Chapter Six: Leading Others to Crime

Such a direct answer—did he not realize how hurtful that could be? Lost in her tangled thoughts, Luo Yixia was startled when Song Chengyi spoke again, his tone light: “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just leave with me earlier?”

Luo Yixia froze for a moment. Was he suggesting that she should have come with him from home? For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, her cheeks began to burn and her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

Song Chengyi pulled his suitcase out of the elevator, and Luo Yixia followed closely behind. When they reached his apartment door, Song Chengyi took out his keys, unlocked the door, and, after changing into his own slippers, handed her a spare pair.

Luo Yixia glanced around the apartment, feeling a subtle sense of emotion—it was only her second time here. The first had been a week ago, and she had been drunk then, with no memory of how she’d made it inside. She’d been woken by her mother’s loud scolding, and, upon opening her eyes, had been greeted by a scene that set her blood rushing. The aftermath had been hard to accept. She hadn’t had the heart then to explore the apartment, to take in its details.

“Are you still hungry?” Song Chengyi asked.

Luo Yixia shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Good. Eating too much at night isn’t good for you,” Song Chengyi agreed with a nod.

He glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already past ten.

“Do you want to shower first, or should I?” he asked.

“You go ahead,” Luo Yixia replied, thinking that, after all, it was his home; he should go first.

“Alright.” Song Chengyi didn’t protest. He went into his bedroom, grabbed his pajamas, and headed for the bathroom.

Only once Song Chengyi disappeared into the bathroom did Luo Yixia finally breathe a little easier.

How strange—she used to dream of seeing him all the time, yet now, being alone with him in the same room, she actually felt somewhat uneasy. It was inexplicably awkward.

She craned her neck, curiously studying the apartment. It wasn’t large, but more than spacious enough for someone living alone. Song Chengyi was only a year older than she was, yet the difference felt vast, as if there were a great distance between them.

Because her birthday was in the latter half of the year, Luo Yixia had started school a year late, which meant she was twenty when she entered her freshman year—putting Song Chengyi two full academic years ahead of her. Fortunately, with medical school being five years, she’d still have a few more years to quietly admire him on campus.

Still, Song Chengyi always seemed so far above her, standing at a height she could only look up to.

Growing up, she’d been the only child in her family and had been spoiled accordingly. Later, her father’s business prospered and, almost overnight, they became newly rich. Not long after, they moved to the house next door to his. At some point—she wasn’t sure when—she gradually found herself drawn to this taciturn, strikingly handsome older boy.

As her thoughts drifted, a small smile tugged at Luo Yixia’s lips.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Instinctively, Luo Yixia looked up and saw Song Chengyi toweling his hair, his pajamas loosely draped over his frame, revealing a hint of his chest.

“This is practically inviting someone to commit a crime,” Luo Yixia muttered under her breath.

She immediately crouched down and rummaged through her suitcase for a change of clothes. Mumbling, “I’m going to shower,” she fled into the bathroom, closing the door with a decisive bang.