“No, I’m fine!”


  I glared at him and urged, “Go on home!”


  Su Qi nodded, as if he had something left unsaid. Suddenly, I was afraid that if he had a chance to speak, he’d say something that would make me feel awkward, so I quickly added. “Be careful on your way.”


  “Do you have a cell phone?” he asked suddenly.

  I shook my head, frowning. “Why are you asking me about my cell phone?”


  Cell phones were a luxury item for us in our secondary school days. Usually, those who brought their cell phones to school were from wealthy families. Otherwise, we would only own a cell phone when we got to high school.

  I shook my head. “No,” I said.

  Su Qi did not insist. He waved his hand coolly and left.

  I turned around to head up the apartment, but at this point, under the street lamps, I spotted the silhouette of a slender figure on a small stone bench.

  I stared, startled.

  “Dongyu…”


  I didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, waiting. He would have seen Su Qi sending me back. I suddenly felt guilty.

  Dongyu slowly stood up and walked towards me. There was a hint of anger and sullenness in his eyes. He looked down at me and then at the school bag in my arms. He asked in his deep voice, “You’re back late. Where have you been?”


  “I…”


  I looked at him and hesitated. After thinking for a long time, I came up with a lie. “I went to my classmate’s house for tuition!”


  “Classmate?”


  Dongyu’s expression darkened. “So, why were you with Su Qi?”


  “Huh?” I panicked. “Brother, you saw us…”


  Normally, I would call him by his name. I would only very cautiously address him as “Brother” when I did something I shouldn’t have or when I angered him.

  “Do you know?” Dongyu suddenly said, “You’ll always look away when you tell a lie.”


  I lowered my head in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to lie to you! I… I was just afraid that you’d worry…”


  I admit that I really didn’t know how to lie. The most perfect lie in my life was the one time I cried and told him that I no longer loved him and that I was letting go.

  Dongyu couldn’t bear to blame me. I knew that as long as I had this expression on my face, he wouldn’t pursue the matter.

  “Since you know I’d be worried, don’t come home so late in the future.”


  He lowered his head and his gaze suddenly fell on my knees. A hint of heartache appeared in his eyes. He immediately squatted down and touched the bruises with his fingertips. His beautiful brows furrowed. “What happened?”


  “I fell.”


  He looked up. “You fell? How?”


  I said, “I was careless… tripped over a rock…”


  Dongyu was so angry that he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He jabbed my head with his finger. “You even trip while walking? Are your eyes positioned at the top of your head?”


  When he said this, I knew that he couldn’t bear to stay angry with me. With a flattering smile, I took his arm and snuggled into his embrace. “Brother, I know I shouldn’t have…”


  Dongyu slid his arms around me. He seemed helpless, and couldn’t bear to say anything else. He merely remarked, “Do you know that I was very worried?”


  He couldn’t reach me, and I didn’t have a cell phone. That was why he waited downstairs for me.

  “I won’t do this the next time,” I muttered.

  “Next time?”


  “No, no! There won’t be a next time.”


  “Remember! You’re not to come home late!”


  He took my bag from me. It was heavy but he handled the weight very easily. I could see the contour of his lightly muscled arms.