Chapter 10: This "Yu" Is Not That "Fish"
Ruan Yu descended the stairs.
When she first entered earlier, Shen Bing's piercing gaze had made her too self-conscious to look around properly. She'd only noticed the house was spacious but hadn't located the kitchen.
She wandered the living room cautiously, careful not to let her canvas shoes dirty the intricate patterns on the floor tiles.
Finally, she found the kettle.
It wasn't in the kitchen but on the living room bar counter.
Approaching it, Ruan Yu first noticed the neatly arranged row of tea canisters against the wall. Biluochun, Tieguanyin, West Lake Longjing... Each labeled with elegant handwritten characters, every stroke graceful and refined.
This must be Shen Bing's handwriting. Unexpectedly, her writing was gentle—nothing like her demeanor.
Beside the kettle sat a wooden tray holding two cups. Ruan Yu examined them closely but found no discernible difference, so she randomly picked one and filled it with water.
Cradling the cup, she turned back when sudden footsteps echoed down the hallway. Looking up at the descending figure, she froze.
It was Teng Yi.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and black linen pants, he looked lazily half-awake, though his dreadlocks remained perfectly intact. Squinting, he gave Ruan Yu a cursory glance before turning to shout upstairs.
"Teng Hao! Who said you could bring female classmates home?"
The boy called "Teng Hao" emerged on the second floor, leaning over the railing to observe their hallway encounter before glancing at Ruan Yu.
"Seriously? She's not my classmate—she's yours!"
Teng Yi looked puzzled.
Teng Hao added, "She's from Yangshan University. Mom's new hired tutor."
Ruan Yu struggled to process this flood of information.
Teng Yi. Teng Hao. Same roof. Same mother. Could they be brothers?
What an incredible coincidence.
She stood silently, thoughts churning.
Teng Yi turned back, studying her again. Suddenly, recognition softened his brow.
"Red Koi?" he uttered.
Teng Hao looked baffled, but Ruan Yu understood.
She nodded.
"Hello, I'm Ruan Yu."
"Hah, so it really is 'Fish,'" he laughed, his dark eyes sparkling like starlight.
She didn't clarify that this "Yu" wasn't the character for "fish," nor did Teng Yi introduce himself—as if assuming every Yangshan University student naturally knew him.
At some point, Teng Hao had retreated, leaving just the two of them facing each other in the hallway.
A faint awkwardness lingered in the air.
As Ruan Yu prepared to move, Teng Yi stepped forward instead. Reaching her, he casually took the cup from her hands.
"Thanks."
Tilting his head back, he drank before turning to ascend the stairs.
His steps seemed lighter now, black flip-flops clacking against the dark marble steps.
Watching his tall figure grow distant, Ruan Yu finally spoke: "That water wasn't for you."
Hearing this, Teng Yi turned to meet her gaze.
"Oh? But this is my cup."
".........................."
OpenNovel