She Xilu

After Cheng Qiyue left, Lin Zhishui tidied up a little, put his beloved brush into its case and tucked it into his bag, then closed the shop and headed home.

His rented apartment was in the old district, not far from the calligraphy and painting shop-only a twenty-minute walk.

Lin Zhishui strolled through the aging residential complex, climbed four floors through a stairwell with peeling walls, and reached his front door.

Without knocking, he simply took out his key and opened it.

-His roommate wouldn't hear a knock anyway, unless he pounded on the door.

He didn't bother knocking, either. Every evening, his dinnertime was her breakfast time, so their schedules overlapped for a little while each day.

Lin Zhishui tiptoed through the living room and put his bag in his bedroom. Checking the time, he found he still had over an hour before dinner. It was a good chance to relax, so he lay on the bed and played with his phone.

First, he opened Douyin. The video he had posted two hours earlier still had only three likes, one of which was his own.

As for the other two, he didn't need to think to know they had come from the two customers who followed his Douyin account. One was that gorgeous woman he suspected was a celebrity.

Every time he posted a video, she liked it. She was practically a diehard fan.

But however devoted they were, he still only had two fans. What good did that do?

"A master, left to wander..."

Lin Zhishui let out a long sigh. The world felt so unfair that he instantly lost all interest in scrolling through Douyin.

I might as well chat in a group.

He opened QQ. Most of the groups full of people he knew were lifeless, so the one displaying 99+ unread messages stood out.

This lively group was a novel's fan group. He had joined ages ago, partly because he liked the author's books, and partly because he knew the author very well.

The chat was buzzing. A closer look revealed that they were discussing such pointless topics as romance and marriage.

Scrolling through the chat history, he discovered that the author, who owned the group, was chatting too. She was fiercely condemning cohabitation and had just posted a voice message.

"So she's chatting in the group." Lin Zhishui couldn't help smiling as he tapped the voice message.

A sweet, soft, adorable female voice sounded from his phone, delivering an emphatic critique:

"I have to laugh. Aren't you mixing up living together with premarital cohabitation? Premarital cohabitation is understandable. It's a trial marriage, after all, a chance to get used to each other's lifestyles-but only if you're already engaged. Without the marriage part, living together is just a convenient way to get laid. It's completely irresponsible."

Although her voice was a little too soft and sweet, her sharply worded argument still sounded quite convincing.

"Our dear author really is a seasoned pro! Pretty face, sweet voice, and loads of experience!"

"Our dear author really is a seasoned pro! Pretty face, sweet voice, and loads of experience!" +1

As soon as the wolves in the group heard the author's voice message, they sprang to life, all copying the same response.

Amused, Lin Zhishui decided that, as a wise man, he ought to break the chain of repeated messages. He casually sent:

"No wonder so many people can't find a partner. Turns out all the singles are busy solving other people's relationship problems."

The entire group instantly fell silent.

A long while passed.

[Group owner] World's Cutest Author: "I'm off to write. Good night, everyone."

The corners of Lin Zhishui's mouth lifted. Ignoring the indignant group members, he closed the chat and got up to cook.

Once dinner was ready, Lin Zhishui took off his apron, walked to the master bedroom, and pounded on the door. He practically shouted through it, "She Xilu! Time to eat!!"

"Oh, okay..."

Only after several seconds did a somewhat weak female voice come from inside the master bedroom.

Leaving her to it, Lin Zhishui returned to the kitchen to dish up the food.

By the time he had brought the congee and two dishes to the table, the master bedroom door finally opened.

A petite, rather thin young woman in cute pajamas shuffled out in slippers. Her loose, long hair had clearly been brushed, yet plenty of stubborn strands still stuck up. Disheveled bangs hid her brows and eyes, while a pair of huge, round black glasses obscured much of her straight nose. Only her tightly pressed lips and small chin were clearly visible.

Her skin was rather pale, making it obvious she hadn't seen sunlight in a long time, and she had a somewhat gloomy air.

Lin Zhishui sat down at the dining table and watched her approach with a meaningful little smile.

Seeing him smile at her, She Xilu uneasily looked away to avoid meeting his eyes and sat opposite him. Then she lowered her head slightly and secretly tugged at the hem of her pajamas, smoothing out a few wrinkles before stammering, "Y-you... why... why are you home so early tonight?"

"Why are you sitting opposite me? Do you want me to shout when I talk to you?"

Lin Zhishui glanced at her, got up, and sat in the chair to her right. He shifted it closer until they were almost touching, then leaned toward her ear and said, "I made some money today, so I closed early and came home to keep you company. Aren't you happy?"

"N-no... you don't have to..." She Xilu's cheeks grew hot as usual. She stammered her response while stiffly edging away.

"You're my girlfriend. Why wouldn't I have to?" Lin Zhishui smiled and moved closer too.

