You on the other side of time

Liu Meiyue seemed to suddenly remember something, and took another half step forward, tentatively asking, "Are you... Si Chuying's brother?"

She had heard Song Wanxi mention that she had borrowed a senior's student ID card before, and that the senior's sister was about the same age as her, named Si Chuying.

"Yes." Si Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief. He hadn't expected to connect with her so easily; communication wasn't difficult at all. He looked up and glanced at Liu Meiyue, secretly convinced that if this girl could deduce whose brother he was from a single WeChat message, then she and Song Wanxi must have an extremely good relationship, perhaps even being inseparable best friends.

"Oh, it's alright then. Sorry, senior, my best friend lives alone, so I have to be careful, afraid she'll get taken advantage of." Liu Meiyue scratched her head, her tone completely relaxed. Seeing Si Yang's anxious eyes, she added, "She's handing out flyers for finding apartments in Tianluo. If you really have something urgent, I can give you her number?"

"Thank you, classmate, but no need, I have her phone number." Si Yang quickly waved his hand, holding up his phone as he walked forward, ready to make the call.

"You're welcome..." Liu Meiyue called out from behind, but before she could finish speaking, another panting voice came out.

"Senior Si Yang...wait a minute!"

The voice was crisp and urgent, and Si Yang recognized it all too well—it was Song Wanxi.

Si Yang turned around in surprise. The sunlight at a little past ten o'clock was neither too intense nor too harsh, gently shining on the girl, as if gilding her with a charming golden light. The hair on either side of her ears was slightly messy from running, sticking to her sweaty forehead, swaying gently with her deep and shallow breaths.

Seeing that Song Wanxi was panting heavily, Liu Meiyue quickly put down the plastic basin she was holding, walked over quickly, placed her hand on her sister's back, and patted her gently. "Why are you running so fast? Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

"I...I was afraid you'd be getting impatient, senior." Song Wanxi took a while to catch her breath before she could calm down. She looked up at Si Yang, "Senior, I'm sorry to bother you so early."

"No, no, I'm not bothering you." Si Yang's voice softened involuntarily. "I'm the one who's bothering you, making you come all the way back."

"No trouble at all, I just finished handing out flyers. The pay is high during the morning rush hour, 50 yuan for two hours, which is enough for my food expenses for a day. I was thinking of sending you a message after I finished, but I didn't expect you to be here already." Song Wanxi smiled shyly, her eyes curving into crescents, revealing two shallow dimples.

Si Yang suddenly realized. It turned out that the real estate agent Song Wanxi was handing out flyers was the same Tianluo Real Estate Agency located near his apartment complex. The reason the two girls weren't at school today was because they had military training from the 1st to the 7th, and today, Monday, was a day off; classes officially started tomorrow.

"Song Song, I'm going back to study now. I still have practice problems to do this afternoon." Liu Meiyue glanced at Song Wanxi, then quickly looked at Si Yang, and waved with a smile, "Bye-bye, senior."

"Okay, bye-bye." Song Wanxi smiled slightly, her smile gentle, her dimples becoming even more pronounced.

Si Yang simply nodded to Liu Meiyue without saying anything. At that moment, his attention was entirely focused on Song Wanxi, and his mind was full of questions he wanted to ask, leaving him no energy for small talk.

Most likely because Liu Meiyue had lingered outside for too long, another middle-aged man in a white vest came out of the room. He had no expression on his face, glanced at Liu Meiyue and Song Wanxi, and seeing that it was just two young girls talking, he stood there quietly for a moment. When Liu Meiyue turned around and went back into the room, he followed her in and gently closed the door.

"She's my best friend, Liu Meiyue. That man is her father. For families like ours, the only way to change our fate is through education. She often tells me that if she doesn't get into university, she'll have to take over her father's fruit shop and spend her whole life running that little stall, making a living by selling fruit."

Song Wanxi's gaze softened as she looked at the closed door opposite her. Her tone was filled with emotion. Only she knew how much pressure Liu Meiyue had endured for the college entrance examination, how many nights she had stayed up, and how much she had suffered. Fortunately, the result was good.

