Helping You Trim Your Toenails

The campus path on this winter night was steeped in a damp, cool mist.

The streetlights cast warm yellow halos that landed softly on the crowns of passersby, illuminating stray strands of hair and making the quiet of the night seem even more tender.

Xia Yanchun stared at her feet. For every two steps Shen Nian took, she had to take three. Trying to match his pace was impossible unless he deliberately shortened his stride.

After thinking it over, she decided to pick up the pace, skipping past Shen Nian until she was a couple of body lengths ahead. She clasped her hands behind her back and marched forward with exaggerated strides.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes," Shen Nian muttered from behind. "Don't sleep too soundly tonight."

"You aren't planning on coming over at the crack of dawn, are you?"

"Not really. I'll just go back, take a shower, and head over."

"Well, you'd better hurry. Once it hits midnight, I'm deadbolting the door. Even a key won't open it then."

Shen Nian didn't seem to care in the slightest. Glancing at the scattered specks of light in the distance, he quickened his pace to catch up with Xia Yanchun, his fingers gently winding around her ponytail.

The hair was soft; if he wasn't careful, the strands would slip right through his fingers.

"Back then, you wouldn't even let me sit on your bed. Look at you now. You've really fallen, Haji-Chun."

"Is that even the same thing? People change, you know."

"That is true."

People certainly do change. Whether it was himself or Xia Yanchun, the changes were visible to the naked eye.

"Do you think you've changed?" Shen Nian asked with a smile.

"Come closer, and I'll tell you where I've changed."

"So mysterious." Shen Nian leaned his head toward her to hear her whisper.

Xia Yanchun covered her mouth with her hand. "I've become even more beautiful."

"..."

He had run into a narcissist.

He drove them home.

Considering his dad was coming tomorrow, after his shower, Shen Nian devoured most of the yogurt and fruits in the house. He planned to come up with a reason to get his dad to cough up some living expenses tomorrow.

It wasn't that he lacked money; asking for it was just for fun. It was rare for his dad to visit, so wouldn't it be improper if he didn't give him anything?

Being father and son was enough of a bond in the heart, but a little cash didn't hurt.

His hair was still damp. Having just stepped out of a hot shower wearing only a t-shirt and loose trousers, he felt a bit chilly.

He had eaten too much fruit and let out a loud burp, leaving Shen Yue staring at him in bewilderment.

"What are you doing? Starving to death?" Looking at the trash bag full of yogurt cups and fruit peels, she finally couldn't help but ask.

"I am actually a bit hungry. If I say I'm hungry, will you make me a late-night snack?"

"Shouldn't you be the one making it for me?"

"...I don't get home from class until eleven, and I still have to be ordered around by you to cook?" Shen Nian sighed deeply. "My life is so bitter."

"You're just asking for a beating. Don't think you can stay up late just because tomorrow is the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Go to sleep."

"Trying to boss me around now?" Shen Nian slipped over to the entryway, grabbed the key to the apartment across the hall, and dashed out. "If I don't stay up late while I'm young, I won't have the energy to do it when I'm old. Not only am I going to stay up, I'm taking your apprentice down with me. Hehe, I've got the key, just lock the door when you go to sleep."

"..."

That brat.

He didn't even put on a jacket.

Shen Yue yawned, feeling like her variety show wasn't as interesting anymore.

She wished she had a childhood sweetheart, too—someone whose house she could run over to in the middle of the night just to hang out. Boo hoo.

Here she was, a twenty-five-year-old lady, single since birth, who had never even been pursued by a guy.

Shen Nian slipped into Xia Yanchun's apartment. He presumptuously unlocked the door and presumptuously saw Xia Yanchun standing at the sink in her pajamas, rinsing her mouth.

Shen Nian breezed right past her, went straight for the target, swiped a carton of pure milk, and downed it right there.

"Phew..."

Xia Yanchun gargled and spat out the water. Then she started slathering skincare products on her face until she looked like a ghost. After washing it off, her face would look particularly dewy and tender.

