Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

When Shen Ruolan pushed the cherries in front of Yan Xi, Li Mohan had already picked up his teacup and put it down for the fourth time.

"Xiao Xi, the guest room is ready. The towels are new, and two toothbrushes have been prepared—whether you prefer soft or medium bristles?"

"Soft fur. Thank you, Auntie."

Shen Ruolan turned and glared at Li Chen. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I told you," Li Chen said, his voice tinged with grievance. "When you asked me last week, I—"

"You said 'it should be soft-bristled.' What do you mean by 'should be'? You're not sure? You can't even tell what kind of toothbrush someone uses, how can you even talk about dating?"

Yan Xi's fingers were holding a cherry. She hadn't eaten it. She pressed her lips together repeatedly.

Li Mohan cleared his throat on the opposite sofa. "Alright. Stop the interrogation. The child has been traveling all day—"

"What business is it of yours if I interrogate my son?"

Li Mohan shut up. The third time.

Yan Xi put a cherry in her mouth. She took a bite. It was sweet.

"Aunt."

"Um?"

"He knows. Soft bristles, 0.01mm bristles, small brush head. He bought me a toothbrush when he went to the supermarket last time."

Shen Ruolan's gaze shifted from Yan Xi to Li Chen.

Li Chen's expression was somewhere between "You finally spoke up for me" and "How come you even remember the parameters?"

"Then what you just said, 'it should be'—"

"Nervous," Li Chen said.

Shen Ruolan stared at him for three seconds. Then she sighed. "Just like your dad. You always mess things up when you're nervous."

Li Mohan coughed suddenly on the other end.

Yan Xi stood up. "Auntie, I'll go check on the guest rooms."

"I'll take you—"

"I can go by myself. My uncle said it's the second room on the right in the corridor."

Shen Ruolan glanced at Li Mohan. Li Mohan nodded slightly. Yan Xi turned and walked into the corridor.

After she left, the living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Shen Ruolan turned to Li Chen, her voice lowered.

"She just called me 'Auntie.' She called me seven times."

"……so?"

"Your dad called him 'uncle' three times. He distributed the gifts evenly. Polite and well-mannered, but not overly affectionate." Shen Ruolan picked up a cherry. "That's normal. It's my first time here. Take it slow."

Li Chen looked at his mother's profile.

"Are you getting impatient?"

"I'm not in a hurry, I'm observing."

Shen Ruolan took a bite of the cherry.

"She was nervous, but she hid it well. She curled her fingers on her knees four times, did you see that?"

"I saw it."

"You didn't hold her hand?"

"In front of you?"

Shen Ruolan accurately hit the fruit peel dish on the coffee table with a cherry pit. "Don't you usually walk at school?"

Li Chen remained silent.

"Go." Shen Ruolan gestured towards the corridor. "See if she needs anything. Is there enough blanket? Do the slippers fit? Don't let her feel confined in your house."

Li Chen stood up. He took two steps, then turned back.

"mom."

"Um."

"Where did you hide that photo of me wetting the bed?"

Shen Ruolan's lips curved slightly. "Your dad hid it. Ask him."

Li Chen looked at Li Mohan.

Li Mohan rubbed his thumb on the teacup. "The safe. The password is your mother's birthday."

Why did you set your password to my mom's birthday?

"What's it to you?"

Li Chen turned and left.

The hallway lights were a warm yellow. The guest room door was ajar. He knocked.

"Come in."

Yan Xi stood by the window.

The guest rooms were small, but they were kept impeccably clean.

The bed sheet is light gray, and there are two pillows.

There was a glass of water and a small nightlight on the bedside table.

The curtains are newly replaced.

Li Chen remembered that the curtains in this room used to be dark blue, but now they were off-white.

Yan Xi was looking at the glass of water on the bedside table.

"Sixty degrees," she said.

"My mom controls the temperature."

"The cup is new. The handle is to the right."

"You're used to holding your cup with your right hand."

Yan Xi turned to look at him.

"Did you tell your mom?"

"No. She guessed it herself."

Yan Xi's gaze shifted to the pillows. Two pillows. One tall, one short. The shorter one was on the right.

How did your mom know I sleep on a low pillow?

Li Chen's ears turned slightly red.

"I may have... mentioned it once."

"You tell your mom how high my pillow is."

"When she asked me about my sleeping habits, I... just blurted it out."

Yan Xi pressed her finger on the pillow. "Buckwheat."

"You don't like it—"

I like buckwheat pillows.

Li Chen's mouth opened slightly. "I didn't say that."

"How did your mom know?"

The two stared at each other for two seconds.

Yan Xi walked up to him. "Your mother is scarier than you."

"……I know."

Yan Xi reached out her hand. Her fingertip touched the inside of his wrist, in the same spot as when they were eating earlier.

You were nervous all night.

"without--"

"You touched the rim of the bowl three times with your chopsticks while picking up food. You usually do it no more than once."

Li Chen looked down. Her fingertips were still resting on his wrist.

"Your mother is doing well," Yan Xi said.

"Um."

"Your dad too."

"Um."

"How many times did he rub the armrest?"

"I counted seven times."

Yan Xi's lips curved slightly. "Eight times. You missed the one before he went to the kitchen."

Li Chen looked at her. The warm yellow light shone on her face. The phoenix hairpin had a subtle silver sheen under the light.

"Yan Xi".

"Um."

"Thank you for coming."

Yan Xi's fingers slid off his wrist.

You said you'd take me with you.

She took a step back, turned him around with both hands, and pushed him by the shoulders toward the door.

"Get out. I need to take a shower."

"The water heater is here—"

"On the right wall, your mom posted the user manual. It was handwritten, and she even drew arrows."

Li Chen was wheeled out of the guest room. The door closed behind him.

He stood in the hallway. He heard the sound of a tap being turned on.

My phone vibrated.

Group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen! Should my sister-in-law sleep in the guest room or—]

Li Chen locked the screen.

I walked back to the living room.

Shen Ruolan was still sitting on the sofa, but there was a photo album in front of her.

Li Mohan was standing nearby.

The two of them pressed the photo album at the same time.

"What are you doing?"

"It's nothing," Shen Ruolan said calmly, pushing the photo album behind her.

Li Chen's gaze shifted to the corner of the album cover that was visible. It was a blue cover.

He recognized that photo album.

Three to seven years old.

"mom."

"We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"That photo album—"

"What business is it of yours what I look at? This is my home."

Li Mohan quietly took a sip of tea beside him.

Li Chen took a deep breath. "Dad."

"Um."

"Control her."

Li Mohan raised the teacup to his lips. He paused for two seconds.

"I can't handle this. Go find someone who can."

Li Chen turned and went into his room.

Close the door. Lie down.

My phone vibrated again.

Yan Xi.

[Yan Xi: Your mom put a red envelope under my pillow.]

Li Chen was stunned for a moment.

[Li Chen: How much?]

[Yan Xi: It hasn't been demolished.]

[Li Chen: How did you know it was a red envelope?]

[Yan Xi: Your mom wrote something on the red envelope.]