"I s-said it was just... an online relationship. I didn't mean to date for real..." Growing redder and more embarrassed, She Xilu waved her little hands feebly, not daring to turn and meet his gaze.

"Oh, so you're saying you're a player?" Lin Zhishui regarded her with a teasing smile.

"I'm not... I... I'm only nineteen..." She Xilu kept her head half lowered, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh, right. Let's eat." Lin Zhishui picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed them to her, then added cheerfully, "But you'll be twenty in seven months, won't you? Hmm, you'll be old enough to marry. Shall we get our marriage license on your birthday?"

She Xilu was carefully picking up a strip of cucumber salad. At his words, her hand shook, the cucumber fell, and she froze on the spot.

"What's wrong?" Lin Zhishui looked at her with feigned confusion.

It took all She Xilu's courage to turn and look at Lin Zhishui, but after one second of eye contact, she involuntarily lowered her head again. Flustered, she said, "I... I... when did I agree to get a m-marriage license with you? Y-you... don't..."

Lin Zhishui's smile deepened. Leaning close to her ear, he chuckled softly. "Didn't you say in the group just now that premarital cohabitation was a trial marriage? I thought you were planning to marry me. Or did you only intend to live together? Are you just looking to get laid?"

His words turned She Xilu's face scarlet. She lowered her head in utter embarrassment, wishing she could bury her face against her chest.

As though he had discovered an entertaining game, Lin Zhishui watched her even more intently. He said nothing, simply smiling at her.

This girl's online and offline personalities were like two entirely different people.

Online, she was a moderately successful writer, sharp-tongued and a little cheeky. The occasional dirty joke was nothing unusual, and in voice messages, her voice was sweet and clear, her speech reasonably fluent.

In reality, however, she was the complete opposite.

Not only was she severely nearsighted, she was deaf in her left ear and had reduced hearing in her right. She also suffered from fairly severe social anxiety. Even with someone as familiar as Lin Zhishui, she still stammered a little. Her health was poor too-the very picture of someone frail and sickly.

After Lin Zhishui had stared at her for a while, She Xilu looked ready to cry. She pleaded softly, "Please don't m-make this hard for me. I'm not ready... y-you... stop staring at me..."

"Miss She Xilu, you're the one making things hard for me, aren't you?" Lin Zhishui deliberately sighed. "We've been dating for almost three years, haven't we? In the year we've lived together, I've respected you. I've never forced you to do anything, and I've hardly touched you. Aren't you the one who keeps rejecting me?"

Feeling wronged, She Xilu opened her mouth, wanting to say that he had touched her plenty of times. How did that count as hardly touching her?

But she couldn't get the words out. Pouting, she mumbled for a long while before saying weakly, "B-but I said you could leave... y-you... d-d-don't hit me..."

The moment she finished, she saw Lin Zhishui's expression turn cold and regretted it. She hurriedly edged farther away, leaving almost half her bottom hanging off the chair.

She still remembered how, the last time she had said that, Lin Zhishui had pinned her to the table and spanked her so many times that she hadn't slept well all night from the pain and had shed plenty of tears.

-Of course, she would never admit that she had burst into tears on the spot because she was far too embarrassed.

"If you know you're afraid of pain, don't say things like that."

Lin Zhishui gave a soft snort. After a brief silence, he suddenly reached out, took She Xilu by the shoulders, and turned her toward him. Looking into the bewildered, helpless eyes hidden behind her hair and glasses, he said with complete seriousness:

"I'll make this clear one last time. I never go back on a promise. You saved me the day we met offline. If you weren't in your current situation, it would be fine if you wanted me to leave. But now... there's no way I'm abandoning you. And I'm not saying this to negotiate with you. This is my decision. Understand?"

She Xilu's lips parted slightly. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she merely nodded, looking pitifully aggrieved.

Lin Zhishui sighed and waved a hand. "Let's eat."

She Xilu obediently held her chopsticks, her head lowered over her bowl of congee, and dutifully ate her "breakfast." She didn't dare raise her head, as though she were guarding against the century egg and minced pork jumping out of the congee to call her a coward.

After a long while, she sneaked a sidelong glance at Lin Zhishui, hesitated, and whispered, "S-sorry..."

"What are you apologizing to me for?"

Lin Zhishui gave her an exasperated look. "Forget it. I've gotten used to it over these three years."

"S-sorry..." With her head half lowered, She Xilu asked weakly, "Am I... am I driving you crazy?"

Lin Zhishui laughed. "Driving me crazy? I'm your fake boyfriend in name only, anyway. You don't even have to screw with me. I'm already crazy without you screwing me."

As soon as he said it, he froze for a moment. Why did that sound like a dirty joke?

P.S. The surname She is pronounced "shé."