"Our house still has a storage room, right? After tidying up the things inside, it can be used as a resting room. She can use my bedroom..."

"Wait, what are you saying?!"

Starry Lin next to them became a little anxious.

"It's nothing." Sunny Xu's attitude was quite calm. "Actually, I think that small room is more comfortable. When I was a child, I used to sleep in the wardrobe because I was often beaten by my parents."

"Th-this is different!"

"What's the difference? I don't mind. Just drop it."

"..."

Seemingly touched by the phrase "when I was a child," Li Qinglian's eyes became absent-minded and she didn't say anything. It wasn't until the boy in front of her tentatively asked again:

"Sister, is it okay?"

Li Qinglian snapped back to reality and subconsciously touched her ponytail. Looking at her whimsical little brother, she asked with a hint of distress:

"Who brought up this idea? Was it this child's parents?"

"No, it was my own idea."

"Little Sunny, do you know what saying this means?"

Li Qinglian's eyebrows slowly furrowed.

"This is not something to joke about. Do you really think you can take someone of the same age out of their home without permission and be responsible for them?"

"I know."

Sunny Xu nodded.

"But I believe that it's the most suitable thing for her."

He lowered his head and bowed solemnly.

"I'm begging you, sister."

"...This is not something you can decide alone."

Li Qinglian's serious gaze fell on the girl beside him.

"You're Starry Lin, right? What do you think about Little Sunny's proposal?"

"I..."

Starry Lin hesitated for a moment. In that instant, countless thoughts appeared in her mind like bubbles, each representing an idea or concern. But when a gentle breeze blew through her heart, all these surface thoughts vanished, leaving only one thing that had been hidden deep inside and couldn't be said out loud, the thing she truly desired—

"My thoughts are the same as his. Please help us!"

Just like Sunny Xu, Starry Lin also bowed.

"Ah..."

Seeing the two children looking as if they wouldn't get up if she didn't agree, Li Qinglian quickly realized that their thoughts were resolute.

She pondered for a moment and felt that this matter was not completely impossible to achieve.

Moreover, although Li Qinglian didn't often go back home, out of concern for Sunny Xu needing to be alone at home, she had some prior knowledge of the neighborhood relationships and had already heard some rumors from the neighbors;

In addition to the phone call last night... connecting all these things together out of professional sensitivity, Li Qinglian could vaguely guess Starry Lin's family background and had some sympathy for this girl.

The woman rubbed her temples and softened her voice.

"Actually, I don't mind personally, because I'm often not at home. It's good for Little Sunny to have a companion. What's more important is that he's basically the one in charge of everything at home. He said he can take care of you, and I'm willing to believe him."

"Then..."

The boy and girl raised their heads, both showing expressions of surprise.

"I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee it will be successful—"

Before Li Qinglian finished speaking, Sunny Xu and Starry Lin couldn't help but cheer with raised hands, forcing her to raise her hand to stop them.

"I'm not intentionally pouring cold water on you two," Li Qinglian explained seriously, "Ultimately, this matter depends on the consent of your guardian. If she agrees, it's like you coming to our house as a guest, just for a longer period of time. But if she doesn't agree, no one has the ability to take you away from your home, understand?"

The smile on Sunny Xu's face disappeared, and he nodded seriously, glancing at Starry Lin beside him.

He remembered clearly what the girl had said that night.

Starry Lin had tried seeking help from adults, including teachers and the police, but they were all stopped by her mother at the door.

Just as Li Qinglian had said, if Starry Lin's mother didn't agree, all their efforts would be in vain.

"I think there shouldn't be a problem."

However, Starry Lin herself seemed to have more confidence than the siblings.

"My mom can't wait to not have to take care of me. Before, she didn't let anyone interfere, just for the sake of her man." The girl said, "If there's a chance to get rid of me, she's probably relieved."

Her tone sounded calm, like a child who grew up in a normal environment, and she would never mention her mother in such a detached manner... Anyone could sense the resentment in Starry Lin's heart.

"Um."

The siblings exchanged glances.

"Alright." Li Qinglian finally nodded. "I have some free time these days, so I'll go talk to your mother."

