Xiaobai Is Also Troubled Today

"Do you have the strength? If not, I can help you change," Lin Yunian said with concern.
 
"No... no need!" Bai Tingzhi scooted back a little. "You go out first."

 
"Do you want to take a shower?"
 

"...We can talk about it later."
 
Lin Yunian looked at her for a moment, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

 
"Hah..."
 

Bai Tingzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the furnishings, it was obvious this was Lao Lin's room.
 
The scent on the blanket was familiar, but she wasn't used to it.

 
The light was a bit dazzling, and she still hadn't quite adjusted.
 

Coming back to her senses, she clutched the thin long-sleeved shirt and pants in her hand. The blue seemed to have faded quite a bit. Lin Yunian's clothes...
 
In the past, she would have changed without a second thought. She wouldn't have even minded if Lao Lin helped her; they'd seen each other in the public bathhouse, after all. But now...
 

That was close! Lao Lin almost found out!
 
The thought that Lin Yunian was just outside the unlocked door, that he could come in at any time, sent her mind racing and put her under a lot of pressure.

 
Bai Tingzhi clutched the clothes, conflicted. In the end, the discomfort of her own clothes won, and she decided to change.
 

She didn't throw the blanket off completely. Hiding underneath, she slowly and awkwardly took off her school pants and hung them on a nearby chair.
 
Beneath the covers, her smooth, slender legs were crossed, her pinkish feet already wiped clean by Lin Yunian.

 
When had he taken her socks off, too?
 

Feeling her bare feet, Bai Tingzhi was suddenly struck by an inexplicable wave of shame.
 
That empty feeling gave her a profound sense of insecurity, as if she could be caught at any moment.

 
But there was no point in thinking about it any further. Her current situation was more dangerous than before! She quickly pulled on the pants, the thin fabric feeling cool against her skin.
 

Without hesitation, Bai Tingzhi unbuttoned her school shirt and took it off.
 
Her chest was slightly fuller, much more obvious than before, though still unnoticeable under clothes if you weren't looking closely. If it hadn't been for the sweat, combined with the color and material of her shirt, Lin Yunian would never have discovered it.

 
She quickly pulled on the top. The monochrome light blue set gave her a touch of innocent allure.
 

Pulling the blanket back up, she huddled behind it and called out to the door.
 
"I'm done..."

 
Two footsteps sounded from outside, and then the door was pushed open.
 

Lin Yunian's hands were wet; he casually grabbed a tissue from the desk to wipe them.
 
"If you want to wash up, just wear my things. Should you call your parents? I'll go get you some water."

 
As he spoke, Lin Yunian brought her schoolbag to the bedside, then left the room himself.
 

Bai Tingzhi thought for a moment; she really should make a call. She didn't know why Lao Lin's parents weren't home, but she had to let her own family know.
 
She unzipped her bag and fumbled in the front pocket.

 
She tried to turn on her phone, only to find it was off. She pressed the power button several times, but there was no response. She had been in class all day and had only gotten it back after school. It shouldn't be out of battery...
 

Bai Tingzhi fiddled with it, confused.
 
Is it broken?

 
"Lao Lin!"
 

"...What is it?" His voice grew closer from outside the door as Lin Yunian came around the corner with a glass of water.
 
"Drink some more." Seeing that Bai Tingzhi had changed, he picked up her discarded clothes and tossed them outside.

 
"What are you doing?"
 

"I'll put them in the washing machine for you later."
 
"Oh, okay..."

 
Bai Tingzhi sat on the bed, holding the water cup and keeping her head down.
 

The warm steam brushed against her lips, moistening them.
 
"My phone seems to be dead. Let me borrow yours."

 
"Sure." Lin Yunian took his phone from his pocket and placed it on the corner of the bedside table, within her reach.
 

Seeing Xiaobai slowly drinking the water, he spoke again. "I've made you some porridge. You can sleep for a bit first, and I'll call you when it's ready. Are you hungry now?"
 
Bai Tingzhi took a sip of warm water and shook her head.

 
She put the cup aside and picked up Lao Lin's phone.
 

"What's the password?"
 
"Same as always."

 
Oh, still her own birthday.
 

Bai Tingzhi's cheeks puffed out at the thought; her own phone's password was Lin Yunian's birthday.
 
Beep... beep... beep...

 
"The number you have dialed is busy, please do not hang up..."
 

Did they hang up on her?
 
Bai Tingzhi: ???

 
If she remembered correctly, the call had connected at first but wasn't picked up. After ringing for a while, this message played. That meant they hung up.
 

Lin Yunian saw the complicated look on Xiaobai's face, turned, and left the room to check on the porridge, pouring himself a glass of water on the way.
 
Cooking rice would have been fast, but porridge took a while.

 
It was particularly quiet with just the two of them at home.
 

The rain outside had lessened slightly but was still falling steadily. The patter of raindrops against the iron bars of the security window sent an intuitive chill through him.
 
He sat at the dining table, thinking about what he had forgotten to pack.

 
Clothes, medicine, homework...
 

Schoolbag?
 
...His schoolbag was still outside.

 
Lin Yunian rubbed his brow and sighed helplessly.
 

He had followed Bai Tingzhi earlier and had left his schoolbag in a convenience store. After all the trouble that followed, he had forgotten to go back for it.
 
In this situation, it wouldn't be convenient to go get it anyway. Xiaobai was behind him with a fever; it would be even more inappropriate to make a sick person carry it.

 
He was relieved that Xiaobai was mostly okay.
 

A faint gurgling sound came from the rice cooker. It was cooking, but it probably wouldn't be ready soon.
 
Lin Yunian drank a cup of warm water to keep himself from catching a cold.

 
When he walked back into the room, Bai Tingzhi was already asleep.
 

The room's main light was still on and a little too bright. He turned on the desk lamp and then switched off the main lights.
 
He didn't close her door completely, instead carrying Bai Tingzhi's schoolbag to the dining table.

 
A single wall separated the kitchen from his bedroom. With the lights on out here, when Xiaobai woke up, she would have the desk lamp and the faint light from the living room, so it wouldn't be too dark.
 

It didn't matter if his own schoolbag was outside; he could just get it tomorrow. Since Bai Tingzhi couldn't do her homework now, he could take a look.
 
He worked on the homework at the dining table, listening to the barely audible sound of the porridge cooking as time ticked by.

 
These problems were too basic for him and didn't really need doing, but it was good practice. He picked out questions and flipped through the pages, but for some reason, the image of Bai Tingzhi's peaceful, sleeping face kept appearing in his mind.
 

Something wasn't right.
 
He tried to focus on finding some of the stranger problems, but he still couldn't concentrate.

 
The memory of Xiaobai's delicate feet and the fresh scent from her shoulder in the pouring rain broke through the dam of his memory, and he couldn't stop himself from replaying it.
 

He didn't have a girl he liked right now, but he wasn't interested in boys either!
 
Not at all!

 
But why was he thinking about these strange things now?
 

Xiaobai was his good brother. How could he have such disgusting thoughts about his good brother's body?
 
This was more than just wrong; it was completely out of line!

 
Lin Yunian felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He carefully went back to his room, found a change of clothes, and tiptoed out, decisively heading to the bathroom to wash up.