Chapter Thirty-One: I Am an Ordinary Person

"Xiaoxiao..." Her mother seemed hesitant. "Do you want to meet him?"

"Is he the son of Dad's old colleague?" Xiaoxiao confirmed once more.

Her mother nodded. Without giving it another thought, Xiaoxiao replied directly, "Alright, I'll go meet him when I have some free time." She then smiled gently at her mother. There was no need to waste energy on such a man, but her mother’s previous words had laid the reasoning bare—ultimately, she just cared for her, not wanting her to bear life's burdens alone, hoping someone might share them. At moments like this, the man in the photo was, without doubt, a timely rescue, even if he was unremarkable, dull, or even disagreeable. As long as he could make life a little easier, the rest could be overlooked. Besides, it was for her father's sake too; the only reason this "second-generation demolition" passed muster was because he could be linked, however tenuously, to her father.

She returned to her small rented room the next afternoon. As soon as she turned into the alley, she overheard several housewives whispering. When their eyes met hers, they looked away, embarrassed. Standing downstairs, she soon realized she was their latest topic of conversation. The landlady came out, tilted her head toward the upstairs balcony, and said with a tone of envy, "Xiaoxiao, your boyfriend is so considerate."

She didn’t bother to explain and headed straight upstairs. On the balcony stood a large sun umbrella, and beneath it, two rattan rocking chairs—a setup fit for retirement.

"You're back?" Lin Shuo opened his eyes from one of the chairs. He didn’t need to look to know it was her. The slanting evening sunlight fell at his feet, the atmosphere serene.

"President Lin, what a good mood you must be in today, to find even my humble little place worthy of your presence," Xiaoxiao said as she lay back in the other chair, closing her eyes and letting the gentle sway lull her toward sleep. In a haze, she recalled a couple she'd seen on the minibus days earlier—students, by the look of them—huddled together atop the engine cover in the crowded cabin. The boy had his arm around the petite girl, whispering, "Do you know why our ice creams taste different? Because mine’s Yili, and yours is Mengniu." The girl pouted, insisting on a taste, and in the end, both of them laughed. Xiaoxiao felt a pang of emotion; even a few-yuan ice cream could hold the flavor of happiness. What sounded like a cold joke was, in reality, a luxury—many never even had the chance to tell such jokes.

"You think you know what kind of mood I’m in?" Lin Shuo asked.

"Does it have anything to do with me?" She noticed the chair beside her had gone silent, and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Take all this back when you leave," she said, "otherwise, if someone comes up and sees it, it won’t look good." Suddenly, everything went dark and her chair stilled. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense Lin Shuo looming over her, his hands gripping the chair.

"You mean that man named Xi? Do you even know what kind of person he is, and you dare bring him home?" Lin Shuo smiled, but there was a trace of anger in his voice. Xiaoxiao wasn’t surprised by his understanding of Xi Mintang; she just found his flare-up somewhat inexplicable. So she retorted, "I didn’t know what kind of person you were when I brought you here, yet now you’re sitting here basking in the sun as if you own the place."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Lin Shuo hadn’t expected her to compare Xi Mintang to himself.

Lonely Moments: Don’t Talk of Love, Chapter 31 – I Am an Ordinary Person, Complete.