"...A puppy."
The boy's low voice held a trace of awkward surrender.
Pu Yu froze for a moment, then finally burst out laughing, a bright smile lighting her eyes.
Oh-
So he was Roundy the Puppy.
Then he wasn't a stranger. He was someone very, very important.
With that thought, Pu Yu waved the phone in her hand and asked tentatively, "Then can I call you from now on?"
"Yes." Yuan Su answered at once.
"What about texting?"
"Yes."
"Then if... it's really, really late, and I suddenly have a nightmare and get too scared to sleep, can I call you then too?"
Yuan Su was tidying the parts on the counter. At her words, his hands paused.
He looked up, his gaze settling on the girl's clear, beautiful eyes.
Beneath the dim yellow light, her eyes were utterly clear, holding a small, cautious hope that tugged gently at his heart like a slender thread.
"Pu Yu."
He suddenly said her name, his voice a little hoarse.
Pu Yu instinctively straightened. "Huh?"
"Whenever you want," Yuan Su said, looking at her and enunciating each word, "you can call me. Any time."
As long as it's you.
Whether it's early morning or late at night, whether it's a nightmare or just a chat.
He would always be there.
It was the only promise Yuan Su could offer, and the most unwavering one.
Pu Yu's heart skipped a beat.
She lowered her eyes to hide the emotions surging through her and said softly, "Okay. I'll remember."
She carefully tucked the white phone into her pocket.
Then she patted it, as though checking it was still there.
"Oh, come to my house for dinner on New Year's Eve. Grandma said she's making eight-treasure rice and braised pork."
Yuan Su lowered his eyes and