Chapter 15 — Brother, why are your ears red? [1/3]
It was the first time he’d met someone who got angry and even made a point to tell him about it. Xie Hejing’s lips curved slightly, and a few seconds later he realized he was actually smiling—only to press it down right away.
This wasn’t a good sign. He should be keeping his distance from her.
That afternoon, Zhang Huiwan boarded her flight on time. Knowing that Nan Xu hadn’t brought her phone to school, she sent a message to Xie Hejing before boarding, telling him to take good care of his sister.
When Xie Hejing saw the message, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.
What sister? He didn’t have one.
Just before dismissal, Xiang Weishi glanced at the physics teacher on the podium and whispered again to ask if Xie Hejing was going to the arcade. He said the last time they went, the experience was pretty good.
Xie Hejing twirled the pen in his hand.
It wasn’t until Xiang Weishi called him a third time that the pen slipped out of his fingers, flew forward, and rolled back slowly toward the rear row.
Blinking, Xie Hejing finally came back to his senses and gave a half-hearted response.
Nan Xu, sitting behind him, kept her eyes on the test paper, but her thoughts had drifted far away.
It wasn’t until she replayed everything in her room last night that she realized what she had said.
She couldn’t stop berating herself. She’d wanted to build a good relationship with Xie Hejing, yet she had been the one to run up to him and complain.
What a mistake!
She also overheard Xiang Weishi inviting Xie Hejing to the arcade. She considered tagging along, but after thinking it over, she decided against it. She didn’t know how to play those games, and going along would be pointless.
That evening, when she returned home, the huge house felt unbearably empty with just her in it. Shivering a little, Nan Xu flicked on most of the lights as soon as she stepped inside.
Her stomach was starting to growl. Normally, when Aunt Zhang wasn’t home, it was Xie Hejing who cooked.
Now standing in the kitchen, she felt stumped. The place was spotless, no leftovers in sight, and the fridge was full of fresh ingredients. But she didn’t trust her own cooking skills.
After wavering for a while, she decided to make herself some noodles. At least that was something she had confidence in.
The bowl of noodles looked fine when it came out, but the taste was bland and watery—and worse, she’d added too much salt, making it nearly inedible.
She’d been too confident after all.
Especially after having tasted Xie Hejing’s cooking before, she found this bowl even harder to swallow.
Should she just go make peace with him? she wondered, chewing on her chopsticks.
But she quickly dismissed the thought. It was already eight o’clock. If she didn’t start her homework now, there’d be no chance of finishing before midnight.
After forcing down a few bites, Nan Xu tidied up the dishes and went upstairs to do her homework.
Meanwhile, at the arcade, Xie Hejing was unusually distracted.
He was in the middle of a match against Xiang Weishi, a crowd gathered around them. Cheers and gasps rose one after another, fueling the excitement.
Xiang Weishi felt his adrenaline pumping and was convinced he could finally beat Xie Hejing this time.
And for once, he wasn’t wrong—the score on the screen showed that Xie Hejing was trailing far behind.
“Brother Jing, you’re about to lose,” someone nearby pointed out, noticing his absent-mindedness.
It was as if he finally snapped back. His eyes narrowed at the screen, and his fingers flew across the controller. In less than three minutes, the game was over.
When the word “Defeat” flashed across the screen, Xiang Weishi howled loudly, even glaring at the guy who had warned Xie Hejing earlier—he had finally had a chance to beat Xie Hejing!
But despite wining, Xie Hejing’s expression stayed flat. He pulled off his headphones, stood up, and walked over to buy a bottle of water. The entire motion was smooth, without the slightest hint of regret.
“Brother Jing, you’re done playing?” someone nearby asked.
“Mm.” Xie Hejing drained half a bottle of water in one go.
Xiang Weishi came over and punched the guy on the arm. “You brat, that’s enough. If you hadn’t reminded him, I would’ve definitely won that round.”
“Not necessarily!”
“Hey, you—”
Before Xiang Weishi could swing again, the guy had already darted off.
The place grew lively once more.
After cursing a couple of times with a laugh, Xiang Weishi turned back to ask, “Why’d you stop playing?”
“I’m hungry.”
Xiang Weishi checked the time—half past eight. Yeah, it was about time for dinner.
“There’s this place nearby with amazing braised pork. Let’s go eat there.”
“Braised pork…”
He remembered someone who happened to love that dish.
“Yeah, super authentic. Come on, let’s go.”
The restaurant wasn’t very big, but business was good. They got lucky and snagged a table just as another group left.
