In the bustling street, Starry Lin walked confidently to a noodle stall and exchanged a few words with the owner before sitting down with him.

After a while, the owner, with a white towel on his shoulder, came over and placed a bowl of Yangchun noodles on their table.

"Um..."

Sunny Xu picked up his chopsticks but hesitated.

Because he had always heard the line "Waiter, a bowl of Yangchun noodles" in various period dramas and martial arts films, he had tried it out of curiosity a few times. However, for a boy his age, although this type of noodles was filling, it was too plain without any meat.

"What's wrong? Is there something you're not satisfied with?"

Starry Lin opened her chopsticks and raised an eyebrow when she saw his hesitation.

"It's nothing. By the way, do you like lamb skewers? There's a stall nearby that makes really delicious ones. I can treat you..."

"Let's go."

Starry Lin didn't hesitate and put down her chopsticks, ready to leave.

"Huh? Wait! Are you just going to leave like that?"

Sunny Xu looked surprised.

"Aren't you treating me to meat? Then let's make the most of our time."

"...What about the noodles? It would be such a waste."

"If you want to eat meat, then you won't have room for anything else. Let's go, let's go."

Starry Lin grabbed his shoulder and forcefully pulled him away.

...

In short, although it was originally supposed to be Starry Lin treating him, Sunny Xu didn't mind. In terms of the result, Sunny Xu and Starry Lin finally left Yanyue Street after strolling around for over an hour, feeling satisfied.

The two of them ate at several places, from the street stalls selling lamb skewers and cotton candy, to the beef noodle restaurant in the corner of an alley that served two bowls of steaming hot soup noodles, and finally to the dry noodles and popsicles in the department store at the end of the street.

During this process, Sunny Xu had the privilege of seeing Starry Lin with oil all over her mouth from eating skewers, Starry Lin screaming in pain because her tongue was scalded by the soup, Starry Lin holding a melting popsicle and hurriedly licking it halfway through because she didn't want it to melt completely, and Starry Lin crying with a sad face because her cotton candy fell on the ground and got dirty.

Although Sunny Xu was still a teenager, it was difficult for him at his age to understand what "youthful memories" meant. However, he subconsciously engraved this night, this lively and bustling street, and the person accompanying him in his mind.

It turned out that she had such an interesting and friendly side. Starry Lin was no longer the aloof girl who kept her distance from everyone, but a girl next door who could joke around and playfully tease each other.

"Burp."

The black-haired girl patted her stomach and let out a satisfied burp, without any grace.

The two of them walked side by side in the crowded crowd, and the bustling noise made them feel more at ease.

"Ah, I'm full. Thank you for treating me today. I didn't bring any money with me, but I'll definitely pay you back in a few days."

"It's okay, I can't let you watch me eat." Sunny Xu jokingly asked, "But, it seems like you owe me more and more now. Is that okay?"

The atmosphere between the two of them had become quite harmonious, and he no longer displayed his previous attitude.

"What's the problem? Are you afraid I won't be able to pay you back?"

Starry Lin put her hands behind her back, looked straight ahead, and said with a meaningful tone.

"Don't worry, if there's no other way, I still have a last resort. I can definitely pay you back."

Last resort... What does that mean?

Sunny Xu couldn't help but turn his head to look at her.

His gaze fell on the faint pink corner of the girl's lips, shimmering with a moist and enticing luster under the passing streetlight, making it hard for him to look away.

"What are you looking at?"

Starry Lin blinked her eyes and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"What? Are you fascinated by my face?"

"No."

"Don't be shy. I'm already very popular among boys." The girl said in a carefree manner, without any shyness. "Of course, if someone keeps staring at me, I'll definitely get angry. But for you, I can tolerate it for now."

"...You should wipe your mouth first. I'm not interested in a girl with a greasy face."

Sunny Xu took out a pack of napkins from his pocket and handed it to her, pointing out the spot on her face that was stained with oil.

Starry Lin choked for a moment, glared at him dissatisfiedly, and took the napkin without a good temper.

As they walked past one person after another, a thought suddenly crossed Sunny Xu's mind: to others, would they look like a young couple?

