After being pulled into the apartment by Bai Yuyou, Ye Shuang realized the place was pitch black, with no sign of anyone else living there.
Living alone?
The air carried a faint musty dampness, and the floor seemed littered with something.
With a click of the switch, the surroundings suddenly brightened, and only then did Ye Shuang see what was scattered across the floor—miscellaneous bottles and containers, cardboard boxes, undergarments, and other items, so cluttered that there was hardly any space to step.
What a mess.
But since it was someone else’s home, Ye Shuang refrained from commenting. He turned to speak to the girl, only to find her already lifting her clothes up with both hands, revealing a smooth, toned abdomen and the lower curve of her chest.
"What are you doing?!" Ye Shuang immediately exclaimed upon seeing this.
Bai Yuyou, hearing him, merely glanced down at her own actions before murmuring softly, "Changing… for a shower."
"Shouldn’t you change in the bathroom?!"
Bai Yuyou tilted her head slightly and countered, "But… I’ve always changed like this."
Ye Shuang sighed in exasperation. "Do you change like this even when your parents are home?"
Bai Yuyou stared at him for a long moment before lowering her eyes and whispering, "I… don’t have parents."
"I’m sorry…"
"I don’t know what I did wrong…"
Ye Shuang’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The sound of rain pattering against the window filled the silence, and through it, he caught a glimpse of the girl’s emotions.
I’m such an idiot.
After a long pause, he finally managed, "My apologies."
"Why apologize?" Bai Yuyou asked, tilting her head slightly, her beautiful face etched with confusion. "Did you do something wrong?"
"No." Ye Shuang hesitated, then glanced around before spotting the bathroom, as if trying to shift the topic.
"Let’s get you showered first, or you’ll catch a cold."
Bai Yuyou, however, reached out and tugged at Ye Shuang’s soaked suit jacket. "Why aren’t you taking off your clothes?"
This time, Ye Shuang didn’t question her reasoning. Instead, he patiently explained, "Because I’m a man, and showers are for one person at a time."
He was beginning to realize that this girl was a little… "unusual."
Or, to put it more accurately, she lacked common sense.
Hearing this, Bai Yuyou simply nodded and went to shower.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed from inside.
Listening to the splashing water, Ye Shuang sat on a wooden chair and reached into his pocket, only to find his cigarettes completely drenched—even his lighter was missing.
With a sigh, he checked his other pocket.
His hand went straight through, brushing against the leg hair on his damp thigh.
Ye Shuang: "…"
Damn it, where’s my phone?!
He pulled out a soggy cigarette and, though it wouldn’t light, stuck it between his lips and clenched it tightly. The bitter taste of tobacco mixed with rainwater made him frown slightly, but it did help calm his chaotic thoughts.
His vision blurred momentarily, and when he refocused, a translucent window appeared above the cigarette in his hand.
[Item: Soaked Cigarette
A cigarette that won’t light. No special use.]
Seeing this, Ye Shuang wasn’t the least bit surprised. He had been able to see such things since childhood.
Beyond displaying basic information about certain objects, this ability had no other effects.
It wasn’t like in novels, where such powers could make one omnipotent. Reality was just reality—as a child, he had dreamed of saving the world, only to grow up and realize the world couldn’t even save him.
When had his dreams quietly been buried in this rainy night?
Before long, the bathroom door opened, and Bai Yuyou stepped out, clothes in hand, surrounded by billowing steam.
Ye Shuang’s cigarette fell to the floor as he immediately stood up. "Put your clothes on before coming out!"
Bai Yuyou glanced at the wet clothes in her hands and obediently started to put them on.
"Stop." Ye Shuang held up a hand. "Where are the clothes you’re changing into?"
Bai Yuyou pointed to the clothes hanging on the balcony.
Only then did Ye Shuang notice the laundry drying outside—but his expression quickly turned dumbfounded. The balcony was lined with nothing but school uniforms, and formal ones at that.
Not a single sleepwear or loose T-shirt in sight.
He reached out and touched one of the pleated skirts, only to find it still damp.
[Item: Pleated Skirt
A skirt that hasn’t dried yet. No special use.]
He checked the other clothes—
[Item: Black Pantyhose
Still-wet pantyhose. Probably useless.]
[Item: Snow-White Undergarments
Still-damp undergarments. Probably useful for something.]
[Item: Yinshan Academy Girls’ Uniform
A wrinkled school uniform. Still wet.]
Finally spotting a bath towel, Ye Shuang grabbed it from the balcony and handed it to Bai Yuyou. "Wrap this around yourself."
"Wrap…" Bai Yuyou looked at the towel, then obediently tied it around her lower body.
"The top too."
"Oh."
After some effort, Ye Shuang finally got the girl properly wrapped in the towel—though her slender, snow-white legs remained strikingly visible, flawless as a work of art.
Once he’d steadied himself, he noticed Bai Yuyou hanging up her wet clothes.
The water dripping from them was so excessive it looked like a waterfall.
No wonder none of her clothes were dry. At first, Ye Shuang had assumed it was just the bad weather.
"You don’t wring them out?" After a moment of silence, he asked, "How long have you been living alone?"
Bai Yuyou thought for a moment before answering, "Don’t know. A long, long time…"
Ye Shuang walked over, took down all the clothes, and wrung them out thoroughly.
He also noticed they carried no scent of detergent—clearly, she didn’t even use laundry soap.
After rehanging the clothes, he sighed and turned to Bai Yuyou. "Kid, you need to learn some basic life skills."
"If you want to live properly on your own, this isn’t the way."
Bai Yuyou just stared at him without a word.
"Never mind. Who am I to talk? My own life’s a mess." Ye Shuang scratched his head and sighed again. "Alright, kid, I should get going."
"Remember, don’t bring strange men like me home. It’s dangerous."
With that, he turned to leave—lingering in a lone girl’s apartment wasn’t appropriate.
But the next second, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking back, he saw Bai Yuyou holding onto him.
In a small voice, she asked, "Why are you leaving?"
"Because I need to go earn money. Without it, you can't survive in this world," Ye Shuang said with a light chuckle, shrugging playfully.
"Too bad there’s no sugar mommy to take care of me—otherwise, I could skip thirty years of hard work."
"What’s ‘take care of’?"
"It means giving someone money and supporting them," Ye Shuang explained.
Bai Yuyou silently let go of his hand and turned away, heading straight back to her room.
Ye Shuang didn’t pay it much mind. He walked to the front door and was just about to reach for the handle to leave when—a clumsy, hurried sound came from behind. Pausing, he turned around.
Bai Yuyou’s bathrobe had somehow slipped off, but in her arms, she clutched a thick stack of cash.
Under Ye Shuang’s stunned gaze, the girl shoved both the money and herself into his embrace. Through the sound of rain, her soft, clear voice spoke again:
"Money… I’ll take care of you."