They ordered a few dishes at random, and the food came quickly. Xiang Weishi handed Xie Hejing a pair of chopsticks.
“Try the braised pork.”
Xie Hejing took a bite. The meat was juicy and tender, neither greasy nor tough—exactly the sort of flavor a certain someone would like.
Xiang Weishi, oblivious to his thoughts, dug in with gusto, scarfing down food like he might faint if he slowed down.
In the middle of his eating frenzy, Xie Hejing suddenly asked, “Does this place do takeout?”
“Nope,” Xiang Weishi mumbled around his food. “I only found it by chance when I passed by last time.”
“Waiter.” Xie Hejing raised his hand.
Thinking he wanted to order more, Xiang Weishi quickly said they already had plenty of dishes. But instead, Xie Hejing asked if they could pack food to go.
“….”
Once he knew they could, Xie Hejing ordered a few more dishes and had them all packed up.
“You bringing back a late-night snack?” Xiang Weishi asked, puzzled.
“No.”
“Then why the takeout?”
“To feed a cat.”
“….”
When the courier showed up to confirm the order with him, Xiang Weishi eyed the heavy bags in Xie Hejing’s hands and asked again, “Since when do you have a cat? And what kind of cat eats this well? Braised pork, seriously?”
The delivery guy froze too, glancing at the hefty bags. “Don’t you usually feed cats with, you know, cat food?”
Xie Hejing didn’t bother explaining—he just told him to deliver it to the address.
Xiang Weishi frowned. “What kind of cat do you have, the big-eater breed? You can’t raise a cat like this. Next time, I’m coming over to see for myself.”
“Don’t.” Xie Hejing said flatly.
“What, I’m not even allowed a look?” Xiang Weishi’s brows knitted tighter.
“My cat’s afraid of strangers.”
“….”
Xiang Weishi was speechless. The way Xie Hejing described his cat, it sounded more like some kind of mythical beast.
At that moment, Nan Xu was still reciting her textbook when the doorbell downstairs suddenly rang. She jumped a little. Since she was the only one at home, she hesitated, unsure if she should open the door.
The doorbell kept ringing persistently several more times until Nan Xu finally shuffled over and cracked the door open just enough to poke her head out.
“Can I help you?”
The delivery guy glanced at his phone screen. “Mr. Xie asked you to feed the cat. I’ll just leave this at the door.”
“What…”
Before Nan Xu could finish, the delivery guy was already gone. She blinked at the big bags left at the doorway.
“Feed a cat? Did he deliver this to the wrong place?”
When she carried the bags inside, a delicious aroma drifted out. She even caught the smell of braised pork, which only confused her more.
A cat? There weren’t even any stray cats around this neighborhood!
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she simply left the bags on the table and went back upstairs to continue studying.
About half an hour later, the front door opened downstairs. Hearing the sound, Nan Xu knew Xie Hejing was back.
She set aside the passage she had just about memorized, cracked her bedroom door open, saw nothing, then pushed it all the way and stepped out. Just in time, she spotted Xie Hejing standing by the table, looking at the unopened bags.
Nan Xu cleared her throat twice, not intending to greet him first—until she noticed from the corner of her eye that he’d been staring at her since he walked in. Only then did she explain, “I didn’t see any cat around.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He touched the bags, most of them had already gone cold.
Nan Xu had only eaten a little bland, watery noodle soup, and now her stomach was quietly rumbling.
Flustered, she quickly pressed her hand over her belly and looked away.
Xie Hejing tilted his head at her. “Come down.”
Nan Xu went downstairs, and though she had to look up at him—he was much taller—she didn’t lose any of her attitude. “What for?”
“You don’t know enough to eat?” He glanced at the kitchen, which showed no sign of anyone cooking.
“I already did.” Nan Xu answered.
Right then, her stomach betrayed her again with a rumble. She quickly turned to head back upstairs.
“What did you eat?” Xie Hejing asked.
She froze mid-step. “Noodles. But… they weren’t good.”
Xie Hejing chuckled twice, eyeing her lively, spirited appearance. “Shouldn’t you be grateful you didn’t poison yourself into the hospital?”
“No need to thank me.” Nan Xu shot back without missing a beat.
He raised an eyebrow.
She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth, but since she couldn’t take them back, she forced out a stiff little laugh, awkward to the extreme.
“That laugh is awful.” His eyes shifted back to the food, as if weighing whether it was still edible.
Biting her lip, Nan Xu noticed his thoughtful look. She quickly ran up to block his view.
