181: The young artist was bold.

"Hello, hello, hello? Lin You? Why aren't you saying anything?"

After Lin You finished reading the mission content on the Panel, Wang Xiaoyi's adorable voice came through the phone.

"I'm near the security booth on the right side of the school gate. You can see me if you walk over."

Two minutes later, Lin You and Wang Xiaoyi successfully met up. Thinking about the mission, he asked casually, "Xiao Yi, I remember you said Sister Wen Chun is from the same village as you, right?"

"Yes, Sister Wen Chun is my neighbor."

"How old is she?"

"Two years older than me."

"Twenty years old. Has she been working for a few years already?"

"Sister Wen Chun went to work in another province after finishing junior high in the county."

Wang Xiaoyi answered honestly, not finding it strange that Lin You was asking about Sister Wen Chun. In her heart, both were very good and important people, and she... also hoped they could get to know each other.

"She'll come back for the Lunar New Year, right?"

"Yes, she told me she's taking a friend's car back to Nanxin County on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. I've already applied to Teacher Zhang to stay in the dorm until the twenty-seventh, so I can go back on the same day as Sister Wen Chun." Wang Xiaoyi looked very happy.

"In that case," Lin You said with a smile, "can I come to Nanxin County, to your village, and visit you two? Introduce Sister Wen Chun to me; I want to meet your best friend too."

Wang Xiaoyi fell silent after hearing this, only answering a few seconds later.

"My home is run-down. I... I'm afraid you'll look down on it if you go."

Lin You already knew Wang Xiaoyi was a student from a disadvantaged background. Nanxin County is located in the mountainous area of Ancheng, where transportation is underdeveloped, and the economy ranks among the lowest of the counties in Ancheng. Wang Xiaoyi's home definitely wouldn't be well-off.

"Do you think I'm some young master? My hometown is in the countryside too. I have to go back to the village every once in a while to clean the old house. Besides, 'Though the dwelling be humble, virtue gives it fragrance.' Any place where Xiao Yi is, even if it's run-down, is a good place."

Wang Xiaoyi still kept her head down. She knew Lin You's words were just meant to comfort her, and she also knew Lin You lived in the city, his parents were civil servants, and he came from a very respectable family.

Although she had fantasized about being with Lin You forever... even though Lin You helped her become more cheerful and told her not to feel inferior because of her unchangeable background.

But... although she had changed, she was ultimately not strong enough. Facing the person she liked, Wang Xiaoyi was still self-conscious.

"In my family... it's just me. I don't have any family left."

Lin You's heart sank upon hearing this, followed by a feeling of helplessness... He knew Wang Xiaoyi was a student from a disadvantaged background and that her family situation must be poor, but he had only just learned the true extent of it.

Lin You recalled his first formal interaction with Wang Xiaoyi, realizing how hollow his previous words of comfort now seemed.

He didn't know what to say, so he just reached out and gently patted Wang Xiaoyi's head.

"Although it's a bit early to say this, I want to become your family in the future too."

Wang Xiaoyi looked up at Lin You, her little face flushed. She, too, was thinking too far ahead... She was afraid Lin You would have second thoughts because she was an orphan, and afraid her background would make his family feel they were incompatible.

Yet, she herself was no longer saddened by these things.

She had long been used to it.

The two had originally planned to return to school. After this Joint Exam, Ancheng No. 7 Middle School's grade 12 students were starting their break. Old Zhang notified the students to return for a class meeting before the holiday.

Lin You took out his phone and called Old Zhang, successfully getting leave for himself and Wang Xiaoyi.

He then took Wang Xiaoyi in a taxi near his home, found the Nanxin County Restaurant where they had eaten before, ordered a few dishes, and sat down opposite Wang Xiaoyi.

"Xiao Yi, would you be willing to tell me about your family situation?"

Wang Xiaoyi nodded without hesitation. Her family situation was known to everyone in the village. Since she started school, in the village primary school and the county middle school, almost every Classmate knew about her family situation. However, after coming to Ancheng, she hadn't made many friends, and the others in grade 12 class 7 only knew she was a student from a disadvantaged background, not the true situation at home.

Half an hour later, after the food was served, Lin You gestured to Wang Xiaoyi. As the two ate and talked, Lin You finally learned about Wang Xiaoyi's family situation.

Wang Xiaoyi's parents met while working in Guangdong Province. The two young people, both from mountain villages, tasted the forbidden fruit early and had Wang Xiaoyi before they turned twenty. When Wang Xiaoyi was two, her mother, while working away, fell out with Wang Xiaoyi's father and returned directly to her hometown in the Southwest, never coming back to see her.

Because they were young, Wang Xiaoyi's parents never registered their marriage. Their relationship was like a child's game, starting confusedly and ending confusedly, leaving behind only a two-year-old baby girl needing care.

Wang Xiaoyi's father left Wang Xiaoyi in his hometown to be raised by her grandparents while he worked away all year round. When Wang Xiaoyi was five, he died in a workplace accident because he was working while intoxicated.

Because her family didn't understand the law, they ran into a ruthless boss and didn't receive any compensation.

After age five, Wang Xiaoyi lived with her grandparents, but without her father sending money home, life was very difficult.

Her grandparents were old and had always been in poor health. Affected by the accident involving their youngest son, both elders passed away before Wang Xiaoyi entered junior high. After that, Wang Xiaoyi relied on various state subsidies to attend school and live normally. There was also a bungalow left by her grandparents in her hometown for her to live in, and she lived with her Uncle's family on weekdays.

However, her Uncle's family was not well-off and had many children. Although Wang Xiaoyi paid living expenses every month, Aunt still felt that since she was not Wang Xiaoyi's biological parent, and Wang Xiaoyi was living in the bungalow left by the grandparents, as a granddaughter, she was not qualified to inherit it, and felt Wang Xiaoyi was taking advantage of them.

And Wang Xiaoyi also felt like an outsider in that family.

Only her neighbor, Sister Wen Chun, was truly close to her.

After listening, Lin You served Wang Xiaoyi a bowl of Old Duck Soup. "Xiao Yi, I underestimated you before. You are the strongest one. Your online name, Little Artist Brave, truly fits you!"

Lin You didn't offer excessive sentimentality or comfort. The fact that Wang Xiaoyi could live normally now showed that she had accepted everything. What Lin You needed to do was help her live a good life in the future and avoid the fate of dying young on another timeline.

Wang Xiaoyi looked up slightly, her expression and movement resembling the meme of Wang Yousheng from Drawing Sword.

"Isn't that right? I'm just a little timid, but I'm actually quite formidable."

"So, formidable Wang Xiaoyi, can I visit your house during the winter break?"

"You're welcome to come. Our village is still very beautiful, with mountains and rivers—a different scenery from Ancheng."

Lin You reached out and gently tapped Wang Xiaoyi's head. "I already told you, I grew up in a village too. I've seen mountains, rivers, and farmland."

Wang Xiaoyi raised her head defiantly. "Our village also has beautiful terraced fields. Have you seen those?"

Lin You's expression froze. Although Ancheng also had a hilly landscape, most of the farmland was on flat ground. Terraced fields were only common in places like Nanxin County, which had many mountains.