Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

(PS: I can only update once today, sorry! I've had a bad cold for the past two days and have been resting in bed. I felt a bit unwell just now so I went to get an IV drip. I typed a chapter with one hand, which was a bit tiring... I'll resume double updates tomorrow!)

51. Head Pat

The house in front of him made Yu Zhe feel a little distressed. It didn't have a classical beauty; it was just dilapidated.

Although it was impolite, Yu Zhe still asked with concern, "Regardless of whether the accommodation is good or not, is this place safe?"

Qin Ruoke rummaged through her bag for her keys: "It's very safe. It's not far from the school. It's a place left over from a previous demolition, so the rent is very cheap. The neighbors are all good people. I chose this place after considering everything. If it weren't safe, I wouldn't have chosen it. I know what I'm doing."

Indeed, Yu Zhe found that this place was not far from the school as the crow flies, and the location was not remote, so it was a good choice in terms of saving money.

However, the route to get here is very roundabout, so it certainly won't be very convenient in terms of daily life.

"As long as you're safe, hey, what's wrong?"

Qin Ruoke, who had just been using her key to open the door, suddenly froze in place.

From her perspective, looking at the familiar door frame, Qin Ruoke broke out in a cold sweat.

She seemed to suddenly remember that she hadn't put the clothes she'd hung out to dry this morning in the closet because she was in a rush to get to school; she'd just tossed them onto the bed.

The clothes are fine...they're all school uniforms, but the problem is, there are a few pieces of underwear on the bed too...

Moreover, the house is small; once you enter, you can basically see into the bedroom.

Once this door is opened, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The more I thought about that scene, the more embarrassed and ashamed I felt.

Qin Ruoke simply opened the door as fast as she could, slipped inside, grabbed the door frame, and stuck her head out, preventing Yu Zhe from seeing inside the house.

"Wait a minute! I need to tidy up inside first, give me a minute!"

As the words fell, the door slammed shut.

Yu Zhe, standing outside the door, looked completely bewildered: "So what if it's messy... I still need Zi Xiao to help me tidy up my own room, sigh, it's such a hassle."

It really only took about a minute before Qin Ruoke came back and opened the door.

"Okay...okay, come in."

"You finished cleaning in a minute? Where did you put the clothes?"

Qin Ruoke's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, it really was time to collect the laundry.

Follow her in

Su Yuzhe felt really depressed in this house.

When a space becomes cramped, it naturally creates a sense of oppression.

Moreover, although the place was spotless, there were no signs of decoration on the white walls, the simple sofa, or even a television.

They kept telling Yu Zhe that Qin Ruoke really had no enthusiasm for life and was just fighting against fate. Calling it fighting was a nice way of putting it, but in reality, she was just being arranged by fate.

Why did your father, Qin Yang, choose to take such a risk back then? Yu Zhe only suffered some leg injuries when she was hit, but for Qin Yang's daughter, Qin Ruo Ke, that hit completely derailed her life from its normal course.

The person you actually bumped into with your choice was Qin Ruoke, wasn't he?

I felt a pang of heartache, a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings of emotion and reflection), and a touch

Qin Ruoke looked at Su Yuzhe, who was standing there silently with his head down, and her worry deepened: "You... what's wrong? I told you, it's not good to come to this place. Does it make you feel uncomfortable...? Then... you should go back early, I'll take you..."

"This place..."

So that's how it is. Qin Ruoke didn't consider this place her home either.

Yes, if a person only comes back to a place every day to rest, and there's no one waiting for them there, can that really be considered home?

Taking a deep breath, Yu Zhe started walking forward: "No, didn't I say I wouldn't laugh at you? I can tell you're very diligent in cleaning the room. It's very clean here."

These words calmed Qin Ruoke down a bit: "Is...is that so? I usually pay attention to it. When I don't have anything to do, I feel that cleaning the room is also a way to relieve stress."

Do not understand.

Yu Zhe couldn't imagine how much stress you actually had in your life if cleaning your room could relieve stress.

Taking advantage of Qin Ruoke turning around, Yu Zhe quickly opened the refrigerator door and took a look.

As expected, besides various vegetarian dishes, there were only steamed buns.

After closing the refrigerator door, Yu Zhe asked with some doubt, "Speaking of which, where's your part-time job money? I think you earn quite a bit, at least you wouldn't have to live in such conditions, I mean, at least it would be better than this."

Hesitation... Qin Ruoke hesitated whether or not to tell Su Yuzhe about her situation.

But to her disbelief, even though she was still hesitant inside, she couldn't help but say, "I...I have to pay off my father's debts. He owed a lot of money back then and is still in jail. I can't abandon him, just like he didn't abandon me back then..."