This thought flashed through the minds of young people like a bubble on the water's surface, leaving no trace.

Starry Lin remained silent for a while, just walking quietly beside him. After walking for a while, they could see that the commercial street was coming to an end, and she quietly suggested:

"Let's go back."

"...Okay."

Sunny Xu pondered for a moment and felt that some things needed to be clarified first. He asked.

"You said you want to change. Where do you plan to start?"

"Um..." Starry Lin thought for a moment and shook her head, "I don't have a specific idea. How about you give me an order?"

"Give you an order..."

Sunny Xu found this phrasing a bit strange. He decided to ask in a different way.

"You've already decided to distance yourself from those people, right?"

"Of course."

"Then what do you plan to do after school and on weekends?"

"To be honest, I didn't have much interaction with them in the first place. But like you said, if I wander around everywhere, I might attract the attention of all sorts of people..."

Starry Lin's expression suddenly became a bit strange.

"It seems like I can only stay at home obediently."It can be seen that she has some resistance to this matter. Although Sunny Xu doesn't know the reason, it is a good thing for him. He tentatively asked:

"Well, if you have time, do you want to come and find me?"

Upon hearing this, Starry Lin turned her head in surprise and stared at him.

"Finally revealing your true thoughts?"

"...I don't know what you mean, but it must be a misunderstanding," Sunny Xu replied calmly.

"You always skip class and have poor grades. It's hard to catch up by yourself. I want to teach you how to study, but only if you are willing to change," Starry said.

"I already promised you, why would I be unwilling? Yes, what you said is right. As a student, the first step to change is definitely to start with studying," the girl shook her head. "If there is a problem, it's that my family can't afford a tutor."

Sunny Xu frowned.

"What are you talking about? I definitely won't take your money."

"That's why I feel upset," Starry interrupted him. "I always trouble you. I feel guilty."

"Don't worry about that," he explained. "Helping others with their studies can also be seen as a form of review."

This was not a lie. When classmates asked him questions, Sunny Xu never refused, largely because of this idea.

"...I feel like I owe you more and more. What if I can't repay you in the future?"

Sunny Xu didn't expect this sentence to be thrown back at him, so he smiled and replied:

"As long as you are willing to learn, my efforts won't be in vain. Of course, if you slack off or feel bored, I will definitely leave you and not care anymore."

This time, Starry Lin didn't argue back. She just looked at him deeply and didn't say anything.

Sunny Xu felt that she had tacitly agreed.

They continued walking until they left the street and returned to the darkness of the night. They walked shoulder to shoulder until they reached the alley, where they said goodbye in front of Starry Lin's house. The smile on Sunny Xu's face never disappeared.

*

After a few days, Starry Lin was nowhere to be seen. Could it be that she changed her mind after speaking? Sunny Xu felt frustrated, but he instinctively felt that it wasn't the case.

On this day, he woke up from his bed and glanced at the alarm clock on the desk, realizing that he woke up nearly twenty minutes earlier than usual.

Sunny Xu put on his clothes, left the bedroom, and saw scattered files piled up on the sofa, realizing that his sister had come home while he was sleeping.

"She's really busy..."

Sunny Xu muttered to himself as he brushed his teeth in front of the mirror, his mouth full of toothpaste foam.

At that moment, a sudden and urgent knocking sound came from the door, like raindrops.

He was startled, rinsed his mouth, wiped his face with a towel a few times, and hurriedly walked towards the door.

"Who is it?"

Sunny Xu opened the inner security door, and through the iron gate, he saw a long-haired girl standing with her hands behind her back, smiling brightly.

"Hello, it's me."

Starry Lin waved at him cheerfully.

"Good morning. What's the matter?"

"I came to play with you."

What time is it? Sunny Xu couldn't resist the girl's enthusiasm.

"You came so early in the morning..."

"What's wrong? Are you not happy to see me based on your expression?"

Starry Lin immediately showed a displeased expression, furrowing her brows.

"I came here voluntarily. You should be happy, right?"

"Who would be happy to be disturbed?"

Sunny Xu shook his head, his face tense, and opened the iron gate.

"Sorry for the disturbance. Do you want to change your shoes?"

Sunny Xu handed her a pair of slippers.

