Chapter 4 — Touching all over
Nan Xu was startled by the sudden threat, jumping up in a fluster just as noise came from the kitchen.
Zhang Huiwan called out to her, “Jiaojiao, come taste the soup Auntie made.”
“—Okay.” Nan Xu raised her voice in reply. But when she turned back, the staircase on the second floor was already empty—Xie Hejing’s figure had vanished.
She sipped the soup, her mind in turmoil.
She’d been far too rude just now, how could she have stared at him like that?
But then again, Xie Hejing was still the same as before: cold, sharp, and hard to get along with.
When Zhang Huiwan brought out the soup, she still hadn’t seen Xie Hejing anywhere.
Normally he didn’t take this long in the shower. Could he have gone out? she wondered.
“Jiaojiao, did you see your Brother Hejing just now?” she asked.
“I…” Nan Xu hesitated, then nodded. “…I did. At the top of the stairs. But the next second, he was gone.”
Probably back to his room, Zhang Huiwan thought. With guests in the house, how could he hide away upstairs like that?
She was about to head up to call him down when, before she even made it halfway, Xie Hejing opened his door and walked out.
His gaze met Nan Xu’s directly. What had been a calm look was now covered with a thin layer of frost.
“Hello, Aunt Wen.”
His voice was polite but distant, tinged with coldness.
Nan Xu didn’t dare look at him this time. She ducked behind her mother, head lowered, trying to shrink into the background like an ostrich.
Wen Qiu greeted him warmly, but noticing her daughter hadn’t said a word, reached behind to squeeze Nan Xu’s hand in reminder.
Prompted, Nan Xu pressed her lips together, shuffled a small step to the side, and forced herself to glance at Xie Hejing—just a fleeting look.
He had already changed into casual clothes, his hair still damp, a few strands falling across his forehead. His expression was unreadable, his features sharper and more defined than a few years ago.
Remembering her mother’s instructions, Nan Xu cleared her throat and said, “Hello, Brother.”
A vaguely unsettling laugh came from the other side.
Nan Xu lifted her head and met Xie Hejing’s gaze steadily. His gaze was very cold, with no trace of a smile. Her throat tightened, and a flicker of nervousness rose within her.
Xie Hejing looked down at her flustered expression, his eyes lowering slightly. Following the address she had just used, he replied, “Hello… little sister.”
Nan Xu blinked, the memory of the embarrassing scene from earlier flooding back. Her cheeks instantly burned.
If not for that awkward moment just now, this would have been perfectly fine!
Zhang Huiwan, noticing his damp hair, said, “Why didn’t you dry your hair before coming out? You’ll catch a cold.”
Neither adult noticed the subtle undercurrent between Nan Xu and Xie Hejing. Instead, Zhang Huiwan looked rather pleased with his attitude.
“Hejing, Jiaojiao will be staying with us for a while. You two need to get along.”
Xie Hejing tilted his chin slightly, his smile carrying a touch of mischief. “Of course.”
“Jiaojiao,” Wen Qiu added, “make sure you listen to Aunt Zhang and your Brother Hejing, all right?”
“Got it,” Nan Xu answered softly.
Soon it was time. Nan Xu and Zhang Huiwan drove Wen Qiu to the airport. When they came back, Zhang Huiwan showed Nan Xu to her room.
It was upstairs, right next to Xie Hejing’s. It used to be Zhang Huiwan’s own room, but since she’d injured her leg years ago, she had moved to the first floor. Now it had been tidied up for Nan Xu.
As she helped Nan Xu unpack, Zhang Huiwan said, “Auntie’s room is downstairs. If you need anything, come to me. And if I’m not around, you can go to Hejing. Don’t worry—just treat this place like your own home. Feel free to tell me anything.”
“Okay. Thank you, Auntie.” Nan Xu replied.
Having just moved in, and with school starting tomorrow, Nan Xu lay in bed unable to sleep.
With her family’s bankruptcy, she still had her parents’ companionship. Later, when her father fell ill, only her mother remained. Now, with her mother gone too, Nan Xu’s eyes brimmed with tears, but she forced them back.
Sitting up, she reached for a family photo placed on her bedside table—a picture of the three of them—and intended to hold it while she slept. Her fingers brushed her left wrist, and her heart skipped a beat.
The bracelet her father had given her for her birthday was gone.
Panic surged through her. The tears that had been building spilled onto her hand.
She sat on the bed, trying to recall where she might have left the bracelet. Her mind felt chaotic. Perhaps she had dropped it somewhere in the villa while unpacking?
The more she thought, the more anxious she became. Desperate to find it quickly, Nan Xu hastily threw on some clothes, grabbed a flashlight from under her pillow, and stepped out.
She was night-blind, barely able to see in darkness, so she relied on the flashlight to guide her.