Is that so?

It's not that they lack motivation and goals in life, but this direction is definitely wrong.

That's not the life you're meant to have.

Standing in front of her room, I looked at the thick stack of books on the table.

Yu Zhe's voice softened: "Qin Ruoke, if one day you could leave this place, leave this living environment, and live the same life as girls your age, wear pretty clothes, and go shopping with your friends, wouldn't you want that kind of life?"

That's impossible.

Qin Ruoke felt a sudden pang of sorrow. That was the life she wanted, the life she dreamed of, but... given the current bleak situation, it would always remain just a dream.

Clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, the stubborn Qin Ruoke, facing Su Yuzhe this time, forced out a few words: "I...I want to leave here too..."

But what good does it do to think about it?

However, the next second, a scent of sunflowers wafted over.

That was the pleasant scent that Su Yuzhe brought when he got close.

The next moment, Yu Zhe's right hand landed on Qin Ruoke's head, gently stroking it.

"Yes, that's the right thing to do. Why do you always have to force yourself to stay strong? You're a good kid and you deserve a better life. This place doesn't belong to you."

"I promise you, in two weeks at most, you will be able to leave here and have a real home."

"So, leave it to me."

Leave it to me...

These words struck Qin Ruoke's actually very fragile heart with a heavy blow, stirring up a storm of emotions.

Ah... in that case, is it really possible to believe it?

If it were you, maybe...

Normally, Qin Ruoke wouldn't have accepted such a kind offer.

But now, feeling the gentle caress of the hand on her head, she had no intention of moving it away. In fact, she unconsciously tiptoed to feel the warmth of the hand even more.

When she felt her eyes stinging, she longed to just throw herself into Su Yuzhe's arms and cry her heart out.

But it won't work... at least not now. Reality remains the same, and nothing has changed.

If I were to cry now, everything I've managed to maintain until now might be lost.

This continued for quite some time.

Yu Zhe gently removed his hand from her head.

Then he walked to the living room door, waved and said, "Trust me, just hang in there for two more weeks, and everything will be different. Oh, by the way, you don't need to pay off your debts anymore. Go buy yourself something nice to eat."

Watching Yu Zhe leave, Qin Ruoke's eyes welled up with tears, unsure of what to say.

But as she looked at the door, which no longer seemed so dark, she choked out a sentence.

"Hmm...I believe you, thank you."

52. I brought you some late-night snacks!

Yu Zhe then planned to return to the apartment, by which time it was completely dark.

He was actually quite worried about Zixiao's health.

Without realizing it, my pace quickened considerably.

When I got home, I saw Zixiao right at the kitchen door.

She was tying her apron around her waist when she saw Yu Zhe return. She hurriedly tried to put the apron down and go back to her room.

Lying down.

Yu Zhe hung the clothes on the hanger: "Don't panic, I saw it all. I told you to rest well. I'll cook dinner when I get back. You never listen to me."

I thought my brother would come back later... so I made dinner without telling him first.

Feeling a little awkward, Zixiao sat down at the dining table and said, "Um... I'm completely fine now. You don't need to bother with dinner, brother. Anyway, what have you been doing again, brother? Look, it's past eight o'clock again."

When this was mentioned, Zixiao instantly went from being the weaker party to the stronger one.

Ke Yuzhe said matter-of-factly, "I was just helping others, so I came back a little late."

"Helping others brings joy?"

That's right. First, he helped Luo Xiaomeng solve the problem of the class sports meet, and then he helped Qin Ruoke calm down. Isn't that what it means to be helpful?

I told Zixiao about these two things, which was a way of explaining why I came home late.

Actually, Zixiao couldn't control when her brother came back... but every time he didn't come back, Zixiao felt very bad.

I now understand the whole process.

Zixiao caught the key point in those words: "Sports meet? Does that mean you signed up too, brother?"

"Yeah, I just signed up for the 100-meter race. It's a grade-wide event. Are you thinking of signing up for one?"

Zixiao simply shook her head: "I don't want to sign up, but I'll go cheer for my brother when the time comes."

"Thank you so much! It's really impressive to have the school beauty come to cheer you on!"

"Brother, don't joke with me..."

But Zixiao was worried when she said this, and she couldn't help but say it out loud.

"I remember, five years ago when you broke your leg, the doctor said that even after you recovered, you should avoid strenuous exercise. Are you really sure you'll be okay participating in a sprint like this...?"

“Although I know that my brother is actually very athletic... I am more worried about your health.”

Yu Zhe knew that the doctor had told him it was a kind of aftereffect and that he should avoid strenuous exercise, but this was not a big problem.