The girl bent down in front of him, took off her sneakers, revealing her white ankle socks. Her long, smooth black hair almost touched the ground.

"Are you the only one at home?"

When Starry Lin looked up, due to standing on one foot, she lost her balance and seemed about to fall. Sunny Xu hurriedly tried to support her, but she skillfully used the shoe cabinet to support herself and stood up straight.

"Yes, I am."

Sunny Xu felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to retract his hand, but she grabbed it.

He was surprised.

He felt the soft touch of her palm and the warmth of her skin, like the first ray of morning sunlight gently falling on him.

"Here, have some candy."

Starry Lin smiled and said to him.

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

Sunny Xu opened his palm and found several banknotes and... a big White Rabbit milk candy.

"I'm here to repay you for treating me that day."

The girl looked around curiously at the furnishings in the house.

"Unfortunately, I wanted to meet your sister as well."

Sunny Xu unwrapped the candy and threw the sticky rice wrapper into his mouth. He mumbled with a mouthful.

Hmm, it tastes sweet.

"No problem."

"Really? That's great. Let's find a chance to meet then?"

"But we have to wait until my sister is free."

"I hardly ever get to see her. Is she really busy with police work? Did something big happen recently?"

Sunny Xu hesitated and didn't speak.

His sister had called him on that phone. As long as he reminded her, she definitely wouldn't say anything. But if this curious girl in front of him found out, she might dig deeper, which wouldn't be good.

Fortunately, Starry Lin seemed to have just casually mentioned it and quickly changed the topic.

"Shall we have breakfast together later?"

She stopped in her tracks, stood in the living room, and looked up at the wall covered with certificates, asking softly.The morning sunlight slowly seeped into the room through the curtains, like a surreal river flowing on the tiles and walls. The golden river painted a faint halo on the girl's black hair and white school uniform. Sunny Xu stood behind Starry Lin, staring at her back in a daze.

"Hmm? Why aren't you speaking?" She turned her head in confusion.

"Uh, no, nothing... Did you say breakfast? Sure."

"That's good. I've been wanting to try the pancake stall outside the east gate of our community."

Seeing Starry Lin's nonchalant attitude, it was clear that she was just making up an excuse. She was beating around the bush, unwilling to speak directly, as if she had another purpose.

Sunny Xu thought for a moment and tentatively asked:

"Starry Lin, did you come here to invite me to go to school together?"

"Huh? Don't flatter yourself!"

Starry Lin, who had been intently looking at the photo of the siblings on the wall, almost jumped up as if she had been startled.

"..."

Due to his lack of friends, Sunny Xu was a bit slow in this regard. Seeing Starry Lin's resistant attitude, he scratched his cheek, feeling a bit confused and a bit disappointed.

"What's wrong with that? I really want to go to school with you, and I hope we can go home together after school every day."

If he and Starry Lin only spent time together on the way to and from school, but ignored her as usual during school hours, treating her as if she were invisible, they could hardly be called friends.

"We should also find opportunities to chat at school, and it would be best if we could do something interesting together..."

"..."

This time, it was Starry Lin who became hesitant.

"I, I understand. Since you've said that... No, that's not the point."

After coughing, the girl said in a serious tone.

"What I mean is, regardless of what happens in the future, you'd better stick with me for the next few days."

"Why?"

"Of course, to protect you."

Protect me...

Although Starry Lin said this as if it were a matter of course, Sunny Xu quickly realized that she was referring to the school bullies they had offended. However, he still found it hard to accept.

This was a problem that they should face together. Moreover, shouldn't it be him, as the boy, who should stand up and protect the girl?

"Shouldn't I be the one protecting you?"

In response to Sunny Xu's rebuttal, she neither blushed nor got angry, but just showed a faint smile and responded softly.

"Okay, then I'll count on you."

The girl raised a hand towards him.

The same gesture as that day.

Sunny Xu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly raised his hand and bumped fists with her.

...

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Just as they were about to leave the house, Starry Lin suddenly said.

"We'll talk about it at school. I have something to show you."

"What?"

"Do you remember... what happened in the alley that afternoon a few days ago?"

The girl beside him took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.