It was ten o’clock at night, and the villa was pitch black. Nan Xu had never been here before. Swallowing nervously, she gripped the flashlight tightly, setting it to a low beam.
As she reached the top of the stairs, the light flicked forward and suddenly illuminated Xie Hejing coming toward her.
He wore a rain jacket zipped up to the top, water droplets clinging to the fabric. It was raining outside; he seemed to have just returned from outdoors.
The beam shone directly on his face, and he slightly turned away to shield his eyes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Nan Xu’s heart pounded violently. She clenched her teeth, summoning all her strength to keep from screaming. But the flashlight slipped from her hand, tumbling down the stairs with a series of clattering sounds, and went out.
Now she couldn’t even think about the flashlight. Hurriedly, she apologized, “I’m sorry… I was looking for something. I might have dropped it downstairs while unpacking.”
Xie Hejing paused for two seconds, said nothing, and stepped around her.
A few seconds later—
A loud bang came from behind her as a door closed. Nan Xu let out a long breath, feeling slightly relieved.
Without the flashlight, she strained to see anything below, but the stairs remained shrouded in darkness. The flashlight was certainly broken, and her heart ached for it.
Turning back, she saw that the path to her room was also pitch black. Since she’d only brought the flashlight with her and was unfamiliar with the place, she had no choice but to feel her way slowly back.
The second floor was spacious with many rooms. Nan Xu, both night-blind and slightly afraid of the dark, froze, anxious.
Suddenly recalling the sound of the door closing that she had just heard, Nan Xu remembered which direction it came from. Thinking that her room was in that direction, she groped her way over in the dark.
Fortunately, luck was on her side. Her hand found the familiar doorknob. She pressed down, and the door opened.
The room was dark. When she left earlier, it had remained unlit. She vaguely remembered where the switch was, took a few steps, and reached for it.
But her hand met warmth instead of the cold wall she expected.
Nan Xu frowned, unconvinced, and continued pressing a few more times.
And then—
Her heart sank completely.
She had entered the wrong room!
Realizing this mistake, Nan Xu’s heart was pounding so fast she felt it might burst out of her chest.
On her first day here, she had rudely stared at him, and now she had entered his room without permission. Even though it was unintentional, Nan Xu wished she could go back to yesterday and start over.
But reality offered no such chance. Xie Hejing looked at her silently for a long moment before speaking coldly: “Are you a mute?”
“Brother.”
Nan Xu obediently called out, clasping her hands behind her back. She pressed her lips together, two shallow dimples appearing, making her look infinitely regretful.
It felt like she had wasted an entire year’s worth of dignity in a single day.
Xie Hejing didn’t ignore her. Crossing his arms, he said, “What, looking isn’t enough? Do you really have to come back and touch me tonight too?”
“No, no!” Nan Xu quickly waved her hands in denial.
“Looking is enough. I didn’t want to touch…” Nan Xu mumbled softly.
Xie Hejing sneered, “Nan Xu… after all these years, since when did you get this bold?”
Realizing she’d spoken without thinking, Nan Xu hurried to clarify: “I didn’t mean that. I didn’t want to see… it was all an accident. I really didn’t mean to look at your… body today.”
“An accident?”
The tension in Xie Hejing’s voice eased slightly.
Fearing he wouldn’t believe her, Nan Xu nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes!”
“Coming into my room so late at night, touching me all over… also an accident?”
“Touching me…”
Nan Xu whispered the words, repeating them softly.
Xie Hejing looked at her. “Hm?”
“…Yes. It really was all an accident.”
Nan Xu stared at him, her eyes clear. She couldn’t read Xie Hejing’s expression, but he didn’t deny her words. She guessed she had survived this round.
Just as she exhaled in relief, Xie Hejing suddenly said, “You think I believe that?”
Her heart sank instantly.
A series of footsteps came from the stairs, and Xie Hejing, keenly aware of them, listened quietly for a while.
Nan Xu didn’t notice, still worrying about how to explain herself. She was going to stay here for a long time and didn’t want to leave such a bad impression on him on her first day.
Just as Nan Xu was about to speak again, the footsteps stopped right at Xie Hejing’s door.
“I—”
She spoke out just then.
Xie Hejing frowned and raised his hand to cover Nan Xu’s mouth. Caught off guard, she panicked, bit his hand lightly, and tried to push the door open to escape.
“Hiss—” Xie Hejing grunted softly, but thankfully he managed to stop her.
“Mm.” Nan Xu’s mouth was covered, and all she could do was widen her eyes, silently asking what he meant.
One gaze was fiery, the other watery.
At that moment, a voice came from outside the door.
“Hejing, I just heard something fall near the stairs. Was that you? Keep it down, don’t wake Jiaojiao.”
It was Aunt Zhang! Nan Xu lifted her eyes.