"Officer Li! Officer Zhou!"

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Just then, the shout of a hospital security guard came from a distance.

"We... We found someone fainting in another ward! Can you come and take a look?"

A person ran over from the other end of the road, panting heavily, with a somewhat panicked expression. It seemed that they had seen something unpleasant.

"Xiao Li, we have to go!"

The other old police officer quickly reminded, and he followed after.

Sunny Xu and Starry Lin exchanged a glance as if they had made a silent agreement.

Judging from the security guard's tone, it was very likely that Shi Hui, who had been left unconscious in an empty ward, had been discovered.

Fortunately, they left in a timely manner, and Little An had plowed the ground again, so there shouldn't be any traces left by the two of them.The remaining traces of destruction were a bit too severe, or rather, "beyond common sense" - but since Starry Lin had already destroyed the warehouse, one more room wouldn't make a difference.

However, they still felt a bit nervous exchanging words right under someone else's nose.

"Alright, I'll be right there!"

Li Qinglian replied and then turned to Sunny Xu, saying, "Accompany me for a while." She then smiled at Starry Lin and said:

"Well, let's stop here for today. Before you leave, I want to borrow Little Sunny for a while."

...

"So, you two are really together now?"

When only the two siblings were present, Li Qinglian's first words were filled with a playful tone.

"No." Sunny Xu was prepared for his sister's teasing and immediately answered, "We're just friends."

"Just friends?"

"No, we're very good friends." Sunny Xu paused for a moment and added, "We're very, very good friends."

"Well... that's not easy." Li Qinglian sighed and said, "At your age, the relationships between friends are still pure, with genuine feelings for each other. It will be difficult to meet such people in the future, especially between opposite sexes. You should cherish her."

"I will."

"And don't bully her just because she's a girl."

"I promised I won't."

"If conflicts arise, remember to be understanding towards each other. If it really escalates, you're the boy, so remember to restrain yourself and not resort to violence."

Sunny Xu thought to himself that if a fight were to break out, it would probably be Starry Lin who needed to restrain herself... but he still nodded obediently.

"Well, let's stop here."

Li Qinglian stopped walking and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to reach out and touch her brother's head.

"I have to go now."

"Okay! Good luck with your work."

Sunny Xu said. Every time he bid farewell to Sister Lian in the morning, he would add this sentence, even though most of the time, his sister would have already left before he woke up.

"...To be honest, Little Sunny, I've always felt sorry for you."

As Li Qinglian said this, she couldn't help but sigh and her eyes were filled with apology as she looked at Sunny Xu.

"I've been too busy and haven't had time to accompany you. I always leave you alone at home."

"It's okay, it's because of work."

Sunny Xu understood well.

"Work is work, but being a guardian is also my responsibility, and I haven't fulfilled it properly. These past few days, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to come back and take care of the household chores. You've worked hard."

Sunny Xu didn't say anything, he just shook his head continuously.

Li Qinglian's gaze fell on the long-haired girl waiting quietly under the fallen leaves in the distance, and she suddenly smiled.

"If you have someone to accompany you in the future, I will feel more at ease... Alright, I understand. It's rare to have this opportunity, and it's a good thing for our family."

With that, Sister Lian yawned, turned around, and waved her hand.

"You two go back first, I promise there will be results soon."

*

Just as Li Qinglian promised, that day quickly arrived.

On this weekend afternoon, Li Qinglian, who had finished her work, returned home and chatted with the two anxious children for a while, learning about the specific situation.

She didn't rest for too long. Years of work had developed Li Qinglian's habit of dealing with things swiftly. After preparing a draft, she decisively went straight to the door.

"Your sister really doesn't waste any time..."

Starry Lin exclaimed.

Sunny Xu, standing beside her, nodded in agreement.

...

At this moment, the young boys and girls were hiding in a corner, anxiously looking towards the two women standing not far from the door, engaged in conversation.

One of them was Li Qinglian, and the other was Starry Lin's mother, whose surname was also Lin.

Due to the distance, they couldn't hear their conversation clearly, but they could see Sister Lian's serious expression. As for Mrs. Lin, she mostly played the role of a listener, occasionally nodding her head, her expression somewhat dim, and only occasionally saying a few words.