Then she gave two cold, exaggerated laughs. “My laugh is not awful! Everyone says it’s nice.”
“Everyone? Who’s ‘everyone’?” he asked.
Seeing the disbelief in his eyes, Nan Xu pursed her lips, walked a few steps forward, and drew a big circle in the air with her hands.
“…This many.”
Her features were soft and gentle, her beautiful eyes lifting playfully, full of liveliness.
He froze for a moment—her smile was so bright it almost dazzled, her eyes sparkling with vitality.
His lashes fluttered involuntarily, and the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Nan Xu looked at him with a smile and tossed his words right back at him: “You’re the one with the ugly smile.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Very ugly.”
Xie Hejing couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. He just hummed in agreement and brushed past, taking the dishes out one by one to reheat in the microwave.
As he looked down at the food in his hands, his gaze cooled. He told her to feed the cat, and she really just sat there waiting to feed a cat. Now she chose to be obedient?
Nan Xu trailed after him, suddenly wondering if what she’d said earlier had been a little too harsh.
She should be the bigger person and not get hung up on small things.
Everywhere he walked, she followed a step behind.
When the last dish went into the microwave, Xie Hejing stopped, bracing a hand on the kitchen counter.
“Why are you following me?”
Nan Xu was standing very close. He suddenly turned, and from that angle, she was caught in his arms. That sharp, familiar scent of cedarwood washed over her, making her heart jolt.
She hurriedly took a step back.
The muscles in his hand against the counter tightened, his lips pressing into a firm line at her retreat.
Nan Xu didn’t notice. She snuck a glance at his less-than-pleased expression and assumed she’d stood too close. So she retreated a few more steps.
Xie Hejing: “…”
“What is this, a dance? You step back, I step forward?”
Nan Xu blinked. But he hadn’t even moved!
This wasn’t the time to argue about that. She took a small step forward instead, holding her breath, trying her best to ignore the pull of his presence. Raising her hand, she tapped the corner of his mouth.
“I was lying just now. Your smile… is actually really nice.”
Was she… trying to coax him?
Her fingertip was warm against his skin. He could hear the rush of his own blood in his temples, and even the tips of his ears felt hot.
Xie Hejing gave a low cough, sounding vaguely irritated. “Oh.”
But that distant, indifferent response only confirmed Nan Xu’s suspicion that she’d hurt him earlier.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Your smile is really beautiful—more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
His eyes lifted slightly, his voice still calm and measured. “How beautiful?”
“Like the first ray of sunlight on a snow-capped mountain.” Nan Xu looked up at him with clear, earnest eyes, as if terrified that her earlier words might have wounded him.
“…”
Maybe he could start to understand why his mother liked Nan Xu.
Xie Hejing lowered his head for a few seconds. She couldn’t see his expression, only the faint movement of his cheeks. By the time he looked back up, his face was composed again.
“So when I said that about you earlier, you weren’t upset?”
Nan Xu tilted her head. “Not at all.”
“Why not?” He searched her eyes, testing her sincerity.
“Because when I was little, whenever other kids said I was ugly, you were the first one to stand up for me. You told them I was pretty, like a princess from a storybook. And you even beat them up for me.”
She punched the air playfully with her little fist.
Xie Hejing looked away. “I don’t read storybooks.”
“I know,” Nan Xu nodded. “But back then I couldn’t read much, so I asked you to read them for me.”
Her excitement bubbled as the memories resurfaced. “I think I remember… my mom didn’t allow me to read storybooks, so I stuffed them all into your schoolbag instead. You had to read them, and then tell me the stories the next day.”
Even as a kid, Xie Hejing had been the cold, untouchable type at school. Yet half his schoolbag would be crammed with fairy tales, his face set in a scowl as he forced himself to read through them—only to retell them to Nan Xu in perfect detail the next day.
“What were those books again… something like…” Nan Xu tried to recall.
“That’s enough.”
Xie Hejing quickly cut her off, afraid she might actually remember.
Seeing his slightly flustered look, Nan Xu lifted her eyes with a smile. “You were the first person who ever gave me confidence. I believe in you.”
Ding—
The microwave chimed, and for a moment, Xie Hejing’s heart seemed to chime too—ticklish, like it skipped a beat.
“So, you were just joking earlier, weren’t you?” Nan Xu tilted her head at him.
“Mm.”
“What?!” Nan Xu tilted her head even further, leaning in closer as if inspecting something.
He frowned. “What are you looking at?”
“Brother, why are your ears red?”
