Chapter 30: Lost, Return
Next, I need to transfer to Line 4 and get off at Liuhe Road Station, then transfer to Line 6 and get off at Jixi Garden Station in District Six. I’ll walk along Heping Street to Binhai Road, and it will take about ten more minutes to get home.
I’ve only covered less than a third of the distance.
Actually, once I’m in District Six, I can get off at any station. I’m quite familiar with District Six, so I won’t get lost.
It’s just that getting off at Jixi Garden Station will be faster to get home.
Besides, there’s a pastry shop nearby… To appease my younger sisters, I think it would be better to buy some sweets to take back.
Ah, wait, I don’t have my wallet on me…
I used the last bit of loose change to buy the subway ticket. That’s why I didn’t even have money to buy water earlier…
Suddenly, I realized how uncomfortable it is for a modern person to not carry a wallet or phone.
This is a bit troublesome. I should have borrowed some money from Xue Qing… Oh, but if I borrowed money from her, I feel like she would just hand over her Black Card to me…
When I used that Black Card at the department store, we drew quite a bit of attention. Wherever we went, people would gather around us, like we were rare animals. The cashier, in particular, looked at us with suspicion at first, but after successfully swiping the card, the change in his expression and attitude made one sigh and say, “This is what it feels like to be rich and powerful.”
Perhaps some people would enjoy this kind of attention. I, for one, don’t. Being stared at doesn’t make me feel pleased; it only makes me uncomfortable.
But all those gazes combined don’t even compare to Lanhua’s gaze!
Why do you have to follow me and stare at my back! What’s so interesting about my back? Can you see through me? Even if you could, there’s nothing much to see on a grown man like me, right? Although I pay attention to health and diet, I don’t work out every day, so my muscles aren’t very defined…
Hmm… Speaking of which, should I go to the gym?
Losing to Lianbing in terms of strength still makes me resentful.
If I had trained properly back then, I would have had the strength to resist, and perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Constantly running away isn’t a solution, and sometimes verbal communication isn’t enough to resolve issues completely… Perhaps it’s time for me to change and find better ways to cope.
Like Lanhua, who is behind me…
Even if I try to escape, she’ll show up in a ghostly manner. Even if she doesn’t corner me completely, it’s not far from it.
If she truly has special feelings for me, it would be best for her to give up as soon as possible…
With that thought, I stopped, my emotions complicated, and said without looking back.
“Um…”
“What?”
I immediately received a reply. She seemed to have never taken her attention off me.
“No, it’s nothing…”
I should find a better opportunity to talk to her. She hasn’t confessed to me, so it would be too self-centered of me to give her the “friend zone” card right now.
While pondering the best way to reject Lanhua in my mind, I walked into the subway.
There weren’t as many people on Line 6. After all, most people live in the more central areas, and those who live in the remote corners of District Six are a minority. Most people had already disembarked at earlier stops.
So, there were not many people in the carriage now, and most seats were empty.
I found a seat at random and waved to Lanhua.
“Lanhua, there’s a seat here.”
I called out to her because I didn’t want her to sit opposite me. If she sat opposite me, she would stare at me the whole time. Lanhua’s gaze still made me uncomfortable, and I couldn’t stand it. If she sat next to me, her gaze would at least be less piercing.
“Mmm, I’m coming.”
Lanhua hugged herself and walked over hesitantly. Her white shirt had become somewhat transparent because it was wet. Perhaps she was concerned about the stares of other men, as her movements became noticeably more reserved.
Then she sat down next to me but didn’t dare to get close, leaving about half a person’s distance between us.
“Haaah…”
Perhaps it was because I could finally sit down, but the exhaustion suddenly washed over me, and I couldn’t help but let out a big sigh.
To my surprise, as soon as Lanhua saw me sigh, she leaned over with a worried expression and asked with concern.
“Juncheng, are you alright? I pushed so hard against your stomach earlier. Did I rupture your wound?”
“Huh? Oh, the wound… It’s fine. It’s almost healed, and it doesn’t hurt much.”
I touched my belly through my shirt. It didn’t hurt even when I pressed on it. Kaoru Tsukiyose was right about the healing properties of Ghoul saliva; my abdominal wound had almost healed in just one night.
Wait? No, how did she know I had a wound on my abdomen?
Speaking of which, she also knew I lived in District Six… Did she investigate me?
I felt an inexplicable fear towards Lanhua’s knowledge of my affairs, and my expression honestly showed it.
Seeing my expression, Lanhua thought I was enduring pain and her face was full of worry.
“Are you really okay?”
“Mmm, I’m really fine. I sighed because I came out yesterday without notifying my family, and my phone ran out of battery, so I couldn’t contact them. They must be worried about me now…”
I briefly explained what was worrying me. Of course, there was also the matter of Lanhua herself… but I couldn’t tell her that face-to-face.
Lanhua nodded and said, “I see.” Then, she pulled out a canvas bag from somewhere and took out a power bank, saying to me.
“Um, I have my power bank with me. Juncheng, do you want to use it?”
Oh, this is a lifesaver! She brought a power bank with her. How thoughtful of her.
Speaking of which, she brought a bag?
Never mind, as long as I can charge it…
“Can I? But I use a Xiaomi phone, and the charging cable is a bit different…”
“What a coincidence. I use a Xiaomi phone too, the same as Juncheng’s.”
“Eh?”
