Chapter 29: Father
Ruan Yu spent the entire night reminiscing about the taste of that instant noodle.
The flavor seemed to bewitch her heart and mind, making her constantly recall the days when her father was still around, those once-happy memories.
When Ruan Yu was little, she used to think instant noodles were the best food in the world. But she rarely had the chance to eat them. Only when she caught a cold or fell ill would her father cook her a bowl of instant noodles to coax her into eating.
After eating the noodles, she would recover. And once she was better, craving them again, she would pretend to be sick once more.
But her little tricks never escaped her father’s notice...
After her father passed away, she never ate instant noodles again—because she knew that no matter whether the taste had changed or not, that happiness from back then would never return.
Yet today, in Teng Yi’s presence, she had unexpectedly found a trace of that long-lost happiness.
That night, Ruan Yu had a sweet dream, one where both her father and Teng Yi appeared.
She was acutely aware that her feelings toward Teng Yi had changed.
At first, she had admired him from afar. Then there had been a phase where she tried to draw a clear boundary between them. But now, she found herself constantly wanting to get closer.
Teng Yi was a very warm person.
That warmth was dangerous—yet irresistibly alluring.
She couldn’t control the emotions growing in her heart, so she let them flourish wildly and quietly.
A crush was like a flower in a snowfield—illusory yet real. No matter how beautifully or vibrantly it bloomed, it could only be admired in solitude.
Because of Teng Yi, tutoring at the Teng household had become the thing Ruan Yu most looked forward to each day. The only pity was that Teng Yi remained as elusive as ever, rarely at home. The next time they met was already five days after they had shared that bowl of instant noodles.
That day, as soon as Ruan Yu stepped inside, she saw Teng Yi asleep on the living room sofa. His long legs were propped on an ottoman, earplugs in his ears, a magazine covering his face. He seemed to be sleeping deeply, not hearing her footsteps at all.
Ruan Yu stood in the living room for a while, waiting for him to wake up so she could greet him. But after a long time, there was no sign of him stirring, so she had no choice but to head upstairs first.
Upstairs, Teng Hao was also asleep. Wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, he was sprawled over a pile of test papers, arms wrapped around himself, curled up with a deep frown—as if he were freezing.
Ruan Yu shook Teng Hao awake.
Teng Hao opened his bleary eyes, glanced at her, grabbed the school uniform hanging on the back of his chair, tucked it under his arm, and closed his eyes again.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Ruan Yu asked.
“Don’t even ask. That lunatic next door played the piano all night. If they’d played properly, fine—but it was a complete mess, just noise, like some kind of haunting. I nearly lost my mind.”
So that was it.
No wonder Teng Yi hadn’t slept well either.
“Didn’t you complain?” Ruan Yu asked.
“We did, but it didn’t help. The noise just kept going.” Teng Hao sat up and sneezed. “Ugh, I’m freezing. Why did it suddenly get so cold?”
He rubbed his nose and put on his school uniform.
Ruan Yu thought of Teng Yi downstairs—he was also sleeping in just a short-sleeved T-shirt. If he caught a cold, that would be bad.
She wanted to go down and cover him with a blanket, but she had no excuse to do so.
“Are you thirsty?” Ruan Yu asked Teng Hao.
“Why?”
“I’ll get you some water. Your lips are chapped.”
Teng Hao licked his lips. “I didn’t even notice.”
“Want some? Just say the word.”"Didn't you righteously declare last time that it wouldn't happen again?"
"Fine, don't take it then." Ruan Yu pulled out a workbook, pretending to hand it to Teng Hao.
Teng Hao quickly nodded.
"I'll take it. No reason to refuse a free gift."
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