Skincare was way too important for girls; unless absolutely necessary, they weren't even willing to stand in the sun.

"How much is this stuff?" Shen Nian, having nothing better to do, stood next to her and examined the bottles and jars, none of which he recognized.

"The bottle in your hand is two hundred and thirty."

"What? Is that highway robbery?"

"One bottle lasts a long time."

"What about this small one?"

"Two hundred."

Shen Nian was practically brought to tears by the prices.

If a thief broke into Xia Yanchun's room and stole everything that looked valuable, they'd realize too late that nothing was worth as much as the skincare products by the sink.

But then he remembered some lipsticks sold for thousands, so he figured a few hundred wasn't actually that bad.

Xia Yanchun's family wasn't short on money, so she certainly wouldn't buy cheap stuff. The skincare products in rich households probably cost thousands a bottle.

As for skin maintenance, Shen Nian could actually achieve similar results with his [Culinary Mastery]. He could just stew a pot of ingredients known for nourishing and whitening the skin, but he didn't think it was necessary.

His sister had good skin, he was doing okay, and Xia Yanchun ate healthily and rarely drank soda, so her skin was great even without maintenance. None of the three really needed it.

Especially Xia Yanchun.

She already had that cold, pale skin tone. If she got any whiter, she could sit at a table with the dead.

Maybe he could cook something for his mom when he went home later, save her from buying face masks.

"I'll make you breakfast tomorrow. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything works. I'm not a picky eater."

"Really? Anything?" Shen Nian gave her a skeptical look.

"...Don't make any 'dark cuisine.' If you waste ingredients, I'm posting you on Xiaohongshu."

"Can you post my abs too? While you're at it, filter the responses for me. If any rich, beautiful girls who are 170cm tall with 36Ds ask for my contact info, send them my way."

"You're a piece of work. Get out of here."

Unable to resist rolling her eyes gracefully, Xia Yanchun ignored Shen Nian, switched off the light with a snap, and went back to her room, even pulling the door shut.

Shen Nian opened the door and walked in. Xia Yanchun was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a pair of clippers and trimming her toenails.

Long nails were unhygienic. He'd heard that a single nail harbored more bacteria than a toilet seat rim, so trimming them frequently was a good habit.

Some guys grew out their pinky nails. If not maintained well, they turned long and yellow, looking incredibly dirty. It felt like one scratch would give you a fungal infection. There were a lot of guys like that in middle school, but in high school—at least in Class 11—there wasn't anyone like that.

"Cutting your nails?"

"Actually, I'm cutting my flesh."

"Humorous."

"Your question is even more humorous. What else would I be cutting if not my toenails?"

Shen Nian often teased her like this, too. Being on the receiving end occasionally didn't make him angry; it was actually kind of refreshing.

He loved this look of hers—acting disgusted but not actually kicking him out. Love it, love it.

Shen Nian pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. Hunching over with his chin resting on his palm, he stared at the girl's feet for a while.

He stared until Chun-bao got embarrassed, her toes curling up. "What are you looking at? Can you have some manners..."

"Your feet are so small."

"They aren't small. Shi Yan's are even smaller than mine. Yours are just too big."

"Compared to other guys, my shoe size isn't even that big." Shen Nian grinned. "How about I trim them for you?"

"..."

Xia Yanchun's hand paused, and she pursed her lips. Truth be told, the thought of Shen Nian holding her toes and trimming her nails made her heart flutter a bit.

Not because it was Shen Nian, but because of the act itself. Who wouldn't want someone else to trim their nails for them?

She had helped Shen Nian trim his fingernails before, so letting him trim her toenails now really wasn't a big deal, right?

Xia Yanchun hummed softly and handed the clippers to Shen Nian. "You'd better not clip my skin..."

"I'm not that careless."

Shen Nian gently cradled the sole of the girl's foot in his palm.