Chương 55: The Heart Wall Gradually Melting

Luo Bingli patiently placed the last bit of cat food on the ground, watching the orange cat lick its paw contentedly and purr softly.

She slowly stood up, stretched her legs which had gone numb from squatting, crumpled the empty cat food bag into a ball, and prepared to throw it into the nearby trash can. Several cats circled around her feet, rubbing against her ankles reluctantly.

Just as she turned around, a figure appeared in front of her, holding a bottle of beverage in his hand.

"Student Luo?"

"... It's you."

A hint of surprise and wariness flashed in Luo Bingli's eyes, and her body tensed up instinctively, like a startled little animal.

It was her best friend's older brother, Lin Che. She hadn't expected to run into him again, since they were now students at the same school, but this was just too much of a coincidence.

First, she "bumped into" him at the entrance of the cafeteria, then in a corner of the small park, and now in this secluded corner behind the school where few people come. To her, this coincidence seemed more like a signal that she was being deliberately approached.

Lin Che noticed the fleeting wariness in her eyes, knowing his sudden appearance had startled her. He offered her the orange juice, trying to break the ice with this small gesture, and said gently, "Are you finished feeding her?"

Luo Bingli didn't reach for the drink; she simply stared at him, her gaze filled with obvious doubt and a hint of inquiry: "What are you doing here?"

"I just finished eating in the cafeteria and was just wandering around, looking for a quiet place to clear my head." Lin Che shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant.

"I didn't expect to run into you."

His reasoning sounded casual, as if the encounter was truly just a coincidence, but his heart was far from as relaxed as it appeared.

"Is that so..." Luo Bingli's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds, as if judging the truthfulness of his words. She didn't completely believe it was a simple coincidence, but she didn't directly expose it either.

She withdrew her gaze, the wariness in her eyes fading somewhat, and turned to look at the cats at her feet that had begun to doze lazily. She sighed softly, her voice surprisingly gentle: "... Thank you for not disturbing me just now."

She didn't believe that the other person had just found her there after she finished feeding the cat; he had obviously been waiting for quite some time. This respect of not disturbing her was more important than any words.

"You're welcome." Lin Che smiled and shook his head. He didn't offer the drink again, but simply held it in his own hand, as if waiting for the right moment.

"Why did you do this?" he asked in a low voice, trying to guide her to reveal her true thoughts.

Luo Bingli looked down at the ground, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the hem of her school uniform skirt, as if deciding whether to open her heart even a little bit to the person in front of her.

Finally, she spoke slowly, her voice soft, like a gentle breeze, "I just feel... I'm a bit like them."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, before speaking slowly and softly, "They are wary... they raise their claws at everyone and are unwilling to approach anyone easily unless the other party is... very patient and seems... harmless."

"They actually need care, they need someone to provide them with food and a sense of security, but they are also afraid... afraid that the care won't last, afraid that once they become dependent, they will be abandoned."

"So you're so good to them..." Lin Che said softly, "because you understand how they feel, right?"

Looking at her slender figure, he felt a pang of heartache. This understanding was not a special perception that only he, as Xingshuang, could possess, but rather a resonance that a "grown-up" who had experienced similar loneliness and loss could feel.

Luo Bingli didn't answer, but just nodded slightly. She wasn't used to being understood so directly. That understanding brought a kind of warmth, but it also made her feel that her vulnerability was exposed to the sunlight.

Lin Che looked at her, knowing this was an important moment. He couldn't let her continue to shrink into her own world, nor could he let her feel that all his care came with conditions and ulterior motives.

He took a deep breath and decided to follow the direction he had discussed with Su Yuqing, but to express himself in a more sincere way that was more in line with his role as the "older brother".

"Yuqing is very worried about you." He said directly, without beating around the bush, looking sincerely at Luo Bingli.

"She hopes you can be happy, hopes you can have more friends, and not be so lonely anymore."

Upon hearing the name "Yuqing," Luo Bingli relaxed slightly. It was the name of someone she trusted. But then, she heard Lin Che continue, "She also wants... me to try to be friends with you."

These words puzzled Luo Bingli, but more than that, they touched her deeply. She didn't understand why Yuqing would ask her brother to do this.

But Yuqing's concern, and Lin Che's direct and frank way of saying it, made her feel a long-lost sense of being cared for.

This concern doesn't come from a task or a responsibility, but from someone who truly cares about her as Luo Bingli.

