. Yu Xingyue’s impression was of a bespectacled, slightly overweight man. Sun Yao’s impression of Yu Xingyue was that he was harmless-looking and easy to get along with.

Yu Xingyue reached out, face a little flushed. “Uncle, I’m my mother’s son, called Yu Xingyue. Yugo is my old name.”

Sun Yao shook hands, smiling. “I’ve heard your mother talk about you often. You’re quite handsome—a fine young man.”

“You flatter me. I’m just average, not really worth anyone’s attention.”

Yang Shuting interjected, “Yugo, I haven’t told you much about Sun Yao’s situation yet. I think you’ll understand soon.”

“Go ahead, Mom. I can handle it.” He felt that something significant was coming, and tensed up.

“Actually, both your Uncle Sun and I are the same—we’ve both been divorced. Uncle Sun has a daughter in sixth grade. We truly love each other, so I hope you’ll give us your blessing,” Yang Shuting pleaded.

Yu Xingyue’s lips curled into a smile. “Mom, I understand you and Uncle Sun truly love each other. I can’t decide your affairs. If you’re genuine, I have no objections; I just hope you haven’t misjudged him.”

Yu Xingyue had considered Yang Shuting’s situation. A divorced woman in her thirties or forties finding someone better than before was much harder nowadays, in a society where looks mattered more than in the past.

Sun Yao and Yang Shuting worked at the same company. After her divorce, Yang Shuting brought Yu Xingyue with her to another place. Shortly after starting her new job, Sun Yao met Yang Shuting.

Upon meeting her, Sun Yao couldn’t help but inquire about her family and learned she was divorced with a child. He too was divorced, so he saw it as a good opportunity and began talking to her.

Over time, they went from strangers to close friends, something Yu Xingyue didn’t know. He thought Yang Shuting was still worrying about not finding a new partner, but now he wondered if Sun Yao was truly sincere.

In summary, Yu Xingyue felt a barrier between himself and Sun Yao.

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