A Young Woman's Heart

"If I described it to other people, they would absolutely be disgusted to the point of wanting to vomit," the boy in white said with a wry smile. "Besides, you don't necessarily have to do those things to be in love, do you?"

"That's just a natural progression; if you love someone, you'll naturally do that."

"Sigh..." He sighed again, "Maybe I'll just keep having this crush on you without saying anything."

"Then your parents will arrange blind dates for you, and you'll marry a woman you don't even know? Wouldn't that... let her down?"

"Well……"

"I do not know."

"How about...how about we go together?" the boy in the beige shirt said, mustering his courage.

"You? Uh... what are you talking about? I just consider you a friend of the same kind..."

"It's precisely because we're the same kind that we can be together."

"Ah... I don't have feelings for you," the boy in white said apologetically. "Sorry, I have to go home."

"Um... just pretend I didn't say anything... you can come to me if you want to talk about anything in the future!" The boy in the beige shirt raised his voice and shouted anxiously.

"Yes, I will." The other party's reply was somewhat perfunctory.

Then, the boy in the white sports shirt came out from the other side. Chen Cheng quickly turned his head and saw that the boy had circled around and was walking towards him—because the park entrance was in this direction.

So he quickly pretended to look straight ahead and looked down at Zhuang Lianlian, who also looked back at him with deep affection.

"What's wrong?" Zhuang Lianlian asked, puzzled, only after the boy had left. "You seemed surprised when you saw him?"

"Uh...that looks like a boy from our class..." Chen Cheng caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, so he wasn't quite sure. "He looks...a bit like An Ruosu...?"

"Hey? Tell me, what happened?"

"I don't really know either. It's strange, he doesn't usually seem like the type to like guys...?"

……

Chapter Forty-Three: The Midnight Bell

The night is deep.

The lights were off in the seaside villa.

The wind blows.

It carried a slightly salty and fishy smell.

The waves gently lapped onto the beach, then softly receded.

It was as if the sea itself had fallen asleep, and its breathing gradually became steady.

Duanmu Ji sat quietly on the rooftop of the villa, where there was a waist-high railing and some tables and chairs casually placed.

He stared at the deep black sea, motionless for a long time, as if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open.

On the round table sat a glass of Sprite, its straw swaying gently in the breeze.

The hooting of owls echoed through the forest in the dead of night, adding an ethereal and eerie touch to the quiet seaside.

"Tap tap..." Light footsteps came from the top of the stairs, and the sound slowly got closer.

Only one candle was lit on the table, emitting a dim, hazy light.

"Huh?" The newcomer uttered a soft sound of doubt. "Who's still awake?"

Duanmu Ji slowly turned his head, but he couldn't see the other person's face in the darkness.

However, the latter quickly walked to the table, carrying a cup of black tea, which was obviously freshly brewed, as it was still steaming.

"Duanmu Ji?" she asked with a smile, stirring her black tea with a spoon.

Duanmu Ji watched as the candle wax slowly dripped down and solidified again at the bottom of the candle lamp, then nodded gently.

"I always feel like you don't quite fit in?"

"We're just not very familiar with each other." Duanmu Ji picked up his glass and took a sip of Sprite.

The girl sitting next to him was the older of the twin sisters—Mo Xiaoxiao.

At first, he also had some trouble distinguishing who was who.

However, once you get used to it, it becomes easy to distinguish.

After all, the two sisters have very different personalities and habits.

"Aren't you familiar with them either?"

"...I don't like being in crowded places."

"Then why did you come here?" Mo Xiaoxiao teased, then quickly added, "Just kidding."

"Hmm..." Duanmu Ji pursed his lips, without explaining the reason.

"Why aren't you sleeping so late at night?" Mo Xiaoxiao asked in confusion. "It's almost 12:30 now."

"And what about you?" Duanmu Ji looked up at the sky, then blew out the candle with a 'whoosh'.

Why are you blowing out the candles?

"The candlelight blocked the starlight."

"Pfft, isn't it a bit too much?" Mo Xiaoxiao swirled the black tea in her cup and took a small sip. "So many stars, you can't even see that many stars in the suburbs of the city."

"Ah."

"It feels like they're spinning." Mo Xiaoxiao looked up at the starry sky, seemingly somewhat mesmerized.

Do you like being alone?

"Hmm." Duanmu Ji traced star lines with his hand. "It's very quiet when I'm alone, and I can think about anything."

"So you came up here alone to 'have some peace and quiet'? You're also in a room by yourself, aren't you?"

Duanmu Ji did not answer again.