Xie Hejing’s first thought: the door wasn’t locked. If his mom saw Nan Xu in his room this late, she would lecture him for a year at the very least.
Seeing the expression on Nan Xu’s face, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, warning, “If my mom finds you in my room, you’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll personally make sure of it.”
Warm breath brushed her skin. Nan Xu shrank her neck, catching the cold distance in his words. She bit the inside of her lip, her eyes dimming slightly. Compared to before, Xie Hejing seemed… different now—he didn’t seem to like her as much.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
“I heard you.”
Outside, Zhang Huiwan spoke again, “Hejing, what did you say? I didn’t catch that.”
Nan Xu immediately went silent, feeling a little guilty at Aunt Zhang’s voice.
Seeing her quiet down, Xie Hejing knew she wouldn’t speak up and let go of her.
“No.”
“That’s fine, then.” There was a brief pause outside before Zhang Huiwan continued, “Tomorrow is Jiaojiao’s first day at school. As her brother, take good care of her. She’s timid and barely talks to you, so take the initiative to help her.”
Xie Hejing: …
He glanced down at Nan Xu in front of him. Just a few minutes ago, she had bitten him.
“Hejing, did you hear what I said?”
Hejing took a deep breath, almost gritting his teeth as he said, “Got it.”
After a while, the footsteps outside faded. Both of them finally exhaled in relief.
Nan Xu felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to apologize, but before she could say anything, Xie Hejing led her toward the door.
“Out.” His tone was icy, leaving no room for argument.
Bang—
The door shut, and Nan Xu clearly heard the lock click.
Finally back in her room, she collapsed onto the bed. The night’s events had been overwhelming, which somehow softened the sadness she felt over parting with her parents. Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the alarm went off on time. Nan Xu finished washing up and opened her door—just in time to see the door next door open as well.
“…”
Her fingers tightened around the doorknob. Xie Hejing didn’t spare her a glance and simply walked ahead.
Nan Xu hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, “Last night…”
“Last night? What about it?”
Zhang Huiwan stood downstairs, holding breakfast in her hands, watching the two of them. She wondered if her voice had woken Nan Xu the night before.
Xie Hejing stopped, glanced back at Nan Xu, warning her with a single look.
“Last night,” Nan Xu quickly forced a smile, “I… I wanted to ask… last night, did Auntie and… Brother Hejing sleep well?”
At that question, Zhang Huiwan’s face lit up with happiness. Of course—daughters are naturally considerate, unlike Xie Hejing, who had woken up in a foul mood as if the world owed him millions.
“Very well,” Zhang Huiwan said, placing the breakfast on the table. “My sleep has always been good. How about you, Jiaojiao? Did you sleep well? I heard some noise on the stairs last night—did it disturb you?”
“No, I slept very well,” Nan Xu replied, sneaking a glance at Xie Hejing.
“I slept fine too,” Xie Hejing said, his gaze darkening slightly, “thanks to you.”
Nan Xu: …
At the breakfast table, Nan Xu kept her head down, trying to minimize her presence.
But she couldn’t escape Aunt Zhang’s attentiveness. Answering while eating, she unintentionally rendered Xie Hejing invisible.
Just as Zhang Huiwan reached to offer Nan Xu another bun, her eyes fell on a scar on Xie Hejing’s hand, near the thumb—small, looking as if it had been bitten. She asked, “What’s this scar from? Did someone bite you in a fight? You’ve always liked fighting, haven’t you? You’re not exactly a kid anymore.”
Nan Xu tried to explain, “Auntie, actually—”
But Xie Hejing lazily cut her off, “No fight. Why do you only remember the times I fought? Weren’t you pretty proud when I excelled in school?”
Though Xie Hejing often caused trouble, Zhang Huiwan never worried about his grades. In fact, when he was in middle school, the same teacher who scolded her for his fights would then praise him for having the top score in his year and invite her to share her parenting experience on stage.
“You didn’t get that intelligence from anyone else but me,” Zhang Huiwan said reluctantly, offering him some food. “If your grades aren’t good this time, I’ll be too embarrassed to face your teachers.”
The family still placed great importance on Xie Hejing’s education. Morning traffic on the way to school was usually heavy, so Zhang Huiwan often sent Xie Hejing ahead with her driver while she drove herself to the office.
Nan Xu also rode in that car, sitting in the back with Xie Hejing.
She cautiously stole a glance at the scar on his hand, but before she could study it closely, he interrupted her.
He shoved his hand into his pocket and frowned as he watched the school draw nearer through the window.
“Nan Xu,” Xie Hejing said, his voice utterly cold.
Nan Xu inhaled sharply, nervous. “What is it?”
“From now on, whether it’s an ‘accident’ or not, you are not allowed to enter my room again.”
“And,” Xie Hejing pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, tugging the drawstring, “outside the house, we are strangers.”