“!!!”
Nan Xu didn’t realize how close she was, too focused on this curious discovery.
That faint scent lingering around her seemed to ignite the air between them. His Adam’s apple shifted, emotions stirring in his eyes, though his face stayed cold. “Your eyesight must be bad.”
Turning away, he began setting the dishes on the table. “Come eat.”
“What about the cat?” Nan Xu glanced at the food. “Huh, these don’t really seem like cat food.”
He didn’t answer, only repeated, “Eat.”
“Oh!”
Halfway through her meal, Nan Xu noticed Xie Hejing had already finished eating. She rolled her eyes thoughtfully.
“Brother.”
He lifted his gaze from his phone, curt as always. “Speak.”
“Are you planning to get a cat?”
His eyes landed on her face.
She had just stuffed another bite into her mouth, her cheeks puffed round as she chewed. The wall lamp lit the fine down on her face, soft and delicate—he wondered if touching her would feel like petting a kitten.
In silence, Xie Hejing sighed as though resigning himself.
“Yeah.”
. . . . .
Recently, the endless rainy days in Zhi’an City had finally come to an end. The temperature rose, and with it, people’s moods lifted, no longer weighed down by gloomy skies.
Sunlight filtered through the overlapping leaves outside the windowsill. When the breeze stirred, dappled shadows danced across the ground, filling the air with warmth.
The classroom was buzzing, everyone talking about something. Nan Xu didn’t pay attention. She leaned against the window, resting her head on her hand, staring idly outside.
During the rare quiet of the lunch break, groups of students strolled across the plaza below. Her eyes drifted past the moving shadows of the trees and landed on Xie Hejing.
Bathed in sunlight, he stood with casual ease. His school jacket was off, tied loosely around his waist, revealing lean, defined muscles and strong arms. He held a can of coke, listening idly to the person next to him, taking a few sips from time to time.
Plenty of people were gathered around him, some Nan Xu recognized. They were the ones often waiting outside Class 17 after school to drag him off to play basketball.
“I passed by the court at the school gate last night,” said Qi Jiang from Class 4, frowning. “There were a bunch of kids from No. 8 High just standing around. Not playing, not doing anything—just standing there. No idea what they were up to.”
No. 8 High was the closest school to No. 1 High, their gates facing the same street. When school let out, the street vendors always made a killing from both crowds.
The street had several basketball courts, some free, some charging ten yuan per person. It wasn’t rare to see students from both schools playing there.
For boys like Xie Hejing, who loved basketball, the school court often wasn’t enough. They’d move to the street courts instead, sometimes playing against No. 8 High’s students. Up to now, things had always been peaceful.
Until last time, when No. 8 High lost to No. 1 High for who knows the umpteenth time, and finally snapped.
No one could say who started it, but one of the No. 8 players cursed, then deliberately slammed into Xiang Weishi. Naturally, No. 1 High fought back. Xie Hejing hurled the basketball straight into the guy who hit Xiang Weishi, and with the force behind it, within seconds, the person’s nose started bleeding, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
Seeing Xie Hejing grinning without a trace of remorse, that boy clenched his fists, ready to charge.
Just before a full-blown fight broke out, the owner of the court—someone both sides listened to—stepped in to mediate.
Apologies were exchanged. The guy who hit Xiang Weishi was named Chen Qian. Unwilling but forced, he muttered an apology to Xiang Weishi.
Xiang Weishi brushed the dust from his clothes, flexed his twisted wrist, and said in a mocking tone, “Tch, guess I didn’t check the almanac before coming out today. Got bitten by a dog while playing ball—what bad luck.”
Chen Qian’s hands at his sides slowly tightened into fists.
Xiang Weishi’s gaze flicked to his knuckles. “Hah, don’t take it personally—it wasn’t about you.”
“No hard feelings,” Chen Qian ground out through clenched teeth. Then he turned his head and looked at Xie Hejing.
The meaning was obvious: he’d apologized, now it was Xie Hejing’s turn.
Xie Hejing stood off to the side, ball in hand, wearing the easy smile of a good student, no hint of the ruthlessness from seconds before.
He cleared his throat, stood straighter, and put on a serious look—but his lips still curved in a lazy smirk as he drawled:
“Sorry, dog.”
“Xie Hejing!” Chen Qian roared.
“Here~”
Xie Hejing raised a brow, his nonchalance begging for a punch.
The No. 1 High students exploded into laughter. They had never seen anyone deliver an apology so cocky—it was enough to drive someone mad.