However, Mo Xiaoxiao was already used to his occasional lack of response, so she explained to herself, "Actually, I have some trouble sleeping."

"Thinking about something unpleasant?" Duanmu Ji's head was still tilted back.

“No, quite the opposite.” Mo Xiaoxiao seemed to be stirring the black tea in her hand the whole time. As she stirred, the iron spoon collided with the cup, making a crisp sound. “When life is too good, I also toss and turn and have trouble falling asleep.”

"Why?" Now, Duanmu Ji finally became curious. He lowered his head, looked at Mo Xiaoxiao's face, and asked in confusion.

"Be prepared for danger even in times of peace. The better life is, the more I think about how long this kind of life can last." Mo Xiaoxiao tapped the rim of her cup gently with her spoon. "I always worry that my happy and wonderful life will be changed all of a sudden, and I think about how bad it will become, so as to avoid the possible sense of loss that may come."

"You're overthinking it." Duanmu Ji smirked. "Isn't it better to enjoy the present?"

"But life isn't just about the present, is it? There's also the future."

"Don't try to control things that are beyond your control in the future."

"But at the very least, we need to be prepared."

"...Perhaps it wasn't preparation, but a burden."

“No matter what, it’s better than being unprepared, right? After all, I don’t live alone.” Mo Xiaoxiao took a small sip of black tea, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at the coastline, her eyes seemingly trying to see through to the end of it. “Actually, if it weren’t for my sister, a long, long time ago, I might have… not wanted to continue living.”

"And now?" Duanmu Ji raised an eyebrow.

“Now, life is getting better and better. We’ve gotten through the toughest times. Is there anything more difficult than that?” Mo Xiao smiled and shook her head. “During the toughest times, my sister and I lived under a bridge and collected scraps to sell for money to pay for our school fees. Luckily, we didn’t have to pay tuition in junior high school… otherwise, we would definitely have dropped out of school. Actually, at that time, I thought about going to work to support my sister’s education.”

“Uh.” Duanmu Ji paused for a moment, thinking of his older sister who was not actually related to him by blood. “That’s what my sister did.”

"Huh? Come to think of it, you haven't told us about your family yet. It seems you live with your sister?"

"Hmm..." Duanmu Ji answered ambiguously, "My sister only finished elementary school and then worked to earn money. I was very young at the time and couldn't help her much."

"Oh~ So it was this tough time you went through." Mo Xiaoxiao didn't ask how it happened, because sometimes asking these questions, even if the other person doesn't answer, will still evoke painful memories, which is like reopening old wounds.

Having ended up here, that memory must not have been pleasant.

Duanmu Ji clearly didn't want to explain anything further, and simply responded softly.

“But your older sister is much older than you, unlike me and my younger sister. Youyou and I are actually the same age, just born in different orders.” She smiled, resting her chin on her hand. “Sometimes, I really wish I wasn’t the older sister, but the younger sister, preferably with an older sister who is five or six years older than me to take care of me, so I wouldn’t have to think about so many things all the time.”

Duanmu Ji fiddled with the wax in the candle lamp, seemingly unsure how to respond.

"We're going sea fishing tomorrow, aren't you going to bed early?"

"Hmm... I don't mind." Duanmu Ji glanced at the moon, which was obscured by clouds, and changed the subject. "The moon tonight is a crescent."

"Where?"

"It's obscured by clouds."

"It seems like it's been a long time since I've properly looked at the moon. Although the house in the countryside has a skylight, after cleaning and washing up, I'm so tired that I fall asleep as soon as I lie down in bed. I don't have any time to appreciate the moon at all—not even just to open my eyes and look at it while lying in bed."

"Hmm." Duanmu Ji nodded, and just as he was about to say something, he heard a melodious bell ringing.

"Boom-"

The clouds in the sky were shaken apart, but although the sound of the bell could be heard from afar, it did not sound noisy.

On the contrary, this deep, resonant voice made people feel more at ease.

The sound of the bells seemed to be coming from a village in the suburbs.

"Where did the bells come from? Is there a church nearby?" Mo Xiaoxiao asked curiously, looking in the direction the sound came from.

A chime of the bell means that half of the hour has passed.

Looking at the time again, it was indeed already 12:30.

“It’s not a church,” Duanmu Ji shook his head. “It’s a bell tower.”

"how do you know?"

“I’ve been there.” Duanmu Ji pointed in a direction. “Do you see it?”

"Hmm..." Mo Xiao smiled, her eyes narrowing, but she seemed to be slightly nearsighted, so she couldn't see it clearly. "That... something that looks like a chimney?"

"Ah."