23: Chapter 23 I Understand You

Yang Shiguang brought the girl to the Inn where he was staying, then helped her book a room right next to his.

"Oh, right, I still don't know your name."

"Bai... Bai Mengxi."

"Can I call you Mengxi? My surname is Yang, Yang Shiguang."

"Oh..."

After entering the room, Yang Shiguang saw Bai Mengxi open her suitcase and bag.

Perhaps she left in too much of a hurry; Yang Shiguang only saw clothes and such in her luggage, but she seemed to have forgotten to bring toiletries. He quietly walked out of the room and closed the door.

Seeing Yang Shiguang leave, the loneliness in Bai Mengxi's heart resurfaced, but recalling how the big boy had fiercely protected her earlier, her heart warmed.

Especially the large hand that had stroked the back of her head to comfort her at the time; it seemed its warmth still lingered there.

She unconsciously pulled her long hair to her chest, gently combing it with her fair, tender fingertips. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her cheeks flushed crimson.

"He... touched my hair..."

Soon, a knock on the door startled Bai Mengxi, instantly making her wary. After all, she had just experienced something so terrifying, and for an 18-year-old girl, anyone would be stressed.

"Mengxi, it's me, Yang Shiguang. Can you open the door?"

The gentle and familiar voice outside the door made Bai Mengxi's wariness disappear, and a sense of security returned to her heart. She scurried over and opened the door.

Yang Shiguang walked in, carrying three bags, which puzzled Bai Mengxi.

Yang Shiguang entered the room, placed the bags on the bed, and took out various items to put around the room.

"I noticed you didn't seem to have any toiletries in your luggage."

Hearing this, Bai Mengxi looked at her suitcase and bag, realizing she had indeed left in too much of a hurry and forgotten them.

He... noticed that.

"Here are some fruits; I put them on the coffee table."

"I didn't buy snacks. You're so thin, eat fewer unhealthy things. If you're hungry, find me, and I'll take you out to eat."

"The toothbrush and cup are new; I put them by the sink for you."

"One pink towel, one white towel; one for your face, one for your body. Don't mix them up. I've already washed them for you and hung them on the rack."

"I saw there was only shampoo and shower gel in the room. Girls like you probably prefer facial cleanser, right? I put it in the bathroom niche."

Bai Mengxi sat on the bed, watching Yang Shiguang bustling about the room.

Gratitude surged into her chest, warm and comforting.

She had been alone for so many years; the feeling of being cared for had disappeared from her life for ages. Caught off guard by the renewed care, her nose tingled slightly.

Suddenly, Yang Shiguang took out two square items from a bag, looking a little flustered.

Bai Mengxi looked at the items in his hand; she was very familiar with them, using them every month.

Yang Shiguang felt her gaze and said with a touch of awkwardness:

"Uh, those, I don't know when you... but I bought them just in case. Anyway, I put them in the drawer; take them if you need them."

He... thought of that too... Why is he like this...?

Unable to suppress it any longer, tears burst forth.

Seeing Bai Mengxi suddenly start crying, Yang Shiguang was bewildered, not knowing what he had done wrong. He quickly grabbed tissues and sat beside her to wipe her tears.

"Oh dear, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying? If I did something wrong, I apologize."

"Why are you so good to me?"

The girl directly threw herself into Yang Shiguang's arms, her voice choked with sobs. She lightly punched Yang Shiguang's shoulder twice with her small fists, tears flowing uncontrollably like an ocean.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Let's go home, I'll take you home, okay? We won't stay here."

"I don't have a home! My Parents... they've been gone for a long time! I've always been... alone! Alone!"

The girl cried even louder, shouting through her sobs as if venting.

Yang Shiguang said nothing more. He gently embraced her, slowly patting her back, letting her vent.

After an unknown amount of time, Bai Mengxi's sobs gradually subsided.

Perhaps she was exhausted from crying, or perhaps she didn't want to leave the warmth of his embrace, but she remained nestled in Yang Shiguang's arms without getting up.

"Feeling better?"

Yang Shiguang asked gently.

Bai Mengxi didn't speak, just nodded slightly in his embrace.

Yang Shiguang sighed, wanting to let go and light a cigarette, but as soon as he released his arms, he felt the girl tremble in his embrace, so he hugged her back.

"Didn't you ask why I'm so good to you?"

"Because I saw it in your eyes: we are the same kind of people."

"When I was 10, my Parents divorced, left me, and started new families, never caring about me again."

"Just the month before last, my grandma, who I depended on, also passed away. I, too, am all alone."

Yang Shiguang spoke slowly.

"So we are the same; I understand you."

"Go on, just say it, and you'll feel better. I'll listen to whatever you say."

The girl nodded, continuing to bury her head in Yang Shiguang's arms, slowly recounting her story with a choked voice.

Bai Mengxi shared a similar fate with Yang Shiguang, perhaps even more tragic.

Her Parents both died in an accident when she was 13, and she was adopted by her uncle's family.

However, her uncle's family was not well-off and had two younger male cousins. Coupled with the deeply ingrained patriarchal views in her hometown, she was always treated as a burden.

For years, she was treated like a maid, ordered around, often beaten and scolded without reason. She couldn't eat at the table and had to wait for her uncle's family to finish before she could eat the leftovers.

Because of this, such a young girl had already learned to read people's expressions to survive, becoming extremely sensitive to others' tones, attitudes, and even glances.

Her life was hard and exhausting, but it was the only way to survive.

Finally, she was admitted to a university in Star City. Her uncle's family, upon hearing the news, gave her 500 yuan and kicked her out of the house before the semester even began.

She couldn't find a summer job in her hometown; she even inquired at construction sites, but no one was willing to hire her.

With no other options, she heard that there were many tourists in Fenghuang during the summer, so she thought there might be places needing summer workers. She came here alone.

Then she found that Bar, which provided food and accommodation, and paid 1500 yuan a month. After working for almost a month, she met Yang Shiguang, and the rest is history.

After unburdening herself of the bitterness buried deep in her heart, Bai Mengxi felt much lighter. She stopped crying, and her emotions stabilized significantly.

Soon, she realized she was leaning on a big boy she had only recently met, her pretty face flushed crimson. She instantly broke free from his embrace and sat upright.

But due to an inner conflict of resistance and reluctance, she didn't move her bottom, still sitting close to Yang Shiguang. She lowered her head again, burying her small face behind her beautiful hair to hide her shyness.

Yang Shiguang was also slightly taken aback. After realizing, he understood that perhaps due to empathy, he had made such an overly intimate gesture as embracing her.

The not-too-close, not-too-distant proximity between them plunged the atmosphere into a subtle awkwardness.