Saying that, Lanhua showed me her phone.
Not only was it the same model of phone, but even the phone case was the same…
A coincidence… perhaps?
Looking at Lanhua’s kind smile, her expression of wanting to please me, I shivered unexpectedly, and at the same time, felt a little happy about being cared for… It was a complicated feeling.
Perhaps… she’s more obsessive than I thought…
Afraid of revealing my inner surprise, I just nodded in thanks and took the power bank.
She stopped looking at me and just looked down at her phone.
Earlier, she was so infatuated with me, even willing to expose her chest and stomach, but now she’s suddenly lady-like? I really can’t figure out the boundaries of her shame…
Is it because she likes me that she’s willing to show me?
They say love makes people foolish. Has Lanhua also become a love-struck fool?
I propped my cheek on my hand, looking at her still pink name tag, and started searching my memory for information about Lanhua.
What was the trigger for her falling in love with me… It couldn’t be love at first sight, right?
As I thought, my mind gradually stopped working, and my brain started to shut down. My vision became hazy, and my eyelids involuntarily drooped.
“Hoo… ha… mmm…”
I let out a big yawn. Fatigue and weariness filled my whole body, and my eyelids were heavy.
I’m so sleepy… Ugh, my phone just started charging…
But we’re almost home, so it shouldn’t matter if it’s charged or not, right?
No, I’m so sleepy… What’s going on? Why am I suddenly so sleepy…
“Juncheng, Juncheng?”
Lanhua is calling me… I shook my head, still feeling groggy, and said to Lanhua.
“Ah, sorry, let me sleep for a bit… Um, just wake me up when we get to Jixi Garden Station…”
I just can’t stay awake anymore…
I’ll just take a short nap…
…
“We’ve arrived at the station, Juncheng.”
“Oh, oh?”
I heard someone calling my name, a very pleasant voice.
Lanhua was looking at me with a smile. Why is her face so close… Uh… I’m…
I’m resting my head on her lap!
I immediately woke up and quickly sat up.
*Bang!*
I don’t know why she didn’t move, but in the end, my head and Lanhua’s head collided. And it was a hard collision, with a large bump forming on my forehead.
“Ouch… that hurt…”
“Sorry! I was startled when I suddenly saw your face, so I…”
“Am I that scary… Hmph…”
“Uh, no, it’s just that… I didn’t expect to be sleeping with my head on your lap…”
To avoid continuing this topic, I quickly looked around for something else to talk about.
It was then that I realized there was no one else in the carriage. Did we reach the last stop?
Ah, damn it. I only intended to sleep for a bit, but I ended up oversleeping…
“Um, this is the last stop, right? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Seeing me ask her in a tone that sounded like a reprimand, Lanhua said indignantly.
“Because you were sleeping so soundly, and you were even drooling… I really couldn’t bear to wake you up, so we rode to the last stop.”
“Ehh?!”
I thought I had drooled, so I quickly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, but I didn’t feel any drool.
Huh? I didn’t drool?
Was she just lying to me?
That’s strange…
“Ah… Well, it’s fine. It’s not too far from my place, just a few hundred meters more to walk. Let’s get off quickly; the train will depart again soon.”
After quickly getting off the subway and back on the ground, I found that it was completely dark outside. I guessed it was already around eight or nine o’clock at night.
Lanhua was also unusually quiet, following behind me with small steps, her head down.
Finally, we stopped at an intersection. I scratched my head and pointed east, saying.
“So, from here on, I’ll be walking this way… Lanhua, what about you?”
Should I escort her home? Hmm, I guess I should. It’s not right to let a girl walk alone at night.
“Let’s part ways here. My home is nearby. That building there is it! Hehe, actually, I rode to the last stop for my own convenience. You don’t blame me, do you, Juncheng?”
She’s lying.
An obvious lie.
Even though I don’t know where Lanhua lives, it’s definitely not in that building so close by.
Is she lying to avoid troubling me?
“Is that so… Then I’ll be going?”
I deliberately used a question, conveying the hidden meaning: “I can still escort you if you want.”
But she still didn’t ask me to stay. She just waved her small hand reservedly and bid me farewell.
“Goodbye, Juncheng.”
“Ah, ah, goodbye…”
I waved awkwardly and turned to walk away… Her gaze didn’t disappear.
She was watching me.
Watching me, watching me, watching me.
It made me feel that even after my back had completely disappeared from view, she would still be standing there, watching me…
Recalling that pink name tag, I couldn’t help but sigh again.
The more you like me, the more I feel sorry for you…
It’s almost like I want to kneel down and apologize to you.
“Tch…”
When the axe falls, the mess is undone!
I made up my mind, turned back, and called out her name loudly.
“Lanhua!”
I didn’t add “classmate” because what I was about to say was not something I would say as a classmate.
“Um! I’m very sorry! I already have a girlfriend!”
First, I stated the reason.
“So! Even if you like me! I can’t be with you!”
Then, I was direct and to the point.
“Really! I’m truly, truly sorry!”
Saying these words of apology, my heart felt a sense of release.
After speaking, I turned around and was about to take a step forward when my enhanced hearing caught Lanhua’s voice.
It sounded like crying.
It shouldn’t… be a hallucination.
But at this moment, it wasn’t my place to comfort her…
Gritting my teeth, I didn’t look back and walked further away from her.
I hope you can find someone who truly likes you…
And that person isn’t me.
