One Person Thinking of Another

Cartethyia looked up, her eyes still glistening with a thin layer of tears. Upon hearing these words, she instinctively wanted to decline.

His lips moved, and the words "No need to spend money" were almost out, but when he saw the smiling look in Wuling's eyes, the words got stuck in his throat.

"I..."

She twisted the edge of her sleeve, her fingertips creating wrinkles in the fabric. After hesitating for a long time, she finally managed to say, "This is troublesome."

After saying that, she quickly added something, as if afraid of owing something.

"Next time, if there's a chance in the future, I'd also like to invite you."

It's not that she can't afford milk tea, she just doesn't think it's necessary, since the money she saves is enough for a meal.

But after I get my salary next month, plus the poverty subsidy and other miscellaneous benefits, my daily life should be much better. At least I won't be unable to afford to treat someone to a cup of milk tea.

Upon hearing this, Wuling casually placed his hand on Cartethyia's head and patted it.

"Okay, I've written it down. I'm looking forward to that day, but please don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Wuling hadn't sensed anything was wrong yet, but Cartethyia's CPU was almost burned out.

Warm hands gently covered her head, fingertips applying just the right amount of gentle pressure as they softly massaged her hair.

She froze in her seat, as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head.

Growing up, no one except her grandmother had ever touched her head.

Her ear tips turned bright red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her cheeks and neck. The thin layer of blush made her fair skin appear even more translucent, and even her eyes seemed to have taken on a chaotic shape.

My mind was completely blank, utterly empty, devoid of any thoughts.

All that remained was the pounding of my heart, growing louder and louder, as if it could drown out the traffic and evening breeze on the street.

But unexpectedly, she didn't feel any discomfort or rejection. Instead, she felt comfortable, just like when her grandmother touched her head before.

How could she be so gentle?

Wuling touched Cartethyia's hair, but it felt strange. It wasn't as soft as before, and it seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. What was going on?

Wait a minute.

Wuling glanced awkwardly at Cartethyia beside him, then at his hand that was patting her head, and stiffly withdrew it.

Damn, I'm so used to patting Encore's head that I just casually put my hand on it.

To be honest, I didn't notice anything wrong at first; the only difference I noticed was the feel of the product.

Looking closely, Wuling suddenly realized that Cartethyia was only about 20 centimeters taller than Encore, around 1.4 meters, less than 1.5 meters. If they were sitting in a chair, the difference would be even smaller.

No wonder it felt so good to touch earlier; it was the feel that made me realize something was off. Of course, this doesn't mean Cartethyia felt bad, it's just that the feel was different.

Encore's hair is fluffy and soft, while Cartethyia's hair is relatively smooth and feels quite comfortable to touch; they each have their own unique characteristics.

Wuling secretly glanced at the girl beside him.

Cartethyia remained seated, seemingly still reeling from the touch.

Seeing that she remained silent, Wuling became increasingly embarrassed and had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin to explain.

"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch your head. Please forgive me if I offended you."

Cartethyia heard his voice, her body trembled slightly, and she finally slowly came back to her senses.

She hurriedly shook her head, her voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz, trembling slightly, "N-no... it's nothing."

Not at all annoying, Cartethyia even felt a little unsatisfied.

Although she really wanted to do it again, she just couldn't bring herself to say it under the current circumstances—no, she couldn't say it under any circumstances.

Does she expect her to say to Wuling right now, "Wuling, you're making me feel so good, can you touch me again?"

I just can't bring myself to say it! And why does it sound so strange?

Just imagining that sentence in her mind made Cartethyia's face turn even redder.

It's so embarrassing. I feel like I've become strange, and my mind is filled with all sorts of nonsense.

Wuling sensed that although Cartethyia said she didn't care, she probably still had a lot of complaints about him, since her face was red with anger.

The Wuling Ling saw such a red face was when he slipped and knocked Aimisi to the ground, causing Amy to ignore him for a long time.

Wuling felt that this place was not suitable for her to continue sitting.

"Well, what would you like to drink? I'll go buy it first."

"Huh? I... I wish I were the same as you."

Cartethyia spoke in a flustered manner, her response entirely subconscious.

"Same as me? Okay, bubble tea with 30% sugar. Can I have it iced now?"

"I'm fine now."

Having decided on the flavor, Wuling didn't linger any longer. She stood up, straightened her clothes, looked at Cartethyia sitting next to her, and gently gave her instructions.

"Stay here and don't move. I'm going to buy a milk tea and I'll be right back."

"Mmm." Cartethyia nodded gently, her gaze fixed on his back, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

Only after watching Wuling walk away did she completely relax and gently lean back in her seat.

She raised her hand to cover her burning cheeks, feeling a scorching heat on her fingertips.

Cartethyia suddenly thought of her grandmother.

When she was little, whenever she felt wronged or too tired to continue, her grandmother would gently pat her head like this.

"Grandma, your hands feel so good."

Little Cartethyia sat in her grandmother's lap, looking completely content.

A gentle evening breeze blew through the old courtyard. Grandma's rough but warm hands gently stroked her soft hair, her voice slow and full of affection.

"Our little Katie is good. If you're tired, take a rest. You don't have to push yourself through everything."

"Grandma, can you still pat my head like that in the future?"

Little Cartethyia rested her head on her hands, her face full of curiosity.

The kind old woman smiled, but did not avoid the question.

"Oh, I'm afraid that won't work. Grandma can't stay with little Kati forever."

Little Cartethyia couldn't understand the helplessness and farewell hidden in her words. She just pouted, clung tightly to her grandmother's arm, and sullenly whined.

"No, I want Grandma to stay with me. I don't want to be alone."

The evening breeze was just as gentle then, and the locust blossoms in the courtyard fluttered down, landing on the little girl's head and on the old woman's smiling eyes.

"Although Grandma can't stay with Kati forever, maybe someone will take my place in the future."

Little Cartethyia was indeed reluctant to hear this.

"No, I just want Grandma to stay with me forever."

The old woman looked at the stubborn, spoiled little girl in her arms, sighed helplessly and with heartache, and gently stroked the tip of her nose.

"Silly child, life is so long, you'll always meet the right person. There will be someone who loves you, protects you, comforts you when you're tired, and takes Grandma's place to stay with our little Kati."

Young Cartethyia seemed to understand, but not quite.

"The world is so big, how can I recognize him?"

Grandma looked down into her innocent, clear eyes, which held a gentle warmth and a touch of helplessness that had settled with the passage of time. She gently brushed the stray hairs from her forehead.

"Oh, this..."

She spoke slowly, but with absolute certainty.

"Just like when Grandma touched your head today, she gave you a sense of security that no one else could provide. She made you realize that you don't have to keep putting on a brave face, and that being loved is such a wonderful thing."

"You'll know it's him when the time comes."

At that moment, little Cartethyia seemed to understand but not quite, blinking her big eyes and nodding as if she believed but not quite.

Children's memories are sometimes good and sometimes bad, but she always remembered this saying.

Later, that statement came true.

Grandma really couldn't stay with her until the end.

From then on, no one would ever stroke her hair when she was exhausted and on the verge of collapse, no one would tell her she didn't have to force herself to do everything, and no one would show her unconditional favoritism.

In this vast world, she was all alone, stumbling and staggering forward.