"If only superpowers could be useful in this situation."

Hearing Starry Lin mutter, Sunny Xu couldn't help but give him a sideways glance.

The reason he came up with this idea and hurriedly asked his sister for help was largely because of her feelings:

If the awakened Starry Lin continued to stay at her own home, what would happen afterwards was a worrying question, regardless of the possibility of exposing their secret. It was different from dealing with Shi Hui back then because, ultimately, Mrs. Lin was her biological mother.

When Sunny Xu heard from Starry Lin about her mother's irresponsible behavior, he naturally felt angry... but what he was more concerned about was the thoughts and actions that the young girl might have.

Regardless of how Starry Lin currently viewed her mother and whether there would be any changes in the future, Sunny Xu believed that the most important thing at the moment was to temporarily separate the mother and daughter, giving them a chance to calm down and reconsider their relationship.

And also.

There was a small, insignificant reason. Perhaps, just like what his sister said, deep down in his heart, he longed for someone to accompany him...

Lost in thought, Sunny Xu suddenly felt his arm being pulled.

He looked down and saw that Starry Lin's hand was unconsciously gripping his arm tightly, while her eyes remained focused on the front.

Sunny Xu followed her gaze and quickly noticed that the two women in front of the door had stopped talking for a while and were silently looking at each other.

The atmosphere around them was quite heavy, as if... they were confronting each other in a court.A few curious neighbors stood not far away, watching their every move.

It seemed that Sister Lian and Ms. Lin's conversation was coming to an end, entering the most crucial stage.

The two high school students unconsciously held their breath, their eyes unblinkingly fixed in Ms. Lin's direction.

After a while - it might have been a few minutes, or it might have felt like a century - Ms. Lin sighed and gently nodded her head.

Then, she said a few words to Li Qinglian, and a relieved smile appeared on the face of the woman with the ponytail.

Ms. Lin was not a talkative person. This middle-aged woman with deep fatigue in her eyes stood at the door, looking around, seemingly trying to find a certain young girl. When she couldn't see her, she shook her head and turned back into her house.

After waving goodbye, Li Qinglian turned and walked towards her own home.

She saw the two people peeking around the corner from afar, and she waved at them with a relaxed face, making an "OK" gesture.

Sunny Xu and Starry Lin looked at each other, both seeing the surprise they couldn't hide on each other's faces.

"Yeah!"

They raised their hands at the same time, high-fiving in the air with a crisp "pop".

"Now, we can finally rest assured."

Feeling that his mission was accomplished, Sunny Xu sighed with satisfaction.

"I think, your life has really changed..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw her shake her head vigorously.

He was a bit taken aback, seeing Starry Lin seemed to say something else.

But at that moment, a water truck came from the end of the alley a few steps away. The scattered mist raised a faint rainbow in the air, and the music from the truck's horn was so loud that it was frightening. For a moment, all he could hear was the familiar melody of "Orchid Grass", and nothing else.

So, Starry Lin simply leaned on his shoulder and said loudly in his ear:

"—It has already changed a long time ago!"

...

On a spring afternoon when the grass was growing and the orioles were flying, in the narrow alley with green tiles and white walls, the song "Frequent visits in the morning, never forgetting at night" echoed around. It was as noisy as a bustling city, with brilliant sunshine and long shadows cast by the overlapping eaves on the ground. Under the eaves, the girl close at hand had a bright smile and radiant teeth. The heat from the body contact made him feel a bit dizzy, and his heart started to beat "thump thump".

But when he calmed down and took a closer look, he only felt that the girl in front of him was smiling a bit foolishly. There was nothing about her that could make his heart flutter, and that wonderful feeling disappeared with the wind in an instant.

"...Looking forward to the blooming of spring flowers, fulfilling long-held wishes, the courtyard full of flowers, adding much fragrance..."

The song gradually faded away.

He shook his head, couldn't help but laugh along with his friend. The laughter of the young boy and girl was like wind chimes hanging under the eaves, flowing into the ballads sung in the streets and alleys with the warm spring breeze.