"I can tell," Lin Che continued, his tone gentle yet firm, "that you always keep to yourself at school, eat lunch alone, sit alone during breaks, and sometimes even skip class to go to the edge of the playground and stay there by yourself."

"Yuqing has seen all of this, and she is very worried about you." Lin Che spoke softly, but every word seemed to tell her: You are not invisible. Your condition and your loneliness are seen and cared about by someone.

She said she hoped you could try to make more friends, participate in some activities, and experience things for yourself, because not everyone is like you imagine.

He looked into Luo Bingli's eyes, which were filled with complex emotions—struggle, confusion, and emotion.

"I also hope you can give it a try."

Luo Bingli bit her lower lip, her heart churning with a mix of emotions: the embarrassment of being seen through, the bewilderment of being cared for, and the gratitude for Yuqing's sincere friendship.

She looked at Lin Che, Yuqing's brother, who seemed to be completely different from all the "adults" she had ever met. He didn't have an arrogant attitude or hypocritical politeness; he was simply... genuinely concerned about a child's loneliness.

"... Why do you listen to her so much?" she finally asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic and towards a "relationship" she could understand. She still couldn't fully comprehend this sudden act of kindness; it was too pure and made her uneasy.

Lin Che smiled, not answering directly, but instead asking, "What do you think? Why would someone like me, who has only known her for a few days but has suddenly become her brother, listen to her and come to you to say these things?"

He didn't explain their past life ties, but simply threw the question back at her, letting her think about it and perceive the relationship herself.

Luo Bingli fell silent. She was indeed very confused. Yu Qing was unusually close to the person in front of her. That closeness carried a kind of trust and dependence that made her envious and even vaguely uneasy. Yu Qing had said that he was very good, but she still couldn't understand exactly what was so good about him.

"Actually... I'm very curious about you." Luo Bingli finally admitted, her voice lowering, with a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

"Yuqing is very different towards you... How can someone you've only known for a few days be so important to her?" She looked up, her eyes sparkling with inquiry.

She wanted to know the reason, to know what was so special about this "brother" that made her most trusted and relied on him so much.

"Then use this curiosity as your reason," Lin Che said with a smile.

"Take it as the beginning of our attempt to be friends. You're curious about me, and I'll try to understand you too, how about that?"

Luo Bingli did not answer immediately. She lowered her head, kicking at the pebbles on the ground with her toes, her heart in turmoil.

To accept or to refuse? Accepting means risking being abandoned or hurt again, while refusing means continuing to be alone and shrinking into one's own world.

After a long while, she nodded very slightly, so slightly that it was almost imperceptible, but Lin Che still caught it.

"You agreed?" he asked, somewhat surprised and delighted.

"... Mmm." Luo Bingli's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, as if she had used up all her strength.

"That's great." Lin Che couldn't help but laugh out loud. This progress was much smoother than he had expected.

"You can come to me for anything in the future, whether at school or... at other times."

Luo Bingli did not respond, but lowered her head even further, seemingly unwilling to let him see the embarrassment on her face, as well as the tiny joy and emotion hidden beneath her cold exterior.

Just as Lin Che felt the conversation had come to a satisfactory end and was about to leave, Luo Bingli suddenly called out to him. Lin Che stopped, turned around, and looked at her with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

She looked at Lin Che, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity, but finally spoke up: "... Leave your contact information."

Lin Che was taken aback, not expecting her to take the initiative. Of course, he wanted to exchange contact information with her, but he felt that today's exchange had been enough and wanted to give her enough time to adjust.

"I... I promised someone I would try to make more friends." Luo Bingli didn't look at him anymore, but stared at the ground, but her tone was unusually firm.

Lin Che's heart felt as if it were being gently brushed by a soft feather. He knew who that "person" was—it was Xing Shuang, the "senior" who had been injured for her last night and had patiently guided and tolerated her.

The realization that Liuli was fulfilling the promise she had made to herself filled him with an indescribable sense of relief and tenderness.

"Okay." He smiled and agreed, exchanging contact information with the girl in front of him.

The cold fingertips accidentally touched her while passing the phone, and Luo Bingli quickly withdrew her hand, a faint blush rising on her face.

"Well... I'll be going now," Lin Che said softly as he put away his phone.

"There's one more thing."

"Hmm, what's wrong?" he replied softly, his tone showing no impatience whatsoever.

She looked up, her eyes meeting his, her tone questioning yet tinged with a hint of expectation, and pointed to the orange juice in his hand: "That's for me, right?"

Lin Che's heart skipped a beat, then he broke into a big smile.

"Um."