A Dinner of Discomfort and Unexpected Kindness

There was little to say during dinner; silence largely prevailed. Lin Ziyan sat opposite the two, engrossed in her phone. Ye Xingmian, constrained by the atmosphere, barely dared to speak.

Only Liu Yinuo actively tried to lighten the mood, occasionally placing pieces of meat into Ye Xingmian’s bowl.

“Eat more, Ye Xingmian. You’re too thin. A little more weight would make you even cuter.”

The girl could only stare blankly at the pile of food in her bowl, none of which she had served herself, and sigh.

“Thank you, Class Monitor… but I prefer to serve myself…”

“Hmph, are you saying if I don’t serve you, you won’t eat a single bite?”

Her thoughts exposed, the girl flushed. She lowered her head in embarrassment.

‘It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat. It was mainly a habit ingrained since childhood. In the past, if she took too many pieces of meat for herself, her adoptive parents would glare at her and gossip.’

Ignoring the girl’s embarrassment, Liu Yinuo secretly chuckled, watching her flushed profile.

Yet, beneath her amusement, a pang of pity struck her. What kind of family could make a child afraid to even eat more meat?

It was bad enough that her body was frail, but to live in constant fear, performing arduous chores day in and day out, without any acknowledgment of her efforts—it was truly unfair.

She shot a fierce glare at Lin Ziyan, who was still engrossed in her phone, and deliberately raised her voice.

“Ye Xingmian, what have you decided about what I mentioned earlier?”

“What matter…?” The girl paused, a little bewildered.

“About moving into my home, of course! Have you thought it over? Don’t worry, my parents won’t say anything. You can stay with me until after the college entrance exams, and I’ll help you with your studies.”

The girl remained silent for a long time. She discreetly glanced at Lin Ziyan, who was still looking at her phone, seemingly normal. However, Ye Xingmian noticed her clenched fists.

‘This is a threat… Besides, she herself couldn’t bring herself to cross that threshold.’

“I’m sorry, Class Monitor, but I don’t want to go.”

Rejecting her offer with a lowered head, the girl felt a pang of discomfort.

Liu Yinuo frowned. After a moment’s thought, however, she decided not to press the topic further. She assumed the girl’s refusal was still due to her parents, and the presence of Lin Ziyan nearby.

“Then, after dinner, could you take me to your bedroom? I’d like to use that time to tutor you.”

“My bedroom…? Perhaps not. Can we just stay here?”

“No, I want to see your bedroom, Ye Xingmian.” A major goal for Liu Yinuo in coming here was to observe the girl’s everyday living environment; how could she possibly give up?

“Ah? This… alright… I just hope the Class Monitor won’t be disgusted…” the girl said, her voice laced with hesitation.

“I won’t be.”

Time ticked by in the quiet atmosphere. Liu Yinuo continued to chat about various trivial things, while Lin Ziyan sat silently opposite them, like a forgotten outcast. She didn’t utter another word until the meal was finished.

“By the way, Ye Xingmian, you look really good in a skirt. You should try wearing them more often~”

“Class Monitor…!” The girl gripped her chopsticks tightly, her gaze at Liu Yinuo filled with a hint of embarrassment and frustration.

Between the three of them, some secrets no longer needed to be hidden; it was merely that no one had explicitly brought them into the open.

“Oh, it truly suits you! It just looks a bit old. How about you come to my place after school this afternoon, and I’ll buy you a couple of new ones to try on~”

Liu Yinuo had barely finished her cheerful words, before a sudden clatter of chopsticks echoed nearby, cutting off the girl’s response.

Snap!

Both their gazes were drawn to her. Lin Ziyan stood up coldly and casually stated, “I’m finished. Brother, remember to wash the dishes when you’re done. And…”

She fixed her gaze directly on Ye Xingmian’s pink eyes, her threat palpable. “Don’t forget, you still haven’t answered me about that matter.”

With that, she went straight upstairs, seemingly heading back to her bedroom.

Staring at the direction where her back disappeared, Ye Xingmian froze. ‘Was she… angry?’

She couldn’t understand why Lin Ziyan had suddenly gotten angry, but her intuition told her it wasn’t for a good reason. ‘Was it because of the Class Monitor? But the Class Monitor only mentioned inviting her to stay over. Why such a strong reaction?’

‘Even if the Lin family was without her, they wouldn’t lack anything, would they? Anyone could do chores and cook; it wasn’t an irreplaceable task.’

‘Could it really be because she wanted Ye Xingmian to sleep with her as a body pillow?’

It was hard to comprehend, but Lin Ziyan’s abrupt departure still dampened their mood, though the girl’s mood had never been particularly good to begin with.

Liu Yinuo also frowned, but unlike Ye Xingmian, she didn’t pay much mind to Lin Ziyan’s departure. Rather, it actually made things more convenient for her.

“Oh, don’t mind her. I brought you a gift~”

Smiling, she turned around and pulled a white and grey striped scarf from her backpack.

“Here, this is for you. Isn’t it pretty?”

“This is… a scarf…?”

“Yes, that’s right. The weather’s getting colder, and it’s been quite windy these past few days, so I picked up a scarf for you on my way here. You won’t be cold when you wear it to school from now on~”

“Thank you, Class Monitor… but I can’t accept it. You should keep it for yourself…”

“What do you mean? If I say it’s for you, then it’s for you! What do you mean by not accepting it? Do you want me to hit you, you evil big-chested girl!”

Liu Yinuo playfully waved her small fist. Ye Xingmian instinctively recoiled, her usual inability to refuse others resurfacing.

“Isn’t this… inappropriate…”

“What’s inappropriate about it? Just take it!”

Quickly catching the scarf Liu Yinuo tossed to her, the girl felt her face grow warm. A strange, inexpressible feeling bloomed in her heart—a warmth, a hint of joy. Yet, accompanying it was an even heavier burden.

Her eyes held a complex expression, but in the end, she could only thank her once more.

“What are you thanking me for? Do you know how to wear it? Should I show you?”

“No… no need…”

Clutching the warm scarf felt like holding a precious, yet heavy, treasure. The girl’s eyes dimmed slightly.

“Alright, then put it on and let me see.”

The girl obediently wrapped it around her neck, a little flustered as she did so.

“It looks quite good~” Liu Yinuo nodded in satisfaction. “Are you finished eating? If so, take me to your bedroom.”

“But… I still need to wash the dishes…”

“Oh, you can do that anytime~ First, take me to see your bedroom. I’ll help you wash them later.”

“Isn’t this… inappropriate…”

“That phrase again! What’s inappropriate about it? I said I want to help you; you’re not asking me to. Do you understand?”

“Mm…”

The kinder Liu Yinuo was to her, the more uncomfortable Ye Xingmian felt. With the accumulating sense of indebtedness, she no longer knew how to repay it.

All she could think of was to use her own delicate strength to resist Liu Yinuo’s closeness.