Jiang Miyan sent another reply: I'm just afraid that one day you'll regret saving me today. My mom said if I send you a red envelope, we'll balance the karma.
Yun Mi squinted at this reply, looking at it for a long time.
She silently left her desk and went downstairs, rummaging through the freezer section of the fridge to find a popsicle.
When Chen Yiyang came downstairs, he saw the girl squatting in front of the fridge.
Yun Mi lowered her eyes, biting into the popsicle bite by bite.
Chen Yiyang could tell she was unhappy and asked, "Who upset you again?"
If it weren't so irreparable, Yun Mi would have pouted and said, "You did," but she didn't. She just pressed her lips into a slight smile and said, "Nothing."
Chen Yiyang pressed, "Really?"
Yun Mi looked away and didn't speak.
Chen Yiyang said, "You told Aunt Qin you wanted my game console, took it secretly to play, and asked Aunt Qin not to tell me."
"???"
Yun Mi's initially low mood fluctuated for a moment. She frowned and asked, "How do you know? Didn't I tell Aunt Qin..."
Yun Mi stopped herself in time for the rest.
Chen Yiyang raised an eyebrow, looking down at her, and asked coolly, "What did you say?"
Yun Mi didn't want Aunt Qin to get criticized by her employer. Aunt Qin was so good to her. She whispered, "It's all my fault."
"Oh."
Chen Yiyang's thin eyelids drooped coldly, and he demanded, "Then say, 'Brother, I was wrong.'"
What nonsense?
Yun Mi felt even worse, biting the popsicle in grievance.
She didn't speak.
Chen Yiyang crouched down and said, "I'll buy you a new one."
Yun Mi paused.
She heard Chen Yiyang's next words, "That old one of mine, and I've already used it."
The two looked at each other in the kitchen.
Yun Mi wanted to quietly say "thank you," but Chen Yiyang asked, "So what's wrong?"
"..."
Yun Mi bit her lips, numbed by the cold popsicle. She was used to using coldness to approach that feeling of clarity, but in reality, self-blame only led to endless emptiness.
Yun Mi said, "Jiang Miyan asked me if I regretted saving her. I thought of Xu Mingyi again."
He asked gently, "Do you regret it?"
Chen Yiyang had a pleasant scent of dry mint. It seemed like he had changed his body wash today, a bit of a sea salt and bitter lemon coolness.
Her body felt hot and feverish. Under the dim light, Yun Mi saw Chen Yiyang's eyes.
Yun Mi smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, after saving Xu Mingyi, I was ostracized by everyone. At that time, I thought I would never save anyone again. I wanted to become a vicious person and make them regret it... But."
But she couldn't do it.
Actually, it wasn't just today.
Last time, behind Shanfu, in front of Xu Zhiyu, Yun Mi had already stepped forward.
Yun Mi was dejected, but Chen Yiyang smiled.
He asked, "Is not saving someone evil? Is saving someone wrong?"
Chen Yiyang looked at her, raised his hand and touched her slightly unruly head. He said, "Didn't I say it before? You're not wrong."
Yun Mi lowered her eyes and asked, "Even if I have to pay the price myself?"
Chen Yiyang said, "Have you heard of a saying?"
Yun Mi: "What saying?"
Chen Yiyang raised an eyebrow and said, "Harming someone might require a reason, but saving someone doesn't."
Yun Mi's eyes widened suddenly.
Chen Yiyang's relaxed frame was there, and he said, "Mimi, just be yourself. Don't let the world defeat you."
He clearly used the nickname "Mimi" to call her. Yun Mi was slightly stunned. Chen Yiyang ruffled her hair, not too hard.
Yun Mi's heart softened. She couldn't describe the feeling, just that she could finally breathe. She slowly hummed in acknowledgment.
Chen Yiyang saw her silence and asked, "Had enough?"
Yun Mi said, "What?"
"The popsicle."
"No."