Before Parting Ways

The sun was setting behind the western hills, and the lingering glow of dusk bathed the entire sky in warm colors, like a blanket soaked in hot water.

From somewhere inside the old apartment building came the faint sound of piano practice. Li Lin paused to listen for a moment. It was "Für Elise."

A dull thud suddenly sounded beside him. Old Xia had apparently stopped to imitate Li Lin listening, only for Xia Mi to jump up and knock him twice on the head.

Old Xia looked young and delicate. Though he was powerfully built, he truly was Xia Mi's biological brother and had inherited excellent dragon genes. Based on looks alone, he could have been tossed into any school and become the campus heartthrob. Unfortunately, his shy, timid manner and slightly vacant gaze made it clear that he probably lacked the cognitive and learning abilities expected of someone his age.

Li Lin called him "Old Xia" because he could not remember his own name and could only tell when someone was calling for him.

"What did Old Xia do to annoy you this time?"

"Because he was copying you."

"That's it?"

"The last person this idiot copied was Zhou Xingchi!"

"Uh... and?" Li Lin hesitated. He still did not understand what Xia Mi was trying to say. It could not be that she was obsessing over a celebrity, could it?

Hearing Li Lin's confusion, Xia Mi hurried over to stand in front of him, spreading her arms to block his way.

"Then he pointed at Zhou Xingchi on TV and asked me, 'Is this Sister's boyfriend?'" Xia Mi widened her eyes at him and suddenly raised her voice.

Li Lin silently shut his mouth.

Dusk painted the girl's face crimson, making her seem even softer and lovelier than the breathtaking sight of Leifeng Sunset.

The atmosphere suddenly fell quiet. Somewhat awkwardly, Li Lin stepped around Xia Mi, slung an arm around Old Xia's shoulders, and headed toward the most famous XJ Barbecue Restaurant on the street. When Old Xia heard that Li Lin was treating them, he waved his arms and cheered. Judging by the excitement on his face, he was one step away from putting Li Lin's photo on his bedside table to worship.

Following behind them, Xia Mi casually kicked away a pebble by the roadside. She raised a hand to brush her flushed cheek, and her expression quickly returned to normal. She shed a young girl's bashfulness and shyness as easily as taking off a mask.

No one knew what Xia Mi was truly thinking, but as she watched the two grown men ahead of her with their arms around each other's shoulders, her mood was brighter than it had ever been.

Li Lin was chatting with Old Xia about going abroad, taking the opportunity to comfort the burly man whose mental age was only five or six.

Old Xia was actually Xia Mi's older brother, but his mind was too immature for him to shoulder the burden of a family. He habitually relied on Xia Mi's decisions in all sorts of matters. Apparently, ever since they were young, he had regarded Xia Mi as the older sister who sheltered him from wind and rain.

That was why Li Lin always tried to see things from Old Xia's perspective whenever he dealt with him.

"Don't worry. This time, your sister and I are heading out..."

Before Li Lin could finish comforting him, Xia Mi suddenly rushed up from behind and rammed her head hard into Li Lin's back.

The injuries Xia Mi had given him that afternoon were pressed again, and the pain twisted Li Lin's entire face.

"Xia Mi!!"

"Shh, shh, shh. Keep it down, keep it down~ I'm reminding you not to worry about things that aren't your business. I've already made arrangements for my own brother."

Xia Mi truly deserved her reputation as the famous "heroine" of the affiliated middle school. Any ambiguous atmosphere around her never lasted more than a minute. Grinning cheekily, she raised a hand and gently rubbed the spot on Li Lin's back that she had bumped, as if to soothe him.

Seeing the growing crowd around them, Li Lin had no choice but to swallow his anger even if he wanted to explode.

He changed the subject and asked Xia Mi something else.

"By the way, since your bloodline was estimated to be A-rank, Old Xia's bloodline can't be much worse. Why not bring him into Cassel College too?"

"Hey! You asked that question five years ago! He already struggles with ordinary school. How could he get mixed up in something so dangerous?"

"That's true, but didn't the prep class teachers ever take him for a bloodline test?"

Li Lin found it somewhat suspicious. By the logic of hybrids, even if Old Xia was not suited for school, Cassel College should still have kept a close eye on him.

"Mm-hm, who knows? Anyway, there's never been any sign of his bloodline awakening. He's always so dazed and foolish. Maybe the teachers forgot about him long ago."

Xia Mi lowered her head to look at the toes in her sandals, smoothly changing the subject.

"All right, the barbecue restaurant is up ahead. Lord Li, please show some mercy and use your generous allowance to treat this poor, lonely brother and sister to a filling meal~"

She sounded exactly like a maid from some wealthy landlord's household during an ancient famine.

But Xia Mi and her brother really had lived difficult lives.

At least, before graduating elementary school, Li Lin had heard that Xia Mi and Old Xia would scour the streets for recyclable scraps during every school holiday, then sell them for money just to cover their most basic living expenses.

Compared to them, Li Lin had the support of the orphanage. Though his life had also been tight before he received his middle school scholarship, he had at least never worried about having enough to eat.

After entering the barbecue restaurant and picking a private room at the very back, Li Lin waved for the waiter to bring over the menu. He opened his wallet, grandly counted out five bills, and placed them in Xia Mi's hand, signaling for her to pay after dinner—when it was time to settle the bill, the little girl could act cute and sweet-talk the owner. Even the most stone-hearted boss would tearfully give them a discount.

"Oh? Going all out, are you?"

Xia Mi solemnly put away the money. Her eyes curved when she smiled. Although the bruises on her face had yet to fade, they did nothing to diminish her cuteness.

"You don't need to pay me back the rest of the money either. Use it to buy Old Xia some snacks."

With that, Li Lin handed the menu to Old Xia and asked whether he had any drinks he liked.

About ten minutes later, the waiter began bringing out dishes one after another.

The scent of lamb and seasonings, the white steam rising from the soup pot, and the laughter around the table, together with the chatter of nearby customers, filled the final night the boys and girls would spend in BJ with liveliness.

Li Lin occasionally placed food onto Old Xia's plate, and occasionally ate with both hands himself, gripping two lamb ribs as he dug in with gusto.

Old Xia smiled without a care in the world. This barbecue suited his tastes perfectly.

Li Lin raised his ceramic cup filled with juice and clinked it against Old Xia's from afar, then tilted his head back and drank in an exaggerated manner.

Many times, he felt Xia Mi was like a cat: soft and adorable, lively, clever, and alert. From afar, she inspired tenderness. Yet once someone drew close and spent enough time with her, they could vaguely sense an indifference flowing through her that humans could not understand.

Xia Mi was the kind of person who could get along with anyone, but only Li Lin, who had grown up with her, understood that she had never truly considered anyone a friend.

Setting down his cup, Li Lin searched for Xia Mi across the steam rising from the soup pot.

Xia Mi sat far from Old Xia and Li Lin. Her smile was faint, but she genuinely enjoyed seeing their peaceful, cheerful daily life and felt happy and moved by it.

Yet she alone had never considered joining in the liveliness at the table.

It was as though she would forever be a cat drowned by the regrets and longings in her heart, living in a noisy loneliness.