Si Yang listened quietly. Looking at the sincerity and empathy in Song Wanxi's eyes, and remembering the purpose of his visit, he was momentarily speechless, standing there blankly, not knowing what to say.

Seeing that he didn't speak, his eyes were wandering, and he seemed absent-minded, Song Wanxi felt a little embarrassed. She quickly took out the student ID card from her bag, gently held both ends with her hands, and respectfully handed it to Si Yang. She looked serious and reserved, like a cautious subordinate handing a document to a leader.

"Thank you, Senior Si Yang."

"You're welcome." Si Yang took his student ID card, but a wave of guilt washed over him. He had come to see her with selfish motives. But seeing this girl struggling to grow like a little sun in the soil, he couldn't say anything.

Moreover, he felt unworthy of the title "senior." A senior should be someone who guides and helps juniors, but what about him? He was mired in his own troubles, barely able to protect himself, and couldn't even safeguard his own sister. What help could he possibly offer Song Wanxi? He was nothing more than a stranger who came to bother her with ulterior motives.

"Senior, is there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" Song Wanxi blinked her clear eyes as if she could read Si Yang's mind. She looked at him standing there, his gaze wandering, seemingly absent-minded.

Caught off guard, Si Yang suddenly felt a pang of panic. He gritted his teeth and asked bluntly, "I... I wanted to ask you, are you planning to move? Also, has anyone else come to see this house recently?"

He knew the question was strange, since Song Wanxi was still living there safely, but he couldn't tell whether he couldn't find any other excuse or he didn't want to deceive the innocent girl in front of him.

"Huh?" As expected, Song Wanxi's eyes widened. She blinked slightly, looking at Si Yang with a somewhat blank expression. Actually, she didn't quite understand. She seemed to have told him last time that the rent was subsidized by the community, and she probably wouldn't be moving during her entire university years.

"I probably won't move. I'll wait until graduation." Song Wanxi pursed her lips, raised her right hand to gently shield her eyes from the direct sunlight, and gave an awkward smile. "Mainly because... I don't have the money to move. The nicer apartments are all too expensive. The money I earn from part-time jobs is barely enough to cover my food and tuition."

Si Yang stood frozen in place, speechless. He had originally intended to ask where Song Wanxi planned to move if she was going to. But now, since she didn't even have any plans to move, the question seemed pointless.

A moment later, the anxiety in Si Yang's heart surged up again.

"However," Song Wanxi seemed to remember something, she frowned slightly and added, "the landlord did call me recently to ask if it was convenient for someone to come and see the apartment. I found it quite strange, since I still live here. It's definitely inconvenient for a girl to live here alone, so I promptly declined."

Song Wanxi spoke the truth.

She knew the community had helped lower the rent, which the landlord was somewhat unhappy about, but she felt helpless and assumed the landlord was just using this as an excuse to pressure her. She would have almost forgotten about it if Si Yang hadn't brought it up.

"You mean someone actually wants to rent this house?" Si Yang's voice trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to maintain his composure.

Song Wanxi met Si Yang's expectant gaze, her eyes flickering for a moment, "I guess...that's right. That's what the landlord said, but I don't know exactly who it is, he didn't elaborate."

After receiving a positive reply, Si Yang was certain that the single mother wanted to rent the house, but because Song Wanxi lived there and refused to view the house, she had no way to proceed and could only put it on hold for the time being.

A selfish thought churned in Si Yang's mind again, and he slowly asked, "If you had enough money, wouldn't you move to a better place?"

After saying that, he quickly added, trying to cover up his selfish motives: "A top student like you should live in a better place, in a better environment, so you can study in peace."

He knew in his heart that he didn't genuinely think Song Wanxi should go to a better place, but rather that if she didn't move out, how could the single mother move in? And if the single mother didn't move in, how could he interfere with future matters?

Ultimately, he was still selfish, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it directly, so he had to find a roundabout way that he thought the girl could accept.